Book Bits: 19 October 2024

● The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance, Ignorance, Risk and Luck
David Spiegelhalter
Review via The Economist
… books that successfully communicate how mathematicians think, but are aimed at those not already in the tribe, are both valuable and rare. Over the decades many eager students have devoured Thomas Körner’s “The Pleasures of Counting” (1996) and Sir Timothy Gowers’s “Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction” (2002). Now Sir David Spiegelhalter, emeritus professor of statistics at the University of Cambridge, has added to the genre with “The Art of Uncertainty”. His new book will appeal to many more than just aspiring mathematicians, for its topic is universal: how to analyse chance, ignorance and risk.

● The Little Book of Impact Investing: Aligning Profit and Purpose to Change the World
Priya Parrish
Summary via publisher (Wiley)
In The Little Book of Impact Investing: Aligning Profit and Purpose to Change the World, veteran investor and author Priya Parrish delivers a timely, inspiring, and practical exploration of an investing discipline that is rapidly taking center stage in contemporary finance. In the book, you’ll explore how and why impact investing has become an essential strategy for retail and institutional investors around the world and how it can help you build and manage high-performing portfolios while making a positive difference in the world around you. The author explains the universe of opportunities made available by impact investing by diving deep into both the public and private markets.

● How to Retire: 20 lessons for a happy, successful, and wealthy retirement
Christine Benz
Summary via publisher (Harriman House)
What are the secrets to a healthy, happy, and wealthy retirement? To answer that question, longtime Morningstar columnist and podcaster Christine Benz asked 20 retirement thought leaders to go deep on a single lesson that they believe contributes to success in retirement. These lessons range from nitty gritty financial matters to quality-of-life considerations that help pre-retirees and retirees maximize their “time on earth” allocations. On the financial side of the ledger, the book delves into knowing your retirement income style (Wade Pfau), understanding how your spending might change in retirement (David Blanchett), and organizing your portfolio to support in-retirement cash flows (William Bernstein).

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