Investing in U.S. Financial History

Understanding the Past to Forecast the Future

By: Mark J. Higgins CFA CFP®

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

Investors who ignore the past are lost in the present and blind to the future.

Most people rely only on their life experience to make investment decisions. This causes them to overlook cyclical forces that repeatedly reshape economies and markets. Investing in U.S. Financial History fills this void by recounting the comprehensive financial history of the United States of America. It begins with Alexander Hamilton’s financial programs in 1790 and ends with the Federal Reserve’s battle with inflation in 2023.

Authored by Mark Higgins, an experienced investment advisor and financial historian, this book will help you:

• Understand key drivers of financial crises and the principles for managing them.

• Recognize warning signs of speculative manias that lead to asset bubbles.

• Understand why few investors outperform market indices and why index funds are preferable for most individuals and institutions.

• Identify the major threats to U.S. economic prosperity in the twenty-first century.

Investing in U.S. Financial History reveals that there is almost no financial event that is unprecedented. By understanding the fundamental drivers underpinning key economic events, you will internalize investment principles, avoid common pitfalls, and resist the temptation to panic amid market volatility.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Enlightened Investor LLC (P)2024 Enlightened Investor LLC

Comprehensive and Thoughtful

Probably one of the better books I’ve gone through. Most books claim to be complete or comprehensive, but this literally takes the reader through a comprehensive history of the US financial markets and history. Higgins has pulled off a legit work with this one!

Should be a college history finance class

Great coverage of the financial times during the inception of the United States of America.

Good History, But Not Much On How to Use It

I listened to this book over several days. Overall, I enjoyed it. Perhaps it's the way it's titled, but I was expecting more on investing and less on history. Regardless, if you're not familiar with the financial history of the U.S., this is a great place to start.

One slightly annoying feature of the Audible version are all the "Point of Interest" side notes dispersed throughout the book. Although great, the constant jumping in and out of them makes it harder to keep up with the story. I don't have a solution other than maybe read them all at the end of each chapter or maybe as an appendix at the end of the book.

Very Informative

Clear explanations given for US financial history from a high-level view. The author recaps several points throughout the book. This is a good book for any investor, especially for those who manage their own portfolio.

If you want to understand America, read this!

Higgins set himself a formidable task in charting the financial history of the US. He recognized at some point that he could not do so without diving into the geopolitical events that shaped America’s future at every stage.

America’s geographical and natural resource advantages are unrivaled. The evolution of financial markets has been fundamental to its progress as a nation and as an economy.

I listened to this book while driving from New York to Colorado from the coast through the heartland to the mountains. This landscape will forever be linked to the memory of this book. How appropriate! The challenge of weaving together the disparate elements of this remarkable country is still ongoing. As Higgins points out in his final summation, the fact that we aspire to do so underpins the optimism in accomplishing this worthy goal.

PS listening at 1.2x is quite manageable.