Financial Armageddon: Protecting Your Future from Four Impending Catastrophes (Hardcover)

by Michael J. Panzner (Author)
Key Phrases: financial operators, Financial Armageddon, United States, Federal Reserve (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A Magnum Opus of the facts and figures of the astounding monetary and fiscal stupidities of the last decade; the incredible financial ignorance, intellectual sloth, and shameful gluttony of the public; and the despicable, pandemic corruptions that made it all possible." -- Richard Daughty, the Mogambo Guru

"An absorbing report on the gruesome inner workings of the Frankenstein Finance monster that is dragging the rest of our economy into a dark future." -- James Howard Kunstler, author, The Long Emergency

"Panzner is one of the few people I know who can deal with day-to-day Wall Street action and yet have a big picture perspective-a picture he paints in Financial Armageddon as one that should terrify us." -- Bill Cara, BillCara.com (Forbes Favorite, 2006)

"The definitive work on our economic future. Read it now or dwell on the consequences later." -- Bruce Stratton, SafeHaven.com

"Timely, accessible....Readers who follow Panzner's advice will be among the few who successfully weather the storm ahead." -- John Rubino, co-author, The Coming Collapse of the Dollar and How to Profit from It

An informative work with much food for thought and excellent advice in preparing for the coming financial storm. -- Bull Not bull!, March 5, 2007.

Financial Armageddon doesn't pull any punches....[it's] a hard-hitting exposé of what may be our future. -- Seeking Alpha on Yahoo! Finance, March 17, 2007

Review
“I may not always agree with him, but 'Armageddon' Panzner is a brilliant analyst and a great trader. He has a tremendous grasp of investment principles.”

—Larry Kudlow, Host of CNBC's Kudlow & Co.

 

“A disturbing book about the all-too-possible scenarios for our future which we must work hard to avoid coming to pass.”

—Thom Hartmann, progressive talk show host and a three-time Project Censored Award-winning New York Times bestselling author

 

“This is an informative work with much food for thought and excellent advice in preparing for the coming financial storm. It provides concrete and uncommon ideas on how to protect yourself and your investments…. For many, this will be a disturbing book. But if it is disturbing enough to awaken Americans from their current slumber, that is precisely its value.

—Michael Nystrom , www.bullnotbull.com

 

“Michael Panzner fluently describes the build-up of financial risk on a number of fronts—from credit derivatives through to the government’s long-term fiscal problems—and imagines how a future crisis might develop. A breathtaking and coherent vision of financial disaster.”

—Edward Chancellor, author, Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation

 

“The end of the credit bubble, derivatives excesses, unfulfilled government promises and the upcoming retirement squeeze will provide investors with their greatest challenge since the 1930s. Financial Armageddon lays out the blueprint for what will happen and how to best prepare yourself and protect your loved ones.”

—David Tice, President and Fund Manager, Prudent Bear Funds

 

“A wonderful, entertaining, and easy-to-digest account of some very disturbing economic and financial trends….Panzner has done a great service to reveal the truth, which the over-paid Wall Street crowd and the government have conspired to hide from the ‘working man.’”

—Marc Faber, Managing Director, Marc Faber Limited

 

“Our country faces many large financial problems which the media largely ignores. Financial Armageddon alerts you to the painful scenarios that may lie ahead, including the worst case outcome. It may not come to pass, but you will not be caught off guard if it does.”

—William A. Fleckenstein, President, Fleckenstein Capital, and MSN Money columnist

“Too busy cutting down trees, people fail to see what’s happening to the forest. Panzner, however, is one of the few people I know who can deal with day-to-day Wall Street action and yet have a big picture perspective—a picture he paints in Financial Armageddon as one that should terrify us.”

—Bill Cara, BillCara.com (Forbes Favorite, 2006)

 

“Timely, accessible…Readers who follow Panzner’s advice will be among the few who successfully weather the storm ahead.”

—John Rubino, co-author, The Coming Collapse of the Dollar and How to Profit from It

 

“The definitive work on our economic future. Read it now or dwell on the consequences later.”

—Bruce Stratton, SafeHaven.com

 

“An absorbing report on the gruesome inner workings of the Frankenstein Finance monster that is dragging the rest of our economy into a dark future.”

—James Howard Kunstler, author, The Long Emergency

 

“A Magnum Opus of the facts and figures of the astounding monetary and fiscal stupidities of the last decade, the incredible financial ignorance, intellectual sloth and shameful gluttony of the public, and the despicable, pandemic corruptions that made it all possible, all perfectly intertwined with timeless economic wisdom.”

—Richard Daughty, the Mogambo Guru --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Business (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141959608X
• ISBN-13: 978-1419596087
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #344,331 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

117 of 118 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, terrifying and informing, March 2, 2007

By	Andrew Rastrick (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Financial Armageddon presents an alarming discussion of the Four Horsemen riding towards the U.S economy. Panzner has turned what might seem dry or inaccessible subjects - i.e derivatives, deficits, pension liabilities - into a tale even the layest of laymen can understand. Some will suggest it goes overboard in it's pessimism (hyper-inflation? widespread beggary and pestilence?) but even if it does it scarcely begins to offset the institutionalised optimism pumped out in the popular media. However the book is not just doom and gloom, it also provides concrete ideas on how individuals can prepare themselves and their investments. If even a fraction of Panzner's predictions come to pass investors will be grateful for the recommendations contained in this book. Read it and come away disturbed, but informed.

121 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forewarned is forearmed., March 5, 2007

By	L.A. in CA - See all my reviews

Part One of this book offers a brief overview of four financial threats the author suggests Americans will be facing in the near future. This is the mild stuff.

What follows, in Parts Two and Three, is a very disturbing "worst case" scenario of what life might be like for the average American once these four threats hit home. We could be facing a full-fledged systemic economic breakdown. And we will each be on our own. There is no certainty that we can count on Social Security; retirement pensions; Medicare, or financial institutions to save us. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There will be fallout from dozens of other disasters headed our way as society begins unraveling. We need to start taking immediate steps to educate and protect ourselves. Part Four of the book offers some advice on how to do just that.

This is an intense read. It is fascinating in somewhat the same way a trainwreck is fascinating. I couldn't put it down.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ain't no sugarcoating here!, March 17, 2007

By	Jeffrey Clark (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was not a "fun" book to read. I disagree with the comment above that describes this book as "sobering" - it's outright depressing! I was simultaneously fascinated and horrified by the way the author details what life will be like if the crashes he outlines come to happen. The first two sections of the book outline the 4 basic threats and then the risks to our society from those threats, which is frankly a little dry. But then it gets juicy...the "fallout" section grabs you in a scary-movie sort of way and almost makes you want to put the book down and walk away, but you can't, just like you can't pull your eyes away from, say, an airplane crashing in you own backyard. The final section, "defenses," gives some ways to protect yourself, but the solutions fluctuate, depending on the circumstances of the economy at the time. He even discusses how this will affect your relationships and the kind of lifestyle you will lead if you're not prepared. It certainly will make you think twice about your own situation, and even if he's partly wrong, it will make you want to live the Boy Scout motto. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because the recommendations aren't real specific, but I still strongly recommend it.