Secret Life of Money - Everyday Economics Explained

by Daniel Davies, Tess Read

Who are rip-off label jeans actually ripping off? Why does it cost less to install a lift than to move a piano? And why don't maintenance men ever call when they are meant to?The Secret Life of Money answers questions like these - questions that strike us about the businesses we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. The answers to these puzzles reveal the very different ways in which businesses around us actually make their money - it is often not in the ways that we might expect.A lighthearted and authoritative guide, The Secret Life of Money has practical merit, too. Why have the UK banks had mis-selling scandal after mis-selling scandal? When you know what's unusual about UK current accounts you can spot the pattern, and know how to avoid it in managing your own money. Everything you ever wanted to know about short-selling on the stock market but were too afraid to ask - when it's explained through the medium of Jimmy Choo shoes it makes a lot more sense.Have you ever wondered why there are so few brands of whisky and why new ones only ever appear in times of recession?Why is it that shops are so keen on offering cashback?If the APR of loan sharks is so excessively high then why don't they own the whole world?You'll find the answers inside.

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Finance

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[May · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives an overview of the world of economics and produces the writing in a way which makes it easy to read and entertaining. Each chapter is short and gives and introduction to each idea, including key words and ideas that you can build upon throughout the book. I think this book is good for people who want to begin learning in this area, or who want to refresh themselves on economics as it holds lots of different ideas.
Overall, the book is helpful and easy to read. However, was not quite what I was initially looking for.

[Jenina Jill Sy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book aimed to cater to non-technical readers & did so by providing insights on several very technical industries. I have to say that for trying to be as understandable as possible, the authors failed to give a comprehensive account of the industries involved. But, there are a couple of concepts that can be picked up from the book.

[Khelath · Rating 3 out of 5]

The examples are simply written but I feel the real value is in the last chapter where the authors summarize some key concepts to look out for.

[Niloy Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but definitely worth reading.