No comments about Investing in Corporate Bonds and Credit Risk (Finance and Capital Markets).

5 comments about Beating the Dow with Bonds: A High-Return, Low-Risk Strategy for Outperforming the Pros Even When Stocks Go South.

1. The book was not very well written, and why he felt the need to devote 70 pages describing in copious detail all 30 of the Dow stocks is beyond me. However, his 30 year zero-coupon analysis does have something going for it, and the inflation rate is a good predictor for a change in asset allocation.



2. This is one of the few stock market books from the 1990s that will be read and appreciated many years from now. While silly stuff like "Dow 36,000" & Harry Dent quickly withers away, O'Higgins advice gains credibility every day in this apparently multi-year bear market. Several web sites (beartopia dot com & others) mention this book. Perhaps the book's title should have substituted "zero coupon bonds" for the word "bonds." Do look up the authors corrected list of investment steps here at Amazon, however, do not let the slightly sloppy editing deter you from learning this powerful investment advice. The more knowledgable one is of the market, the more one appreciates O'Higgins and his two works. This book's advice works in bull and bear markets.



3. I agree with much of what has already been said as far as the amount of filler and the editorial glitches. And can anyone figure out the last chart -- table 11.1? These numbers make no sense and don't even correspond with the info on table 9.1. I began the book with some excitement but ended up feeling very uncertain about the method.



4. Having read many books on various financial subjects, this one is on my list as one of the top 10 wastes of time. In fact I am only writting this to hopefully save you time! Warning! When the reviews are from annonymous 'a reader' be suspicious!



5. Zero coupon bonds are the bonds spoken of in the book's title. Zero coupon bonds do well in falling interest rate and stable, low interest rate investing environments as we had 90% of the time from 1982 to 2004. Now is NOT the time to use this book's advice, wait until interest rates fall again (2010??).
   but it is true, by not owning any stocks O'Higgins outperformed the greatest -and longest- bull market in history.

No comments about All About Bonds, Bond Mutual Funds, and Bond ETFs, 3rd Edition.

2 comments about How to Invest the Smart Way: In Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds.

1. Since I am just learning about the investment world I have read ten books so far about how to invest, where to invest, how much one should invest, and so on. "How To Invest The Smart Way" by Stephen Littauer is the best investment book that I have read. Since it covers Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds it covers hows to invest in each and what to watch out for in a very concise manner. I borrowed this book from our local library and I hope to purchase it in order to have it as a resource book for future use. Of the ten books that I have read so far this is the only one that I have selected to put into my own library. So if you want to learn the basics about investing that is in a clear, concise, and understandable language then select this book.

   Johnny F. Payne




2. I read this book in a little over a week. great book on different types of investments ,etc. a lot of deep game in this book its deep , lots of material and a great book. get it!

4 comments about Savings Bonds: When to Hold, When to Fold and Everything In-Between.

1. This is a completly thorough book on every type of US Savings Bonds with good advice on how to purchase them, when to purchase them, and when to redeem them as well as how to redeem them. It has good structural content, with easy to follow guidelines. It also contains addresses to send to for more information. Like any book in this field, by the time an author has it published, it has some obsolete material, but I must say I still found it very useful. The reason for my most current purchase is that I have purchesed two other copies and have given them each away as gifts.



2. This book contains more in-depth information than theinformation available from government publications or the website. Use that information and thatwebsite, but also get this book. I use the free downloadable SavingsBond Wizard from the government website, and also set up an Excelspreadsheet to keep up bond statements as outlined in this book--whichis a more effective statement to aid decision-making. Some of theissues covered in this book: don't trust your bank to know whatthey're doing / understanding interest rates / timing issues re:redemption and maturity / organizing your bonds and keeping records /recovering lost bonds / tracking your investment (using the wizardand/or a statement you develop yourself or purchase from a service) /deciding to hold or fold -- evaluating performance of your bonds /comparing savings bonds to other investment options / taxation issuesinluding estate/gift/inheritance tax issues / using savings bonds forretirement / exchanging for HH current-income bonds / purchasing /reissuing / redeeming / tax-free for higher education feature / bondsas gifts / the new I bond / forms of ownership / bonds for minors /resources. Highly recommend. END



3. Surprisingly,this book is enjoyable and easy to read. It contains information, I have not found anywhere else, that is vital to know before investing in savings bonds. If you already own savings bonds, you will benefit from reading this book before you sell them. Savings bonds are not the simple investment most people believe they are. I checked this book out from the library, but found it so valuable I am purchasing a copy for myself.



4. This book should not be sold any longer. Since it was published back in 1999 - and is now close to 5 years old - it contains a lot of mis-information. The U S Treasury Department has changed many of the rules and regulations concerning savings bonds - most notably over the past 18 months. A person purchasing this book to learn more about U S Savings Bonds will get good information, and bad information. The problem is that he/she will not know what information is good, and what information is bad. Thus, by not buying the book, the savings bond owner is probably better off. I do not challenge the idea that it is important for savings bond owners to learn all about their own collection of savings bonds. They need to know the rules and regulations, so that they can make informed, intelligent decisions about keeping or cashing in bonds - and the proper time to do it. But any printed book is not the place to find it: the information becomes obsolete too quickly. The internet is the place to find accurate, up-to-date information about savings bonds. Because any web site can be updated quickly and easily, the information presented there is more likely to be current. Because it takes the author so long to prepare the book, and then the time it takes to get it printed (published) and then put into the distribution piepline, I suggest that any book about savings bonds is already obsolete the day it becomes available for sale to the public. Furthermore, according to reliable sources who work for the Savings Bond Division of the U S Treasury Department, numerous additional changes will be forthcoming during the next 2 years. For my money, the internet is the ONLY place to find all the information that you could possibly need to know about U S Savings Bonds. Just type in "savings bonds" in any search engine.

No comments about Finanzas Personales Para Dummies.

No comments about Everyone's Money Book on Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds (Everyone's Money Book).

2 comments about The Small Investor: A Beginners Guide to Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds.

1. The Small Investor is an excellent book to read if you are looking for a complete and basic introduction to the subject of investing. I found the chapters on Professional Help and Selecting Mutual Funds to be particularly helpful. A feature that Jim Gard included that I really appreciate is the "Recommended Further Reading" that is at the end of each chapter. It gives you a place to go to examine the subject in more detail than would be appropriate in a "Primer." This book is ideal for anyone just entering the world of investments. Financial Planners and Money Managers should consider giving a copy of this book to each of their new clients. Jim Hagen



2. The down-to-earth approach of this book ensures that it is more dense than other guides for beginners. Gets you from knowing absolutely nothing to a level at which you can start reading about technical analysis, read financial papers, annual and quarterly reports. Good 'further reading' tips. Good coverage of bonds. Options and futures are discarded as being equivalent to gambling. Parts about the risks of investing, how to spread the investment, and the role of brokers is a little boring, but this really is a good starter.

5 comments about Margin of Safety: Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful Investor.

1. Frightening. Here is a book on value investing (it's book value - that's right, book value - is $27.50) and these (supposed) value investors are willing to pay over $1,300. Are you familiar with the tulip mania in Holland? How about the tech boom of the '90's?
   
   If Mr. Klarman every does issue additonal copies (i.e. shares) your precious "investment" will be terribly diluted. In the meantime, anyone who doesn't have the patience or wherewithal to find "comparable" books on investing at "cheap and safe" prices misses the whole concept of value investing.
   
   And yes, I graduated from Columbia Business School.



2. Definitely this book is absolutely the best overview of value investing I have ever read!



3. First, let me say that I've only actually seen a physical copy of this book once. I did have an opportunity to read it when a stained, paper-clipped pile of 15th or 20th generation photocopied pages comprising the entire book made the rounds at my office.
   
   The content is impressive, somewhat unique and very incisive, however, I think that in the year 2008, with copies of this book selling for $1500+, Margin Of Safety is now only 50% "book" with the remaining 50% being folklore and mythology. Owning a physical copy of MOS has become like a $25,000 wristwatch for value investors. It isn't about telling time... It's about how much you spent and showing the world what you have... and yes, you will find that the "value investors" who spent four figures for a copy of this book will defend their prize purchase to their dying breaths.
   
   That Klarman has never ordered a reprint of this book tells us that he probably regrets having published it in the first place, not because it's a bad book but quite to the contrary, because it's a very good book that outlines much of his game plan; the profitability of which is greater the fewer competitors he has practicing it along with him.
   
   Having finally "proven" everything he wrote in MOS with the Buffett'esque performance of his Baupost Group, I would wager that if he could go back in time and 'unpublish' this book, he probably would.
   
   Still, would I ever pay this kind of money for a copy?
   Heck no. Of course, I won't buy a $10,000 wristwatch, either.



4. Unwilling to purchase a copy for $1200, I read the NYPL's copy in the "cage" at the business library at 35th and Mad.
   
   "Margin of Safety" comes up with some excellent investment ideas. For example, if you find a spinoff at 1/5 of book value which under a reasonable scenario could earn $8 and currently costs $3, you should buy it.
   
   If the S&L industry goes through a colossal shakeout and some S&L's demutualize at 50% of book value, and you are confident of their loan book, buy shares of those companies.
   
   If a company has a multi-hundred million dollar equity market cap but its bonds are trading at 13, buy the bonds and short the equity.
   
   Such investment ideas will make you rich if you capture a few of them. Unfortunately, over the past 16 years literally trillions of dollars have been invested with people who are looking for such opportunities, which outside the pages of this book are called "no brainers."
   
   The book is well written and the mystique makes it perhaps more fun, but for actual investment value you could just as well buy a copy of Ambrose Vollard's memoirs and follow his "investment advice" to buy Cezannes direct from Cezanne, then justify your decision with a rapturous review on Amazon.



5. Price aside, this is one of the best value investing books I've read. Of course a lot of the ideas have been put forward before--Klarman is a longtime resident of "Graham and Doddsville". But he does a great job explaining the philosophy and process in clear and simple language, and there are a few gold nuggets scattered throughout that might even be worth the $1000+ price tag. One simple rule he proposes: "If you don't quickly comprehend what a company is doing, then management probably doesn't either". Many investors in 2007 also could have benefited from Klarman's 1991 advice to "shun" financial institutions speculating in junk bonds or "complex mortgage securities". The book is full of these simple yet brilliant observations. Ignore the price, and spend an afternoon at the library with a copy. You'll be glad you did.

5 comments about Advanced Moneymaking Techniques: Five Stock Market Methods for Small, Individual Investors.

1. I normally do not write reviews but I have to give this book 5 stars rating. I have been trading for more than 3 years now and after reading this book I realize the mistakes I have been doing. The last three days I made $5,000.00 already. I didn't get greedy though so I sold some stocks and pocketed the money. Although this book is short, the quality of information is excellent. I hate reading long books because I don't have the time.



2. I am a newbie with stock market investments but this book is a sure addition to your business and investments library! Very concise and clear instructions!
   
   Would I recommend this book to a friend? DEFINITELY!



3. This book is very informative and educational. If you want to learn about investing, this the book is for you. After reading this book and using the strategies, I started to invests in stock market. In two weeks I made $2,000 already.



4. I found the techniques targeted at those who have no experience in equities but even at that they were not explained well enough to actually put most of them into practice.



5. i am scared when i see that people rating a book have only rated that book... in this case, all the rating at 5 stars are from people who have only done one rating (strangely on this book) on Amazon.
   
   now the book... i bought it from a garage sales (strange for a so nice book)... i think, the author should play on the stock market more often... it would have save him some real BS. It is amazing to see how low level dangerous ideas can be gathered in a very same book..
   
   buy it if you like... but first, have a it really in your hands before... even a beginner will be able to understand then...