Showing posts with label investing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label investing. Show all posts

No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Army's Elite Rangers Review

No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Army's Elite Rangers
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Army's Elite Rangers? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Army's Elite Rangers. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Army's Elite Rangers ReviewFinally, a book on leadership based on truth and real life experience! If you read business books and are tired of MBA speak, pick this up and learn what it really takes to persevere, to challenge ones self and most importantly -- to set an example. It is no wonder that the Army has produced some of the greatest leaders in history -- they are learning this stuff while most of us are still deciding which happy hour to hit.
I also like the way the book was organized. You learn first hand what it takes to succeed in a seemingly impossible set of physical, mental and emotional challenges. And you hear it directly from the Rangers themselves. The author then guides and offers advice on how to apply these same basic tenets to all aspects of your life.
I had no prior knowledge of the military or Rangers specifically. This book is also excellent for anyone contemplating joining special forces within the Armed Forces. The next time I see a soldier with a Ranger tab, I'll know that he put his heart, soul and mind on the line for 61 days and a better persepctive on what it took for him to survive.
I love Barber's No-Excuse method of leadership -- he's the kind of boss I'd enjoy working for.No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Army's Elite Rangers Overview

Want to learn more information about No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the U.S. Army's Elite Rangers?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Getting Started in Value Investing Review

Getting Started in Value Investing
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Getting Started in Value Investing? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Getting Started in Value Investing. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Getting Started in Value Investing ReviewWhat is value investing? It's the idea of buying a part of a business through public shares at a significant discount to the true value of the business.
If you studied efficient market theory in school, you are probably laughing right now . . . for that theory teaches that no one can buy any stock at a discount to its economic value. But consider that many stocks trade as much as 25 percent above and below their average price in any given year. Surely the value of a business doesn't vary that much in 12 months.
Value investors believe that the market misprices securities about 10-15 percent of the time. If you can buy something for half its value, that should be a good deal. The challenge is to spot those mispriced situations.
Value investing has been around for a long time, but most of the earliest texts are hard for new investors to apply (such as Security Analysis by Graham and Dodd and Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor). I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mr. Mizrahi is well versed in both the original approaches to value investing and the adjustments made since then by legendary investors like Warren Buffett and Charles Munger. Mr. Mizrahi also displays a wonderful talent for making security analysis easy to understand and to apply. In the future when students of mine want to learn the basics of value investing, I will recommend this book.
I do recommend that if you decide to apply this approach that you keep in mind that almost all investors underperform the market averages over long periods of time (five years and more). You'll have to be good at value investing to make it work. If it seems like more effort than it's worth, you can now buy index funds that feature small cap, low P/E multiple stocks . . . the sort that have outperformed the overall market averages in the last several decades. Or you can invest along with value investors who run mutual funds . . . or even buy shares in Berkshire-Hathaway, which Buffett and Munger run.
Is value investing right for you? Yes, if you are determined to outperform the averages and are willing to do the necessary homework and stick with it. I believe that will be less than one percent of the people. After reading this book, you should have a better idea of whether you are a good candidate.
If you do decide you like the approach, you'll need to dig into the resources that Mr. Mizrahi cites to learn more.
Let me give you a few cautions about the book:
1. The valuation method described in Chapter 9 is much simpler than what you should actually use. It's better to use discounted cash flow valuations (which are mentioned but not described). If you want to use the test of a future P/E multiple, Mr. Mizrahi is a little generous in his approach. Many industries regularly have P/E multiples much higher and lower than the averages. Adjusting your targets for future P/E multiples to reflect where lower multiples have been the historic case is a good idea not sufficiently developed here.
2. Mr. Mizrahi is a great proponent of ROE (return on equity) as a measure of good performance. Current accounting rules and the share repurchase practices of many companies combine to make ROE not such a good measure as Mr. Mizrahi suggests. Why? Because equity is artificially low so that any earnings are seen a high return earnings.
3. Mr. Mizrahi appears to overstate the case for value investing being a way to outperform the market averages. Yes, some people do achieve that result, but there are no statistics on what percentage do and what percentage don't. I suspect that many value investors don't beat the averages over five year time periods.
4. Mr. Mizrahi explains the concept of economic moats around businesses that allow them to prosper relative to competitors. You should realize that most businesses are losing their moats pretty rapidly now as they face more global competitors than in the past. Only those who are already prospering in most of the countries in the world can be presumed to have good moats now . . . and those moats may erode in the future.
5. Mr. Mizrahi favors larger capitalization companies (over $10 billion in value) to evaluate for potential purchase. You won't find the best buys in that group. Back testing shows that small capitalization companies usually do better on average.
6. Mr. Mizrahi recommends a definition for free cash flow that overstates actual cash availability. It would be better to add the cost in increased working capital to determine actual free cash flow.
7. A few of the tables Mr. Mizrahi supplies seem to have incorrect headings. Wherever you see the same heading repeated for two columns with different numbers, assume the headings are wrong and ignore those tables.
Nice work, Mr. Mizrahi!
Getting Started in Value Investing Overview

Want to learn more information about Getting Started in Value Investing?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Money Game Review

Money Game
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Money Game? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Money Game. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Money Game ReviewI studied finance in college and I think I could have just read this book instead of most of the finance classes I took.
First of all, "The Money Game" starts out with the thesis that the stock market and all other equity markets are just a game. It is not long-term investing that wins in this game for most. This would be heresy for most finance professors and financial planners out there. One example from the book involves a family that passed IBM stock down from generation to generation, it was only sold to cover estate taxes. Many members in the family became very wealthy. However, they worked just hard as their cohorts with no money, and the buy and hold stretagy profited them almost nothing despite the fact that they were "wealthy." Another example is a man who died in the late 1800s with a portfolio worth over $1,000,000. By the time the inheretence was passed down, the portfolio was worth 0, as the companies had gone out of business.
"The Money Game" gives a great explanation of crital issues such as technical analysis, fundamental analysis, mass psychology, mutual funds and their managers, "performance" vs. more conservative funds, accounting practices, random walk theory, "valuation" of equities, and most importantly the money game itself.
Ever wonder how a company like Priceline.com could be worth more than the market capitalization of all the airline stocks put together? This book explains how something so out of whack can happen and gives many examples.
In this game, money is how you keep score. When someone is making lots of money, they are winning the game. When they are loosing money, they are loosing the game. But the game is there to be played, win, lose, or draw. For the players, it's just too tempting to stay in, it is vital, it is life for many.Money Game Overview

Want to learn more information about Money Game?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work Review

The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work ReviewAs a 20+ year Caps fan, serial entrepreneur and voracious business book reader, I immediately pre-ordered the book when it was first available...and it was one of the best books I've read this year!
There are 2 main parts to the book. The first starting with Ted's story and the second with the 6 principles outlined and dissected. Following Ted's blog I've read parts of his story but never the whole thing and found this really insightful and inspiring.
I loved the journey and how each new endeavor (business or charitable) lead to more insights and distinctions for Ted towards happiness. Starting with a list of 101 items it was instructive to see how `business-like' Ted started with this journey to happiness or what he thought would make him happy. I really like how he pointed out buying a Ferrari (which was on the list) was like an empty calorie and didn't have much meaning afterwards. But other items on the list had a tremendous impact on his happiness.
The life list is the first of 6 tenets of happiness as identified by Ted. 1) Life list. 2) Multiple Communities of Interest. 3) Finding Outlets for Self-Expression. 4) Gratitude. 5) Giving Back. 6) Higher Calling.
It's a great list to focus on and this was the first business book I've seen to mention "Higher Calling" and "Finding Outlets for Self Expression" to help with your happiness. I love that and totally believe in it!
Ted repeatedly warns readers that `over-indexing' in one facet of your life - business success - prevents you from being happy. It's in the variety and living a full life that happiness occurs as a by-product. And this is certainly a good roadmap for anybody who wants to get there and take a shortcut.
The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work Overview

Want to learn more information about The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

The Alchemy of Finance (Wiley Investment Classics) Review

The Alchemy of Finance (Wiley Investment Classics)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy The Alchemy of Finance (Wiley Investment Classics)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Alchemy of Finance (Wiley Investment Classics). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Alchemy of Finance (Wiley Investment Classics) ReviewIn this updated edition, Soros summarizes his worldly philosophy--the connection between thought and reality and how it applies to financial markets. The heart of the book remains Mr. Soros's account of what he did with Quantum Fund in the mid-1980s, both as an example of his approach and a remarkable lesson in how to make money in markets where most of the time nobody, including Mr. Soros, knows what's coming next.
His philosophical tenet, Reflexivity, denotes a feedback loop: Individuals act on their views of a situation, thereby changing the situation. For example, if traders believe a stock is going up, they buy it, thereby bidding it up. But their belief caused the result; there may be no fundamental reason for the rise.
Thus what we think determines what we do and has consequences, but typically it is not correct.
Inspired by Heisenberg's rule about quantum particles, Soros proclaims a human uncertainty principle which suggests our understanding is often incoherent and always incomplete. From his case study, one notices that uncertainty continually besets Mr. Soros in managing his hedge fund, which has the same name as the particles subject to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.
General models do not always translate into money making practice. But Soros provides an insight of great practical significance: traders need to be adaptive, because there is no way of knowing beforehand how a market situation will turn out.
The Quantum Fund experience demonstrates how that works. This exercise in global macro strategy, a master speculator's take on commodity, currency and equity markets, is a a litany of doubts and hazards.
He's been losing on currency trades for several years. Then in September 1985, he makes a killing by buying a lot of yen just before central banks switch to a new exchange rate system and the yen rises. There is a pattern: he sustains losses, reduces positions, gets out, then sees a great opportunity and pounces. In short, he constantly and quickly adapts to events.
Despite various setbacks, Quantum Fund's NAV per share rose 121% in 1985 and 43% in 1986. Such numbers make for legend and Mr. Soros became one.
How did he do it? He keeps an open mind and continually modifies his outlook with new information. As he remarks, "the markets provide a merciless reality check," and Mr. Soros never stays with an idea that fails the test. Most of the time he can't predict what's coming, but he promptly corrects course in response to feedback. That limits losses. On rare occasions he can see through the fog of uncertainty and hauls in the booty.
This is not an easy book to read, but as another hedge fund manager, Paul Tudor Jones, describes it in the foreword, it is a timeless guide.The Alchemy of Finance (Wiley Investment Classics) Overview

Want to learn more information about The Alchemy of Finance (Wiley Investment Classics)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Expected Returns: An Investor's Guide to Harvesting Market Rewards (The Wiley Finance Series) Review

Expected Returns: An Investor's Guide to Harvesting Market Rewards (The Wiley Finance Series)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Expected Returns: An Investor's Guide to Harvesting Market Rewards (The Wiley Finance Series)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Expected Returns: An Investor's Guide to Harvesting Market Rewards (The Wiley Finance Series). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Expected Returns: An Investor's Guide to Harvesting Market Rewards (The Wiley Finance Series) ReviewThere really isn't anything like this book around which is why it is so remarkable. Ilmanen starts with a review yet very practicioner oriented review of credit risk, bond risk, and equity risk premia before delving into detailed yet readable analyses of return strategies, why they work, how their success is dependent upon states of the world (ie, carry trading has a great sharpe but doesn't help you in a leverage unwind when your equity book is blowing up to) and how blending these strategies and approaches can materially improve returns and more importantly, reduce risk. It is this overlay of styles, asset classes and risk factors creating a multidimensional approach to sources of returns and risk that makes it truly unique.
I say all this as someone who does equities/credit/EM for a living and thus isn't a career systematic macro trader. For people like me this book is invaluable because it allows a more nuanced view of risk factors and sources of returns in an alpha oriented book that can easily become quite concentrated in ways that are not obvious at first. There is so much more to delve into with regards to integrating this into my work but suffice to say it is a small price to pay to learn some of the nuts and bolts of what allows Brevan Howard to manage risk so well.Expected Returns: An Investor's Guide to Harvesting Market Rewards (The Wiley Finance Series) Overview

Want to learn more information about Expected Returns: An Investor's Guide to Harvesting Market Rewards (The Wiley Finance Series)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops Review

America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops ReviewYou can give this book a pass. There's really nothing to it, so save your money. While one might agree wholeheartedly with its premise and conclusions, the exposition here is not the best. For comparison, take a look at Stephen Leeb's Chapter 5 in his "Oil Factor" of 2004 and you will see a much cleaner more informative discussion of just about everything in the "Bubble" book. Leeb is far more succinct and authoritative and manages to avoid what is becoming the most overused word in the language -- "bubble." And he does it in 11 pages.
The investment advice in this book, once you get past all the padding, is to buy gold and euros. The advice on gold at least comes with a cursory analysis of the supply and demand situation, but the advice on the euro is given without support. There's no discussion whatsoever of the economic realities facing the European Union and how they might impact the dollar/euro exchange rates. I'm not saying there isn't a good reason to run to euros, just that it appears nowhere in this book.
One of the other reviewers was as annoyed as I was about the poor editing in this book. In addition to misspelling Warren Buffett's name numerous times, including in the index, there is a general carelessness that made reading each chapter a hunt for mistakes. I expect more from Wiley.
If this is your first exposure to discussion of the multiple problems facing our economy from housing prices, government debt, consumer debt, and foreign exchange risks, it may serve as a readable introduction. However, don't expect too much depth and be prepared for typos and misspellings. A two star rating is pretty generous.America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops Overview

Want to learn more information about America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk Review

Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk ReviewAgainst the Gods is an outstanding book about the evolution of risk and man's attempt to understand it. Bernstein begins with ancient times and traces the history of numbers and probability leading eventually to today's seemingly complex financial world of portfolio theory, derivatives, and risk management techniques. Readers will learn about revolutionary thinkers including John von Neumann (inventor of game theory), Isaac Newton, Harry Markowitz (grandfather of portfolio theory), and the late Fischer Black (Black Scholes option formula) among others. Readers will also find enlightening stories about game theory, fibonacci numbers, chaos theory, the bell curve, regression to the mean, and more. Yet despite all the intelligence, computer power, and sophisticated techniques, Bernstein presents us with the growing body of evidence discovered by researchers including the late Amos Tversky and others that "reveals repeated patterns of irrationality, inconsistency, and incompetence in the ways human beings arrive at decisions and choices when faced with uncertainty." Against the Gods was chosen as one of Business Week's top 10 books of the year for 1996.Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk Overview

Want to learn more information about Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future Review

Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future ReviewMike has made a compelling case that sooner, rather than later, the US Dollar is going to tank and everyone will be running to gold and silver to protect their wealth. The good news is that NOW is the time to get in on both silver and gold- before the HERD of people start rushing in. Mike states that this opportunity coming could be the best investment in history.
The book starts off with the history of other empires that have used a fiat currency and how they have failed 100% of the time. The United States has been on this path since Aug, 1971 when President Nixon took us off the gold standard. There are a lot of interesting facts in this book but not too many to bore the reader. He explains that gold and silver will revalue themselves periodically in relation to the amount of paper currency printed. For example, the M3 money supply (total printed money in circulation) was ~$1.7 billion in January, 1980 when gold hit $850 an ounce. Today, the M3 is estimated at $14 trillion, a 7.7 times increase in the amount of currency. With that said, gold, when it adjusts, should be $6,118.00 an ounce...
Mike goes into today's current economic climate, then predictions for "tomorrow". He concludes with the final section "How to Invest in Precious Metals".
I recommend this book if you are unsure about silver and gold relating to investing. There's so much documentation and research behind it.
I've never read an investment book with this much passion put into it!!!Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future Overview

Want to learn more information about Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...