The Infolocus Manifesto

Book Description

A statement of vision and purpose that describes humanity's declaration of individual control over all the information of self, as each and every person learns of and builds an Infolocus Humanterprise.

Customer Reviews:

Must Read -- at least twice!.......2000-07-07

I'd like to give twice as many stars to this book, even though its probably the most challenging one I have read since college. The whole layout is very sophisticated. The vocab is sometimes way above my head, but the concepts are pretty intense. The way the whole thing is weaved together is really amazing, even though it takes some concentration to go at it and figure it out. I met this author at a conference -- I don't knwo how he put all this together but I think it is genius. Some kind of modern-day Jefferson. I go section by section and the red summary boxes help.

breathtaking book.......2000-03-16

This book was startling to me - I've never seen anything like it. And I really hadn't been able to see all this information change in our society in this way before. The book has a rhythm, sort of like poetry, but the author uses well-developed academic principles to show how to see the individual in his entirely new way. That whole idea of the Humanterprise seems so right and so clear. I think the way several types of knowledge and insight were tied together is most impressive. I am a nurse, so I heal people's bodies. This offers a philosophical basis and a way to let people heal their own minds and souls. I really felt challenged but refreshed by it.

Book Description

A practical guide to building fully operational financial cash flow models for structured finance transactions

Structured finance and securitization deals are becoming more commonplace on Wall Street. Up until now, however, market participants have had to create their own models to analyze these deals, and new entrants have had to learn as they go. Modeling Structured Finance Cash Flows with Microsoft Excel provides readers with the information they need to build a cash flow model for structured finance and securitization deals. Financial professional Keith Allman explains individual functions and formulas, while also explaining the theory behind the spreadsheets. Each chapter begins with a discussion of theory, followed by a section called "Model Builder," in which Allman translates the theory into functions and formulas. In addition, the companion CD-ROM features all of the modeling exercises, as well as a final version of the model that is created in the text.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Customer Reviews:

Good Intro to Cash Flow Modeling.......2007-09-20

Anyone needing to learn how structured finance cash flow models work will benefit from going through this book and building the spreadsheet-based model it describes. It will be faster if you are already good at using Excel for complex modeling or pricing, but there is a fair amount of Excel advice for those who need it. The book models a single pool of mortgages that can be described by weighted average statistics incorporating both prepayment and default scenarios. Great care is taken to make the model flexible in terms of the kinds of mortgages in the pool. On the liability side the model allows for the creation of a single senior class and a sub class with an interest rate swap and a reserve. While very good for learning the cash flow consequences of sequential and pro rata payment waterfalls, this model cannot describe the structures actually issued in the market. The skills learned, however, should allow the reader to build models capable of modeling issued structures.
The writing is clear and the examples are explained well. The flow of cash into and out of the structure is emphasized by clear inputs, cash flow modeling and summary outputs.

Excellent introduction to MBS modeling.......2007-08-13

Keith's book saved me hours of trial-and-error effort with Excel for modeling structured transactions. This book takes a simple, step-by-step approach to help the reader understand the mechanics of building the cash flow model for Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS).

Once you understand the basics of model creation and cash flow, then it is a matter of refining your skills by revere-engineering more MBS transactions out there. You will find all the basic tools to become proficient in that task by following this book.

Excellent Hands-On Introduction to Structured Finance.......2007-06-03

In structured finance, there is a tremendous discrepancy between academic literature and practice. In purporting a generalizable, scientific approach, many textbooks avoid explaining the intracacies of actual structured finance deals. The fundamental issue is that the implicit value of deal transparency required for issuer and investor tends to be overlooked by authors approaching the field from an academic background. Technical pyrotechnics that suit liquid markets fail when fees, interest rates, and other deal specifics are malleable constructs negotiated among a handful of parties. At the same time, basic bond math on an unsegregated pool of loans cannot accurately describe how assets generate cash flows and the risks faced by investors.

MFSC is the *only* book (afaik) that demonstrates how real structured finance pros bridge the void between these 2 common pitfalls made by other structured finance books. For one, the calculations that belie each component of a structured finance deal is integrated into a single model rather than considered separately. Other books may describe how cash flows pay out in a senior-sub structure, but they won't, for example, take the time to step through how funding costs and triggers affect the cash flows. The primary model also gives the user flexibility to stress the model and enables the user to treat the model as a base for all structured finance deals. Through a neatly organized inputs sheet, each component in the primary model described painstakingly anticipates the gamut of variations common to these types of deals.

All this in a book that's easy to follow and a delight to read. Five stars.

Modeling of CMBS.......2007-06-03

Keith's book does an excellent job at helping both new analysts to MD's in understanding modeling of complex master tapes (models). If you need to know how to structure a fixed or floating rate transaction this book will give you key tools to understand, build and read strats, term sheets, and OC data. Many of the functions and formulas that are explained are used in real working models but in additon to that this book explains key concepts in the structured finance world. Unlike other books this book has a much more active learning style and really gets you involved.

I look forward to the day when Keith writes a book focusing on CMBS, I will defintely buy that one also.
TM
CIB
CMBS

Very Good for Professionals.......2007-05-07

The book explains very well the building and works of a very huge excell worsheet, for professionals it will be a great and interesting reading, and sometimes it will be like a great novel, when you can't stop reading
and always want to go to the next chapter before leaving it.
For begineers it will be a little hard to understand the concepts and the meanings of each chapter, but it will help too.

Modeling Derivatives Applications in Matlab, C++, and Excel

Average customer rating:

Justin London did it again
Offers prebuilt code for immediate use
Excellent resource for coding derivatives
State of the art derivative modeling book
Describes the Modelling Procedure and Gives the Code

Modeling Derivatives Applications in Matlab, C++, and Excel
Justin London
Manufacturer: FT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0131962590

Customer Reviews:

Justin London did it again.......2007-07-19

I highlight two points:

1. The inclusion of Matlab and Excel code in almost all topics of the book.
2. All the content is new and more advanced, there is no recovered topics of his previous book.

Offers prebuilt code for immediate use.......2007-06-29

This book offers prebuilt, modifiable code that you can use for energy, power, weather and many other derivatives applications. The download process is fast and easy. For those who use Matlab, C++, or Excel, there is no competition. A great book with unique content and code.

Excellent resource for coding derivatives.......2007-06-16

This book was my ultimate go-to resource on several financial engineering projects (on the buy side). It covers many different derivatives and provides example MatLab and C++ code that is easy to modify and extend.

The instructions for setup and downloading the code could be more clear, perhaps on a CD.

State of the art derivative modeling book.......2007-04-10

Great book. But the code downloading process is a bit weird. Don't know why they just attach a CD.

Describes the Modelling Procedure and Gives the Code.......2007-02-08

Derivatives are not simple things. It almost seems that complexity was a design goal when they were being set up. In order to determine their real value either today or in the future you almost have to model them on a computer.

This book covers dozens of different types of derivatives, including the common ones and some of the new even more esoteric ones. It talks about the structure of the derivative, and then presents models of them. The models are presented in the most common modelling 'languages' in use today. There is a lot of code involved, but there is not a CD included with the book. Instead, an access code providing a one time download for the code. Note, a one time download. Be sure and save the code quickly and on several media. This procedure allows the models to be updated as needed without regard to the time it takes for the book to move from being written to being published, but if you have a disk crash....

The biggest things this book provides are: first, you get to see what an expert in the field has done, and second, you get the code to run his models on your system, and of course you can modify them if you find some other aspect suits your needs better.

This is a new book, first printed in December 2006, so it is current with the derivatives being marketing at that time.

Financial Modeling - 2nd Edition: Includes CD

Average customer rating:

Excelent book
I thought I did a review for this book immediately when I received it! It was really good! It's like the best textbook!
Strongly recommended to practitioner
Good Cookbook
Excellent book

Financial Modeling - 2nd Edition: Includes CD
Simon Benninga
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0262024829

Book Description

Too often, finance courses stop short of making a connection between textbook finance and the problems of real-world business. Financial Modeling bridges this gap between theory and practice by providing a nuts-and-bolts guide to solving common financial models with spreadsheets. Simon Benninga takes the reader step by step through each model, showing how it can be solved using Microsoft Excel®. In this sense, this is a finance "cookbook," providing recipes with lists of ingredients and instructions.

Areas covered include computation of corporate finance problems, standard portfolio problems, option pricing and applications, and duration and immunization. The second edition contains six new chapters covering financial calculations, cost of capital, value at risk (VaR), real options, early exercise boundaries, and term structure modeling. A new technical chapter contains a potpourri of tips for using Excel®.

Although the reader should know enough about Excel™ to set up a simple spreadsheet, the author explains advanced Excel® techniques used in the book. The book includes chapters dealing with random number generation, data tables, matrix manipulation, and VBA programming. It also comes with a CD-ROM containing Excel® worksheets and solutions to end-of-chapter exercises.

Customer Reviews:

Excelent book.......2007-09-24

Is an excelent book to learn and undertand how to creat financial models in excel.

I strongly recomend it.

Romer iragorri

I thought I did a review for this book immediately when I received it! It was really good! It's like the best textbook!.......2007-09-16

Beninnga states things very clearly.
And the sophistication is great.
No matter what level you are in, it's good for you.
And these knowledge are really useful in real world!
I mean,I'm really gonna keep this book for myself after I finish the degree.

Strongly recommended to practitioner.......2007-09-03

The book has great practical value. It also applies to those who wish to implement financial models in other computing environment than Excel.

Good Cookbook.......2007-08-23

Very good on giving an introduction on many modeling techniques.
Exceptionally recommended for the new babe.

Excellent book.......2007-07-19

All students of finance must have one, It's great, If I'd have had it when I was student oh, I'd save a lot of time, now I'm teacher of finance and I recomend all my students to buy it.

Excel Modeling in Corporate Finance and MBA Corporate Finance(2nd Edition)

Average customer rating:

excel modeling
Missing files
2nd Edition of Spreadsheet Modeling in Corp Finance

Excel Modeling in Corporate Finance and MBA Corporate Finance(2nd Edition)
Craig W. Holden
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 013132165X

Book Description

This book teaches readers how to build financial models with step-by-step instructions in Excel. Progressing from simple examples to practical, real-world applications, this book covers the time value of money, valuation, capital budgeting, financial planning, and options and corporate finance. For financial planners and analysts.

Customer Reviews:

excel modeling.......2006-02-22

I have returned this book more than 2 weeks ago but I have not seen credit on my credit card yet and sent an email while ago, and ask when I will get refunded but nobody really gave me any clear answer.

Missing files.......2005-06-02

The "Live In-class Problems" that are halfway done are only available to instructors. This book can be fully utilized if it is used by a instructor in the class, otherwise, a self learner would not have an access to the required files needed to do the end of chapter exercises.

2nd Edition of Spreadsheet Modeling in Corp Finance.......2004-11-16

This is the 2nd edition of the "Spreadsheet Modeling in Corp Finance" -learn from my mistake and don't buy the old version.

Excel Modeling in the Fundamentals of Corporate Finance Book and CD-ROM (2nd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Excel Modeling in the Fundamentals of Corporate Finance Book and CD-ROM (2nd Edition)
Craig W. Holden
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0131513435

Book Description

It teaches the reader how to build financial models—not templates—with step-by-step instructions in Excel. Progressing from simple examples to practical, real-world applications, this book covers the time value of money, valuation, capital budgeting, financial planning, and options and corporate finance. For financial planners and analysts.

Average customer rating:

Excellent supplement or study for your own enlightenment
Great Supplement for Corporate Finance Course
Diff between this one and Modeling in the fundamentals book

Excel Modeling in Corporate Finance
Craig W. Holden
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0131424270

Book Description

The Second Edition takes an active approach in showing readers how to build financial models in Excel. Designed to help readers hone their modeling skills, this book and CD provide a hands-on, practical mode of learning that includes step-by-step instructions and real world applications. Rarely covered content items are explored, such as corporate financial planning at full-scale using real data, realistic life-cycle financial planning, U.S. yield curve dynamics, and fully equivalent valuations using APV, FTE, and WACC for a two-stage project with cash flows over a finite horizon followed by an infinite horizon perpetuity. For professionals with a career in corporate finance, investments, and/or banking.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent supplement or study for your own enlightenment.......2005-12-10

I am a huge fan of this book for several reasons. First, I believe that Professor Holden is absolutely right in trying to move finance from a calculator driven study to spreadsheets. Everyone uses spreadsheets in their work, NOT calculators. So, it is not only useful to use spreadsheets, but to learn how to build them.

Another very nice thing about this book is that it uses plain vanilla Excel. You don't need any special add-ins. This allows the user to understand what Excel on its own is capable of (and that is quite a bit). It also means the student doesn't have to buy anything more than this book to get everything the author intended.

I also like the way he takes the student along. You build the first spreadsheet with the steps he provides, and then you modify that to make the second, and then the third, and so on. You get to see the increasingly powerful things one can do with Excel. The graphs he has one build also help because it allows you to change different values and immediately see how it changes the graph. This is immensely important in helping the student develop intuitions about how the changing of this or that number affects the topic of the spreadsheet.

This book on corporate finance begins with the time value of money, a basic concept, but one that seems to elude any number of people. Part 2 takes the student into the valuation of bonds and stocks. You also get to build a yield curve (very useful) and US yield curve dynamics. Part 3 is Capital Budgeting and this means Project Net Present Value (NPV), Cost-Reducing Project, Break-Even Analysis, Adjusted Present Value, Flows to Equity, and WACC.

Part 4 takes on topics of financial planning such as Corporate Financial Planning, the Du Pont System of Ratio Analysis, and Life-Cycle Financial Planning. The last part, Part 5 deals with options and corporate finance. You get to build spreadsheets for Binomial Option Pricing, Black Scholes Option Pricing, Debt and Equity Valuation, and Real Options.

While the book uses the Brigham text notation, the accompanying CD has several important chapters with the Brealy, Keown, Ross, and Van Horne notation systems. The CD also supplies databases and problems to solve using the spreadsheets. The author also has a website for additional info and updates.

Terrific book for finance classes or as a supplement to your own study.

Great Supplement for Corporate Finance Course.......2004-04-24

This book is not an end unto itself, but it is an excellent companion to the leading corporate finance texts.

The book is oriented toward the graduate student (MBA), and the texts it parallels are the most popular MBA texts on the market. Whether you are using texts by Ross (et al), or Brigham, Brealey, Keown, or Van Horne, the author Craig Holden has created these spreadsheeting materials to work directly with the text. Because Brigham, et al, is the largest seller; this book is most closely aligned with Brigham. But it also comes with outlines and notation changes to fit with the other major texts.

The update (this is the second edition) is useful, but the first edition(s) were actually separate books. I preferred the separate book for each major author, but Holden is very succinct in his ability to tie this book to them all without the need for two or three different versions.

Holden also wrote, and Prentice Hall published, versions that tie to undergraduate corporate finance texts, as well as both graduate and undergraduate investments books.

In the first edition, the accompanying CD had an interactive version of the book. Unlike that first edition, the CD with this second edition does not carry the entire contents of the book; but that is OK, since it is easier to read the book than watch the CD on a computer screen. However, Holden makes very few actual spreadsheets available on the CD (three, to be precise). So, except for print versions in the text, if you want to see the models, you have to build the models.

The book supports ONLY Excel. Personally, I always thought Lotus 1-2-3 was a better product and I would love to see such a book to support Lotus, but the world has gone Microsoft, and Excel is ubiquitous.

Diff between this one and Modeling in the fundamentals book.......2004-03-21

so, figured it out just now, even though it was pretty intuitive to begin with. Essentially this book caters to the graduate audience whereas the author's other book: Excel/Spreadsheet modeling in the **FUNDAMENTALS** of corporate finance/investing caters to the undergraduate version. While this is what I assumed, I could find no proof of it until now, at the authors website hidden in an obscure corner.

Hope this helps someone who is making a buying decision.

Excel Modeling in the Fundamentals of Corporation Finance (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

Excel Modeling in the Fundamentals of Corporation Finance (3rd Edition)
Craig W Holden
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0132079895

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