Investing in U.S. Financial History: Understanding the Past to Forecast the Future Hardcover – February 27, 2024

Few finance books will remain relevant for years after they have been published. Investing in US Financial History will certainly be included in this list.It shocks me that, prior to Mark Higgins, no one had ever truly put pen to paper and walked through the entire financial history of the US dating back to Alexander Hamilton. Many of the stories written hold relevance and echo themes of today, although many are long forgotten to even advanced practitioners. The research conducted to put this together is incredibly thorough and provides a wealth of knowledge for today's investors.One important lesson that the book leaves you with is the understanding that many financial events or concerns echo multiple periods in history. By providing a one-stop book to learn about all of those major events plus documentation for further reading, the reader walks away with a greater understanding of the world they live in and how it came to be.I will certainly be reading this book multiple times. If there are ever future editions, I'll absolutely add them to my shelf, especially considering all the underlining I ended up doing in the current version. This book is simply invaluable!

Often in life we lose sight of the bigger picture and the connections between the present, the past, and ultimately the future. We get scared and lose hope.This truly unique and monumental book not only provides facts and historical context but it is written in a manner that engages the reader and keeps them wanting more!!!As a nonprofessional I was surprisingly mesmerized reading about whaling, or the financial dealings behind the building of the railroads, not to mention the back stories of the criminals, con men, crooks and thieves! It was a relief to see the heroes who did the right things and my love of Hetty Green will be never ending. She deserves a movie!The relevance to today’s issues stand out especially COVID, and the policies of the Fed.This is a must read. It will educate you in the best ways to maximize your own financial well-being. It will give you hope and comfort in these days of seemingly endless strife and turmoil.

I cannot imagine a better book for understanding finance in a historical context. It is ambitious and thorough and satisfying. The content is astonishingly interesting, and the storytelling format makes it a delight to read. Even the thoughtful, chunked-down organization and graphical imagery are lively and human-scale. The author manages to make this material at once accessible without dumbing it down, and easy-to-read without oversimplifying.While I read the book cover-to-cover, beginning to end, I can also imagine it proving a useful piece-by-piece reference book I’ll revisit time and again. Very happy to have read this and to be able to read it again. I couldn't recommend the book more highly.

This book’s coverage of US financial history is the most comprehensive I’ve read. There is abundant detail, but it is sufficiently engaging so as not to feel like a slog to digest.

Really interesting.

My MBA cohort utilized Higgins' text as the basis for our module on the history of financial booms. Our module included other texts: The Panic of 1907, Bruner, Carr; Boom and Bust, Quinn and Turner; and The Great Contraction, 1929-1933, Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz. Out of these texts, Higgins' textbook provided the most substantial economic fundamentals needed to enter the market.As a TM&T analyst, the adage, "history repeats itself" is the basis by which I view the market. Higgins' textbook is not only a constant companion in my MBA; it is a constant reference for the current tech boom, and the basis by which many of my opinions are formed about the market.If you are making investment decisions in tech, AI, real estate, crypto, you must look backwards in time. Higgins eloquently details how Hamilton set in motion economic fundamentals: our federal reserve system, method of establishing creditworthiness (AAA, etc.), and a fractional banking system. Systems that echo, sometimes with dysfunction, today.In summary, Mark Higgins "Investing in U.S. Financial History" is the quintessential textbook for MBAs and finance majors entering the market as credit or equity analysts, traders at HFs, or simply retail investors driving long term value in their portfolio.

This may be a great book, but I wouldn't know it. The Kindle version does not allow text size change. The text/font size is way too small. This is the first time I encounter a Kindle book that doesn't allow adjustments to the text size.

This is one of the best books ever written in finance and investing. The highly credentialed author (CFA, CFP) traces US financial history from the early days of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton in establishing the financial system to current day. Not surprisingly, there are patterns in history that repeat. That’s why the establishment of a central bank, the Fed, is so important. Alexander Hamilton was right. His insights in 1790 were dead on, including the prediction that the US would surpass Great Britain to become the world’s leading economy. The book is well researched, easy to read, very clear, and has actionable insights that can improve your ability as an astute investor. Highly recommend. Enjoy!