November 2013

The full title of this book by Richard Grainger is

“How To Survive A World Headed For Collapse: A must-have 9-step guide for how to get by when everything we depend upon is wiped out“.

In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means I think it is Good and Well Worth Reading, although I’ll confess that I haven’t read much about “prepping”.

What happens if society collapses?

Should you ignore that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach that tells you that bad things are happening or should you be prepared for the worst?

In this short book, the author gives you plenty to think about if society and the economy  break down. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Thierry Malleret is

“Six Global Mega-Trends and How To Make Them Work For You“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my review.

Beware

If you’ve read Disequilibrium: A World Out Of Kilter then don’t bother with this. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Richard Heinberg is

“The End Of Growth: Adapting To Our New Economic Realities“.

In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Five Stars. This means it is Excellent and Very Highly Recommended.

Here is my book review.

Essential reading

This book is a real eye-opener and shows that the common assumption that we can continue to grow the economy at 2% to 3% per year is invalid.

In fact it is complete nonsense. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Richard Heinberg is

“Snake Oil: How Fracking’s False Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

Who is telling the truth on fracking?

The author’s previous book The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality shocked me to the core. I’d never previously identified the huge but untrue assumption in economic theory – natural resources are unlimited. This is a bit strange when I was taught that economics was all about the allocation of scarce resources.

That book encouraged me to read more about the theory of Peak Oil and in recent years, the price of oil has risen despite the economic recession. This gave credence to the concept as far as I was concerned. [continue reading…]

Problems appeared in the world finance systems in 2007 related all the way back to mortgages given to poor people in America who were unlikely to be able to repay the loans. These mortgages were packed up, divided and sold into the finance markets across the world.

My intent is not to give a big explanation of what happened and why. If you want more details, I have provided links to Wikipedia. My objective is to help you to think about the future but you may benefit from reminding yourself about the recent past.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subprime_mortgage_crisis

In September 2008 after some difficult months problems exploded in America with the saving of Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddice Mac and the collapse of Lehmans Brothers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankruptcy_of_Lehman_Brothers

This led to the Great Recession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Recession

I mentioned the efficient market hypothesis earlier. Too much faith in how well it works by policy makers and regulators has been blamed for the build up of the bubbles that caused the crash. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Christopher Snowdon is

“The Spirit Level Delusion: Fact-checking the Left’s New Theory of Everything“.

In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my review.

Necessary rebuttal

t saddens me that this book had to be written.

The original Spirit Level book showed that inequality of income and wealth was at the root of society’s ills once income reached a reasonable level. After that equality mattered more than pushing up the average GDP per person statistic. [continue reading…]

Ever since I’ve been ill I’ve been amazed at what an incredibly complicated and effective system the human body is.

Things have gone wrong that I’ve previously taken for granted and I’ve been forced to learn how the different control systems keep everything working together.

The economy is the same.

It is made up of the many different decisions that the billions of people make.

It is best understood by learning a little about systems thinking. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by John Mauldin and Jonathan Tepper is

“Code Red: How to Protect Your Savings From the Coming Crisis“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book Four Stars. This means that it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

It’s time to be scared… very scared

This is an excellent book about the current economic climate of exceptional action by central bankers with quantitative easing and the suppression of interest rates.

It’s written in a very easy to read and understand style and will help anyone gain a better understanding of how the economic situation could play out. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Craig Rowland and JM Lawson is

“The Permanent Portfolio: Harry Browne’s Long-Term Investment Strategy“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Five Stars. This means I think it is Excellent and is Very Highly Recommended.

Here is my book review.

Excellent lesson on effective diversification because of economic uncertainties

I was introduced to the idea of the Permanent Portfolio by a magazine article and I wanted to know more so I bought the book.

It sounds strange but I found it hard to put down as I finally had the nagging doubts I had about diversification erased from my brain. [continue reading…]