March 9, 2012
eBooks: eco-friendly, handy & awesome

I know. I know.

The whole eBook thing is sore subject among bibliophiles. We love our books, from the actual content right down to the way they look—and feel.

So as commonplace as eBooks are—and as much as their popularity is growing—some diehard bookworms aren’t sold.

Things are changing. Many customers stop me at trade shows to ask about the growing selection of eBooks offered by Traders Press®. We’re happy to keep adding at a steady pace. This includes our latest titles, like Robert James Waller’s The Summer Nights Never End…Until They Do: Life, Liberty, and the Lure of the Short-Run.

Technology in ePublishing has improved reading devices, making the experience more like reading printed books. But “cuddle with my Kindle” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue—yet.

I was definitely a hold out on eBooks, largely because I’ve been wrestling with the darn things since their infancy. Early on, they weren’t great.

Then I held a Kindle a few years ago. I was nothing short of covetous.

Ultimately, I got an iPad. My reaction? Pure joy. I have actually hugged the thing—more than once.

My iPad hasn’t changed the way I read. I still bookmark, highlight, make notes and look up words. I also can continue reading several books at a time, but without lugging them all around.

What did I give up for the iPad? Well, paper, and I’m better off. And until the voluminous, complete set of the human experience finally makes it to iBooks, I’ll keep hoofing it to the library. I also purged thousands of books from my home—another thing for the win column.

Still unconvinced? Then check out these articles: 5 reasons eBooks are awesome, even for the most reluctant and Top 10 reasons why eBooks are better than printed books.

August 31, 2011
Do You Suffer—or Benefit—from ‘Crisis Mentality’?

There’s no better fuel for a crisis than more crisis.

According to Bloomberg, James W. Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management, says “crisis mentality” is so widespread that swings in U.S. stocks can be attributed mainly to the level of investor concern.

Crisis of mentality’s byproduct is volatility. According to CNBC, major averages flounder, affected by heavy market volatility due to fears of another global recession.

Some are using the volatility to their advantage, including Louis Basenese, who sees bullish signs in the recent rout.

Day Trading & Swing Trading the Currency Market: Technical and Fundamental Strategies to Profit from Market Moves (Second Edition) by Kathy Lien is a great resource for those who want to profit from volatility. The book retails for $70, but you can get it today for $42 and free U.S. S&H* if you click here.

In addition, you can save 10% and receive free U.S. S&H* with promo code KGBLOG911. This includesall resources that offer strategies for taking advantage of market volatility, such as Paul Forchione’s ACE Program series, Trading Options in Turbulent Markets and The Secret Keys to Smart Investing. For a full list, click here.

Check out the full array of free trading resources from Wasendorf & Associates Inc. by signing up for Traders Press Weekly, SFO magazine, SFO Weekly and SFO’s webinar series!


*Some restrictions apply.  Shipping is free to residents in the continental United States.  International shipping will be applied at our regular shipping rates 

 

August 19, 2011
None of *Our* Books Have Been Banned—Yet

Apparently, Sherlock Holmes was a bit off in his calculations.

The solution to a puzzle isn’t always elementary. Sometimes, it’s a matter best left to middle school children.

Or, at least, their parents. That’s the case in the Albemarle (Va.) County School District. As reported earlier this week by the LA Times, Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet is no longer considered suitable reading for middle schoolers.

It’s not that the 1887 book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle contains explicit sexual content or foul language. Instead, parents objected to the book because they say it portrays Mormons in a negative light.

I’m little miffed. It’s not because the book has been banned. I love it when books are banned, because it makes them popular (or in this case, popular again). And I’m not mad because this is yet another case of adults underestimating kids and their intellectual abilities. I know there will always be parents who behave irrationally, just as there will always be school boards to give in to ludicrous demands to ban books.

What upsets me is that we’ve never had one of our books banned; I’d like the publicity! Between Traders Press® and W&A Publishing, we have more than 40 years in the publishing industry. In that time, none of our publications have been deemed ban-worthy.

We have a few that rise to the possible occasion, so I’ll just have to wait. A girl can dream, I guess.

Submitted for the disapproval of the Albemarle (Va.) County Board of Education is Trading in the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes:  Balancing Probabilities for Successful Investing by Dr. Anthony Trongone. There isn’t controversial content (as far as I can determine), it doesn’t take potshots at anyone’s culture, ethnicity or beliefs (at least, I don’t think it does) and it’s not in any other way offensive (not to me, anyway).

It is, however, fun and informative. It is worthy of the publicity that follows a book banning, which is to say,  is a great book.

Order it today, before The Man shuts down our website. This week, I doubled my blog-code discount, so you’ll receive a 20% discount and free shipping* sitewide! Just use promo code KGBLOG811.

Check out the full array of free trading resources from Wasendorf & Associates Inc. by signing up for Traders Press Weekly, SFO magazine, SFO Weekly and SFO’s webinar series!

*Some restrictions apply.  Shipping is free to residents in the continental United States.  International shipping will be applied at our regular shipping rates

 

 

August 1, 2011
Cautiously Optimistic

U.S. Federal Reserve leaders said recently that they’ll revisit derivatives rules if a global agreement on margin requirements couldn’t be reached.

It’s about time, but I reserve the right to be skeptical. I’m optimistic about nearly everything, but this whole situation receives a cynical snort of derision from me.

As Financial Times notes, oppressive rule-making in the United States has harmed to the over-the-counter derivatives markets. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that global financial lobbies warned U.S. and European Union authorities that inconsistent regulation of derivatives trading will drive up costs and harm the economy.

Several resources describe how derivatives work and outline how to use futures contracts, forward contracts, options and other common derivatives.

Options Strategies for Sophisticated Traders by Mitch Crask explains how to combine derivatives to increase profitability and option debt spreads.

For the true account of the multibillion-dollar bidding war for the Chicago Board of Trade, check out Zero Sum Game: The Rise of the World’s Largest Derivatives Exchange by Erika S. Olson.

SFO (Stocks Futures Options) magazine offers nearly 1,000 archived articles on a variety of topics related to derivatives, including “Regulators’ Unintentional Effect on Markets” from July 2011 and “France’s Sarkozy urges global community to regulate agricultural futures.” SFO is always free, and subscribing takes just a few minutes. 

For the full Traders Press® inventory, click here. Order the resources mentioned today and/or others, and receive a 10% discount and free shipping*!  Use promo code KGBLOG811.

Check out the full array of free trading resources from Wasendorf & Associates Inc by signing up for Traders Press Weekly, SFO magazine, SFO Weekly and SFO’s webinar series!

*Some restrictions apply.  Shipping is free to residents in the continental United States.  International shipping will be applied at our regular shipping rates

 

July 15, 2011
Pitch Your Printer

I’m an information addict.

Please don’t tell any of my Facebook friends I admitted that. Or my Twitter followers. Or the folks in my Google+ circles. I’m not ready for them to know I’ve taken the first step by admitting I may have a problem. (They’re just about ready to organize an intervention and take away my Android.)

I’m torn. Part of me doesn’t believe compulsively reading books, blogs, magazines, newspapers and newsletters is really that bad. I don’t sacrifice work or family/friends time for my possible addiction. However, if it’s a choice between sleep or reading, I’d rather do the latter.

Not too long ago, I was rarely without a stack of books in my living room, had more than a dozen magazine subscriptions and received eight daily newspapers. (That doesn’t begin to cover my digital information consumption, either.)

While little has changed about the amount I read, the format of my “feed” has. I had an awakening, because a lot of what I read tells me to stop wasting so much paper.

Don’t misunderstand me. From a nice cotton bond to delightfully noisy newsprint, I like paper! But it’s not always necessary.

It’s for this reason that an article in today’s Seattle Times caught my interest. It highlights ways we can reduce or even eliminate our dependence of personal printers.

As the article points out, personal printers can be expensive to use. In addition, printers haven’t benefited from the brisk pace of technological innovation. Finally, the ease and proximity of an at-home printer often lead us to print when we could PDF. 

At the very least, we should have choices. If you prefer paper, you should get it. And if you want plastic (with a little bit of metal and glass), that should be available, too. For example, in addition to our catalog of printed materials, Traders Press® offers scores of eBooks and other digital publications and resources.

You can check out our eBook selection and receive 10% off your purchase by using the promotional code KGBLOG711.

Incidentally, I’m in a competition with the other Traders Press® bloggers to see which blogger’s discount code is most used.

So please help me remind everyone here what a winner blogs like. Go to TradersPress.com, use KGBLOG711, and receive 10% off your purchases and free S&H.*

*Some restrictions apply. Shipping is free to residents in the continental United States.  International shipping charges will be applied at our regular shipping rates.


Liked posts on Tumblr: More liked posts »