I've Been Rich, I've Been Poor, Rich is Better

This unusual combination of memoir and financial-advice manual is presented by Resnick, the CEO of an investment firm (Dabney/Resnick) who also worked with Mike Milken at Drexel Burnham Lambert before he was indicted and sentenced to prison. At that time, she notes pithily, writing with freelancer Stone, she ""didn't know a bond from a halo. So I turned myself into a learning sponge."" However, unlike Milken, one of Resnick's golden rules of advice for investing is ""never lose your integrity."" Although her explanations of estate planning, insurance and the hows and whys of investing in stocks and bonds are clearly presented, this information is easily available elsewhere. Of greater interest is Resnick's personal story of how she learned to take responsibility for herself and her two children after a divorce and decided she could ""do without men."" At first, she relates, she depended on her indulgent father, who had deluded his family into thinking he was wealthy. After his death from a heart attack, Resnick discovered he'd gambled away almost all his fortune. The legal struggles over his assets turned Resnick into a fiercely independent woman, she stresses. (Jan.)