Book Review: Generation Earn
Those of us in our twenties have been called a lot of things by our elders, but never have we been referred to as “Generation Earn”.
Kimberly Palmer, senior editor at US News & World Report and author of the Alpha Consumer column, decided she was fed up with the negative labels associated with young professionals and wrote a book to debunk the myth!
Finally… an advocate for those of us on the other end of the perspective.
The Young Professional’s Guide to
Spending, Investing, and Giving Back
My interest piqued just from the table of contents. Broken into only three sections, the book still covers a wide spectrum of ideas, and current ones at that. Job Juggling, Not Your Parents’ Retirement, When Parents Are Landlords, Lessons in Modern Frugality, and The New Rules of Philanthropy to name a few.
Book Review: The Skinny On Series
Remember when Cliff Notes were the lifeline to all those classics you had to read in school? It was a novel idea – taking complex topics, like literature, and breaking it down into quick and easy to understand guides. Then emerged the “Dummies” series whose tagline is “Making Everything Easier” and covered how-to guides from computers and software to religion and spirituality.
Now a new series has hit the market, The Skinny On, which plans to bring the Cliff Notes concept into the 21st Century. Based on the idea that our brains adapt to changing environments, the books are tailored to match the “faster, more staccato, bottom-line and visual reading experience” of the digital era.
The author, Jim Randel, graciously sent me two copies to review:
Networking: Maximizing the Power of Numbers
Creativity: Thinking Outside the Box
Just as the website claims, it only took about an hour to read each during my Thanksgiving roadtrip.
Interview: What’s it all about? More than Money! (Part II)
Continued from Part I…
Well readers. Hope you enjoyed the first segment of this interview. Saly was gracious enough to really put some thought and time into these responses. It’s great how ready and willing these authors are willing to dive into their books – you don’t get this level of detail from Oprah’s book club! 
FE: Cross-referencing sources can be one way to promote honesty. It’s harder to standby something as truth when others are claiming it false. In the book, you speak in depth about selecting the right financial advisor. Would there be any reason not to use multiple individuals? While potentially redundant (and costly), wouldn’t having multiple sources promote honesty and act as another way to reduce risk, similar to a company’s Board of Trustees?
SG: I think it makes much more sense to invest the time and effort to find the right advisor from the beginning. Think of it this way: Who are the other professionals in your life that you trust and depend on? Do you have many accountants, multiple landscapers, lots of different housecleaners? Why not? It’s because you have found honorable professionals who provide the ideal service at the best value. Having multiple advisors is confusing, costly and complicated, and your strategy will ultimate get compromised. You should not need to use competition to promote honesty and transparency—these are permanent requirements of any meaningful professional relationship.
Continue reading “Interview: What’s it all about? More than Money! (Part II)” »
Interview: What’s it all about? More than Money! (Part I)
An accomplished professional, Saly A. Glassman has spent almost 30 years within Merrill Lynch. Her all-female team manages over $2 billion for high net worth individuals, corporations, and institutions. Recognized for her performance, she’s been ranked as: #1 Top Women Financial Advisor and Nation’s Top 100 Financial Advisor by Barron’s Winner’s Circle, along with other recognitions.
Her recently published book, It’s About More Than Money, was passed along to Engineer Your Finances by Goldberg McDuffie Communications. Along with the book, they offered us the opportunity to ask Ms. Glassman a few questions. Here’s what we got from the back and forth. Enjoy the interview and make sure to check out her new book!
FE: Alright, let’s start with the acknowledgments. You noted how you came to write the book, but what really sparked the decision to produce this work? Was it simply those who thought you had great stories, or is there more behind it? After publishing your first book, do you foresee yourself continuing to write and publish? Continue reading “Interview: What’s it all about? More than Money! (Part I)” »
Interview: How to Be A Fierce Competitor (Part II)
FE: On to How to Be a Fierce Competitor, the book’s focus is on sales and marketing. However, I think there’s applicability beyond this field. If you think about it, we are all managers of ourselves, so we could apply the same principles if we wanted to become stronger employees. What’s your take? Does the book’s theme cover all areas of professional fierceness?
JF: Yes, the book’s applicable to all disciplines, but in context. There are two main competencies – marketing & innovation. All employees, 100% of them, are responsible for acquiring and retaining profitable revenues. That could be the engineers creating new product lines or the marketing team bringing in new clients. While each employee draws from the company’s bottom line, they each contribute in some way.
One of the chapters touches on how to conduct sales meetings with laser beam focus. Too many meetings are a waste of time and resources, so any industry that has meetings (that is, all of them) could benefit from what’s in the book.
Continue reading “Interview: How to Be A Fierce Competitor (Part II)” »
Interview: How to Be A Fierce Competitor (Part I)
After reading his book How to Be a Fierce Competitor in one sitting, it seemed necessary to contact author Jeffrey Fox about doing an interview. Half-expecting not even an acknowledgment email, he surprised me with a quick, “I’d be delighted” response.
While performing my due diligence, I learned more about Mr. Fox’s impressive (and extensive) accomplishments. Following the submission of my questions, I was equally caught off guard when he replied, “Your interview questions are very good. So good that I think the best way to do the interview is via phone”. He graciously gave me over an hour of his time. I jotted down notes while we spoke, so his responses are paraphrased below.
- FE: Looking back on your career, you’ve created quite the legacy. Under the belief that all our experiences build on each other, there’s still those 1 or 2 “defining moments” that set our course for better or worse. Can you recall what those were for you? Was it graduating from Harvard, starting your own firm, authoring your first book, or something more out of the ordinary?
Continue reading “Interview: How to Be A Fierce Competitor (Part I)” »
