3 comments about Smarter Investing in Any Economy: The Definitive Guide to Relative Strength Investing.

1. With a title like that, you have to wonder if it can possibly live up to such a claim. I think so, and here's why:
   1. He develops his ideas clearly, starting with the rationale behind RS, and its use in top trading strategies, such as Investors Business Daily and Value Line.
   2. He then walks you through a variety of approaches (18!) to calculating RS, one step at a time, showing you how each one is calculated, and illustrating these with graphs.
   3. Next, he walks you through his tests on RS, based on a broad range of sectors, with each of the above approaches, to show you how he arrives at his conclusions.
   4. Along the way, he carefully addresses important questions that every trader must deal with, such as selection criteria, diversification, risk, stops, etc. He backs every point up with his own research, and with references to the key work of others--the academic research, and that of key authors such as Van Tharp and James O'Shaughnessy.
   5. Ultimately, he develops this into a full fledged trading program for every kind of market.
   
   Whether you are a systems trader or not, I strongly believe that if you only incorporate the least of his ideas on Relative Strength, you'll take a quantum leap forward with your trading.



2. Michael Carr provides a blueprint for success using relative strength investing (RS). Investors may be familiar with the academic literature showing that RS investing should work, but most of these studies were performed on paper, not in the real world. Few investors have successfully integrated RS into their investment approach because of challenges including:
   1) There are so many ways to measure RS that it is difficult to know which is best.
   2) Transaction costs can erode all the excess profits from RS investing.
   3) RS investing involves risk. What are the best ways to reduce the risks inherent in this approach?
   
   Carr addresses these issues. Investors experienced in using RS investing might scan the first section, which summarizes various approaches to measuring RS and surveys much of the academic literature on the subject. But even advanced practitioners will benefit from later chapters in which Carr builds a complete trading system, including buying, selling, back-testing and risk management. He illustrates RS investment approaches using both mutual funds and ETFs. This book is far more than an overview of the subject. It teaches readers how to utilize the power of relative strength in their own investing and trading.



3. Smart investment is more than buying low and selling high. "Smarter Investing in Any Economy: The Definitive Guide to Relative Strength Investing" is a guide for small time investors looking to increase their income and be more like the big time investors. Offering advice with the potential to double readers' income while cutting the risks they take in half, and with the optimistic view that something is always improving and going up even during a recession, "Smart Investing in Any Economy" is an ideal guide for any investor. Highly recommended for community library finance collections.

5 comments about The Lean Office Pocket Guide.

1. Informative handy book that has been a big hit with the personnel we deal with at training sessions. The size is also a plus.



2. The Lean Office Pocket Guide is the most comprehensive set of Lean tools explained relative to the administrative environment. The definitions are clear and concise. What I really like about this pocket guide are the forms and worksheets. I like the smaller version due to its size, but the Lean Office Pocket Guide XL allows you to read the forms easier - both are great values.



3. Lean is not just tools, it's a way of thinking. So management buy-in is absolutly necessary. So far so good. For the rest of it - for the tools - the LOPG is marvelous. It gives you methods, forms and procedures for the most common and fewer common lean office tasks.



4. This pocket guide explains many tools and expressions used around JIT/Lean and is very usefull for manufacturing and service business. The guide does not go to deep on any subject, but is very usefull when you need to design a template (e.g. data collection) or just simply you need a definition about pitch etc. Many time reading other books, the examples are sometimes confusing, this pocket guide delivers additional examples for your understanding.
   
   It is not the aim of this pocket guide to introduce in-depth into designing a lean system but to have a small advisor about the issues directly linked to make lean work. I liked the simple structure of explaining for every subject what it is, what it does and why it is important.
   
   As for any literature about Operations Management, I strongly recommend to take care about the notations used, e.g. cycle time is not always used from authors for exactly the same measure - sometimes even other expressions are used as e.g. lead time etc. Always take the time to understand the meaning of a notation and you will not get confused.
   
   Considering the attractive price-performance this is definteley worth 5 stars.
   
   Best Regards,
   Oliver



5. We loved this book! The explanations of the Lean tools in how they related to various administrative processes is exceptional. The step-by-step implementation for each tool was also very helpful. The Lean Office Pocket Guide is just that - a guide for you to improve office productivity. Having a reference book such as this allowed everyone to be aligned in understanding the Lean tools. The subsequent Lean teams are continually implementing the tools and practices as explained in this book. We ensure all our employees have this book (for the office)or one of The Lean Pocket Guides (for production).

5 comments about X-teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate and Succeed.

1. X-Teams is great book for those who participate on or manage any type of team within the corporate environment. The theme is that successful teams spend more time externally focused rather than internally focused on their team itself. The last 1/3 of the book are very practical tools and tips for establishing and managing successful teams. These are concepts learned from countless interviews and intensive research over the years by the leadership team at MIT. I highly recommend this book.



2. Much of the literature you read on building teams in the workplace deal with the internal interactions of the group... how they get along, building morale, etc. Deborah Ancona and Henrik Bresman offer up a different take on team success in the book X-teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate and Succeed. Given my experience over the years, their methodology is likely to be more successful than the conventional approach.
   
   Contents:
   Part 1 - Why Good Teams Fail: Into a Downward Spiral; A Changing World
   Part 2 - What Works: X-Team Principle 1 - External Activity; X-Team Principle 2 - Extreme Execution; X-Team Principle 3 - Flexible Phases; X-Factors - The X-Team Support Structure
   Part 3 - How To Build Effective X-Teams: Tools for X-Teams - From Theory to Action; Crafting an Infrastructure for Innovation - The X-Team Program; X-Teams - Distributed Leadership in Action
   Notes; Index; About the Authors
   
   The most noticeable difference between the conventional team and the X-Team is the focus of their activity... external. Instead of spending time waiting for the team to gel and feel secure, waiting for the rules and directions to be established, Ancona and Bresman advocate for an external focus. Get out in the field immediately and start talking to the potential customers and clients. This tilt towards immediate action may well lead to a moderate level of confusion and frustration on the team in the early days, but the net result is a quick start and insights that can't be gleaned from existing knowledge. Couple this with active "ambassadorship" and flexible membership and team roles, and things get done rather than just being talked about. The authors have done a lot of study and research in this field, and many of the examples (both good and bad) are real companies with actual teams that created successful products. This emphasis on real world results is good, as otherwise this could come across as a nice academic exercise with no track record to back it up.
   
   This would make a good read for team leaders and management who are dissatisfied with how their teams are currently functioning (or not, as the case may be). There's no promise that following these steps will make your next project smooth and successful, but it could significantly increase the odds of showing results.



3. 
   X-Teams is a well-written book on teams with an important new message. This is: well working teams should look outside as much as inside. In this review, I doubted between a 3 and a 4 star rating, though I decided on 4 stars.
   
   The book is divided in 3 parts. The first part tries to explain why our mental model about teams might result into bad teams. The second part is the main content of the book and it talks about what X-Teams are and how you can try to create them. The third part talks about implementation issues.
   
   Part 1 shows examples of teams which follow traditional team models and yet fail. Their mistake is that they are too much inwards focused and do not pay attention to the changing world out there.
   
   Part 2 explains what X-Teams are. X-Teams are based on 3 principles:
   
   - External activity
   - Extreme execution
   - Flexible phases
   
   External activity is the main principle and it focuses on the fact that teams need to not just focus on themselves but at the same time keep in touch with the outside environment and coordinate their work within their context. Teams do this by scouting outside, coordinating their work with others and staying in contact with the management. Extreme execution is about the team work itself. Even though they need to keep track with the outside, they still need to get work done and focus on the work inside the team also! Principle one and two together give a balanced message about teams. The third principle is, in my opinion, somewhat odd compared to the first two. It talks about that teams typically need to go through three phases and what they need to do in these phases.
   
   The rest of part two talks about building a team support structure.
   
   Part 3 talks about the implementation of X-Teams. I found this part very disappointing and think the book would have been better without it (reason for doubting to go to stars). It talks about setting up a X-Team program and gives some examples.
   
   All in all, the beginning of the book is really good. Halfway I started losing some of my interest and I was getting bored with the repetition. Though the message of the book is an important one. I'd recommend to read the book and read chapter 1-5, then stop :)



4. This book takes the basic concepts of team building and management, but adds an important twist and then gives it a framework with lots of labels and structure that are quite useful to a consultant, and maybe less useful to a team trying to get something done besides working the process.
   
   The basic idea of an x-team is that too many failed teams become so inward looking that they fail to connect with their stakeholders. They end up trying to deliver something their customers don't want and can't use. The team becomes more insular and then internally divisive while the project suffers and eventually fails.
   
   The difference is that an x-team gets connected with its stakeholders right away. It goes out and learns all it can about what is needed and how it needs to be delivered before they make decisions and set their process in stone. In fact, nothing about an x-team is set in stone. I won't try and lay out the somewhat involved sets of processes and phases the authors provide, but it is an interesting concept and I do agree that it can help some teams do much better. However, it may be too involved for others. In some cases, this much process to manage can cause the team to become just as separated from what it needs to do as any inward looking team.
   
   Still, it might be just the ticket for you. If you want to look at some ideas for energizing your team processes while getting some structure, this might do it for you.
   
   Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI



5. Years of research show that a team that focuses solely on internal team building is likely to fail. The "X-team" emphasizes external activity, and a flexible membership and leadership structure. Deborah Ancona and Henrik Bresman write that such a team is not only more likely to succeed, but will often exceed managerial expectations. This book, divided into three sections, tells you why some teams fail, how to create one that works and how to manage it through every phase of a project. The authors make liberal use of examples from major corporations, such as BP and Microsoft, to illustrate all their principles. The terminology is somewhat proprietary, but the approach makes a great deal of sense. We recommend this book to managers and team members alike.

5 comments about The Expert's Guide to Collecting & Investing in Rare Coins: Secrets Of Success.

1. Very informative, well written guide in investing in coins. The author possesses unquestionable authority on the subject and has a remarkably well-honed ability to write on an academic topic in an exciting manner. He is sharp-witted and enjoyable. The book is very complete and most importantly - relevant and timely. If you wish to invest and collect coins this is a must have guide.



2. I read "Gold Rush: How to Collect, Invest & Profit With Gold Coins" by Mitch Battino and Arlyn Sieber (see my review of that book) prior to reading this book by Q. David Bowers. I'm glad I did because while the Gold Rush book was a very big disappointment, it made me realize just how truly good Mr. Bowers book is.
   
   I have to be honest, coin books are generally NOT books that you read from beginning to end and find that you can't put down. This book is an exception - I couldn't put it down and I read the entire book from beginning to end.
   
   Although I've been collecting for years, one thing I enjoyed about this book was that some of those obscure numismatic terms that other authors assume you know, Mr. Bowers will stop and take a sentence or two to explain the term. I really appreciated that.
   
   Plus, where the Gold Rush book failed in the "How to Collect, Invest, and Profit," this book did an excellent job of showing how to do just that. It is not a price guide with outdated prices. It is an excellent reference guide with information that will never get old. This book will still be great 10 years from now.
   
   This book has excellent chapters with hands-on advise and great stories to help explain coin market cycles, determining coin prices and value (not a list of coin prices like other books but goes into things like grading, rarity, and demand), history of the coin market and predicting the rare coin market, techniques for buying and selling, and chapters on collecting advise for everything from gold coins, commemorative coins, to paper money and tokens and medals. The only thing I would point out as that this book sticks to the U.S. rare coin market and does not discuss World coins.
   
   I own more than a few coin books and this book has shot up to the top of my list as the "must have" book. Whether you are a new or experienced collector or investor (aren't we all really both), you will enjoy and profit from this book.
   
   In the future, when I'm asked by new collectors what is a good book to get, this will be the book I recommend.



3. --
   "The Expert's Guide to Collecting & Investing in Rare Coins" is definitely worth reading. It is autobiographical and contains the secrets of his 60 years of success as collector, investor, numismatist, grader, dealer, auctioneer, ANA board member, and author.
   
   Cramming six decades of numismatic life experiences into a single book is tough, requiring mental and spiritual strength. Doing this in a comprehensive, coherent and organized manner is unquestionably a laborious, taxing, onerous, and difficult task. Such a demanding project could only be achieved by the formidable Q. David Bower.
   
   Mr. Bower is one of the most prolific numismatic writers of all time, he has written over 30 books and numerous articles and columns.This is by far the most important of his works and possibly the best ever, the quality of information & wide-ranging content makes it the cream of the crop, flower of the flock, pick of the bunch --whatever you want to call it.
   
   It is full of valuable expertise, candid story telling, dealer & auctioneer trade secrets, smart buying and selling techniques and recommendations, and detailed descriptions of every US coin by type, complete with a close focus on: Rarity, Grading, Quality, and Value of coins. It also includes his recommendations and insights on Conferences, Life & Internet Auctions, Library, Protection and Conservation of Coins, Tokens, Medals, and Paper Money.
   
   Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I Recommend this Book.
   
   See my other reviews.
   
   
   
   Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins
   High Profits from Rare Coin Investment
   A California Gold Rush history: Featuring the treasure from the S.S. Central America : a source book for the Gold Rush historian and numismatist
   A Guide Book Of Us Morgan Silver Dollars: A Complete History and Price Guide (Official Red Book) (Official Red Book)
   The History of United States Coinage
   The United States Gold Coin Collection
   Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia
   The Numismatist's Bedside Companion (The Numismatist's Companion Series)
   A Guide Book of Modern United States Proof Coin Sets: A Complete History and Price Guide (Official Red Book)
   The Inside Story Of The State Quarters (Official Whitman Guidebook)
   A Guide Book of U.S. Commemorative Coins (The Official Red Book)
   Coin Dealer Newsletter: A Study in Rare Coin Price Performances
   American Coin Treasures & Hoards
   Recollections of a Mint Director



4. This book is EXTREMELY thorough. However, as a newcomer to the field, it was a tough one for me, as it seems the author already presupposes a fair amount of knowledge of coin-collecting jargon on the part of the reader (to be fair, perhaps it's my fault for not taking the "EXPERT'S" part of the title literally.)
   
   I highly recommend this book if you already have some basic knowledge in the field. However, for genuine neophytes like myself, it would be better to get the basics from a source geared to beginners first (maybe COIN COLLECTING FOR DUMMIES.) I think this book would then be much more understandable and enjoyable.



5. I could have done without this book. Its design is flawed, and the binding is stiff and brittle. I prefer the Redbook or Bluebook.

5 comments about Sensible Stock Investing: How to Pick, Value, and Manage Stocks.

1. This book provides a cook book approach to evaluating stocks. The concept is good and the approach to applying the concept also good. The main problem with the book is that I do not believe it was edited. There are several glaring errors in the text and it is not very well written either. That being said, it still is worth buying for the concepts that the books presents. What the book really needed was a really good editor to tune it up.



2. Out of all the investment books I own, "Sensible Stock Investing" is the only book that has finally brought together an understanding of how, what, why, and when a stock should be considered for purchase. Not just a "stock screen evaluation", like so many books are, but an explanation of how various criteria is brought together and used to give an unbiased and "sensible" direction before making a commitment. This book has allowed me to feel confident, organized, and safer while having an intelligent control of what I analyze and compare. After scrambling in various directions through reading numerous books and newsletters, "Sensible Stock Investing" has provided me with all the tools necessary to establish an orderly and educated direction of investment choices based on knowledgeable, well-built groundwork. It is both exciting and liberating to finally learn how to approach investing based on my own calculated and informative decisions.
   
   Mr. Van Knapp has written a book that allows a person to navigate technical information in a step by step process using an "Easy Rate System". It will allow you to compare a stock against its own strengths and weaknesses, and score it accordingly. The straight forward explanations of the figures used will give the reader an effortless understanding of these fundamentals. Knowing what information to look for and how to utilize it becomes a simple but thorough process.
   
   "Sensible Stock Investing" also includes added information on different stock groupings and their level of volatility, how to evaluate the current condition or trend of the Market, managing your stocks and much more. Through this book, Mr. Van Knapp has succeeded in making the market place an enjoyable and less exasperating environment for everyone. A well earned five stars!



3. As an investor who believes in many of the valuation techniques of Buffett and Peter Lynch, I was constantly trying to find a way to properly grade a stock. Finally, someone tied all the important components together in an easy-to-use scoring system that takes all the emotion out of investing. David Van Knapp has written an understandable and extremely well detailed book that walks you through all the important points necessary to determine 1) If the stock is under or over valued, 2) Is the timing right to purchase it, and 3) When it's time to get out.
   
   Since I began using Mr. Van Knapp's system, my returns have dramatically improved. Using his dividend strategy earlier this year during the exceptional market volatility we experienced, I outperformed the exchanges by 5%.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to seasoned veterans and new investors alike as a staple for your library. Sensible Stock Investing is destined to be included with some of the great works of Graham, Lynch and Siegel.



4. First, what this book is NOT:
   
   A primer on asset allocation or asset classes other the individual stocks. If you only invest in bonds, cash, and mutual funds, this book is not for you.
   
   What this book is:
   
   A primer on evaluating stocks to consider buying. The author explains what types of companies to look for. The author discusses developing the comapny's story, how a company fits into megatrends, how to determine a dominant company, and how to evaluate the company's financials. He has developed a scoring system that is easy to understand and flexible, so an investor can tweak the system to their own values.
   
   A primer on stock valuation, primarily using valuation ratios. Again, there is an easy to use scoring system.
   
   A primer on managing your portfolio. Several stock types are discussed, including aggresive Type A stocks, momentum stocks, dividend stocks, blue chips, and EFTs. Concentration vs. diversification are discussed including a recommendation for a reasonable number of stocks to own. When to buy and sell, market timing (based on eight easy to find market indicators) and investing strategy are also discussed.
   
   The author has invested in two real money portfolios, one aggresive, the other more conversative and dividend oriented. He discusses his actual results for the two portfolios and lessons learned. The portfolios were started in 2001 and 2002, hardly during a bull market, so the better than the market results are not simply a result of favorable market conditions.
   
   The appendices include several forms recommended by the author: a stock rating form, company story questionnaire, a stock shopping list, a market timing outlook, and portfolio review.
   
   For those who hate books that are basically sales pitches, this book thankfully has little. The author has a web site, but it is only mentioned a few times, and never pushed.
   
   In all, a good stock picking book with an easy to understand system for evaluating potential companies, valuing their stocks, and managing a portfolio.



5. I have been wanting to get back into stock market investing since my 401k has languished along with the rest of the market for years. I wanted a complete investment "system" that was logical and reflected my views on well-reasoned investment fundamentals.
   
   I found everything I was searching for in this book. There is a fine balance between being technical enough to accurately represent a stock's value and market conditions and readily understandable text. Mr. Van Knapp certainly achieved that for me.
   
   I consider myself a "value" investor at heart and I needed a book that spoke to me on that level. I didn't want rosy predictions of how much money I would make. I'm realistic enough to know I'll make mistakes, but having the information in this book gives me the confidence to know when it's time to buy as well as sell. Mr. Van Knapp also includes two real-world portfolios in the text. These aren't hypothetical portfolios manipulated to illustrate his points. They are real-money ($50k and $40k) investments in actual stocks, with performance information as well as reasoned discussion on his criteria for making his purchases.
   
   I will return to update this review when my portfolio has had time to accurately reflect my own approach, using Mr. Van Knapp's criteria. If you are looking for stock market investment advice, I would highly recommend this book in your library.

No comments about Project Management for Business, Engineering, and Technology, Third Edition.

5 comments about Angel Investing: Matching Startup Funds with Startup Companies -- A Guide for Entrepreneurs, Individual Investors, and Venture Capitalists.

1. This book is one of THE BEST books on this subject matter that I have read in recent years. Having been in the venture capital industry for many years I was very interested to read what van Osnabrugge and Robinson had to say. I'll be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical because the book was written by academics. However, after a careful read it became clear that these authors have done their homework and know what they are talking about. This book is an enjoyable read that has some of the most useful information I have found to date. I urge anyone interested in entrepreneurship and investing to read this book. You won't be sorry.



2. "Angel Investing" by Mark Van Osnabrugge and Robert J. Robinson gives useful information about angel investors and venture capitalists.

   Van Osnabrugge and Robinson estimate that angel investors--wealthy individuals who invest their own money into start-up companies--invest three to five times more money than venture capitalists and back thirty to forty times more ventures, making angel investors the primary source of external capital for entrepreneurs.

   But, how do you meet and present your business idea to an angel investor? What factors do angel investors give the most weight to when debating whether or not to fund a venture? How do angel investors differ from venture capitalists when valuing a start-up company?

   "Angel Investing" answers these questions and many more. It is stuffed with studies, interviews, and solid advice. "Angel Investing" can be divided into three main categories:

   * General background about angel investors and venture capitalists and their relationship and importance to business and the economy.

   * Practical advice for entrepreneurs seeking start-up funds from angel investors or venture capitalists.

   * Practical advice for individuals considering becoming angel investors and making investments in small companies.

   Each topic in "Angel Investing" is well documented. It's a rather formal book, actually. Robinson is a professor at the Harvard Business School and Van Osnabrugge is a former fellow of the Harvard Business School.

   I found the section about successful angel investment deals a bit too rich for my taste. For example, we learn that one angel investor who backed amazon.com got a 260 times return on his initial investment of $100,000 making him $26 million. Another angel who invested in the Body Shop received 10,500 times his initial investment. As a new angel investor, don't get overly excited about the prospects! Remember, many angel investments fail dismally. As the authors point out, you must only invest money you can afford to lose!

   If you are already a financially successful entrepreneur who considers becoming an angel investor, you might want to read "Angel Investing" to help improve the chances of making successful angel investments. However, the book is not a complete analysis of the due diligence process.

   And, of course, from an entrepreneur's standpoint, reading a book won't automatically put you in contact with serious angel investors, and much of the real work in financing a new venture involves finding personal contacts to introduce you to appropriate angel investors. Van Osnabrugge and Robinson note that most funded ventures involve personal introductions.

   Maybe, if you're ready to invest $50,000 per company or more (and ready to lose $50,000 or more per investment!), you're tired of investing in public companies (with mystic accounting and lack of reportability to the investor), and you want to add value to your investment by contributing information and contacts to your investment, this might be a good book to help get you started. On the downside, you'll probably have no diversification and poor liquidity with angel investments.

   The most important tip from "Angel Investing": Do adequate research before investing in a company. And, it's best if you know the industry and know business.

   Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur."




3. If you are planning to go after Angel funding, this book is a must-read. The book contains interviews with a broad spectrum of Angels, who discuss their investment experience, the thinking they go through, and key things they look for, when evaluating an opportunity. This book would serve as an excellent reference for anyone preparing to be in front of Angels.



4. This book starts off slowly but when it gets rolling it is very helpful ,giving good infromation where and when you need it.



5. I am the Founder & CEO of a business that within the next 8 to 12 months was seeking to raise between $2M and $5M to fund our expansion. I always thought of going straight to Venture Capital firms or Private Equity divisons of Invmt Banks that I have already been in touch with. This book, Angel Investing, was a truly priceless read to me. The education delivered by authors has helped me re-strategize my approach to inviting external investors and also the amount that I should try to raise and the schedule of funds. What I thought was most helpful was the detailed comparisons between Angel Investors and Venture Capitalist, as well as understanding the psychology behind their thinking and how an entrepreneur seeking outside funds should try to prepare every aspect of their presentation (themselves, their product and overall business plan). The book has given me tools to have most questions covered and more importantly has prepared me to become an angel myself in the years ahead.

5 comments about Stock Options for Dummies.

1. I was misled by the title of this book am disappointed. This book is NOT for individuals who want to take their investing to the next level and start trading options on the open market, as I had expected -- rather, it is for people who are offered stock options through their employer.
   
   If anyone knows of a good beginner's book for trading stock options, please clue me in.



2. First, disregard the 5-star rating. *I* think the book is good of course, but that's not why I'm writing this comment.
   
   To the two recent reviewers who complain that the book isn't about puts and calls but rather about ISOs, NQSOs, etc. - look, I'm sorry for your inconvenience but if you had taken about 2 minutes to skim the table of contents and the editorial review on the amazon.com page ("...your company's stock option plan..."), you would CLEARLY see what type of stock options this book discusses. In fact, taking less time to do so than it took you to write your complaint-reviews and give the book a poor review would have saved each of you $20 or whatever the book cost you.
   
   So my sympathies to you for your misspent $, but come on: blaming the author and publisher for your own haste and, further, feeling the need to do so publicly on an amazon.com review with one- and two-star rankings? (At least the other reader who did the same thing back in August, 2003 had the courtesy to give a 5-star ranking because of the reselling experience on amazon.com to rectify his/her error.)
   
   I sincerely hope that if you do begin to dabble in puts and calls - the other kind of stock options - that you do so with much greater care than you took in making your respective book purchases. Otherwise, you should really think twice about that side of the investing world.
   
   To the one reader who is looking for a beginner's book about the other kind of stock options: see "Futures and Options For Dummies" by Joe Duarte. But do your homework first before buying!



3. This book is aimed at employees elegible to receive stock options in the company they work for from their employer.
   
   It is NOT for investors wishing to buy and sell stock options through a stock broker.



4. This book, to me, was completely worthless. I purchased it thinking, like others commenting, that it was about options trading (puts, calls, etc.), not about "employee stock options" (which is what the book should be titled).
   I did read the author's response to criticism about the title, and I think he has some valid points; and in return I would like to sell him a coffee table book entitled "Cats" with a cute little kitten on the front. When he opens it I'm sure he'll be happy to see that it's full of pictures and information about catepiller industrial equipment.
   Also, his argument that anyone who looked at the table of contents would know what the book is about proves that he does not realize who his audience is: This is a "for dummies" book; it should be assumed that the reader knows very little about options. So, how would someone who knows extremely little about options know that chapters entitled "Stock Options: What you need to know right off the bat", Exercising your stock options", and "Finding stock option information online" are not what they are looking for?
   While this book may be very useful for someone wanting information about EMPLOYEE stock options, it was completely worthless to me. Make sure it's what you're looking for before you purchase.



5. This book is a review of employee options. I was hoping for a more comprehensive review that would explain options buying , trading etc.
   It is adequate for the topic of employee options , but nothing else.

5 comments about The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner: A Powerful Plan to Finish Rich in Real Estate.

1. This book is a 5 star book if you are looking for a book to inspire you to be a first time home owner. 80% of this book explains the entire process of how to become a homeowner, it would have been very helpful to me before I bought my first home 16 years ago. He explains mortgages and how they work, what kind of real estate agent to use and what to look for in making your choices. 20% of this book explains why it is important financially to own your own home. For example: Homes rise in value on average 6% a year. So if your home is valued at $100,000 it will grow in value by $6,000 a year. This can add up quickly in equity and will turn out to be one of the greatest investments you have ever made. David Bach believes that home ownership is essential to becoming an automatic millionaire. This book briefly discusses how wealthy you can become by keeping your homes as rental properties as you trade up to larger homes. This book is not about "flipping" properties it is about owning them for the long term. I would highly recommend a beginner in real estate or personal finance to read this book it will be very useful, however this is not for current home owners or real estate investors. I will be giving this book as a gift to my children when they turn 18. Owning a home is essential to financial success, even though I am uncomfortable with Mr. Bach's advice to leverage debt for multiple houses.My first starter home made me $40,000 in 10 years when I sold it.



2. David Bach couldn't be more right on with the "Automatic" part of his book. I am a real estate agent and for years when someone bought a house from me I would give them a fruit basket or gift card. Now I send them something of great value. I send them this book and only this book. They look a little strange at me at first but after they've read it they become excited and can't wait to begin their journey to be millionaires as homeowners and I got to be a part of it. The return to them will be great. The return to me will be great too.



3. I bought the book not knowing what to expect , however it had so many good tips that are relevant to buying a home for the first time. It also extends great advice about real estate as an investment. I recommend it to anyone looking for good sound, structured advice about investing in a home.



4. This product is well worth it's money. It has many pointers, directions, and links to better your knowledge. Remember, knowledge is power.



5. The title of this book may be a bit over-reaching but this is a good primer for those who are looking to leave renting behind and embark on home ownership. Author Bach offers a thorough primer into the wisdom of getting into the real estate market and buying a home. This is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme, but rather an approach for a patient person.
   
   One caveat is that many of Bach's principles work better in a rising real estate market. In some markets, this advice could render you An Automatic Bankruptcy Case.
   
   Since the book's publication, the residential real estate market has cooled or tanked in many areas. This may make it tougher in the short run to recoup on some of Bach's advice. In fairness, he recognizes in the book the cyclical nature of real estate markets and recommends a long term discipline in holding real estate in up markets and down cycles.

4 comments about The Credit Default Swap Basis.

1. Choudhry lays out the relationship between cash and synthetic fixed income instruments: 1) for cash bonds, the different ways to measure the cash flows, swapping fixed to floating, using ASW, I spread, Z spread, etc., and the pro's and con's of each measurement. 2) For CDS, there is a brief primer on the CDS product structure, and discussion of CDS pricing methodology (both mathematically and in layman's terms). He then lays out techniques for hedging and basis trading and presents examples. There is discussion of market supply/demand influences.
   
   The emphasis is hands-on usability for the practitioner. He presents examples using the Bloomberg & some spreadsheets. Although several approaches to CDS pricing theory are presented (including some math that I'm not knowledgable enough to evaluate), CDS theory is not explored or debated in great detail. This level of theory is not the primary focus of the book. The book is NOT targeted to heavy duty quants or theoreticians.
   
   There are a couple areas where I would have appreciated a bit more diligence. Choudhry himself points out one example where the values in the printed Bloomberg screen differ slightly from the book's text (couldn't they have updated one or the other before going to print?). In another case, I was unsure about the consistency of treatment in different parts of the book regarding one of the spread measurements. In this case I will probably buy one of his other books where the issue is examined in greater detail.
   
   Overall, I found this book VERY useful and well worth reading.



2. The book is 195 pages total. The first 60 pages explain what CDS, z-spread, and asset swap spread are. While this is useful information, chances are, if you are buying a book about CDS basis, you will already know this stuff. And if you dont, wikipedia or any other online source can concisely explain it.
   
   The last 50 pages includes definitions and appendicies. In between, you get a lot of repetitive information. Every chapter starts out with a 2-3 page summary of what you just read.
   
   Chapter 3 is really the only useful part of the book - it outlines the 10 or so factors that drive basis. I certainly learned a lot here but it was in the course of 10 pages or so.
   
   The final chapter talks about "trading the basis." I was disappointed to read that they are simply telling you how to execute the trade...ie, buy $10MM notional, sell X, hedge with futures. It really doesnt help with idea generation which is what I was hoping to see.



3. In all honesty, I bought this book without fully realizing what I was purchasing. I had intended to buy a very basic intro to credit default swaps. With that being said, I'm glad I made the decision to purchase the book. There was more than enough material covering how a CDS works to get anyone familiar with finance up to speed.
   
   Once Choudhry gets into the basis itself, it's very easy to understand and apply. I almost felt ready to go out and trade the basis myself, but not working on a trade desk, that just wasn't an option!
   
   At the end of the day, one of the most valuable takeaways is that you really have a much better understanding of the difference between the cash and synthetic market. I've personally used what I've learned in this book to help people make sense of what CDS and asset-swap spreads mean.



4. I am usually a big fan of what Moorad Choudry writes, because of his very accessible way of writing on bonds and structured finance theory. But in this book, I had the feeling that the topic was not covered as deeply as others topics he has written about.
   
   1. This is not a book about CDS theory and pricing, so if you are looking to get a grip on CDS, this book is not for you. However, quite a number of pages are devoted on CDS, ASW, z-spreads. It is interesting, but this is not the topic of the book and people buying it are certainly all familiar with thoses concepts.
   2. The part covering CDS basis is not really deep covered. Moorad Choodry gives some explaination of the factors driving the basis (which was what I was expecting in getting this book) but it could have been done in an article rather than a book.
   3. On how to trade the basis, the author gives some trades examples, but he remains very high level on the rationale of the trades and how to identify opportunities. It seems that there is a missing part.
   
   In conclusion, I would still recommend it because of it gives some useful information on the CDS basis and its price is very accessible. Overall, I continue to enjoy what Moorad Choodry writes, but just a little disappointed on this one.