This book is an important and timely research study that explores a little-known area of investing, which is that of private mortgage lending. The reason for undertaking the study was twofold: 1) For the past 16 years, retirement portfolios have been devastated by stock market fluctuations resulting from a greater prevalence of boom and bust economic cycles. It is quite possible that currently another bust cycle might be unfolding, in spite of the apparent bull market. In fact, the telltale signs that a possible bust cycle might be unfolding are already showing; and 2) The policy adopted by the Federal Reserve of creating an artificially low interest rate environment in an attempt to sustain the continued growth of the stock market and support the current real estate recovery efforts.