How strong was the American economy going into the present crisis? How strong will it be a year from now? How about five years from now? Investors and citizens around the world realize, as never before, that we were misled—lied to—about the stability of our financial system. But what now? John R. Talbott's ingenious new book, The 86 Biggest Lies on Wall Street, exposes the lies and then exposes us to the truth of what it will take to rebuild our economy. As a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs, Talbott knows firsthand how the financial system operates and what it will take to fix it. As the "oracle" who predicted the housing crisis in his 2003 book, The Coming Crash in the Housing Market, warned of a global banking crisis in his 2006 book, Sell Now, and called the election for Obama when the senator from Illinois was still the underdog in Obamanomics, Talbott' s revelations about how the Street and the economy really work are as clear-eyed and undeniable as his predictions and recommendations for our economic future are tough, sensible and exciting. We may ignore them at our own peril. What will people be talking about in years to come? To find out, read John Talbott now.

Bestselling author John R. Talbott, who predicted the housing and mortgage crisis, pictures in Obamanomics--written well in advance of the historic 2008 elections--a Barack Obama presidency based on justice and cooperation—principles that have not held sway in Washington, DC, for quite some time. Talbott's powerful grasp of finance allows him to connect the issue of financial inequality in America with our need as a people to embrace change. Obama has shown he knows that divisions among races, religions, and political views have prevented Americans from coming together to solve the most important problems of our age. Obamanomics, infused with Obama's speeches, campaign policy statements, and other writings, describes a government acting according to democratic principles to enact lobbying reform, get our economy moving again, fix our healthcare system, slow global warming, prevent unnecessary wars, improve education, address the aging of our population, find alternative energy sources, and bring about housing, mortgage, and banking reform.

In Take on the Street, Arthur Levitt--Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission for eight years under President Clinton--provides the best kind of insider information: the kind that can help honest, small investors protect themselves from the deliberately confusing ways of Wall Street. At a time when investor confidence in Wall Street and corporate America is at an historic low, when many are seriously questioning whether or not they should continue to invest, Levitt offers the benefits of his own experience, both on Wall Street and as its chief regulator. His straight talk about the ways of stockbrokers (they are salesmen, plain and simple), corporate financial statements (the truth is often hidden), mutual fund managers (remember who they really work for), and other aspects of the business will help to arm everyone with the tools they need to protect—and enhance—their financial future.

A startling look at how unsustainable debt levels, in the US and around the world, are endangering many standard investments, and what people need to know to protect their money Most individuals and institutions hold the preponderance of their investments in common stocks, corporate bonds, mutual funds, index funds, muni bonds, money markets, bank CDs, and Treasury securities. But these conventional investments will not do well in a world dominated by corrupt, debt-laden governments and thieving bankers, brokers and middlemen. Finance guru John R. Talbott, prescient predictor of the financial crisis and the housing market crash, offers a new paradigm for the coming economic reality. He shows how the recent housing collapse and global economic crisis left governments of the world with enormous annual operating deficits at a time when the banking system continues to struggle with bad debts and requires additional government guarantees and bailouts. Add the fact that growth is constrained because the first wave of the baby boom is hitting 65 and consumers are still loaded with unsustainable levels of debt, and you have a recipe for an economic catastrophe. In this uncertain atmosphere, Talbott offers clear strategies on what you can do to protect your investments and your family. Among the global dynamics covered are: *the low-wage threat of China and India *the legitimacy of gold investing *the false security of diversification *the risks of sovereign debt . . . and why most economists are missing the boat.

A blistering narrative account of the negligence and greed that pushed all of Wall Street into chaos and the country into a financial crisis. At the beginning of March 2008, the monetary fabric of Bear Stearns, one of the world’s oldest and largest investment banks, began unraveling. After ten days, the bank no longer existed, its assets sold under duress to rival JPMorgan Chase. The effects would be felt nationwide, as the country suddenly found itself in the grip of the worst financial mess since the Great Depression. William Cohan exposes the corporate arrogance, power struggles, and deadly combination of greed and inattention, which led to the collapse of not only Bear Stearns but the very foundations of Wall Street.

The author recounts his experiences on the lucrative Wall Street bond market of the 1980s, where young traders made millions in a very short time, in a humorous account of greed and epic folly.

By using true tales of thieves, swindlers, and fraudsters at work, Financial Serial Killers illustrates how these perpetrators get their hooks into investors' wallets, savings accounts, and portfolios—and never let go. The worst financial crisis since the great depression revealed that thousands of mom and pop investors had lost millions to so-called Mini-Madoffs. They are the thieves and conmen who had used phony financial acumen to steal investors' money, wipe out savings, and damage lives. Financial Serial Killers reveals the cons—from the grand to picayune—advisers cultivate with their victims—relationships that are essential to the fraud. Take the story of Lillian, the little old lady who invested with Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world. After her husband died, she thought her family's treasure of $24 million in stock controlled by Buffett was safe. It was—until a family relative introduced the eighty-nine-year-old grandmother to a pair of unscrupulous insurance agents who convinced her to reinvest her savings in life insurance—decimating her nest egg while padding the agents' pockets. Lillian's story, as well as other accounts of deceit and fraud are the core of Financial Serial Killers. Readers will learn how to better protect their family's wealth and savings after reading this book.