Economics & Money
The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith is the foundational work of modern economics, first published in 1776. It asks a simple but profound question: why are some nations rich and others poor? Smith rejects the mercantilist idea that wealth comes from hoarding gold and silver and instead shows that a nation’s economic strength arises from the productive power of its people and the systems that allow them to trade, specialize, and innovate. At the heart of Smith’s argument is the division of labor—the idea that breaking work into specialized tasks dramatically increases productivity and raises living standards. He also explains how free markets operate, arguing that when individuals pursue their own self-interest within a system of voluntary exchange, an “invisible hand” helps allocate resources efficiently for society’s benefit. Smith discusses money, prices, wages, profits, and the roles of government in supporting infrastructure, justice, and education while generally limiting interference in markets. The Wealth of Nations remains essential reading for understanding capitalism, market economies, and the economic principles that continue to shape policy and global trade centuries after its publication.
The Road to Serfdom
Friedrich A. Hayek
The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich A. Hayek is a landmark work in political and economic thought that warns about the risks of central economic planning and its impact on individual freedom. Written during World War II and first published in 1944, Hayek argues that well-intentioned efforts to organize an economy through government control can unintentionally strip away personal liberties and pave the way for authoritarian rule. Hayek traces how socialist and collectivist policies—promoted as paths to equality and security—can require ever-greater state intervention, erode democratic institutions, and concentrate power in the hands of a few. He draws connections between centralized planning and the rise of totalitarian regimes, while contrasting this with the benefits of individual choice and market-based coordination. The Road to Serfdom remains a foundational text in classical liberal and free-market thought, influential across economics, political philosophy, and public policy debates about the balance between government action and personal liberty.
Prediction Machines
Ajay Agrawal
"Prediction Machines" is a practical framework for understanding artificial intelligence through the lens of basic economics. Written by University of Toronto economists Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb, the book strips away the sci-fi hype and treats AI as a commodity. It argues that the current revolution is actually just a massive drop in the cost of a single input: prediction. The authors draw a parallel to the invention of electric light. When light became cheap, people did not just use it to see at night; they fundamentally redesigned their cities and workdays. Similarly, as AI drives the cost of prediction down, we will start using it for tasks we never considered prediction problems before. Autonomous driving is framed not as robot intelligence, but as a prediction problem where the car is simply predicting what a good human driver would do next. The most critical insight is the shift in value. As machines master prediction, the economic value of the complementary skill rises. That skill is Judgment. While machines can predict the outcome of a decision, only humans can determine the payoff of that outcome. The book asserts that the future of work lies in determining what we should want, while leaving the calculation of how to get there to the machines.
Destined for War
Graham Allison
Is the U.S. and China headed for war? This book explores the historical pattern of when a rising power threatens to displace a ruling power, and the potential for conflict between the two nations. It examines the causes and consequences of such conflicts, and proposes strategies for avoiding war.
The End of the World Is Just the Beginning
Peter Zeihan
"The End of the World Is Just the Beginning" is a sobering and provocative geopolitical forecast by strategist Peter Zeihan. The book challenges the assumption that the peace and prosperity of the last 70 years were the result of natural progress. Zeihan argues they were an artificial anomaly created by the American Order (the Bretton Woods system), where the US Navy guaranteed safe global trade to bribe allies against the Soviets. Now, the US is withdrawing, and globalization is collapsing. Zeihan combines geography and demographics to predict a grim future. He highlights a catastrophic demographic collapse: most of the developed world (and China) is aging out of the workforce, meaning the era of cheap labor and mass consumption is over. As the Americans pull back and populations shrink, global supply chains will shatter. The world will fragment into regional silos where countries must secure their own food and energy or face collapse. Zeihan predicts a return to a harsher, pre-industrial reality for many, arguing that while the US will survive due to its geography and resources, nations dependent on global trade face an existential crisis.
How to Day Trade for a Living
Andrew Aziz
A concise and practical guide to the fundamentals of day trading, including strategies, tools, risk management, and trading psychology. Learn how to navigate the stock market, compete with institutional traders, and develop a profitable trading strategy. Discover the essential steps to becoming a successful day trader and achieving financial freedom.
Rule #1
Phil Town
Discover a simple, low-risk strategy for achieving 15% or higher returns in the stock market in just 15 minutes a week. Learn how to invest like Warren Buffett and secure your financial future, regardless of market conditions.
Unfreedom of the Press
Mark R. Levin
Unfreedom of the Press is an exposé on how the modern media is destroying freedom of the press from within. It argues that social activism, progressive groupthink, and Democratic Party partisanship have replaced objective fact-gathering and news reporting, leading to a crisis of credibility for the mass media.