Monday, October 14, 2013

The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand, Revised edition, Judith Orloff



"Fantastic Learning Tool...Don't let this book title fool you. It is not an oversimplification of accounting and financial principles. It is, however, a serious and very effective examination of a very small but progressively complex business. There are not many books available on the market that make a complex and dry subject understandable and even fun. This book successfully does just that."
-Amazon Reviewer

The Clearest Explanation Ever of the Key Accounting Basics

The world of accounting can be intimidating. Whether you're a manager, business owner or aspiring entrepreneur, you've likely found yourself needing to know basic accounting...but baffled by complicated accounting books. What if learning accounting could be as simple and fun as running a child's lemonade stand? It can.

The Accounting Game presents financial information in a format so simple and so unlike a common accounting textbook, you may forget you're learning key skills that will help you get ahead! Using the world of a child's lemonade stand to teach the basics of managing your finances, this book makes a dry subject fun and understandable. As you run your stand, you'll begin to understand and apply financial terms and concepts like assets, liabilities, earnings, inventory and notes payable, plus:

--Interactive format gives you hands-on experience
--Color-coded charts and worksheets help you remember key terms
--Step-by-step process takes you from novice to expert with ease
--Fun story format speeds retention of essential concepts
--Designed to apply what you learn to the real world

The revolutionary approach of The Accounting Game takes the difficult subjects of accounting and business finance and makes them something you can easily learn, understand, remember and use!

"The game approach makes the subject matter most understandable. I highly recommend it to anyone frightened by either numbers or accountants."
-John Hernandis, Director of Corporate Communications, American Greetings

from the Introduction

The Accounting Game is written in a way that creates a specific learning experience for you as it teaches you the basic skills of accounting. We call the learning method accelerative learning. What do you think that means? It is a learning methodology that uses all of your senses as well as your emotions and your critical thinking skills. If you can remember your kindergarten or elementary school classrooms, you will see many colored maps, letters and numbers, bold (even raw) drawings by each child, etc. You learned the alphabet by singing. You learned the multiplication tables by saying them out loud with each other. You laughed a lot. You were creative.

Then, how you were taught began to change when you entered middle school or high school. Learning became more lecture, more black and white, more rote. You studied before tests and probably did well or maybe not. Yet, for all the endless homework and "cramming," most of the information you learned in high school you don't remember now. That's because it went into your short-term memory so that you could pass the tests and move on to the next grade.

Yet, look at all the things you remember from early childhood! While in elementary school, much of the information you learned went directly to your long-term memory, because it was peppered with music, color, movement, smells, emotional experiences and lots of play and fun.

The methodology we use in this book in many ways parallels how you learned in grade school. We do this by accessing the part of your brain where long-term memory lives. Now, the way to reach your long-term memory has to include emotion, because they reside in the same place in your brain--the limbic region.

The truth is, because of the way we humans learn, we have to discover something ourselves to really learn it. This book, based on Educational Discoveries' flagship seminar, is designed so you make dozens of discoveries. In short, you will learn a college semester's worth of accounting in the time it takes you to interact with this book.

This is quite a reversal, because business people and students have over the years found the subject of accounting quite difficult to master. Many have simply given up in frustration, others have decided to leave accounting to the "experts." This book is for all of you who have hated accounting, had difficulty learning it or ever thought you didn't really "get it."

We think that most attempts to teach accounting fail because of too much attention to details and a failure to present the big picture framework of how it all works and fits together. In this book, we promise not to overburden you with details and to focus on what are really the key concepts of accounting that any businessperson needs to know.

You will learn the structure and purpose of the three primary financial statements--the balance sheet, the income statement and the cash flow statement. You will learn how these fit together and their interrelationships. You will also learn the basic language of business--concepts like cost of goods sold, expenses, bad debts, accrual vs. cash methods of accounting, FIFO and LIFO, capitalizing vs. expensing, depreciation and the difference between cash and profit.

Our promise is that you will get all this information in a fun and easy way that allows you to participate, interact and discover all that you need to know. Many people need to have understanding and confidence in working with financial concepts, but are not ever going to be doing accounting details. If that is you, then this book fits that need, too. It is set up so that you can actually do financial statements as you are learning them. We invite you to "play the game" as you interact with this book.

Understanding all this information is nice, but what do you do with it? The final chapter will give you some tools for analyzing financial information and making better decisions for your company and your career.

About the Author
For the past 25 years, Judith Orloff has been helping people transform their lives through self-awareness and education. Among her most significant accomplishments is the founding of the Burlington College in Vermont, where she also created a B.A. program in Transpersonal Psychology. In addition, Orloff is the founder of Educational Discoveries, Inc., which not only produces The Accounting Game, but also is the training industry leader in accelerative learning and instructional design. EDI's The Accounting Game is the most successful financial seminar in the world, with over 100,000 graduates.

For the past decade, Darrell Mullis, the Director of Training and Development at Educational Discoveries, has taught EDI's learning technology and developed a training program for its trainers. Mullis has also taught over 300 of the phenomenally successful Accounting Game seminars to thousands of Americans. Mullis lives with his four daughters in Louisville, Colorado.

Product Details :
  • Paperback: 179 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.; Revised edition (April 18, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402211864
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402211867
  • Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 8.3 x 10.5 inches

More Details about The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand, Revised edition

The Value of Debt: How to Manage Both Sides of a Balance Sheet to Maximize Wealth, 1st Edition, Thomas J. Anderson



A new vision of the value of debt in the management of individual and family wealth
In this groundbreaking book, author Tom Anderson argues that, despite the reflex aversion most people have to debt—an aversion that is vociferously preached by most personal finance authors—wealthy individuals and families, as well as their financial advisors, have everything to gain and nothing to lose by learning to think holistically about debt.

Anderson explains why, if strategically deployed, debt can be of enormous long-term benefit in the management of individual and family wealth. More importantly, he schools you in time-tested strategies for using debt to steadily build wealth, to generate tax-efficient retirement income, to provide a reliable source of funds in times of crisis and financial setback, and more.

Takes a "strategic debt" approach to personal wealth management, emphasizing the need to appreciate the value of "indebted strengths" and for acquiring the tools needed to take advantage of those strengths
Addresses how to determine your optimal debt ratio, or your debt "sweet spot"
A companion website contains a proprietary tool for calculating your own optimal debt ratio, which enables you to develop a personal wealth balance sheet
Offering a bold new vision of debt as a strategic asset in the management of individual and family wealth, The Value of Debt is an important resource for financial advisors, wealthy families, family offices, and professional investors.

From the Author

I have been teaching the ideas and practices you'll find here for a number of years now. Excited and even somewhat amazed by the Value of Debt--how to strategically use one's Indebted Strengths to be in a much better long-term position--I have been asked many times for a detailed treatment of these ideas.

Well, I looked high and low, both online and offline, and couldn't find one, so I felt that given the incredible value that people are already finding in these ideas, I would go ahead and take the plunge and do my best to write it all up in an easy-to-understand book (although you will still need--and most certainly will want--the help of the right financial advisor to fully understand or implement any specific actions).

Structurally the book starts out by laying the foundation for a solid strategic debt philosophy. It then transitions to understanding a key building block, which is the incredible benefit of having an Asset Based Loan Facility at your disposal. With these tools in place, I then explore scenarios for success and present specific case studies.

A solid foundation is essential to all things in life, but is particularly necessary with respect to formulating and implementing a strategic debt philosophy. I would encourage you to not skip ahead to the case studies regardless of your level of education or familiarity with the subject.

Case studies are complicated in book such as this. The material is difficult to understand without examples but there is risk that somebody could look at a simple example and try to apply that to their complex life. Individual situations are unique and multifaceted. It is worth noting that all case studies presented in this book are for educational and illustrative purposes only and should be used to help trigger meaningful conversations with your advisors about your individual situation. They cannot be - and are not intended to be - advice that you can directly apply to your situation. There are many risks to these ideas and of course all loans are subject to eligibility and approval by the lender.

Because of the risks involved I can't stress enough the importance of reading the appendices, end notes, stress testing your philosophy, and becoming as prepared as possible for a wide range of outcomes. Moreover, never underestimate the importance, necessity, and value of working with an outstanding group of professional advisors to implement these ideas according to your individual needs, goals, financial condition, and risk tolerance.

Some readers will undoubtedly desire more detail than a book such as this can provide while still be appealing to general readers. If you have an academic or financial background, you will find that this book's theoretical basis can be found in finance and accounting materials that are taught in graduate and undergraduate business courses throughout the world. You may also recognize that several of the most famous theories in finance are directly or indirectly referenced. In order to keep the material appealing to readers of all levels, however, most technical finance references have been placed in the endnotes.

A quick note on interest rates and the global economy will also be helpful at this point. The ideas expressed in this book are designed to transcend political borders and to transcend time. Clearly, over multiple countries and multiple economic conditions, the range of outcomes we will see in our lifetimes may be vast. In the text I use interest rates that represent the current economic environment, but these ideas could have been applied equally in 1980. I've done my best to be world neutral, but there are a number of U.S. specific references, particularly as to taxes. The vast majority of these ideas can be applied around the world in virtually any economy.

I hope you find a great deal of value in these pages and that they inspire you to create and implement your own strategic debt philosophy.
-- Tom Anderson

From the Inside Flap
Virtually every CFO of a large company recognizes that both assets and debts can be sources of financial strength. Yet the vast majority of high-net-worth individuals are either perilously over-leveraged or, more commonly, tragically under-leveraged.

In this groundbreaking book, author Tom Anderson argues that, despite the reflex aversion most people have to debt—an aversion that is vociferously preached by most personal finance authors—wealthy individuals and families, as well as their financial advisors, have everything to gain and nothing to lose by learning to think holistically about debt, the way CFOs do.

Viewing amortization as the enemy of good financial sense, with only a few notable exceptions, Anderson explains why, if strategically deployed, debt can be of enormous long-term benefit in the management of individual and family wealth. More importantly, he schools you in time-tested strategies for using debt to steadily build wealth, to generate tax-efficient retirement income, to provide a reliable source of funds in times of crisis and financial setback, and more.

Taking a Strategic Debt approach to personal wealth management, he emphasizes the need to appreciate the value of "Indebted Strengths" and for acquiring the tools needed to take advantage of those strengths for increased liquidity, flexibility, leverage, and survivability.

But, as he explains, before you can begin to leverage your indebted strengths, you must first determine your optimal debt ratio, or what he refers to as your debt "sweet spot." To that end, he describes methods CFOs use to determine their companies' debt sweet spots, and he shows you how to apply those methods in finding yours.

Anderson then supplies you with a set of advanced techniques for leveraging your indebted strengths, including:


  • Capturing the spread, or, in other words, profiting from the difference between the value of an investment and cost of the debt incurred to make it
  • A discussion on second homes (including renting versus buying) and a framework for how much of a second home you can afford (and how much of it should be financed)
  • Better ways to purchase and finance cars, boats, and luxury items
  • How you can help your children and grandchildren by using your balance sheet
  • How access to the right kind of debt can help you and your family be better prepared for an emergency
  • The best way to do eldercare transitions including bridge loans for you or someone in your family
  • Alternative means of financing home improvements, college, real estate, raw land, and business investments
  • Ways to create tax-favored income in retirement and divorce

In The Value of Debt, Anderson proves that all else being equal, a lower volatility portfolio with some debt is better than a high-volatility portfolio with no debt. He also takes a balanced approach and has an in-depth discussion of the risks inherent in this strategy. This includes an overview of the different economic environments we could face and base case scenarios that all investors should be aware of.

In addition, on The Value of Debt companion website you'll find a proprietary tool for calculating your own optimal debt ratio. With inputs for assets and liabilities, it enables you to develop your personal wealth balance sheet and to compare it to examples provided by the author.

Offering a bold new vision of debt as a strategic asset in the management of individual and family wealth, The Value of Debt is an important resource for financial advisors, wealthy families, family offices, and professional investors.

Product Details :
  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 16, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1118758617
  • ISBN-13: 978-1118758618
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches

More Details about The Value of Debt: How to Manage Both Sides of a Balance Sheet to Maximize Wealth, 1st Edition

Financial Management: Theory & Practice (with Thomson ONE - Business School Edition 1-Year Printed Access Card), 14th Edition, Eugene F. Brigham



Any suggestions for copywriter or provide generic description of the product to be used for the Internet or non-channel specific applications. NOTE: If you have a book only version for this product, it is imperative that you provide a description that does not include any references to package elements. Striking a balance between solid financial theory and practical applications, Brigham/Ehrhardt's FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: THEORY AND PRACTICE, 14e gives readers a thorough understanding of the essential concepts they need to develop and implement effective financial strategies. The book begins with a presentation of corporate finance fundamentals before progressing to discussions of specific techniques that are used to maximize the value of a firm. It also thoroughly explores the recent financial and economic crises and the role of finance in the business world and in readers' personal lives. With its relevant and engaging presentation, cutting-edge coverage, and numerous examples, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT help readers become First in Finance.

Review

"… [FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: THEORY & PRACTICE] complements the emphasis on case analyses in my Applied Financial Management and Financial Strategy and Valuation courses."

"I don't have background on finances, this book was very helpful. It comes with extra bonuses and excel exercises as well as online guidance."

About the Author

Dr. Eugene F. Brigham is Graduate Research Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, where he has taught since 1971. Dr. Brigham received his M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley and his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina. Prior to joining the University of Florida, Dr. Brigham held teaching positions at the University of Connecticut, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of California-Los Angeles. Dr. Brigham has served as president of the Financial Management Association and has written many journal articles on the cost of capital, capital structure, and other aspects of financial management. He has authored or co-authored ten textbooks on managerial finance and managerial economics that are used at more than 1,000 universities in the United States and have been translated into 11 languages worldwide. He has testified as an expert witness in numerous electric, gas, and telephone rate cases at both federal and state levels. He has served as a consultant to many corporations and government agencies, including the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the U.S. Office of Telecommunications Policy, and the RAND Corporation. Dr. Brigham continues to teach, consult, and complete research in addition to his academic writing. He spends his spare time on the golf course, enjoying time with his family and dogs, and tackling outdoor adventure activities, such as biking through Alaska.

Dr. Michael C. Ehrhardt is a Professor in the Finance Department and is the Paul and Beverly Castagna Professor of Investments. He completed his undergraduate work in Civil Engineering at Swarthmore College. After working several years as an engineer, he earned his M.S. in Operations Research and Ph.D. in Finance from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Ehrhardt has taught extensively at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of investments, corporate finance, and capital markets. He has directed and served on numerous dissertation committees and is a member of the team that developed and delivered the integrative first year of the MBA program. Dr. Ehrhardt teaches in Executive Education Programs and consults in the areas of corporate valuation, value-based compensation plans, financial aspects of supply-chain management, and the cost of capital. He has been awarded the Allen G. Keally Outstanding Teacher Award, the Tennessee Organization of MBA Students Outstanding Faculty member, the College of Business Administration Research & Teaching Award, and the John B. Ross Outstanding Teaching Award in the College of Business. Much of his research focuses on corporate valuation and asset pricing models, including pricing models for interest-rate sensitive instruments. His work has been published in numerous journals, including The Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Financial Management, The Financial Review, The Journal of Financial Research, and The Journal of Banking and Finance. He has also authored or co-authored several books addressing various areas of finance.

Product Details :
  • Hardcover: 1200 pages
  • Publisher: Cengage Learning; 14 edition (January 28, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1111972206
  • ISBN-13: 978-1111972202
  • Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 8.3 x 10.2 inches

More Details about Financial Management: Theory & Practice (with Thomson ONE - Business School Edition 1-Year Printed Access Card), 14th Edition