Investing in College Basketball provides a comprehensive set of tools and techniques for successfully wagering on college basketball. It shows how the returns - winnings -- from investing in college basketball can be far greater than investing in stocks and bonds. These returns can be achieved by anyone with an interest in basketball, basic mathematical skills, and a computer with spreadsheet programs and Internet access. The power of the methodology is demonstrated by actual investing results for the 2003-2004 season of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The book includes an analysis of investment outcomes for the A-10 Conference, the working papers for assessing each team, and the analysis of each game for which an investment was made. There are extensive examples of how theory is applied in analyzing actual games and showing how good analysis consistently pays off.

A money expert uses his passion for college basketball to teach the ins and outs of personal finance in a more approachable fashion. What can legendary UCLA coach John Wooden teach us about personal financial planning? How do Georgetown’s shot-blocking big men relate to investing strategy? And what does Christian Laettner’s famous last-second shot have to do with leaving a financial legacy for your family? In Bulls, Bears, & Basketball, financial planning veteran Chuck Thoele makes the case that average investors can learn a lot from their hardwood heroes. If you think sports stories are more exciting than financial rhetoric, this book is for you. Forget dry and technical lectures about financial planning. Thoele translates must-know financial concepts into basketball language that’s enlightening and fun to read. Assess your own team, scout the competition, perfect your offense, get tough on defense, and always keep an eye on the clock. Guiding readers through the colorful history of NCAA basketball, Thoele draws parallels between some of the game’s most dramatic moments and the principles of building financial security. He tells of unstoppable teams, coaching geniuses, and glorious victories and relates them to essential lessons about investing, insurance, retirement, estate planning, and more. Praise for Bulls, Bears & Basketball “Thoele . . . succeeds in instructing the reader in a decision-making process that can be easily understood, simple to apply, and entertaining at the same time.” —Steve Alford, Head Coach, UCLA Bruins Men’s Basketball Team “Chuck Thoele cleverly weaves parallels between NCAA basketball—referencing real-life moments during games of play, unstoppable teams, and coaching geniuses—and essential lessons about investing. Having worked with RGT and Chuck for the past twenty-four years, I’m confident you’ll find Bulls, Bears & Basketball a valuable read.” —Troy Aikman, NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback “Thoele skillfully masters the art of teaching readers must-know principles to building financial security for life. By connecting two of his greatest loves-helping people manage their money and the annual NCAA Tournament known as March Madness-Bulls, Bears, & Basketball puts a refreshing spin on learning valuable information.” —Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks owner, American businessman, and investor

Fans that wager on college basketball can become consistent winners and still gain the full entertainment value of both watching the games and wagering. By applying a little extra effort to handicap games and place wagers intelligently, the losses of the average fan can be turned into significant winnings. If you are a fan are ready to spend some time handicapping - maybe 20 minutes - you can win consistently. By using a systematic handicapping and wagering process that makes the best use of your time, you can gain an advantage. Examples of the most powerful techniques for gaining a consistent wagering advantage are: - Specializing in point-spread wagers rather than totals, futures, interactive, and exotic propositions. - Projecting a team's play based on past performance against teams comparable to the next opponent, not all teams. - Analyzing a team's performance trend by focusing on the last 10 games. - Systematically varying the amounts wagered to reflect your perceived advantage - the difference between the outcome that you forecast for the game and the point spread. - Doing business with sports books with offer you a tangible advantage in terms of how early they accept wagers as well as the propositions they handle and transaction fees (vigorish) they charge. - For each desired wager, "shop" among sports books for the most favorable terms - both the point spread and the moneyline.

Sporty Investing Guide: NCAA College Basketball 2013-14 Edition

The economics of the NCAA Division I men's basketball league are peculiar because it fails to hire the best college-aged players and does little to enhance competitive balance within the league. The league's policy decisions and its ability to remain economically viable, despite its short-sighted governance decisions, are discussed.

This is a follow-up to the popular first book in the series, "Sports Investing: Profiting from Point Spreads," which remains a top-selling book in its sports gambling category. This book focuses on specific college football betting systems and strategies. The book remains true to the philosophy of contrarian value in sports investing. In particular, the authors reveal betting systems and parameters that they have used to successfully navigate the college football sports marketplace.

America's favorite sportswriter takes readers on a thrilling and unforgettable journey into the world of college basketball in this national bestseller. Like millions who love college basketball, John Feinstein was first drawn to the game because of its intensity, speed and intelligence. Like many others, he felt that the vast sums of money involved in NCAA basketball had turned the sport into a division of the NBA, rather than the beloved amateur sport it once was. He went in search of college basketball played with the passion and integrity it once inspired, and found the Patriot League. As one of the NCAA's smallest leagues, none of these teams leaves college early to join the NBA and none of these coaches gets national recognition or endorsement contracts. The young men on these teams are playing for the love of the sport, of competition and of their schools. John Feinstein spent a season with these players, uncovering the drama of their daily lives and the passions that drive them to commit hundreds of hours to basketball even when there is no chance of a professional future. He offers a look at American sport at its purest.

Investing with Impact: Why Finance Is a Force for Good outlines the roadmap to reinvigorating a skeptical public and demoralized financial services industry by making the case that, contrary to popular misconception, finance is not the cause of the world's problems; in fact, it can provide the solution. Author Jeremy Balkin presents the case that the finance industry can improve the state of the world by positively influencing the allocation of capital. Investing With Impact explains the methodology of Balkin's 6 E Paradigm, opening the toolbox to this revolutionary framework for the first time. In so doing, Balkin expands the impact investment universe, enabling mainstream capital to flow where opportunities generate positive investment returns and have demonstrable social impact. Described by the Huffington Post as the "Anti-Wolf of Wall Street," Balkin is challenging the status quo on Wall Street by leading the intellectual debate embracing the $1 trillion frontier impact investment market opportunity. The book demonstrates conclusively that, if we can change the culture in finance, we can change the world for the better.

Big money NCAA basketball had its origins in a many-sided conflict of visions and agendas. On one side stood large schools focused on a commercialized game that privileged wins and profits. Opposing them was a tenuous alliance of liberal arts colleges, historically black colleges, and regional state universities, and the competing interests of the NAIA, each with distinct interests of their own. Kurt Edward Kemper tells the dramatic story of the clashes that shook college basketball at mid-century—and how the repercussions continue to influence college sports to the present day. Taking readers inside the competing factions, he details why historically black colleges and regional schools came to embrace commercialization. As he shows, the NCAA's strategy of co-opting its opponents gave each group just enough just enough to play along—while the victory of the big-time athletics model handed the organization the power to seize control of college sports. An innovative history of an overlooked era, Before March Madness looks at how promises, power, and money laid the groundwork for an American sports institution.

Lunardi delves into the early days of Bracketology, details its growth, and dispels the myths of the process The NCAA Tournament has become one of the most popular sports events in the country, consuming fans for weeks with the run to the Final Four and ultimately the crowning of the champion of college hoops.? Each March, millions of Americans fill out their bracket in the hopes of correctly predicting the future. Yet, there is no true Madness without the oft-debated question about what teams should be seeded where—from the Power-5 Blue Blood with some early season stumbles on their resume to the mid-major that rampaged through their less competitive conference season—and the inventor of Bracketology himself, Joe Lunardi, now reveals the mystery and science behind the legend. While going in depth on his ever-evolving predictive formula, Lunardi compares great teams from different eras with intriguing results, talks to the biggest names in college basketball about their perception of Bracketology (both good and bad), and looks ahead to the future of the sport and how Bracketology will help shape the conversation. This fascinating book is a must-read for college hoops fans and anyone who has aspired to win their yearly office pool.