Ben Carlson

Learn financial and business lessons from some of the biggest frauds in historyWhy does financial fraud persist? History is full of sensational financial frauds and scams. Enron was forced to declare bankruptcy after allegations of massive accounting fraud, wiping out $78 billion in stock market value. Bernie Madoff, the largest individual fraudster in history, built a $65 billion Ponzi scheme that ultimately resulted in his being sentenced to 150 years in prison. People from all walks of life have been scammed out of their money: French and British nobility looking to get rich quickly, farmers looking for a miracle cure for their health ailments, several professional athletes, and some of Hollywood's biggest stars. No one is immune from getting deceived when money is involved. Don't Fall For It is a fascinating look into some of the biggest financial frauds and scams ever.This compelling book explores specific instances of financial fraud as well as some of the most successful charlatans and hucksters of all-time. Sharing lessons that apply to business, money management, and investing, author Ben Carlson answers questions such as: Why do even the most intelligent among us get taken advantage of in financial scams? What make fraudsters successful? Why is it often harder to stay rich than to get rich? Each chapter in examines different frauds, perpetrators, or victims of scams. These real-life stories include anecdotes about how these frauds were carried out and discussions of what can be learned from these events. This engaging book:Explores the business and financial lessons drawn from some of history's biggest frauds Describes the conditions under which fraud tends to work best Explains how people can avoid being scammed out of their money Suggests practical steps to reduce financial fraud in the future Don't Fall For It: A Short History of Financial Scams is filled with engrossing real-life stories and valuable insights, written for finance professionals, investors, and general interest readers alike.

A simple guide to a smarter strategy for the individual investor A Wealth of Common Sense sheds a refreshing light on investing, and shows you how a simplicity-based framework can lead to better investment decisions. The financial market is a complex system, but that doesn't mean it requires a complex strategy; in fact, this false premise is the driving force behind many investors' market "mistakes." Information is important, but understanding and perspective are the keys to better decision-making. This book describes the proper way to view the markets and your portfolio, and show you the simple strategies that make investing more profitable, less confusing, and less time-consuming. Without the burden of short-term performance benchmarks, individual investors have the advantage of focusing on the long view, and the freedom to construct the kind of portfolio that will serve their investment goals best. This book proves how complex strategies essentially waste these advantages, and provides an alternative game plan for those ready to simplify.Complexity is often used as a mechanism for talking investors into unnecessary purchases, when all most need is a deeper understanding of conventional options. This book explains which issues you actually should pay attention to, and which ones are simply used for an illusion of intelligence and control.Keep up with—or beat—professional money managers Exploit stock market volatility to your utmost advantage Learn where advisors and consultants fit into smart strategy Build a portfolio that makes sense for your particular situation You don't have to outsmart the market if you can simply outperform it. Cut through the confusion and noise and focus on what actually matters. A Wealth of Common Sense clears the air, and gives you the insight you need to become a smarter, more successful investor.

When it comes to saving, investing and planning for retirement the majority of people are on their own. There’s no one to coach you or hold your hand to make sure you understand what you need to do, when you need to do it or how to make wise decisions with your life savings. The goal of this book is to help remove some of the stress, confusion, and anguish involved in the process of saving and investing for retirement. Money is a tool that can either cause or solve a lot of problems in your life. This book guides you through the big decisions necessary to get you on the right track towards financial independence so you can move on with your life to focus on more important things and let your money do the work for you. Everything You Need to Know About Saving For Retirement -The power of small wins and how to get started with your retirement savings -Why saving is more important than investing -How much you should save-How to spend your money wisely on the things you care about -How to become a 401(k) millionaire-How to make up for a late start to saving and retirement planning -How much you need to retire-The 3 biggest things you need to know about investing and much more Ben Carlson is the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management. He has spent his career working with nonprofits and individuals to help them plan and invest their money wisely. Ben is the author of three other books including A Wealth of Common Why Simplicity Trumps Complexity in Any Investment Plan as well as the blog A Wealth of Common Sense.

Whatever financial freedom means to you – living the life you want, not working to someone else’s timetable, not worrying about money ever again, or some other dream – the way to get there is through investing.In this concise and accessible book, Ben Carlson and Robin Powell show you how to put yourself on the path to financial freedom through sensible saving and straightforward investing.This is not about getting rich quick. But it is about getting rich reliably. Building wealth through investing – with the long-term goal of financial freedom – requires discipline, sacrifice and time. But it is possible, and almost anyone can do it if armed with the right information.Invest Your Way to Financial Freedom shares all the steps you need to take to reach your goals.This includes clear and simple answers to the following questions:Why is saving important – and how much to save?Why is investing the best way to build wealth?What should investors expect from the stock market?How long does it really take to become a millionaire?Is it too late if you don’t make an early start to saving and investing?After reading this book, you will know everything you need to know to achieve financial freedom!

Institutional investors spend the majority of their time in search of the Holy Grail of investment alpha, or risk-adjusted market outperformance. The problem is far too many organizations and funds fail to first understand whether or not they have what it takes to earn alpha or whether it even makes sense to try. Organizational alpha, on the other hand, is something every institutional investor and nonprofit can achieve, assuming they focus on what they can control and what matters. This book will show institutional investors, board members, trustees, consultants and beneficiaries how the concept of organizational alpha can help •Recognize the importance of goals-based investing. •Think in terms of process over outcomes. •Understand the fiduciary duty and what constitutes a breach of that duty. •Know the difference between a governing and managing fiduciary. •Define their overarching investment philosophy. •Make sense of the group dynamic at play when making decisions-by-committee. •Ensure more continuity in their investment program. •Improve their due diligence and decision-making processes. •Choose the right consultant or advisor to help oversee their assets. •Find additional sources of alpha. •Understand the alternative investment landscape. •Appreciate the differences between foundations, endowments and pensions. •Document their investment process to cut down on unnecessary mistakes. •Make decisions that revolve around the goals and mission of the organization. •Set realistic expectations with the understanding that the future is always uncertain. Written by an institutional investor who has spent his entire career working with a wide range of institutional investors from endowments to foundations to pension plans to family offices and other nonprofits, Organizational Alpha is a manual that provides institutional investors with the tools they need to find success in the markets and as organizations.

A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Hydroponics is a technique for developing plants, without soil, that has been used for a huge number of years. From the start, it might appear to be opposing to develop plants with no dirt, however hydroponics is an unpredictable framework that works superior to the conventional strategy for developing plants in soil.In a hydroponic developing framework, a supplement charged, amphibian arrangement is flushed through the root zone to furnish the plants with the assets required for ideal development.There are numerous advantages to utilizing hydroponic develop less assets are expended, arable land isn't required, and the harvestable plants are of higher caliber than when developed utilizing conventional strategies. In the last 60 or 70 years, these advantages have expanded the notoriety of hydroponics, and have extended the constrained prospects of indoor and urban planting. This book covers the following What is hydroponics? Benefits of hydroponics Hydroponics vs soil gardening Build your own hydroponic system Different types of hydroponic system PH in Hydroponic system …And much more!! Hydroponics offers people more benefits compared to traditional soil-based farming, including the capacity to grow food in arid climates, very cold places, and other areas where conventional agriculture won’t work. This science allows the expansion of food production even in remote places or dense urban areas. Many people, when they first hear about hydroponics, are confused and unsure about the benefits since they’re used to picturing plants growing in the soil. The importance of soil is taught to us from an early age in biology class, and it can be challenging at first to understand how it’s possible to give a plant everything that it needs without also giving it a large plot of land to grow in.Educate yourself on hydroponics and see how you’ll be able to benefit from it, just like hundreds of others.Ready to get started? Click “Buy Now”!

Learn How To Start A Consulting Business is essential reading for every solo consultant, entrepreneur, and principal of a small consulting firm. Cоnѕultаntѕ аrе a coveted аѕѕеt. Buѕіnеѕѕеѕ rеlу оn their еxреrtіѕе аnd раѕѕіоn to hеlр thеm map and achieve their goals. Thе dеmаnd fоr соnѕultіng ѕеrvісеѕ is on the rise. In thе UK, thе consulting mаrkеtрlасе is vаluеd аt аррrоxіmаtеlу £81 bіllіоn аnd has steadily grown in rесеnt уеаrѕ bеtwееn 6%-10% уеаr оvеr уеаr. Stаrtіng a consulting buѕіnеѕѕ allows уоu tо leverage your рrоfеѕѕіоnаl еxреrtіѕе аnd ѕkіllѕ tо hеlр оthеr buѕіnеѕѕеѕ thrіvе—bе іt оnlіnе, in-person (COVID-19 rеѕtrісtіоnѕ реndіng), іn уоur оwn соuntrу оr оn a global scale. There аrе tіmеѕ whеn уоu may nоt know muсh аbоut a fіеld; and whаt you may соnѕіdеr rеѕоrtіng to do, might bе tо соnѕult аn expert. Whеn wе tаlk аbоut соnѕultіng ѕеrvісеѕ, wе are perhaps tаlkіng about getting рrасtісаl аdvісе frоm expects. Thеѕе experts hаvе bесоmе ѕо vаѕt thаt thеу rеndеr their ѕеrvісеѕ fоr a fee. The соnѕultіng іnduѕtrу is indeed a brоаd industry thаt covers a wіdе rаngе оf ѕеrvісеѕ such as ;mаnаgеmеnt соnѕultіng, ѕtrаtеgу consulting technological consulting, marketing соnѕultіng, humаn resource соnѕultіng, training соnѕultіng, tаx соnѕultіng, and аnу other business асtіvіtіеѕ thаt іnvоlvеѕ giving advice et al. In еѕѕеnсе, consulting firms аrе hired to рrоffеr solutions tо thе сhаllеngеѕ thаt organizations face. All оvеr thе glоbе, оrgаnіzаtіоnѕ don’t just hire соnѕultаntѕ fоr the sake оf hіrіng соnѕultаntѕ, but thеу dо ѕо ѕіmрlу because thеу expect them tо hеlр tackle thеіr business сhаllеngеѕ аnd deliver ѕоlutіоnѕ аѕ rеԛuіrеd. Aѕ a consulting fіrm, іf you аrе gооd at dеvеlоріng coaching ѕkіllѕ, process аnаlуѕіѕ, tесhnоlоgу іmрlеmеntаtіоn, ѕtrаtеgу dеvеlорmеnt, оr operational іmрrоvеmеnt ѕеrvісеѕ, then wіth juѕt a lіttlе рuѕh, you wіll hаvе mоrе jоbѕ thаn уоu can hаndlе. In thіѕ bооk, we’ll dive іntо what exactly a соnѕultаnt іѕ, how thеу hеlр buѕіnеѕѕеѕ, еxрlоrе ѕome tуреѕ оf соnѕultіng buѕіnеѕѕ models and dіѕсuѕѕ what уоu ѕhоuld соnѕіdеr before ѕtаrtіng уоur оwn consulting buѕіnеѕѕ.

The Master Guide To Augmented Reality is essential reading for anyone interested in the growing influence of this impressive but deeply concerning technology. As the book reveals, reality - once augmented - will never be the same. This book provides an in-depth exploration of the field of augmented reality (AR) in its entirety and sets out to distinguish AR from other inter-related technologies like virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR).This guide is indispensable for anyone interested in AR, including developers, engineers, students, instructors, researchers, and serious hobbyists.

Create a successful herb garden at home with this beginner-friendly guide One of the best things about herbs is that you don’t need a large plot of land―or even any outdoor space at all―to grow them successfully. Whether you’re envisioning a small container garden in a sunny window or a raised bed in your yard, The Master Guide To Herb Gardening provides all the information you need to cultivate herbs for a wide range of purposes. You’ll find step-by-step instructions and troubleshooting guidance for every stage of the process, from planning your garden to harvesting and using your herbs.Discover the Intro to herb gardening and medicinal power of homegrown herbs with the help of The Master Guide To Herb Gardening

JUMPSTART YOUR SUCCESS AND TAKE YOUR INCOME TO THE NEXT LEVELEcommerce offers businesses and entrepreneurs fantastic opportunities to reach customers all over the world and to take advantage of new, exciting technologies to grow their revenues. However, getting started can be intimidating.This book has lots of actionable information on how to make money online with ecommerce. The world is increasingly becoming tech driven. Think about it; you (or someone you know) have probably purchased something online. By so doing, you are probably among the over 40% of internet users (over 1 billion people) who have purchased something online via mobile, desktop, tablet or other devices. If you think about it from a business perspective, this means there is a huge potential to make money if you are a seller (1 billion potential customers!)But how can you go about it? How can you get a share of the over a share of over US$1.2 trillion that’s transacted online every single year?Well, this book will show you exactly how to go about it. Whether you want to set up a C2C (customer to customer) business, a B2C (business to customer) business, or a B2B (business to business) business, it is important to build a solid understanding of the concept of ecommerce so that you start off with a strong understanding of the ins and outs of ecommerce. This book will show you everything you need to know about ecommerce to ensure you know what works, what doesn’t and how to be the best at what you do.Don't hesitate to take thousands of entrepreneurs are finding financial success and freedom through Ecommerce every year. So why not you?

Let me tell you the secret to investing.There is no secret.When investing your hard-earned money, risk and reward are inescapably intertwined. And there are no shortcuts. Getting rich overnight is a pipedream.Ben Carlson constructs this book to play Devil’s Advocate on the entire premise of long-term investing. He takes a wrecking ball to his own investment philosophy to truly examine the good, the bad and the ugly.Carlson contextualises the risks of long-term investing by analysing key moments in our financial history like the Great Depression and its aftermath in the 1930s, to the Japanese financial bubble of the 1980s, to the bursting of the dot-com bubble in the 2000s. From this, it becomes apparent that long-term investing is not without risks, but the rewards might just be worth it.By the end of this book, you will have a better grasp of the biggest risks in investing and how to protect yourself against them so you can survive the short-term, and thrive in the long-term.