Used price: $103.24
Buy one from zShops for: $100.00
Used price: $37.65
Used price: $5.00
Collectible price: $21.12
Buy one from zShops for: $10.00
Used price: $4.88
Collectible price: $12.95
List price: $14.00 (that's 20% off!)
Used price: $7.91
Buy one from zShops for: $8.07
The book begins with steps to determine where your money goes, then works through ways to eliminate debt, plan for emergencies, and invest money for various purposes: retirement, college, and other large expenses. The book also includes advice for buying insurance and completing your taxes.
The book is a beginner's guide, not an exaustive reference -- so don't expect to find all the information you need if you want to invest in individual stocks or understand each line of your tax return. Rather, it gives clear advice to new investors through commonsense arguments that require almost no background information.
Only two complaints: First, health insurance is not discussed. Some advice on such an important kind of insurance would have been very helpful to me. Second, the authors repeatedly advertise their website. (To their credit, the website ...is a pretty good resource. You might want to try it before you get the book or even instead of the book. It has free trial membership as of this writing.)
It does not make you feel like you are going to deal with a seroius & tedious issue. I look foward to doing this. I feel like this is going to be fun especially with the jokes. It sometimes catches you off guard.
So far I give it 5 stars I will come back & update this later...
Used price: $4.47
Used price: $49.00
Collectible price: $74.12
Used price: $18.00
List price: $21.95 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $9.95
Buy one from zShops for: $12.98
Dr. Bob's advice is in a totally different area. He believes in something called "sectornomics" which means if you look at all the industry sectors and determine which ones will do well in the next five years, then invest in several companies in that sector, your portfolio will do well. Don't worry about which particular stocks too much, just pick the right sector. Pharmaceuticals, let's say. Then, for the majority of the book, Dr. Bob goes on about the various trends in the US and worldwide which will whip the stock market sectors one way or another.
Should you bet on a Japanese resurgence in the next ten years? Don't think so. How about betting on the graying of America? Sure, says Dr. Bob, but remember, Europe and Asia are graying too.
Doesn't sectornomics break the rule of investing that "the only thing that makes the stock market go up or down is a surprise?" Doesn't everyone know about the graying of America? Yes, they know, but no, it doesn't break that rule. Sectornomics means "looking at the same thing everyone else looks at, and seeing something different." Your own perspective can give you the added advantage over the market.
Inspired by Dr. Bob, I began my own personal portfolio based on alternative energy, because I have found out that this sector is about to boom in the next 10 years. A little research (using the Internet of course) and now I have a list of about 30 companies who are extremely well positioned to make a lot of money once alternative energy goes big. The key for me was seeing the big players (United Technologies, Idatech, Xcel, BP, etc.) investing heavily into this sector. BP makes millions of dollars yearly from manufacturing solar cells.
Dr. Bob's knowledge of statistics is absolutely amazing. And his writing style is very approachable.
I heard Dr. Bob speak at an investment seminar in Columbus, Ohio. His speech was good but his book -- excellent. Just buy it. It is the best investment you will make this year.