Pearson to publish irreverent "wake-up call" guide to money and finance

Aug. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Publisher Pearson has announced the forthcoming publication of an irreverent new self-help guide to finance that demystifies money and investment.

OUCH! — published by Pearson Business in the UK on September 1, 2012 — promises to “pull the financial system's pants down” and expose in simple terms how money really works and how bad choices and advice drain our cash.

The book is described as a “rollicking tour de force of money” like nothing written before. A unique blend of economics, human psychology, risk mitigation, behavioural finance and neuroscience, it provides everything you need to know about money, the stock market and wealth creation, and explains why we often make bad choices or follow the wrong advice.

Author and business turnaround specialist Paul Knott illuminates the whole approach to finance and investment, and warns about the precarious state of the today's financial system, giving readers an “urgent wake-up call” to what's really happening with their money . . . before it's too late.

Following in the tradition of best-selling titles such as Freakonomics, Blink and Predictably Irrational, the book livens up an important subject by drawing together a wealth of complex information, scientific research and understanding and delivering it in a user-friendly way that's both entertaining and fascinating.

Written with the general reader firmly in mind, it's a title for those who may never have bought a finance book in their lives; those who've been put off by fear, embarrassment or just boredom, and those who think learning how to play the money game — and win — is just far too confusing.

Thankfully, author Paul Knott is on hand to prove that money is actually far more interesting and simple than everyone thinks — it's just that nobody has ever explained it quite like him before.

Paul isn't a financial professional, but 'one of us' — a  very smart ordinary guy who recognised that he didn't understand enough about how money worked, or what all the right things were to do with his hard-earned cash, and set about changing the situation in his favour.

After much study and research, he concluded that most of us are being steered away from the riches we could easily have by listening to the wrong people and the primitive drives and emotional reactions that are hard-wired into our brains.

Reassuringly, once switched on to how money works (and switched off to bad data and bad guidance), anyone can prosper — as long as they follow some simple rules.

Paul Knott said: “Money dominates the world we live in, and in many respects, how we live it, but it’s a system that most of us don’t even question, never mind understand.

“It’s a system that drains us of resources whilst most people are blissfully unaware of the fact it’s even happening. Ignorance is bliss, except when it hurts. We literally don’t even recognise the game that is being played out in front of us. Well check your pockets: you’re being fleeced.”

He added: “The style of OUCH! is quintessentially irreverent but the message is deadly serious. I liken it to being invited by a friend into a bar for a drink and then being gently coshed over the head with an education before you have even realised it.”

“The book is very timely as our financial system is currently facing collapse. There is a massive systemic risk because the whole of the system is deeply flawed. It’s an accident waiting to happen.

“If this does come to pass then a lot of people are going to end up with very little. None of these are Black Swans because anyone can see them coming a mile off — if they know what to look out for.

“You have a choice. You can either wake up or get wiped out. That pretty much sums up where we are. I want people to see the OUCH so they don’t have to feel it.”

OUCH! By Paul Knott (Pearson Business) is released on September 1, 2012, priced £12.99.
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NOTES TO EDITORS

ABOUT PAUL KNOTT:  Paul Knott is a business turnaround specialist who has a passion for helping others. Whether it is a severe company crisis to be overcome, or just making the most of what you already have, he enjoys delivering successful results in challenging situations. This philosophy has now been extended into the realm of personal finance through writing OUCH! published by Pearson Business. Paul has a a degree in Mathematics (including the Harding Maths prize) from University of London and a Masters in Retail Marketing from TIAS Business School, in The Netherlands. Paul currently resides beachside in Whitstable, and Brazil.