Customer Reviews

World Boom Ahead: Why Business and Consumers Will Prosper

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

 

 

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone. I have great respect for Kiplinger, and I say this because I used to subscribe to the newsletter and more importantly, I read their 1989 book, America in the Global 90s. At that time, America had high inflation and interest rates, Japan was booming, and it was viewed that America was declining. Kiplinger took exception to this view. Among other things, they said were that Amercia would adjust because it is open and adaptable, that technology and telecommunications would be hot (they said that telecommunications is what railroads and rivers were in the past to cities). They also said that inflation and interest rates would decline significantly (remember 20% inflation and rates?) and stocks would boom (his forecast was for 6000, up from about 1800-2000 then). Also, gold and silver would lag other investments.

An important and controversial belief was that the US has an edge on Japan because it is a more open society and economy.

Of course not all predictions can true (for example, he didn't expect Asian tigers to crash), but anyone paying attention to his forecast who have made a bundle in the 90s.

In fact, some of his predictions in this new book already are happening - he says unbelievable fortunes will be created as companies go public, soar in value and then are bought out by bigger companies. Look at what has happened in 1999 year with Internet and Liniux companies (his book came out 1998)...

As a teacher of economics in high school I teach the kids about personal finance. Personal finance includes investing. In order to invest one must do the research on not only the companies. One must understand where the world is headed and Mr. Kiplinger does that. He offers views that are visionary and achievable. Examples include the coming changes in transportation, the evolution of satellite services. The growth of the internet and how a rising world population does not have to be a bad thing and can be an engine for economic growth. I can use this information to show my students how a rising population will lead to increases in demand for new homes and other services. I can use it to show them what kinds of jobs will be important to the new era that we are embarking upon at the end of the millenium in 2001. The future of America and the world is brighter then could have been predicted ten or twenty years ago. This book has helped me to do the research on the various fields and the companies that are involved in them. By explaining how each sector of the economy will grow I have been able to identify the sectors that I feel will grow the best over the long term. World Boom Ahead is an integral part of my strategy of investing in companies for thelong term. I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy of it for my father.

Overall a good book that made interesting reading. It was well worth the time to read it. Well researched, it is a good counterbalance to a lot of the current gloom-and-doom forecasts that prevail today (due to Y2k computer meltdown, the "millenium", etc.). Written in an easy to read prose and not the terse, disjointed prose of the Kiplinger Washington Newsletter. The book makes a convincing arguement that demographics should be the basis of many of your investment and business decisions. Overall it seemed to be very well-researched and edited with very few errors, (although I'm pretty sure that Gateway Computers' main manufacturing facility is in N. Sioux City, SD and not Sioux Falls, SD). The four star rating I've given this book is due entirely to the poor quality of the paper it was printed on, and not due to the substance of the book. The paper was not opaque enough and you could see the shadow of words on the previous or next page. This was irritating on the eyes and made the book somewhat hard to read just because it almost seemed blurry.

Just go to page 379 and look at the rogues gallery of criminal operations he was suggesting investing in. Gee if only I got this book new and not at a yard sale I could have thrown a lotta money down on say ENRON. By the way if you do want to buy this you can contact me directly. I am selling this little bridge named Brooklyn.

It would be a great investment for that great "World Boom Ahead"!

I had high expecations for this book, since I have always enjoyed the Kiplinger Newsletter and often read the magazine. What I found in this book was allot of dated information, there are many others books that have current data that would be much more worth your time.

kiplinger puts the entire world into perspective inserting today into a factual and historical mix that graphs where we have been, where we are, and exactly where we are headed...sheer greatness.

This is an excellent work alongside that of such people as Harry Dent. He describes to the reader investments that should do well in the future and gives evidence, what education is needed in the future, and where the world is going as a whole. If you are interested at all in what the future holds read this book, remember, the future belongs to those who prepare for it. Prepare for the future or have no future.

I found this outstanding book very hard to put down once I began reading it. Knight Kiplinger describes the major global trends of the world ecomony and places America right in the center of a world economic boom that he claims should last for many decades to come. To justify his predictions, he carefully describes each of the major world markets citing their strengths and weaknesses. He describes each of the key industries in the world predicting its economic outlook for the next century and predicting where each is likely to flourish. One of the most powerful sections of the book is his discussion of the demographics of the various world populations and his thoughts on how this will affect their individual economies. The book is supported by a huge amount supporting factual data regarding the world business scene. Although the work does not contain precise footnotes with references, the excellent reputation of the Kiplinger publications provides sufficent believability for this reviewer and the author has offered to supply source information if needed. I would think that anyone who plans to be an invester, a businessman, an entrepreneur, or just an informed citizen in the next century would benifit greatly by reading this book.