LAUGH & LEARN "This book is more useful and more fun than a bookshelf with every book written by Martha Stewart and Suze Orman plus the Bible and the Boy Scout Manual." This book is the sad-and also humorous and helpful-story of what the author did wrong over a lifetime and what he learned from the mistakes. In the beginning of the 21st century Michael N. Marcus and his wife didn't think they were rich, but they were "comfortable." They spent money carefully, gave to charities, helped less-fortunate relatives and saved for the future. They had a very nice house and a perfect credit rating. Life was good. Marcus received a $4 million offer for his telecommunications business. But he was not ready to spend the rest of his life on the beach, he liked what he was doing and didn't want to do the same work for a boss instead of for himself. He rejected the offer. And then the Great Recession struck. Marcus's income and savings went down-down-down and debt went up-up-up. The Marcuses optimistically and foolishly took out a home equity loan to pay off high-interest credit card debts. It was a five-year loan with monthly payments of nearly $5,000 (on top of first mortgage payments of about $1,800 per month). In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Marcus's business had no phone service, email or electrical power for a week. He did no business, he had no income and asked the bank for an additional ten days to make the scheduled huge mortgage payment. The bank said it could take 60 to 90 days to decide on the ten-day extension. Marcus says, "When you don't need money, banks would love to loan you money. When do you need money or a favor, they act deaf, blind and stupid." In retrospect, not selling the business was the stupidest of many stupid things Marcus has done about money and more-but like most mistakes, it seemed right at the time. Marcus often fantasizes about traveling back in time to warn himself not to make stupid mistakes. He says, "The ten-, twenty- and sixty-year-old me might have ignored the advice of parents, teachers, doctors and accountants-but not the advice of me. If I talk to myself I _have_ to listen. While technology will not yet allow me to go back and talk to myself, I can warn and advise anyone else who's willing to pay attention. That's why I wrote this book. And maybe by looking back I can influence my own future." ----------------- Contents: Disclaimer Introduction The Best Advice I can Give you My Worst Mistakes Money Love & Relationships Parenting Business Work Cars Food & Drink Life & Death Education Health Technology Media Aging Time Animals Baseball Sailing Sex Writing & Publishing Sum Werdz Too Wotch Owte Four Law About the Author Also by Michael N. Marcus Photo & Illustration Credits