Heroes and Villains of Finance: The 50 Most Colourful Characters in The History of Finance

"This book is a marvellous introduction to a gallery of fascinating figures from the world of Big Money. The author has chosen a brilliant collection of crooks, entrepreneurs, philosophers, economists and bankers. These highly readable short lives provide an excellent education to any reader who wants to understand the personalities who shaped today′s world of investment."

—Luke Johnson, Chairman of Risk Capital Partners, former chairman of Pizza Express and Channel 4 Television, Financial Times columnist and author of Start it Up.

MEET THE TITANS BEHIND THE EVOLUTION OF FINANCE

The finance industry is one of the few places where the actions of a few – or even just one – can ripple throughout the world. Heroes and Villains of Finance profiles the fifty most influential characters who, whether rogues or paladins, are responsible for today′s financial landscape. Their impact reaches far beyond the financial system itself, and has helped shape the course of human history. From philosophers and bankers to fraudsters and academics, this book is a striking introduction to the most remarkable characters in the history of finance.

Learn how the Knights Templar became the first cross–border banking institution Discover how the Rothschilds shaped international finance Track the evolution of investment fraud from Ponzi to Madoff Understand the consequences of Reaganomics Find out Warren Buffett′s favourite investment holding period

Heroes and Villains of Finance charts the evolution of money and human history, one financial titan at a time.

01 THALES OF MILETUS 2

02 CHANAKYA 6

03 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR 10

04 NICOLE ORESME 14

05 THE MEDICI FAMILY 18

06 JOHN LAW 22

07 SIR JOHN BLUNT 26

08 ADAM SMITH 30

09 CHARLES HALL 34

10 THE ROTHSCHILD FAMILY 38

11 DAVID RICARDO 42

12 KARL MARX 46

13 VILFREDO PARETO 50

14 AMADEO P. GIANNINI 54

15 CHARLES PONZI 58

16 ALVES DOS REIS 62

17 J.P. MORGAN 66

18 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT 70

19 WADDILL CATCHINGS 74

20 HETTY GREEN 78

21 F.A. HAYEK 82

22 JOHN VON NEUMANN 86

23 JOSEPH SCHUMPETER 90

24 LUDWIG VON MISES 94

25 JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES 98

26 HARRY DEXTER WHITE 102

27 SIDNEY WEINBERG 106

28 GEORGES DORIOT 110

29 BENJAMIN GRAHAM 114

30 ALFRED WINSLOW JONES 118

31 DENG XIAOPING 122

32 PETER DRUCKER 126

33 RONALD REAGAN 130

34 BERNARD CORNFELD 134

35 ROBERT VESCO 138

36 HYMAN MINSKY 142

37 HENRY KRAVIS 146

38 MICHAEL MILKEN 150

39 MURRAY ROTHBARD 154

40 EUGENE FAMA 158

41 MILTON FRIEDMAN 162

42 HARRY MARKOWITZ 166
43 MUHAMMAD YUNUS 170

44 NICK LEESON 174

45 KEN LAY 178

46 BERNARD MADOFF 182

47 WARREN BUFFETT 186

48 GEORGE SOROS 190

49 NASSIM NICHOLAS TALEB 194

50 DICK FULD 198

GLOSSARY 202

REFERENCES 205