Like its current citizens, the United States was born in debt-a debt so deep that it threatened to destroy the young nation. Thomas Jefferson considered the national debt a monstrous fraud on posterity, while Alexander Hamilton believed debt would help America prosper. Both, as it turns out, were right.
One Nation Under Debt explores the untold history of America’s first national debt, which arose from the immense sums needed to conduct the American Revolution. Noted economic historian Robert Wright, Ph.D. tells in riveting narrative how a subjugated but enlightened people cast off a great tyrant-”but their liberty, won with promises as well as with the blood of patriots, came at a high price. He brings to life the key events that shaped the U.S. financial system and explains how the actions of our forefathers laid the groundwork for the debt we still carry today.
As an economically tenuous nation by Revolution’s end, America’s people struggled to get on their feet. Wright outlines how the formation of a new government originally reduced the nation’s debt-but, as debt was critical to this government’s survival, it resurfaced, to be beaten back once more. Wright then reveals how political leaders began accumulating massive new debts to ensure their popularity, setting the financial stage for decades to come.
Wright traces critical evolutionary developments-from Alexander Hamilton’s creation of the nation’s first modern capital market, to the use of national bonds to further financial goals, to the drafting of state constitutions that created non-predatory governments. He shows how, by the end of Andrew Jackson’s administration, America’s financial system was contributing to national growth while at the same time new national and state debts were amassing, sealing the fate for future generations.
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With up-to-the-minute information . . . And an all-new preface by the author!
Out of the red . . .
Do this month’s bills pile up before you’ve paid last month’s?
Do you regularly receive past-due notices?
Do you get letters threatening legal action if immediate payment is not made?
Do the total amounts of your revolving charge accounts keep rising?
Into the black . . .
Whether you are currently in debt or fear you’re falling into debt, you are not alone. Sixty million Americans–from doctors to secretaries, from executives to the unemployed–face the same problem and live under the same daily stress. Based on the proven techniques of the national Debtors Anonymous program, here is the first complete, step-by-step guide to getting out of debt once and for all. You’ll learn:
How to recognize the warning signs of serious debt
How to negotiate with angry creditors, collection agencies, and the IRS
How to design a realistic and painless pay-back schedule
How to identify your spending blind spots
How to cope with the anxiety and daily pressures of owing money
Plus the three cardinal rules for staying out of debt forever, and much more!
This book is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Debtors Anonymous. A recovered debtor, the author is intimately familiar with the success of the Debtors Anonymous program.
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Recently, reorganizations, restructurings, and bankruptcies have replaced IPOs as the common financial vehicle of the times. However, these distressed companies can still provide an avenue for profitable investing. This eagerly anticipated new reference helps guide you through this treacherous landscape in order to master the multi-move chess-like strategies required to achieve financially advantageous results for your portfolio. It is the most up-to-date and comprehensive book on the market to deal with the myriad of issues surrounding a distressed company.
Providing theoretical and practical insight, Distressed Debt Analysis: Strategies for Speculative Investors presents a conceptual, but not overly technical, outline of the financial and bankruptcy law context in which restructurings take place. The book covers the broader financial environment of the reorganization and the basic process of investment analysis and investment strategies. The author uses numerous real-world examples and case studies to emphasize important concepts and critical issues.
The developments that have created these extraordinary investment opportunities have also created tremendous demand for professionals with experience and knowledge in the restructuring process. Distressed Debt Analysis: Strategies for Speculative Investors addresses the complete knowledge needs of investors and professionals in the burgeoning world of financially distressed companies. It is perfect for bankruptcy departments of law firms, restructuring advisory groups, turnaround consulting firms, and reorganization and distressed securities departments of investment banks.
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As the election-year rhetoric on balancing the federal budget heats up, this contrarian book–written by a long-time Washington insider–will lead the debate. The author proposes a redefinition of the federal deficit to restore discipline and confidence in the management of the government’s finances.
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Noreena Hertz, one of the world’s leading experts on economic globalization, looks at the history of third-world debt and its crippling effects on people in developing countries.
Drawing from her impressive debt-relief campaign, fact-finding travels, and meetings with top-ranking officials, Hertz offers a probing analysis of the origins of this rampant burden and its evolution through the decades. With clear principles of justice, she uncovers the imbalance of power and misuse of corrupt dictators and reckless lenders.
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