Shortform Books

Barbarians at the Gate: KKR’s Rivals for RJR Nabisco

How did Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. come to be the highest bidder in the RJR Nabisco LBO? How many competitors did KKR have to beat? Although CEO Ross Johnson didn’t think many financial companies were interested in buying RJR Nabisco, many stepped up. According to Bryan Burrough and John Helyar’s book Barbarians at the Gate, KKR was the highest bidder in the contest for RJR Nabisco. Keep reading to learn about all the companies who bid for RJR Nabisco, including KKR.

How Jim Simons’s Education Helped Him Become a Billionaire

What is Jim Simons’s educational background? Where did Simons study before he became a billionaire money manager? Before he used mathematical models to dominate the market and become a billionaire, Jim Simons was just a student interested in math. The Man Who Solved the Market by Gregory Zuckerman details his educational background before his stellar financial career. Find out more about Jim Simons’s education and how he discovered investing.

Have a Frustrated Child? How to Build Their Frustration Tolerance

Is your child easily frustrated with themselves? Do they have perfectionistic tendencies? Parenting is hard. That doesn’t mean that you’re a bad parent or that you have a bad kid. Dr. Becky Kennedy provides strategies that help you get to the root of your child’s behaviors so that you can effect lasting change while keeping your relationship positive. Here’s her advice for building up frustration tolerance in an easily-frustrated child.

Best Alternative to a Negotiation Agreement: Explained

What’s a best alternative to a negotiated agreement? Why should you calculate your and your counterpart’s BATNA and reservation value? Negotiation Genius by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman suggests you prepare two main things before entering a negotiation. These are your and your counterpart’s best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA) and reservation value (RV). Check out how to easily calculate both below.

Record-Breaking Heat: Causes & Consequences

What’s causing the record-breaking heat around the globe? Is it man-made or natural? The ten warmest years in recorded history all happened since 2010, and 2023 is on track to beat the record once again. Despite this, there are still many climate change skeptics. Here’s a look at the causes of the recent extreme heat and why the skeptics are wrong.

The Largest LBO in History: The RJR Nabisco Controversy

What was the largest LBO in history? What did Ross Johnson do after selling RJR Nabisco? In 1986, the financial company Kravis bought RJR Nabisco for an astounding $25 billion. This makes the acquisition the largest LBO to date and sent CEO Ross Johnson into full retirement. Continue reading to learn more about Kravis’s final offer for RJR Nabisco.

The Man Who Solved the Market: Book Overview

What is The Man Who Solved the Market by Gregory Zuckerman about? How did Jim Simons impact the financial market? Gregory Zuckerman’s book The Man Who Solved the Market is the story of Jim Simons, a mathematician who became a billionaire hedge fund manager just by recognizing predictable patterns in the market. His work has made him one of the greatest investors on Wall Street. Read below for a brief The Man Who Solved the Market book overview.

Manage Your Day-to-Day: Advice From Creative Professionals

Are you a creative professional or aspiring to be one? Do you need some help figuring out a work routine and staying focused and motivated? Manage Your Day-to-Day is a collection of essays edited and curated by 99U’s Jocelyn K. Glei. The essays help creative professionals learn how to develop a routine that supports creativity, how to improve their focus, and how to hone their creative mindset. Continue reading for an overview of this inspiring book that can take your creative work to the next level.

“My Child Won’t Eat”: How to Foster Bodily Autonomy in Kids

Have you ever said, “My child won’t eat”? Is the dinner table a battlefield in your house? Bodily autonomy enables a child to say “no” when they don’t feel comfortable with something. That can be incredibly important when a threat is real. It also can be incredibly frustrating if they’re exercising bodily autonomy when they don’t want to eat Brussels sprouts. Keep reading to learn how to deal with a child who doesn’t want to eat and how to encourage bodily autonomy in the right ways at the right times.

The Top 3 Negotiation Challenges & How to Overcome Them

How can you keep cognitive biases from ruining a negotiation? How should you handle it when your counterpart lies to you? Is it possible to negotiate from a weak position and come out on top? In Negotiation Genius, Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman look into some common obstacles during negotiations that can impede your ability to understand and communicate with your counterpart. These obstacles include cognitive bias, deception, and a weak position. Take a look at these negotiation challenges, and learn how to overcome them.