Economic and finance questions for The Leading Indicators
-- what financial mistakes did Tom and Margo Helot make early in the book?
-- Tom’s business partner was engaged in fraud. Why wasn’t he caught?
-- How could Tom have realized there was fraud at his firm?
-- The Helots lived a great lifestyle yet were “delicately poised” financially and got into trouble as soon as the paychecks stopped. How could they have avoided this?
-- What mistake did Tom make when he bought a condo?
-- The entrepreneur who starts the company ZiZi declares that capitalism must be heartless. Is this true?
-- Margo says that when she was rich she never noticed poor people around her, but once she became poor herself, then “it was like all the poor people began to glow.” What do you think about her change in views?
-- At the end, Margo is campaigning for “living wage” laws – a minimum of $10 an hour. Is this a good idea? Are there negatives to raising the minimum wage?
-- Margo believes that getting into a good college is the key to her children’s future. A generation ago, everyone believed this. Is it still true?