Amanda Penn, Author at Shortform Books

Alzheimer’s Diet: What to Eat and Avoid for Brain Health

By 2050, 14 million people will have Alzheimer’s, which is a leading cause of death in the U.S. Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia, develops when the protein beta-amyloid forms plaque in the brain. Is there an “Alzheimer’s diet” that could keep you from being one of those 14 million people? Although there’s no definitive cause of Alzheimer’s, researchers agree that lifestyle factors such as diet play a role. Learn how adopting an Alzheimer’s prevention diet can help protect your brain and get suggestions on how you can smoothly incorporate more plant foods into your diet.

Ben Hockett: How a Berkeley Recluse Shorted the Housing Market

Who is Ben Hockett? How was he involved in the “big short” that profited from the 2008 financial crisis? Ben Hockett is a former Deutsche Bank trader who left Wall Street behind to trade derivatives from his home in Berkeley Hills. In 2006 he worked with investment company Cornwall Capital to short the housing market and profit from the 2007-2008 subprime mortgage crisis. In the movie The Big Short, Brad Pitt’s character Ben Rickert is based on Ben Hockett. We’ll cover Ben Hockett’s background, his major role in getting Cornwall Capital the recognition it needed to be a player on

Specialty Finance: What It Is, Who It’s For, and Why It’s Risky

What is specialty finance? What does it offer, and how is it risky? Did specialty finance loans contribute to the 2008 financial crisis? Specialty finance is the euphemistic name of financial industries that provide financial products and services to the least-creditworthy Americans, people who wouldn’t be able to get a loan from a traditional bank. Learn how the industry of specialty finance became lucrative and how its preying on uncreditworthy Americans contributed to the 2008 financial crisis.

The 3 Stages of Cancer Development (and Protein’s Role in Cancer)

What are the 3 stages of cancer development? Is there anything we can do to slow or reverse the progress of cancer in its early stages? The three stages of cancer development are initiation, promotion, and progression. We’ll cover what happens in each of the stages of cancer development and how cutting animal proteins from your diet may be the key to reducing your cancer risk at each of the first two stages.

What Is a Tranche in Finance? The Simple Definition

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.

HRT and Breast Cancer: The Risks of Hormone Therapy

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.

Holistic Diet: 7 Principles of Clean Eating for Whole Health

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.

Steve Eisman’s “Big Short” (and the Morality of Investing)

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.

Morgan Stanley’s 2008 Crisis: How the Bank Lost $37 Billion

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.

AIG Bailout in 2008: The Fate of a Giant Too Big to Fail

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.