Money Myths

How much do you really know about the FBI? Do you know who the FBI is? Do you know what the FBI does? This manual debunks FBI myths and misconceptions for those who read, watch, and write crime dramas about the FBI or have always wanted to be a Special Agent. Like most people, you've probably learned about the FBI from popular culture - reading books and watching TV shows and movies, along with, of course, the news. You might be surprised to learn that a lot of what you've been reading and watching is inaccurate.

What if you have been lied to about money and investing? How soon would you want to find out? A sacred cow is an unquestioned belief that holds people captive and prevents them from having wealth, freedom, or their best life. Most financial books want you to believe building wealth is a game of endurance. They claim that if you just start early enough, cut back and delay long enough, or stay in it for the long haul, then one day, someday, you can have the life you have always wanted… when you retire.

Dexter Roberts lived in Beijing for two decades working as a reporter on economics, business and politics for Bloomberg Businessweek. In The Myth of Chinese Capitalism, Roberts explores the reality behind today's financially-ascendant China and pulls the curtain back on how the Chinese manufacturing machine is actually powered.

Overcome the myths that hold others back from real estate success. A selection from the best-selling ABCs of Real Estate Investing.

Chen Boshi was rich, but his money had made him its slave. To prove to his wife that it is money that brings problems, Boshi gives his neighbor Li 50 pieces of silver.

The Inflation Myth and the Wonderful World of Deflation illustrates our rapidly changing world where constant technological innovation leads to cheaper and better products. These changes are no longer reflected in the ways we measure inflation. Renowned investor and author Mark Mobius persuasively argues that what we believe to know about inflation today does not reflect the reality any longer. It is a myth, a legend, a fable, and, yes, a falsehood for a number of reasons.

How important is luck in economic success? No question more reliably divides conservatives from liberals. As conservatives correctly observe, people who amass great fortunes are almost always talented and hardworking. But liberals are also correct to note that countless others have those same qualities yet never earn much. In recent years, social scientists have discovered that chance plays a much larger role in important life outcomes than most people imagine.

Chronicling the rise and fall of the efficient market theory and the century-long making of the modern financial industry, Justin Fox’s The Myth of the Rational Market is as much an intellectual whodunit as a cultural history of the perils and possibilities of risk. The book brings to life the people and ideas that forged modern finance and investing, from the formative days of Wall Street through the Great Depression and into the financial calamity of today.

It is impossible to think of Russia today without thinking of Vladimir Putin. More than any other major national leader, he personifies his country in the eyes of the outside world, and dominates Western media coverage of it to an extraordinary extent. In Russia itself, he is likewise the centre of attention for detractors and supporters alike. But as Tony Wood argues, this overwhelming focus on the president and his personality means that we understand Russia less than we ever did before.

Is life insurance a bad investment? Don’t I lose all my cash value when I die? Shouldn’t I just make a bundle and invest it instead? What about my spouse or my kids—do they need life insurance? Can I borrow money from (or is it against?) a life insurance policy? My insurance advisor told me one thing about insurance, but my financial planner gave me different advice, and an expert on TV said something else entirely. What do I do now? Help!

Running a successful real estate brokerage firm is a juggling act. You need expertise in your practice area to provide services to clients. You also need the know-how to run a small business. You've probably been well prepared by your education or experience for the technical ins and outs of operating a real estate brokerage. Yet what training has prepared you to run a business? The E-Myth Real Estate Brokerage fills this knowledge gap, giving you a complete toolkit for either starting a real estate company from scratch or maximizing an existing company's performance.

Yet what training has prepared you to run a business? E-Myth Real Insurance Store fills this knowledge gap, giving you a complete toolkit for either starting a successful business from scratch or maximizing an existing business’ performance. Loaded with practical, powerful advice you can easily use, this one-stop guide helps you realize all the benefits that come with a thriving insurance business.

Far too many investors fail to get the results they want, because they make some pretty common mistakes. The problem is, the errors don't seem like mistakes—they seem like smart, intuitive, and/or widely recognized investing "wisdom". But much of what's accepted as investing "wisdom" is, instead, bunk.

Written by Shingo Prize winner Jacob Stoller, Productivity Reimagined shows how most companies are constrained by deeply engrained myths that prevent employees from reaching their full productive potential, causing frustration, poor decisions, and disappointing results. Evidence is drawn from Toyota and dozens of other companies that have countered these myths to build strong collaborative cultures and achieve sustainable growth.

Executives, investors, and the business press routinely chant the mantra that corporations are required to "maximize shareholder value." In this path-breaking book, renowned corporate expert Lynn Stout debunks the myth that corporate law mandates shareholder primacy. Stout shows how shareholder value thinking endangers not only investors but the rest of us as well.

After the real estate crash of 2007, most people - both the so-called "experts" and amateur investors alike - thought the opportunity to make money in real estate had passed for good. However, as it turns out, just when all of those people were leaving the market, the true real estate investors were buying up as many properties as they could, realizing that they were buying on sale. They didn't fall for the myth that real estate is no longer a good investment.

Once an obscure niche of the investment world, private equity has grown into a juggernaut, with consequences for a wide range of industries as well as the financial markets. The Myth of Private Equity is a hard-hitting and meticulous exposé from an insider's viewpoint. Jeffrey C. Hooke examines the negative effects of private equity and the ways in which it has avoided scrutiny. He unravels the exaggerations the industry has spun to its customers and the business media, showing the stark realities that are concealed by the funds' self-mythologizing and penchant for secrecy.

There's little truly "progressive" about Progressivism. True progress happens when humans are free, yet the Progressive agenda substantially diminishes freedom while promising the unachievable. Excuse Me, Professor provides a handy reference for anyone actively engaged in advancing liberty, with essential essays debunking more than 50 Progressive clichés.

Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to Busting the Budgeting Lies and learn about the real way to spend and save.

Interested in blogging for money? Lots of writers are. So there’s a ton of information (and misinformation) floating around on the Internet about writing a blog for profit. Ideas run the gamut from solid content strategies to outrageous income promises. Compounding the blog success mess are just plain old mistakes that so many bloggers make.