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On the heels of the best-selling success of The Ultimate Gift and the major motion picture from 20th Century Fox based on that book, Jim Stovall brings you The Millionaire Map. “This is the book I wished was available 30 years ago when I was desperate and broke with only a dream of one day being a millionaire. Now, as a multimillionaire, I want to share the wisdom I’ve gained from the journey and provide other travelers with a map to guide them on their journey.” – Jim Stovall
“Jim Stovall is one of the most remarkable and inspiring individuals of this age-or any age. His example of doing good and great things in the face of what others would consider to be debilitating challenges is uplifting and inspiring.” – Steve Forbes
“When Jim Stovall, through his business, makes his movies such as The Ultimate Gift accessible both as a premiere theatrical and DVD movie, as well as part of a school curriculum, he improves the lives of young and old alike.” – Donald J. Trump
“I have long been a fan of Jim Stovall’s work for blind people around the world through his company Narrative Television Network. His work stands as a symbol of the good that can happen when people believe in helping one another and strive to make a difference.” – Ted Turner
The Millionaire Map Reveals…
– You can’t expand your wallet until you expand your mind.
– Becoming a millionaire is not just about all the things you want to have, but it’s about the things you want to do and give.
– In order to climb to the financial peak, you’ve got to crawl out of the valley of debt.
– You will either voluntarily control your money now, or it will force its control on you later.
– The vast majority of people never arrive at their destination-not because they don’t have what it takes but because they don’t manage what they have.
ABOUT JIM STOVALL
Jim Stovall has enjoyed success as an author, athlete, investment broker, and entrepreneur while dealing with the challenge of blindness. During his remarkable life, Jim has been a national champion Olympic weightlifter, as well as the author of 20 books. In addition to his personal achievements, Jim was honored as the 2000 International Humanitarian of the Year, joining Jimmy Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Mother Teresa as a recipient of this prestigious award. As cofounder and president of the Emmy Award-winning Narrative Television Network (NTN), Jim has also helped make movies and television accessible for America’s 13 million blind and visually impaired people and their families.
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12 Common Sense Questions Could Save Your Family
Forever change the future of your family business
Every Family’s Business challenges the idea that successful family businesses must keep family issues and business issues separate. Tom believes this separation is impossible and that most family businesses are set up from the beginning to fail because they attempt it.
Tom offers a compelling argument for why families should be clear about when they will sell the business and to whom. Families that are upfront and realistic about their goals for transitioning ownership of the business can avoid jealousy, sibling rivalry and regrettable inter-family lawsuits.
Tom has designed the 12 Common Sense Questions offered in Every Family’s Business to start a conversation among family members with the view of protecting wealth and relationships.
Order the best-selling book that has helped protect the wealth of thousands of family businesses around the world.
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A succession plan must be more than naming a beneficiary; it must be a thoughtful, well-communicated plan.
Owners who maintain ownership control of their businesses while delegating management to someone else, whether family or professional managers, assume extraordinary risks.
When a business owner dies and gifts his or her shares to a surviving spouse or children without having a detailed conversation about who will own what and how, family discord and wealth destruction are almost guaranteed.
If no plan is in place, feuding siblings, parent-child estrangement and disgruntled professional managers will continue to make litigation lawyers the only beneficiary of broken family business dreams.
Abandon the concept of “gifting” your business and replace it with clarity about who will buy your business. Every Family’s Business gives owners permission to sell their businesses to their children – or anyone else.
Struggle, risk, failure and adapting to change are what distinguish business owners from employees. Businesses gifted to the next generation, who have risked nothing, will ultimately join the 70% of businesses that fail when passed to the second generation.
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A collaborative approach to the most important document you will ever write: Your Will
More than 125 million US and Canadian citizens over the age of 18 have no Will.
This is a tragedy in the making that will transcend money and is guaranteed to affect relationships profoundly and irreversibly. The time for a new relationship-based approach to estate planning is upon us.
Willing Wisdom seeks to change the perception of what a Will is and what it can be. It aims to ignite the passion in the hearts and minds of everyday people – people rich and poor – to use their Will to invest in what ought to matter most – relationships. This can happen only through trust and collaboration, as well as trust in collaboration. By engaging in conversation with intended beneficiaries about death, the potential for living life more fully and purposefully is vastly improved.
This simple idea of making one of the most secretive documents in one’s life into a collective work of art will be challenging for many. This book will convince you that it’s a risk worth taking.
Money and control, which often bring comfort in the temporal world, can be lethal and toxic for a generation heading for the exit. As they approach that day, control over money – and health-care decisions – must often be relinquished. That more than half the population will die without a Will, die without any conversation with their family and friends about their end, is symptomatic of a culture entranced and immobilized by the fear of death.
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An invitation like no other
This book invites you to invite your family, friends and community to receive your wisdom today, even tough your last breath may be many, many years away. Extending that invitation will take both wisdom and courage and you will likely be the first in your lineage to do such a thing.
There can be no better way for us to unlearn our fear of death and dying than to do so in concert with those we love. It’s a gift we owe our family, our friends and ourselves. Knowing that we will live on, and that our work will continue, in the hearts of those we love and in our community – our wisdom served faithfully – is an extraordinary lead-up to death.
Willing Wisdom is as much about protecting and passing on possessions intelligently as it is about passing something more valuable to your beneficiaries – ideals and values. When you artfully build a life for others, it is you who harvests the dividend now and when you are dying. The relationships you leave behind are what shape humanity for all time.
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What this book is not
This is not a technical book about the details of writing a Will. Wherever you read the word Willin the context of a legal document making provision for the distribution of your assets on death, you can substitute the word with Trust. The word Will is used to mean merely one legal arrangement for the distribution of assets at death. Similarly, Will is used in its broadest context to include Guardianship, Financial Power of Attorney, Power of Attorney for Personal Care, Advanced Healthcare Directives and Living Wills. Where it is important to specifically name one of these items to inform the reader more exactingly, an exception is made.
The laws governing Wills and estates vary greatly by jurisdiction and evolve constantly, soWilling Wisdom does not deal with specifics. It is written to be as relevant to readers in fifty years as it is today and as relevant in New York as it is in São Paolo, Sydney, London, Toronto or Beijing.
In the end, death is what we make it – so make it familiar by discussing it with the people who matter most in your life.
This e-book is a team building road map featuring the Ten Keys that Unlock Limitless Success. It is based on the lifetime body of work of Dr. Bill DeMarco, an expert in building and leading high performing teams and organizations. A recognized leadership and culture change consultant, scholar, and executive, How to Build a Team is based on his team building experiences with dozens of world class organizations on five continents? It is practical guide for creating/enhancing effective teams in small, medium, and large organizations. It provides insights, tools, exercises and real world anecdotes. The book concludes with a personal feedback questionnaire that can both help readers better gauge how they are doing as well as plan for greater team building success.
At a fundamental level, team building has everything to do with finding the leader within and leading others.
A leader is someone who gives purpose to collective effort while inspiring willing effort to support that purpose.
At the organizational level, we give purpose to the collective effort of all our direct reports, who in turn do the same, and so on down the line. To really work, that purpose must build off of personal values and reflect organizational mandates from a higher level.
The Big Challenge
The big challenge for a leader, however, is the “inspiring willing effort” part. This goes well beyond just demanding performance levels, based on bottom line history and projections. It is easy for persons of title to demand performance of their subordinates. It is far more difficult to “inspire willing effort” of others. The advantage of “Inspiring willing effort” is that it taps inner passions so those being led give only the best effort they are capable of, irrespective of whether the boss is around!
How to Use this Book
This book is meant to be used as a practical leader’s guide. It contains ten keys that drive successful team building. Each “key” contains a variety of reflection points and how to’s. To get maximum would be derived from careful reflection about each comment/question within each “key”. To do this well, ask yourself about the meaning / implications of each point for yourself and then for members of your team. Do not rush the process.
A “Key” Example
As an example, the first point under the “Sharing Information” Key page header is: “If I don’t know what is expected, I won’t know how to prioritize what to do.” The real issue here is how do you spend your time…are you strategic, working against a plan, or are you more freewheeling. Given how precious time is, there is an obvious need to align time spent against goals as much as possible.
For your subordinates, do they really know how their job fits within the bigger picture? Don’t assume this to be true! In my experience, while some have an idea…somewhat… most subordinates don’t really know how what they do fits within the bigger picture. Most people have a “default comfort zone” which is where they spend much of their time when the goals, and how their activities fit within those goals, are not clear. “Default comfort zones” are usually made up of good things, but rarely are they strategic uses of time.
About YOU
Decide how well you understand what is expected of you and how it fits within the organization’s bigger picture. Commit your understanding to paper. Writing your answers down is a great help because it minimizes the tendency to give “yes” and “no” answers, and most often points to what needs to be done next.
This book provides anecdotes, insights, tools, and exercises that thousands of leaders on five continents have found helpful in “inspiring willing effort” in both themselves and others. It can be effectively used as a self-directed study guide, a team building workshop topical outline, or in conjunction with professional assistance in Team Building.
May this book help you enhance your inner leader and inspire willing effort in others!
What would you do to inherit a million dollars? Would you be willing to change your life? Jason Stevens is about to find out in Jim Stovall’s The Ultimate Gift.
Red Stevens has died, and the older members of his family receive their millions with greedy anticipation. But a different fate awaits young Jason, whom Stevens, his great-uncle, believes may be the last vestige of hope in the family.
“Although to date your life seems to be a sorry excuse for anything I would call promising, there does seem to be a spark of something in you that I hope we can fan into a flame. For that reason, I am not making you an instant millionaire.”
What Stevens does give Jason leads to The Ultimate Gift. Young and old will take this timeless tale to heart.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A wonderful story. Written by one of the most extraordinary men of our era.” — Steve Forbes, President, CEO, Forbes Magazine
“I love this book…Happy reading of “The Ultimate Gift.” — Mark Victor Hansen-Co-Creator, #1 New York Times Best-Selling series “Chicken Soup for the Soul”
About the Author
Jim Stovall has been a national champion Olympic weightlifter, a successful investment broker and entrepreneur. He is Co-Founder and President of the Narrative Television Network, which makes movies and television accessible for our nation’s 13 million blind and visually impaired people and their families. Although originally designed for the blind and visually impaired, over 60% of NTN’s nationwide audience is made up of fully-sighted people who simply enjoy the programming.
Jim Stovall hosts the Network’s talk show, “NTN Showcase.” His guests have included Katharine Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, Carol Channing, Steve Allen, and Eddie Albert, as well as many others. The Narrative Television Network has received an Emmy Award and an International Film and Video Award among its many industry honors.
NTN has grown to include over 1,200 cable systems and broadcast stations, reaching over 35 million homes in the United States, and NTN is shown in 11 foreign countries.
Jim Stovall joined the ranks of Walt Disney, Orson Welles, and four United States presidents when he was selected as one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Americans” by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. He has appeared on “Good Morning America” and CNN, and has been featured in Reader’s Digest, TV Guide and Time magazine. He is the author of a previous book entitled You Don’t Have To Be Blind To See, as well as his new book Success Secrets of Super Achievers. The President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity selected Jim Stovall as the 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year.
A profound follow-up to the bestselling book and major motion picture, The Ultimate Gift. When Jason Stevens found out he had to jump through hoops to maybe get an unnamed inheritance from his billionaire grandfather, he was not amused. By the time he’d finished learning the lessons he’d become a different man. Ready to tackle the duties of running a multi-billion dollar trust, he is once again derailed, this time by his pugnacious family. Not content with their cattle ranches and oil fields, his aunts, uncles, and even his parents are determined to see every last dime entrusted to their own self-serving pockets.
With none of the reluctance he initially showed for the Gift, he eagerly accepts the challenge and pushes himself to prove not only to his family and the court but also to the world, that with determination and the simple tenets of the Gift, anyone can lead The Ultimate Life.
About the Author
Jim Stovall has been a national champion Olympic weightlifter, a successful investment broker and entrepreneur. He is Co-Founder and President of the Narrative Television Network, which makes movies and television accessible for our nation’s 13 million blind and visually impaired people and their families. Although originally designed for the blind and visually impaired, over 60% of NTN’s nationwide audience is made up of fully-sighted people who simply enjoy the programming.
Jim Stovall hosts the Network’s talk show, “NTN Showcase.” His guests have included Katharine Hepburn, Jack Lemmon, Carol Channing, Steve Allen, and Eddie Albert, as well as many others. The Narrative Television Network has received an Emmy Award and an International Film and Video Award among its many industry honors.
NTN has grown to include over 1,200 cable systems and broadcast stations, reaching over 35 million homes in the United States, and NTN is shown in 11 foreign countries.
Jim Stovall joined the ranks of Walt Disney, Orson Welles, and four United States presidents when he was selected as one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Americans” by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. He has appeared on “Good Morning America” and CNN, and has been featured in Reader’s Digest, TV Guide and Time magazine. He is the author of a previous book entitled You Don’t Have To Be Blind To See, as well as his new book Success Secrets of Super Achievers. The President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity selected Jim Stovall as the 1997 Entrepreneur of the Year.
What are the underlying handful of fundamentals that haven’t changed for over a hundred years? From Harnish’s famous “Mastering a One Page Strategic Plan” process that has been a best-selling article on the web to his concise outline of eight practical actions you can take to strengthen your culture, this book is a compilation of best practices adapted from some of the best-run firms on the planet. Included is an instructive chapter co-authored by Rich Russakoff, revealing winning tactics to get banks to finance your business. Lastly, there are case studies demonstrating the validity of Harnish’s practical approaches.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Verne is the guru of fast growth companies. Those who listen GROW and SUCCEED…so listen…or read!” – Tom Peters
“Verne is the undisputed expert in helping entrepreneurs grow their firms…and now he’s brought you his powerful ideas in book form.” – Ted Leonsis, Vice Chair, AOL Owner, Washington Capitals
“This is THE field book for any high-growth business.” – Patrick Lencioni, author, The Five Temptations of a CEO, and Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive
From the Publisher
Says SelectBooks President Kenzi Sugihara, “Verne has a proven track record and a stellar reputation with top executives across this country. His new book offers the same rock solid guidance to a wider audience.”
From the Inside Flap
Is your firm ready for dynamic growth?
“Everyone talks about the ‘entrepreneurial glass ceiling’ and advises you to ‘let go,’ ‘delegate more,’ ‘concentrate on alignment,’ ‘be unique,’ ‘remain nimble as your company grows,’ etc., but no one, until now, ever gives you a practical guide on HOW to achieve all of that and keep your sanity. This practical guide is all about breaking that entrepreneurial glass ceiling and moving to a professionally managed company while retaining the entrepreneurial spirit.” Alan Rudy, CEO, Express-Med
Alan Rudy and thousands of other business owners like you have benefited directly from the simple and practical “tools” outlined in Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.
What are the underlying handful of fundamentals that haven’t changed for over a hundred years? For tycoon John D. Rockefeller it was the consistent application of a set of habits that are as critical today as they were when the oil industry entered it’s “disciplined” phase following the wildcatters.
How do you know these tools work?
Over one hundred business leaders have provided testimonials to the power of these tools – see this book’s first dozen pages. The tools in this book come from almost two decades of Verne Harnish’s work with the CEOs and executive teams of fast growth firms.
As founder and program chair of the world-renowned MIT/Inc./YEO “Birthing of Giants” executive program, Verne has learned how to teach these tools to CEOs who have no patience for anything accept that which they can put to work immediately to solve the challenges that come with building a company. And they want these tools taught simply and quickly.
From Verne’s famous “Mastering a One Page Strategic Plan” process that has been a best-selling article on the web to his concise outline of eight practical actions you can take to strengthen your culture, this book is a compilation of best practices adapted from some of the best-run firms on the planet.
Included is an instructive chapter co-authored by Rich Russakoff, revealing winning tactics to get banks to finance your business. Lastly, there are case studies demonstrating the validity of Harnish’s practical approaches.
Verne Harnish has a gift for turning complex problems into simple solutions. MASTERING THE ROCKEFELLER HABITS provides easy-to-use tools for making strategically smart decisions and for keeping everyone aligned and accountable to those decisions.
Verne Harnish has a long, influential track record with entrepreneurial and emerging business. After co-founding the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs (ACE) and establishing chapters in universities worldwide, he founded the internationally recognized Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO). As the founder of prestigious MIT/Inc./YEO Executive Program, founder of Gazelles, Inc. and creator of the Master of Business Dynamics program, Verne’s mission is to help entrepreneurs of emerging, fast-growth companies increase the value of their firms. Verne Harnish has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Wichita State University. He lives in Virginia with his wife Julie and two sons, Cameron and Cole.
An INFLUENCER leads change.
An INFLUENCER replaces bad behaviors with powerful new skills.
An INFLUENCER makes things happen.
This is what it takes to be an INFLUENCER.
Whether you’re a CEO, a parent, or merely a person who wants to make a difference, you probably wish you had more influence with the people in your life. But most of us stop trying to make change happen because we believe it is too difficult, if not impossible. We learn to cope rather than learning to influence.
From the bestselling authors who taught the world how to have Crucial Conversations comes the new edition of Influencer, a thought-provoking book that combines the remarkable insights of behavioral scientists and business leaders with the astonishing stories of high-powered influencers from all walks of life. You’ll be taught each and every step of the influence process–including robust strategies for making change inevitable in your personal life, your business, and your world. You’ll learn how to:
Identify high-leverage behaviors that lead to rapid and profound change
Apply strategies for changing both thoughts and actions
Marshal six sources of influence to make change inevitable
Influencer takes you on a fascinating journey from San Francisco to Thailand to South Africa, where you’ll see how seemingly “insignificant” people are making incredibly significant improvements in solving problems others would think impossible. You’ll learn how savvy folks make change not only achievable and sustainable, but inevitable. You’ll discover breakthrough ways of changing the key behaviors that lead to greater safety, productivity, quality, and customer service.
No matter who you are or what you do, you’ll never learn a more valuable or important set of principles and skills. Once you tap into the power of influence, you can reach out and help others work smarter, grow faster, live, look, and feel better–and even save lives. The sky is the limit . . . for an Influencer.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Far and away one of the best business books of the year.” – Hamilton Spectator
“You don’t have to be a manager to realize that no one likes being told what to do. Yet lectures are still the main way we try to get people to change their behavior. Fortunately, social learning academics have been studying alternatives for decades. Patterson and his fellow consultants have now collected their findings in this engaging, example-rich book.” – John T. Landry, Harvard Business Review
From the Back Cover
Here’s what some of the world’s most influential people are saying about Influencer.
“AN INSTANT CLASSIC! Whether you’re leading change or changing your life, this book delivers.”
– Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
“Ideas can change the world-but only when coupled with influence-the ability to change hearts, minds and behavior. This book provides a practical approach to lead change and empower us all to make a difference or a change in society.”
-Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
“Influencing human behavior is one of the most difficult challenges faced by leaders. This book provides powerful insight into how to make behavior change that will last.”
-Sidney Taurel, chairman & chief executive officer, Eli Lilly and Company
“If you are truly motivated to make productive changes in your life, don’t put down this book until you reach the last page. Whether dealing with a recalcitrant teen, doggedly resistant co-workers, or a personal frustration that ‘no one ever wants to hear my view,’ Influencer can help guide in making the changes that put you in the driver’s seat.”
-Deborah Norville, anchor of “Inside Edition” and bestselling author
About the Author
JOSEPH GRENNY, KERRY PATTERSON, DAVID MAXFIELD, RON McMILLAN, and AL SWITZLER are the leaders of VitalSmarts, an innovator in best practices training products and services that has taught millions of people worldwide and that has worked with more than 300 of the Fortune 500 companies. For more information, visit www.vitalsmarts.com.
From composer, musician, and philanthropist Peter Buffett comes a warm, wise, and inspirational book that asks, Which will you choose: the path of least resistance or the path of potentially greatest satisfaction?
You may think that with a last name like his, Buffett has enjoyed a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett says that the only real inheritance handed down from his parents was a philosophy: Forge your own path in life. It is a creed that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap his own successes.
In Life Is What You Make It, Buffett expounds on the strong set of values given to him by his trusting and broadminded mother, his industrious and talented father, and the many life teachers he has met along the way.
Today’s society, Buffett posits, has begun to replace a work ethic, relishing what you do, with a wealth ethic, honoring the payoff instead of the process. We confuse privilege with material accumulation, character with external validation. Yet, by focusing more on substance and less on reward, we can open doors of opportunity and strive toward a greater sense of fulfillment. In clear and concise terms, Buffett reveals a great truth: Life is random, neither fair nor unfair.
From there it becomes easy to recognize the equal dignity and value of every human life—our circumstances may vary but our essences do not. We see that our journey in life rarely follows a straight line but is often met with false starts, crises, and blunders. How we push through and persevere in these challenging moments is where we begin to create the life of our dreams—from discovering our vocations to living out our bliss to giving back to others.
Personal and revealing, instructive and intuitive, Life Is What You Make It is about transcending your circumstances, taking up the reins of your destiny, and living your life to the fullest.
It’s business school, the Branson way.
Whether you’re interested in starting your own business, improving your leadership skills, or simply looking for inspiration from one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time, Richard Branson has the answers.
Like a Virgin brings together some of his best advice, distilling the experiences and insights that have made him one of the world’s most recognized and respected business leaders.
In his trademark thoughtful and encouraging voice, Branson shares his knowledge like a close friend. He’ll teach you how to be more innovative, how to lead by listening, how to enjoy your work, and much more.
In hindsight, Branson is thankful he never went to business school. Had he conformed to the conventional dos and don’ts of starting a business, would there have been a Virgin Records? A Virgin Atlantic? So many of Branson’s achievements are due to his unyielding determination to break the rules and rewrite them himself. Here’s how he does it.
If you read the original Buffettology, you know exactly half of what you need to know to effectively apply Warren Buffett’s investment strategies.
Published in 1997, the bestselling Buffettology was written specifically for investors in the midst of a long bull market. Since then we’ve seen the internet bubble burst, the collapse of Enron, and investors scrambling to move their assets — what remains of them — back to the safety of traditional blue chip companies. As price peaks turned into troughs, worried investors wondered if there was any constant in today’s volatile market. The answer is yes: Warren Buffett’s value investing strategies make money.
The New Buffettology is the first guide to Warren Buffett’s selective contrarian investment strategy for exploiting down stocks — a strategy that has made him the nation’s second-richest person. Designed to teach investors how to decipher and use financial information the way Buffett himself does, this book guides investors through opportunity-rich bear markets, walking them step-by-step through the equations and formulas Buffett uses to determine what to buy, what to sell — and when. Authors Mary Buffett and David Clark explore Buffett’s recent investments in detail, proving time and again that his strategy has earned enormous profits at a time no one expects them to — and with almost zero risk to his capital.
In short, The New Buffettology is an essential companion to the original Buffettology, a road map to investment success in the worst of times.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Jeremy Utton chairman, Analyst Investment Management Buffettology was a revelation and by far the best book ever written about Warren Buffett’s investment techniques. Simple, clear, and wonderfully effective in practice, it put us on a whole new track to the creation of long-term stock market wealth. My copy never leaves my desk. Now I have to make room for another becauseThe New Buffettology is an equally groundbreaking, must-have book for all serious investors.
Business Week A probe inside the head of a financial genius.
About the Author
Mary Buffett is a bestselling author, international speaker, entrepreneur, political and environmental activist. Ms. Buffett appears regularly on television as one of the top finance experts in America. She has been the principal speaker for prestigious organization around the world. Ms. Buffett has worked successfully in a wide range of businesses including extensive work as a consultant to several Fortune 500 companies. She lives in California.
David Clark holds degrees in both finance and law, and in the late seventies was the founding member of the original Buffettologists – a small group of early Berkshire shareholders who studied the investment methods of Warren Buffett. He is now recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject and has written extensively on it. He lives in Warren Buffett’s hometown, Omaha, Nebraska, and is the Managing Director of a private investment partnership.
For the first time in his life, after years of turning down offers from authors and publishers, Warren Buffett has agreed to cooperate on a book that will be a biography of his ideas, a perspective that can be applied to business and the day-to-day decisions that dominate our lives. Buffett has opened his world to Alice Schroeder, former managing director at Morgan Stanley, giving her unprecedented access to himself, his files, friends and associates. This will be the book that provides the never-before-published insight into his character and life, distilling the principles and philosophies that have guided him on a path to extraordinary success and esteem. “The Snowball” is indispensable reading for those who wish to know the man behind the outstanding achievements, leadership and philanthropy. There have been many books written about Warren Buffett that purport to reveal the formula for his investment genius, but “The Snowball” will be the first and only book with his cooperation.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this startlingly frank account of Buffett’s life, Schroeder, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley—and hand picked by Buffett to be his biographer—strips away the mystery that has long cloaked the word’s richest man to reveal a life and fortune erected around lucid and inspired business vision and unimaginable personal complexity. In a book that is dominated by unstinting descriptions of Buffett’s appetites—for profit, women (particularly nurturing maternal types), food (Buffett maintained his and his family’s weight by “dangling money”)—it is refreshing that Schroeder keeps her tone free of judgment or awe; Buffett’s plain-speaking suffuses the book and renders his public and private successes and failures wonderfully human and universal. Schroeder’s sections detailing the genesis of Buffett’s investment strategy, his early mentoring by Benjamin Graham (who imparted the memorable “cigar butt” scheme: purchasing discarded stocks and taking a final puff). Inspiring managerial advice abounds and competes with gossipy tidbits (the married Buffett’s very public relationship with Washington Post editor Katherine Graham) in this rich, surprisingly affecting biography.
From Bookmarks Magazine
Warren Buffett should be applauded for allowing such open access to his life. Alice Schroeder, who interviewed friends and family, pored over Buffett’s personal archive, and spent thousands of hours with Buffett, comes away with an unprecedented look at the hidden life of an American icon. At more than 900 pages (100 of which are notes), The Snowball—the title is a metaphor for the relentless growth of Buffett’s portfolio—sets the bar high for future efforts. Schroeder’s account is comprehensive and her eye for the telling detail keen; while she explains the financial deals, she also explores Buffett’s childhood quirks and his unconventional marriage. Enough is enough, though, and John Mark Eberhart of the Kansas City Star speaks for several critics when he points out, “I just could have done with a little less bang for my buck.”
Copyright 2008 Bookmarks Publishing LLC
Review
“The mandatory book to read in these treacherous times of financial crisis.…A thoughtful and intimate biography of the globe’s wisest investor.” –Forbes
“Will mesmerize anyone interested in who Mr. Buffett is or how he got that way.” The Snowball tells a fascinating story.”–New York Times
“If the replication of any great achievement first requires knowledge of how it was done, then The Snowball, the most detailed glimpse inside Warren Buffett and his world that we likely will ever get, should become a Bible for capitalists.” —Washington Post
“Anyone who has been watching events unfold in recent months–which would be everyone–can now appreciate the wisdom of Buffett….The most authoritative portrait of one of the most important American investors of our time.”–Los Angeles Times
“Even people who don’t care a whit about business will be intrigued by this portrait… Schroeder, a former insurance-industry analyst, spent years interviewing Buffett, and the result is a side of the Oracle of Omaha that has rarely been seen.” —Time Magazine
“Schroeder… has a meat-and-potatoes style that matches the homespun wisdom of her subject…Now more than ever, Buffett’s emphasis on fundamentals seems like genius. It’s the perfect moment for a great book on an immensely inspiring capitalist.”—People, four stars
“Schroeder…is well equipped to elucidate Buffett’s deals…[and] Buffett’s life abounds with good stories.”—New Yorker
“You will learn a lot about one of the nation’s most compelling and important men from reading The Snowball.” —Boston Globe
“In The Snowball, novice biographer Alice Schroeder gives us one of the most detailed, candid life stories ever published…It is almost impossible to stop reading.” —Christian Science Monitor
“A penetrating and personal look at the Oracle of Omaha…An astute, and at times riveting, read–especially now.”—BusinessWeek
“Everyone knows that in a deep and liquid capital market like that of the US, it is just about impossible to beat the stock market averages over anything more than the short term. But Buffett has been ahead of the curve for most of the past 50 years, making him one of the world’s richest people. Alice Schroeder’s massive authorized biography, The Snowball, provides some clues about how he’s done it.” —Financial Times
“In this startlingly frank account of Buffett’s life, Schroeder, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley–and hand picked by Buffett to be his biographer–strips away the mystery that has long cloaked the word’s richest man to reveal a life and fortune erected around lucid and inspired business vision and unimaginable personal complexity.” —Publishers Weekly
“This massive–and highly readable–text (produced with Buffett’s full cooperation) is an unvarnished and well-paced biography that is essential for all public and academic business collections.” —Library Journal
“For students of the Oracle of Omaha, or even those looking for a little reassurance during the crisis, Schroeder’s book is a fascinating study of America’s most successful investor.” —New York Post
“… Alice Schroeder’s accumulation of detail, her vivid, artless descriptions of people and places, and the resulting narrative fluidity make this a compelling book. It has the bouncing vitality of an early Sinclair Lewis novel…”—Times Literary Supplement
“If you’ve looked at your 401(k) statement and started to fear that everyone in financial markets is either greedy, predatory or incompetent, do yourself a favor. Take $35 out of the mattress and buy a copy of Alice Schroeder’s The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life. At a time like this, it’s a real comfort: Buffet is living proof there’s at least one wholly rational person managing money…an excellent and highly enjoyable look at the business titan.” —Houston Chronicle
“Ms. Schroeder does a good job of pulling…volunteered disclosures out of Mr. Buffett but her real contribution is her own investment expertise which enables her to make the convoluted financing schemes over the last 50 years understandable to lay readers and truly instructive to the business information junkie.” —Washington Times
“This is a fast-paced, precisely drawn profile of a man who, despite his high visibility in the financial world, isn’t someone we’ve known much about… We do now.” —Kansas City Star
“This massive—and highly readable—text (produced with Buffett’s full cooperation) is an unvarnished and well-paced biography that is essential for all public and academic business collections.”—LibraryJournal.com
“Top-notch biographies demand thorough research and crisp, finely honed writing. Schroeder exhibits both…. It’s hard to imagine a more complete account of Buffett’s life had he written it himself.”—Buffalo News
“Riveting and encyclopedic…. The overall power of the story carries “The Snowball” forward. There is much to be learned from it.”—wsj.com
“[A] monumental biography … Schroeder got the best access yet of any Buffett biographer … she deals out marvelously funny and poignant stories about Buffett and the conglomerate he runs, Berkshire Hathaway.”—Forbes.com
Mark Cuban shares his wealth of experience and business savvy in his first published book, How to Win at the Sport of Business.
One of the world’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, Mark Cuban has collected and updated the greatest material from his popular blog, “blog maverick,” to provide a handbook of insider knowledge on what it takes to become a thriving entrepreneur. Cuban’s story is a stunning tale of rags-to-riches, as he went from selling powdered milk and sleeping on friends’ couches to owning his own company and becoming a multi-billion dollar success story. Cuban’s business tips will be inspirational to entrepreneurs at any stage of their careers. His ideas may be unconventional, but Cuban shares why and how they’ve worked for him and will work for you, too.
Trump Strategies for Real Estate offers unbeatable insider advice for every serious real estate investor—beginners and old pros alike. For more than twenty-five years, author George Ross has been one of Donald Trump’s chief advisors and intimately involved with many of Trump’s biggest real estate deals. Now, Ross teams up with bestselling real estate author Andrew McLean to present Trump’s real estate investment strategies so that even small investors can invest like Trump. You’ll learn how Trump identifies potential properties and how he finances, negotiates, and markets his big deals. Not everyone has Trump’s money or name, but everyone, even you, can use his tactics and strategies to win big in real estate.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Ready for more? Pick up Trump Strategies for Real Estate: Billionaire Lessons for the Small Investor. Written by George H. Ross, best known as one of Donald Trump’s sidekicks on “The Apprentice,” this book will help you move into the bigger leagues of real estate investing. Ross gives some tips that seem to come right from the popular television show—Be Distinctive: Add Sizzle to Your Property and Understand Your Buyer’s Lifestyle, for example—but he also throws in a tremendous number of funny and fascinating stories culled from years in the business. A lawyer by training and practice, Ross has watched and shared Trump’s real estate magic for more than 25 years. Now, with Trump’s blessing, he shares the secrets he’s learned with all of us. Trump Strategies for Real Estate is a kick of a book because it offers insight into Trump as well as into the true nature of real estate investing. This is definitely a primer for anyone who wants to add sizzle to his or her personal style. It’s also a great how-to book from an associate of the glitziest and most interesting personality in the real estate business. (BookPage, April 2005)
George Ross, Donald Trump’s sidekick on “The Apprentice” (and his longtime real-estate lawyer), offers up a mini-biography of the Donald’s best “gets,” detailing the negotiations behind Trump World Tower at United Nations, Mar-a-Lago, Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue and other illustrious acquisitions.
But even average Joes can take Trump’s strategies and apply them to their own real-estate investments, says Ross. Like Trump, Ross’ suggestions are bold: For example, be willing to overpay for a prime location (it will bring in affluent tenants), don’t let anyone else negotiate for you (Trump always negotiates face-to-face), and always try to add that distinctive Trump “sizzle” (like expensive touches in the lobby of your building).
The behind-the-scenes gossip is even better than Ross’ advice.
For instance, when Trump bought Mar-a-Largo, he purchased all the antique furniture in the estate. Trump promptly sold all the furniture, made more money than he paid for the estate, and then replicated each piece of the original furnishings for the club.
Geared toward the ambitious investor, “Trump Strategies” is an inspiring read for anyone hoping to be the next Donald. (The New York Post, March 19, 2005)
From the Inside Flap
For twenty-five years, George Ross has advised Donald Trump on many of his biggest and most profitable real estate deals. If anyone understands the investment strategies and negotiation tactics that have made Trump the most famous real estate baron in the world, it’s Ross. This is the first book that explains the investment principles that made Trump a fortune.
How can Trump’s billionaire strategies help the average investor? Ross explains that the same basic rules of thumb that make Trump’s Manhattan skyscrapers so profitable still apply to every investor, no matter the size of their property. Even if you can’t afford the kind of luxury extras Trump offers his elite customers, you can still add Trump-style glamour to any property—and charge tenants or buyers a hefty premium for it.
Success in real estate requires not just smart strategies but also an ability to project the personal qualities that inspire confidence in others—like Trump’s endless enthusiasm, showmanship, and never-say-die tenacity. With dramatic examples—such as Trump’s Commodore/Hyatt Hotel deal on 42nd Street in Manhattan, which netted Trump over $85 million—Ross shows you how these personal qualities can help you negotiate better deals and dramatically increase profits.
You’ll learn how to create an aura of exclusivity; Trump’s secret sources of negotiation power; the value of the “invested time” principle; and even how to use deadlocks and deadlines to your advantage. And once you’ve zeroed in your property, Ross gives seasoned advice on retaining the best help and conducting a dynamic maketing campaign.
For experienced and novice investors alike, Trump Strategies for Real Estate presents an in-depth, insightful look at what it takes to achieve Trump-sized success in real estate.
From the Back Cover
Donald Trump is the world’s most famous real estate billionaire.
Now, George Ross, Trump’s closest advisor for twenty-five years (and co-star of The Apprentice), reveals the core real estate investing strategies that made Trump so successful. More important, Ross shows how the average real estate investor can use the same creative techniques to dramatically boost profits—even on a fixer-upper or a single-family house.
Drawing on his unique insider perspective, Ross explains Trump’s strategies for:
Combining “location” with “innovation”
Adding “sizzle” and glamour to any building—without wasting money
Making buyers and tenants eager to pay higher-than-market prices
Financing deals, marketing real estate, and managing properties
Plus, tips from Ross on how to apply the same negotiation techniques he uses to close Trump’s biggest deals
Trump Strategies for Real Estate presents an in-depth look at the creative thinking that took Trump to the top. Whether you’re an experienced real estate investor or a novice, you’ll make more money on your investment if you use the proven strategies of a real estate billionaire.
It’s not good enough to want it. You’ve got to know how to get it. Real estate titan, bestselling author, and TV star Donald J. Trump is the man to teach you the billionaire mind-set–how to think about money, career skills, and life. Here is crucial advice on investing in real estate from the expert, everything from dealing with brokers to renovating to assessing the value of property, buying and selling, and securing a mortgage. Trump will show you how to cut costs, decide how much risk to assume in your investments, and divide up your portfolio. He’ll also teach you how to impress anyone, how to correct or criticize someone effectively, and how to know if your friends are loyal–everything you need to know to get ahead.
And once you’ve earned your money, you’ve got to learn to spend it well. Trump presents his consumer guide to the best things in life, from wine to golf clubs to engagement rings. Check out the billionaire lifestyle–how they shop and what they buy. Even if you’re not superwealthy, you can afford many of these luxuries.
And what look inside the Trump world would be complete without The Apprentice? Trump will take you behind the scenes, from the end of season one and into season two, with insights into the making and the meaning of TV’s hottest show.
As Donald Trump proves, getting rich is easy. Staying rich is harder. Your chances are better, and you’ll have more fun, if you think like a billionaire. This is the book that will help you make a real difference in your life.
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
There’s no one better at promoting Donald Trump than the man himself. In this slim guide, which Trump says readers should consider “the second part of an ongoing conversation between you and The Donald” (the first part being his previous book, How to Get Rich), he offers his two-cents on everything from picking a mortgage broker and selling a house to dressing and grooming for work. Unfortunately, the book is packed with more clichés and glowing comments about his various properties (including his Mar-a-Lago resort, “one of the most beautiful places on earth”) than practical advice. For instance, his advice on how to spot a fraud is, “If it seems too good to be true, it is,” and his counsel on grooming is, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” Even his “Mar-a-Lago Diet” boils down to eating balanced meals. Each topic is covered in two pages or less, even big ones like How to Sell a House and How to Manage Debt, while other segments—such as A Week in the Life, which superficially covers a rather uneventful week in Trump’s life—run on far too long. The final third of the book consists of a teaser for the new season of The Apprentice. Trump provides a general overview of the first four episodes, but doesn’t give away any specifics about who gets the boot. Instead, he coyly says, “My first firing wasn’t terribly difficult, although I always feel bad for the first person to go because he or she will miss out on so much.” Though Trump claims in the book’s introduction that “if you absorb only ten percent of the wisdom in this book, you’ll still have a good shot at becoming a millionaire,” many a reader will likely finish this book feeling distinctly unenlightened.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From the Inside Flap
It’s not good enough to want it. You’ve got to know how to get it. Real estate titan, bestselling author, and TV star Donald J. Trump is the man to teach you the billionaire mind-set–how to think about money, career skills, and life. Here is crucial advice on investing in real estate from the expert, everything from dealing with brokers to renovating to assessing the value of property, buying and selling, and securing a mortgage. Trump will show you how to cut costs, decide how much risk to assume in your investments, and divide up your portfolio. He’ll also teach you how to impress anyone, how to correct or criticize someone effectively, and how to know if your friends are loyal–everything you need to know to get ahead.
And once you’ve earned your money, you’ve got to learn to spend it well. Trump presents his consumer guide to the best things in life, from wine to golf clubs to engagement rings. Check out the billionaire lifestyle–how they shop and what they buy. Even if you’re not superwealthy, you can afford many of these luxuries.
And what look inside the Trump world would be complete without The Apprentice? Trump will take you behind the scenes, from the end of season one and into season two, with insights into the making and the meaning of TV’s hottest show.
As Donald Trump proves, getting rich is easy. Staying rich is harder. Your chances are better, and you’ll have more fun, if you think like a billionaire. This is the book that will help you make a real difference in your life.
About the Author
DONALD J. TRUMP is the very definition of the American success story, continually setting standards of excellence while expanding his interests in real estate, gaming, sports, and entertainment. Aside from The Apprentice, Trump and NBC are also partners in the ownership of and broadcast rights for the three largest beauty competitions in the world.
In New York City, the Trump signature is synonymous with the most prestigious addresses, including the renowned Trump Tower, the Trump International Hotel & Tower, the Trump Park Avenue, and the Trump Building at 40 Wall Street. He also has acclaimed golf courses in Briarcliff Manor, New York, Palm Beach, Florida, Bedminster, New Jersey, and Palos Verdes, California.
The Trump Organization is also one of the largest operators of hotels and casinos. The Trump name appears on three world-class casino hotels in Atlantic City.
Mr. Trump’s current projects include the building of Trump Place, the biggest development ever approved by the New York City Planning Commission (on the site of the former West Side Rail Yards), and a joint venture with the Chicago Sun-Times to build a 2.6-million-square-foot signature skyscraper on the banks of the Chicago River.
Trump is the number one New York Times bestselling author of How to Get Rich, The Art of the Deal, Surviving at the Top, The Art of the Comeback, as well asThe America We Deserve. All told, these books have sold millions of copies.
An ardent philanthropist, Trump is involved with numerous civic and charitable organizations. In June 2000 he received his greatest honor, the Hotel and Real Estate Visionary of the Century award, given by the UJA Federation.