5 comments about Security Analysis: The Classic 1951 Edition.

1. I had to put this book down after skipping pages, sections, chapters, etc due to the academic writing style (way too wordy) and the vague examples/formulas. Like another reviewer I'd suggest that someone take all of the information in this book and boil it down to something easily readable with concrete examples. I've read tons of investing and educational texts and was bored to tears with this one but gave it 3 stars as I think there are some good nuggets buried in it. My most recent investing book was Rule #1 and it seemed like a very simplied version but an easy, understandable read, so maybe I'll wait for the Cliff Notes ;) I'm a trader/investor and don't need one on my shelf to "appear" smart...anyone want to buy my copy of this book?!



2. This is the a must read for any investors. It is, however, quite difficult for beginners to comprehend, though. At least I didn't understand it quite well until after I took Corporate Finance, Accounting, etc... and studied for my CFA exam.
   
   I'd recommend beginners read Graham's "The Intelligent Investor", which help create a concrete basis of your investment philosophy.



3. While the fly on this text touts the fact that this edition is photocopied from the original text, the process did not work. The text copy is fuzzy and blurred making it hard to read. This process was not disclosed in the Amazon summaries available for purchase decision which I find troubling. I would not recommend this text.



4. You will learn and understand important factors to consider during your investment process. I like this wondeful classic book.



5. This is a classic and one of the best books on investing ever. It is a large book and a lot to handle for most people but it is done in a way that almost everyone should be able to understand what the author is saying. An excellent book on explaining how to value a company and getting you to think about the value of cash flow in terms of current dollars. Most of the time when people put money some place they do not really understand the return vs. risk concept. maybe this book will help with that.

5 comments about Trading ETFs: Gaining an Edge with Technical Analysis.

1. Deron Wagner desrves a great deal of credit for having the courage to break the mold on Wall Steet. A wonderful book for experienced investors.



2. This is a great book to learn about ETFs and how to trade them. Deron Wagoner shares his knowledge and outlines a concise methodology for trading. Definitely a reference book you will continue to profit from.



3. Deron Wagner,in Trading ETFs, has presented a very simple, logical and, I think, successful approach to trading ETFs. In a very readable and understandable style and utilizing numerous chart examples, Mr. Wagner describes how he goes about finding the highest probability trades, how he determines the optimum entry point, how he manages open positions, and how he exits positions be they big winners, breakevens, or losers.
   
   He describes his approach as being a "top down strategy". His first step is to determine the direction of the broad market trend; then, once the trend is determined, he finds those indexes that have the most relative strength or weakness compared to the major indexes; then he selects the strongest ETFs within those indexes (or weakest if going short); then he looks at volume for confirmation; and finally he uses one or more of several techniques to properly time the new entry into the selected ETF.
   
   The one thing that I liked most about Mr. Wagner's book was his use of clean and simple charts. He uses almost exclusively only two and sometimes three moving averages, draws simple trendlines and areas of support and resistance, and shows volume levels and averages. He does not "goop' his charts up with additonal indicators such as MACD-Histograms, slow stochastics, and RSI. While these indicators are certainly very useful to many traders, Wagner's plain, simple approach of looking only at price action and volume confirmation has a lot to be said for it.
   
   Risk management and position sizing are touched upon only briefly but adequately and his comments about using trailing stops are most enlightening.
   
   The two chapters describing case studies of 10 ETF's bought long and 10 ETFs sold short are most useful in illustrating the use of Mr. Wagner's various setups.
   
   I have read Trading ETFs only once now but I am already looking forward to going through it again a second and third time. It is the type of book that you can only absorb only so much the first time around but pick even more pearls of wisdom on subsequent readings.
   
   Needless to say, I recommend Mr. Wagner's newest book highly.



4. Were they all written by the same person? Vote with your feet when the reviews are bogus.



5. it looks very unusual that all the 5 star reviews are first timers to review. i have to agree with the last gentelman that there's something rotten in the kingdom of denmark

5 comments about Stan Weinstein's Secrets For Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets.

1. This is an old book that was hard to find (I had a photocopied version). It has sompe personal experiences in stock trading. I was pleased to find it on Amazon.



2. This book educated me on understanding how a stock moves. There is healthy movement, and there is UNhealthy movement. Stan teaches you to buy stocks that will move higher. I can't stress enough that you SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. I learned a lot, and "YES" I do consistently make money in the market using what I learned from this book. I have read lots of other investing books, and for me, this was the book that put me on the path to making money.



3. Weinstein deals with breakout, realtive strenght and volume, has good suggestions for longterm / shortterm stop movement, while he is not interested in the quality of the company, it is a worthwhile read also because of his stock stages description that is also important for industry groups or the market in general.
   If you want to make it much easier finding stocks that might advance big time I would suggest to also read O'Neils "How to make money in stocks..." and focus on top notch stocks. But the stock stages focus of Weinstein is great, as mentioned in O`Neils book on when to sell, the quality of the stock -e.g. stellar growth outlook- is not important only price/volume action - a hint for DISTRIBUTION, in the stock market the future is now



4. While this book is insightful to individuals who have never utilized technicals for investing it is somewhat dated. Adjustments to the moving averages and use of various time frames would enhance its value.



5. We are in deep crisis mode now. And when you read a book, what was written just after 1987 black Monday crash, and understand, that author has survived, and more importantly - predicted most of the crashes - and now listen - also the start of the bull markets, this book turns out to be invaluable.
   And don't trust the reviews who say, it is outdated. Those are eternal truth and classics, that never will change.
   Now, why you would this book especially now? First of all, you would not lost anything, if you would use the authors system - you would be out of market already in september 2008.
   And more - now, once I am writing this, we are in stage 4, and the stage 1 is to come - I know 100 % - i will know exactly when is the time to buy, and there will be no emotions, or catching the falling knives - Weinstein tells it's all with a graphs, and easy examples.
   After all - you will at least stop loose the money, if not earn, after you walk away with this book. A must read

5 comments about Stocks for the Long Run, 4th Edition: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns And Long Term Investment Strategies.

1. Jeremy Siegel is the Russell E. Palmer Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He appears regularly on networks like CNN, CNBC and NPR, and is a frequent contributor to financial periodicals.
   
   "Stocks for the Long Run" is the best known book by Siegel, and widely cited. There are more than 100 books that cite "Stocks for the Long Run".
   
   Most of the book takes a long-term view of the financial markets. Siegel takes an empirical perspective to answer some major investing questions. Even though the book has been termed "the buy and hold Bible", the author occasionally concedes that there can be some market inefficiencies that can be exploited. The book is very easy to comprehend and is targeted to wide audience.
   
   If you like the idea of scrutinizing major investing questions, popular beliefs and conventional wisdoms, I would recommend "The Only Three Questions That Count" by Kenneth L. Fisher, which is much deeper than "Stocks for the Long Run".



2. Recently published (end of 2007) very helpful to give an overall view of the world stock markets, with enphasis on the american market of course. In my opinion it gives a helicopter view of the economy and the stock market movements and in doing so it provides you with a map of the "territory" you are moving in (as it were). Great statistic amount of information.



3. Siegel's masterpiece is a must buy for anyone who wants to stop wasting money on mutual fund fees and start accumulating wealth. I give this book and Professor Siegel an A+.
   
   Andrew Nissenbaum



4. Dr. Siegel, one of the top academics in finance, has provided a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of investing in stocks. His book is based on data going back 200 years and is fact based, rather than just opinions or theories. I have been involved in investing for over 30 years and found much new, useful information. This book is a great read for anyone interested in stock investing, whether a rookie or a veteran.



5. In the previous editions of Stocks for the Long Run, Wharton Finance professor Jeremy Siegel offered a thoroughly bullish take on the merits of equity investing that has proved highly influential and largely correct through the end of the post-Millennial Bull Market in mid-2007. In the latest edition of this classic, released in a much more difficult period of substantial market declines, Siegel has added important and more nuanced insights derived from his previous and somewhat overlooked book "The Future for Investors," which came out in 2006. Siegel's basic advice to stock investors is to focus less on growth stocks and index mutual funds (eg., Vanguard 500) and more on looking for tried and true stocks that pay high dividends. He argues that such reinvested dividends are the true source of stock returns, or the "El Dorado." (His term). Overall, this argument is well-presented and persuasive.
   
   However, I am perplexed on a key element. His case is largely based on historical evidence that purports to show that high dividend yield stocks, with dividends reinvested, have accumulated more total return than growth stocks or index mutual funds. However, his calculations do not account for the deleterious effect of taxes on reinvested dividend. (He says in an endnote that taxes are not significant for the portfolios he chose, but does not explain why; for most common stock portfolios, taxes are significant.) Dividends are taxed yearly and until recently at a higher rate than that of capital gains and that of retained earnings, which are not taxed at all. If taxes have been paid on dividends, only the untaxed part can truly be considered "reinvested"; the part that is taxed has to be made up by a new infusions of cash from the investor. The effect of ignoring this is that his historical comparisons are not terribly meaningful because he is not calculating the returns on true (after tax) contributions to dividend stocks vs. growth stocks. Naturally, if more is contributed to the dividend stocks, there is likely to be more at the end. (BTW, this is basically the same fallacy that sunk the allegedly huge returns of the otherwise delightful "Beardstown Ladies" of yore.) Given that the magnitude of the "advantage" he posits of dividend stocks vs. growth stocks is not all that great, one cannot have confidence that he has truly made his case.
   
   That said, his advice is very useful for investors in tax sheltered 401Ks. Also, the new lower tax rate on dividends also helps lessen, though not eliminate, the effects of yearly taxation of dividends.
   
   In addition to emphasizing the importance of the contribution of stock dividends to equity portfolio performance, this book also grapples with a perplexing challenge to Siegel's original stocks for the long run mantra, the much vexed question of what will happen if and when the populous Baby Boom generation attempts to cash in its stock and bond retirement portfolios by selling them to the smaller demographic of Gen X and Gen Y. An entire school of catastrophe futurologists, most notably Harry Dent, but also more mainstream voices like Peter G. Peterson (The Grey Wave) have warned that this so-called Age Wave is about to wreak havoc with stock market investments. In this book, Siegel does not dismiss this issue, but deals with it in a logical and generally less alarmist point of view. At the risk of oversimplifying a complex analysis, Siegel's bottom line is that while it is true that there are not enough younger generation Americans to absorb the Boomers stock and bond assets at current prices, investors in emerging countries, like China and India, will more than make up for that and will end up buying the Baby Boomer's paper assets as the Boomers sell them off to fund their retirements. The upshot is that foreigners will end up owning a lot of our companies by the year 2050. A potential snag, says Siegel, is whether America will be willing to let this happen, or will pass laws or adopt polices to discourage the transfer of US assets to foreign countries. This remains to be seen, but he is optimistic. On the other hand, the implications for the typical Baby Boomer's most important asset, his or her house, is rather dire, because homes can't be sold as readily to foreigners, for obvious reasons. Siegel doesn't provide an answer for the housing market, which is outside the scope of a book on stock investing in any event. Overall, this remains one of the best written and most sensible investment books available today, now offering a more nuanced and even more helpful sets of advice than the previous editions. With new information and analysis, this is well worth owning, even if you have a previous edition.

5 comments about Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner.

1. I am a financial advisor and I keep a copy of this in my office to lend to clients. It has excellent advice, is easy and fun to read, and helps get couples on the same page in setting goals, saving, budgeting, etc.



2. This book is one of the greatest books I have gotten my hands on. I am a newlywed and in my young adult-hood, I have decided that it is time to get my finances on track. I have taken my husband by the hand and we have now made it a ritual that every Wednesday we make time to sit down and plan our finances and our future together. We are only on the second chapter because we complete all of the exercises in the book. The author David Bach has a writing style that is simple, fun, imaginative and to the point. Every time I pick up the book I feel like I have my own personal financial advisor advising my husband and me. Getting your finances in order is a step by step process that requires the mind, patience, discipline and the willing to achieve. Check out what I have written in a year from now and I'll tell you how I am managing my millions!!!



3. Maxed-out credit cards. Depleted savings. Underfunded retirement accounts. Millions of couples struggle with common financial issues, but instead of looking for solutions, they perpetuate harmful behaviors by bickering, blaming and, in many cases, divorcing. David Bach, author of the best-selling Smart Women Finish Rich, says you'll never solve your money problems if you view your partner as the enemy. It's not all your fault, though. Typically, people do not discuss money openly, so individuals may know very little about their spouse's financial priorities, philosophy and history. Establishing and maintaining an open line of communication is pivotal to sensible financial planning as a couple. You don't have to agree on everything. You don't even have to change. You just have to work together. Bach shows couples how to get on the same page. Using clear (in fact, somewhat simplified) formulas and charts, he tells them how to handle saving, spending, investing and retiring. getAbstract thinks that Bach's conservative approach makes sense. So does his emphasis on making your relationship - not money - your number one priority. Whether or not you finish rich, at least you'll be happy.



4. It would have been better had I not been single at the time of reading this!



5. First off let me say two things, 1. I have a degree in business 2. I own my own company and have a pretty strong operation with more than 40 employees. That said,
   I loved the book. It compiles all the information you need. Everything that you have been putting off, and that you knew you had to do, and think about, but you managed to always say "I'll do it later" or "my husband takes care of that", well all that is in this book, simple and straightforward.
   Thinking about retirement is important, for me, very much so since I have three children. And even though I have a very strong business background, these are thing that you don't learn at school, or at work. The basic premise is that very little adds up to a lot. The author presents the math in a very straight-forward manner, and he really gets you thinking, NO, acting upon it. I also appreciated all the helpful web links that took me directly to updated information. It opened up a whole door, on talking about finances with my kids, opening up a retirement account for them (why NOT?- why shouldn't they start saving now?) All in all, even if you have your finances in order, read it, it will give you great ideas and allow you to know if you are on the right track, or if there is something better to do....

5 comments about The Bible of Options Strategies: The Definitive Guide for Practical Trading Strategies.

1. This is more a dictionary of options strategies than a regular book. But it organizes and explains each strategy well.



2. I have several books on options, but this is the one book that I keep on using. Most option books spend too much time on how to price an option. Unless you are active in thinly traded options, the market will dictate the current market price. This book gets right into why you are interested in options. Each option situation is broken down so anybody with a basic understanding will understand. For each situation, he discusses the Greeks (the new hip way of talking about options), risks, pros and cons, as well as an example. The only subject this book seems to fall short is what to do when your position is not going your way and how to minimize your loss.
   
   I have a coworker that is interested in options and this was the only book I suggested he read.



3. This is the sixth book I have read on Options Strategies and by far it is the best I have read. Guy walks you through the construction an unraveling of strategies in a down to earth approach. First he explains how to build your strategies from a single option trade, and then to more complex strategies one leg at a time; to improve profits and reduce costs. He then explains how to monitor the strategy and best of all how to exit the strategy when it is doing well, and if not so good. I love his continual reminders of "don't be greedy". He does a very nice job explaining which strikes to pick for the strategy and why. Guy does a great job explaining the Greeks and how each Greek affects each strategy. This book is an absolute keeper for any options library.



4. This book lives up to its billing. It methodically explains and evaluates the gamut of options techniques from most simple to most complex. In doing so, it explains the rationale for using the strategy, the risks and rewards,how to set it up and how to unwind it. It provides useful examples and good common sense advice. Best book on options trading I have ever seen.



5. I started studying options about 2 months ago and this was one of the first books I purchased and it has barely left my side since.
   I have been searching the net endlessly for information on options and am still yet to come across an option strategy that is not in this book.
   It starts with a well planned contents section, allowing you to look up your strategy based on Skill level, direction and volatility among others. the 60+ strategies follow a well laid out, easy to follow structure, making even the more advanced strategies relatively easy to understand. Each Strategy shows the Risk, Advantages/Disadvantages as well as a step by step guide on exactly how to place the trade.
   While the greeks can be one of the more difficult part of understanding options the charts and explanations of the greeks accompanying each strategy are set out in a way so that even a beginner will find them not overly intimidating.
   While Im sure advanced traders may be able to point out features lacking its a cover to cover read for beginners(with a general understanding of Options Basics) and definately a handy go-to book for intermediates.

5 comments about The Retirement Savings Time Bomb . . . and How to Defuse It: A Five-Step Action Plan for Protecting Your IRAs, 401(k)s, and Other RetirementPlans from Near Annihilation by the Taxman.

1. A great book to avoid losing your hard earned IRA money. And great tips for passing it on to your kids.



2. Writing reviews for Amazon is getting ridiculous. I received my order before the deadline and in the condition promised.



3. Technical book about 401(k) and IRA retirement plans. It requires some background to understand many of the concepts, but the author tries to make the concepts as understandable to as many people as possible. Useful for people who are of advanced age and required to make decisions about retirement options.



4. This book is well worth the price. it is a very easy read. In fact, I would say it is humorous, and breezy....no small feat since , and that means something when many books in this area are like reading economic text books in University. This will help teach you how to keep Government away from your nest egg.



5. So, this book was great for me. The topics were exactly what I wanted... most people don't concern themselves with the distribution side of the IRA, but rather only with the contribution and investment side. Ed discusses this mostly in the context of estate planning and figuring out how to maximize your contributions. If you plan on depleting your retirement plan and not passing it to your heirs, there is much in this book that you'll pass over. However, if you have a large retirement plan and intend on either
   a) being able to pass to heirs
   b) have to pass to heirs
   then you'll want to read this book.

5 comments about The Little Book That Beats the Market (Little Books. Big Profits).

1. Very insightful, and excellently written. Despite the name this is not another shallow book, full of cliches and nothings. In a really entertaining fashion Greenblatt explains in very simple easy to understand illustrations, what stocks are, how they are traded and the basic principles of the stock market and market fluctuations. He then builds on these principles to teach the fundementals of wealth building that most successful investors utilize. Alot of basic principles that somehow a lot of smart investors forget. Great reading for the experienced, and novice alike! This book should really be required reading in high school and/or college.



2. I read every chapter of this book while at Borders except the last one, so I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of the "Magic Formula" website that seems to generate so much controversy. I can, however, clarify a glaring misconception in what Goldblatt wrote in his book.
   
   Contrary to what many of the reviewers wrote (especially the negative reviewers), Goldblatt was not insisting that people focus only on Return on Assets and P/E ratio. Goldblatt was also not insisting on a definition of "capital" (within his concept of "return on capital")that leads to an over-emphasis on services over manufacturing. He illustrated perfectly his two pieces of investment data in the following ways:
   
   First, Return on Capital can be best interpreted as a return on invested capital. If it costs $1 million to build a retail store and that store, within a year, generates $2 million, then the ROC is 100%.
   
   Second, his other measure is really a profit-yield per share. You get this measure by taking the amount of profit generated by a firm, dividing it by the number of shares outstanding, and then dividing that by the share price times 100. So, if a company has a $1 million profit and it's selling a million shares for $10 a share, then the profit-yield per share is 10%.
   
   These two concepts seem to form the core of value investing in that they discipline a person to invest in the market as if they were buying a business or a partnership share in the business. The relevant question in any such investment is always "how much will my partnership share make?"
   All other factors are just risk management.
   
   The trick is finding data to generate these statistics. I don't know how well Goldblatt's website does that.



3. This brief text is a good read for the novice investor who wants to learn more about equity valuation. Basically, it distills the drivers of stock values into two components: return on assets and earnings yield. Buy stocks with strong numbers in both of these categories and, over time, you will outperform the market. Only problem with this approach is that stock values are based on expectations of FUTURE performance. Stocks often have high earnings yields today because professional stock pickers expect their finances to degrade in the future. Forecasting future performance is what is most important. The author fails to stress this concept.
   
   For the novice investor, the author is able to explain some of the more fundamental concepts of equity valuation in a straightforward manner. Yet, this text would be only one of a several books someone should read before trading individual stocks instead of purchasing mutual funds.



4. Great info with a humorous touch and a link to data to use in applying what you learn. I am not going to apply it until a more normal market comes along though.



5. First book I ever read about the market. Very simple and to the point. Great place to start your reading about investing.

5 comments about Financial Shock: A 360º Look at the Subprime Mortgage Implosion, and How to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis.

1. This is a well written, very clear description of the house of cards that goes by the name of mortgage backed securities. As pretty much everyone now knows, it is the collapse of this market that precipitated the current stock market collapse. In this book, the author leads you by the hand and describes how the entire mess was created, specifically how the credit-worthiness of the borrower became disconnected from the market valuation of securities derived from that borrowing.
   
   To anyone who has watched recent financial events unfold and asked "how did this happen?" this book is VERY highly recommended.
   
   That said, I am more reserved with my praise if you are the type of person already familiar with things like derivatives and "liar loans," and who regularly reads, e.g. The Wall Street Journal. I am in that category, and while I still found this book interesting, I found myself more often saying "yes, obviously" than "wow, I didn't know that until now."
   
   One other shortcoming of this book is that it really doesn't offer much meat to gnaw on with respect to 'how do we get ourselves out of the current mess?' That's not surprising, really as this book was written before the current melt down (although the timing of the release could not have been better) and because the answer to that question is one to which a consensus answer has not appeared even among the world's brightest and more learned minds.
   
   Nonetheless, I would VERY strongly recommend this book to financial neophytes and those who simply weren't paying that much attention to the mortgage mess as it was unfolding.



2. This book is quite the eye opener !
   
   It almost holds your hand--as it takes you step by step thru the maze of our current financial problems.
   
   Perfectly laying out for the readers easy understanding--it shows you the whys..the hows...and some of the whos --that enabeled and/or caused the meltdown in stocks..bonds..sub prime loans and others types of loans and gaurantees as well.
   
   I chose this book because I want to better understand what is really happening to our country right now and more importantly WHY !!!!!!!! This book has explained it to me clearly --in languge that I can understand --and most likely a high schooler...maybe even a smart Jr. High Schooler can understand. For this reason --I give this book a high mark.
   
   If your looking to get a deeper understanding of whats going on in todays financial world...get this book !! You will not be disappointed !! .....and you will understand everything once you've read it through !!



3. Written so even someone as financially ignorant as myself gets a perspective on what happened in the global market. Talks about the incentives that led to the subprime crisis, the unregulated markets that allowed the derivatives trading that amplified the problem. Very timely and intriguing read.



4. This was a cogent explanation of the various factors that went into the ongoing subprime debacle. It struck a midpoint between a facile explication of the causes and more rigorous analytics for the quant-jocks.
   I would have prefered more detail... but then again, I'm a bit of a quant jock.



5. I started reading this book in September 2008, so when the markets began to implode for read that month this book had provided enough understanding to realize that this was no ordinary market correction.
   
   Financial Shock gives a very thorough explanation of the sub-prime lending crisis, how low Fed interest rates, coupled with liberal lending regulations fueled an housing market bubble that resulted in the latest market implosion, starting with toxic mortgages and foreclosures, but is now evaporating credit liquidity, given evidence to the lack of stability in U.S. markets, and tipped the world into a recession.
   
   The book however stops short of discussing how all this will play out; indeed the author suggested in summer of 2008 that the worst was already over. The book also offers little in the way of solid advice besides to be a better student of finance and to watch for bubbles.
   
   Nevertheless, Financial Shock is a valuable post-mortem of how the sub-prime mortgage crisis evolved and came down, focusing on this aspect. The composition of all these data in a handy format is a valuable inclusion in one's financial library.

5 comments about The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing.

1. This book gives excellent advice primarily about mutual fund investing and retiring. It is basically a primer on retirement planning and leans heavily toward Vanguard funds. It is easy to read and has lots of common sense advice and examples proving the authors' suggestions.
   
   I would suggest it to anyone needing a basic primer on retirement plan investing.



2. I received the 3 copies of this book I ordered in a very timely manner. These are for the 3 children we have, who we feel will learn from reading the book or if they have questions can quickly look them up. Good for reference.



3. This is absolutely wonderful. Bogle goes through everything to do with mutual funds and index investing. He points out that its a no-brainer to invest in an index fund if you don't actively invest yourself. One of the best books on stock investing i have ever read.



4. There is nothing like a Bear Market to get you to question a lot of things about the wonderful world of investing. Having said that, this book which focuses on the ideas of John Bogle is just the ticket to set you straight on a number of critically important investment concerns. Asset allocation, the importance of having the lowest costs, how the mutual fund businss really works, it's all here and it all makes perfect sense. I wish now that I had heard more of the wisdom that this man has been passing along for so many years while inventing index funds at Vanguard Investments. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to invest with greater confidence and success for the long term. It may well change the way you think about the world of Wall Street and investing. It did for me.



5. This book establishes a set of basic principles for investing and, to a lesser degree, personal finance. The authors propose the principles, explain them, illustrate them and show you how to apply them.
   
   The book glances on non-investment personal finance topics including adopting a net worth mindset, emergency funds, estate planning, and insurance. The insurance chapter was very valuable and exposed several fallacious rationalizations people apply to insurance purchase decisions.
   
   The meat of the book is investing. Investing is covered in great detail, including in-depth descriptions of various investments, how they work, and how (or if) you should use them. The coverage of the effect of taxes on your investments is detailed and invaluable. The costs of investing are examined, and when you know where to look, you may find some nasty surprises in your current investments, especially your 401k plan!
   
   The entire book is highly opinionated, and I found that refreshing. The authors know what they're talking about, have a good idea of what the average person saving for retirement needs to do, and never fail to call it the way they see it. The writing style is fact-based advice, with humorous sayings sprinkled about, and is best described as "grandfatherly."
   
   The chapter on behavioral economics was an eye-opener. I thought that I was smart enough not to fall for any of those traps. I smugly read through the first half of them, then recognized myself in "Paralysis by Analysis." Oh my. That gave me some food for thought, and a new outlook.
   
   I did find the chapter on Asset Allocation to be lacking in practical advice. It only glanced on how to make an asset allocation for yourself, and didn't address the difficulties of balancing an asset allocation over multiple tax-advantaged accounts that have contribution limits and withdrawal penalties. (But there's a list of recommended reading in the back, and maybe one of those books will have more information on this topic.)
   
   Having just finished the book, I'm going back through it and making a list of information I need and actions to take. I finally have a direction to go in, and not just more conflicting details!