Mergers & Acquisitions For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Introduction

Welcome to the second edition of Mergers & Acquisitions For Dummies! When I wrote the first edition, way back in the fall of 2010, I was excited to memorialize the ins and outs of the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) profession. This book was intended in large part as a guide for anyone interested in M&A — service providers, students, business owners — but in no small part I wrote the book for me. I did not fully comprehend that truth until the spring of 2011, when the publisher sent me a copy of the book, right before it was released. I was at home that Friday, and I marveled at the outcome of my hard work. Thanks to technology, experience, and opportunity, I was able to convert abstract thoughts into something tangible — a book. As I excitedly held that book in front of my housekeeper (she didn’t care), I reflected on what I’m good at and what I’m not good at, and as I performed that bit of self-analysis, I began to examine how I learn.

The process of writing that first edition required me to think, consider, evaluate, and pithily explain the logic and reasoning and processes of the seemingly innumerable facets of M&A. I was already familiar with them, of course; M&A is how I make my living, but I discovered when I wrote about a subject I already knew well, I made new connections, analyzed known aspects in different ways, and uncovered fresh methods to explain what I already knew … or thought I knew. This process of introspection unveiled my preferred method of learning: ...