Invest in buying coffee, drinks and dinner for people you want to get to know.

WSJ: Why Getting an M.B.A. Isn't Worth It

Here, for ease of prep, he recommends buying them semi-boneless and forgoing utensils come dinner.

WSJ: Michael Schwartz's Maple-Glazed Quail With Pear and Almond Salad | Slow Food Fast

For the most part, the Obama sections of the book are a bit of a star-struck recitation of flawless planning and superb attention to detail, from an early Facebook strategy to buying up all the best tickets for the crucial Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Iowa.

ECONOMIST: How Barack Obama beat the Clintons and won the White House

If so, you have to wonder who's buying all those flat-screen TVs, serving precooked rotisserie chicken for dinner or organizing their closets with Elfa systems.

FORBES: The American Standard of Whining