Where Are the Customers' Yachts?


Book Description

"Once I picked it up I did not put it down until I finished. . . . What Schwed has done is capture fully-in deceptively clean language-the lunacy at the heart of the investment business." -- From the Foreword by Michael Lewis, Bestselling author of Liar's Poker ". . . one of the funniest books ever written about Wall Street." -- Jane Bryant Quinn, The Washington Post "How great to have a reissue of a hilarious classic that proves the more things change the more they stay the same. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." -- Michael Bloomberg "It's amazing how well Schwed's book is holding up after fifty-five years. About the only thing that's changed on Wall Street is that computers have replaced pencils and graph paper. Otherwise, the basics are the same. The investor's need to believe somebody is matched by the financial advisor's need to make a nice living. If one of them has to be disappointed, it's bound to be the former." -- John Rothchild, Author, A Fool and His Money, Financial Columnist, Time magazine Humorous and entertaining, this book exposes the folly and hypocrisy of Wall Street. The title refers to a story about a visitor to New York who admired the yachts of the bankers and brokers. Naively, he asked where all the customers' yachts were? Of course, none of the customers could afford yachts, even though they dutifully followed the advice of their bankers and brokers. Full of wise contrarian advice and offering a true look at the world of investing, in which brokers get rich while their customers go broke, this book continues to open the eyes of investors to the reality of Wall Street.




A Wealth of Common Sense


Book Description

A simple guide to a smarter strategy for the individual investor A Wealth of Common Sense sheds a refreshing light on investing, and shows you how a simplicity-based framework can lead to better investment decisions. The financial market is a complex system, but that doesn't mean it requires a complex strategy; in fact, this false premise is the driving force behind many investors' market "mistakes." Information is important, but understanding and perspective are the keys to better decision-making. This book describes the proper way to view the markets and your portfolio, and show you the simple strategies that make investing more profitable, less confusing, and less time-consuming. Without the burden of short-term performance benchmarks, individual investors have the advantage of focusing on the long view, and the freedom to construct the kind of portfolio that will serve their investment goals best. This book proves how complex strategies essentially waste these advantages, and provides an alternative game plan for those ready to simplify. Complexity is often used as a mechanism for talking investors into unnecessary purchases, when all most need is a deeper understanding of conventional options. This book explains which issues you actually should pay attention to, and which ones are simply used for an illusion of intelligence and control. Keep up with—or beat—professional money managers Exploit stock market volatility to your utmost advantage Learn where advisors and consultants fit into smart strategy Build a portfolio that makes sense for your particular situation You don't have to outsmart the market if you can simply outperform it. Cut through the confusion and noise and focus on what actually matters. A Wealth of Common Sense clears the air, and gives you the insight you need to become a smarter, more successful investor.




The Poker Face of Wall Street


Book Description

Wall Street is where poker and modern finance?and the theory behind these "games"?clash head on. In both worlds, real risk means real money is made or lost in a heart beat, and neither camp is always rational with the risk it takes. As a result, business and financial professionals who want to use poker insights to improve their job performance will find this entertaining book a "must read." So will poker players searching for an edge in applying the insights of risk-takers on Wall Street.




Supermoney


Book Description

"Adam Smith continues to dazzle and sparkle! With the passage of time, Supermoney has, if anything, added to its power to inspire, arouse, provoke, motivate, inform, illuminate, entertain, and guide a whole new generation of readers, while marvelously reprising the global money show for earlier fans." -David M. Darst, author of The Art of Asset Allocation Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist, Morgan Stanley Individual Investor Group "Nobody has written about the craft of money management with more insight, humor, and understanding than Adam Smith. Over the years, he has consistently separated wisdom from whimsy, brilliance from bluster, and character from chicanery." -Byron R. Wien, coauthor of Soros on Soros Chief Investment Strategist, Pequot Capital Management Supermoney may be even more relevant today than when it was first published nearly twenty-five years ago. Written in the bright and funny style that became Adam Smith's trademark, this book gives a view inside institutions, professionals, and the nature of markets that has rarely been shown before or since. "Adam Smith" was the first to introduce an obscure fund manager in Omaha, Nebraska, named Warren Buffett. In this new edition, Smith provides a fresh perspective in an updated Preface that contextualizes the applicability of the markets of the 1960s and 1970s to today's markets. Things change, but sometimes the more they change, the more they stay the same.




A Fool and His Money


Book Description

"There is one thing that can be said about A Fool and His Moneythat cannot be said about any other colume of investment advice:You will never make a penny from the information in this book. Nowork on the subject of personal finance has even tried to make thisclaim before. That is because works on the subject of personalfinance are all lying. John Rothchild is the only fully honestauthor in the genre."--from the Foreword by P. J. O'Rourke. A veritable gold mine of comic insight into the predicament of anaverage investor's avid pursuit of wealth, A Fool and His Money isJohn Rothchild's critically acclaimed personal account of a yeardevoted to investing his money in the markets. The entireinvestment world--its characters, institutions, customs, andmyths-passes under Rothchild's sharp and profoundly humorousscrutiny. Acclaim for A Fool and His Money "What makes this book so good is that Rothchild can explain thingslike naked puts . . . and leave the reader both edified andlaughing. . . . Witty, fast-paced, and educational."--TheWashington Post. "You'll relish John Rothchild's comic tale. . . . The book nearsguaranteed delight."--Newsday. "A Fool and His Money may be the funniest book about investing everwritten. It's a reader's capital gain."--New York Post. You set aside some money, quit your job, devote yourself entirelyto studying the markets, and start to invest. Then, through hardwork and your own magical intuition, you become so wealthy yourmajor concern is finding a fashionable hobby to soak up yourabundant leisure time. All in about a year. Now, thanks to this hugely entertaining and informative book, youcan live out the fantasy without risking your money, your job--oryour sanity. Since its acclaimed debut a decade ago, A Fool and His Money hasbecome a treasured investment classic. It's the comic, firsthandaccount of a first-time investor who sets out to make his wildestmoney dreams come true. In a surge of optimism and enterprise, financial writer JohnRothchild drops everything to devote an entire year to learning howto invest a modest sum of money. Motivated by a sincere desire toget rich, he undertakes his mission by systematically studying asmuch as he can about the markets and how they really operate. Hefearlessly asks the most basic questions, observes theprofessionals at work, studies the newsletters, makes investments,and reports back on everything--including his own highly personaland often hilarious reactions. With Rothchild as your guide through the marketplace, you will: * Eavesdrop as his broker explains in fluent double-talk why heshould buy a certain "hot stock" * Share in his buyer's remorse as Rothchild purchases an unknowntechnology company stock that puts him on an emotional rollercoaster * Be humbled as he enters the almighty Federal Reserve Bank andstruggles to understand its omnipotent power over his personalfinances * Witness the excitement and confusion of the Commodities Exchangeand find out what pork bellies really are * Hear firsthand the enigmatic and undoubtedly wise words ofvarious wizards of Wall Street * Sympathize with Rothchild as he explains his transactions to hisloved ones * Blush as he shamelessly attempts to deceive them. In a gesture of pure magnanimity, Rothchild also includes thehard-won bits of wisdom he calls his "25 Useful Tips"--whichinclude such sage advice as "Never buy anything from a broker at anairport"--and his handy "Fool's Glossary," which clarifies many ofthe technical terms used in the book. Clever, funny, and informative, A Fool and His Money will rewardinvestors at all levels of experience with a revelation on everypage.




The Clash of the Cultures


Book Description

Recommended Reading by Warren Buffet in his March 2013 Letter to Shareholders How speculation has come to dominate investment—a hard-hitting look from the creator of the first index fund. Over the course of his sixty-year career in the mutual fund industry, Vanguard Group founder John C. Bogle has witnessed a massive shift in the culture of the financial sector. The prudent, value-adding culture of long-term investment has been crowded out by an aggressive, value-destroying culture of short-term speculation. Mr. Bogle has not been merely an eye-witness to these changes, but one of the financial sector’s most active participants. In The Clash of the Cultures, he urges a return to the common sense principles of long-term investing. Provocative and refreshingly candid, this book discusses Mr. Bogle's views on the changing culture in the mutual fund industry, how speculation has invaded our national retirement system, the failure of our institutional money managers to effectively participate in corporate governance, and the need for a federal standard of fiduciary duty. Mr. Bogle recounts the history of the index mutual fund, how he created it, and how exchange-traded index funds have altered its original concept of long-term investing. He also presents a first-hand history of Wellington Fund, a real-world case study on the success of investment and the failure of speculation. The book concludes with ten simple rules that will help investors meet their financial goals. Here, he presents a common sense strategy that "may not be the best strategy ever devised. But the number of strategies that are worse is infinite." The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation completes the trilogy of best-selling books, beginning with Bogle on Investing: The First 50 Years (2001) and Don't Count on It! (2011)




The Steam Yachts


Book Description




Here Are the Customers' Yachts


Book Description

Stockbrokers earn money from every trade whether it is profitable or not. How can the average investor profit from swings in the market? Learn here.




The Money Game


Book Description




License To Steal


Book Description

Stockbroker to young trainee: "Remember, when clients send in that money, it's not theirs anymore. It's ours...We're never giving it back to them." Welcome to Wall Street. The longest bull market in history has driven more people to invest in stocks than ever before--and has given rise to unprecedented levels of greed within the brokerage industry that "serves" those investors. In License to Steal, Timothy Harper and his Anonymous coauthor have succeeded in piercing the financial industry's code of silence. In a gripping and fast-paced narrative, they show readers how successful brokers on the "Street Without Shame" peddle worthless stocks, take questionable companies public, manipulate share prices, generate bogus commissions, and raid clients' accounts for their own use. Anonymous and Harper tell a wild, raucous, true story of outrageous acts committed by a handful of rogue brokers--as well as the off-hand, everyday deceptions that are routine in the securities business--and the high life as it is lived by the young and rich in the canyons of Wall Street. The book recounts the rise of a young, successful stockbroker, first as a smart, eager operator willing to do whatever it takes to make it. Always keeping just within the law, he watches his colleagues in the brokerage business cross over daily into unscrupulous conduct, lining their own pockets at the expense of their clients. Unwilling to join them, unable to endure the pressure of their corrupting influence, he eventually quits Wall Street. A mesmerizing story of personal redemption, License to Steal is also a searing indictment of a corrupt and brutalizing system and a warning to the millions of American investors who trust and rely on stockbrokers for guidance on their own investments.