Mornings with Meep: The Wisdom of Finance and Failure is Always a Possible Outcome
by meep
Good morning!
If you can’t see the above video, here is a direct link.
And while you’re on YouTube, check out Beer with Bill, aka Bill Berman from Truth in Accounting.
THE WISDOM OF FINANCE
The Wisdom of Finance, by Mihir Desai is a really interesting book – a fast read (only 5 CDs for the audiobook, less than 200 pages on small pages), chock full of references to history, literature, and even hip-hop.
I reviewed the book at Goodreads:
Appealing to a wide variety of audiences — it makes core financial concepts comprehensible for non-finance people, and it connects finance people with a broader view from the humanities. Desai takes a denigrated subject, even by some of its own practitioners, and makes it more human (with all the bad and good that entails.) He uses examples from history, literature, art, poetry, movies, TV, and even song lyrics (She take my money when I’m in need…)
For those concerned: VERY LITTLE MATH. There is a small amount of arithmetic when Desai explains leverage. But other than that, he keeps it at a high conceptual level.
This book is more a jumping off point, though – it’s very short. It gives you a taste, which may leave one hungering for more. I listened to the audiobook (read by the author himself), and therefore don’t have the notes from the back! So I’m going to have to get a hard copy so I can get at those. I really want to read more about how annuities helped foment the French Revolution.
And yeah, that’s why I checked out the book from the library. He gives multiple references for that… also, there’s a paper on the connection between insurance and witchcraft (as in: once you could insure your home, you were less likely to burn a witch just because your house burned down.)
LAST WEEK’S POSTS
- Memory Monday: Spanish Flu Still Relevant and Second Week of April 1918
- Taxing Tuesday: Trying to Escape Property Taxes, Follow-the-Leader, More Married Couple TCJA Scenarios
- A Proposal for Public Pension Reform: The Idea and Coming Attractions
- Divestment Dumbassery: Know What You’re Protesting
- Around the Pension-o-Sphere: Actuaries Testifying, New Standards, Actuary Bloggers, Pew Report, and Connecticut
I’m headed out to a TMBG concert for my birthday today (with the kids), so here’s a couple more videos:
See y’all next week!
