Investing Books

When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change

Mohamed El-Erian

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"El-Erian is a doer and a thinker and someone who understands the risks of rare events. [Never before, have] I seen such a combination. Read this book."
—Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author The Black Swan

When Markets Collide is a timely alert to the fundamental changes taking place in today's global economic and financial systems--and a call to action for investors who may fall victim to misinterpreting important signals. While some have tended to view asset class mispricings as mere “noise,” this compelling book shows why they are important signals of opportunities and risks that will shape the market for years to come. One of today's most respected names in finance, Mohamed El-Erian puts recent events in their proper context, giving you the tools that can help you interpret the markets, benefit from global economic change, and navigate the risks.

The world economy is in the midst of a series of hand-offs. Global growth is now being heavily influenced by nations that previously had little or no systemic influence. Former debtor nations are building unforeseen wealth and, thus, enjoying unprecedented influence and facing unusual challenges. And new derivative products have changed the behavior of many market segments and players. Yet, despite all these changes, the system's infrastructure is yet to be upgraded to reflect the realities of today's and tomorrow's world. El-Erian investigates the underlying drivers of global change to shed light on how you should:

• Think about the new opportunities and risks
• Construct an appropriately diversified and internationalized portfolio
• Protect your portfolio against new sources of systemic risk
• Best think about the impact of central banks and financial policies around the world

Offering up predictions of future developments, El-Erian directs his focus to help you capitalize on the new financial landscape, while limiting exposure to new risk configurations.

When Markets Collide is a unique collection of books for investors and policy makers around the world. In addition to providing a thorough analysis and clear perspective of recent events, it lays down a detailed map for navigating your way through an otherwise perplexing new economic landscape.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!

Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter

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Total reviews: 2145 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

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Personal-finance author and lecturer Robert Kiyosaki developed his unique economic perspective through exposure to a pair of disparate influences: his own highly educated but fiscally unstable father, and the multimillionaire eighth-grade dropout father of his closest friend. The lifelong monetary problems experienced by his "poor dad" (whose weekly paychecks, while respectable, were never quite sufficient to meet family needs) pounded home the counterpoint communicated by his "rich dad" (that "the poor and the middle class work for money," but "the rich have money work for them"). Taking that message to heart, Kiyosaki was able to retire at 47. Rich Dad, Poor Dad, written with consultant and CPA Sharon L. Lechter, lays out his the philosophy behind his relationship with money. Although Kiyosaki can take a frustratingly long time to make his points, his book nonetheless compellingly advocates for the type of "financial literacy" that's never taught in schools. Based on the principle that income-generating assets always provide healthier bottom-line results than even the best of traditional jobs, it explains how those assets might be acquired so that the jobs can eventually be shed. --Howard Rothman

Short-Sale Pre-Foreclosure Investing: How to Buy "No-Equity" Properties Directly from the Bank -- at Huge Discounts

Dwan Bent-Twyford, Sharon Restrepo

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

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Due to the wave of refinancing and subprime lending in recent years, and the subsequent fall in home values, millions of properties are worth less than their mortgages. The only way for these properties to sell is through a "short sale," in which the bank holding the mortgage agrees to sell the property at a loss -- to a savvy investor. Banks will do this because they need to get "upside down" loans off their books and they do not want to be holding property that is in default.

Short sales are the hottest topic in today's real estate investing market, yet most real estate agents and investors don't know how they work or how to make money on them. This book will teach investors how to negotiate with banks to buy properties at big discounts, creating windfall profits for the investor. Readers will learn:

• what 900f real estate agents and investors don't know about: the short sale.
• how to make huge profits from the banks' misfortune.
• how to help homeowners in foreclosure and get a killer deal yourself, at the same time.
• how to buy properties for fifty cents on the dollar with no real estate license, using no money or credit.
• how to "buy low" and "sell low" during the crashing foreclosure market.
• how to stay on the cutting edge of the down market and how to get rich...now.

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel (Revised Edition)

Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

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Total reviews: 124 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

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Among the library of investment books promising no-fail strategies for riches, Benjamin Graham's classic, The Intelligent Investor, offers no guarantees or gimmicks but overflows with the wisdom at the core of all good portfolio management.

The hallmark of Graham's philosophy is not profit maximization but loss minimization. In this respect, The Intelligent Investor is a book for true investors, not speculators or day traders. He provides, "in a form suitable for the laymen, guidance in adoption and execution of an investment policy" (1). This policy is inherently for the longer term and requires a commitment of effort. Where the speculator follows market trends, the investor uses discipline, research, and his analytical ability to make unpopular but sound investments in bargains relative to current asset value. Graham coaches the investor to develop a rational plan for buying stocks and bonds, and he argues that this plan must be a bulwark against emotional behavior that will always be tempting during abrupt bull and bear markets.

Since it was first published in 1949, Graham's investment guide has sold over a million copies and has been praised by such luminaries as Warren E. Buffet as "the best book on investing ever written." These accolades are well deserved. In its new form--with commentary on each chapter and extensive footnotes prepared by senior Money editor, Jason Zweig--the classic is now updated in light of changes in investment vehicles and market activities since 1972. What remains is a better book. Graham's sage advice, analytical guides, and cautionary tales are still valid for the contemporary investor, and Zweig's commentaries demonstrate the relevance of Graham's principles in light of 1990s and early twenty-first century market trends. --Patrick O'Kelley

Fooling Some of the People All of the Time: A Long Short Story

David Einhorn

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A rare look inside the world of hedge funds from one of this country’s top investors

David Einhorn is one of the investment community’s fastest rising stars. He founded his hedge fund, Greenlight Capital, at the age of 27, and now has $5 billion under management. In Fooling Some of the People All of the Time, Einhorn offers readers insights into the battles surrounding hedge funds.

In 2002, Einhorn spoke publicly about Allied Capital–a leader in the private finance industry–presenting it as an excellent short opportunity. This book will describe the incredible events that followed Einhorn’s speech and how Allied and the investment community attacked him to protect the company–and its stock price. Informative and intriguing, Fooling Some of the People All of the Time details how the current environment on Wall Street not only allows for such behavior, but how it protects the companies and attacks those who attempt to uncover them.

The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing

Jason Kelly

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Total reviews: 196 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great fundamentals to gain confidence in your portfolio 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Before I bought this book, I was investing in various different stocks and ETFs I heard about from other people. I heard about the whole 10-11% historic return of the S&P 500 and put most of my money into SPY. I also took some advice from the so called pundits and ended up losing a bit of money from that. I didn't have much of a strategy other than buying index funds and stocks that other people told me would be great buys.

That has changed after reading this book.
In the beginning, Jason defines a lot of stock market terms that I was already mostly familiar with so that was review material.

Then he goes over the strategies of history's most successful investors, and that was quite interesting. They share a lot of common strategies, and it's good to know that there's no magic bullet. Good portfolios are built off solid fundamentals and investing in all around money making companies.

The most helpful part of the book was the section on building the list of stocks that make up your watch list. I pulled up a spreadsheet and entered in all the stocks I thought were strong along with a few I heard from other people and by looking at the numbers, I could see that some stocks were obviously better than others. I now have facts for choosing what to invest in rather than trusting what other people say. In addition, I've made some stock choices recently that have paid off because these companies continue to report solid growth and earnings.

I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn't have an investing strategy. For anyone who feels lost in the wild fluctuations of the market, this book will give you a solid foundation for building a strong portfolio that you'll be proud to own.

Editorial Review:

A comprehensively updated edition of an essential guide to stock market investing

For over a decade, Jason Kelly has provided investors with the insider knowledge and time-tested strategies they need to maximize their investment programs. This thoroughly updated edition of The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing includes:
• Kelly’s Maximum Midcap Strategy, an innovative investment program that consistently outperforms the market
• Real-life examples of investment strategies that paid big dividends
• Tips from master investors like Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, and Bill Miller

An accessible, intelligent, and highly effective approach to investing, The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing is an invaluable resource for investors everywhere.

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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Total reviews: 376 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

If the prescriptions for getting rich that are outlined in books such as The Millionaire Next Door and Rich Dad Poor Dad are successful enough to make the books bestsellers, then one must ask, Why aren't there more millionaires? In Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a professional trader and mathematics professor, examines what randomness means in business and in life and why human beings are so prone to mistake dumb luck for consummate skill. This eccentric and highly personal exploration of the nature of randomness meanders from the court of Croesus and trading rooms in New York and London to Russian roulette, Monte Carlo engines, and the philosophy of Karl Popper. Part of what makes this book so good is Taleb's ability to make seemingly arcane mathematical concepts (at least to this reviewer) entirely relevant in evaluating and understanding everything from the stock market to the success of those millionaires cited in the aforementioned bestsellers. Here's an articulate, wise, and humorous meditation on the nature of success and failure that anyone who wants a little more of the former would do well to consider. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards

The Retirement Savings Time Bomb . . . and How to Defuse It: A Five-Step Action Plan for Protecting Your IRAs, 401(k)s, and Other RetirementPlans from Near Annihilation by the Taxman

Ed Slott

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Do you want your IRA to go to the IRS or your family? 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Its hard to believe that you can spend your entire working life providing for your family and saving money to support yourself in retirement only to lose most of your retirement assets to the IRS when you die. Ed Slott's recent book provides strategies and ideas on ways to maximize your IRA and other retirement assets so that more of it stays in your family and out of the hands of the government.

Ed turns the table on the IRS and puts you in greater control of how your IRA assets are taxed and when. Using these strategies, it is possible for your beneficiaries to grow your IRA assets faster than the IRS can tax them! It's not rocket science, but you have to know how to do it.

If you have significant IRA assets and follow the strategies Ed describes, you will be able to leverage your IRA to its fullest leaving a financial legacy for your family that will provide financial security and income for decades to come -- long after you are gone. The alternative? Allow the IRS to take what they want first and let your kids fight over what is left. You decide.

Editorial Review:

The premier guide for retirement and investment planning by “America’s IRA Expert” (Mutual Funds magazine)—fully updated to reflect the recent tax rule changes

With the possible e xception of home property, the most valuable asset for most Americans is their retirement fund. Yet most people don’t know that the IRS is waiting to grab up to 90 percent of their hard-earned retirement savings. Now, in this fully updated edition of The Retirement Savings Time Bomb, renowned tax advisor Ed Slott explains in clear-cut layman’s terms what people need to know to keep their money and pass it on to their families.

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (Little Book, Big Profits)

John C. Bogle

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Investing is all about common sense. Owning a diversified portfolio of stocks and holding it for the long term is a winner’s game. Trying to beat the stock market is theoretically a zero-sum game (for every winner, there must be a loser), but after the substantial costs of investing are deducted, it becomes a loser’s game. Common sense tells us—and history confirms—that the simplest and most efficient investment strategy is to buy and hold all of the nation’s publicly held businesses at very low cost. The classic index fund that owns this market portfolio is the only investment that guarantees you with your fair share of stock market returns.

To learn how to make index investing work for you, there’s no better mentor than legendary mutual fund industry veteran John C. Bogle. Over the course of his long career, Bogle—founder of the Vanguard Group and creator of the world’s first index mutual fund—has relied primarily on index investing to help Vanguard’s clients build substantial wealth. Now, with The Little Book of Common Sense Investing, he wants to help you do the same.

Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, The Little Book of Common Sense Investing will show you how to incorporate this proven investment strategy into your portfolio. It will also change the very way you think about investing. Successful investing is not easy. (It requires discipline and patience.) But it is simple. For it’s all about common sense.

With The Little Book of Common Sense Investing as your guide, you’ll discover how to make investing a winner’s game:

• Why business reality—dividend yields and earnings growth—is more important than market expectations
• How to overcome the powerful impact of investment costs, taxes, and inflation
• How the magic of compounding returns is overwhelmed by the tyranny of compounding costs
• What expert investors and brilliant academics—from Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham to Paul Samuelson and Burton Malkiel—have to say about index investing
• And much more

You’ll also find warnings about investment fads and fashions, including the recent stampede into exchange traded funds and the rise of indexing gimmickry. The real formula for investment success is to own the entire market, while significantly minimizing the costs of financial intermediation. That’s what index investing is all about. And that’s what this book is all about.

JOHN C. BOGLE is founder of the Vanguard Group, Inc., and President of its Bogle Financial Markets Research Center. He created Vanguard in 1974 and served as chairman and chief executive officer until 1996 and senior chairman until 2000. In 1999, Fortune magazine named Mr. Bogle as one of the four "Investment Giants" of the twentieth century; in 2004, Time named him one of the world’s 100 most powerful and influential people, and Institutional Investor presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World

James J. Cramer

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How do we find hot stocks without getting burned? How do we fatten our portfolios and stay financially healthy? Former hedge-fund manager and longtime Wall Street commentator Jim Cramer explains how to invest wisely in chaotic times, and he does so in plain English in a style that is as much fun as investing is -- or should be, when it's done right.

For starters, Cramer recommends devoting a portion of your assets to speculation. Everyone wants to find the big winners that can bring outsized gains, and Cramer explains how to allocate your portfolio so that you can afford to take this kind of risk wisely. He explains why "buy and hold" is a losing philosophy: For Cramer, it's "buy and homework." If you can't spend an hour a week researching each of your stocks, then you should hand off your portfolio to a mutual fund -- and Cramer identifies the very few mutual funds that he'd recommend.

Cramer reveals his Ten Commandments of Trading (Commandment #5: Tips are for waiters). He explains why he's not afraid to compare investing to gambling (and tells you which book on gambling you should read to become a better investor). He discloses his Twenty-Five Rules of Investing (Rule #4: Look for broken stocks, not broken companies).

Cramer shows how to compare stock prices in a way that you can understand, how to spot market tops and bottoms, how to know when to sell, how to rotate among cyclical stocks to catch the big moves, and much more. Jim Cramer's Real Money is filled with insider advice that really works, information that Cramer himself used to make millions during his fourteen-year career on Wall Street.

Written in Cramer's distinctive turbocharged style, this is every investor's guide to what you really must know to make big money in the stock market.