Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security (An Uncle Eric Book) [Paperback]

Richard J. Maybury (Author), Jane A. Williams (Editor), Kathryn Ann Daniels (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 094261738X | ISBN-13: 978-0942617382 | Publication Date: April 1, 2004 | Edition: 2 Rev Exp

In this extensively revised and expanded second edition of "Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security", Uncle Eric introduces the concept of model. Models (or paradigms) are how people think; they are how we understand our world. Models help us recognize and use the information that is important and bypass that which is not. To achieve success in our careers, investments, and every other part of our lives, we need sound models. In this book, Mr. Maybury introduces the models he has found most useful (Economics and Higher Law). This is the first book in the Uncle Eric series and, while designed to stand alone, provides an excellent foundation for Maybury's other books. To improve the student's learning experience, also purchase the student study guide for "Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security" titled "A Bluestocking Guide: Building a Personal Model for Success", which is also available from Amazon.

Table of Contents for "Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security
Uncle Eric's Model of How the World Works"

Study Guide Availble
Author's Disclosure

Part One: How the Mind Works
1. How We Understand Our World
2. Building Mental Pictures
3. Sorting Data
4. Where is the Evidence?
5. How to Learn or Teach Models
6. Two Highly Important Models
7. History Without Models
8. A Model for Selecting Models
9. Does it Predict?
10. A Way to Test a Model You Are Not Qualified to Test
11. Beware of Tautology
12. How to Control People
13. Cognitive Dissonance
14. How to Stop Learning
15. Automatic Evil
16. Models Tend to Merge
17. How to Get Started Learning Models

Part Two: The Best Model for Success
18. What is Success?
19. A Short History of Models for Success
20. Another Mouth to Feed
21. A Model Born of Desperation
22. Making Your Model Work
23. How to Acquire a Business
24. What Kind of Millionaire Do You Want to Be?
25. Savings and Investments
26. Social Security
27. Real Estate and Debt
28. Investment Advisors
29. Negative Real Interest Rates
30. How to Keep What You Have Earned
31. Summary
Appendix
Bibliography and Suggested Reading
Glossary
About Richard J. Maybury
Index

For more on the Economic model, read "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?" The clearest and most interesting explanation of economics around. Explains the Austrian economic model, the most free-market of all economic models, and the one that is most in agreement with the ethical principles on which America was founded.

For more on the Legal model, read "Whatever Happened to Justice?" Explains the common law model. Underlying common law are two basic rules: 1) do all that you agreed to do and 2) do not encroach on other persons or their property. Maybury says, "In my opinion, you and your family and friends will avoid a lot of trouble, and find success of every kind easier to achieve, if you adopt these two models, Austrian economics and common law."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security' by Richard J. Maybury, and all of Maybury's Uncle Eric series of books on economics, geopolitics, justice, and history...are excellent educational experiences for both children and adults. Just the discussion of the role of 'models' in the functioning of the human mind [in] the first book is worth the whole set. While this discussion is not about science, it describes perfectly the functioning of the minds of good scientists. They do not memorize facts against their models revising the models and checking the facts as they proceed." --Dr. Arthur B. Robinson, President and Research Professor, Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, commenting on the previous edition of "Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security"

"Homeschooling parents and children can gain much from the wisdom of Mr. Maybury. 'Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security' will help young people get started on a more prosperous life, and it will help their parents see where improvements can be made in their own lives. This outstanding book is just a starting point for study with its many recommended additional resources. Begin with it and move through the Uncle Eric series for a complete four year, high school study of economics, government, business, 'life skills,' and current events." --Martha Robinson, Reviewer for HomeschoolChristian.com

About the Author

Richard Maybury, also known as Uncle Eric, is a world renowned author, lecturer, and geopolitical analyst. He consults with business firms in the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Maybury is the former Global Affairs editor of "Moneyworld" and widely regarded as one of the finest free-market writers in America. Mr. Maybury's articles have appeared in "The Wall Street Journal", "USA Today", and other major publications. He has penned eleven books in the Uncle Eric series. His books have been endorsed by top business leaders, including former U.S. Treasury Secretary William Simon, and he has been interviewed on more than 250 radio and TV shows across America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 187 pages
• Publisher: Bluestocking Pr; 2 Rev Exp edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 094261738X
• ISBN-13: 978-0942617382
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Maybury, also known as Uncle Eric, is a world renowned author, lecturer, and geopolitical analyst. He consults with business firms in the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Maybury is the former Global Affairs editor of "Moneyworld" and widely regarded as one of the finest free-market writers in America. Mr. Maybury's articles have appeared in "The Wall Street Journal", "USA Today", and other major publications. He has penned eleven books in the Uncle Eric series. His books have been endorsed by top business leaders, including former U.S. Treasury Secretary William Simon, and he has been interviewed on more than 250 radio and TV shows across America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybury plants the seed of curiosity and makes you want more, July 28, 2002

By 

J. P. Ledbetter "Jim Ledbetter Sr." (Ridgecrest, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: "Uncle Eric" Talks About Personal, Career and Financial Security (An "Uncle Eric" Book) (Paperback)

Do not confuse the 3 star rating with a negative evaluation. Quite the opposite is true. However when reading a series like this one must put them all into perspective.

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. It was just too short, it was overpriced for the length of the text and it is simply the tip of a much larger iceburg of political, social and historical thought that makes you close it saying "is that all there is, I want more, give me MORE!" Very well done actually, because it draws you into the other eight books in the series, and if you do not have them I highly recommend getting them all before you start.

I began by reading Mr. Maybury's "Are you Liberal or Conservative, or just confused?" Which I rated at five stars and was instantly hooked. I ordered the rest of the collection (the other eight) in one batch so as to get them all together so I could get started reading them in his recommended sequence as soon as possible.

This book however was no more than an hour read or so and left me starving and anxious to get into the rest of the soup.

His books are actualy fun to read and easily pull you into the world of "Uncle Eric." His considerable talents to educate, fasincate and bring the subject down to a desktop level of understanding, helping you to contemplate what was, what is and what should be in poltics, the economy, morality, education, justice and many other subjects is refreshing.

I have since moved on to "What ever happened to penny candy?" and am just as captivated by it as the last two. This first book sets the basic foundation for all his others, which is that there are models out there that we each react to. Regardless if it is moral, social, poltical, educational, family life, community standards and the like. There are good ones and there are bad ones. There are historically proven models and there are new age individuals who want to tear many of the existing models down and rebuild them sort of speak in their own image or opinion of how things should be. This can be good or it can be devistating on our citizenry and our children. So it is vitally important to understand models in general and to create beneficial models for ourselves and society. Needless to say we are not doing very well in many areas, but fair in others.

In any case this is the starting line and the finish line is eight books away. I highly recommend Mr. Maybury's books for anyone from any background, persuasion and/or political party. If nothing else they make you think. Aristotle said, or was it Socrates? In any case one of them said, "an unexamined life is not worth living," so read these books and ponder his simple assertions against your own beleifs and ideals.

I understand he is writing more books along this same line about the world Wars and such, for our future enjoyment, I will more than likely order them as well.

A great series to read and enjoy. Good job Mr. Maybury.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Personal and Practical Advise For Financial Security, August 19, 2005

By 

R. Schwartz (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security (An Uncle Eric Book) (Paperback)

Maybury begins in discussing mental models or paradigms and how all data we obtain used to support or work with our internal models and how everyone has them and the failure of many educators to understand when obtaining data. We build models, sort data and there's an excellent outline of rules to weigh the evidence. Rather than simply trust the experts, we need to look more towards the hard sciences at least in business and financial security. Now to learn and teach models, in many cases simple stories are more effective than technical data.

Two important models of Maybury are the Austrian economics, which can be read in F.A. Hayek's book, "The Road to Serfdom" and Ludwig von Mises, "Planned Chaos," and the model of old British common law, which can be read in Maybury's "What Ever Happen To Justice." While most educations do not include models, the advice is to determine models, and in doing so, Maybury gives excellent advice or steps to obtain one and gathering evidence and a working hypothesis. I've read just about the same method in a more philosophical tone by others such as Ken Wilber and find this significant advice. And see if the model predicts to some accuracy and that it can be tested against other models you already do know.

The warning is given to avoid tautology and circular reasoning, which many fall prey to. To watch our for cognitive dissonance or emotional blockage to anyone that challenges your model and to always refrain from absolutism and certainty so you can refrain from the trap of cognitive dissonance with the flexibility and ability to grow in paradigm shifts or model changes. When noticing bad and/or evil actions it is the model behind the actions and data that you need to question. The idea here is that models can merge and become integral as in alchemy and wisdom. In this the LLC or limited liability company represents a bad model, an artificial privilege at the expense of others and distorts the stock markets.

Then there is excellent advice on how to acquire helpful models in business and personal character. And since the prosperous employee model has since folded from today's large government and taxes, owning a business can more advantageous, as well as a college degree, developing skills, staying clear from dept., owning assets free from debts, that is better to own a smaller estate free from debt that a large one in high credit, recognizing investments average 4% for stability, investing in short term, watching the world situations for stability, and most important is never to assume your models are complete, always be ready to refine them and consider new models.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meets/exceeds expectations!, June 1, 2010

By 

Johnny Venture "JohnnyV" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Uncle Eric Talks About Personal, Career, and Financial Security (An Uncle Eric Book) (Paperback)

This book is written to educate teens and meets/exceeds expectations. Wish I would have known this information when I was a teen. I would have made wiser decisions. I read this book and will give the series to my 13 year old son.
This series of books is a great primer and provides a strong foundation in finance, investments, history, career, etc. Richard Maybury: job well done!