June 2025

For the past 26 years, JPMorgan has released a summer book list that caters to the interests of its high-wealth clientele. This year, a special committee looked at more than 1,000 reading suggestions from JPMorgan’s client advisors and came up with their 16-book list.

Darin Oduyoye, chief communications officer for JPMorgan Asset and Wealth Management, who also oversees the list, told CNBC that this year’s selections were focused “around the power of curiosity.”

“You can think of it from a reflection standpoint or transformation standpoint,” Oduyoye said.

Related: 5 Books Every Small Business Owner Should Read

Oduyoye said that they took input from family offices and looked at titles that aimed to prepare the next generation of leaders. Family office respondents were concerned with finding a balance between growing wealth and doing things that positively impact communities.

The list includes Shigehiro Oishi’s “Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life,” which explores happiness and finding meaning in life (the Wall Street Journal called the author’s enthusiasm “infectious”), and Suzy Welch’s “Becoming You: The Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career” and its related 13-step plan.

The list also includes “Raising AI: An Essential Guide to Parenting Our Future” by De Kai, which explores AI’s impact on how we live now (and will live in the future).

Here are seven more titles from the list. For the complete summer syllabus, click here.

Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working by Dan Heath

Iron Hope: Lessons Learned from Conquering the Impossible by James Lawrence

The Tell: A Memoir by Amy Griffin

Coming of Age: How Technology and Entrepreneurship are Changing the Face of MENA by Noor Sweid

The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West by Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska

Inevitable: Inside the Messy, Unstoppable Transition to Electric Vehicles by Mike Colias

MirrorMirror: The Reflective Surface in Contemporary Art by Michael Petry

Related: Four Books Recommended For Current and Aspiring Entrepreneurs

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Gusto, the payroll and benefits company, found that SMBs that are fully remote tend to have higher scores across almost all performance indicators. Of course, it would probably help if everyone used the same software. Right now, the best office suite option for small businesses has to be this one-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365 for family or up to six users that’s on sale for just $99.99. That’s 23% off the normal $129 subscription price.

The best thing about a Microsoft 365 subscription is that you know the programs are always up to date with the newest innovative features because you get them as soon as they are released. Communication is a breeze; up to 300 people can join group video calls on Microsoft Teams and talk for up to 30 hours. Also, each user gets 1TB of secure cloud storage and can use up to five devices of their own simultaneously, including computers, phones, and tablets.

Applications include Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, Clipchamp, MS Edito,r and Microsoft Defender. They can help you with spelling and grammar, offer royalty-free creative content, and so much more.

The real gamechanger, though, is Microsoft’s AI-powered productivity assistant Copilot. Its AI features are integrated seamlessly into the Office programs to save you time and effort by helping you work smarter and more efficiently. Microsoft Copilot can even automate tasks!

Security is another huge perk of Microsoft 365. Advanced features protect all of your files, and all of the Outlook features that help you stay organized are backed by the most robust security tools.

Plus, you can’t beat the flexibility of this suite of programs. You can use it on almost any type of PC, Mac, Android phones and tablets, iPads, and iPhones. Not only can you collaborate in real-time, but you can also work offline. It’s no wonder Microsoft 365 has a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating on both GetApp and Capterra.

Get a one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 for a family, or up to six users, while it’s available for only $99.99, a 23% discount.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

PDFs are a business essential — Adobe, the creator of the file format, estimates that more than 2.5 trillion PDFs are created each year. Easily creating, editing, and converting PDF files makes doing business smooth and seamless, but to make it happen, you need the right tool.

That’s where PDF Expert comes in. This award-winning app unlocks all the PDF functionality you need to keep business going, and right now, you can get a lifetime subscription for $79.97, 42% off the $139.99 regular price.

Editing tools that do it all

There’s a reason PDF Expert was named an Editor’s Choice pick from Apple, and why more than 30 million people rely on it worldwide: It packs a comprehensive set of tools into one easy-to-use PDF editor.

That includes creating PDFs from JPGs, PNGs, Word files, Excel spreadsheets and even PowerPoints — or taking PDFs and making them into image files, editable documents, and spreadsheets and presentations.

But PDF Editor goes way beyond creation. Use the program to highlight and comment on existing PDFs or fill out forms. You can also use it to change text, or add images and links into the file. It also supports managing pages, splitting multi-page files into separate documents, and merging separate PDFs into one.

You can even use this program to enhance scanned files, and crop and split pages to suit them to your needs. And maybe most usefully of all, you can use the program to add your signature to critical documents like invoices, contracts, or agreements.

The fine print

This deal is for new users only, and is only valid for Macs. If that describes you, however, it’s a great deal — this subscription is good for use on an unlimited number of personal Mac products.

Your team already uses PDFs everyday. This is a golden opportunity to make their jobs easier and their workday more productive, for a price you won’t beat.

Get a lifetime premium plan subscription to PDF Expert for $79.97 (reg. $139.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TikTok’s algorithm has been infamously called “addictive,” with research finding that it is “highly engaging and emotionally rewarding in nature,” which has led to compulsive (and lucrative) user numbers. It’s also why the algorithm is a main point in the ongoing saga of the app potentially being banned in the U.S. if it isn’t sold soon.

But billionaire Frank McCourt Jr., 71, tells Entrepreneur in a new interview that he and his business partners are “completely ready to buy TikTok” — and they “don’t need or want the algorithm.”

The former L.A. Dodgers owner and investor, who’s worth $2.4 billion, said that China has “made it very clear” they’re not selling it.

“So we’re in a good position if there is a transaction,” McCourt said.

Related: Emma Grede Dropped Out of School at 16. Now the Skims Boss Runs a $4 Billion Empire — Here’s How.

After last year’s law passed requiring TikTok to separate from its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, or face a permanent ban in the U.S., the potential to own TikTok has attracted a slew of interest from notable people and companies. (After multiple extensions, the new deadline is June 19.)

McCourt announced his $20 billion offer for TikTok in May 2024, calling it The People’s Bid for TikTok. He made the bid through Project Liberty, the $500 million initiative he founded in 2021 that focuses on creating a better Internet by giving users control over how they share their data. Over time, other public figures joined his bid, the most notable being Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary in January and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in March. But so far, there haven’t been any updates.

“We’re on standby,” McCourt said.

Other bidders for TikTok include AI startup Perplexity, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, mobile advertising company AppLovin, and Amazon. McCourt said O’Leary called him after talking to all the potential bidders and determining that The People’s Bid was ahead of the rest. Ohanian connected with McCourt through a mutual friend, and also ended up publicly backing the bid’s mission.

^{Frank McCourt Jr.}

Why Frank McCourt’s Bid for TikTok Is Different

McCourt is working towards creating a new Internet, and TikTok is a stepping stone to get there.

McCourt’s bid is focused on the social media app’s 170 million users. He wants to migrate those millions of people and their data over to an open-source platform that both preserves TikTok’s user experience while also using an American-built tech stack.

The basis of this platform is called the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP), which Project Liberty developed and first made public in 2021. DSNP stores individual data in a profile that a user can transport across a network of social apps. Users on the platform can take their connections and content, their personal data, from one DSNP app to another and dictate the terms of its use.

“We’re advocating for a new, better, advanced Internet where individuals own and control their identity and their data,” McCourt said. “We’re in charge, and our social information is ours to share with others as we see fit.”

Right now, the only social media app that uses DSNP is MeWe, which has more than 20 million users globally and began offering members the option to sign in with DSNP in September 2022. Now, McCourt wants to bring the protocol to TikTok’s 170 million users as well.

“We need to scale DSNP for it to be a true alternative, and that’s what TikTok would do,” McCourt said.

McCourt outlined a future where social apps will be interoperable, and users will be able to tap into their network no matter which social app they are logged into. So, someone on MeWe could talk to someone on TikTok, or share a link with them without logging into an account just for that one specific app.

Related: 3 Simple Steps to Start Making Money on TikTok

McCourt compared the situation to how phone numbers are now interoperable. A person using AT&T can call someone on Verizon without worrying about whether their call will go through.

“Imagine an Internet where that’s the case, where you can be on one app and I could be on another, and we’ll be able to share information,” McCourt said.

McCourt noted that gathering $20 billion for the bid was “quite easy” because “people saw the value” of the offer. And if The People’s Bid doesn’t end up being selected, McCourt isn’t ruling out developing a competing social media app.

“We may,” he said. “At some point, we just need to move forward.”

More than 50% of entrepreneurs fund their companies with retirement savings, and another 20% use personal savings, according to data from Guidant Financial. Under those circumstances, every penny has to count, so you won’t be splurging on expensive software just because you think it would be nice. However, if you can get an affordable, powerful operating system designed specifically for professionals to turbocharge productivity and offer maximum security, you shouldn’t pass that up. That’s precisely what you get while Microsoft Windows 11 Pro sells for only $14.97.

Everyone from designers to developers will appreciate this operating system, but entrepreneurs who must always be effortlessly connected will be particularly happy with it. Convenience was a priority for Windows 11, and the sleekly intuitive user interface is as friendly as it gets. Yet, the advanced security features will help you sleep easier at night. You’ll get a biometrics login, encrypted authentication, advanced antivirus defense, and so much more.

Tools to increase productivity abound, from a far more robust search experience to improved voice typing, seamless redocking, snap layouts, and more. Unique features to optimize your professional tasks are found throughout the system, such as BitLocker device encryption, Windows Sandbox, Hyper-V, Azure AD, Smart App Control, TPM 2.0, Windows Studio Effects, and more.

Of course, hard-working professionals are also entitled to their downtime, and Windows 11 Pro provides unprecedented gaming features. You’ll enjoy DirectX 12 Ultimate graphics that maximize your hardware to provide amazingly realistic graphics so you can play all the latest games to their peak potential.

Features such as Widgets and Microsoft Teams are also built in. You can even ditch the mouse and keyboard because the Touchscreen function will still give you a genuine computing experience. However, the superstar in this system is Copilot, Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant. It answers questions, changes settings, opens apps, generates code suggestions and images, kicksstart your writing process, and more.

Get Microsoft Windows 11 Pro while it’s available for just $14.97.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Artificial intelligence has definitely changed how we do business, for the better in many ways. Chatbots that reply in seconds, algorithms tracking your behavior so you can instantly get what you want and automation handling routine tasks faster than any human team ever could.

But just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it feels good.

Efficiency is great, but I’ve seen too many businesses losing the human element that actually builds trust and loyalty. If your digital experience feels robotic, scripted or cold, people won’t stick around, no matter how “optimized” it is.

At some point, tech needs a heartbeat behind it. Otherwise, all you’re doing is automating disconnection.

Related: How to Scale a Marketing Strategy That Works

When automation goes too far

Yes, automation is powerful. It keeps things running. Chatbots answer questions 24/7, tools auto-schedule content and systems track customer behavior. But let’s not ignore the downside.

Sure, 51% of consumers prefer interacting with bots over humans when they want immediate service. But what if they don’t? What happens when customers get frustrated from waiting or having to repeat themselves?

Think about the entire experience. When every interaction feels automated, customers begin to question whether anyone is really paying attention. Bots can’t read the room. They can’t hear tone, detect frustration or understand nuance. So, while automation helps scale, it often kills connection if you rely on it too much.

Your chatbot can still handle basic questions, but when things get tricky, a handoff to a human rep makes all the difference. Most people aren’t expecting perfection. They’re looking for effort, care and responsiveness. When that’s missing, the tech isn’t helping — it’s hurting.

Personalization is now a necessity, not a mere desire

Personalization is now a basic expectation, but it can’t be all AI.

In 2024, Forbes surveyed over 1,000 U.S. consumers for their State of Customer Service and CX Study and found that 81% of customers prefer companies that offer a personalized experience, and they expect this personal touch across the platforms they use, not just in-store or over email.

No surprise there — it confirms what we already know about personalization. Customers want fast, relevant and thoughtful service that feels made for them. But here’s where brands get it wrong:

They use AI to automate “personalization” based on click behavior, email opens or CRM tags — and stop there. The result? Generic messages dressed up in personalization tags. “Hi [FirstName]” isn’t what people mean by thoughtful.

Yes, AI helps scale insight. But real personalization comes from real-time awareness, in those moments that can’t be predicted. Knowing that a customer just called support five minutes ago changes how you respond to their next email. This isn’t something AI alone can deliver. It takes judgment, context and care.

Let your team go off-book when it serves the customer. That’s what humanizing your strategy means: efficient, but never robotic. Because personalization shouldn’t feel predictive, it should feel considered. AI might tee it up, but humans close the loop.

Related: 5 Innovative Ways to Give Your Customers the Personalized Experiences They Want

Do what the algorithm can’t

Speed, data and automation can open the door, but connection keeps people coming back.

Ask real questions

The comments section is the closest thing you’ve got to a real-time focus group. It keeps your blind spots in check.

Ask what your customers are struggling with, what they want to see more of and what’s missing. They’ll tell you when something’s off. If you’re paying attention, you can adjust before it becomes a bigger issue.

Reward frontline feedback

Your best insights aren’t in your dashboards. Want to improve a feature? Ask the person fielding complaints about it. Want to write better copy? Talk to the person who knows the objections your customers keep bringing up.

Build a process where frontline teams can flag patterns, share feedback and influence decisions. When your team sees that their input shapes the brand, they become more invested. And when customers see that their voice actually leads to improvements, they trust you more.

Lead with your story

Sprout Social reports that for 86% of consumers, authenticity is a major factor in choosing which brands to support. That’s why storytelling — especially the messy, honest kind — builds trust faster than any email sequence ever could.

It doesn’t have to be dramatic or polished. Some of the most powerful brand moments come from raw, unscripted content: a phone-shot video, a glimpse of what went wrong behind the scenes, a quick peek at how you build your product.

The truth is, customers don’t just want to be sold to — they want to be in a relationship with the brands they buy from. Seeing real people doing real work is what turns that relationship from transactional to emotional.

Related: How Brands Can Embrace Authenticity in a World Craving Transparency

People first, always

AI is here to stay, and that’s not a bad thing. Use automation. Streamline. But remember, the brands that will truly thrive are the ones that know how to scale connection, not just automation.

The future of digital isn’t less human. It’s more intentional.

Next time you build a marketing campaign, send an email or respond to a comment, ask yourself: Does this sound human? Or just efficient?