A Capitalist's Lament

Leland Faust unmasks Wall Street’s unsavory tactics in powerful detail by giving readers a high-level view of how the financial services industry misleads them, overcharges them, and exposes them to needless risk. He documents the financial industry’s alluring come-ons, airbrushed risks, high-stakes gambling, half-truths, misleading statements, outlandish predictions, tricks to overcharge customers, bad deals, and outright fraud by the most prominent and renowned of Wall Street’s players.

A Capitalist’s Lament is about what happens when financial firms and their employees forget whose interest they are supposed to protect. It shows how making foolish or wrong predictions is of no consequence to those who make them and how Wall Street luminaries with poor track records still garner celebrity status. Most of all, it spotlights how Wall Street manipulates the system and furthers its own interests at its customers’ expense and puts us all at great risk. Here is what you need to know to protect yourself from “business as usual” and get ahead—instead of getting taken.

Leland Faust has been in financial investment for nearly four decades, managing money for business executives, entertainers, and athletes. He founded CSI Capital Management in 1978 and managed a mutual fund which outperformed almost all of Wall Street. He has been profiled in the New York Times, Barron's, Sporting News, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, and others. He has frequently appeared on the major network affiliates and on the financial cable networks. Faust lives in San Francisco, California.

"Leland Faust is a Wall Street/street soldier. I’m a community street soldier—one who wants to eliminate violence from the community. Leland wants to eliminate hucksterism, fraud, gambling and price gouging from Wall Street. Good for him. We’re on the same page. This book is the truth. It will blow your socks off."
—Dr. Joseph Marshall, author of Street Soldier: One Man’s Struggle to Save a Generation—One Life at a Time, community activist, radio talk show host, and MacArthur Genius Award recipient

"Having had bad business advice in my early years, I was fortunate to find Leland Faust, who has provided me with keen insight while handling my investments. He taught me to avoid Wall Street’s nonsense, and now you can receive his exceptional advice in this new book. His fascinating story will open your eyes to many of the corrupt practices in the financial world, and you will learn how to protect yourself and your money."
—Rick Barry, member of NBA Hall of Fame, 12 time All Star, and MVP of NBA Finals

"A Capitalist’s Lament combines great storytelling with shocking revelations. Leland Faust's dedication to protecting investors is so clear. He carefully documents why we need to stop listening to Wall Street’s nonsense and shows us why we must say 'no' to Wall Street’s hype and hucksterism."
—Bob Brenly, Major League Baseball All Star, World Series champion manager, and national broadcaster

"Leland Faust has already established himself as a levelheaded, common sense advisor. Now you can get the same common sense advice that many paid thousands of dollars for in a simple, straightforward tell-all book. This insider’s guide is revealing and exposes some of the underbelly of the Wall Street power brokers. Educate yourself and become a wiser investor. Read this book."
—Honorable Steve Stockman, retired Congressman (TX) who served on the U.S. Congress Financial Services Committee

"Wall Street is well known for the kinds of shocking, contradictory stories that make great movies. Greed is good for entertainment value. In this book Leland Faust unmasks the duplicitous practices behind the profligacy we often see celebrated on the big screen. But Leland isn’t proffering entertainment. This is a sobering education in the real-life consequences of greed-driven practices. With his meticulous research and whistleblower details, this would serve as perfect source material for a much-needed documentary."
—Elizabeth M. Daley, Steven J. Ross/Time Warner Professor and Dean,
School of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California

"A Capitalist’s Lament is a page turner that exposes Wall Street’s clever practices that take money out of our pockets. Leland Faust is passionate in his desire for true reform, and you’ll see why."
—Michael Johnson, 4 time Olympic champion and BBC broadcaster

"A Capitalist’s Lament is a unique book—informative and entertaining. We all need to have a better understanding of how Wall Street takes from us and influences public policy. You will laugh and cry as you read Leland Faust’s retelling of his many years of experience and his penetrating observations."
—Natalie Coughlin, 12 time Olympic medalist and NBC commentator

"A Capitalist’s Lament is to Wall Street what Fast Food Nation was to the franchise-restaurant industry. In plain, smart, authoritative language, financial expert Leland Faust exposes the hidden practices of brokerage firms, financial advisors, and even government agencies that exploit and harm the very consumers they are supposed to serve. Faust is an unabashed capitalist who breaks ranks with his Wall Street colleagues to tell the truth about the giant casino game in which American consumers are unwitting players."
—Joan Ryan, author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Female Gymnasts and Figure Skaters

"Mighty Leland at the bat delivers a walk off win versus Wall Street rivals."
—Duane Kuiper, former Major League infielder and ten time Emmy Award winning broadcaster for San Francisco Giants.

"If you like books on corruption and greed within Wall Street, check out A Capitalist’s Lament by Leland Faust."
—Kevin Youkilis, Gold Glove-winning first baseman, three-time MLB All Star, and World Series Champion

"Leland Faust will educate you about Wall Street. He is one of the last good men standing in the financial industry."
—Rickey Henderson, member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and American League MVP

"In the polemical, tell-all book, A Capitalist's Lament, veteran asset manager Leland Faust takes on the US financial system. Faust has the informed perspective of a successful Wall Street insider, and he pulls no punches in laying bare a widespread culture of deception, gambling and self-dealing. A committed capitalist, he calls for fundamental overhaul of the great financial engine that once powered US growth and prosperity. A compelling read."
—Peter Rockefeller, investment banker and investor