How Money Became Dangerous, Christopher Varelas
How Money Became Dangerous, Christopher Varelas
1 Rating(s)
List: $29.99 | Sale: $21.00
Club: $14.99

How Money Became Dangerous
The Inside Story of our Turbulent Relationship with Modern Finance

Author: Christopher Varelas, Dan Stone

Narrator: Roger Wayne

Unabridged: 14 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 11/05/2019


Synopsis

From a veteran of the trade, a provocative and entertaining voyage into the turbulent heart of modern money that sheds new light on the rise of our threatening and complicated financial system, how money became our adversary, and why finding a new course is crucial to a healthy society

In the not too distant past, money was simple. You might have had a bank account and a mortgage, perhaps some basic investments. Wall Street didn’t have a reputation for greed and recklessness. That all started to change in the eighties, as our financial systems became increasingly complex, moving beyond the understanding of the general public while impacting our lives in innumerable ways. The financial world began to feel like an enigma—a rogue force working against us, seemingly controlled by no one.  From an industry veteran who’s had firsthand involvement in the events that shaped modern money, How Money Became Dangerous  journeys from the crime-ridden LA jewelry district to the cutthroat Salomon Brothers trading floor, from the high-stakes world of investment banking to the center of the technology boom, capturing the key deals, developments, and players that made the financial world what it is today. The book illuminates the dark, hidden forces of Wall Street and how it has dehumanized and left behind everyday Americans. A fresh and enlightening take on how we reached this point, How Money Became Dangerous also makes the case for why Wall Street needs to be saved, if only to save ourselves.

About Christopher Varelas

Responsible for brokering some of the biggest deals in finance, Christopher Varelas was listed among the top 100 dealmakers by the New York Times and was named top technology “rainmaker” by DealMakers Monthly. After working as Citi’s head of technology and then as the head of the company’s National Investment Bank, Varelas left the company in 2008 to cofound Riverwood Capital, a premier private equity firm in Silicon Valley.

About Dan Stone

Dan Stone is a writer, editor, and small business owner. North Light—his establishment in Oakland, California—is a hybrid of a bar, bookstore, and record shop.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rahul on September 18, 2020

4 Stars A book about rich people, money and there dirty games. I lost interest in mid way but somehow drifted to the end.......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on February 24, 2020

Varelas worked in Solomon Brothers and then Citibank. How does finance become dangerous? 1. In the beginning, banks were small and bankers knew everyone personally 2. Investment banks grew big through IPOs and now staff could play with other people’s money. As bonus was tied to performance, staff bet......more

Goodreads review by Jim on December 16, 2020

Wow! What a great book! Finance is highly complex, but this book makes it simple and personal. The author does this through stories/vignettes of experiences he has had that illustrate problems in our financial system. The book is no polemic--the author learned about problems as he encountered them.......more

Goodreads review by Dan on February 18, 2020

When I first picked up Christopher Varelas' book "How Money Became Dangerous," I read the dust jacket and was intrigued by the promise that I was going to read a trend book about the transition of our financial system into an "enigma that was becoming a rogue force working against us." However, when......more

Goodreads review by Hal on August 25, 2020

Christopher Varelas takes us on a journey through his financial career that started out, well actually in Disney World which seems kind of appropriate to many sectors of the financial kingdom and all of its fierce and sometimes scary species. His first venture begins in clerical nature at a BofA in......more