.... anyone attempting to start investing intelligently. It provides information that a person of any age can use, but offers many things to teenagers that other books lack. Most books in the teenage investing realm are "dumbed-down" and talk to future tycoons like they are 10 years old.

This book takes care of that and provides a real world knowledge of investing in a way that almost anyone would benefit from reading. It offers many things that other books in this market lack, especially the examples and profiles of successful investors.

If a teenager is serious about learning to invest, then this book will help them start in a way that will guarantee them future success. From one teenager to another, I highly recommend this book!

to anyone under 20 looking to get started. I have looked a long time for a book that was written to help investment-minded teens get a good overview of what they can do to get started. Most are written like they are talking to a 10 year old and only cover the most basic principles.

This book goes far beyond that in the Motley Fool tradition. It will give anyone, teen or adult, an excellent overview of what they can do to start investing. It covers many different ideas for getting started and goes in-depth into what you can do to jump right into doing it.

I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about starting to invest and looking to get REAL information on what they can do to get started. If your sick of the kiddie stuff that is written on how to get started, then this book is exactly what you have been looking for.

This book has been a great step-by-step guide to getting financially organized. It's geared to average working-class folks, not aspiring accountants and brokers. The author's humorous approach makes the material accessible and interesting!

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.)

06/10/03 I like this book so far. I love the way it's written it gets you in the good mood for financial planning. It has me excited about learning how to manage my money.

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...

The late Paul Erdos was widely known as a disseminator of mathematics, and yet his impact on the progress of mathematics may not match that of Martin Gardner. For twenty-five years, he wrote a regular column on "Mathematical Games" for Scientific American and other articles have appeared in many other venues since his "retirement" from SA in 1982. Personally, it is a very rare occasion when I encounter an American mathematician who was not strongly influenced by reading something by Gardner. Many, like myself, read it religiously, considering it the high point of each issue. It is hard to underestimate the number of people who were steered towards a career in mathematics by Gardner or had their interest increased by reading one or more of his papers.
In 1993, the first gathering for Gardner (G4G1) was held in Atlanta, where he was honored for all of his work in making mathematics interesting and entertaining. As befits a gathering of this type, many people wrote papers in the areas of magic, puzzles and mathematics to be presented at the conference. Those papers, plus a few that didn't make it into the official list, have been gathered together to make this book.
The papers are split into three categories: Personal Magic, Puzzlers and Mathemagics. While none were authored by the master, they all clearly bear his stylistic signature. The presentation is clear, entertaining and all reach the point quickly and effectively. I was so intrigued by them that it was the only thing that I read once I obtained a copy, to the detriment of the quality of a lecture on the programming language Java.
This is the highest tribute that any professional writer can achieve, when others are motivated to write material similar to yours to be collected and presented at a conference in your honor. Gardner deserves that and more and every paper in this collection is comparable to his work in quality.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

I was recommended to read this book by a friend. I have to say that I was very disappointed. You'll learn that the five 'Life Priorities' are Spiritual, Physical, Relationships, Mental, and Financial. And you will get a list of recommended reading (from best-selling authors) for each Priority. With that equipment, you are supposed to get started setting personal goals for each priority and to manage your goal attainment on a long term basis.

But let's not forget the plot of the book, which is supposed to motivate you to do this. Five individuals, depicting the five Life Priorities, go through an ordeal in a Latin American country. There they come across the teacher who teaches them about the priorities, and gives them individual reading recommendations along with his wish to impose himself on them as their mentor and spiritual leader. The teaching consists of poorly understood left/right brain theory interpreted to explain more than it can account for, along with references to many likewise superficially digested theories. After the traumatic ordeal, this teaching is supposed to set the five characters free to explore life's possibilities.

If you haven't thought about setting goals for yourself, or prioritizing between different goals and activities, and if you haven't been inquiring much into life's wonders, then this book might be of some value to you. If you are happy with scratching the surface of things rather than getting to the core of the subject, that is.

There are many good books about spiritual, physical, relationship, mental, and financial issues, if you want to learn or improve in those areas. This is not one of them.

It's sad that there's a market for a book like this.

This is a unique book that helps one take an honest look at their developmental pathways. Yes, the novel could appear somewhat "cheesy" to some, but one may need to get rid of the self-righteous attitudes that afflict so many people in this world to be able to synthesize this material into practical application. It is a great story that keeps you reading until the end...not unlike many "cheesy" Hollywood stories that people pay many dollars to watch at the movie theaters. It is just as entertaining, but with much more there for those who wish to see it. When is the movie coming out? Thanks Dr. Hill!

Living At the Summit is a tremendously thought-provoking, well-written self-help book which offers solid, concrete, and simple principles for living a life of excellence and reaching one's human potential. Unlike any other self-help book I have read thus far, these principles are taught in the midst of a riveting, fast-paced, and fast-reading fiction story that grips your attention from the very first page to the last. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down! A real nail-biter! Appropriate and entertaining for teens to seniors. Everyone can identify themselves in at least one, if not several, of the characters in the story, so it teaches in a personal way. Definitely to be read - and studied - more than once, with a bibliography included for further study, if one desires. This is a MUST READ for anyone interested in breaking out of a life of mediocrity. Kudos to Dr. Tom Hill!

Investment books are rarely entertaining. The Gardners and Andy Tobias are the exceptions. If you can't bear to read about investing and know nothing, you should give this book a try. You may find it to your taste.

The weakness of the book is a bias towards encouraging you to be out of debt and into common stocks, based on formulas and your professional knowledge. If the financial markets were at an average or below average price level, that would be all right. But the financial markets are at an all-time high, so future returns should be below par.

There is a historical ratio between household wealth in stocks and housing that favors buying housing right now rather than stocks. Few will be able to buy a home without a mortgage.

The most frequent path to major wealth in this country has been to found one's own business. Few can do this without incurring reasonable debt to finance receivables and other needed investments. The Gardners don't really address this investment opportunity.

The formula the Gardners propose for buying high yield stocks in the Dow has had to be revised every few years to be a good way to invest. This formula probably won't work well in the future either, because too many people follow the formula. Markets are bested by only a small percentage of all investors over time, and this rule is no exception going forward.

The advice about avoiding credit card debt, saving wherever you can, and so forth is quite good. You'd find it in any decent investment book.

If you decide you want to go into the stock market, I suggest you also read John Bogle's book, Common Sense About Mutual Funds, to round out the perspective that the Gardners provide here before buying stocks. Be sure to consider first how much you want to do with housing and starting your own business. Good luck with your investing.

If you are under the impression that investing is screaming "Sell!" or "Buy!" on your cellphone as you barrel down the highway, or getting sage financial advice from some suit named Carman Winston III, this book shows you how wrong you are.

The section on how to buy a car in of itself is worth the price of the book. Some of the information is common sense or information that I found using the internet. But there were sections that were wake up calls, showing me why my investments have sucked and how to take charge.

It's an easy and quick read. Knocked it out in one weekend. Plan on becoming a Fool this week after some research on brokers.

To the Atlanta reviewer who opined that the Motleys are just exploiting the financial ignorance of the American public......HUH? Tom and David write a beginner's guide to personal financial stability, regular financial planning, and PERSONAL control of one's investments. It is designed to prevent the professional financial world from exploiting the ignorance of the public by convincing them that investing and financial planning and the stock market are too complicated for "outsiders." Though it is written in simple terms, is admittedly repetitive, and may be too basic for some, it is ideal for beginners. From consumer debt and credit card use to major family purchases to equity investing, it drives home the point that YOU CAN DO IT financially. I gave this as a gift to a couple of graduating high school senior honor students. They read it like a novel in a couple of days and said it was the best educational experience they ever had. Don't be fooled- though simply stated, the principles in this book are worth reviewing by money managers of ANY educational level. I have a business degree and a doctorate- I loved it!

Dave and Tom have created an immensely readable and informative book for the average Joe who wants to learn how to invest in the stock market. Their liberal use of humorous examples makes the book hard to put down. They explain why mutual funds are usually a bad choice, how to do your own research, how to avoid sky-high commissions, how to do your own research on companies, the difference between fundamental analysis and technical analysis (and which one is basically worthless), and even how to make money in a bear market (yes, it can be done, and it's a lot easier than you might think). Overall, if you are looking for a simple and fun explanation of how to get started in investing, you can't possibly go wrong with this one.

The Motley Fool Strikes! When I first saw these guys on CNBC back in '96 I couldn't believe my eyes. "I mean, who are these clowns and why should I listen to anything they have to say?" was roughly what I remember thinking to myself as they bubbled-up investment advice from under matching joker hats.

Well, after reading their book, I still have my reservations, but I have to admit it does offer a good way of looking at investments for the mutual fund and buy-and-hold types. Good gains can be found in this type of investment methodology, but as a devout technician, I must say that I still find greater gains in short-term trading which makes a book like Jeff Cooper's Hit and Run Trading the best risk-to-reward value out there.

Don't get me wrong, this book speaks to folks like my mother who wouldn't know a bar chart from hieroglyphics on the wall. Additionally, their Dow Dividend portfolio strategy is just what my mother ordered - 15 minutes of research a year for an average 25% return over 20 years! Let's face it; in this time, in the world we live in, you have to learn how to read the markets somehow or risk facing financial under performance in the long-run. I think that it is a good start for the absolute novice.

I can tell some great points have already been made; good and bad about the book.

First thing to know is that there are three basic stock strategies that I have noticed in my readings of about 12 stocks books. They are:

(1) BUY AND HOLD: this is what the Motley Fools, as well as Peter Lynch, like. You pick great companies through research and buy shares when the company is down. Stockpile and wait at least 10 yrs; preferably more. At the end, you should havea lot of cash for retirement. Great for people who don't want to do a lot of work and have time to do this; not great if you want to make money faster though.

(2) O'NEIL STRATEGY: based on William O'Neil's HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN STOCKS and 24 ESSENTIAL LESSONS FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS. O'Neil picks great companies, too, but watche them on various graphs. Based on the curves, he knows when to sell and tends to do it within a few months to 2 years I believe. O'Neil doesn't believe in diversifying which, according to Robert Kiyosaki in RICH DAD, POOR DADY, is something you have to give up to make more money.

See, most of the rich concentrate their money. The middle class tend to spread it all around so even though their risk is far less, their gain is, too.

(3) TRADERS: these are the people who trade every week or monthly or even daily. According to the Davis study, 1 in 68 make a profit. Of course, if you have the right temperament and know the system, you can make a profit. But, I think that group is small. Check out Van Tharp's TRADE YOUR WAY TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM.

So, the overall point, is that this book is great for strategy number one. It really comes down to your values on risk and your strategies. Personally, if you choose to go with #1, I would say this is the best book I have read on it so far.

As for the fluctuations, I wouldn't worry about it. Anyone who knows the stock market, shouldn't look at the Foolish Four averages every day unless they want ulcers. Once a year is fine and their method has worked pretty well since the early 60s contrary to what the doomsayers say.

In the future, ask yourself this: would you rather take the advice of journalists and commentators who make maybe 30-50k or people like the MF who most likely make more than that and have devoted years of their lives to studying a system?

I was a student in one of Ross Gardner's bloodstain pattern analysis classes using these principles. Very informative and quite interesting.

I began reading this informative biography, thinking it was probably just the typical filmography most books done on Tom Hanks are. The author has done a tremendous amount of research and, although I thought I was a well-informed fan, learned quite a few revelations. Anyone who loves Tom Hanks will be thrilled with this book and those who are only curious will also enjoy it.

For years, the Gardner brothers, better known as the Motley Fools, have been providing average Americans (or at least those on the internet) with the best advice available on financial and investment matters--in marked contrast to the Wise of Wall St., who encourage short-term thinking and trading (to their profit, of course, but to investors' detriment).

I suspect my story is typical: a couple of years ago, I was investing rashly in all kinds of low-quality companies of which I knew little and, not surprisingly, was trailing the market badly. Then I discovered the Fools and their advice finally sunk in 19 months ago. I sold all the junk in my portfolio and purchased a solid mix of world-beating companies. Since then, my portfolio is up 142% versus 49% for the S&P 500, including 108% in 1998 versus 29% for the Index--with no leverage, trading, options, capital gains, etc.

For the novice investor, I would recommend the Fools' earlier books (and probably an Index fund rather than buying stocks), but for people who understand the basics of investing, Rule Breakers, Rule Makers is by far the Fools' best book yet. In it, they cover two types of stocks: Rule Breakers such as Amazon.com and AOL (for which they have become famous, or in some quarters, infamous as "internet hypesters" or some such rubbish) and Rule Makers like Microsoft and Coke. They lay out a sound approach for thinking about each style of investing and picking winners within each style. To their credit, they strongly recommend that investors build a foundation of Rule Makers before venturing into much higher risk Rule Breakers with a smaller bit of money.

Having read many of the classics on investing (Buffett, Lynch, Graham & Dodd, Fisher, etc.), I believe this book deserves a spot among them--and in many ways, is superior to them as a practical, how-to guide for investors.

Having been disappointed in the earlier investing books by the Gardners (You Have More Than You Think and The Motley Fool Investment Guide), I found Rule Breakers, Rule Makers to be a solid and satisfying investment book. That was a pleasant surprise. If you decide to read any of the books by the Gardners, I suggest this one.

The book is a combination of a conceptual search for outstanding growth companies to buy stock in, along with a quantitative discipline to test your thinking. This is also unusual in investment books, 99 percent of which are qualitative only.

The first half of the book focuses on Rule Breakers, newer companies that have successfully established a new business model that will emerge as the new standard in their space. The examples are pertinent and interesting to consider. The cases are turned into specific guidelines for you to consider in selecting stocks.

In a time when new business models are created much more frequently than ever before, this is a superb focus for an investment book. I strongly suggest you read and focus on what is said here to select the companies.

Generally, you will not be able to pick stocks that will outperform the market. See John Bogle's excellent book, Common Sense About Mutual Funds, to learn more about why. The only approach that I think has a chance is to locate business model innovators. My research into top performing stocks has shown this factor to be determinative for many of the best companies.

The Rule Maker section looks at more mature companies that have such market power that they can create a successful future for themselves. The main benefit is that it may be easier to sleep with a portfolio full of these stocks because they are typically not as volatile and as high priced as Rule Breakers.

I particularly liked the appendix where 12 companies (AOL, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Dell, Disney, Gap, Intel, Kmart, Microsoft, Nike, Pfizer, and Schering-Plough) are evaluated using the Gardners' methods. This makes it much easier to understand their concepts.

People who love the usually flippant style of the Gardners may not love this book as much as I did. The book is more conservatively written and framed than the usual Motley Fool style.

But where money is concerned, clarity should be selected over humor. I think the Gardners made the right decision.

If you are interested in stocks that may well grow faster than the market, I suggest this book as a solid way to evaluate the potential candidates. The book compares well to other books that look at this same question, being more specific and helpful. I also suggest that you consider the thinking in ChangeWave Investing as a test on your ideas drawn from this book.

Well done! Good luck in applying these concepts to an appropriately-sized part of your portfolio when you can buy outstanding companies cheaply!! We may be nearing such a moment later in 2001.

Having been disappointed in the earlier investing books by the Gardner's (You Have More Than You Think and The Motley Fool Investment Guide), I found Rule Breakers, Rule Makers to be a solid and satisfying investment book. That was a pleasant surprise.

The first half of the book focuses on Rule Breakers, newer companies that have successfully established a new business model that will emerge as the new standard. The examples are pertinent and interesting to consider. The cases are turned into specific guidelines for you to consider in selecting stocks.

In a time when new business models are created much more frequently than ever before, this is a superb focus for an investment book. I strongly suggest you read and focus on what is said here to select the companies.

The Rule Maker section looks at more mature companies that have such market power that they can create a successful future for themselves. The main benefit is that it may be easier to sleep with a portfolio full of these stocks because they are typically not as volatile and as high priced.

I particularly liked the appendix where 12 companies (AOL, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Dell, Disney, Gap, Intel, Kmart, Microsoft, Nike, Pfizer, and Schering-Plough) are evaluated using the Gardner's methods. This makes it much easier to understand their concept.

People who love the flippant style of the Gardners may not love this book as much as I did. The book is more conservatively written and framed than the usual Motley Fool style.

But where money is concerned, clarity should be selected over humor. I think the Gardner's made the right decision.

If you are interested in stocks that may well grow faster than the market, I suggest this book as a solid way to evaluate the potential candidates. The book compares well to other books that look at this same question, being more specific and helpful.

Well done!