Investing Books - Page 3

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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Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Do you want your IRA to go to the IRS or your family? 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 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.

Stock Investing For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

Paul Mladjenovic

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Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Stock Investing For Dummies, 2^nd Edition covers all the proven tactics and strategies for picking the right stocks. Packed with savvy tips on today’s best investment opportunities, this book provides a down-to-earth, straightforward approach to making money on the market without the fancy lingo. Soon you’ll have the power to optimize your returns by:

• Recognizing and minimizing the risks
• Gathering information about potential stocks
• Dissecting annual reports and other company documents
• Analyzing the growth and demand of industries
• Playing with the politicians
• Approaching uncertain markets
• Using corporate stock buybacks to boost earnings
• Handling the IRS and other obligations

With a different strategy for every investor—from recent college grad to married with children to recently retired—this valuable reference is a must-have. It also features tips and tricks on how to tell when a stock is on the verge of declining or increasing, how to protect yourself from fraud, and common challenges that every investor must go through, along with resources and financial ratios.

Financial Shock: A 360º Look at the Subprime Mortgage Implosion, and How to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis

Mark Zandi

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Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the Back Cover

The subprime financial crisis is the decade's #1 financial story. What happened? How did it occur? And how can we prevent similar crises from happening again? Dr. Mark Zandi answers all these critical questions - systematically, carefully, and in plain English. Zandi begins with a fast-paced "history" of the crisis: where it started, how it spread, and where the fallout has landed. Next, he illuminates its deepest causes, ranging from the psychology of homeownership to Alan Greenspan's missteps. You'll watch the "flippers" at work and the real estate agents who cheered them on. You'll learn how Internet technology and access to global capital transformed mortgage lending, helping irresponsible lenders "drive out" good ones. Zandi demystifies the complex financial engineering that enabled lenders to hide growing risks and shows how global investors eagerly bought in, despite key warning signs. You'll discover how homebuilders contributed to the crisis, and how flummoxed regulators and policymakers failed to prevent it. Zandi offers indispensable advice for investors who must recognize emerging bubbles, policymakers who must improve oversight and citizens who must reduce their risks, so they can survive whatever comes next.

The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything

Guy Kawasaki

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Total reviews: 178 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

What does it take to turn ideas into action? What are the elements of a perfect pitch? How do you win the war for talent? How do you establish a brand without bucks? These are some of the issues everyone faces when starting or revitalizing any undertaking, and Guy Kawasaki, former marketing maven of Apple Computer, provides the answers.

The Art of the Start will give you the essential steps to launch great products, services, and companies—whether you are dreaming of starting the next Microsoft or a not-for-profit that’s going to change the world. It also shows managers how to unleash entrepreneurial thinking at established companies, helping them foster the pluck and creativity that their businesses need to stay ahead of the pack. Kawasaki provides readers with GIST—Great Ideas for Starting Things—including his field-tested insider’s techniques for bootstrapping, branding, networking, recruiting, pitching, rainmaking, and, most important in this fickle consumer climate, building buzz.

At Apple, Kawasaki helped turn ordinary customers into fanatics. As founder and CEO of Garage Technology Ventures, he has tested his iconoclastic ideas on real- world start- ups. And as an irrepressible columnist for Forbes, he has honed his best thinking about The Art of the Start.

The Great Bust Ahead: The Greatest Depression in American and UK History is Just Several Short Years Away. This is your Concise Reference Guide to Unders Why and How Best to Survive It

Daniel A. Arnold

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Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Great Bust Ahead is a concise, straight to the point short book laying out in stark terms the case for a coming depression of historically unprecedented magnitude. It will be worse than the 1930s, beginning nominally in 2012, but perhaps as early as 2009-2010 and lasting up to thirteen years. Centered on hard fact demographics, the book boldly claims that the data presented are so irrefutable, that the outcome predicted by the book is equally as irrefutable. The compelling proof presented accurately accounts for the detailed trend of the economy from 1920 to today (something never before accomplished), and projects out to 2030. The book is very easy to read and understand, and requires no prior knowledge of economics. Down to earth things the average person can do to prepare for what is coming are covered. A summary of the catastrophic domestic social and international consequences is offered.

October 2007 Update: In 2002 when this book was published, in addition to the massive depression beginning around the end of the decade, it forecast:
1. The economy, as reflected by the DJIA, would resume its upwards march in late 2002 or 2003. This is exactly what happened.
2. The DJIA would have a snapback to 13,000 to 14,000 and the FTSE to 6,000 to 7,000 by 2004, but delayed possibly by wars/politics/terrorism/scandals. This is exactly what has happened. Although the full snapback has been delayed for the reasons described, the DJIA has now closed over 14,100 and the FTSE over 6,700.
3. The DJIA returns from 2003 to 2012 would average a historically long-term normal of 7% to 8%. So far, with the delayed full snapback for the reasons described, DJIA actual returns have averaged a more modest 5.8%, as would be expected.
4. Interest rates would increase from 2003 onwards. This is exactly what has happened.

A Beginner's Guide to Day Trading Online (2nd edition)

Toni Turner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 93 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Very informative book 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Very informative indeed, and I am more-than-ever convinced NOT to daytrade. I know, now, that I have too little education, the wrong software, not enough energy, and not the gambling spirit. I also learned a bunch of other good stuff that can help my longer-term investing.

Excellent guide.. 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I don't have time to write a long review about a book, and I assume neither do you to read it. So I keep it simple and to the point:

I have read several books about day trading and this is one of the best by far. It explains in detail what to do and not to do when you attempt to trade stocks as a beginner. It will stop you from losing money and save you a lot of headaches. Make sure to read it twice!!
This book is an excellent guide to anyone new to this field, even if you don't know the technical terms. It is not boring either... I wish it had been longer..

Read it!!

Editorial Review:

Day trading is highly profitableÑand highly tumultuous. Moreover, the financial markets have changed considerably in recent years. Expert author Toni Turner gives you the latest information on mastering the markets, including:

• Decimalization of stock prices
• New trading products such as E-minis and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
• Precision entries and exits

The new breed of trader Written in an accessible, step-by-step manner, A BeginnerÕs Guide to Day Trading Online, 2nd Edition shows how to day trade stocks in todayÕs market.

Rich Dad's Advisors®: The ABC's of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss (Rich Dad's Advisors)

Ken McElroy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wasted my time...don't waste yours. 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Rich Dad Poor Dad was great...this is not.

The title of this book is totally misrepresentative of the contents. This book is about buying huge apartment buildings all over the US. Not what I would call ABC's of real estate investing. Furthermore, if you are buying apartment buildings then you are probably too advanced for this book anyway.

The book is very basic and is easy to read. If you just want to get excited about the idea of real estate investing jump in.

If you want something to actually teach you about real estate investing grab a book like "Investing in Real Estate" by McLean and Eldred. Also check out the podcast "Get Real, Real Estate Investing for the Rest of Us".

Editorial Review:

Learn how the cash flow generated from property investments appreciates in value and ensures financial freedom, as well as the freedom to be your own boss. Discover real estate investing wisdom from the trenches with The ABCs of Real Estate Investing. Learn how to evaluate candidates based on the qualities of a good partnership, become familiar with various research tools, stay away from shaky deals, and establish systems for maintenance, accounting, rent collection, and more.

Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free (Revised and Updated)

Ellen Hodgson Brown

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Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The most important book of our time! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Ellen Hodgson Brown has proven herself an absolute genius! I specialized in foreign languages in university, but economics was one language I really had no interest in, until recently, when I was awakened to the mass corruption governing our world and ultimately our lives. This book explains clearly and in an easy-to-understand manner WHO controls our money supply, who and what forces are and have been responsible for or behind the rise and fall of various currencies over the past decades, and why ours is going to be next. She also shows us a way OUT of the global economic crisis we now find ourselves in and proposes a number of possible and legitimate alternatives to the corrupt fractional reserve banking system that is sinking the American people deeper and deeper into debt, impoverishment, and enslavement. There ARE other alternatives! There IS a way OUT, but it is NOT, I'm sorry to say, the gold standard that so many people, most notably Mr. Griffin, author of "Creature from Jekyll Island", are hailing as the ultimate solution to our economic woes. Gold and silver backing didn't prevent the Great Depression! Gold and silver are just as open to manipulation by the people who CONTOL it! It's the fractional reserve system and the banks creating money out of NOTHING, and then charging US for it, that are to blame!

The original money used by the colonies was NOT backed by gold, and those were times of unprecedented prosperity! We were prosperous because we printed our OWN MONEY! That's the key! Gold and silver backing will do nothing until we get rid of fractional reserve banking!

To sum up, I have learned SO much from this book! I learned more from reading this one book than I did in all my years of public school education! This is a MUST-read for ALL who are interested in securing our release from the Web of Debt that currently has entangled us all.

Editorial Review:

EXPLODING THE MYTHS ABOUT MONEY Our money system is not what we have been led to believe. The creation of money has been "privatized," or taken over by a private money cartel. Except for coins, all of our money is now created as loans advanced by private banking institutions -- including the private Federal Reserve. Banks create the principal but not the interest to service their loans. To find the interest, new loans must continually be taken out, expanding the money supply, inflating prices -- and robbing you of the value of your money. Web of Debt unravels the deception and presents a crystal clear picture of the financial abyss towards which we are heading. Then it explores a workable alternative, one that was tested in colonial America and is grounded in the best of American economic thought, including the writings of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. If you care about financial security, your own or the nation's, you should read this book.

Wall Street Versus America: A Muckraking Look at the Thieves, Fakers, and Charlatans Who Are Ripping You Off

Gary Weiss

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Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Work of Historical Dimension 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 11 people found this review helpful.

One of the most controversial aspects of "Wall Street Versus America" by Gary Weiss is the author's assessment that SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt was not the champion of the small investor as the press made him out to be; that, in fact, he aided and abetted the abuses against the small investor by refusing to curtail the corrupt practices on Wall Street. Weiss' assessment of Levitt is tersely summed up in the opening pages: "Levitt presided over the worst abuses to descend upon Wall Street since the 1920s. He failed miserably at dealing with the problems that he did not ignore entirely, but he did a couple of things better than just about any recent SEC chairman in history - give speeches, and court the press."

And this is the crux of what makes "Wall Street Versus America" a work of historical dimension. Each of the Wall Street abuses detailed in the book, most of which continue to this day, were by themselves a fraud on the public investor. But together, they rendered Wall Street not a fair and efficient capital allocation system but an institutionalized wealth transfer system. No book has, heretofore, shown this so clearly. Wealth was sucked from the masses of little investors and transferred to the corporate and Wall Street insiders while the cop on the beat, the SEC, looked the other way.

I recently retired after 21 years on Wall Street, during which time I made numerous written appeals to the SEC, the Fed, and in GAO testimony to halt the same areas of corruption covered in "Wall Street Versus America:" the rigged arbitration system; the 1920s style creation of conflict-riddled mega banks/brokerages; the rampant kickback schemes with lofty sounding names. One word aptly describes the outcome of each of my appeals: coverup. Thus, I am not surprised that Weiss has borne the brunt of threats and backlash for this comprehensive and courageous work.

For those skeptics who can't believe that "Wall Street Versus America" is a keenly insightful and accurate portrayal of the corruption-riddled practices of the largest and most lauded financial system in the world, here's background to digest before you move on to the main feature: "Wall Street Versus America."

In a 1994 article by Business Week (4/4/1994: Beware the IPO Market) regulators had
the goods to clean up the systemic looting of American investors by bulge bracket Wall Street firms and their cronies. The article quotes Lynn A. Stout, professor of securities regulation at Georgetown University Law Center: "The IPO [Initial Public Offering] market is rigged. It's rigged against the average investor." The article goes on to define exactly how a "penalty bid" works. "This is a penalty imposed on brokers who flip or sell their customers IPO shares right after the offering. The practice, devised by a group of top Wall Street firms during Securities Industry Association meetings in the 1980s, is used by underwriters to help prop up the stock price of an IPO in the sensitive weeks following its issue. Brokers whose customers flip, risk having their commissions taken away, giving them an incentive to discourage customers from selling out." The article points out, however, that the Wall Street firm's institutional clients were allowed to cash out while the individual investors are left "holding the bag" and serving as a prop under the price of the shares.

Two and a half years later, the Wall Street Journal took up the issue of the penalty bid. (12/2/1996: Tough IPO Market Triggers Penalty Bids Against Brokers by Deborah Lohse) "Even though penalty bids are taken out of brokers' commission, many investors gripe that they are the ones being penalized, since their brokers exert subtle, or not so subtle, pressure on them not to sell their IPO shares while the penalty bid is in place."

One and half years later comes Michael Siconolfi and Patrick McGeehan in the Wall Street Journal, who decide to take the gloves off on this penalty bid issue. (6/26/1998: Big Institutions Can Cash Out Quickly; the Little Guy Can't Without Penalties) "It's one of Wall Street's best kept secrets: While securities firms allow big institutional investors to dump hot new stocks at their whim, often within hours or minutes of the stock's first trade, they try to persuade investors to hold on to IPOs, for better or worse." This article clearly points out that while the little investor continues to be fleeced, the SEC has its lens fogged.

It's now March of 2001. It's seven years since Business Week first tipped off the regulators and the Wall Street Journal reporters did everything short of filing the brief and buying the handcuffs. And there are no more hot IPOs. There are only drowning IPOs. Ron Chernow in the New York Times summed it up: "Let us be clear about the magnitude of the Nasdaq collapse. The tumble has been so steep and so bloody - close to $4 trillion in market value erased in one year - that it amounts to nearly four times the carnage recorded in the October 1987 crash." Chernow likens the NASDAQ to a "lunatic control tower that directed most incoming planes to a bustling, congested airport known as the New Economy while another, depressed airport, the Old Economy, stagnated with empty runways. The market functioned as a vast, erratic mechanism for misallocating capital across America."

This misallocation of capital, capital that should have been feeding American innovation to secure our economic future but went instead to build millions of miles of unneeded fibre optic cables or now bankrupt dot.coms while shifting wealth to such unprecedented levels of concentration in America as to threaten our democracy, can be placed squarely at the feet of Arthur Levitt's SEC.

That most of these practices continue unabated today means Gary Weiss needs to start work on a sequel immediately and that regardless of who is sitting in the oval office, there's likely to be a Wall Street crony at the helm of the SEC.

Pam Martens

Editorial Review:

Gary Weiss, one of the business world’s most dogged investigative reporters, has written the definitive book about the dark side of Wall Street—not just a few bad apples, but the whole rotten barrel.

This is the outrageous, riveting, darkly funny story of what really happens in every corner of the financial system: from Internet tip sites and boiler rooms, to fee-happy mutual funds and hedge funds, to the bluest of blue-chip securities firms. With vivid anecdotes and character studies, Wall Street Versus America will show you how investors are consistently victimized—while sleepy regulators, biased arbitrators, and the media all look the other way.

You’ll learn, for instance, how respectable institutions such as Bear Stearns and Morgan Stanley push the ethical envelope, and how Washington, under both Democrats and Republicans, simply has not kept up with innovations in Wall Street greed.

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (Wiley Investment Classics)

Edwin Lefèvre

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Total reviews: 199 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Stock investing is a relatively recent phenomenon and the inventory of true classics is somewhat slim. When asked, people in the know will always list books by Benjamin Graham, Burton G. Malkiel's A Random Walk Down Wall Street, and Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings by Philip A. Fisher. You'll know you're getting really good advice if they also mention Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre.

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is the thinly disguised biography of Jesse Livermore, a remarkable character who first started speculating in New England bucket shops at the turn of the century. Livermore, who was banned from these shady operations because of his winning ways, soon moved to Wall Street where he made and lost his fortune several times over. What makes this book so valuable are the observations that Lefèvre records about investing, speculating, and the nature of the market itself. For example:

"It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight! It is no trick at all to be right on the market. You always find lots of early bulls in bull markets and early bears in bear markets. I've known many men who were right at exactly the right time, and began buying or selling stocks when prices were at the very level which should show the greatest profit. And their experience invariably matched mine--that is, they made no real money out of it. Men who can both be right and sit tight are uncommon."

If you've ever spent weekends and nights puzzling over whether to buy, sell, or hold a position in whatever investment--be it stock, bonds, or pork bellies, you'll be glad that you read this book. Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is full of lessons that are as relevant today as they were in 1923 when the book was first published. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards