Confessions of a Municipal Bond Salesman

In the world of finance, Jim Lebenthal is best known for making tax-free municipal bonds both understandable and desirable, by attaching a face—mainly his—and a personality to this otherwise dry-as-dust financial instrument. But that's not all he's done. Before getting into his family's bond business, Lebenthal had some of the most glamorous jobs in America, as a Life magazine Hollywood correspondent, a filmmaker for Disney—receiving an Academy Award nomination in 1959 for best short feature—and a copywriter for Ogilvy & Mather as well as Young & Rubicam.

Now, in Confessions of a Municipal Bond Salesman, Lebenthal, with the help of syndicated business columnist Bernice Kanner, traces his life journey from Hollywood reporter to renowned bond salesman and helps you apply what he's learned to your own professional career and life. Each chapter of this entertaining and engaging book consists of vivid stories in which Lebenthal looks back to recount his successes and setbacks, as he worked to build the family business—Lebenthal & Company—into one of the best-known municipal bond firms in America.

Part professional guide, part personal memoir, Confessions of a Municipal Bond Salesman takes you inside Lebenthal's world as he learns the bond business from his mother, battles the Social Security tax on municipal bonds, takes on New York's many fiscal crises, and ultimately passes the Lebenthal & Company torch to his daughter Alexandra.

After Lebenthal enlightens you with some of his famous ruminations, anecdotes, proverbs, and aphorisms, he offers unique advice on what you can take away from them, such as:

• Recognizing opportunity
• Overcoming any obstacle
• Ethics and morality at work
• The secrets to selling
• Avoiding procrastination
• And much more

By following the lessons found in Confessions of a Municipal Bond Salesman, you too can become the next great municipal bond salesman or saleswoman—or anything else for that matter. All you need to do is listen and learn. Chances are you'll discover your inner voice and become adept at using it to succeed in every aspect of life.