Hamilton's Blessing: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Our National Debt: Revised Edition

A revised and updated paperback edition of what the Wall Street Journal called an “absorbing historical narrative, by one of America’s preeminent business historians.

The United States was born in debt. For many in the late eighteenth century, a national debt was unthinkable; for Alexander Hamilton, it was a glowing opportunity-”a national blessing…a powerful cement to our union and a spur to industry-and he made it forever a part of our government’s fiscal policy. Today the debt has grown so massive as to be both incomprehensible and threatening. But that very mass obscures its vibrant history, a legacy intertwined with and central to the story of our country.

Since the 1997 publication of Hamilton’s Blessing, the national debt has more than doubled, and it will do so again in the coming years. John Steele Gordon has substantially revised his original manuscript to take these dramatic events into account, once again making his book essential reading for anyone who values the perspective of history. For the story of the debt traces the history of our government and of economic thinking over almost 220 years. Offering pocket histories of our banking and tax systems, Gordon unveils a range of human dramas: Stephen Girard, who personally arranged the financing to sustain the War of 1812; Benjamin Strong, the governor of the New York Federal Reserve, whose untimely death in 1928 undoubtedly heightened the Great Depression; John Maynard Keynes, whose controversial theories have caused endless debate, however much they are now back in vogue.

At a time when we fear the long-term impact of our massive debt, Hamilton’s Blessing provides muchneeded insight and perspective.

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Corporate Financial Distress and Bankruptcy: Predict and Avoid Bankruptcy, Analyze and Invest in Distressed Debt , 3rd EditionA comprehensive look at the enormous growth and evolution of distressed debt, corporate bankruptcy, and credit risk default

This Third Edition of the most authoritative finance book on the topic updates and expands its discussion of corporate distress and bankruptcy, as well as the related markets dealing with high-yield and distressed debt, and offers state-of-the-art analysis and research on the costs of bankruptcy, credit default prediction, the post-emergence period performance of bankrupt firms, and more.

Edward I. Altman (New York, NY) is the Max L. Heine Professor of Finance at the Stern School of Business, New York University. He received his MBA and PhD in finance from the University of California, Los Angeles. Edith Hotchkiss (Chester Hill, MA) is Associate Professor of Finance at Boston College. She received her PhD from the Stern School of Business and her BA from Dartmouth College.

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The Smart Cookies' Guide to Making More Dough and Getting Out of Debt
Now more than ever it’s crucial to eliminate debt, spend smarter, save better, and achieve financial freedom-without sacrificing your social life or your sanity!

Let The Smart Cookies show you how….

They were five dynamic young women: smart, successful-and secretly drowning in debt. In one year Andrea, Angela, Katie, Robyn, and Sandra dramatically improved their financial situations. Their proven recipe for success has since been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today show, MSNBC, and in the New York Daily News.

How did they do it?

The five women-with varied careers in marketing, public relations, social work, and real estate-joined forces to create a fun, simple, effective strategy for achieving financial success, forming a money group and supporting one another every step of the way. Now, in this extraordinary hands-on guide, The Smart Cookies tackle the unique financial challenges facing women today as they share the secrets of their extraordinary success. Learn how to:

Save money and still make room for “guilt-free spending
Have a Girls Night In once a week-and save hundreds each year
Splurge on big-ticket items-without breaking the bank
Invest like a pro-in just a few short lessons
Get paid what you’re worth-step-by-step instructions for negotiating the best raise
Discover easy ways to cut costs-without feeling the pinch And much, much more!

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A Free Nation Deep in Debt: The Financial Roots of Democracy

For the greater part of recorded history the most successful and powerful states were autocracies; yet now the world is increasingly dominated by democracies. In A Free Nation Deep in Debt, James Macdonald provides a novel answer for how and why this political transformation occurred. The pressures of war finance led ancient states to store up treasure; and treasure accumulation invariably favored autocratic states. But when the art of public borrowing was developed by the city-states of medieval Italy as a democratic alternative to the treasure chest, the balance of power tipped. From that point on, the pressures of war favored states with the greatest public creditworthiness; and the most creditworthy states were invariably those in which the people who provided the money also controlled the government. Democracy had found a secret weapon and the era of the citizen creditor was born. Macdonald unfolds this tale in a sweeping history that starts in biblical times, passes via medieval Italy to the wars and revolutions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and ends with the great bond drives that financed the two world wars.

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Starting a Collection Agency, How to make money collecting money Third EditionDebt Collectors are a vital part of the American Economy and here are the numbers to prove it. Debt collectors have a bad rap but debt collection is crucial to an efficient market economy. Total consumer bad debt costs every adult in the US $683 every year. For the average non-supervisory worker thats nearly 54 hours of work (before taxes) a year. Outstanding credit card debt is nearly three quarters of one trillion dollars. Total consumer debt, including home mortgages, exceeds $9 trillion. Starting a Collection Agency, How to make money collecting money by Michelle Dunn is a winner of the New York Book Festival and Writer’s Digest Award. The only award-winning comprehensive book on how to start and manage a collection service. Everything from state laws to what kind of equipment you will need. Its chapters include legal requirements, licenses and regulations, where to find clients, fair debt collection practices, Fair Credit Reporting Act, skip tracing, buying debt, bad checks, and software. With this book you will: Be able to start your own business and be your own boss. Find samples of business and marketing plans. Find collection letters, flyers & promotional pieces. Have a checklist of what to do before you open your agency. Learn how to start your agency from home. Learn how to work from home with young children around. Learn how to promote your agency in a professional manner. With the economy failing the need for collection agencies is growing, help our economy and help consumers and business owners everywhere when you can help them by collecting the money that is owed to them and help people get out of debt.

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