The World's Best Book Summaries
What is a tranche in finance? How did they change the mortgage-backed securities market and make subprime loans desirable to investors? A tranche is a slice or portion of a security sold to investors. Learn how tranches work in finance, what their role in mortgage-backed securities is, and how they revolutionized these securities so quickly and dramatically that they laid the groundwork for the 2008 financial crisis.
What is the link between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and breast cancer? Is there a link between menopause and breast cancer? One out of eight American women will get breast cancer in her lifetime. Although menopause itself isn’t a risk factor for breast cancer, how you treat symptoms of menopause could increase your risk. We’ll cover the link between HRT and breast cancer and alternative options for easing your transition into menopause.
What is a holistic diet? How can it make you healthier while also helping the planet? A holistic diet is a way of eating that focuses on whole, unrefined food in its natural state. Learn the 7 principles of the holistic diet and discover why it leads to better health.
Who is Steve Eisman, of The Big Short fame? What is his background in finance, and how did he profit from the 2008 financial crisis? Steve Eisman is an investor best known for having shorted the housing market and profiting from the 2007-2008 financial crisis. In the film The Big Short, Steve Carell’s character Mark Baum was based on Steve Eisman. We’ll cover Steve Eisman’s background, his brash personality, and how he shorted the housing market.
What caused Morgan Stanley’s 2008 crisis, in which the bank almost collapsed? Who paid for Morgan Stanley’s bailout? We’ll cover the events leading up to Morgan Stanley’s 2008 crisis and how its bailout cost American taxpayers bukkuibs.
How did the actions of AIG lead to the 2008 crisis that affected millions of Americans? Did AIG know the role it was playing in the catastrophe, or was it ignorant of the wider implications of its business practices? And who paid the price for AIG’s bailout? We’ll cover how AIG insurance company (American International Group) aided banks in the events that would lead to the 2008 financial crisis and the results of the 2008 AIG bailout.
America spends more money on healthcare, per capita, than any country in the world. You would think this would make Americans healthier than any other population, but it doesn’t. Two-thirds of our population is overweight and half of Americans take a prescription drug every week. Why is this? What are the problems with healthcare in the U.S.? We’ll cover the 4 biggest healthcare issues in America.
When you were a child, your parents probably told you to drink your milk for strong bones. Is that idea still current? Is milk good for your bones? What about the studies linking dairy and osteoporosis? Although milk has a lot of calcium, dairy may not be the best way to protect your bones and prevent osteoporosis. Is milk bad for your bones? Yes. We’ll cover the two reasons.
What is “side pocketing” in relation to hedge funds? Why would a fund manager need or want to “side pocket” investors’ money? Is it legal? Side pocketing is when a hedge fund manager temporarily refuses to let investors withdraw their money. We’ll cover how side pocketing actually benefitted investors in hedge fund Scion Capital, profiled in the book and movie The Big Short.
What is aflatoxin B1? How does it enter your system, and why is it dangerous? Aflatoxin B1 is a highly toxic carcinogen produced by the molds Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. It enters the system through foods such as peanuts and corn that grow in contaminated soil. Aflatoxin B1 is strongly linked with liver cancer. We’ll cover why aflatoxin B1 was a particular problem in the Philippines, the dietary factors that may make aflatoxin B1 more dangerous, and the dietary factors that may serve as an aflatoxin treatment.