10/6/15
Investing Books are Not For the Birds
People who enjoy making their money grow, and are successful
at investing, should be avid readers of not only politics, business, and
personal finance matters they find online, but also actual
books. You know, paper? That outdated, antiquated stuff that comes from
trees?
I deeply apologize if this little gem of wisdom somehow
derails you or your friends’ theory that everything important you need to know
can be gleaned from social media—it’s just not true.
The great businessmen of this last century, responsible for
creating some of the world’s best products, businesses, systems, and piles of
wealth, have imparted their wisdom through a variety of sources. What I’ve put
together below is what I consider to be a good collection of “starter” reading
material from these sources for those who want to become serious, disciplined,
principled investors. There are hundreds of books out there, but I believe
these are the best.
If you choose to proceed, and devour this gigantic pile of
wisdom, you’ll come out a much more intelligent, informed money manager than
99% of the gamblers out there who dubiously call themselves “investors.”
You’ll come away with a better understanding of general
economics, investor psychology, business mindset, history of finance, macroeconomic
theory (much more interesting than it sounds), value investing, trading, and speculation….
And luckily, since some of the authors are incredible writers and comedians,
you’ll be thoroughly entertained, also.
I update this list periodically as I find new, useful, interesting things to read.
The Little Book that Beats the Market – Joel Greenblatt
Fantastic gem on how to buy shares of great companies at
reasonable prices. Focuses on value investing, and long-term wealth creation.
One Up on Wall Street – Peter Lynch
This is a general book about the stock market, written a
couple decades ago, but contains timeless wisdom which helps investors learn
the need to understand fully what they are investing in.
Eat the Rich – PJ O’Rourke
This comedian author strives to help us understand the world
of economics and wealth through his hysterical world travels.
The Big Short – Michael Lewis
Fascinating book about the unfolding of the 2008 financial
crisis, focusing on several key players in the industry who saw it all coming,
and made fortunes off of it.
Winning on Wall Street – Marty Zweig
Zweig is a legendary stock market analyst, who made a
fortune trading stocks. The focus of the book is more focused on understanding
the “technical” aspects of investing (using charts and such) than value
investing, which focuses on the financial and business fundamentals of
investing.
Economics in One Lesson – Henry Hazlitt
Hazlitt was a libertarian thinker of economics and free markets.
Learn from this 70-year-old book about the truths behind common economic
fallacies and perils our modern world, such as government intervention and
central planning.
Beating the Street – Peter Lynch
The author delves into the details around investing in
specific industries, and offers his 25 Golden Rules of Investing
The Richest Man in Babylon – George Clayson
A classic, quick read which provides insight into
wealth-building and success in handling money.
Crisis Investing for the Rest of the 90’s – Doug Casey
Doug Casey is a wizard at wealth creation, having founded
several firms focused on providing investment research and wealth advice to
millions of readers around the world. This book teaches sound underlying
principles of investing, although the information is somewhat dated, and many
of the author’s predictions about the financial markets of the 90’s didn’t come
true.
Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
A great book from the 90’s which tries to teach its readers
practical ways on how to think about money, and understand the relationship
between personal assets, liabilities , debt, cash flow, taxes, personal income, and wealth
generation. Purely a motivational book, not a technical one about investing.
This was the first book I ever read about money nearly ten years ago, which got
me interested in finance.
F Wall Street – Joe Ponzio
How to avoid the pitfalls most investors face, and succeed
at value investing in great businesses.
Market Wizards – Jack Schwager
The author interviewed some of the most world-renowned
traders and investors in the word, and gleaned many insights for us about
investor mentality and behavior.
The New Market Wizards – Jack Schwager
Another book, newer than the one above, which contains
interviews and insights from expert investors about the financial markets.
Have you read any great books you'd recommend? Hit me up at thevillageidvestor@gmail.com
Live long and invest,
Jeremiah
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