Customer Reviews

Fiscal Hangover: How to Profit From The New Global Economy (Agora Series)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After reading many investment books trying to figure out the true direction of the market I came across this book. I have to say that this one stood out from the crowd because of the excellent writing style of the author as well as outstanding analysis of previous and current events leading up to the mess the US is in now. The book gives recommendations for how to safely invest in the world markets in the upcoming decade and backs up his recommendations with very logical analysis and facts. He doesn't say "Buy this stock or this stock" but he recommends classes of stocks in specific world regions and how and when to enter them.

I've already read this book once and am getting ready to read it again, it is that good. I like his risk management approach to global investing and am already making changes to my portfolio. I highly recommend this book and will be referring to it often. 5 Stars.

This book is NOT for those who cling dearly to the way things were, to a tidy and comfortable USA-centric view of the economic universe. Fiscal Hangover is clearly the work of a thinking man who eschews armchair analysis based on yesterday's models and "common knowledge". Mr. Fitz-Gerald has apparently spent significant amounts of time in the real, as well as statistical, trenches of the new investment frontier and he shares with the reader his spectacular findings in a refreshingly irreverent, fun to read and easy to understand tone that is--well--uncharacteristic of the genre to say the least.

If you are looking for an excellent description of how the investment economy really IS and really WILL be, if you are ready for an exciting Panda Punk vision of the wild rabbit hole where the rules are like mutant clones of the ones you know, then this is a MUST READ BOOK. And here is the kicker that will stop your ticker: this book would be a complete success if it simply stopped at the Blue Pill/Red Pill versions of reality. But it also gives some very specific guidelines about what regular mortals like you and I can do to take advantage of this information TODAY! Many times while reading this book I was so revved up I could barely breathe! The message: We can be a part of this jazzy new world, not just passive observers. Are "yuan" the bus, or not?

I have never enjoyed a hangover until now, but please note that this is one Hangover that will NOT be cured by the hair of the dog!

I received the book, read it one night, re-read it and took some notes in the
margins, and placed stars and bar next to some sections of the book which are highlighted already. The highlighted areas, or boxed in areas, and the graphs
are the meat of the book. The language in between the highlighted areas gives the details for the assessment in the boxed in statements;
so actually you do not need to make notes, but I do so because that is my way to review. Also, he is not alone in his observations. There are three other sites and newsletters I use to get the pulse
of the economy, National and Global. Since there is government interference with free market economies, it is important to know what the government
in Washington D.C. and in London is doing. For example, if you buy Gold, which I do not do any more, and the Bank of London is told to sell all the Gold it can when it goes over 400 dollars an ounce,
and the USA government supports the Bank of London in that move - they did that years back, within the last 20 years and that is why I could not make any money on it - I am competing with the Bank of London and the USA government and I am just a small guy compared to a big government. Had I known that, I would not have bought gold and held it for 5 years, but I saw I was making nothing on the gold. I realized, I needed to know what the governments were doing because we do not have free market economies. In his book, he also talks about three things to know about investing in a country:
1. stable government 2. good economic infrastructure 3.and a fair functioning
justice system. He is correct to a T.
A bonus in the book is The Rule : Gamblers Ruin. That led me to the Wikipedia and it was found under Probability Theories in Mathematics. You can look it up if you want and read the explanations and see the formulas. In brief,
if two players flip a penny to see who will get to keep the penny, the player with 5 pennies had a probability of winning in the 40% range and the player with the 8 pennies in the 70% range: so the player with the most pennies gets to win all the pennies if they play long enough. Each has a chance or possibility of 50% with each flip of the coin, but that is possibility and not probability. Two very different things. If you read the material carefully enough you will understand why this is important if you want
to make money on your investments.
He also spoke about the old adage of "Buy and Hold" and how it really is not
a wise thing to do. His explanations are correct from my point of view. Look at it as a farmer might look at it. You have to work the land and look after the plants or your Bonsai. They will not yield if you just put seeds into the ground and forget about them until Income Tax Time.
This is really an excellent book for the investor and for anyone who is trying to understand "manipulated financial systems".

A well written resume of the development of the current economic situation. Offers a balanced view of international trade and some practical advice on investment strategies. Offered are some recommendations that may well pay off, but nothing earth shaking.

THE BOOK IS MORE ON THE HISTORY OF HOW THE CURRENT CRISIS EVOLVED Fiscal Hangover: How to Profit From The New Global Economy (Agora Series)THAN THE SOLUTION TO THE CRISIS, IT FALLS SHORT ON THE DETAILS TO A SOLUTION. IT IS WELL WRITTEN FOR A HISTORY BOOK.

I read only fiction. Don't have the patience for non-fiction. I only bought this book because a work mate said it could be helpful in our work. I read it in 3 days (couldn't put it down except to work). It is an outstanding read. The first half is a complete financial history of the US. I am fairly knowledgeable about this and yet I learned a lot from it. The second half tells how to invest in the future to take advantage of what is coming. Those reviewers who gave it a two because it didn't give a prescription for solving US economic woes misunderstand the authors purpose. He doesn't believe any US politicians will listen to his advice so his only goal was to teach readers how to profit from their mistakes. He mentions his newsletter a few times so I know one goal of his is to sell his advice. But the book is not salesey and he mentions it only when appropriate. the first half was perfect. My only concern about the second half is I don't know if he is right, but I think he is. His advice is radical but I suspect correct. He kills modern portfolio theory, the inappropriateness of options, the idea that the last 80 years in the US will repeat themselves and all of the other things I believed until two years ago. I am asking myself now if I have the balls to follow his advice. I pay schwab to manage my money so this would require me to take it over myself. I suspect people who follow modern portfolio theory will always outpace inflation, but they won't make in the next 30 years what they made in the last 30. People who follow his advice may do better in the next 30 then they did in the last 30. Even if you didn't enjoy the second half of the book, the first half was worth the price.

I really enjoyed reading Fiscal Hangover, It was a quick read and covered a fair amount of information. I liked the fact that it gave a bit of a history lesson and related past recessions to the current economic situation. It has definitely opened my eyes to looking east for a more diversified investment strategy.

Excellent book.
Very informative.
Rare to find financial book that is enjoyable to read.
Have recommended to my financial advisor.

This is nothing more than a prolonged description of the history of our fiscal problems in the U.S. I was hoping for some thorough suggestion as to what the future would look like and what we could do to deal with it. I didn't find it.

I think Keith glosses over a lot of relevant history, sometimes with the wrong conclusion. I expected more succinct dialog in what his suggestions were. It just seemed like a pump for another investment news letter.