Bethany McLean

Among Bernard Madoff’s many dupes were his closest friends, including two tycoons he loved as surrogate fathers: the late Norman F. Levy—whose girlfriend, supermodel Carmen Dell’Orefice, would lose her life savings—and the prominent philanthropist Carl J. Shapiro. Amid the sobs, screams,…

Bethany McLean, journalist and author of several books about businesses gone wrong, is the guest in the latest episode of Ruffer Radio.

Here’s what you find when you read all his shareholder letters.

From the moment Donald Trump set eyes on Mar-a-Lago, the grand palace of old Palm Beach, in 1985, he was on a collision course with one of the richest and most insular towns in America. Chronicling how a brash outsider turned Palm Beach’s exclusivity against it, with a barrage of lawsuits, MARK SEAL…

Bethany McLean’s Weekend Reading List: Nursing Homes, the World’s Largest Pension Fund, and Our Make-Believe Economy  ProMarket

Bethany McLean’s Weekend Reading List: Wirecard, Women in the Workplace, and Social Safety Nets  ProMarket

Gunning for history

In the 20th edition of strategy+business’s Best Business Books section, our writers identify the three most compelling reads in seven genres.

Strategy with a purpose

Managing in a pandemic year

A master class in conflicts

Bethany McLean’s Weekend Reading List: Joe Biden, Private Equity, and Addictive Social Media  ProMarket

Walmart strikes back against the Department of Justice; Jack Ma gets richer; some great business books for the holidays; and speculation about a potential Biden treasury chief.

Bethany McLean’s Weekend Reading List: The Fed, the Google Antitrust Case, and Covid Bankruptcies  ProMarket

Bethany McLean’s Weekend Reading List: Friedman, 50 Years Later Edition  ProMarket

It may be years away, but here’s how the retailization of private equity could play out, according to a group of experts

Bethany McLean’s Weekend Reading List: Wirecard, Covid-Overwhelmed Hospitals, and Plastic  ProMarket

The diminished but still fabulously wealthy and powerful British aristocracy has survived agricultural decline, estate taxes, and world war, often bolstered by strategic marriage. Will its ancient code and customs be finished off for good by divorce? With an insider’s look at the recent travails of …

ABC’s finance reporter turns heads with Lou Reed and Patti Smith books. Plus: Jon Faine becomes accidental ad man

Bethany McLean’s Weekend Reading List: Big Tech, Hospital Bills, and the Lost “Covid Generation”  ProMarket