The essential guide to making smarter decisions by decoding CEO Communications Recommended reading in Warren Buffet's 2013 Shareholder Letter Investing Between the Lines introduces a revolutionary method for evaluating the financial integrity of a company. You don't need special access to "insider" information or a degree in accounting to figure it out. In fact, the secret is right in front of you--in black and white--in the words of every shareholder letter, annual report, and corporate correspondence you receive. Investing Between the Lines shows you how to: Decipher the "FOG" of confusing company communications Decode the real meaning behind corporate jargon and platitudes Separate the facts from the fluff in annual reports and quarterly earnings calls Safeguard your money by investing in companies that steward investor capital Too often, corporate executives and investment professionals are expected to deliver short-term results. As a result, they are compelled to turn to accounting techniques and unclear language to meet these expectations. In Investing Between the Lines, L.J. Rittenhouse lays out her time-tested approach for recognizing at-risk businesses before trouble hits. This is the same method she used to predict the collapse of Enron and the fall of Lehman. From comparing the statements of Ford, GM, and Toyota to revealing why FedEx and Wells Fargo have been so successful, Investing Between the Lines shows that Rittenhouse's system is one of the most powerful tools a corporate leader or investor can have. Once you learn the clues to decode CEO communications, you will be able to invest between the lines--to figure out exactly what a company's CEO is or isn't telling you. Whether you're a professional investor, a new shareholder, or a CEO who wants to improve how your company communicates, Investing Between the Lines is one of the best investments you'll ever make. Praise for Investing Between the Lines "Rittenhouse is still on the side of the angels." --WARREN BUFFETT, Chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway "Tremendous! Investing Between the Lines is destined to become a classic in showing how candor is the language of trust and how trust is the basis on which companies ultimately succeed." --STEPHEN M. R. COVEY, author of the New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, The Speed of Trust, and coauthor of Smart Trust "Before investing only by the numbers, read Investing Between the Lines. In it, L.J. Rittenhouse makes a compelling case that CEOs' words matter too." --JAMES HESKETT, Baker Foundation Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School, and author of The Culture Cycle "An intriguing read that gets to the heart of the 21st-century leadership challenge--the need for leaders to candidly build and earn the trust of their stakeholders in an enduring way." --DOUGLAS R. CONANT, Former President, CEO, and Director of Campbell Soup Company and New York Times bestselling author of TouchPoints "This book is the Rosetta Stone for investors and the high-water mark for CEOs." --DAVID CHILDERS, CEO of Compli, Inc., and Director, Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics "L.J. Rittenhouse reports on over a decade of research analyzing executive communications and finds leadership clues that reveal the true values of a corporate culture which, in turn, determine performance." --LOUISE M. MORMAN, Executive Director, Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute, Miami University

In Investing Between the Lines, CEO communications expert, L. J. Rittenhouse offers a proven methodology for accurately analyzing the worthiness of an investment: Reading corporate "fog," i.e., shareholder letters, and other corporate correspondence.

The son of legendary investor Warren Buffet relates how he set out to help nearly a billion individuals who lack basic food security through his passion of farming, in forty stories of lessons learned.

"Contains material adapted from The everything investing book, 3rd edition"--Title page verso.

A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

Chances are you haven’t been making the best investing decisions. Why? BECAUSE THAT’S HOW WALL STREET WANTS IT Wall Street is very good at one thing: convincing you to act against your own interests. And there’s no one out there better equipped with the knowledge and moxie to explain how it all works than Josh Brown. A man The New York Times referred to as “the Merchant of Snark” and Barron’s called “pot-stirring and provocative,” Brown worked for 10 years in the industry, a time during which he learned some hard truths about how clients are routinely treated—and how their money is sent on a one-way trip to Wall Street’s coffers. Backstage Wall Street reveals the inner workings of the world’s biggest money machine and explains how a relatively small confederation of brilliant, sometimes ill-intentioned people fuel it, operate it, and repair it when necessary—none of which is for the good of the average investor. Offering a look that only a long-term insider could provide (and that only a “reformed” insider would want to provide), Brown describes: THE PEOPLE—Why retail brokers always profit—even if you don’t THE PRODUCTS—How funds, ETFs, and other products are invented as failsafe profit generators—for the inventors alone THE PITCH—The marketing schemes designed for one thing and one thing only: to separate you from your money It’s that bad . . . but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Brown gives you the knowledge you need to make the right decisions at the right time. Backstage Wall Street is about seeing reality for what it is and adjusting your actions accordingly. It’s about learning who and what to steer clear of at all times. And it’s about setting the stage for a bright financial future—your own way.