Reviews

We review books that deal with everything from financial independence topics to politics, and anything in between. We may sometimes stray into films and music if there is a “Findependence” angle.

Hub book reviews: Why the West is Losing the New Cold War with Russia

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By Jonathan Chevreau

Over the holiday break I’ve been reading about Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, who came to power at the turn of the millennium.  As one of the three books flagged below points out, Russia is the only power that has the capacity to destroy the United States in a nuclear strike. Those who assumed the west “won” the Cold War when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 should keep reading. From Ukraine to the War in Syria and the battles over gas pipelines and the plummeting price of oil, Russia is very much in the news as we enter 2015. It’s a fascinating story in itself but investors will find it of particular relevance.

putinbookThe Man Without a Face

Before his surprise appointment by Boris Yeltsin, little was known about the former KGB (now FSB) operative, which is why Masha Gessen titled her 2012 book about him The Man Without a Face. Subtitled The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin, the gutsy Moscow-based veteran journalist pulls no punches about the true nature of Putin’s Russia.

She traces Putin’s formative years in a chapter entitled “Autobiography of a Thug.”   Continue Reading…

Worst book of the year?

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Here at the Financial Independence Hub, we generally review financial or investing books we think are worth reading. But every once in awhile, we come across a delightfully savage book review we just have to pass along.

71LbfEMQDwLA great example is Philip Cross’s review of Naomi Klein’s latest book on Climate Change, which ran in Friday’s Financial Post. I have no intention of purchasing This Changes Everything or reviewing it, or indeed anything else by this author; but whatever your politics, you have to appreciate the turns of phrase Cross employs in his skewering of Klein. Continue Reading…

Review: Conrad Black’s Rise to Greatness

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Companion volumes?

By Jonathan Chevreau

With Christmas just a week and a half away, the burning question about Conrad Black’s new Rise to Greatness is this: Would you like a family member to buy you a copy and place it under the tree? Alternatively, is there someone in your circle who would appreciate such a gift?

With a suggested retail price of $50, this is more than you’d spend on most books. On the other hand, once wrapped it will have an impressive bulk. Weighing in at 1,106 pages it’s at least two-and-a-half inches thick (I measured it).

And as you can see from the photo, there is a close connection between this massive book and a dictionary. If you really want to benefit from Black’s Rise to Greatness: The History of Canada from the Vikings to the Present, you need to have a dictionary at hand, as I did. Continue Reading…

Reimagining Retirement

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reimagine-your-retirementBy Jonathan Chevreau

If you’ve been reading this web site since its launch five weeks ago, you’ll know that Findependence, or Financial Independence, is quite a bit different than the traditional “full-stop” retirement depicted in many advertisements from the financial industry.

I like the perspective of the author of the book pictured to the right, who “reimagines” retirement to be a sort of spiritual/vocational half-way house between the decades of full-time work and career and the “eternity” that awaits us all at the end of life’s journey.

Joyce Li is a project manager and motivational speaker, originally from Hong Kong, now living with her family in Brampton, Ont.

Reimagine Your Retirement is published by Word Alive Press, and is what you might expect from a publisher focused on spiritual writing. Continue Reading…

Six spending personalities that can wreak havoc on your finances

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What is your spending personality
Image Credit: Shutterstock

By Avraham Byers,

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Overspending is a common problem for many people; it creates debt, anxiety and relationship problems, even among high income earners. All too often, people’s spending habits seem to rise to meet – and exceed – their incomes.

So why does this happen? What compels people to overspend when they already have the items they truly need? The answer lies deep within each person’s spending personality. Recently, I read Dr. April Benson’s book I Shop Therefore I Am, and was fascinated by what shoppingbookthe contributing authors uncover about the emotional and psychological factors influencing our buying habits.

I thought it would interesting, and beneficial, to touch on the six key spending personalities they explore: image spenders, bargain hunters, collectors, compulsive shoppers, co-dependent spenders (a.k.a. gift-givers) and bulimic spenders. Continue Reading…