After years of media coverage, do we really understand the financial engineering that brought the global economy to the brink? The lexicon of the markets is laden with terms and acronyms like leverage, securitization, MBS, CDS, and CDO. How can the average person crack the code? Veteran journalist, senior producer at NPR's Marketplace, and Whiteboard Guru. Paddy Hirsch proves it's not impossible to understand what goes on in the glass and steel canyons of Wall Street. In "Man vs. Markets", he shows how most international financial transactions are the same as those taking place in stores, car dealerships, and even playgrounds on Main Street. Bonds? They're basically just loans. Futures? You probably used one when you ordered your Thanksgiving turkey last year. Options? Ever bought a fully transferable, returnable airline ticket? It's pretty much the same thing. Using the humor and the knowledge of everyday experiences, Hirsch offers accessible explanations, anecdotes, and analogies of the instruments that power our financial system and that very nearly caused its demise. "Man vs. Markets" breaks down what, exactly, makes the markets tick and empowers readers, whether they are contemplating an investment, arguing for reform, or simply trying to understand events making news.

About the Author
Paddy Hirsch is a senior producer at American Public Media's business radio program, Marketplace. He is the creator of the acclaimed and popular Marketplace Whiteboard, which was a Webby honoree in 2009, and has been featured on network and public broadcast television. He recently completed a Knight Fellowship in Journalism at Stanford University. Hirsch lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews
"A straightforward, accessible, and often hilarious overview of our financial and economic systems, products, and concepts...[T]his helpful, amusing, and engaging beginner's guide to our financial system is sure to delight and inform readers of all ages who want to understand and navigate the markets." -- Publishers Weekly "This accessible, often entertaining book will serve a valuable purpose." -- Kirkus "This book is a must-read for the financially under-educated...This inviting text provides a good springboard for investigating more of the frightening world of finance." -- 800CEORead "Why can't more financial books be this fun to read? Man vs. Markets deconstructs economic theory in a way that makes learning more fun than you ever expected." -- Better Investing



Book Information
ISBN 9780062196651
Author Paddy Hirsch
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Harper Business
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Weight(grams) 302g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 178mm * 14mm