Product Description
This book is a solid resource for investors wanting to understand the benefits of private gold ownership.Author Michael J. Kosares emphasizes the asset preservation qualities ofgoldat a time when increasing investor discomfort about the economy and financial markets is leading many to seek asset diversification. An expert with twenty-five years experience in gold investing, Kosares, offers a concise,comprehensive overview of private gold investing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Disappointing
I expected much more information and details about gold investment. The basic idea that author annoyingly repeats throughout whole book is the gold is good for investing and all other kind of investment are bad

good read
This book was a fun, easy read.The author gives you a basic history about gold, the changing political and monetary climate concerning it, how gold was viewed before by people and governments around the world as compared to now, why you should view gold not just as an investment but, more importantly, as a kind of insurance policy.I've read it twice now, and more of it sank in the second time around so that it makes more sense to me now.

"Regardless of the dollar price involved, one ounce of gold would purchase a quality man's suit at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, and today."
Peter A. Bushre

good read
This book was a fun, easy read.The author gives you a basic history about gold, the changing political and monetary climate concerning it, how gold was viewed before by people and governments around the world as compared to now, why you should view gold not just as an investment but, more importantly, as a kind of insurance policy.I've read it twice now, and more of it sank in the second time around so that it makes more sense to me now.

"Regardless of the dollar price involved, one ounce of gold would purchase a quality man's suit at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, and today."
Peter A. Bushre

Great primer for those interested in gold as an investment
Michael has written an excellent book for people who want to understand gold, its importance as an investment vehicle and how to invest. The book does a good job at convincing you so dont get carried away and start buying gold. Like any other investment gold has its pros and cons. Do more research and reading before you spend your hard earned money. Look at some websites like kitco and gold-eagle.

Gives good basic info on gold investing
This book is for the novice and the newcomer to the world of gold investing. Gives definitions on most common gold terms. ... Read more

Product Description
"A masterful job of capturing the ingredients of long-term investment success."--Jean-Marie Eveillard, Manager SoGen Funds. The best investment portfolios perform consistently, not just for one year but over decades and even generations. John Merrill's Outpouring the Market focuses on the best long-term portfolios for any investor, examining the track records of 13 asset classes since 1926. It is packed with historic data and startling research-supported conclusions, including: Despite the risk, micro cap stocks off the best returns of any asset class; Gold is the worst possible investment; Through indexing various asset classes, any investor can regularly beat the S&P 500.Amazon.com Review
Big, institutional investors have long known that picking theright stocks and bonds can be less important to the health of theirportfolios than finding the right mix of asset types--stocks large andsmall, bonds short-term and long. Asset allocation largely determinesa portfolio's likely rate of return and level of risk. InOutperforming the Market, money manager John Merrillinvestigates the long-term historical performance of various assetclasses to help individual investors discover the best ways to divvyup their money for market-beating returns with below-average risk.

Looking back, Merrill concludes that many popular investments have notbeen worth their risk, including long-term Treasury bonds and foreignstocks trading in local currencies. The best risk-adjusted returnshave come from U.S. stocks large and small, 30-day Treasury bills, and5-year Treasury bonds. Merrill shows how to use index and activelymanaged mutual funds to build portfolios apportioned among theseassets according to various investor time horizons and levels of riskaversion.

Not the most exciting approach to investing, Merrill's method requiresconsistency and discipline, the ability to do nothing while aparticular mix of assets underperforms, as any mix sometimes will. Ifthe past is prologue, however, investors able to follow Merrill'sadvice will be able to buy their excitement elsewhere. --BarryMitzman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent *****John Merril has done his homework.
John Merril sets up three portfolios,each holding stocks bonds and cash.He takes the reader thru every bull and bear market from 1926 thru 1997. Many authors of investment books avoid the investment history of the 1930s andother prolonged bear markets but Merril wants the reader to realize therisk and the reward that comes whith investing.I would urge anyone who hasa 401k plan or Ira to purchase this book. Mr.Merril may have some differentviews then others when it comes to indexing and foreign investing butexplains his views honestly.This is a great book and I don`t know why sinceit`s published over a year ago that no one has reviewed it.This is a bookthat should be updated every year. ... Read more

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Doing Business And Investing in Mexico (World Business, Investment and Government Library) ... Read more

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Doing Business And Investing in United Kingdom (World Business, Investment and Government Library) ... Read more

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Doing Business And Investing in Suriname (World Business, Investment and Government Library) ... Read more

Product Description
This first-of-its-kind guide provides the information andguidance that Muslims need to make informed investment choices whileconducting their financial lives in accordance with Islamicprinciples. A concise 64 pages, the guide is an ideal introduction forMuslim investors, as well as an essential resource for financialprofessionals who work with Muslim clients.

With a foreword by Shaykh Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo, an internationallyrecognized Shariah scholar, the Guide examines the issues thatconfront Muslim investors, including the distinction betweeninvestments that are halal and those that are haram—and thescreening process that determines which stocks or mutual funds areacceptable investments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

disappointing
This is a slim book--a very slim book--full of very general and very basic advice on investing in general, which could have been found in any personal finance book. I was looking for SPECIFIC information on Islamic investing, and all I could find was very vague, and not very useful, information. In sum, about 10 percent of this tiny booklet is about Islam, and this is not much... ... Read more

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Investing into Caribbean Countries Markets Handbook ... Read more

Product Description
Successful investing is facilitated by obtaining the right information at the right time.The investor should know where to obtain relevant information on specific investments, and how to read and interpret the various sources of data. Specific sources of investment information (publications, media outlets, etc.) are provided and the reader is guided on how to use these sources in making informed investment decisions.

The book explores what vehicles are available to invest in, the features of each type of investment, the advantages and disadvantages of each investment category, and when a particular investment type might be suitable. Computerized investing, which is a vital aspect of investing today, is stressed through the book.

This book can be used by the experienced and the inexperienced investor to make everyday investment decisions. It contains easy to follow examples from daily life which shows how to realistically achieve objectives. This book is designed in a question and answer format. The questions are typical of those asked by lay investors and the answers are clear, concise, and to the point.

In short, this is a workable easy reference of guidelines, illustrations, checklists, worksheets, charts, graphs, practical applications, recommendations, and how to's for the novice investor. ... Read more

Product Description
Your Official America Online® Guide to Personal Finance and Investing Includes AOL 5.0 CD with 250 Hours Free for a Month Discover How AOL Can Help You Build Your Nest Egg America Online and the Internet are packed with personal finance tools. This indispensable guide shows you where they are and explains step-by-step how to make the most of them. Whether you want to set up a college fund, save for a home, or put money aside for your retirement, this guide shows you how AOL can help you make the right financial decisions and achieve your goals. Open the book and discover how to:

• Define your financial goals and create a plan to reach them
• Research stocks, bonds, and mutual funds using online tools
• Get advice from the Motley Fool and other expert resources
• Select an online broker that's right for you
• Trade online and track your portfolio onscreen
• Compare mortgage rates with the click of a mouse
• Find the tools you need to cut taxes and plan your estate
• Develop a financial plan for retirement or sending your kids to college
• Find your credit rating online and understand what it means

Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome Book
Absolutely loved this book.Very informative.A must have. ... Read more

Product Description
Identifying the next "hot investment sectors" is the specialty of a few astute, experienced, and highly respected stock analysts who share their ability to call winners with a chosen few. Now, the reader of this new book can be among those select few. "Hot Sector Investing" points investors to the specific industries that are expected to grow over the next 5-10 years. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the 2nd edition of the only Easy-to-Use guide to Living, Making Money and the Good Life in Cuba of the Future. Some of the Topics covered:

What does the future hold for Cuba
How to choose where to live
Valuable information about starting a business and investing
Secrets for success in Cuba
How to keep busy and happy
Where to meet people and find love and romance
Tax saving for foreign residents
Proven shortcuts for learning Cuban Spanish
100's of tips for everyone including baby boomers, retirees and entrepreneurs

Plus loads of insider information and all the ins and outs dos and donts of living and investing in Cuba. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Give the Author a "10" for Originality
The author is definitely ahead of his time. This guide will come in handy as soon as things open up in Cuba. It will give anyone interested in living or investing there a head start. It's only a question of time before the embargo endsand the moment comes for people to take advantage of all of the "golden" opportunities Cuba will have to offer. This book or an updated version in the same format will be exactly what one needs to make the move and succeed. Bravo! Bravo!

Informative, but very poorly written
If the book didn't read like a high school term paper I would have given it five stars.The information contained in the book is very insightful.I just had a hard time with the poor grammer and spelling.I'm no english professor, but this was really bad.I felt like I was reading something written by a fifteen year old.Not only did the editor not run a spell check he didn't even proof read it.

If you can get past the poor writing style this book will be well worth your money if you are thinking of moving to Cuba.It is obvious though that the author was not a business major.So don't expect too much about investing in Cuba.

This Book is a ..., don't even think about buying it.
This book is merely a tourist guide, and a bad one. The author makes asumptions like in the future things will change, and things are bound to get better, hardly an investment guide. I have been to Cuba over 30 times, and everyone knows that it is almost impossible to buy property, the few condos that were available to the public were highly overpriced, over $350,000. and any other kind of transaction either rent or sale of housing is illegal and banned.

The author talks about the excellent health care system, but forgets to mention that medicines and first class services are only accesible to tourists, and none of them compare to the services in the US; if you ever go to regular hospitals, you have to bring your own sheets, syringes swabs and have to look for the prescribed drugs in the black market, since public hospitals cannot afford them.

The author talks about the affordability of the country, and that's a lie, since everything is available through the black market, everything is overpriced, restaurants and bars of average quality are overpriced,take the Tocororo restaurant where your bill might go as high as $50.00 per person without wine and the restaurant is of average quality compared to those in the US or Mexico, drinks are expensive in the clubs, take the one in the hotel Comodoro where one beer costs 8.00 dollars and one mojito costs 10.00

The author talks about some cracks having appeared in the political system due to a poor economy, but it still has a stable government. There was famine for Gods sake in 1994, those are not cracks and the governments stability is due to repression of its own people, sure as a foreigner you are treated nicely and courteously, but the repression of the beautiful Cuban people is a fact hard to overlook.

When the author talks about the people he says that they prefer the urban lifestyle, about 70% live in cities. That's because there is no access to dollars in the country, and therefore no access to black market goods like milk, beef or cheese, and farmers risk being jailed by going to the city to struggle to make a living and get some dollars for their families, that's why we see the prostitution of the "Guajiras".

In another chapter the author writes about "Finding Companionship" and the fame of Cuban women's "Derires" maybe he tried to say derrière. Pathetic. He also states that these women tend to be more devoted to the North American males than to Cuban males since they find them (Cubans) too macho, I'd like to see Mr Howard's credentials in order to make that statement that seems derogatory from all sides.

When he talks about investments his ignorance shines, making business in Cuba is one of the hardest things to do given the bureocracy, sure he gives a list of good bussines ideas, what he doesn't tell you or he doesn't know is that most of these ideas are forbidden by the Cuban government. Cuba's government wants you doing business directed to exportations or tourist services, he doesn't want you meddling with the local consumer, and if you invest in tourism they only want you to invest in big projects with them as an equal partner, they don't want you setting up a small restaurant or bar or cafe, the government wants you there only if you mean big business, and that means anything over a million dollars, otherwise visit as a tourist.

I don't mean to criticize Cuba, I mean to criticize a book that seems like a ... leaflet. Cuba even with all its shortcomings is still to me one of the greatest destinations in the world, and I wouldn't give it up for any of the other great resort projects of the world, its charm and style are unique as well as its people, but this book will only confuse and deceive and form an opinion in its readers of a country that has nothing to do with what is described inside its pages, investment wise and living wise. Really it has nothing to do with it.

What a timely book for the Coming Cuba Travel Boom!
"Travel Tips and News Newsletter" by Jens Jurgen July/August 1999

The first edition of "Living and Investing in the New Cuba" is an interesting new book by Christopher Howard.In it theauthor describes Cuba's colorful history, its flora and fauna, customs,foods, health care, transportation, learning Cuban-style Spanish, Cuba'samazing people and much more. There is not too much about the manydisadvantages of living under the current oppresive regime. However, manypeople anticipate a change soon.

The investment portion of Howard's book(published in Costa Rica) is written for a worldwide audience. Europeans aswell as Canadians can already invest in Cuba (Americans can't legally as ofnow but there will be lots of opportunities in the future).As with lesserknown travel and investment opportunities, one should do a lot of homeworkin advance. Don't wait until the U.S. Teasury eases or drops itsregulations prohibiting Americans from trading with Cuba. This handy guideprovides a two-pagelist of possible start-up business in Cuba to piqueyour imagination. BUY and READ Christopher Howard's book now to get a headstart.

A SUPERB Guide to Cuba Now and in the Future
"The Midwest Book Review"August 6, 1999 By James A. Cox Editor-in-Chief

Living and Investing in the New Cuba is a superb guide to living, making money and creating the good life in Cuba. A wide varietyof interesting subjects are covered and many questions are answered aboutwhat the future holds for Cuba. ... Read more

Product Description
As the world becomes more economically and culturally integrated, there are vast opportunities for growth— especially as less prosperous countries seize the opportunities of capitalism and the market economy. Hear the success stories and pitfalls, the strategies and secrets, of the world’s great international investors.

The Secrets of the Great Investors series is a collection of presentations that explain, in understandable language, the strategies, tactics, and principles that have produced great wealth, and how you can improve your financial future. History's greatest investors used powerful investing philosophies to produce superior results, and you can learn from their successes and mistakes. ... Read more

Product Description

If you read the original Buffettology, you know exactly half of what you need to know to effectively apply Warren Buffett's investment strategies.

Published in 1997, the bestselling Buffettology was written specifically for investors in the midst of a long bull market. Since then we've seen the internet bubble burst, the collapse of Enron, and investors scrambling to move their assets -- what remains of them -- back to the safety of traditional blue chip companies. As price peaks turned into troughs, worried investors wondered if there was any constant in today's volatile market. The answer is yes: Warren Buffett's value investing strategies make money.

The New Buffettology is the first guide to Warren Buffett's selective contrarian investment strategy for exploiting down stocks -- a strategy that has made him the nation's second-richest person. Designed to teach investors how to decipher and use financial information the way Buffett himself does, this book guides investors through opportunity-rich bear markets, walking them step-by-step through the equations and formulas Buffett uses to determine what to buy, what to sell -- and when. Authors Mary Buffett and David Clark explore Buffett's recent investments in detail, proving time and again that his strategy has earned enormous profits at a time no one expects them to -- and with almost zero risk to his capital.

In short, The New Buffettology is an essential companion to the original Buffettology, a road map to investment success in the worst of times. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

A little silly
I read this book and it's a little silly.

It's nicely written and I suppose it teaches you some things... but the question is, what does it teach exactly?It teaches you how to look at a company's historical earnings.And it even teaches you how to compare them to return on a bond.But does it teach what it professes, namely that Buffett does this and you can invest like him?Come on.... Do you seriously think that this method accounts for Buffett's year-after-year returns?Especially the returns during his first 10 years?

Undoubtedly he DOES look at past earnings and look at his potential return, but to stop there as this book does will not do the reader justice.Go watch some YouTube vids of Buffett speak, and you'll hear him say things like, "I use Fisher's scuttlebutt method."He doesn't say, "I use the book written by Mary Buffett." haha

I think this book is nice for people who want to read about different investment methods, but I wouldn't take it seriously as an investor.Would you REALLY take an investment book written by a non-investor seriously?

Great Foundation
I absolutely loved this book. I follow Warren Buffett's philosophy of investing and found this book a great read. I particularly liked Chapter 3: How Warren Exploits the Market's Shortsightedness. Whether you are a beginner or advanced investor, all the advice in this chapter is especially helpful during the 2008-2009 Recession. Exploiting market's shortsightedness worked very well during the first half of 2009. If you follow Warren Buffett, you will like this book.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

The Absence of "Margin of Safety"
This book fails to address what Buffett attributes as the most important investing concept: the "Margin of Safety"

A Total Frustration!!
Don't be deceived by the high ratings on Amazon.

This book might be the worst book I have read on investments. I like Warren and I thought this book would give some insight into how he made certain investment decisions and the process thru which he went. However, the authors simply speculate on what Buffet might have thought making the investments. The fact of the matter is Buffet didn't even participate in the writing of the book.

The context is extremely simple and repetitive. Authors explain what shareholders equity is twice in the book with using the same home ownership example.

When I first got the book, I was excited and started reading. 10 pages, 20 pages, 50 pages.. I did not find anything interesting or new. Oh, except the "durable competitive advantage" which was explained throughout the book about 112 times. Anyway, I thought more will come and kept reading, page 130 still nothing. On top of the very shallow context the real frustrating part was the language of the authors. It was almost like the book was written for kids (or retards).

Not over yet!!! The quantitative part at the end of the book has many flaws. The authors seem to confuse shareholders equity and market value from time to time. And comparing equity to bonds all the time? Using interest rates to discount earnings? In Essays of Warren Buffet, he mentiones that he utilizes free cash flow for valuation. Predicting the future growth rate from the compounded historical growth as if is a very precise method? So many mistakes, I am sure the authors know little to nothing about equity valuation. THIS BOOK IS A WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME. If you want to read Buffet, buy Essays of Warren Buffet, its a very good book (and the essays are written by Warren Buffet himself), and also I believe the authors wrote this book from what they tried to learn from Buffet's Essays.

Nothing really new here
The title of this book is a misnomer because the content is really not particularly new or fresh.Readers might buy this, or the previous Buffettology book by the authors, but one's investment knowledge base is not significantly enhanced by the two books in tandem. ... Read more

Product Description
Phil Town is now a very wealthy man, but he wasn't always. In fact, he was living on a salary of $4000 a year when some well-timed advice launched him down a highway of investing self-education that revealed what the true "rules" are and how to make them work in one's favor. Chief among them, of course, is "rule #1": "don't lose money."Other rules are: don't diversify...think like an owner, not an investor ... never, ever be seduced into thinking the market is efficient.Town also believes strongly in "betting on the jockey," putting your faith in managers who've proven their financial mettle.Not only does Town reveal fresh methods for identifying who the truly reliable managers are, but he shows you how to test whether they really have faith in the businesses they're running.

By far, the most controversial of the audiobook's assertions will be that giant 401(k) type mutual funds can't help but regress to the mean, and in the next twenty years, the mean could be very disappointing indeed.There's a very real chance that a 401(k) investor could see his holdings not grow at all in the next few decades. Fortunately, Town's stockpicking techniques are meant to walk investing phobes through the do-it-yourself process, equipping them with the tools they need to make quantum leaps toward financial security.

Rule #1 says something new, and it says it in a way that every listener can understand.


From the Compact Disc edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (189)

One of the most helpful books out there on value investing
This is by far my favorite book on value investing. A lot of books have been written on the subject, but a lot of them lack practical ability, especially in this internet era. This book came in as a huge help for me. Phil his tables on the growth numbers (eps, sales, cash, debt, ...) are simply great. They allow me to analyze a company its fundamental is a quick and detailled way.

I've also red the investment classics on value investing, like the Intelligent Investor an Security Analysis, but this one is just much more helpful to the modern investor. Phil tells you were to find all the numbers to do your analysis, and he also gives you the calculation methods. Since I've red this book, I have made a spreadsheet for myself retrieving all the numbers from msn and yahoo automatically into excel. Very handy.

The writing style of the author is also very nice, I had a great time reading this book. Highly recommended!

Good not Great
A very nice, simple and detailed book about getting rich in the stock market using a mixture of graphist and fundamentalist analysis. The only problem of this is that it makes you believe that you just read it and tomorrow you are a billionaire already. Read it carefully and calmly. Keep your mind in reality.

Rule #1 is the Only Rule for Investing
Rule #1 delivers down to earth information for the novice investor.By the time you complete reading this book, you will be armed with the skills necessary to begin investing your money with a margin of safety that will limit your losses and improve your success.Read, then invest.Phil Town delivers easy to understand investing information.

Rule #1
A great read, really opens your eyes to mutual funds and the advantages to investing without your fund manager.

Excellent book for self-directed investing
I first purchased this book after hearing Phil Town speak. This book is an excellent tool for the investor new to making the investing decisions without the direction of an advisor. After reading this book, you will want to pull your funds from the advisor accounts and manage them yourself.

This book makes a complicated subject make sense. I have referred back to it several times, even after reading more complex books on investing. I have purchased three more copies as gifts, and I continue to recommend Phil Town's books. Excellent resource! ... Read more

Product Description

Discover how to make your money work for you with Investing Made Simple, the perfect beginner’s guide to stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, futures, and other investing options. Completely revised and updated, this new edition features clear instructions for readers on how to create a customized investment strategy based on their own individual needs and circumstances.Filled with solid advice on bargain-hunting, getting better rates of return, and weathering market fluctuations, Investing Made Simple can help anyone plan a better future.

Product Description
Whale Hunt in the Desert divulges the unbridled lengths to which casinos go to bag the world s biggest gamblers--the whales. This definitive exposé reveals the shrouded world of ultra-high rollers and the Faustian pacts they forge with their hosts, the casino representatives whose job it is to part them from their fortunes. Private jets, penthouses, personal chefs, show-up money, rebates on losses, and the most beautiful women on Earth--nothing is too excessive. Whale Hunt in the Desert is the only book ever to examine the lifestyles and motivations of this rarest of breeds, as well as the highly guarded inner workings of the most money-oriented culture known to man. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wondered what it was like to be a high roller?
This is my review from the original hardback edition (Amazon didn't map them over to this paperback edition):

If you want to read about Las Vegas's highest of high rollers, "whales," and what a casino will do to keep them happy, then this book won't fail to satisfy. Along the way you'll meet Steve Cyr, a young Turk casino host. A host is the casino's employee whose job it is to look after the big players and to keep them happy and, more importantly, keep them coming back and gambling more and more.

Much of the book is built around Cyr and his style (his style can be both inspiring and annoying). Cyr is about 70% time-share/condo salesperson and 35% cruise director and 10% Kato Kaelin (yeah, he's 115%). But the book is more than Cyr and his successful effort to modernize the way casinos market to high rollers. You'll meet some of the whales themselves. You'll find out about the mini-palaces casinos have built just for them. And one subject usually kept off the record is covered: do casinos provide sex to their top players?

The book is not a superficial People Magazine of famous celebs who frequent Vegas. It's about both sides of the table, the whales and the casinos and hosts who harpoon them. The dark side of gambling is offered up as gamblers spin downward out of control, losing millions. There are plenty of details and that's what really distinguishes this book. Other books have touched on the fantasy of the high roller's life. Such as Lifestyles of a High Roller, Anderson's Burning the Tables, Rubin's Comp City and a couple specials on the Travel Channel, but nothing has offered up the depth or detail of Whale Hunt.

The only thing missing from the book is more.

Whale Hunt
This book is a must for anyone interested in casino life.It revolves around a Las Vegas 'super host' , Steve Cyr, and his day to day duties, and a bit of history.It also has generic info that does not directly deal with Cyr.I found this a very interesting and entertaining book. ... Read more

Product Description
In 2006, the GDP for financial services was nearly $1.1 trillion. Total U.S. financial assets stood at $44 trillion in 2007, meaning that the financial services industry as a whole is skimming 2.5% a year out of everyone's wealth.

Some of these costs are obvious, like ATM fees, insurance premiums, mutual fund expense ratios, brokerage commissions or investment advisory fees. Some are hidden or at least require some extreme effort to discover. These costs have a supreme effect on personal wealth. For mutual funds, hedge funds, and stocks there are hidden costs such as managerial fees or marketing expenses that can cost investors at least 3-6% of their earnings. These dangers to investors are real, and Loeper sheds light on the oft unseen deceit of the financial services industry.

The emotional sales and marketing that victimize your wealth and lifestyle abound. Some of the most misleading of these marketing tactics even have the nerve (or lack of ethics?) to position their firm as being the objective, honest segments of the industry. The majority of investors are victims, of charlatans, smooth talking and good looking salespeople, or effective advertising and marketing designed to evade reality and prey on emotional desires.

This audiobook serves as an advocate of the consumer... to expose what insiders know about the side of the sales pitches that consumers don't, but need to hear. Stop the Investing Ripoff exposes questions every investor should ask during a financial sales pitch before they pull the trigger and buy the next book, magazine, mutual fund, or advisory service. It is based on David Loper's nearly 25 years of experience of seeing the inner workings of the industry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Tells it like it really is!
I like books such as this one, which tell it like it really is in the "financial advice" business. Don't meet with a financial advisor to discuss a pension scheme, insurance plan, or any other investment until you have read this book!

I don't necessarily agree with the 'solution' -- which implicitly involves engaging the author's firm, albeit sold softly -- but I certainly agree with the 'problem' that is so expertly outlined in this book.

Tony Loton, author - Don't Lose Money!: (In The Stock Markets)

Not much here
I didn't really get much from this book. The target audience likely is experienced investors, people with some knowledge about investing through monitoring their own investments. If you are inexperienced investor, for instance, you will understand about 20% of this book. Not good. If you are experienced, you likely already know about 80-90% of this book. I consider myself experienced, though not an expert. Most of us so-called experienced investors already knew bozos like Cramer were more like PT Barnum than they were like John Bogle. We already knew that our brokers had no legal responsibilities to manage our accounts according to OUR interests, and not theirs, and that they had HUGE conflicts of interest because of how they are paid. So what's new with this book?

The business of investing is not the same as investing in businesses
I read the book Investing in One Lesson by Mark Skousen who said that the business of investing is not the same as investing in a business. Stop the Investing Rip-Off describes to readers what the business of investing is all about. The author educates investors about brokers, advisors, discount brokers, financial planners, wealth managers, and authors. I cannot overemphasize the importance of understanding the business of investing in order to be successful at investing.

I absolutely loved this book. I did not agree with everything, but it really makes you think about everything you think you know. I highly recommend it.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

A map through the landmines of the investing industry
This book is an easy read but is packed with valuable information about the motivations and conflicts of many investment advisors sitting across the desk from you in their office or in the coffee shop providing supposedly sage independent advice about your financial future.Many advisory professionals are sincere in their advice practice, but uninformed of the fallacies they spread as gospel, because they were taught a fallacious view on investments by the firm they work for or are one of many advisor addicted to casino style betting financial jargon and fads of the popular financial media.The worse of them are simply trying to maximize the commissions or fees they earn while minimizing the effort to do so in order to live their own financial dreams, and have rationalized themselves into believing they are doing more good than harm, while avoiding any fiduciary duty to you ahead of their own interests.

One of the biggest industry lies Loeper exposes in very straightforward language is that despite regulatory diclosures that the past market performance of any stock, mutual fund, or other investment is not indicative of future performance, a very high percentage of all presentations to investors are essentially trying to tell investors the opposite is true.That the advisor himself, or another money manager they are recommending, supposedly does have a performance track record that foretells of future riches for the investor - a selling point in direct conflict with this required disclosure.

Many examples of this type can be found in thisbook and it provides the reader with several types of questions they can ask a prospective advisor to help avoid possibly catastrophic pitfalls.

Informative and Easy Read
I found this book to be a quick read and very informative.
For those not "in the business" this book does a lot of explaining about the industry and current practices. ... Read more

Product Description
Doing Business And Investing in Australia (World Business, Investment and Government Library) ... Read more

Product Description
A California independent investment advisor gives insider tips on tools, strategies, and regulations for becoming an online trading "pioneer" while avoiding fool's gold. It includes online references. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Too elementary
The publisher has another book, same price, also about 270 pages, alsowritten by a woman investor, only it's much better and more detailed thanthis book. "A Beginner's Guide To Day Trading Online" by ToniTurner is a much better buy.

Inspires confidence
The advice and guidance offered by Ms Price is helpful, human, humourous and to-the-point. The step-by-step approach she takes to all aspects of investment activity-from identifying risk quotients to defining styles andpurposes of investment-was helpful without being intimidating. I was ableto relate to terms and concepts from my own experience, and quickly gainedthe confidence to open a brokerage account, place a trade, and still sleepat night.I reccomend this book to all investors-novice andexperienced-for the clear insights and explanations, and for the detailsand resources contained within.

Smart, useful advice firmly rooted in the real world
I found this book to be loaded with good tips for the novice investor, with appropriate warnings that will help you avoid the most common investment pitfalls. Recommended!

The first no-hype book for online investors
This book can take you from zero knowledge of the market to a confident level of expertise in investing online. Most valuable is the fact that it's free of the breathless hype that clutters othe books about investing online.

Outstanding and timely
Thank you Ms.Price. Your book has given me the confidence to start doing something I've wanted to do for a very long time. It's easy to read and understand. I have recommended it to several friends, and will continue to do so......

B. Smedly ... Read more