Robert C. Merton

Written for the MBA or undergraduate first course in finance, as well as follow-on courses, this textbook provides a clear, accessible, and thorough explanation of the principles of finance; how they connect to real-world practice and how they are used to solve problems. Structured around ten unifying principles representing the core tenets of the science, this book imparts basic financial concepts irrespective of the institutional framework, ensuring that students learn about finance in a way that is applicable both now and into the future. Pedagogical features include learning objectives and major takeaways, applications in the world of business, numerous worked examples, key equation boxes highlighting the most important financial equations, quick check questions with solutions, key finance terms with a detailed glossary, and more than 380 homework problems. Online resources include a solutions manual, detailed instructor manual to adapt the book to your course, lectures slides and an 800 question test bank for instructors.

Written for the MBA or undergraduate first course in finance, as well as follow-on courses, this textbook provides a clear, accessible, and thorough explanation of the principles of finance; how they connect to real-world practice and how they are used to solve problems. Structured around ten unifying principles representing the core tenets of the science, this book imparts basic financial concepts irrespective of the institutional framework, ensuring that students learn about finance in a way that is applicable both now and into the future. Pedagogical features include learning objectives and major takeaways, applications in the world of business, numerous worked examples, key equation boxes highlighting the most important financial equations, quick check questions with solutions, key finance terms with a detailed glossary, and more than 380 homework problems. Online resources include a solutions manual, detailed instructor manual to adapt the book to your course, lectures slides and an 800 question test bank for instructors.

The compiled works of the man behind the evolution of quantitative finance Finance, Economics, and Mathematics is the complete Vasicek reference work, including published and unpublished work and interviews with the man himself. The name Oldrich A. Vasicek is synonymous with cutting-edge research in the finance fields, and this book comes straight from the source to bring you the undiluted mother lode of quant wisdom from one of the founders of the field. From his early work in yield curve dynamics, to the mean-reverting short-rate model, to his thoughts on derivatives pricing, to his work on credit risk, to his most recent research on the economics of interest rates, this book represents the life's work of an industry leader. Going beyond the papers, you'll also find the more personal side inspirational as Vasicek talks about the academics and professionals who made lasting impressions and collaborated, debated, and ultimately helped spawn some of his greatest thinking. Oldrich Vasicek has won virtually every important award and prize for his groundbreaking research in quantitative finance. You've followed his work for years; this book puts it all in a single volume to give you the definitive reference you'll turn to again and again. Explore Vasicek's insights on topics he helped createDiscover his research and ideas that have gone unpublished—until nowUnderstand yield curves and the Vasicek model from the source himselfGain a reference collection of some of the most influential work in quantitative finance Vasicek's research is the foundation of one of the most important innovations in finance. Quants around the world have been influenced by his ideas, and his status as thought leader is cemented in the annals of finance history. Finance, Economics, and Mathematics is the definitive Vasicek reference every finance professional needs.

Pension plans around the world are in a state of crisis. U. S. plans alone are facing a total accrued liability funding deficit of almost $4 trillion (of the same order of magnitude as the federal debt), a potential financial catastrophe that ranks among the largest ever seen. It has become clear that many government, corporate, and multi-employer pension sponsors will not be able to cope with this crippling debt and may default on promised benefits. And many of those sponsors that might be able to cope are exasperated by continuous, ongoing negative surprises-large unexpected deficits and higher-than-expected required contributions and pension expense-and are choosing to terminate their plans. But it need not be so. Pension Finance: Putting the Risks and Costs of Defined Benefit Plans Back under Your Control walks the reader through the conventional actuarial and accounting approaches to financing pension benefits and investing plan assets, showing that the problems described happen as a natural consequence of the dated methods still in use. It shows in detail how modern methods based on market value will easily minimize these risks: Pension plans can in fact be comfortable for employers to sponsor and safe for employees to contribute todepend on for their retirement needs. This book is must-read for defined benefit pension plan sponsors and employee representatives, plan executives, board members, accountants, fund managers, consultants, and regulators., Research sponsored by the CFA Institute, this book demystifies pension finance, previously accessible only to actuaries. It teaches the topic in lay terms by drawing complete analogies to ordinary transactions such as paying off a mortgage or saving for college. Armed with this book, anyone comfortable with finance and investments in any other context can be comfortable with pension finance and pension investment policy. And further armed with a handheld financial calculator, any layperson can quickly estimate the contributions needed to keep a given plan comfortably solvent, giving them a powerful tool for oversight.

Robert C. Merton's widely-used text provides an overview and synthesis of finance theory from the perspective of continuous-time analysis. It covers individual finance choice, corporate finance, financial intermediation, capital markets, and selected topics on the interface between private and public finance.