Myth of Money

In Myth of Money: Breaking Out of the Failing Financial System, renowned finance, crypto, and economics thought leader Tatiana Koffman delivers an insightful and informative take on the past, present, and future of money, and the rise of cryptocurrencies as a transformative force in the financial world.

Koffman has witnessed multiple financial collapses firsthand—beginning with the fall of the USSR, when her family lost everything, followed by the subprime mortgage crisis that marked the start of her new career, and then the economic fallout of COVID-19. As Bitcoin gains its footing globally, she has observed its meteoric rise and catastrophic falls with a keen understanding that these are early steps of a system poised to redefine finance.

Navigating her way from traditional finance and into the realms of venture capital, crypto, and digital assets, as she writes about fintech, Koffman's journey takes us from Eastern Europe to Canada, to Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador, to Lebanon, Dubai, Africa, Necker Island, and back to the States. Along the way, she shares hard-earned lessons about the myths surrounding money, even those emerging in the new digital era.

Throughout the book, her stories are paired with clear explanations and discussions of technical aspects of finance, in her trademark voice of clarity, incisively cutting to the core of complex topics in a relatable and easy-to-digest manner.

Koffman's unique perspective, drawn from her global experience and deep understanding of economic upheavals, makes Myth of Money an essential read for anyone interested in the future of finance and the potential of cryptocurrency to take the place of a system we can no longer rely on to create and safeguard wealth.

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: My Journey to Freedom 1

1 Drawing Back the Iron Curtain 7

Roots of Resilience 8

The Fall of the Soviet Empire 9

The Birth of Property Rights in the East 14

Childhood Lessons: It’s a Hard-Knock Life 16

Russian Run on the Banks 18

Go West: Starting a New Life in North America 20

College Years: A Philosopher’s Chair 22

MONEY MYTH #1: Your past defines your future 24

2 The Modern Boiler Room 27

Girl on the Trading Floor: The Lows of High Finance 28

David and Goliath: Navigating the Investment Banking World 34

Sweating the Swap Desk: Fixed Income 38

Big, Smart Money: Stocks and Equities 41

Stepping Off the Merry-Go-Round 45

MONEY MYTH #2: Banks exist for our benefit 47

3 The Culture of Money 49

From Linkin Park to The Chainsmokers: Music and the Art of Venture Capital 53

Y Combinator and the Venture Capital Framework 55

Unicorns, Kardashians, and the NFT Revolution 60

MONEY MYTH #3: Making money has to be boring 68

4 The Money Printer 71

The Journey to My Parents’ Basement 71

Key Schools of Economic Thought 75

A Creature Awakes: The Federal Reserve Steps In 78

The Money Printer Goes Brrrrr 84

The K-Shaped Recovery 87

Flight to Safety 89

MONEY MYTH #4: Regular people don’t need to understand economic policy 90

5 Once Upon a Time in El Salvador 93

The Birth of Bitcoin 94

A Love Story: Bitcoin’s First Circular Economy 100

The First Country to Make Bitcoin Legal Tender 106

MONEY MYTH #5: Bitcoin is a scam 110

6 Lebanon on Fire 113

A House of Paper 114

A Brief History of Money 114

WWII: A Financial Systems Overhaul 118

Crisis in Beirut: Hyperinflation Rocks the Boat 121

Hyperinflation: Triggers and Consequences 124

MONEY MYTH #6: All fiat currency is trustworthy 130

7 The Art of a Ponzi Scheme 133

Vegas of the Middle East 134

I’m Rich, B*tch: Lessons from Larry’s Crypto Suite 137

The Genesis of Cryptocurrencies 145

Washed Up in Monaco 151

Cashing In and Cashing Out 154

MONEY MYTH #7: All cryptocurrencies are good investments 154

8 Leapfrogging to a Decentralized Africa 157

The Fourth Industrial Revolution 158

The Camp David of South Africa: A Presidential Visit 162

A Detour to Necker Island 164

Into the Lion’s Den: Blockchain Applications Kenya and Nigeria 168

MONEY MYTH #8: Blockchain technologies do not have real-world impact 174

9 Breaking Point 177

When Your Mind and Body Fail: Retreat to Bali 178

Market Collapse: A (Block)chain Reaction 181

The Contagion 184

Soft Landing in a Pool of Quicksand: Quantitative Tightening 185

Behind the Vault Door: There Is Less than You Think 189

Protect Yourself from Economic Turbulence 192

MONEY MYTH #9: Getting rich quickly is easy 194

10 Waking Up from the American Dream 197

The Beginning of the End 199

The American Debt: A Downward Spiral 203

Global De-Dollarization 205

Behind the Battlefield: The Economics of War 209

Bitcoin Is a Silent Protest 216

MONEY MYTH #10: The US dollar is different 217

A Path Forward 219

About the Author 229

Index 231

TATIANA KOFFMAN is a recognized thought leader and speaker in finance and technology, an angel investor, author, and curator of the weekly newsletter MythOfMoney.com. Her work has been featured in Forbes, CoinDesk, CNBC, and The Economist. She is a General Partner at the digital assets investment firm Moonwalker Capital.

In Myth of Money: Breaking Out of the Failing Financial System, celebrated finance and crypto thought leader Tatiana Koffman delivers an engaging and informative discussion about the future of the financial industry, money, and economics. The author explains how you and other investors can devise a new path forward and avoid being left behind as the financial world undergoes tectonic shifts in organization and structure.

In the book, you’ll learn what underpins the contemporary systems of banking and finance, including the concept of fractional reserves, as well as how you can navigate tricky and stressful questions like whether we’re facing another housing crisis or why interest rates keep rising and what you can do about it. You’ll also deepen your understanding of money, economics, and technology, as well as how they’re all interconnected in the modern marketplace.

Myth of Money untangles many of the intentionally overcomplicated and needlessly complex realities of contemporary finance, simplifying its concepts without losing important nuance and utility. You’ll rediscover economic concepts and become able to relate them to your everyday life and investing behaviors.

Each chapter of the book contains a combination of personal anecdotes, almost unbelievable (but true!) facts about the worlds of finance, cryptocurrency, and investing, excerpts from Koffman’s most popular written work, an easy-to-follow technical explanation of the subject, and the latest context—and what we can learn from it—that helps you put the information in perspective.

An indispensable guidebook to the rapidly evolving ecosystem where technology, crypto, finance, investing, and economics collide, Myth of Money will earn a place on the bookshelves of everyone interested in a better understanding of money and its place in the world.

PRAISE FOR MYTH OF MONEY

“Myth of Money is an adrenaline-filled and insightful journey into how our modern global financial system works (or doesn’t), and how bitcoin could reduce wars and be the ultimate store-of-value for the internet generation. This would have been way more helpful than my economics textbooks.”
—CHRIS PAN, Social Entrepreneur and Ohio State University Commencement Speaker

“Koffman has written a profound and impactful book that sheds light on the hidden truths of our financial systems. Her work is both intelligent and necessary.”
—HON. JERRY S. GRAFSTEIN, KC, Former Senator of Canada

“Koffman’s Myth of Money defies an easy description. It is at once a well-researched, and provocative treatise on the past, present and future of money and also a deeply personal memoir of someone who defied the odds to rise to the top of her field. Those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of our next economic and financial frontier should read Myth of Money. An engaging, and highly readable book!”
—ALEX TAPSCOTT, Bestselling Author of Blockchain Revolution

“A rare blend of storytelling and economic theory, Koffman’s book challenges the status quo and offers new possibilities for the future of money. This book is required reading for anyone interested in the future of the global economy.”
—BRETT LEVE, Founder, Summit

“Koffman’s exploration of the financial world is both enlightening and deeply personal. Her ability to blend economic analysis with her hard-earned life lessons makes this book a must-read.”
—JAY ROSENZWEIG, Investor, CEO of Rosenzweig & Company