An all-new personal finance guide from the authors/creators of The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing First in a new series based on information from Standard & Poor’s—the leading financial information organization—Standard & Poor’s Guide to Money & Investing demystifies the world of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures, and options, empowering you to make informed investment decisions, measure your performance, and evaluate the risks and reward…
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This book describes the basic ways to invest your money. It covers markets and currency, stocks, bonds, indexes, mutual funds, ETFs, options, futures, and other alternative investments (briefly).
The format is very easy to read – there are lots of diagrams and pictures, which actually provides a good break from the large amount of dense information provided. One thing I liked (but that some may find annoying) is the frequency of repeating definitions. Between various sections, concepts are often defined multiple times. I found this useful, since it reminded me what a certain concept was without having to go back and find it earlier in the book.
In general, the information is pretty accurate and up-to-date. However, I noticed 1 error on the idea of fluctuation in currency value (International Investing in the Money & Markets section, p. 21), which gets the concept of a “strong dollar” during an international equity trade backwards, but then follows with an example diagram that gets it right. I was frankly surprised to see such a glaring mistake. I e-mailed the publishers, but received no response.
Another thing that I didn’t like is the fact that, for some numbers in some of the diagrams, there is no mention at how the numbers were calculated/derived. I personally like to see/try all the formulas, so that was slightly annoying. But for the most part, I was able to figure out the formulas myself.
In conclusion, the book does an excellent job introducing various investment opportunities. It covers general information on each investment vehicle and describes the risks associated. It does not, however, teach you any special strategies (other than the obvious “diversify your portfolio” and “use strategies to minimize risk” ones) on investing – this is not the purpose of the book.
While I was initially put off by the brochure-like format and the clip-art-like pictures, I was pleasantly surprised by the content and the ease with which the information was presented. I certainly recommend this as an entry book for someone who does not understand the different ways to invest in various markets.
Pros:
+ nice introduction to markets and exchanges, and how they are regulated
+ covers all of the important investment vehicles used today
+ lots of useful information – good reference
+ lots of diagrams and pictures to break up the text
Cons:
– a few mistakes
– relatively dense – don’t expect to blow through it if you want to retain the information
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book For Success
Excellent book to learn financial investment guidelines. Anyone should understand the basics shown here. Highly recommended.
I have been reading a bit about investing for a decade but still felt I lacked a clear and comprehensive understanding of the previously overwhelming world of money and investing. NO MORE! I have found nothing that compares to the clear, concise and highly readable format of this book. The color coded and cearly defined sections helped me digest the well-organized and very readable material. However, the author’s far exceed the abilty of most to clearly and concisely explain the most difficult and complicated of topics. This little book is a gem.
I feel like I’ve had a brief course in economics and investing and am now able to knowledgably and confidently discuss investing with the most savvy of finanical experts, agents, and those know it alls one often encounters. I will most certainly be looking at other Lighbulb Press materials.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Market for almost dummies
Great book, I highly recommend it. It makes sense of a very confusing topic and actually holds your attention considering the dry nature of the market system.
As a financial advisor I’ve read a lot of books about investing; Recently my little brother asked me for a book to get started. This is the one I truly recommend above all the rest. A truly professional yet simple read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exactly what I was looking for!
For years I had heard all the buzz words and wondered what they meant. In a very easy language to read and understand, these book answered all my questions. I highly recmmend it!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Compact Guide
This book is very helpful for gaining an understanding of investing. The layout is clear and interesting, and there is a lot of useful information packed into this small guide!