Short Stuff: Currency Symbols

The world order has changed numerous times in the past and will continue to do so—so argues Ray Dalio in Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, in which he explains how he makes sense of human history in order to anticipate what’s coming next. Having studied the rises, peaks, and falls of over a dozen major empires, Dalio argues that history “rhymes” and that we can learn to recognize where we are in its repeating cycles. With that knowledge, we can make better decisions in life, business, and investing.

Dalio is an American billionaire investor and founder of Bridgewater Associates. Our guide explains his principles for understanding the large-scale patterns of cause-and-effect that drive history as well as his predictions for what’s next—which chiefly concern the unfolding relationship between the US, a major power on the decline, and China, a major power on the rise. In commentary, we explore additional perspectives on the patterns of history, and we offer numerous real-world examples of the concepts Dalio discusses.

Economics is the study of how we allocate resources—food, clothing, money, time, effort, and knowledge. Economists begin this study by examining incentives: the driving forces behind our decisions. By understanding how we respond to incentives and the psychological instincts that steer us, we can better understand how market forces work and how governments and firms can use incentives to foster a healthy economy.

In Naked Economics, bestselling author Charles Wheelan strips away the complexity from some of the most powerful theories in economics, allowing readers with little or no background in the subject to understand many of the field’s fundamental concepts. He concentrates on the logical pieces of how and why people behave in certain ways, how markets function, and how governments can design incentive systems that encourage healthy economies.

In Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari uses concepts from biology, history, and economics to tell the story of us, Homo sapiens. We start 2.5 million years ago, when Sapiens make their historical entrance, and end in the future, when the creation of an artificially created superhuman race may mark the end of the Sapiens species. Along the way, we learn how our ability to create imagined realities led to our dominance over other species. We watch as the Agricultural Revolution, the Scientific Revolution, imperialism, capitalism, and the Industrial Revolution change our species in lasting, and not always positive, ways.

Ultimately, we’re left with one question: As we design our future, who do we want to become? Asking the right questions may be more important than finding the right answers. Read this summary to explore our history as a species—in doing so, you’ll see today’s world in an entirely new way.

Economics is the study of how we allocate resources—food, clothing, money, time, effort, and knowledge. Economists begin this study by examining incentives: the driving forces behind our decisions. By understanding how we respond to incentives and the psychological instincts that steer us, we can better understand how market forces work and how governments and firms can use incentives to foster a healthy economy.

In Naked Economics, bestselling author Charles Wheelan strips away the complexity from some of the most powerful theories in economics, allowing readers with little or no background in the subject to understand many of the field’s fundamental concepts. He concentrates on the logical pieces of how and why people behave in certain ways, how markets function, and how governments can design incentive systems that encourage healthy economies.

The world order has changed numerous times in the past and will continue to do so—so argues Ray Dalio in Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, in which he explains how he makes sense of human history in order to anticipate what’s coming next. Having studied the rises, peaks, and falls of over a dozen major empires, Dalio argues that history “rhymes” and that we can learn to recognize where we are in its repeating cycles. With that knowledge, we can make better decisions in life, business, and investing.

Dalio is an American billionaire investor and founder of Bridgewater Associates. Our guide explains his principles for understanding the large-scale patterns of cause-and-effect that drive history as well as his predictions for what’s next—which chiefly concern the unfolding relationship between the US, a major power on the decline, and China, a major power on the rise. In commentary, we explore additional perspectives on the patterns of history, and we offer numerous real-world examples of the concepts Dalio discusses.

Have you ever wondered how the economy works - how millions of individuals can buy and sell goods and services without a master coordinator? Have you wondered why we use money, rather than bartering our services with each other? Why do some nations prosper, while others stay poor despite vast natural resources?

Basic Economics by Stanford economist Thomas Sowell is an incredibly useful, broad introduction to economics. Containing no math, it instead communicates intuitive principles that will help you understand how market transactions work and the effect of policies on the economy. Understand how prices for goods are set, why rent control has bad side effects, and the purpose of brand names.

Economics is the study of how we allocate resources—food, clothing, money, time, effort, and knowledge. Economists begin this study by examining incentives: the driving forces behind our decisions. By understanding how we respond to incentives and the psychological instincts that steer us, we can better understand how market forces work and how governments and firms can use incentives to foster a healthy economy.

In Naked Economics, bestselling author Charles Wheelan strips away the complexity from some of the most powerful theories in economics, allowing readers with little or no background in the subject to understand many of the field’s fundamental concepts. He concentrates on the logical pieces of how and why people behave in certain ways, how markets function, and how governments can design incentive systems that encourage healthy economies.

The world order has changed numerous times in the past and will continue to do so—so argues Ray Dalio in Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, in which he explains how he makes sense of human history in order to anticipate what’s coming next. Having studied the rises, peaks, and falls of over a dozen major empires, Dalio argues that history “rhymes” and that we can learn to recognize where we are in its repeating cycles. With that knowledge, we can make better decisions in life, business, and investing.

Dalio is an American billionaire investor and founder of Bridgewater Associates. Our guide explains his principles for understanding the large-scale patterns of cause-and-effect that drive history as well as his predictions for what’s next—which chiefly concern the unfolding relationship between the US, a major power on the decline, and China, a major power on the rise. In commentary, we explore additional perspectives on the patterns of history, and we offer numerous real-world examples of the concepts Dalio discusses.

In Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari uses concepts from biology, history, and economics to tell the story of us, Homo sapiens. We start 2.5 million years ago, when Sapiens make their historical entrance, and end in the future, when the creation of an artificially created superhuman race may mark the end of the Sapiens species. Along the way, we learn how our ability to create imagined realities led to our dominance over other species. We watch as the Agricultural Revolution, the Scientific Revolution, imperialism, capitalism, and the Industrial Revolution change our species in lasting, and not always positive, ways.

Ultimately, we’re left with one question: As we design our future, who do we want to become? Asking the right questions may be more important than finding the right answers. Read this summary to explore our history as a species—in doing so, you’ll see today’s world in an entirely new way.