New Delhi, Nov. 15 -- Nassim Nicholas Taleb wrote The Black Swan to explain rare events. A Black Swan is unpredictable, has a huge impact and looks explainable afterwards. Google's rise and 9/11 are his examples. The book is not only about money. Still, it holds powerful lessons for anyone who saves or invests. Here are five.

Taleb tells the story of a turkey. Every day, the turkey is fed. Each feeding makes it feel safer. Its confidence is highest just before Thanksgiving. Then the shock comes.

Taleb says that past comfort can hide future danger. Do not assume your investments are safe simply because they rose over the years.

Most risk measures use the bell curve. Taleb calls it a great intellectual fraud. It assumes that extreme even...