4 comments about The Rookie's Guide to Options: The Beginner's Handbook of Trading Equity Options.

1. Options are a complicated investment instrument, but if properly understood and implemented, they are far less risky than owning stock or mutual funds. And as a bonus, they are most often more profitable. Trading options, one can choose to be a risky gambler (not recommended) or a conservative income generator.
   
   The trick is understanding options and understanding risk management. If you trade options WITHOUT understanding them, and WITHOUT any risk management implementation, then by default you are a risky gambler. You will be out of money before you know what hit you.
   
   The option world has its own lingo. And there are myriad strategies to sift through before determining which one(s) suit your risk/reward desires. Placing the actual trade orders with your broker requires a thorough understanding and fluency of the lingo, as well as a confident understanding of the strategy you've chosen.
   
   The good news is that this book will actually TEACH you what you need to know to be a conservative income generator with options. I can assure you it is the ONLY book that TEACHES this. I own all the major books on options that have been released in the last five years and this one is by far the best and most practical. And long overdue.
   
   To me, in order for an author to teach options trading, he or she must provide the real world philosophy behind a strategy, real world examples, real world gotchas, real world "how", and most importantly, real world "why". Of all the books I own, this one provides the total package. The others do a good job of perhaps the philosophy and the how, but totally lack the rest. In short, no book until this one teaches the complete knowledge one requires to be successful at option trading for income.
   
   I am a rookie in that I had not actually traded options until studying this book. I am NOT a rookie when it comes to attempting to learn how to trade options. The other books did not leave me confident in my abilities to consistently earn income with options. Thus I didn't make any trades. This book gave me the confidence to start trading AND EARNING INCOME. That point alone truly sums up the value of this book compared to all other books on the shelves. The other books are simply lacking in regard to earning income with options. They are good resources for information but not for implementation.
   
   The author's approach is conservative. You will learn how to manage risk and see that options ARE a good, safe investment instrument if used with conservative strategies and prudent risk management techniques. You'll also learn, perhaps by constructing a spreadsheet on your own (strongly encouraged by me), just how much potential income you can earn. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
   
   However, a strong warning here: You MUST understand and comprehend what you are reading. You can't skim this book and expect to do well. In fact, you'll fail if you skim ANY book on options. Most likely, you'll fail big time after a lucky string because you THOUGHT you understood. If you can't commit to learning, and I mean intensely learning and understanding this book, then please steer clear of options. There are no free rides. You must invest brain power to do well. Recognize that most people do not WANT to invest the brain power required. It's hard. It's intense. It's confounding. It's WORTH THE EFFORT. Eventually it clicks. Decide if you do want to commit, and if so, buy this book. It's the only one you will need to conservatively earn a steady income trading options. If you do invest the brain power, you will be proud of yourself and you'll do well financially with your new knowledge.
   
   I want to add that the author is an experienced floor trader, and a gracious man who has replied to all questions I've asked of him via email. If you are inclined to purchase $2000+ in software and another $2000-5000+ in so called "training" or "education", please save your money and seed your options trading account with it instead. But before making ANY trades, nail down what this book teaches. It is all you need.
   
   FYI, my own trading focuses solely on Credit Spreads (which have their own chapter in the book) and utilizing the author's philosophy on risk management. But I had to understand the ENTIRE book prior to making that decision. You would be wise to do the same before deciding your own direction.



2. Before reading Create Your Own Hedge Fund (one of Marks other titles)I considered options to be far too risky and exotic and solely for the professional trader. However after reading the book options were no-longer anything to fear and I was completely sold on the idea of using options to both reduce risk and increase profits.
   
   The Rookies Guide to Options takes the ideas that were previously introduced and takes them to the next level. Concepts are introduced and explained in a way that makes them easy to understand and completely transparent. You're never left wondering - but what would happen if?
   
   It's a master class in options from a truly brilliant teacher.
   
   I can't recommend this book enough



3. Mark has written a terrific book that all options traders should read. He focuses on several popular strategies that you can find in many books, but the difference is that Mark gives you practical advice on how to trade, and even more importantly, how to stay out of trouble when you do trade. Mark's advice is consistently conservative. He is not so focused on milking every trade for every last dollar. It's more important to keep trades gone wrong from losing big. Over and over, you will find this important message coming through.
   
   Mark writes in a style that is friendly, easy to read, but deceptively informative. You don't feel like you're being overwhelmed with theory, but when you look back, you find that you've actually picked up more than you thought. He demonstrates the surprising equivalence, for example, of covered call writing, which many people are comfortable doing, and selling a naked put, which sounds riskier but is in fact identical.
   
   This book is full of really useful and practical information, and I believe anyone actively trading options would benefit from studying this book thoroughly. It's not just rookies who will gain from Mark's shared experiences. BTW, Mark maintains a web site and blog where he continues to share his knowledge. He is also most generous with his time, answering numerous questions from his readers.



4. Mark participates in an online options forum. I praised his book there and he asked if I would be willing to review it here. I'm not sure I can add much to what has already been written here. Donald West's review is especially detailed.
   This book actually holds your hand through profitable methods of trading. You still have to understand options to be successful, but this book is more practical than most. Most importantly, the emphasis is on decreasing risk. Options can be used like lottery tickets or can be used to make investing much safer than buying stocks, as the average investor does. Mr. Wolfinger is not a gambler, and he advises you not to gamble either.
   Is this the only options book you need? Perhaps. I can't be sure, since I already understood options well before I read it. If you are serious about taking control of your investments, then options can give you real advantages. But don't think that you'll skim over any book and then sit on a tropical beach the rest of your life making a few trades. Options are complicated and will leave you baffled at first. If you make the effort then they can be very rewarding. The good news is that this book is clearly written and practical. It really is one of the 5 best books I've read about options.

5 comments about Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (A Marketplace Book).

1. This vintage tomb from a bygone era ... is simply one of the best financial texts you could ever hope to lay your hands on. One of the strongest realizations that emerge from the author's engaging style of writing, is that the lessons learned a century ago, are as relevant and useful today as they were back then. The examples and analysis peppered throughout this book, are some of the most insightful examples available to the average reader. There are no mathematical formulas or detailed charts (one of this book's strong points) yet there is plenty of meat on the bone here, for anyone that is searching for clear and practical advice on successfully navigating the rough waters of the financial markets. Many lessons learned and dissected in clear detail. Highly recommended reading.



2. Never before had I so much fun reading and learning about the psychology of buying and shorting stocks. This is an extraordinarily written piece of work that eases into explanations of the power of the subconscious as well as the power of emotions on the conscious decisions made during those uncertain moments of trading. Great book!



3. 
   
   over 85 years old and still going strong, read it and find out why



4. Many reviews have been written about this book. All that I have seen are accurate. It is a superb book and a riveting read. The author gives you a good look at the thinking of a momentum operator as well as a view of financial history.
   
   The view of the bucket shops of old provides and insight that could be loosely applied to todays currency brokers and the pools to those of the hedge funds.



5. Great philosophical read on trading in the market. Very interesting stories on mistakes made and corrections applied. Not a stock trading tutorial.

5 comments about Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing (Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money & Investing).

1. This book is excellent for learning the basic concepts in investing and finance. If you would like to iniciate in this area, i recommend this book as an entry door with the basics.



2. I cant believe that I went through college without taking business or econ classes (except for political economy). This is a way for me to catch up.
   I like this book because it is easy to read and understand. So easy even an elementary school kid could understand....ok maybe junior high.
   Eventually I would hope to read the Intelligent Investor.



3. Just finished reading it. Wow, what a mind trip. Fast shipment too!



4. If a picture is worth, as is said, a thousand words, The Wall Street Journal Guide to Money and Investing is worth many times its purchase price.
   
   The book takes a very basic approach at explaining the components of the investment world. Taken together, the components explained represent a comprehensive view of what is a very complex and broad topic.
   
   One reading doesn't do this book justice, though. Read over and over, however, this book will earn a place on any serious investment student's bookshelf as a resource to return to for a periodic refresher or for clarification.
   
   Bumped to the side by The Wall Street Journal in favor of Dave Kansas' The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investment Guidebook, Kenneth & Virginia Morris' book lives on as The Standard and Poors Guide to Money and Investing. Where Dave Kansas' book is complete and chock full of words, the Morris' still succeed at conveying the basics in a way that will forever add value.



5. Es un libro excelente para entender como funciona el dinero y los mercados de capitales, partiendo desde lo más sencillo hasta lo más complejo. Excelente para principiantes, intermedios y para profesores.

5 comments about The Little Book That Makes You Rich: A Proven Market-Beating Formula for Growth Investing (Little Books. Big Profits).

1. This book provided an excellent overview of successful growth investing; but, while providing broad strokes, the book seems primarily focused on selling further services from Mr. Navellier. I share Mr. Navellier's love of numbers, but I wish there were further information on the exact forumlas used so I could replicate the calculations on my own...unless he is personally screening each of the 5000 stocks each day.
   
   I tried to sign up for the given website and I have trial access, but have yet to receive credentials to sign on as a member--after two attempts and two weeks later. I have received all of the solicitations to purchase investing newletters though--from $200 to over $1000 per year or more.
   
   Mr. Navellier is one of the few investors who beats the S&P 500 according to the Hulbert Report, but what if I invested that $1000 per year instead of purchasing the newsletter? If I invest $1000 for 20 years at a growth of 12% a year, $20,000 becomes $90,000 in a no load index fund--discounting taxes and other fees...I feel free to discount as Mr. Navellier does it in his advertisements.
   
   The positives of the book are as follows:
   1. It gets you excited about returns
   2. It makes a good case for growth investing.
   3. It is well written.
   4. Mr. Navellier has demonstrated he is one of the few money managers to consistently beat the S&P 500
   
   The negatives:
   1. No exact way to replicate results on your own, you need the "free" website to do that.
   2. The constant reminders that Mr. Navellier's newsletters were successful, if only you had purchased one...



2. Very simple to understand and very straightforward. It helps an investor to understand he needs to remain cool, rely on facts and forget about emotions.



3. The book provides 8 clear ways to evaluate if you should buy a stock. These ideas are similar to William O'Neil or other investors, but overall good reminder as to what to look for. You can read this book in an hour. The only issue with this book is that you are basically buying and holding even when the market is down.
   
   Do you want to know what the Author is buying? Go to his web site at www.navellier.com where he manages funds. His model portfolio's are down, some over 20% ! Yes, the issue here like many people that manage funds or model portfolios is that they stay invested even in the worst times.
   
   Indicating what to buy is good as this book outlines, but having people hold on for a gut wrenching ride losing over 20% to wait YEARS to get it back to me is foolishness.
   
   What is missing in this book is an overall market viewpoint to answer the question "Should I be a buyer, selling short, or stay in cash?"
   
   This book does not answer that question. A great book that will and pointed to the down market in 2008 is the classic "Martin Zweig Winning on Wall Street." This book is a real winner and has a similar formula for picking stocks but you will get few results.
   
   I would take Navellier stock picking recommendations then be a buyer based on Zweig's marketing timing model. Why buy big in a down market? If you want a gut wrenching experience go to Cedar Point or 6 Flags.



4. Before employing this strategy, i suggest you review the performance of Navelliers mutual funds on Morningstar.com and/or other websites. Despite tremendous performance figures presented in the book, most of his funds rank poorly over the last 5 years on an annual basis. They are typically in the bottom quartile. Yes, his long-term numbers are still good and occasionally he has a decent year, but the reality is that the performance outlined in the book isn't what he's delivered over the last 5 years.
   
   I'm always very leary of performance claims without the supporting data. For a "numbers guy" I was suprised only the basic return numbers were included. No supporting information is provided the shows the annual returns, risk or tracking error. Nor is the benchmark discussed. Further digging showed why. There is s huge disconnect between the real performance of the funds he runs and what's presented in the book. Be care employing this magic formula as, for the most part, even Louis doesn't produce the numbers he claims.



5. Overall, this is a good book. I think the whole "Little Books, Big Profits" series is great and I hope they continue releasing more books.
   
   Navallier isn't the greatest writer, but he's not all that bad either. He's a self-confessed number crunching geek and it shows through his analytical style of writing where he wastes no words.
   
   However, I question his true motive in writing this book. Was it truly to divulge his successful technique or was it the perfect book to guide you to subscribe to one of his newsletters? He offers a free (currently) website that evaluates stocks based on the criteria he lays out in his book, but sign up for it and hope you have a good spam filter.
   
   The true value of this book is actually part of the other "Little Book, Big Profits" series. First, read the whole series and you'll have a good understanding of how the market works and how to invest. But the true value is in combining this book with Joel Greenblat's book and Pat Dorsey's book. Greenblat has a stock screening program as well that is also currently free. Start with Greenblat's screened stocks, evaluate their economic moat, as described by Dorsey, then check the grade Navallier's program gives the stock. Between all three steps, you're sure to find winners.
   
   Good book, great series. Combine the knowledge of all these professionals and you'll learn a lot.

5 comments about The Random Walk Guide To Investing.

1. i spent $10 on this book and finished reading it in half an hour. To my disappointment I did not find anything special about it. Most of the ideas he talks about are fairly common for investors, such as investing earlier than later, keeping a constant flow of investment, balancing risk and return, etc. I think these are common sense to most investors. The only thing special about this book is the discussion on efficient market theory. The author is a strong believer of this theory and spends three chapters on it. The takeaway is to invest only in index funds. That's all I got from this book.
   
   I think for a person with no investment knowledge at all, this is a fun book easy to read. But not that useful for more experienced readers.



2. Very basic advice for those who believe in random walk theory. Unfortunatley not of much use to anyone over and above a novice.



3. I've never had much interest in investing. Like a lot of people, the older I get, the more I think about it. This book is a great introduction to the investment world. Easy to understand and great advice for both young and old.
   
   It gives you a variety of step by step plans to start your portfolio. It shows young people how a few dollars here and there can turn out to be a life saver down the line. It shows older people who may think it's too late where to start.
   
   I'm 47 and this book showed me that it's never too late to get started.



4. Although the content of Malkiel's advice (which is of a rather non-specific nature) is essentially the same approach I apply professionally, I take offense at his generalization that all financial advisors have nothing but their own best interest in mind and should therefore be "fired."
   
   Having never evaluated my performance, Malkiel cannot logically make such a generalization. Sadly, however, we have all been conditioned from a very young age that the learnings we receive from educators carry a high degree of credibility (otherwise their oversight committees would remove them, right?). This is why it is inexcusable to me that an educator would lay out what is packaged to be an objective, do-it-yourself approach but in reality is based on an opinionated premise.
   
   ...But we live in the days of pop icons and savvy publishers who have learned that they need a "hook" to get the masses to buy and read their books. It's hard to become a popular author and highly sought-after member of an investment committee managing hundreds of billions of dollars if your publications are limited to such dry subjects as monitoring the changes in covariances between asset classes.
   
   While we are on the subject of generalizations, I'd like to offer a few of my own. We all know that academics have nothing but their own best interest in mind. All professors teach as a means to increase sales of the textbooks they have written and require their students to purchase. All colleges and universities are out after your money; otherwise, what else can explain the fact that educational costs are rising at roughly twice the rate of inflation? Everything you need to learn in this day and age can be found on the Internet, so why pay exorbitant fees and tuition costs to educational institutions that do nothing more than repackage this publicly available information and charge outrageous fees so that you can have a shiny diploma to attach to your resume?
   
   Are you starting to feel a little bit like I did when I read your diatribe on financial advisors, Burt?
   
   Like a 5-year old who repeats a joke over and over again in front of adults thinking that it is just as funny with each telling, Malkiel has been playing the "financial advisors are crooks" card over and over again with each edition of his books. This is despite the fact that the major financial service firms have overhauled their business models dramatically over the last 35 years.
   
   Today's financial advisors are increasingly educated on the concepts of risk and reward, investment time horizons, asset allocation, and portfolio rebalancing.
   
   I typically spend about 20 hours per client getting to know their financial situation and designing an investment approach that is flexible enough to accomodate their changing requirements over time. Assuming a $100,000 portfolio and a 1% advisory fee, my firm collects $1,000 a year for these services. Divided by the 20 hours I spend, this amounts to an "outrageous" $50/hr I have collected for my time.
   
   Could you do all of this on your own? Of course. But Malkiel fails to mention the opportunity cost of your having to go up a learning curve to do this. The book contains weblinks and phone numbers that make it sound easy to contact various providers of low-cost investment products, with suitable admonishments that you make sure that you tailor everything to your own situation (just how do you do that, exactly, Burt?).
   
   If you end up spending 40, 50 (or even more) hours doing this on your own, have you really saved what you would have spent on a 1% advisory fee using a trained, knowledgable financial advisor?
   
   I would suggest that you start your investment process by first talking to a few financial advisors and then decide for yourself if Malkiel's assertion is correct. For starters on finding and evaluating advisors, check the SEC and FINRA websites for ideas.
   
   If you then decide that you want to manage your investments entirely on your own, I suggest that a much more balanced (and detailed) approach to asset allocation can be found in "All About Asset Allocation" by Richard A. Ferri.
   
   In summary, Malkiel's book gets 2 stars from me not because of its basic message, but because of its shameless self promotion based on an unproven premise that anything you pay a professional to do you can always do better yourself.
   
   Considering that Malkiel has demigod status by now, if anyone wants to metaphorically take me out to the parking lot and beat me up for having criticized him, you can reach me at ROliverira@hotmail.com



5. This is a book written by Burton Malkiel or a freshman at college? offers very basic educational tool to the world of investment. I always thought Malkiel was magnificent in his first book now I think he stole the random walk idea from his colleague. if you have one year college in business don't buy it

5 comments about A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Completely Revised and Updated.

1. The book is otherwise fabulous, but you should steer clear of the Kindle version. The Kindle handles charts poorly, and this book has a lot of them. Some are manageable, but many others contain small text that is so blurry that it might as well be written in Arabic. Quite honestly, it is not entirely clear to me how Amazon gets away with selling this item. The Kindle is great, but Amazon absolutely should not sell books that cannot actually be read on it.



2. This book helps to understand how the shares market works and its history.
   
   I think it may interest all people who wants to improve his knowleadge in
   
   investing.



3. Would have give it 5 stars,except for the fact that they did not return my e-mail, when I had a question



4. As a novice to finance, I found this book both educational and entertaining. Highly recommended!



5. Very good book, the author takes you behind the scene of Wall Street and history of the market. He goes over the basics of our economy and the different avenues of investing. This is a must read for anyone who want to start investing but is confused on where to start. I would have given this book 5 stars if he had written down a step by step process to investing. I recommend this book 1st and then read Jim Cramer's Mad Money, he gives the step by step procedures I was looking for in his book.

5 comments about The Battle for Investment Survival.

1. Loebs book can be likened to an " armchair chat " with a family friend who happens to be a stockbroker. The book is humorous, poignant and ironic. Ironic because on page 38 Loeb states " I feel that any source ready instantly to pass on everything and anything should be regarded with skepticism ".



2. I can fully see why Nicolas Darvas was so adamant about this book along with Tape Reading & Market Tactics By Humphrey B. Neill. When this book was written in 1930s, it was one of the very few pure trader's books. In todays standard, it still is.



3. One of the best book written by Gerald Loeb. I liked the way he said put all your eggs in one basket and see the basket grow. Ofcourse before you put all the eggs in one basket you may want to research on the stock very carefully both the fundamental and technical details and most importantly the market needs to be in a uptrend. 3 out of 4 stocks fail in a market downtrend. Loeb bought most of his winning stock as the market was in a confirmed rally and the leaders were on the verge of breakout on higher volume. A recent such phenomenon happened on 29th Aug 2007 when the market confirmed a new rally and in that rally Baidu, Dryships, Vimpel communications rose over 100% in less than 3 months. A phenomenon seen so often.



4. A timeless classic first published in 1935, this book remains one of the most popular handbooks on investing. It covers such essential topics as market timing, portfolio selection, hedging one's losses, switching stocks, investing in new products and much more.
   
   David Colletti
   Founder
   StockTradersHQ.com



5. This book can help people looking for money management advice, specially about securities and stock stuff.
   
   The author is pretty clear about the subject and he's got the experience (I mean, the guy's passed through the 1929 debacle!) to tell with authority.
   
   After reading the book you get several "financial myths" fallen, and start thinking more about what to do with your money.

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.

5 comments about Trend Trading for a Living: Learn the Skills and Gain the Confidence to Maximize Your Profits.

1. It was an ok book. I expected alot more from the author. I don't like books that self promote all through the book. I bought the book, obviously I like you and what you represent. I do not need to be reminded of that every few pages.
   
   It could have been alot more. There was some useful information - but the promotion gets in the way.



2. Psychology, money management and an edge with a positive expectancy is all you need for trading success. The trading strategies in Dr. Carr's book give you that edge and are also easily adapted to end of day trading and longer trends. The Dr.'s passion for trading and teaching his readers to trade is obvious throughout the book. I've been trading trends for a very long time and I now have a book that I can recommend to people who want to know how to succeed using this method.



3. A great book with real insight. I particularly like the fact that he actually provides about 10 scan setups to help locate stocks which fit various bull and bear configurations he describes, then he explains how to trade them. Very useful, its at my desk everyday.



4. The trend trading is match with my style. I have read a lot of books about this such as, Michael W, Dr. Elder's book and more.. that are great books. For "Trend trading for a living", They are a step by step cleary information which is easy to follow and give me more detail to complete my trading system.



5. As a user of Stockcharts.com, I found the book very helpful in setting up screens for stock trades.
   I highly recommend to anyone using Stockcharts.com.

5 comments about Understanding Stocks.

1. I am a finance major and wanted a quick overview of the stock market. This book was fantastic. It covered more material than any other book on the shelf. Very detailed and very entertaining. (I noticed that it's listed on our supplemental reading list so the teacher knows it's a good book). 5 stars.



2. Received the book in excellent condition and as described. Just needs to send an update via email of when the book was shipped.



3. First of all, let me say that I did get a lot out of this book. As someone new to investing, it answered some of my questions, but not all. My main complaint is that it's descriptions are not always clear. For example, when describing a Head and Shoulders Pattern (page 120) the reader is refered to a figure as an example. This is great, except that the author does not tell the reader where to look in the figure. Thus, the explaination has little value, unless you know what this pattern looks like in the first place. It would have been nice to include a glossary of terms, especially for fundamental analysis, even if these terms were not discussed in detail in the text.
   
   My recommendation would be to get this book if you want a quick introduction to stocks. Be prepared to invest in additional references if you want to make sense of your broker's quotes.



4. I am just starting to invest and this book contained great groundwork and information. Easy to read and follow the concepts.



5. This book provides the core knowledge and basic information about the stock market. It's concise and very easy to understand. It's excellent if you are looking for a basic introduction to stocks.