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The Motley Fool Investment Guide : How The Fool Beats Wall Streets Wise Men And How You Can Too (平装)
by David Gardner, Thomas Gardner
| Category:
Personal finance, Personal wealth, Investment, Self help |
| Market price: ¥ 168.00
MSL price:
¥ 148.00
[ Shop incentives ]
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A solid and fun to investing, this book stands out as a good primer for beginners. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 7 items |
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Library Journal (MSL quote), USA
<2007-09-15 00:00>
The Gardner brothers, cofounders of Fool.com, present two parts of their trilogy (third title, The Motley Fool's Rule Breakers, Rule Makers), which update original material with the latest trends in finance and investment. Throughout the briskly paced, crisp narration, their trademark focus remains on novice investors with minimal information about investments but who are ready to invest their precious capital. In Investment Guide, the Fools decipher how to evaluate individual stocks, create a diverse investment portfolio, and find high-growth stocks that will beat the market over the long run. Their explanation on how to pick that first stock, how to read various company financial reports, how to select large and small cap firms to invest in, and how to distinguish "Rule Breaker" from "Rule Maker" firms is tailored to the very patient individual investor wired to the Internet. In You Have More Than You Think, the duo focus on taking control of personal finances, the first and most important step toward successful investing and a secure future. For folks trying to balance lifestyle aspirations with financial realities, while serious about getting out of debt and into the stock market, their advice regarding financial security is solid. While very little here is radically new, with the resounding success of The Motley Fool, the Gardners' major web site, and their importance in the world of finance and investing, these hip titles are certainties for all public libraries. |
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ReedFloren.com (MSL quote), USA
<2007-09-15 00:00>
This book is pretty good for first time or novice investors, the Gardner brothers discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different investment methods most notably: mutual funds, index funds, and stocks. Also it seems these Fools (yes they like to be called that) like investing in Dow stock, much of their information regarding Dow stocks appears to come from Michael O'Higgins author of Beating the Dow. Another method that the brothers introduce is one of their own for picking out small cap growth stocks, here's what they look for:
Sales of less than $200 million
Daily Dollar Volume of $3 million or less
Low Price $5-$20
Net profit margin of 10% or more
Relative Strength (IBD) of 90 or higher
Earnings and sales growth for the most recent quarter of 25+ or more
Insider holdings of 15%+
Cash flow from operations should also be a positive number
This book is primarily aimed at beginning investors who want to hold growth stocks for a year or more, however a lot of this book is focused on them talking about their website www.fool.com
My favorite part of this book would have to be the chapter on Zeigletics: The Penny Stock That Never Was. |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-09-15 00:00>
The Motley Fool Investment guide by the Gardners was a fairly interesting primer on the subject of investing, with a particular emphasis on stockpicking. However, that is ALL you should take it as. It should merely be viewed as ONE type of overview of the stock market that may or may not be valid under current market conditions.
Note: Beginning investors should be very wary of following the strategies outlined in this or ANY investing book with any significant sum of money. Run a simulation portfolio and test out the validity of these methods before you plunk your hard earned cash into some particular system. Be warned. My opinions may sound very negative and you may be at a loss of confidence, but I do believe you'd rather take a beating in your emotions before you take one with your portfolio.
Now, overall, the book offers some nice stratagems for newer investors and is written in a very friendly style to keep people interested. The book is laced with the Gardners' personal style of humor(which I wasn't particularly fond of), but they did manage to keep the book fairly light-hearted and easy to read. With that said, I believe a key flaw of this book is that it makes achieving market-beating returns seem fairly easy.
Would it be feasible to believe that anyone could suddenly start playing NBA quality basketball were that person to read and follow some simple exercises in a book entitled "Play Basketball like Michael Jordan"? How about "Tiger Woods in 20 Minutes"? Yes my friends, it is very possible to play pro ball by doing my secret exercises for only 20 minutes a day, because in my new book, I have outlined some very secret and powerful methods that will make your growth in talent and muscle EXPLODE! *cue slightly altered techniques found in a basic exercise manual wrapped around in clever and seductive writing.
The notion that someone can play professional, all-star level ball by reading a book and following simple exercises would quickly be dismissed as utter BS. But in the world of investing, 'secret methods,' 'the methods of the pros,' etc. etc., always seem to entice new investors into buying a $15 manual to learn the secrets to beat the market. Maybe Peter Lynch can get by on beating the pros by looking at investments only a few hours a week because his decisions are built on experience... It may be easy for a professional bodybuilder to lift 350 lbs, but does that mean the average man can expect to do the same? To suggest that the newcomer can beat the pros by spending only a few hours a week and using a very simple system sounds quite like the 'pro ball' scenario, no?
You certainly won't get consistent market beating returns by following the very scanty guidelines offered in this book. Another area of fault with the book is that, at times, it seems like you've just spent your hard-earned money on a big advertisement. The constant plugging of their website is extremely annoying to say the least. It almost seems as this book was geared to get you to join their website.
With all of that said, the book offers a decent, easily followed write-up of long term investing fundamentals. It's a nice overview of the subject of investing, and beginners will learn some good lessons, but by no means should they believe that by reading a couple of investing books and following the simple guidelines within should they expect to beat the market over the long-term. There's a reason most mutual funds don't consistently beat the market over the long-term. And no, it's not because the majority of mutual funds are run by complete dunces (some of you may tend to disagree). The objective of obtaining market beating returns isn't nearly as easy as it seems. |
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Chris Forest (MSL quote), USA
<2007-09-15 00:00>
Dave and Tom have created an immensely readable and informative book for the average Joe who wants to learn how to invest in the stock market. Their liberal use of humorous examples makes the book hard to put down. They explain why mutual funds are usually a bad choice, how to do your own research, how to avoid sky-high commissions, how to do your own research on companies, the difference between fundamental analysis and technical analysis (and which one is basically worthless), and even how to make money in a bear market (yes, it can be done, and it's a lot easier than you might think). Overall, if you are looking for a simple and fun explanation of how to get started in investing, you can't possibly go wrong with this one. |
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Thomas McGannon (MSL quote), USA
<2007-09-15 00:00>
I was rather surprised by this presentation's listener friendliness. Being, as I am, one who is new to investing, I find that the stock market can be rather threatening. What does all this mumbo jumbo mean, I often ask myself. The Motley Fool Investment Guide: How the Fool Beats Wall Street's Wise Men and How You Can Too does a terrific job breaking down what is necessary and what is not. Additionally, it does so in a manner that keeps your attention and is easy to relate to.
The manner in which methods and definitions are broken down into several points is very helpful. "Foolish" (capital F is good) checklists provide great ease in deciphering what stocks are right to invest in. They offer explanations of the importance of such characteristics as PE ratios, incoming cash verses outgoing debt, ability to grow immensely, and important signs of properly run management. Also, such subjects as shorting stocks and index funds are summarily explained. These explanations offer common knowledge to those feeling in the dark. The tips provided are level-headed and logical to follow. While for many people this program will not offer many novel ideas, it will provide a starting checklist when choosing what stocks to consider.
Perhaps the most beneficial part of the Motley Fool's message is that the worst risk one can take, is not taking a risk. It is very easy to become weak stomached in the market we currently have. Sudden drops can make one want to sell it all. Most investing, however, should be with the intent of long term return. Thus while it seems risky to allow a stock to fall, the greater, foolish (lower case bad) risk is taking it out.
Overall, this is a very good learning tool for one wanting the stock market to be demystified. It is a perfect starting tool for one wanting to get in on the action. A warning, however, is not to take this, and any, information as the word of God. Use this program to compare to other investment schemes to find what is best for you. |
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James R. Mccall (MSL quote), USA
<2007-09-15 00:00>
So, are you young enough to be looking at 10 to 30 years ahead of you to cosset your investments into something bigger than a breadbasket? Are you, at the same time, flush enough to have (perhaps after a few years of scrimping) 25 to 50 thousand dollars that YOU DON'T NEED? Are you comfortable with numbers? Can you, or can you learn to, look annual reports and financial statements in the face without flinching (or glazing over)? Does making an average of 15 to 20 percent per year on your portfolio over the long haul (for the ride may be bumpy, with some dives as well as climbs) sound sufficiently enticing? Do you have a day job that you intend to keep? Do you have a life outside of playing the market that you intend to live? Then, and only then, this could be the book for you!
I love these guys. They're a couple of fresh-faced young men, brothers, who treat investing seriously, but that doesn't mean somberly. The first chapter or so of this book was so jokey I thought the ratio of matter to chatter was going to be about 1:1, but they got down to business, as it were, soon enough.
Their basic point is that anybody who is willing to do some work looking at the fundamentals of companies can find some to invest in and, usually, stay with, that will significantly outperform the market. A person can build a portfolio of stocks that will beat the Dow, or the S&P 500, by several percentage points every year. Since the market, overall, is rising at 10 or 11 percent (ok, bad year to convince you of THAT) annually, over the long haul this 15 or 18 percent compounding of one's portfolio can lead to significant gains.
And the lovely thing is, most of these are tax-deferred, since only the dividends of stocks that you hold are taxed, and the plan is to hold your stocks, not to churn them. If you do your homework well you should have stocks that you stay with for years - perhaps even leave to your loved ones, who will therefore treasure your memory.
Yeah, yeah (I can hear you muttering): "willing to do some work"? Well, yes. YOU CAN'T GET AROUND IT! You have to crunch a few numbers, but it's fifth-grade math (some long division is required). You have to get cozy with financial statements. It'd be nice, moreover, if you understood something of what the company you want to own a chunk of does for a living (it might become YOUR living!), and some of the high points of its spectrum of the economic universe.
The brothers will introduce you to some good ideas, and puncture some bad ones. They demonstrate why small caps are so great for the individual investor, for example. They tell you when, with impeccable logic, it is a bad idea to short a stock (even a stock about to plummet). They talk turkey about the real costs of trading - the commissions AND the spread. They quickly demolish the allure of day-trading. They campaign tirelessly for honesty and transparency in investment advice, and point out the problem with almost all mutual funds (except for the index funds, which they like, but just not as much as individual stocks).
Oh, and they run a web site, which no doubt nets them a few bucks, which I certainly don't begrudge them. They are for power to the people, online power to the upwardly-mobile investor-class of people, anyway. (Hey, you have to start somewhere!)
Mostly, this book is inspirational. It's message is that you, the ordinary Joe or Jane, can put away a few bucks and then invest it intelligently. If you're not using the rent money, and if your time horizon is meaningful - 10 to 30 years - you can come out the other end with a real, honest-to-goodness nest egg. This is NOT a book about making quick profits, or getting wealth without work. It DOES say that it doesn't take too much work, and it does take several years, but that if you apply yourself, and hold the course, you will do better in the long run than all the fund managers in the financial industry. But more importantly, you'll do well. Also they start the book with a snippet from one of my favorite poems, so I have to trust them! |
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-09-15 00:00>
This is an excellent book. It is easy to read and understand for people with no finance background whatsoever. It may not be advanced enough for people who do a lot of investing, but those are not the people that this book is targeted at. That said, I I have an MBA with an emphasis in finance and I found the book interesting and informative. Most everyone can learn from this book to enhance their investment strategies or just to work up the courage to take the plunge. It helps takes the mystery and fear out of investing and encourages people to take their finances into their own hands. Fool on! Thanks to the Gardner brothers! |
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1 Total 1 pages 7 items |
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