Street

The problem, however, is that some gurus share similar views and it can get rather redundant. But overall it is well worth a look, even if you don't finish reading everything.

Reese and Glassman examine the most respected investment advisors today and detail not only their philosophy but also the level of risk the investor should be comfortable with and the level of effort the investor needs to put forth to follow that person's advice.
Each expert is analyzed one at a time including the criteria they use for investing, how they determine if a stock meets that criteria or not and examples of individual stocks with an analysis of where they pass and fail the selected criteria. The analysis is detailed and yet straight forward so that someone with minimal experience in stocks can understand the basis philosophy.

Who are these investors that are analyzed? Only the most revered names in stock investng: Peter Lynch, Benjamin Graham, William O'Neil, Warren Buffett, The Motley Fool, David Dreman, Martin Zweig, Kenneth L. Fisher, and James O'Shaughnessy.

Most of the experts selected have written their own books on how to invest. This book distills down all the fluff and long winded information in the other books to a single chapter on each advisor, a chapter with all the information required to follow that person's style. So, I guess you have a choice, buy several books and read them all or buy this one and get all the knowledge as well as a detailed step by step plan of how to follow their investing style. Complete analysis (even on those who have not written a book), risk profile information, detailed examples of how to apply the methods, and simple pass/fail criterion information, the information is complete, easy to understand and easy to apply, there is nothing not to like about this book! If you are an investor or want to try your hand at it or have a self-directed IRA or similar instrument then you owe it to yourself to read this book, select at least a style that is appropriate for you and apply it.

1. No one can predict the market (except for Wall Street Professionals)
2. The biggest mistake you can make is taking your money out of stocks and bonds once they are deposited (except to pay your advisor).
3. Don't trust your instincts, trust your Wall Street professional's instincts.

At the end of the book, probably hoping they have convinced their reader of his utter ignorance regarding money management, they kindly offer a chapter on finding your 'financial advisor', closing with their own email mailing addresses.

Guess what you are supposed to do.

The book is full of odd contradictions.

1. It's title proudly claims to be about 'beating' Wall Street, but the conclusion extols reliance on a 'financial advisor'.

2. For the first 3 chapters, the authors claim to accept 'random walk' theories, and points out the inability of top ranked fund managers to maintain their ranking as proof of the randomness of the market. For the remainder of the book, we are constantly advised only a professional can distinguish a long term positive rate of return. In other words, it's not a random walk. The guy's picking your asset class funds can suddenly defeat the random walk.

3. There is a chapter on defining your financial goals, but when determining your 'investment time frame', the authors advise using your life expectancy. Let me explain this to you. They advise putting your money in a Wall Street fund and updating your will. You should never plan on 'cashing out' and enjoying your rewards. That's pretty safe investment advice, if the client is alive, the money should stay put and the plan is still on track, even if it is down 70%. If he's dead, he won't sue over the bad advice.

4. In chapter 6 and 7, they advise ignoring tax implications. Chapter 8 is on investing with taxes in mind.

5. In the intro, the authors promise to show you how to do the math yourself. At the end of the book, there is just a bunch of formulas that refer to other formulas with values left undefined. I guess they figured no one was going to follow the math, and if they would, they were not their type of client, anyway.

What you will learn through this book (backed by academic research primarily by the University of Chicago):

1) An overview of modern portfolio theory, which states that there is an optimal risk/reward curve that allows you to determine the appropriate mix between stocks and bonds for any given expected level of return or tolerance for risk.

2) Regardless of your tolerance for risk or desire for reward, the only thing that changes is the overall % allocation between stocks and bonds. When any investor looks at stocks, they should have the same makeup of stocks in their porfolio (international, large cap value, small cap, etc.). The difference between more and less agressive investors is that the stock composition will be a bigger piece of their pie.

3) Statistical analysis that gives strong proof that index funds ... beat mutual funds handily over the long run by several percentage points.

This book has provided me with the best framework for investing. It's a little redundant (as most informational books are), but well worth the read. I've purchased many copies of it and given them to friends and family.

I would recommend this book to everyone that likes to read and make it fun. I think this book was great, it catches the readers attention and makes it so you can't put the book down. When I read this book I just wouldn't put it down, I wanted to find out what was about to happen in the fallowing chapter. The suspence is just something that can't be beat, its great. I am glad that i own this book and some of the other books R.L. Stine has writen and i would suggest that you take the time out to read this book, if you dont have it barrow it from and friend or go out and buy it for your joy!!

Having moved to the South from the West Coast, I understood totally what Mr. White-Smith encountered! From Irish Travelers to the local restaurant that produces vegetables that have had every last trace of nutritional content boiled out of them, collard greens, fat back and fat light (it is vital that you know the difference: one is used to light fires and one is put in with your collards!),pepper sauce, sweet tea (cavities be damned!) to Moon Pies, Krispy Kremes, speech from people that you swear aren't speaking English, painters that can't paint, roofers that drink way too much, Nandina, Magnolias and Smilack at Christmas (I hope that I spelling the last one correctly!) and on and on and on. If you live in the South (especially if you are a transplant) and most especially if you live in or have redone an old house, this is the book for you!

As I said, I have re-read this book several times and I still find myself laughing hysterically. It is a great book that I am terribly sorry is out of print. Until it comes back into its second printing, the audio version will suffice. I wish they would do a "Part II" version...

A MUST read!

Power Base selling does not contain the first flaw and does an admirable job of trying to avoid the second. It is the first and best book I have read attacking the problem of organizational politics and the human dynamics in a corporate or complex selling environment. It gives very practical ideas on what to do in most political/selling situations to tilt the decision in your favor.

What this book does not do, nor attempt to do, is discuss the importance of a value proposition and the solution you are trying to sell. This is a great book to complement other famous sales books such as "Solution Selling."

I recommend this book highly to anyone that sells in a complex sales world.

A fun book with lively cross-section watercolor drawings that will bring the concept of history to life, this book will lose some relevance for North American readers (who might also enjoy Gail Gibbons' FROM PATH TO HIGHWAY about the Boston Post Road through history), but it is still eminently worthwhile and enjoyable.

Although I honestly do not have this book, I just wanted to put to rest those who may find a few mistakes here and there in textbooks. Get over it! This is life, sweetheart. Having worked in a newspaper (two of them), mistakes such as these are common. More common than we'd like to admit.

I bought the older edition of Street Spanish (1991), and I was impressed. Not only that, but my SPANISH PROFESSOR FROM ARGENTINA HIGHLY COMMENDED THE BOOK. IN FACT, SHE AND I HAD BROUGHT OUR COPIES TO THE UNI ON THE SAME DAY, UNKNOWINGLY. She saw my copy on my desk and showed me hers. And it obviously was something she carried around a lot, because she had it along with her other items in her briefcase.

Like I said, I haven't seen his latest edition, but that definitely spoke volumes for me when she said it was a very good book.

I love the book. Wish they actually sold tapes along with the books now a days. It is very hard to find any spanish book besides Arriba (and only if you buy it new then), that comes with tapes. They usually sell it separately, or it costs a fortune and a dime.

Toodles