Bestselling author John Talbott outlines the troublesome economic times ahead and what can be done about them

Tough times are here, and author John Talbott-who accurately predicted the dot.com technology stock collapse as well as the recent housing, mortgage, and financial crises-argues that the coming global recession will be unlike anything we've ever seen.

In Contagion, Talbott turns his attention to this crisis and offers insights on what can be done to navigate such treacherous terrain. Talbott sets the stage by discussing how government borrowing and spending on the war, healthcare, Social Security, and corporate giveaways combined with dramatic increases in personal spending, fueled by credit card and mortgage debt, have funded unsustainable levels of personal and government consumption.

• Offers practical suggestions as to how investors and homeowners can best weather this storm with straightforward advice on where to invest
• Examines real estate and housing issues to help you make the best decisions possible in this arena
• Details the best ways to utilize stocks, bonds, TIPS, and commodities, and to prosper during this global crisis
• If you really want to protect yourself from the unfolding economic crisis, then Contagion is the book you need to read.

Barack Obama’s greatest strength has been his ability to bring the country together in a meaningful dialog. For far too long the divisions among races, religions, cultures, and genders have prevented Americans from coming together to solve the most important problems of our generation:

• Environment and energy shortages
• Mortgage and housing crises
• War and terrorism
• Healthcare and Social Security
• Poverty in the world’s richest nation

As the Obama administration takes on the current economic crisis amid accusations of planning a socialist system, economics and political writer John R. Talbott argues that such complex problems found both at home and abroad cannot just be left to the actions of government or the free market business world, or the Bush administration's version of Reagonomics that still sticks to a “trickle-down” policy.

The change that Talbott sees from a Barack Obama presidency is one based on justice and cooperation, principles that have not held sway in Washington, DC for a very long time. Obamanomics, infused with Obama’s speeches, campaign policy statements, and other writings, describes not just a government but a NATION acting according to democratic principles to reform lobbying, banking, and housing as well as restore economic growth, address the healthcare system, improve education, and find solutions to our aging population and declining energy sources.

Once emphasis is placed on citizen involvement, real solutions become apparent to our most pressing problems. The American values of goodness, justice, and fairness is reflected in this man with roots from Kenya, Kansas, Hawaii, and Illinois can once again be incorporated into our economic and financial system.

A former investment banker for Goldman Sachs, John R. Talbott is the author of four books on economics and politics, including The Coming Crash in the Housing Market making him one of the first to predict the current housing and mortgage crisis. He has appeared on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, and CBS Marketwatch and has written for The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and the Boston Globe.

“Talbott is an oracle with a track record: His previous books predicted the collapse of both the housing bubble and the tech-stock binge before it.”—Bloomberg.com

“Talbott gives fiscal politics a shot of excitement and, yes, hope.”—Publishers Weekly

Investors and citizens around the world realize, as never before, that we were misled—lied to—about the stability of our financial system. But what now?

The 86 Biggest Lies on Wall Street exposes the lies and then exposes us to the truth of what it will take to rebuild our economy. As a former investment banker at Goldman Sachs, John R. Talbott knows firsthand how the financial system operates and how to fix it. As the “oracle” who predicted the housing crisis in his 2003 book, The Coming Housing Crisis, and called the election for Obama when the senator from Illinois was still the underdog (Obamanomics), Talbott’s revelations about how Wall Street really works are as clear-eyed and undeniable as his predictions and recommendations for our economic future are tough, sensible, and exciting. We may ignore them at our peril.

John R. Talbott is the author of six previous books on economics and politics, including, most recently, Obamanomics: How Botton-Up Economic Prosperity Will Replace Trickle-Down Economics and Contagion: The Financial Epidemic That is Sweeping the Global Economy . . . and How to Protect Yourself from It. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Buzzflash.com, and Alternet, and he has appeared as a commentator on CNN, Fox, CNBC, CBS, and MSNBC.