careers

After seeing the bipolar reviews on this book, I decided to take a middle-of-the-road viewpoint. There are some reviewers who love the book, and others who simply hate the book. There is no need to bash the book...simply because it tells you things you already know. Do you think algebra books are useless because they tell you something you already know?

I think that this book is best for people who has ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE (i.e., non-investors) what they are doing. Then you're getting somewhere. If I put myself in these shoes, I see that this book gives you the motivation, reasons and means to start investing. A lot of times people don't know "how to" and "why" they should invest in the first place, and this book will help them. My favorite part of this book is the "common pitfalls" of a first-time investor. This book (which is really cheap if bought used) is worth reading just for that section.

On the bottom side, I agree with the nay-reviewers who see the book as outdated information. I am reviewing a book today in 2004, but it was printed in 2000. A lot of the "top choices" that was picked don't really work today (considering the bear market from 2001-2002). Some specific suggestions are outdated, but I still think that the overall theme still holds today. However, an intelligent investor will know that regular research and review of a their portfolio is essential to their financial health. Investment is an endeavor that involves a bit of risk. A first-time investor is wise to get adequate information before starting. In that case, this book is adequate as long as you follow the general guidelines.

No mutual fund book is going to be a page turner, but this one really keeps things interesting and simple. It covers the basics, as promised, in the first 100 pages. Even people who know nothing about investing can learn what they need to know here. I was more interested in the advanced investing chapters, and the book excelled here, too. Little did I know that I owned several funds with the same investment style, and that's why I had done so poorly. This book helped me make a lot more money.

If you're like me and don't understand a lot about mutual funds, I can't think of a better book. The chapter on index funds was very well done. In fact, I have decided to use index funds for most of my investing. The recommendations of other funds were also very helpful. Not everyone wants to spend his or her life learning about mutual funds. This book makes it possible to be a good investor without devoting your life to the task.