The Ascent of Money / Nial Ferguson

RATINGS

Overall: 3 / 5 stars

Text Level: Hard

Entertainment: Medium

Self-Help: Low

Genres: Nonfiction, Economics, Business, Money, Finance, History

Page Count: 432

Is this book right for my inmate and me?

Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)

A blend of history and finance to understand our economic future.

What is your relationship with money? How well do you understand where your finances come from, and how they work? Nial Ferguson gives a complete understanding of finance, from the first carried by cavement to crypto currency that is carried in your computer. This book explains it all from cash, stock, mortgages, and loans. In this bok Ferguson hopes to lead readers through finance in order to make better money decisions.

Our jails and prisons are filled with people who get stuck in a vicious cycle of financial challenges. For many, the idea of money and finance has an almost ‘magical’ place in people’s minds, with very little comprehension of what they are in essence, and how they work. So many inmates are just left guessing on how to create real lasting financial standing for themselves - the need for a book like this is evident, and it can be useful for anyone.

The author begins with the minting of the first coins up to the present. Have you ever wondered how banks formed and what their original purposes were? Inside these pages that answer and so many financial questions are solved. Ferguson not only gives a complete history of history, but he works to explain to readers the faults others have made, so they don’t in turn make those same mistakes. If you have thought about investing in stock or bonds, this book can be great to figure what might be right for you. One key concept of this book is how Ferguson not only explains the productive history of our financial world, but he is honest with the dangers it has created for some. Scams and theft will always be present when the lure of easy money is around. The author warns readers of past unlucky victims that have found their fortunes lost in the hopes it doesn’t happen to you.

This book is not only an interesting read for inmates but it can be a useful tool for anyone. It moves the money world out of the realm of myth and into the world of practical and strategic, so that we can all learn to become self-sufficient under better financial management.