Book #144: Family Ties: Alex Gets The Business by Joe Calro
Joe Claro
Released: January 1st, 1986
My 10th book for 2026 was Joe Claro’s "Family Ties: Alex Gets The Business.
Family Ties is one of my favorite shows of all time. It's a toss-up between that and Full House. Both are excellent shows.
In this book, Alex has been accepted into the Nu Alpha Mu (NAM) fraturnity. He get along well with the faculty advisor Professor Simons. Simons suggests he dine with Keaton family, and Alex graciously sets it up. During the dinner, Simon's date Marcie shares her vision of opening a hairdressing place. Her only setback is that she is still short $10,000 to open it. The Keaton parents express sympathy as they do not have the funds to help her. Alex reveals that he has amassed $10,600 in the stock market. He is willing to front the money for Marcie to start her business. The business starts off well. As time goes along, a woman name Nan is taken to Alex and his business acumen. She invited Alex to a sorority dance, to the dismay of his girlfriend Ellen. Shortly before this, Alex discovers that Marcie is purchasing stolen goods for her business. Alex finds an excuse for Ellen and accompanies Nan to the dance. Once there, he confronts Professor Simons on the stolen goods. Simons takes Marcie's side, suggesting she must do whatever she can to save on costs and grow her business. Alex feels this conflicts with his business values. He agrees to remained connected until Marcie repays the loan, but does not feel good about operating a business with shady inventory practices. He also makes amends with Ellen, apologizing for lying and going to the dance with Nan. They make amends and the family engages in a pillow fight against Alex as the story ends.
This is the book that first got me into investing. I read it several years ago in either 2020 or 2021. I was always intrigued that Alex had amassed $10,000 in high school (In the 1980's for that matter too). The idea that he could take that money and invest it as capital to help start a business was pretty neat. Since then, I have been obsessed with stocks. I love the market, and how it works.
I have always considered Alex P. Keaton to be one of the greatest characters of all time. Michael J. Fox played him exceptionally well, and as I read this book, I pictured his voice throughout it. His mannerisms and talents are on full display here. Even his setbacks apply well to the story.
We get most of the cast here. The one notable exemption is the next-door neighbor Skippy. Also, I don't believe Nick had been introduced yet.
To date, this is the only literary piece from the franchise. I'm shocked as I thought the book read rather well. It's one of the standard stock paperbacks based on classic TV shows of the time period. I enjoyed it.
Here is what I learned.
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- Alex P. Keaton has two sisters, Mallory and Jennifer.
- His parents are Steven and Elyse.
- Alex is accepted into the Nu Alpha Mu (NAM) fraternity.
- All of their members are business majors.
- Mallory considers business majors to be boring.
- Nu Alpha Mu is a national fraternity.
- Ellen Reed is Alex’s girlfriend.
- Ellen’s takes dance classes.
- Walt, Tim, Frank, and Lee are his frat bros.
- Walt is the chapters vice president.
- Alex did a report on “Short-Term Business Projects for the Newly Developed Area Southwest of the Campus”.
- Professor Simons is the faculty advisor.
- Simons knows economic theory the way most people know the inside of their homes.
- He is the best teacher Alex has ever come across.
- Nan Winters is in the same economics class as Alex.
- Professor Simons assigns an assignment on a comparison between the causes of depression in the U.S. and in Germany in the 1930’s.
- Alex is an economics major.
- Fraternities were not held in high regard in the late 1960’s.
- Alex’s parents attended Berkeley.
- Professor Simons did his undergrad at Berkeley.
- Alex brings friends home for dinner all the time.
- Professor Simons is available any night but Thursday.
- Professor Theodore Simons is the author of the award-winning “Economics: The Ultimate Reality”.
- Professor Simons has written over a dozen books.
- Steven works at a public TV station.
- Elyse is an architect.
- Steven and Elyse enjoy Paul, Peter, and Mary songs, taking about the Peace Corps, dropping out, and listening to the soundtrack from Hair.
- In elementary school, Alex had his teacher Miss Maywood over for dinner.
- Professor Simons is not married.
- Steven is the station manager at WKS.
- Alex is interested in business, corporate law, and international finance.
- Ellen is jealous of Nan.
- The Keaton’s have a record player.
- Professor Simons date is Marcie Sutton.
- Steven’s middle initial is J.
- Elyse’s maiden name is Donnelly.
- Elyse’s family is from Cleveland.
- Mallory cuts Jennifer’s hair.
- Marcus plans to open a hairdressing shop.
- Marcus needs $10,000 to start her business.
- Alex has a portfolio worth $10,614.76 invested in the stock market.
- Alex made a killing on wheat futures.
- Nah has a powerful crush on Alex.
- Alex jokes to Mallory that he’s Clint Eastwood. Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, pretended to be Clint Eastwood in Back to the Future Part 3.
- The hair salon is called Shear Magic.
- Mallory and Jennifer get part time jobs at the salon.
- Alex has more discretionary money than his parents do.
- Nan invites Alex to her sorority dance.
- The hairdressers are named Alicia and Joanne.
- Alex discovers Shear Magic has been buying stolen goods.
- Per their contract, Marcie has 18 months to repay Alex the $10,000, and he gets 5% of the shop’s profit.
- Marcus got the hairdryers at half price.
- Nan’s parents have a Winslow Homer painting in their home.
- “The Lord helps those who help themselves. And so does a Republican administration.”
- The date of one of Nan’s sorority sisters is Brett Tarnell.
- Stan Gropius smokes a pipe.
- Stan’s father owns a factory in Akron.
- Alex has an ethical side.
- “Maybe a lot of people in business do have a set of ethics that make me cringe. But that's no reason to stay away from business. In fact, it's a good reason to get into it. Somebody has to teach them the right way."
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Overall, it’s a good little story about business, capitalism, and ethical business practices with some romantic elements thrown in. This will probably only interest fans of the show.
Recommend for fans of the show and people who want to see how business, stocks, and capitalism work in real time.
On to Book #145: All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
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Need to catch up? See previous blog post: Half His Age.

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