The New Rules for Mortgages by Dale Robyn Siegel

When I think of some of the biggest decisions we can make in our lives – I think of things like getting married, having children, starting a business, and buying a home – to name a few. These are major things we do in our lives and these things affect our lives for many years to come — so they are the kind of things that we should think about very carefully and thoroughly before we do them.

So why is it that so many people have no idea about the mortgage on their home? I could ask many questions about the other major decisions, but that would be different books.

How many people do you know that have a 30 years (or longer) mortgage on their home, but they don’t understand the terms or anything else about the loan? I admit that I’m incredibly careful about spending money and especially when it comes to a purchase of that magnitude — so I can tell you that I discussed the details with my loan officer – I asked so many questions, that I didn’t know if we would still be friends. But I understood what I was signing and I felt very good about the loan. Can you say the same about your mortgage?

If you have a mortgage and you don’t understand it, if you are looking for a mortgage or if you just want to understand the current mortgage market – The New Rules for Mortgages is for you. Dale Robyn Siegel is an insider – she is in the mortgage business and she has been for years. She understand what is needed to secure a loan, she knows the things you need to know long before you walk in to fill out that application and she know the dos and don’ts of getting the best mortgage for YOU. And, she knows what will keep you from getting the home of your dreams. These are all reasons why you need to read The New Rules for Mortgages.

I am not a financial guru and I admit that many of the terms my mortgage officer used were foreign to me – but Siegel walks you through the entire process. These are some of the chapters in this book — how many of these topics are things that you don’t understand?

The All-Important Credit Score

Income Yeah, You Need That!

Money Matters

A Good Look at the Property

What Mortgage Is Best for You?

Where to Get the Best Mortgage

The Loan Process

Interest Rates, Closing Costs, and the Closing

Types of Property

Protecting Your Homeownership: Divorce, Dispute and Death

You Are a Homeowner

Whether you are a first time home buyer, self employed, under employer, an investor or most any other home buyer – this book has the details you need to make educated decisions when it comes to buying a home. Let an industry insider give you the information you need to get the best possible mortgage for you.

Lords of Finance: The Bankers That Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed

Lords of Finance: The Bankers That Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed

In 2009 we’re deep into a major recession in the United States and many other countries throughout the world are experiencing many of the same problems. Each week we hear comparisons to previous recessions and economic downturns – but the benchmark for all financial crisis is the “Great Depression”. So, this seems like a great time to read and learn more about what happened around the world from the end of World War I and the late 1930’s. Liaquat Ahamed has written a great book that documents what was happening in the world during this twenty year period. I highly recommend that anyone interested in learning more about what lead up to the Great Depression and how the financial leaders handled it – must read this book.

In 1918 the world was reeling from the events during World War I and they were trying to rebuild their countries and the economies in those countries. We are all familiar with the bare bones of the end of World War I, the Roaring Twenties in the United States, rebuilding in Europe, the financial crash in the United States, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party and many of the other events between 1918 and 1938.

                   But, how many of us know the details of the individual financial systems in the United States, France, Britain and Germany?

                   Do you know what people managed the financial decisions in these countries during that time?

                   Do you understand how the gold standard worked and what that meant for each country?

                   Do you know what happened in the ongoing debate about war reparations and what that did to various economies around the world?

                   What happened within Germany when they were ordered to pay substantial reparations after the war?

                   What happened when Germany started printing money around the clock to boost the economy?

These are just a few of the questions that are answered in this book.

In school I remember learning that the financial situation in Germany after World War I was one thing that enabled Adolf Hitler to gain power in Germany. But I never understand the extent of the financial crisis. My depth of understanding on that piece of history has increased dramatically. Understanding what happened in the different countries and the various domino effects are staggering as you turn the pages and see how things fell apart.

I love to read about history and to get a deeper understanding of what led to various events. But I think in the current economic climate – this information is even more important. Most of us have heard the saying that “those who do not study history are destined to repeat it”. That idea kept coming to mind as I read this book and saw many examples of the things these power players in the worldwide economic community tried that failed and in a good number of cases – made the situation much worse.

Through the pages of this book you will meet Montagu Norman of the Bank of England, Emile Moreau of the Banque of France, Hjalmar Schacht of the Reichsbank in Germany and Benjamin Strong of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In addition, you will learn how each of these men reached these positions and much about the history of these various financial institutions.

Anyone interested in the economy – and especially people who could make a positive difference in the financial situation – should be required to read this book. For people who are concerned about authenticity – there are 23 pages of notes and references for the information in the book and a 12 page bibliography. This is a long book – over 500 pages of content, plus the notes, bibliography and index. It took me a while to read the book – because its not really the sort of content you want to rush through, but I thoroughly enjoyed the content and feel like I have a much more complete understanding of the things that led up to the Great Depression and how the world recovered from this crisis.