Killing Sacred Cows: Overcoming the Financial Myths That Are Destroying Your Prosperity Review

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(More customer reviews)I don't usually review books on Amazon, but this one irritated me enough to make the effort.
This book is a new age self-help motivational screed in the guise of financial planning advice. There are a few interesting points made, a lot of questionable ones, and some potentially harmful suggestions.
I found myself skipping whole paragraphs of the author repeating himself and his vague platitudes for the umpteenth time. I felt like I was holding my breath, waiting for him to get to the meat of the financial advice... all the way to the end.
Guess what I found at the end? Several sales pitches for his and his friends seminars, websites and books.
As another reviewer said, the 'meat' of this book would only fill a single chapter. The rest is fluff.
Don't follow the (possibly fradulent) positive-reviewing sheep, and don't waste your money on this book - if you really want to take a look, get it from the library (like I did).

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Our culture is riddled with destructive myths about money and prosperity that are severely limiting the power, creativity, and financial potential of individuals. In Killing Sacred Cows, Garrett B. Gunderson boldly exposes ingrained fallacies and misguided traditions in the world of personal finance. He presents a revolutionary perspective that can create unprecedented opportunity and wealth for thoughtful, mission-driven individuals.
Our financial lives are intimately connected to our societal contributions, and we must be financially free in order to achieve our fullest potential. Sadly, however, most people are held captive in their financial lives by misinformation, propaganda, and limited knowledge. Through well-reasoned arguments, unflinching logic, and revelatory insight, Gunderson defeats common clichés and faulty retirement planning advice to plainly demonstrate the following and much more:

401(k)s and the stock market are the most risky investments for most people and the gambling mindset they induce creates disastrous consequences.
Conventional retirement planning advice, products, strategies, and techniques expose you to significant danger of being unable to retire, or of running out of money prematurely if you do.
Building net worth is a recipe for creating a life of fear and poverty and how to escape that common trap.
Debt may not be what you think it is and why that matters to your prosperity.
'High risk equals high returns' is destructive dogma and how reducing risk can increase your returns.

Killing Sacred Cows is a must-read for brave individuals willing to question common assumptions and teachings, overcome the herd mentality, break through financial myths, and live a purposeful, passionate, and prosperous life.

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Money Game Review

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(More customer reviews)I studied finance in college and I think I could have just read this book instead of most of the finance classes I took.
First of all, "The Money Game" starts out with the thesis that the stock market and all other equity markets are just a game. It is not long-term investing that wins in this game for most. This would be heresy for most finance professors and financial planners out there. One example from the book involves a family that passed IBM stock down from generation to generation, it was only sold to cover estate taxes. Many members in the family became very wealthy. However, they worked just hard as their cohorts with no money, and the buy and hold stretagy profited them almost nothing despite the fact that they were "wealthy." Another example is a man who died in the late 1800s with a portfolio worth over $1,000,000. By the time the inheretence was passed down, the portfolio was worth 0, as the companies had gone out of business.
"The Money Game" gives a great explanation of crital issues such as technical analysis, fundamental analysis, mass psychology, mutual funds and their managers, "performance" vs. more conservative funds, accounting practices, random walk theory, "valuation" of equities, and most importantly the money game itself.
Ever wonder how a company like Priceline.com could be worth more than the market capitalization of all the airline stocks put together? This book explains how something so out of whack can happen and gives many examples.
In this game, money is how you keep score. When someone is making lots of money, they are winning the game. When they are loosing money, they are loosing the game. But the game is there to be played, win, lose, or draw. For the players, it's just too tempting to stay in, it is vital, it is life for many.

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"This is a modern classic." —Paul A. Samuelson, First American Nobel Prize Winner in Economics "The best book there is about the stock market and all that goes with it." —The New York Times Book Review "Anyone whose orientation is toward where the action is, where the happenings happen, should buy a copy of The Money Game and read it with due diligence." —Book World " 'Adam Smith' is a veteran observer and commentator on the events and people of Wall Street.... His thorough knowledge of financial affairs gives his observations a great degree of authenticity. But the joy of reading this book comes from his delightful sense of humor. He is a lively and ingeniously witty writer who never stoops to acerbity. None of the solemn, sacred cows of Wall Street escapes debunking." —Library Journal

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America's Bubble Economy: Profit When It Pops Review

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(More customer reviews)You can give this book a pass. There's really nothing to it, so save your money. While one might agree wholeheartedly with its premise and conclusions, the exposition here is not the best. For comparison, take a look at Stephen Leeb's Chapter 5 in his "Oil Factor" of 2004 and you will see a much cleaner more informative discussion of just about everything in the "Bubble" book. Leeb is far more succinct and authoritative and manages to avoid what is becoming the most overused word in the language -- "bubble." And he does it in 11 pages.
The investment advice in this book, once you get past all the padding, is to buy gold and euros. The advice on gold at least comes with a cursory analysis of the supply and demand situation, but the advice on the euro is given without support. There's no discussion whatsoever of the economic realities facing the European Union and how they might impact the dollar/euro exchange rates. I'm not saying there isn't a good reason to run to euros, just that it appears nowhere in this book.
One of the other reviewers was as annoyed as I was about the poor editing in this book. In addition to misspelling Warren Buffett's name numerous times, including in the index, there is a general carelessness that made reading each chapter a hunt for mistakes. I expect more from Wiley.
If this is your first exposure to discussion of the multiple problems facing our economy from housing prices, government debt, consumer debt, and foreign exchange risks, it may serve as a readable introduction. However, don't expect too much depth and be prepared for typos and misspellings. A two star rating is pretty generous.

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Pit Bull: Lessons from Wall Street's Champion Day Trader Review

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(More customer reviews)I think some people here missed the point of this book altogether. There is no doubt that this is one of the best trading books ever written. This book ranks among the top trading books ever including Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, not because of the technical trading secrets it revels, but because of the insights it offers on the mindset of one of the greatest traders ever. This book elevates itself above almost every other trading or financial book out there for that exact reason, the author made his living (and it was a very good living) from trading the markets. He didn't have a website that offered trading ideas for fifty bucks a month. He didn't fly around the country giving seminars on how to trade at a thousand bucks a head. He didn't have a radio program where he would solicit money from listeners and call himself a money manger. He trading his own money and made a fortune.
Marty started out with a hundred grand, but his seat on the AMEX cost him ninety thousand dollars, so he was left with ten thousand dollars of trading capital. With only ten thousand dollars he made over eight grand on his first trade. In his second year of trading he made six hundred thousand dollars, and in this third year he made 1.2 million. Unbelievable!
The book is full of insights into how Marty spent all of his money, which can become a little uninteresting, but the rest of the book is pure gold. The last chapter of the book details (for lack of a better word) some of Marty's trading ideas, but that's not valuable information. The valuable trading insights are found throughout the context of the book. Much like Reminiscences of Stock Operator doesn't outline Jessie Livermore's trading strategies; however, it does give insights into how Jessie thought about the markets. Pit Bull is written in the same manner, in that, it doesn't outline Marty's strategies but offers insight into his mindset. For instance, at one point in the book Marty discusses how he likes to trade the S&P 500 futures. This information is just glanced over by ninety-five percent of people who read the book, but it is some of the most valuable information the book has to offer.
This book is underestimated because most people just see Marty Schwartz as a self absorbed, egomaniacal jerk. I'm not going to make a judgment on Marty's attitude; instead I'm going to say that this book does one thing: it offers insight into the mind of a great trader. Notice throughout the review I've been using the word trader. If you're unclear on the differences between traders and investors you probably won't like the book. If you're a trader, Pit Bull should definitely be part of your trading library.


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The Alchemy of Finance (Wiley Investment Classics) Review

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(More customer reviews)In this updated edition, Soros summarizes his worldly philosophy--the connection between thought and reality and how it applies to financial markets. The heart of the book remains Mr. Soros's account of what he did with Quantum Fund in the mid-1980s, both as an example of his approach and a remarkable lesson in how to make money in markets where most of the time nobody, including Mr. Soros, knows what's coming next.
His philosophical tenet, Reflexivity, denotes a feedback loop: Individuals act on their views of a situation, thereby changing the situation. For example, if traders believe a stock is going up, they buy it, thereby bidding it up. But their belief caused the result; there may be no fundamental reason for the rise.
Thus what we think determines what we do and has consequences, but typically it is not correct.
Inspired by Heisenberg's rule about quantum particles, Soros proclaims a human uncertainty principle which suggests our understanding is often incoherent and always incomplete. From his case study, one notices that uncertainty continually besets Mr. Soros in managing his hedge fund, which has the same name as the particles subject to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.
General models do not always translate into money making practice. But Soros provides an insight of great practical significance: traders need to be adaptive, because there is no way of knowing beforehand how a market situation will turn out.
The Quantum Fund experience demonstrates how that works. This exercise in global macro strategy, a master speculator's take on commodity, currency and equity markets, is a a litany of doubts and hazards.
He's been losing on currency trades for several years. Then in September 1985, he makes a killing by buying a lot of yen just before central banks switch to a new exchange rate system and the yen rises. There is a pattern: he sustains losses, reduces positions, gets out, then sees a great opportunity and pounces. In short, he constantly and quickly adapts to events.
Despite various setbacks, Quantum Fund's NAV per share rose 121% in 1985 and 43% in 1986. Such numbers make for legend and Mr. Soros became one.
How did he do it? He keeps an open mind and continually modifies his outlook with new information. As he remarks, "the markets provide a merciless reality check," and Mr. Soros never stays with an idea that fails the test. Most of the time he can't predict what's coming, but he promptly corrects course in response to feedback. That limits losses. On rare occasions he can see through the fog of uncertainty and hauls in the booty.
This is not an easy book to read, but as another hedge fund manager, Paul Tudor Jones, describes it in the foreword, it is a timeless guide.

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New chapter by Soros on the secrets to his success along with a new Preface and Introduction.New Foreword by renowned economist Paul Volcker"An extraordinary . . . inside look into the decision-making process of the most successful money manager of our time. Fantastic." -The Wall Street JournalGeorge Soros is unquestionably one of the most powerful and profitable investors in the world today. Dubbed by BusinessWeek as "the Man who Moves Markets," Soros made a fortune competing with the British pound and remains active today in the global financial community. Now, in this special edition of the classic investment book, The Alchemy of Finance, Soros presents a theoretical and practical account of current financial trends and a new paradigm by which to understand the financial market today. This edition's expanded and revised Introduction details Soros's innovative investment practices along with his views of the world and world order. He also describes a new paradigm for the "theory of reflexivity" which underlies his unique investment strategies. Filled with expert advice and valuable business lessons, The Alchemy of Finance reveals the timeless principles of an investing legend.This special edition will feature a new chapter by Soros on the secrets of his success and a new Foreword by the Honorable Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve.George Soros (New York, NY) is President of Soros Fund Management and Chief Investment Advisor to Quantum Fund N.V., a $12 billion international investment fund. Besides his numerous ventures in finance, Soros is also extremely active in the worlds of education, culture, and economic aid and development through his Open Society Fund and the Soros Foundation.

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Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk Review

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(More customer reviews)Against the Gods is an outstanding book about the evolution of risk and man's attempt to understand it. Bernstein begins with ancient times and traces the history of numbers and probability leading eventually to today's seemingly complex financial world of portfolio theory, derivatives, and risk management techniques. Readers will learn about revolutionary thinkers including John von Neumann (inventor of game theory), Isaac Newton, Harry Markowitz (grandfather of portfolio theory), and the late Fischer Black (Black Scholes option formula) among others. Readers will also find enlightening stories about game theory, fibonacci numbers, chaos theory, the bell curve, regression to the mean, and more. Yet despite all the intelligence, computer power, and sophisticated techniques, Bernstein presents us with the growing body of evidence discovered by researchers including the late Amos Tversky and others that "reveals repeated patterns of irrationality, inconsistency, and incompetence in the ways human beings arrive at decisions and choices when faced with uncertainty." Against the Gods was chosen as one of Business Week's top 10 books of the year for 1996.

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Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future Review

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(More customer reviews)Mike has made a compelling case that sooner, rather than later, the US Dollar is going to tank and everyone will be running to gold and silver to protect their wealth. The good news is that NOW is the time to get in on both silver and gold- before the HERD of people start rushing in. Mike states that this opportunity coming could be the best investment in history.
The book starts off with the history of other empires that have used a fiat currency and how they have failed 100% of the time. The United States has been on this path since Aug, 1971 when President Nixon took us off the gold standard. There are a lot of interesting facts in this book but not too many to bore the reader. He explains that gold and silver will revalue themselves periodically in relation to the amount of paper currency printed. For example, the M3 money supply (total printed money in circulation) was ~$1.7 billion in January, 1980 when gold hit $850 an ounce. Today, the M3 is estimated at $14 trillion, a 7.7 times increase in the amount of currency. With that said, gold, when it adjusts, should be $6,118.00 an ounce...
Mike goes into today's current economic climate, then predictions for "tomorrow". He concludes with the final section "How to Invest in Precious Metals".
I recommend this book if you are unsure about silver and gold relating to investing. There's so much documentation and research behind it.
I've never read an investment book with this much passion put into it!!!

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"Throughout the ages, many things have been used as currency: livestock, grains, spices, shells, beads, and now paper.But only two things have ever been money: gold and silver.When paper money becomes too abundant, and thus loses its value, man always turns back to precious metals.During these times there is always an enormous wealth transfer, and it is within your power to transfer that wealth away from you or toward you."--Michael Maloney, precious metals investment expert and historian; founder and principal, Gold & Silver, Inc. The Advanced Guide to Investing Gold and Silver tells readers: The essential history of economic cycles that make gold and silver the ultimate monetary standard. How the U.S. government is driving inflation by diluting our money supply and weakening our purchasing power Why precious metals are one of the most profitable, easiest, and safest investments you can make Where, when, and how to invest your money and realize maximum returns, no matter what the economy's state Essential advice on avoiding the middleman and taking control of your financial destiny by making your investments directly.

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