The Lazy Fundamental Analyst

Download The Lazy Fundamental Analyst PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harriman House Limited
ISBN 13 : 0857194518
Total Pages : 125 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (571 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Lazy Fundamental Analyst by : Fred Piard

Download or read book The Lazy Fundamental Analyst written by Fred Piard and published by Harriman House Limited. This book was released on 2014-10-06 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A simple, quick and effective approach to quantitative fundamental analysis The Lazy Fundamental Analyst presents a collection of strategies based on the application of quantitative analysis to fundamentals-based investing. It will appeal to anyone looking for simple, effective and low-risk investing strategies. The strategies are organised by ten business sectors: Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Energy, Financials, Health Care, Industrials, Information Technology, Materials, Telecommunication Service and Utilities. For each sector a strategy is proposed for large capitalisations (companies in the S&P 500 Index) and another is given for small capitalisations (companies in the Russell 2000 index). For each sector, and each strategy, Fred Piard explains how to follow his 'lazy' approach to choose stocks by using only a couple of financial ratios. The strategies eschew detailed due diligence of companies and markets - instead they rely on applying quantitative techniques to filter out the best investments in each sector. These strategies can be managed in just a few minutes per month, making them suitable for those who only have limited time to devote to investing but still wish to have a winning return. Portfolio protection through the use of market timing and hedging is also presented and this can be used with any of the strategies. If you don't have the inclination for in-depth fundamental analysis, or only have a few spare minutes per month for your investing, try Fred Piard's lazy approach to quantitative analysis.

Quantitative Investing

Download Quantitative Investing PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harriman House Limited
ISBN 13 : 085719349X
Total Pages : 131 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (571 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Quantitative Investing by : Fred Piard

Download or read book Quantitative Investing written by Fred Piard and published by Harriman House Limited. This book was released on 2013-08-26 with total page 131 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides straightforward quantitative strategies that any investor can implement with little work using simple, free or low-cost tools and services. But what exactly is quantitative investing? There are various possible definitions of quantitative investing, but the author defines it as: Identifying reasonable and measurable hypotheses about behaviours of the financial market so as to make investment decisions with an acceptable confidence in expected returns and risks. The main advantages in using quantitative models are that they: - make the investment process independent of opinions and emotions (the most important factor for an individual investor), and - make it reproducible by anyone at any time (the most important factor for a fund) With a set of good strategies, quantitative investing allows one to act in the market at specific pre-planned times. It is possible to work on this just once a week or month, and ignore charts and the news. It removes most of the doubts and emotions with the discipline of keeping a long-term vision and sensible money management. This book will show you how.

Technical Analysis of the Currency Market

Download Technical Analysis of the Currency Market PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0471973068
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (719 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Technical Analysis of the Currency Market by : Boris Schlossberg

Download or read book Technical Analysis of the Currency Market written by Boris Schlossberg and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2006-07-28 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proven currency-specific trading strategies from one of today's top currency analysts "If you trade currency, then you need to have this book on your desk. It's the only book you need for technical analysis of the fastest-moving market on the planet." -Rob Booker, Currency Trader, W.R. Booker & Company "In plain English, Schlossberg lays out the basics in using technical analysis to trade foreign currencies, from the fundamentals of how the FX market works to the variety of technical strategies and trade management techniques traders can employ. Along the way, he offers entertaining examples and observations as well as simple, easy-to-read charts and diagrams. Anyone interested in getting started in the hugely popular FX market would do well to begin with this book." -Sarah Rudolph, Executive Editor, SFO Magazine "Boris Schlossberg has done a fabulous job with this book. It's packed with insightful tips and strategies that are sure to save traders a lot of time and money." -Cory Janssen, CoFounder, Investopedia.com "Schlossberg's book is a great resource for traders just starting out in currency markets. His focus on simplicity is critical for a new trader's education on how to make money." -Andrew B. Busch, Global FX Strategist, BMO Financial Group

Quantitative Modeling of Derivative Securities

Download Quantitative Modeling of Derivative Securities PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351420461
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (514 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Quantitative Modeling of Derivative Securities by : Marco Avellaneda

Download or read book Quantitative Modeling of Derivative Securities written by Marco Avellaneda and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-22 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Quantitative Modeling of Derivative Securities demonstrates how to take the basic ideas of arbitrage theory and apply them - in a very concrete way - to the design and analysis of financial products. Based primarily (but not exclusively) on the analysis of derivatives, the book emphasizes relative-value and hedging ideas applied to different financial instruments. Using a ""financial engineering approach,"" the theory is developed progressively, focusing on specific aspects of pricing and hedging and with problems that the technical analyst or trader has to consider in practice. More than just an introductory text, the reader who has mastered the contents of this one book will have breached the gap separating the novice from the technical and research literature.

Sports Betting For Dummies

Download Sports Betting For Dummies PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119654386
Total Pages : 471 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (196 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sports Betting For Dummies by : Swain Scheps

Download or read book Sports Betting For Dummies written by Swain Scheps and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-06-30 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The sports gambling book you can bet on Sports betting combines America's national pastime (sports) with its national passion (gambling). In the U.S., more than a third of the population bets on at least one sporting event every year. With the recent lifting of the federal ban on sports gambling, states are pushing legislation to take advantage of the new potential source of revenue. The best sports betting books are data driven, statistically honest, and offer ways to take action. Sports Betting For Dummies will cover the basics, as well as delving into more nuanced topics. You’ll find all the need-to-know information on types of bets, statistics, handicapping fundamentals, and more. Betting on football, basketball, baseball, and other sports Betting on special events, such as the Superbowl or the Olympics Money management Betting on the internet With handy tips, tricks, and tools, Sports Betting For Dummies shows you how to place the right bet at the right time—to get the right payoff.

Fundamental Analysis For Dummies

Download Fundamental Analysis For Dummies PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119263603
Total Pages : 390 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (192 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Fundamental Analysis For Dummies by : Matthew Krantz

Download or read book Fundamental Analysis For Dummies written by Matthew Krantz and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2016-04-08 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Determine the strength of any business with fundamental analysis Have you ever wondered the key to multibillionaire Warren Buffet's five-decade run as the most successful investor in history? The answer is simple: fundamental analysis. In this easy-to-understand, practical, and savvy guide, you'll discover how it helps you assess a business' overall financial performance by using historical and present data to forecast its future monetary value—and why this powerful tool is particularly important to investors in times of economic downturn. It's more important than ever for investors to know the true financial stability of a business, and this new edition of Fundamental Analysis For Dummies shows you how. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just want to learn how to make more intelligent and prudent investment decisions, this plain-English guide gives you practical tips, tricks, and trade secrets for using fundamental analysis to manage your portfolio and enhance your understanding of shrewdly selecting stocks! Predict the future value of a business based on its current and historical financial data Gauge a company's performance against its competitors Determine if a company's credit standing is in jeopardy Apply fundamental analysis to other investment vehicles, like currency, bonds, and commodities With the help of Fundamental Analysis For Dummies, you just may find the bargains that could make you the next Warren Buffet!

Financial Fine Print

Download Financial Fine Print PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 0471649376
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (716 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Financial Fine Print by : Michelle Leder

Download or read book Financial Fine Print written by Michelle Leder and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2003-09-24 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thirty-five million individual investors jumped into the stock market for the first time during the late 1990s without asking questions about the stocks they were buying. When the bubble burst and the large number of accounting scandals began to grow, most investors didn’t know where to turn or whom to trust. Now it has become more important than ever for investors to take matters into their own hands. Financial Fine Print: Uncovering a Company’s True Value lets individual investors in on the secrets that seasoned professional investors use when they evaluate a potential investment. Buried deep in a company’s quarterly (10-Q) and annual (10-K) reports are the real clues to a company’s financial health: the footnotes. At many large companies, these footnotes can run for more than 30 pages and for some corporations have doubled in the past five years, making them simply too important for investors to ignore. Financial Fine Print spells out exactly what investors need to look for within the footnotes of a company’s reports in order to make better, more informed decisions. By using numerous examples of actual footnotes that have appeared in SEC documents, the book teaches investors in easy-to-understand language ways to spot – and avoid – future Enrons and Worldcoms (and Tycos and Adelphias and HealthSouths). For any investor who has spent the past three years watching their investments shrink and has begun to think about getting back into the market, this book provides the critical tools that investors need to know to avoid getting burned once again.

The Uncommon Investor

Download The Uncommon Investor PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Insomniac Press
ISBN 13 : 1897415745
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (974 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Uncommon Investor by : Benjamin Gallander

Download or read book The Uncommon Investor written by Benjamin Gallander and published by Insomniac Press. This book was released on 2009-11-26 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Never before have average people greater access to the stock market. The investor is literally drowning in financial information, loaded with financial techno-babble. This book teaches people how to invest without being dependent on a broker, financial institutions and banks. It allows people to make their own decisions without being stampeded by market trends. This is a book for people who only have a few hundred dollars or a few hundred thousand dollars to invest. The Uncommon Investor explains in detail the methodology used in the investment letter, which is arguably number one in North America, with five year annualized return of 33.9% and 53.2% return in 1997. The techniques are outlined in an entertaining format, as a group of family and friends gather to watch the seventh game of the World Series. Each section is divided into innings, with baseball used as the backbone analogy throughout the book. The Uncommon Investor takes the reader from the initial stages of choosing the stock, through to the buy and sell decisions; focussing on how to identify companies which are turningaround or under valued. The techniques start from basic stock market methodologies, and gradually move to a more intricate methodology. Care is taken to ensure that readers will not only be learning a process, but remain entertained. In addition, The Uncommon Investor explores other investment opportunities. Mutual funds, bonds, gold, commodities, real estate, and government paper are all highlighted as investment options. The pros and cons of each of these areas are looked at.

Mastering Fundamental Analysis

Download Mastering Fundamental Analysis PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Kaplan Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9780793128730
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (287 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Mastering Fundamental Analysis by : Michael C. Thomsett

Download or read book Mastering Fundamental Analysis written by Michael C. Thomsett and published by Kaplan Publishing. This book was released on 1998-08-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leads everyday investors into better investment decisions while allowing learning to take place through the use of worksheets, forms, graphs, charts, checklists, examples, definitions, sidebars and step-by-step examples. Allows an understanding of fundamental analysis and a plan for putting together a more profitable stock portfolio to be learnt.

Girls That Invest

Download Girls That Invest PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119893798
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (198 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Girls That Invest by : Simran Kaur

Download or read book Girls That Invest written by Simran Kaur and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2022-07-21 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Your step-by-step guide to financial independence—from the creator of the #1 investing education podcast, Girls That Invest. Ever wondered how on earth the stock market works, but felt too intimidated to ask "those" questions? This is the book for you! In this guide to investing in stocks (aka shares), Simran Kaur teaches the essential principles you can apply to any market, anywhere in the world. Because money provides freedom: The freedom to say yes or no, the freedom to handle whatever life throws at you, and the freedom to grow and prosper. This book is your invitation to join the thriving community of women who are building a better financial future. Understand the stock market and different types of investments Grow your money, beat inflation and secure your future Decode the jargon around markets, diversification, earnings and more Explore different investor strategies and find the right one for you Put it all together, step-by-step, and start your investment portfolio Investing is for everyone. Pick up Girls That Invest, become an investor-in-training, and claim a space for yourself in the world of finance—so you too can find financial independence and create generational wealth.

Following the Trend

Download Following the Trend PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 111841084X
Total Pages : 309 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (184 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Following the Trend by : Andreas F. Clenow

Download or read book Following the Trend written by Andreas F. Clenow and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-11-21 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During bull and bear markets, there is a group of hedge funds and professional traders which have been consistently outperforming traditional investment strategies for the past 30 odd years. They have shown remarkable uncorrelated performance and in the great bear market of 2008 they had record gains. These traders are highly secretive about their proprietary trading algorithms and often employ top PhDs in their research teams. Yet, it is possible to replicate their trading performance with relatively simplistic models. These traders are trend following cross asset futures managers, also known as CTAs. Many books are written about them but none explain their strategies in such detail as to enable the reader to emulate their success and create their own trend following trading business, until now. Following the Trend explains why most hopefuls fail by focusing on the wrong things, such as buy and sell rules, and teaches the truly important parts of trend following. Trading everything from the Nasdaq index and T-bills to currency crosses, platinum and live hogs, there are large gains to be made regardless of the state of the economy or stock markets. By analysing year by year trend following performance and attribution the reader will be able to build a deep understanding of what it is like to trade futures in large scale and where the real problems and opportunities lay. Written by experienced hedge fund manager Andreas Clenow, this book provides a comprehensive insight into the strategies behind the booming trend following futures industry from the perspective of a market participant. The strategies behind the success of this industry are explained in great detail, including complete trading rules and instructions for how to replicate the performance of successful hedge funds. You are in for a potentially highly profitable roller coaster ride with this hard and honest look at the positive as well as the negative sides of trend following.

The 30-Minute Stock Trader

Download The 30-Minute Stock Trader PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781619615502
Total Pages : 218 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (155 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The 30-Minute Stock Trader by : Laurens Bensdorp

Download or read book The 30-Minute Stock Trader written by Laurens Bensdorp and published by . This book was released on 2020-02-03 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By automating your investment strategy, you can achieve financial freedom and work thirty minutes a day. In The 30-Minute Stock Trader, Laurens will take you through all of the steps to create your own automated stock trading strategy that's proven and based on historical price action data. He will also show you how to suit the strategy to your lifestyle. You simply need to follow your computer's instructions, and you'll never need to listen to the financial media again. In this book, you'll discover: Why the classical investment approach most people use is doomed to fail Proof that automated trading works How to uncover your "trading personality" Three proven strategies--with exact numbers, entry and exit rules, and charts and graphs The "missing ingredient" to financial freedom The secret twelve-ingredient recipe of a profitable, automated trading strategy With The 30-Minute Stock Trader, you'll have complete knowledge about how to build your own, personalized trading strategy to achieve financial freedom and live the way you choose.

Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning

Download Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317350006
Total Pages : 481 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (173 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning by : Carl Patton

Download or read book Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning written by Carl Patton and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-26 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated in its 3rd edition, Basic Methods of Policy Analysis and Planning presents quickly applied methods for analyzing and resolving planning and policy issues at state, regional, and urban levels. Divided into two parts, Methods which presents quick methods in nine chapters and is organized around the steps in the policy analysis process, and Cases which presents seven policy cases, ranging in degree of complexity, the text provides readers with the resources they need for effective policy planning and analysis. Quantitative and qualitative methods are systematically combined to address policy dilemmas and urban planning problems. Readers and analysts utilizing this text gain comprehensive skills and background needed to impact public policy.

Liquidated

Download Liquidated PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Duke University Press
ISBN 13 : 0822391376
Total Pages : 390 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (223 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Liquidated by : Karen Ho

Download or read book Liquidated written by Karen Ho and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2009-07-13 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Financial collapses—whether of the junk bond market, the Internet bubble, or the highly leveraged housing market—are often explained as the inevitable result of market cycles: What goes up must come down. In Liquidated, Karen Ho punctures the aura of the abstract, all-powerful market to show how financial markets, and particularly booms and busts, are constructed. Through an in-depth investigation into the everyday experiences and ideologies of Wall Street investment bankers, Ho describes how a financially dominant but highly unstable market system is understood, justified, and produced through the restructuring of corporations and the larger economy. Ho, who worked at an investment bank herself, argues that bankers’ approaches to financial markets and corporate America are inseparable from the structures and strategies of their workplaces. Her ethnographic analysis of those workplaces is filled with the voices of stressed first-year associates, overworked and alienated analysts, undergraduates eager to be hired, and seasoned managing directors. Recruited from elite universities as “the best and the brightest,” investment bankers are socialized into a world of high risk and high reward. They are paid handsomely, with the understanding that they may be let go at any time. Their workplace culture and networks of privilege create the perception that job insecurity builds character, and employee liquidity results in smart, efficient business. Based on this culture of liquidity and compensation practices tied to profligate deal-making, Wall Street investment bankers reshape corporate America in their own image. Their mission is the creation of shareholder value, but Ho demonstrates that their practices and assumptions often produce crises instead. By connecting the values and actions of investment bankers to the construction of markets and the restructuring of U.S. corporations, Liquidated reveals the particular culture of Wall Street often obscured by triumphalist readings of capitalist globalization.

Accounting for Value

Download Accounting for Value PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231521855
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Accounting for Value by : Stephen Penman

Download or read book Accounting for Value written by Stephen Penman and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2010-12-30 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Accounting for Value teaches investors and analysts how to handle accounting in evaluating equity investments. The book's novel approach shows that valuation and accounting are much the same: valuation is actually a matter of accounting for value. Laying aside many of the tools of modern finance the cost-of-capital, the CAPM, and discounted cash flow analysis Stephen Penman returns to the common-sense principles that have long guided fundamental investing: price is what you pay but value is what you get; the risk in investing is the risk of paying too much; anchor on what you know rather than speculation; and beware of paying too much for speculative growth. Penman puts these ideas in touch with the quantification supplied by accounting, producing practical tools for the intelligent investor. Accounting for value provides protection from paying too much for a stock and clues the investor in to the likely return from buying growth. Strikingly, the analysis finesses the need to calculate a "cost-of-capital," which often frustrates the application of modern valuation techniques. Accounting for value recasts "value" versus "growth" investing and explains such curiosities as why earnings-to-price and book-to-price ratios predict stock returns. By the end of the book, Penman has the intelligent investor thinking like an intelligent accountant, better equipped to handle the bubbles and crashes of our time. For accounting regulators, Penman also prescribes a formula for intelligent accounting reform, engaging with such controversial issues as fair value accounting.

How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times or Bad

Download How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times or Bad PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN 13 : 007139480X
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (713 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times or Bad by : William J. O'Neil

Download or read book How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times or Bad written by William J. O'Neil and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 1994-09-22 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William J. O'Neil's proven investment advice has earned him millions of loyal followers. And his signature bestseller, How to Make Money in Stocks, contains all the guidance readers need on the entire investment processfrom picking a broker to diversifying a portfolio to making a million in mutual funds. For self-directed investors of all ages and expertise, William J. O'Neil's proven CAN SLIM investment strategy is helping those who follow O'Neil to select winning stocks and create a more powerful portfolio. Based on a 40-year study of the most successful stocks of all time, CAN SLIM is an easy-to-use tool for picking the winners and reducing risk in today's volatile economic environment.

Free Capital

Download Free Capital PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harriman House Limited
ISBN 13 : 0857198831
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (571 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Free Capital by : Guy Thomas

Download or read book Free Capital written by Guy Thomas and published by Harriman House Limited. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 3rd edition with new foreword by Ian Cassel Wouldn't life be better if you were free of the daily grind - the conventional job and boss - and instead succeeded or failed purely on the merits of your own investment choices? Free Capital is a window into this world. Based on a series of interviews, it outlines the investing strategies, wisdom and lifestyles of 12 highly successful private investors. Each of them has accumulated $1 million or more - in most cases considerably more - mainly from stock market investment. Some have several academic degrees or backgrounds in professional finance; others left school with few qualifications and are entirely self-taught as investors. Some invest most of their money in very few shares and hold them for years at a time; others make dozens of trades every day, and hold them for at most a few hours. Some are inveterate networkers, who spend their day talking to managers at companies in which they invest; for others a share is just a symbol on a screen, and a price chart shows most of what they need to know to make their trading decisions. Free capital - money surplus to immediate living expenses - is the raw material with which these investors work. It can also be thought of as their psychological habitat, free from the petty tribulations of office politics. Lastly, free capital describes the footloose nature of their assets, which can be quickly redirected towards any type of investment anywhere in the world, without the constraints which institutional investors often face. Although it presents many advanced insights and valuable investment hints, this is not an overly technical book. It offers practical ideas and inspiration, with revealing detail and minimal jargon, making it an indispensable read for novice and experienced investors alike. *** This third edition of Free Capital follows the text of the second edition, published in 2013, with the addition of a new foreword by Ian Cassel. ***