Description: Electric Money tells the fascinating and important story of how information technology has changed the world financial system -- and what that means for us all. It includes a brief history of and look at the near-future of credit cards, automatic teller machines, derivative securities, electronic stock exchanges, and the people behind them.

Electric Money explains how these elements are linked and how they have changed the world of money forever. If the business world and our personal lives feel different from five years ago, it is largely because of this democratization of finance. Recognizing the changes and how to take advantage of them will alter the financial life of everyone who reads this book.

In this entertaining romp through an increasingly cashless world, Cringely takes the reader on a tour through the latest developments in virtual credit cards. He looks at our permanent loss of financial privacy, international trade, information control -- the new source of power -- and explores the public's obsession with stock investing.

Learn what Wall Street "rocket scientists" actually do and how they make money. Discover how computers have changed the nature of wealth. Find out the truth about increasing electronic crime. Electric Money also looks at e-commerce, day trading, and the new robber barons. Cringely wraps it all up with his savvy take on our future in a world that's morphing from paper to protons, showing us how to enjoy self-assured, independent financial lives, despite the dizzying pace of change.

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