5 comments about The Motley Fool You Have More Than You Think : The Foolish Guide To Personal Finance.

1. The title of this book reflects the optimism that it breathes from beginning to end. It makes you want to go for it, without encouraging hasty decisions, and encourages to read more. For true fools (I mean morons) like myself, the book adequately warns you to first get out of debt before trying to invest. The part that tells you how to get out of debt is brief but the advice is sane, and optimistic. Once ready to invest, we are adviced to use a buy-and-hold strategy, and the arguments for it seem to make sense. Most importantly, after reading this, the reader has a clear general framework that help him/her to make confident investment decisions.
   
   Picky points:
   -A bit wordy on occasion.
   -Not enough advice on what to do when your stocks just keep declining



2. I have to say that this is the perfect book for any independent adult and/or college student. The main reason I say that is because schools do not offer education on financial freedom. If you are a teen or think you can't read this, go read Motley Fool Teens before reading this one.
   This book is separated into two halves. One half will tell you how to have good spending habits, pay debts, find good bank, etc. This half is good enough alone. They give you advice and tell you the reasons behind instead of "Trust us". This is a plus since most of the info is shocking. For instance, it is better to go to a casino than play the lottery since a casino has a payoff of 95% while the lottery is -50%! I personally can say that my life will be easier because of the forewarnings of mistakes and following the path least famous, but most secure.
   The other half is about how to invest the stock market. It is amazingly easy and it makes sense by adding charts of growth over time using average return. One of the points the book tries to keep in your head is the stock market only looks scary since not too many know much about it. Remember when you thought you would never learn addition in second grade? In this half the book goes in detail of how to open an account, deciding your stocks, why you shouldn't panic during slumps, etc.
   Unlike the teen version, this book is amusing with jokes on every page without overkill. The jokes do well to keep you entertain instead of dreading the fact you need to learn how to compound growth. The jokes even do well to get points across. A book of choice if you don't like books that sound like Ben Stein at pep rally.
   We all have gotten advice on money from other people and it is nice of the authors to actually mention advice people give and why or why not it is good. I mean, some people say they lived on ramen noodles and finger toothbrushes in college while the book offers strategies that allow you to live within your means. Remember that ramen is fattening!
   I can't say how priceless this info is for being practical and wonderfully hopeful of what is achievable with a small amount of thought. Nowadays people do not know what to do with their money and I see most knowing how to get rid of it. Anyway, this book is a must own for any adult and students alike struggling with the sheer thought of money.
   I give this book my strongest recommendation to possible to own, not rent.
   
   (...)



3. This book was a great read - I think tha's probably one of the benefits of reading a book on finances written by two English majors.
   
   Pros:
   - Helps you understand where to start in your personal world of finance. I especially enjoy the fact that there is an especially abhorrent attitude towards debt (i.e. - pay what you owe before you every try to put that money anywhere else).
   - These guys don't promise any fast cash, but employ a methodology that tends to scream, "slow and steady wins the race!"
   - The advice is sound, and there isn't any threatening terminology to find yourself lost in.
   - Like I said before, it's a great read. You aren't necessarily reading a manual written by guys who want to lay out the bare facts. You will be reading an entertaining and thoughtful tome on how to have fun with the way you think for your financial future.
   - The authors don't seem to assume any drastic steps here - just being smarter with what you have.
   
   Cons:
   - While the book helps you start in your personal world of finance, it still leaves a lot for you to figure out on your own. In the end, I was still wandering around the Internet trying to find more information. The book shows you a good direction in which to move, but it doesn't necessarily show you the door in.
   - The book isn't written for everyone. The authors admit this throughout their writing also.
   - Shameless self-advertisement - but it's funny at the least.
   
   My general perspective:
   (Third time, at least) This is a GREAT book. Even if you don't think that you can trust yourself to make a deposit in a savings account, give this book a chance. It opened my eyes to see that there are a lot of people out there making a lot of money and doing very little to merit their worth. These guys aren't business or marketing majors, but their experience speaks through the written word. They won't lose you in a milieu of doublespeak, but sort of hold your hand in understand how you can be your own money manager - and I like that.
   This is a work that is for the ordinary man - the sort of fellow that doesn't feel like working his way through a financial dictionary just to understand a book on personal finance. I found this book in my local library - and that's $11.20 you can take straight to the bank!



4. Wow. This book was really, really, really useful. I'm one of those people who, until recently, never gave a second thought to savings or investment because I was always living paycheck to paycheck. Now that we have a little gbreathing room, my husband and I have been reading up on financial things of interest.
   
   I HIGHLY recommend this book for your first one if you're absolutely clueless about personal finance. It takes a bunch of terms that many people find terrifying (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.) and not only explains them and many others in amusing detail, but also makes the process of investing a lot more accessible to the average person. It's realistic, though--for one thing, the authors explain why everything from lottery tickets to penny stocks are a bad idea. It also bursts other bad habits, such as not buying Stock A because Stock B is cheaper per share--but not returning as much interest to the owner.
   
   Additionally, there's a lot of really good advice for newbies to investment.



5. I bought this book a good five years ago and ate it up. I have read it several times only to be reinforced in my investment approach - a well-diversified assortment of passive index funds, along with a few well chosen blue chips that pay regular dividends. Monthly automatic investments are now a way of life and though humble in its beginnings, my portfolio today is more than respectable in comparison with most of my "buy it new and yesterday" peers. The Gardner brothers style is informative, quirky, quite clever and humourous. If you don't have time to be a slave to mammon, you'll find as I have that INDEXING is the way to go- slow and steady, living within your means, depending on what you can invest per month-in 20-30 years you will be very wealthy.

5 comments about The Frugal Millionaires (Retail: $21.95 - Ships October 15th 2008, Pre-sale: $19.75).

1. This book was really enjoyable. I actually could not wait to turn the page, curious about the next best tip! And as an added bonus, the author was quite humorous.
   
   The timing could not be better, now that our country is in an enormous economic crisis! We are all feeling stressed and under pressure to save! The advice reveals numerous clear strategies that will result in greater financial security no matter what one's current economic status.
   
   Also it occurred to me this would be a great book for young adults who are just venturing out on their own and do not know the first thing about "the value of a dollar".



2. Packed with practical information on how to become and stay financially secure, this book quickly grabs your attention and is hard to put down. It takes the mystery out of wealth attainment and replaces it with sound strategies that are easy to understand and apply. From Investments to Mortgages to Credit Cards to Marriage, this book has something for everyone. It will be one of the most useful and enjoyable books you will ever read, particularly considering today's economic climate. Its candor and use of humor is a refreshing plus as well....enjoy!



3. Frugal Millionaires is an excellent read for anyone seeking simple ways to save and accumulate wealth! It is a compilation of advice from various millionaires who have built prosperity and know the ins and outs of growing money. As a recent graduate, the book is like a roadmap to financial success in the way it reveals the paths that others have taken toward great wealth. Lehman does a great job of explaining specific terms and ideas that I was unfamiliar with, and was able to compile a vast array of expert opinions that are extremely useful. I highly recommend (especially for recent college grads)!



4. Lehman's book is exactly what we need right now and is a fast read...I could not put it down. Frugality is certainly going to be the mantra in the US for many years to come. You might as well learn how ordinary folks become millionaires. This book guides you through the millionaire minds of 70 folks and their secret to making this happen. This is a MUST READ today.



5. I found the book to be very useful in two areas. 1. Rekindling memories of the basics that my parents taught me and secondly finding some new ideas on investing. The style of the book is very easy to read and follow. I have recommended this book to several friends. Well done!

5 comments about The Big Money: Seven Steps to Picking Great Stocks and Finding Financial Security.

1. I think this is a great book because it offers practical advice that the average investor can understand and use. There is no magic formula, no complex set of strategies, and no attempt at predicting the future.
   
   Mr. Kobrick dispenses quality advice in what is normally a sea of crystal ball gazing.



2. A fascinating book that is equally useful to the individual investor and the professinoal. The book's system of focus on fundamentals [BASM and Seven Steps] is refreshing in these days of concensus investing and short term trading. The war stories about important companies are both entertaining and informative. The investment returns available from these well known companies challanges the investor to be both selective and patient. The book does a good job laying-out a way [BASM and Seven Steps] that is instructive to the individual and a great reminder for the professional. I read it twice and recommend that anyone interested in investing does the same. It will help you avoid many of the fads and mistakes being made today.



3. Without realizing it, I've been practicing Mr. Kobrick's BASM principles successfully for years. It's exciting to see how he so clearly articulates his approach without being intimidating to a layperson. I've even begun using his BASM paradigm to explain to my children what "buy low and sell high" really means. This book is a standout!



4. THe book works just as readers and reviewers have said, e.g., USA Today, Equities magazine, and recently, Kiplinger's has said: "Particularly beneficial for an investor who is challenged to find and implement a specific stock-picking strategy that actually works".



5. I like this book even better than the classics on growth investing: Peter Lynch's One Up on Wall Street, and Philip Fisher's Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits. The information is timeless but it's nice that it was written in 2006 and the examples are still nice and fresh.

No comments about Tools & Techniques of Investment Planning (Tools & Techniques).

1 comments about Medicare Handbook, 2008 Edition.

1. This book breaks down on overly complex Medicare program, and allows even the most basic consumer understand Title XVIII. People on Medicare would benefit from this book to help them navigate and understand the regulations around Medicare and benefits.

4 comments about David Scott's Guide to Investing In Mutual Funds (David Scott's Guide).

1. The author has written another superb book on investment. This book on mutual funds is fun to read, easy to understand and cuts through the fog of misunderstanding associated with mutual fund investing. It includes a detailed explanation of all the various mutual funds which includes equity, bond and money market funds. It also covers alternatives to mutual funds such as closed-end investment companies. The book provides a wealth of knowledge and is a welcome addition to my library on investing.



2. This is a concise guide for beginning investors. It is easy to understand and reasonably complete. The material is too elementary for someone experienced in mutual fund investing but just about right for someone who is about to get their feet wet.



3. This is another good investment primer in Scott's series. An easy read that is especially worthwhile for someone wondering what mutual funds are all about. After reading this book you may also wonder why you may be paying so much to buy and own shares of a mutual fund.



4. I have found Scott's book to be a real help in understanding how to select mutual funds. Now I know what fees to check and the type fund that best fits my needs. I have recommended this to my friends who were in the same sorry shape I was.

5 comments about Economic Literacy: What Everyone Needs to Know About Money & Markets.

1. I am a techy and joined workforce in 2000. I started sensing the bubble and the bust and was really insecure about what the world and job market would look like once all this is over. Realized I need to learn something about economics which until then I thought was a boring dry bunch of theories of no use.
   
   Well this book changed my life, I joined MBA and got a whole new perspective towards life.
   
   A must read for any novice.



2. De Rooy easy to read commentary is simplistic yet thorough. I own the Idiot's Guide to Economics and Economics for Dummies, but these books do not compare with with Economic Literacy. I strongly urge this as a buy for anyone who wants to learn about the fascinating world of $$$.



3. The economics course as taught in the classroom sometimes revolves around a lot of theory and leaves a poor connection to the real world. This book is the perfect bridge between theory as taught in college and the pragmatic side of the economy in the after-college world. If you are a business student (BBA or MBA),an entrepreneur or a simple citizen that wants to grasp the real deal of economics you should buy this book. After reading this book you will become a knowldegeable person in the practical side of economics with a broad view to make safe and sound arguments about economics with your professor,colleagues and friends. You might even impress them!



4. I always thought that economics and fun dont go together very well, but the author of this book proved me wrong. By using real life examples as often as possible (and being as funny as possible), the author manages to produce one of the best written introductions (if not the best) about the subject.



5. What an awesome book! I recently began reading this book and have already fallen in love with DeRooy's style. He is an expert in clarifying complex ideas. I am only a general reader with a thirst for knowledge and this book is certainly recommended to those like myself. If only Jacob DeRooy were proficient in other subjects that interest me; he would do some great writing that will help educate the ignorant.

1 comments about Hoshin Handbook, Third Edition.

1. Participate in Pete Babich's huge experience. From a hands on perspective, stressing feasibility, he presents a well structured approach to steering a business unit by Hoshin Planning. The Vision as well as goals, objectives, measurables and strategies are translated into the speech of the internal customer, strategies become clear and well understood incrasing the buy in of all stakeholders in the company.
   It's logical, it's based on standards, it stresses results as well as processes, so it's a powerful tool, especially when you're engage in any Change or Lean Management initiative. You won't have to invent the wheel again. I found many useful examples inside the cd. Implementation managers and / or consultants can save a lot of time using the charts in the book, time they might need to convince top management or the entire leadership crew to become familiar with the new Hoshin process. Because what is Hoshin about in the end? It's about leadership!
   There is social-cultural side of implementing Hoshin and it is about change. Hoshin and Change Management must go together and Pete Babich gives a lot of implementation tips that help quality process managers and line managers save nerves and even money. In this way, Hoshin can be a success story.
   Recently I read an article on Ford's new CEO's Leaderhip Style, which is driven by facts and data (and commitment). The first thought that came into my mind was, he must have read Pete Babich's book.
   It's value add!

5 comments about The Big Investment Lie: What Your Financial Advisor Doesn't Want You to Know.

1. This hard-hitting book on professional investment advice is a little like a confession. Indeed, Michael Edesess founded a financial business, and admits that on numerous occasions he sat listening silently as sales people lied to and deceived investors. Divided into three sections, the book takes you through how much investors pay advisors, how little investors receive in return and the sales techniques advisors use on their clients. What Edesess says about finance and investing will come as no surprise to people who are familiar with Wall Street. The author's passion, and his understanding of how the investment management business works, is invaluable. We recommend this book as a warning to all investors.



2. I read this book in one sitting. To his credit, it's quite informative and readable. I found myself nodding my head in agreement on a lot of his points -- e.g. the market is efficient, moves randomly and that you cannot predict its movements -- though I didn't necessarily agree with his conclusions as I found them to be grossly oversimplified and extreme. Warren Buffet's investment success, according to Edesess, is attributable to luck. A bold -- if delusional -- statement. In any case, I commend him on writing a readable book with substance.
   
   I gave it one star because while reading the book, I couldn't help repeatedly saying to myself: "This guy just sold Lockwood for $200 million and made a fortune; and up to that point, he was handsomely compensated. He was in fact just like the greedy and unscrupulous investment advisers (the yacht owners) that he mentions in the book who made their fortunes by shaving off golden crumbs off a gold cake. Now that he is out of the business, he is in effect stabbing his colleagues in the back by bashing the very philosophy upon which Lockwood -- his own company -- was built." I found it a bit hypocritical and it left a sour taste in my mouth.
   
   Read the perceptive review by Publisher's Weekly. It's dead on.



3. This could have been a tremendous book. There is a huge need for information on the mechanics of the investing industry. There is no need for an additional book on the virtues of index fund investing - a large number of other authors have already done that, and done a much better job. John Bogle, Rich Ferri, Larry Swedroe, the list goes on and on.
   
   Edesess comes across as an industry insider who is disgruntled because they wouldn't cut him in on a big enough piece. He had the chance to deliver considerably more that people who are working to change the industry could have used, but doesn't seem to have been up to it.



4. Mr. Edesess misrepresents sound economics such as those of Hayek as being in support of his thesis against stock picking. Yet such tacit support claimed by Edesess fundamentally misunderstands the Austrian understanding of capital. Capital is anything used to produce other things; hence, a hammer is capital for tables, chairs, anything. Stocks represent ownership of capital, and could be thought of as capital used to produce money.
   
   Stocks are not just consumer goods whose price is determined by supply and demand; they are capital goods whose price is determined by supply and demand but whose supply and demand should be determined by the valuation of the underlying company's ability to generate a profit. Not only do humans value profitability incorrectly or at least differently, but many also buy and sell stocks for reasons other than profitability, even including sales for the reason of withdrawing funds from investments.
   
   Therefore the price of a stock is influenced by incorrect or at least different valuations of profitability AND transactions for the purpose of withdrawal, and there can be found an "intrinsic value" to the stock - its value as ability of the underlying company to generate profit - which is different from the market price of the stock.
   
   That management adds costs to find such stocks in order to take advantage of such a difference makes sense. Discovering all profitable activities requires paying costs to gain information. Whether those costs are worth it may be questionable, and whether the methodology used to pick stocks is rigorous may be questionable, but the intrinsic value and market price of a stock really are different, and that difference really is arbitrage.



5. Aimed primarily at the average (read: ignorant) retail investor, this book makes strong arguments. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the way in which they are made, and the result is a book that preaches to the choir in a manner that is excessively dumbed-down and repetitive.
   
   The basic premise of the book is that:
   1. The majority of investment advisors cannot outperform the market;
   2. Past performance is no guide to the future, and using it to select your investment advisor is essentially as good as flipping a coin;
   3. Despite all of this, the financial services industry somehow succeeds in extracting huge fees from investors, which only serves to make their underperformance even more substantial.
   
   Readers looking for substance will be disappointed as the data behind the above receives only cursory attention. This is unfortunate, since logic alone will not succeed in converting the skeptics.
   
   The sad reality is that, despite all the data to the contrary, people desperately want to believe that their investment advisors can add value in excess of their fees. Edesess would have produced a better book if he had devoted more space to debunking this myth by reference to real world results, and less to the numerous (often irrelevant) anecdotes that litter the book.
   
   Go ahead and buy this book if you're looking for a light read and fodder for interesting dinner table debate - just don't expect much in the way of rigorous proof of the arguments made.

No comments about Pass the 66: A Training Guide for the NASAA Series 66 Exam (First Books Training Library).