Firefighting
The Financial Crisis and Its Lessons
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $13.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Mark Deakins
About this listen
"Should be required reading for all policy makers." (Warren Buffett)
From the three primary architects of the American policy response to the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression, a magnificent big-picture synthesis - from why it happened to where we are now.
In 2018, Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner, and Hank Paulson came together to reflect on the lessons of the 2008 financial crisis 10 years on. Recognizing that, as Ben put it, "the enemy is forgetting," they examine the causes of the crisis, why it was so damaging, and what it ultimately took to prevent a second Great Depression. And they provide to their successors in the United States and the finance ministers and central bank governors of other countries a valuable playbook for reducing the damage from future financial crises. Firefighting provides a candid and powerful account of the choices they and their teams made during the crisis, working under two presidents and with the leaders of Congress.
©2019 Ben S. Bernanke, Timothy F. Geithner, and Henry M. Paulson, Jr. (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
21st Century Monetary Policy
- The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19
- By: Ben S. Bernanke
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A former chair of the Federal Reserve explains the transformation of one our most powerful and consequential institutions.
-
-
don't buy, horrible narration
- By Mr. Incognito on 05-18-22
By: Ben S. Bernanke
-
The Courage to Act
- A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath
- By: Ben S. Bernanke
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2006, Ben S. Bernanke was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve, capping a meteoric trajectory from a rural South Carolina childhood to professorships at Stanford and Princeton, to public service in Washington's halls of power. There would be no time to celebrate, however - the burst of the housing bubble in 2007 set off a domino effect that would bring the global financial system to the brink of meltdown.
-
-
Way, way deep into the weeds...
- By farmhouselady on 10-14-15
By: Ben S. Bernanke
-
Stress Test
- Reflections on Financial Crises
- By: Timothy F. Geithner
- Narrated by: Timothy F. Geithner
- Length: 18 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stress Test is the story of Tim Geithner’s education in financial crises. As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then as President Barack Obama’s secretary of the Treasury, Timothy F. Geithner helped the United States navigate the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, from boom to bust to rescue to recovery.
-
-
Gripping
- By Jean on 06-03-14
-
On the Brink
- Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
- By: Henry M. Paulson Jr.
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, On the Brink is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the listener in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players.
-
-
More Depth than "Too Big to Fail"
- By Michael Moore on 02-22-10
-
A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961-2021
- By: Alan S. Blinder
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan Blinder, one of the world's most influential economists and one of the field's best writers, draws on his deep firsthand experience to provide an authoritative account of sixty years of monetary and fiscal policy in the United States. Spanning twelve presidents, from John F. Kennedy to Joe Biden, and eight Federal Reserve chairs, from William McChesney Martin to Jerome Powell, this is an insider's story of macroeconomic policy that hasn't been told before—one that is a pleasure to listen to, and as interesting as it is important.
-
-
Listen for Nixon's Sake
- By Tricia on 10-26-22
By: Alan S. Blinder
-
Keeping at It
- The Quest for Sound Money and Good Government
- By: Paul A. Volcker, Christine Harper
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As chairman of the Federal Reserve (1979-1987), Paul Volcker slayed the inflation dragon that was consuming the American economy and restored the world's faith in central bankers. That extraordinary feat was just one pivotal episode in a decades-long career serving six presidents. Told with wit, humor, and down-to-earth erudition, the narrative of Volcker's career illuminates the changes that have taken place in American life, government, and the economy since World War II.
-
-
Wow! This Was Just What I Needed.
- By Terry R. Minion on 12-23-18
By: Paul A. Volcker, and others
-
21st Century Monetary Policy
- The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19
- By: Ben S. Bernanke
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A former chair of the Federal Reserve explains the transformation of one our most powerful and consequential institutions.
-
-
don't buy, horrible narration
- By Mr. Incognito on 05-18-22
By: Ben S. Bernanke
-
The Courage to Act
- A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath
- By: Ben S. Bernanke
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2006, Ben S. Bernanke was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve, capping a meteoric trajectory from a rural South Carolina childhood to professorships at Stanford and Princeton, to public service in Washington's halls of power. There would be no time to celebrate, however - the burst of the housing bubble in 2007 set off a domino effect that would bring the global financial system to the brink of meltdown.
-
-
Way, way deep into the weeds...
- By farmhouselady on 10-14-15
By: Ben S. Bernanke
-
Stress Test
- Reflections on Financial Crises
- By: Timothy F. Geithner
- Narrated by: Timothy F. Geithner
- Length: 18 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stress Test is the story of Tim Geithner’s education in financial crises. As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then as President Barack Obama’s secretary of the Treasury, Timothy F. Geithner helped the United States navigate the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, from boom to bust to rescue to recovery.
-
-
Gripping
- By Jean on 06-03-14
-
On the Brink
- Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
- By: Henry M. Paulson Jr.
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, On the Brink is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the listener in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players.
-
-
More Depth than "Too Big to Fail"
- By Michael Moore on 02-22-10
-
A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961-2021
- By: Alan S. Blinder
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 15 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan Blinder, one of the world's most influential economists and one of the field's best writers, draws on his deep firsthand experience to provide an authoritative account of sixty years of monetary and fiscal policy in the United States. Spanning twelve presidents, from John F. Kennedy to Joe Biden, and eight Federal Reserve chairs, from William McChesney Martin to Jerome Powell, this is an insider's story of macroeconomic policy that hasn't been told before—one that is a pleasure to listen to, and as interesting as it is important.
-
-
Listen for Nixon's Sake
- By Tricia on 10-26-22
By: Alan S. Blinder
-
Keeping at It
- The Quest for Sound Money and Good Government
- By: Paul A. Volcker, Christine Harper
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As chairman of the Federal Reserve (1979-1987), Paul Volcker slayed the inflation dragon that was consuming the American economy and restored the world's faith in central bankers. That extraordinary feat was just one pivotal episode in a decades-long career serving six presidents. Told with wit, humor, and down-to-earth erudition, the narrative of Volcker's career illuminates the changes that have taken place in American life, government, and the economy since World War II.
-
-
Wow! This Was Just What I Needed.
- By Terry R. Minion on 12-23-18
By: Paul A. Volcker, and others
-
Dealing with China
- An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower
- By: Henry M. Paulson
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Hu Jintao, China's then vice president, came to visit the New York Stock Exchange and Ground Zero in 2002, he asked Hank Paulson to be his guide. It was a testament to the pivotal role that Goldman Sachs played in helping China experiment with private enterprise. In Dealing with China, the best-selling author of On the Brink draws on his unprecedented access to both the political and business leaders of modern China to answer several key questions.
-
-
A Valuable Book on China
- By Michael Moore on 09-04-15
By: Henry M. Paulson
-
Too Big to Fail
- The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System--and Themselves
- By: Andrew Ross Sorkin
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A real-life thriller about the most tumultuous period in America's financial history by an acclaimed New York Times reporter. Andrew Ross Sorkin delivers the first true, behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami.
-
-
Best Book About Meltdown
- By Chuck on 12-08-09
-
Capitalism in America
- A History
- By: Alan Greenspan, Adrian Wooldridge
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the legendary former Fed Chairman and the acclaimed Economist writer and historian, the full, epic story of America's evolution from a small patchwork of threadbare colonies to the most powerful engine of wealth and innovation the world has ever seen.
-
-
Explains a lot
- By Scott on 02-18-19
By: Alan Greenspan, and others
-
An Economist Walks into a Brothel
- And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk
- By: Allison Schrager
- Narrated by: Holly Palance
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether we realize it or not, we all take risks large and small every day. Even the most cautious among us cannot opt out - the question is always which risks to take, not whether to take them at all. What most of us don't know is how to measure those risks and maximize the chances of getting what we want out of life. In An Economist Walks into a Brothel, Schrager equips listeners with five principles for dealing with risk, principles used by some of the world's most interesting risk takers.
-
-
Great Brothel Analysis But Oblivious To Bond Risks
- By Richard Redano on 04-14-19
By: Allison Schrager
-
1453
- The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West
- By: Roger Crowley
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The fall of Constantinople in 1453 signaled a shift in history and the end of the Byzantium Empire. Roger Crowley's listenable and comprehensive account of the battle between Mehmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Constantine XI, the 57th emperor of Byzantium, illuminates the period in history that was a precursor to the current jihad between the West and the Middle East.
-
-
A well written narrative with bizarre and biased commentary
- By Patrick D. Flynn on 08-17-17
By: Roger Crowley
-
When Genius Failed
- The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
- By: Roger Lowenstein
- Narrated by: Roger Lowenstein
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Roger Lowenstein, the bestselling author of Buffett, captures Long-Term's roller-coaster ride in gripping detail. Drawing on confidential internal memos and interviews with dozens of key players, Lowenstein crafts a story that reads like a first-rate thriller from beginning to end. He explains not just how the fund made and lost its money, but what it was about the personalities of Long-Term's partners, the arrogance of their mathematical certainties, and the late-nineties culture of Wall Street that made it all possible.
-
-
When Genius Failed
- By Sean on 12-17-08
By: Roger Lowenstein
-
Collusion
- How Central Bankers Rigged the World
- By: Nomi Prins
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this searing exposé, former Wall Street insider Nomi Prins shows how the 2007-2008 financial crisis turbo-boosted the influence of central bankers and triggered a massive shift in the world order. Packed with tantalizing details about the elite players orchestrating the world economy, Collusion takes the listener inside the most discreet conversations at exclusive retreats like Jackson Hole and Davos. A work of meticulous reporting and bracing analysis, Collusion will change the way we understand the new world of international finance.
-
-
Fair history survey, lazy characterizations
- By Philo on 05-09-18
By: Nomi Prins
-
The Panama Papers
- How the World's Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money
- By: Frederik Obermaier, Bastian Obermayer
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Late one evening investigative journalist Bastian Obermayer receives an anonymous message offering him access to secret data. Through encrypted channels he then receives documents showing a mysterious bank transfer for $500 million in gold. This is just the beginning. Obermayer and fellow Süddeutsche Zeitung journalist Frederik Obermaier find themselves immersed in a secret world where complex networks of shell companies help to hide people who don't want to be found.
-
-
highly recommended for the ears of the 99% and 1%
- By Craig S Smith on 12-06-18
By: Frederik Obermaier, and others
-
After the Music Stopped
- The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead
- By: Alan S. Blinder
- Narrated by: Graham Vick
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan S. Blinder - esteemed Princeton professor, Wall Street Journal columnist, and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board under Alan Greenspan - is one of our wisest and most clear-eyed economic thinkers. In After the Music Stopped, he delivers a masterful narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we must do to recover from it.
-
-
Irresponsible, corrupt, and confused book
- By Thomas on 12-22-14
By: Alan S. Blinder
-
The Man Who Knew
- The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan
- By: Sebastian Mallaby
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 29 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive biography of the most important economic statesman of our time, from the best-selling author of The Power Law and More Money Than God. Sebastian Mallaby's magisterial biography of Alan Greenspan, the product of over five years of research based on untrammeled access to his subject and his closest professional and personal intimates, brings into vivid focus the mysterious point where the government and the economy meet. To understand Greenspan's story is to see the economic and political landscape of our time in a whole new light.
-
-
what about CFMA?
- By Paul de Jong on 03-05-17
-
I Love Capitalism!
- An American Story
- By: Ken Langone
- Narrated by: Ken Langone
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ken Langone has seen it all on his way to a net worth beyond his wildest dreams. A pillar of corporate America for decades, he's a co-founder of Home Depot, a former director of the New York Stock Exchange, and a world-class philanthropist (including $200 million for NYU's Langone Health). In this memoir he finally tells the story of his unlikely rise and controversial career. It's also a passionate defense of the American Dream - of preserving a country in which any hungry kid can reach the maximum potential of his or her talents and work ethic.
-
-
Save your money, he clearly has enough!
- By Jared M. on 12-01-19
By: Ken Langone
-
Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises
- By: Ray Dalio
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As he explained in his #1 New York Times bestseller Principles, Ray Dalio believes that most everything happens over and over again through time so that by studying patterns one can understand the cause-effect relationships behind events and develop principles for dealing with them well. In this three-part research series, he does just that for big debt crises and shares his template in the hopes of reducing the chances of big debt crises happening and helping them be better managed in the future.
-
-
Interesting book
- By Mark on 02-06-23
By: Ray Dalio
Critic reviews
Long-listed for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
“If what these three men did during the financial crisis had not been done, the world would, in my view, have experienced a second great depression. This makes the story told in this short book fascinating and important.” (Martin Wolf, Financial Times)
“A primer on why the crisis was possible (and why, even so, almost nobody saw it coming); a ticktock on how the crisis and the financial rescue unfolded; and a very scary warning about the future.” (Paul Krugman, New York Times)
“I'm glad I didn't have to do the job that these three ‘fire chiefs’ did. I learned much from this book I had not previously known. Its cautions for the future should be required reading for all policy makers.” (Warren Buffett)
Related to this topic
-
13 Bankers
- The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown
- By: Simon Johnson, James Kwak
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even after the ruinous financial crisis of 2008, America is still beset by the depredations of an oligarchy that is now bigger, more profitable, and more resistant to regulation than ever. Anchored by six megabanks, which together control assets amounting to more than 60 percent of the country's gross domestic product, these financial institutions (now more emphatically "too big to fail") continue to hold the global economy hostage.
-
-
Easy to Understand and Comprehend
- By Kyle on 04-11-10
By: Simon Johnson, and others
-
After the Music Stopped
- The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead
- By: Alan S. Blinder
- Narrated by: Graham Vick
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan S. Blinder - esteemed Princeton professor, Wall Street Journal columnist, and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board under Alan Greenspan - is one of our wisest and most clear-eyed economic thinkers. In After the Music Stopped, he delivers a masterful narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we must do to recover from it.
-
-
Irresponsible, corrupt, and confused book
- By Thomas on 12-22-14
By: Alan S. Blinder
-
Fault Lines
- How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World's Economy
- By: Raghuram Rajan
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Raghuram Rajan was one of the few economists who warned of the global financial crisis before it hit. Now, as the world struggles to recover, it's tempting to blame what happened on just a few greedy bankers who took irrational risks and left the rest of us to foot the bill. In Fault Lines, Rajan argues that serious flaws in the economy are also to blame, and warns that a potentially more devastating crisis awaits us if they aren't fixed.
-
-
A REAL SNOOZER
- By Frank on 12-02-10
By: Raghuram Rajan
-
The Shifts and the Shocks
- What We've Learned - and Have Still to Learn - from the Financial Crisis
- By: Martin Wolf
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Shifts and the Shocks is not another detailed history of the crisis, but the most persuasive and complete account yet published of what the crisis should teach us about modern economies and economics. The audiobook identifies the origin of the crisis in the complex interaction between globalization, hugely destabilizing global imbalances and our dangerously fragile financial system.
-
-
Good on Europe's problems, fair global update
- By Philo on 01-08-15
By: Martin Wolf
-
The Death of Money
- The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System
- By: James Rickards
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The international monetary system has collapsed three times in the past hundred years, in 1914, 1939, and 1971. Each collapse was followed by a period of tumult: War, civil unrest, or significant damage to the stability of the global economy. Now James Rickards, the acclaimed author of Currency Wars, shows why another collapse is rapidly approaching - and why this time, nothing less than the institution of money itself is at risk.
-
-
A good review of the global financial system
- By Jean on 04-22-14
By: James Rickards
-
Currency Wars
- The Making of the Next Global Crises
- By: James Rickards
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1971, President Nixon imposed national price controls and took the United States off the gold standard, an extreme measure intended to end an ongoing currency war that had destroyed faith in the U.S. dollar. Today we are engaged in a new currency war, and this time the consequences will be far worse than those that confronted Nixon. Currency wars are one of the most destructive and feared outcomes in international economics.
-
-
don't be misled
- By peter on 04-01-12
By: James Rickards
-
13 Bankers
- The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown
- By: Simon Johnson, James Kwak
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even after the ruinous financial crisis of 2008, America is still beset by the depredations of an oligarchy that is now bigger, more profitable, and more resistant to regulation than ever. Anchored by six megabanks, which together control assets amounting to more than 60 percent of the country's gross domestic product, these financial institutions (now more emphatically "too big to fail") continue to hold the global economy hostage.
-
-
Easy to Understand and Comprehend
- By Kyle on 04-11-10
By: Simon Johnson, and others
-
After the Music Stopped
- The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead
- By: Alan S. Blinder
- Narrated by: Graham Vick
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan S. Blinder - esteemed Princeton professor, Wall Street Journal columnist, and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board under Alan Greenspan - is one of our wisest and most clear-eyed economic thinkers. In After the Music Stopped, he delivers a masterful narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we must do to recover from it.
-
-
Irresponsible, corrupt, and confused book
- By Thomas on 12-22-14
By: Alan S. Blinder
-
Fault Lines
- How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World's Economy
- By: Raghuram Rajan
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Raghuram Rajan was one of the few economists who warned of the global financial crisis before it hit. Now, as the world struggles to recover, it's tempting to blame what happened on just a few greedy bankers who took irrational risks and left the rest of us to foot the bill. In Fault Lines, Rajan argues that serious flaws in the economy are also to blame, and warns that a potentially more devastating crisis awaits us if they aren't fixed.
-
-
A REAL SNOOZER
- By Frank on 12-02-10
By: Raghuram Rajan
-
The Shifts and the Shocks
- What We've Learned - and Have Still to Learn - from the Financial Crisis
- By: Martin Wolf
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Shifts and the Shocks is not another detailed history of the crisis, but the most persuasive and complete account yet published of what the crisis should teach us about modern economies and economics. The audiobook identifies the origin of the crisis in the complex interaction between globalization, hugely destabilizing global imbalances and our dangerously fragile financial system.
-
-
Good on Europe's problems, fair global update
- By Philo on 01-08-15
By: Martin Wolf
-
The Death of Money
- The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System
- By: James Rickards
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The international monetary system has collapsed three times in the past hundred years, in 1914, 1939, and 1971. Each collapse was followed by a period of tumult: War, civil unrest, or significant damage to the stability of the global economy. Now James Rickards, the acclaimed author of Currency Wars, shows why another collapse is rapidly approaching - and why this time, nothing less than the institution of money itself is at risk.
-
-
A good review of the global financial system
- By Jean on 04-22-14
By: James Rickards
-
Currency Wars
- The Making of the Next Global Crises
- By: James Rickards
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1971, President Nixon imposed national price controls and took the United States off the gold standard, an extreme measure intended to end an ongoing currency war that had destroyed faith in the U.S. dollar. Today we are engaged in a new currency war, and this time the consequences will be far worse than those that confronted Nixon. Currency wars are one of the most destructive and feared outcomes in international economics.
-
-
don't be misled
- By peter on 04-01-12
By: James Rickards
-
Shaky Ground
- The Strange Saga of the US Mortgage Giants
- By: Bethany McLean
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2008 the US Treasury put Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a life-support state known as "conservatorship" to prevent their failure - and worldwide economic chaos. The two companies, which were always controversial, have become a battleground. Today, Fannie and Freddie are profitable again but still in conservatorship. Their profits are being redirected toward reducing the federal deficit, which leaves them with no buffer should they suffer losses again.
-
-
Details on the Culture and History of the GSEs
- By Jose on 10-15-15
By: Bethany McLean
-
The Age of Oversupply
- Overcoming the Greatest Challenge to the Global Economy
- By: Daniel Alpert
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The governments and central banks of the developed world have tried every policy tool imaginable, yet our economies remain sluggish, or worse. How did we get here, and how can we emerge from the longest downturn in recent memory? Daniel Alpert, a progressive Wall Street banker and economist, argues that we are living in the age of oversupply.
-
-
Great book but now out of date
- By emory morsberger on 11-30-17
By: Daniel Alpert
-
Borrowed Time
- Two Centuries of Booms, Busts, and Bailouts at Citi
- By: James Freeman, Vern McKinley
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To save the economy and keep Citi afloat in 2008, the government provided huge infusions of cash through multiple bailouts that frustrated and angered the American public. But, as Wall Street Journal writer James Freeman and financial expert Vern McKinley reveal, the 2008 crisis was just one of many disasters Citi has experienced since its founding more than 200 years ago. In Borrowed Time they reveal Citi’s disturbing history of instability and government support. It’s a story that neither Citi nor Washington wants told.
-
-
Biased
- By CF on 08-09-19
By: James Freeman, and others
-
Fool's Gold
- By: Gillian Tett
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gillian Tett brings to life in gripping detail how the Morgan team's bold ideas for a whole new kind of financial alchemy helped to ignite a revolution in banking, and how that revolution escalated wildly out of control. The deeply reported and lively narrative takes readers behind the scenes, to the inner sanctums of elite finance and to the secretive reaches of what came to be known as the "shadow banking" world.
-
-
Outstanding narrative about the financial crisis
- By D. Littman on 07-17-09
By: Gillian Tett
-
The End of Alchemy
- Money, Banking, and the Future of the Global Economy
- By: Mervyn King
- Narrated by: Greg Wagland
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Something is wrong with our banking system. We all sense that, but Mervyn King knows it firsthand; his 10 years at the helm of the Bank of England, including at the height of the financial crisis, revealed profound truths about the mechanisms of our capitalist society. In The End of Alchemy, he offers us an essential work about the history and future of money and banking, the keys to modern finance.
-
-
Two books in one, both very fine
- By Philo on 07-13-16
By: Mervyn King
-
Collusion
- How Central Bankers Rigged the World
- By: Nomi Prins
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this searing exposé, former Wall Street insider Nomi Prins shows how the 2007-2008 financial crisis turbo-boosted the influence of central bankers and triggered a massive shift in the world order. Packed with tantalizing details about the elite players orchestrating the world economy, Collusion takes the listener inside the most discreet conversations at exclusive retreats like Jackson Hole and Davos. A work of meticulous reporting and bracing analysis, Collusion will change the way we understand the new world of international finance.
-
-
Fair history survey, lazy characterizations
- By Philo on 05-09-18
By: Nomi Prins
-
Naked Money
- A Revealing Look at What It Is and Why It Matters
- By: Charles Wheelan
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Consider the $20 bill. It has no more value, as a simple slip of paper, than Monopoly money. Yet even children recognize that tearing one into small pieces is an act of inconceivable stupidity. What makes a $20 bill actually worth $20? In the third volume of his best-selling Naked series, Charles Wheelan uses this seemingly simple question to open the door to the surprisingly colorful world of money and banking.
-
-
This is a beautiful audiobook, and well-narrated.
- By Thirsty Mind on 11-10-18
By: Charles Wheelan
-
Why Wall Street Matters
- By: William D. Cohan
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
William D. Cohan is no knee-jerk advocate for Wall Street and the big banks. He's one of America's most respected financial journalists and the progressive best-selling author of House of Cards. He has long been critical of the bad behavior that plagued much of Wall Street in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, and because he spent 17 years as an investment banker on Wall Street, he is an expert on its inner workings as well.
-
-
An Inch Deep and A Mile Wide
- By Doug Sheridan on 04-26-17
By: William D. Cohan
-
A History of the United States in Five Crashes
- Stock Market Meltdowns That Defined a Nation
- By: Scott Nations
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this absorbing, smart, and accessible blend of economic and cultural history in the vein of the works of Michael Lewis and Andrew Ross Sorkin, a financial executive and CNBC contributor examines the five most significant stock market crashes in the United States over the past century, revealing how they have defined the nation today.
-
-
A solid telling of crucial history
- By Philo on 06-17-17
By: Scott Nations
-
Reckless Endangerment
- How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon
- By: Gretchen Morgenson, Joshua Rosner
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Reckless Endangerment, Gretchen Morgenson, the star business columnist of The New York Times, exposes how the watchdogs who were supposed to protect the country from financial harm were actually complicit in the actions that finally blew up the American economy.
-
-
Required reading
- By David on 10-24-11
By: Gretchen Morgenson, and others
-
A Brief History of Doom
- Two Hundred Years of Financial Crises (Haney Foundation Series)
- By: Richard Vague
- Narrated by: Kevin Meyer
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Financial crises happen time and again in post-industrial economies - and they are extraordinarily damaging. Building on insights gleaned from many years of work in the banking industry and drawing on a vast trove of data, Richard Vague argues that such crises follow a pattern that makes them both predictable and avoidable. A Brief History of Doom examines a series of major crises over the past 200 years in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Japan, and China - including the Great Depression and the economic meltdown of 2008.
-
-
Great Continuity
- By Anonymous User on 08-24-22
By: Richard Vague
-
The Ascent of Money
- A Financial History of the World
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance. Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot, lucre, moolah, readies, the wherewithal: Call it what you like, it matters. To Christians, love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it's the sinews of war. To revolutionaries, it's the chains of labor. Niall Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress.
-
-
A mostly successful and interesting history
- By A reader on 02-24-09
By: Niall Ferguson
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Courage to Act
- A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath
- By: Ben S. Bernanke
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2006, Ben S. Bernanke was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve, capping a meteoric trajectory from a rural South Carolina childhood to professorships at Stanford and Princeton, to public service in Washington's halls of power. There would be no time to celebrate, however - the burst of the housing bubble in 2007 set off a domino effect that would bring the global financial system to the brink of meltdown.
-
-
Way, way deep into the weeds...
- By farmhouselady on 10-14-15
By: Ben S. Bernanke
-
21st Century Monetary Policy
- The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19
- By: Ben S. Bernanke
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A former chair of the Federal Reserve explains the transformation of one our most powerful and consequential institutions.
-
-
don't buy, horrible narration
- By Mr. Incognito on 05-18-22
By: Ben S. Bernanke
-
Stress Test
- Reflections on Financial Crises
- By: Timothy F. Geithner
- Narrated by: Timothy F. Geithner
- Length: 18 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stress Test is the story of Tim Geithner’s education in financial crises. As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then as President Barack Obama’s secretary of the Treasury, Timothy F. Geithner helped the United States navigate the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, from boom to bust to rescue to recovery.
-
-
Gripping
- By Jean on 06-03-14
-
On the Brink
- Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
- By: Henry M. Paulson Jr.
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, On the Brink is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the listener in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players.
-
-
More Depth than "Too Big to Fail"
- By Michael Moore on 02-22-10
-
Financial Modeling and Valuation
- A Practical Guide to Investment Banking and Private Equity
- By: Paul Pignataro
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Built around a full-length case study of Wal-Mart, Financial Modeling and Valuation shows you how to perform an in-depth analysis of that company's financial standing, walking you through all the steps of developing a sophisticated financial model as done by professional Wall Street analysts. Step-by-step, you will construct a full scale financial model and valuation. When we ran this analysis in January of 2012, we estimated the stock was undervalued. Since the first run of the analysis, the stock has increased 35 percent.
By: Paul Pignataro
-
The Age of Turbulence
- Adventures in a New World
- By: Alan Greenspan
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"This book is in part a detective story. After 9/11 I knew, if I needed further reinforcement, that we are living in a new world - the world of a global capitalist economy that is vastly more flexible, resilient, open, self-correcting, and fast-changing than it was even a quarter century earlier. It's a world that presents us with enormous new possibilities but also enormous new challenges. The Age of Turbulence is my attempt to understand the nature of this new world." (Alan Greenspan)
-
-
Economists beware
- By David on 09-30-07
By: Alan Greenspan
-
The Courage to Act
- A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath
- By: Ben S. Bernanke
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2006, Ben S. Bernanke was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve, capping a meteoric trajectory from a rural South Carolina childhood to professorships at Stanford and Princeton, to public service in Washington's halls of power. There would be no time to celebrate, however - the burst of the housing bubble in 2007 set off a domino effect that would bring the global financial system to the brink of meltdown.
-
-
Way, way deep into the weeds...
- By farmhouselady on 10-14-15
By: Ben S. Bernanke
-
21st Century Monetary Policy
- The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19
- By: Ben S. Bernanke
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A former chair of the Federal Reserve explains the transformation of one our most powerful and consequential institutions.
-
-
don't buy, horrible narration
- By Mr. Incognito on 05-18-22
By: Ben S. Bernanke
-
Stress Test
- Reflections on Financial Crises
- By: Timothy F. Geithner
- Narrated by: Timothy F. Geithner
- Length: 18 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stress Test is the story of Tim Geithner’s education in financial crises. As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then as President Barack Obama’s secretary of the Treasury, Timothy F. Geithner helped the United States navigate the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, from boom to bust to rescue to recovery.
-
-
Gripping
- By Jean on 06-03-14
-
On the Brink
- Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
- By: Henry M. Paulson Jr.
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, On the Brink is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the listener in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players.
-
-
More Depth than "Too Big to Fail"
- By Michael Moore on 02-22-10
-
Financial Modeling and Valuation
- A Practical Guide to Investment Banking and Private Equity
- By: Paul Pignataro
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Built around a full-length case study of Wal-Mart, Financial Modeling and Valuation shows you how to perform an in-depth analysis of that company's financial standing, walking you through all the steps of developing a sophisticated financial model as done by professional Wall Street analysts. Step-by-step, you will construct a full scale financial model and valuation. When we ran this analysis in January of 2012, we estimated the stock was undervalued. Since the first run of the analysis, the stock has increased 35 percent.
By: Paul Pignataro
-
The Age of Turbulence
- Adventures in a New World
- By: Alan Greenspan
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"This book is in part a detective story. After 9/11 I knew, if I needed further reinforcement, that we are living in a new world - the world of a global capitalist economy that is vastly more flexible, resilient, open, self-correcting, and fast-changing than it was even a quarter century earlier. It's a world that presents us with enormous new possibilities but also enormous new challenges. The Age of Turbulence is my attempt to understand the nature of this new world." (Alan Greenspan)
-
-
Economists beware
- By David on 09-30-07
By: Alan Greenspan
What listeners say about Firefighting
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-25-24
Economics
This was a nice summary of all the actions and hurdles faced. This is a great supplement to the other three books. Students and decisions makers should read this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Justin T Palmer
- 05-27-19
Good but nothing new
The book was a good narrative but didn’t really give the reader anything new if you have already read previous memoirs.The way it was written was very digestible therefore if you haven’t read any books on the financial crisis I would recommend you picking this up
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- bilal
- 08-19-19
Mind, Blown
Mind, Blown Mind, Blown Mind, Blown Mind, Blown Mind, Blown Mind, Blown Mind, Blown Mind, Blown Mind, Blown Mind, Blown world is a interesting place
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 08-22-19
A great look into what happened
This is a non-partisan look at what happened and why actions were taken. What you thought you knew, was only half. Despite written by financial gurus, it isnt dry and easy to follow. Great way to know what happened so we can avoid it in the future.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Philo
- 04-18-19
Best walk-through yet, crisp and lucid
I have read some dozens of books on this, including the memoirs of each of these principals. I did not find completely new vistas of understanding here. I did find terrific phrasings of the story and players, with new little twists and nuances all through, that help sharpen my understanding. Since these authors were the key decision makers, and this is a book for a broad public, as expected I found a certain quotient of self-serving apologias, alongside the well-trodden (and by now refined) mea culpas. The authors must go there, but do not dwell there. Listening to this, I have a substantially improved understanding of what each moment was like, from the inside. The writing is smooth and flows from politics to finance to big events in ways understandable to us regular folks. I feel especially tutored now in the feedback loops these top decision makers face, since each move signals something to markets and the public. Second-order effects must be considered in advance -- this is an art of its own. There are also the political gauntlets to be run. It is an art of vast consequence. What a privilege it must be to reach these heights and do what was done here -- though it is a 24/7 pressure-cooker too.
A sampling of favorite pithy phrases: "Risk, like love, will find a way" (that is, around obstructions like banking regulations). "... a bridge loan to nowhere" (as what would happen with lending into a free-falling Lehman).
The first few hours are a recap of the 2007-2009 (and surrounding) events these authors were key players in. It is essentially a condensed version of the three authors' memoirs, already published. By comparison it benefits, I think, from its relative brevity, and perhaps by the succeeding time in which to compose thoughts and ideas compactly.
The last hour or so is an update mainly focused on the Dodd-Frank framework. I was already familiar with the weak spots identified here, based on intervening readings. The consensus here is that the fire department, so to speak (to build on the firefighting metaphor) has been significantly dismantled. This is cause for great concern especially inasmuch as, in the future, restoring the firefighting equipment via Congress in a time of a raging financial fire with our political divisions now, just might not happen. We may effectively face a 2008-magnitude crisis with several additional hurdles facing the decision makers. This book does not go into it, but my fear alongside all this patchy and purposely-disabled present legal framework, is the presence, at this moment, of incredibly incompetent cronyist hacks proposed to fill the top ranks formerly held by sober adults such as authors Bernanke, Paulson and Geithner. I feel like I am in a bad glue-induced nightmare, with the lurid clowns now elbowing onto the stage. Only luck might save us now.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 05-05-20
concise
concise. and read frangile by design to know more on the origin of house market mania.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael
- 06-30-23
Important little Book
Am excellent review of the worst economic crisis since the great depression by the three principle players who navigated us successfully through it. I've read their three individual memoirs of the crisis already but this look back has the advantage of a ten years distance from it. It's also a lesson in politics as the art of the possible. They did an unbelievably great job; the proof is in their success. But that's not why they wrote the book. These three are problem solvers. They want to help us in planning so it doesn't happen again. The narration is excellent. If you have time to read just one book about the crisis I think this should be it. Forewarned is forearmed!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Micah D
- 04-26-19
A Gift for the Next Generation
Bernanke, Geithner, and Paulson do a masterful job of hitting the right topics at the right level of depth. The result is an engaging and fast-paced narrative. At times, I found myself hoping for political red meat, but the authors wisely neglected specific criticism -- despite each almost certainly having amusing stories to tell about the ignorance and hubris of this or that member of congress. Not a tell-all, this book provides a straightforward account of what happened and why it happened. The authors do not agree on all matters, and they impressively avoid the least common denominator in favor of a reasonably nuanced presentation. I am a bit of a wonk and thought I knew a lot about this topic; I learned much and gained inspiration regarding the work to be done to prepare for the next major economic challenge. I'll add that this book is so well written that the models presented are easily translated into other professional situations (I borrowed an idea from this book for a wholly unrelated memo I wrote today).
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maurice
- 01-20-23
Information Sponge
Very informative reading is smooth a little monotonous but overall better and more immersive than reading the book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 07-23-20
intellectually dishonest
I get that they want to look good and keep it short but this book is intellectually dishonest in so many ways. First of all, we know the removal of glass stegal act caused the recession but then they go on to say they didn't want the rule reinstated because it might harm banks profits... yikes.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful