|
Written well enough, a family member recommend I buy this book, I did, and now know more options for investing my money.
So, I had hoped this book would help in filling in that gap, and to some degree it does. He should suggest other books on the topic rather than suggest you look around used copies.OK. And the aforementioned, "Thus so far, we have."On page 77 the spellchecker error again, vis - "Broad market funds have better tax-management opportunities in a niche market such as a small-cap." To make sense of this it (I believe) is supposed to read ".opportunities THAN a niche market." How many little errors like this are there. For example, this is not a sentence: "Measures market weight is simple" - perhaps this is a typo and it is supposed to read "Measuring.". No as in the next example is Table 14-2 described correctly.
"against which to measure stock prices" is some improvement, no. Although somewhat narrow in scope, I have learned some interesting and helpful details. OK. Nevertheless, it makes one wonder about other errors, right. I just finished The Four Pillars of Investing and felt that there wasn't quite enough info on how to create my own portfolio - not only asset allocation percentages but the actual choice of funds, ETFs, etc.
Small potatoes. So it seems that 2 of the most important tables (how to create a portfolio of bond/stocks that will meet a certain percentage return) are missing. ".we create an asset allocation between stocks and bonds that is expected to deliver a 7 percent return (see Table 14-1)."But, no that is not what Table 14-1 is about. Then how about: ".the Dow covered only 12 stocks, people began to view it as an index of stock prices by which to measure stock prices against." Yikes.
Which ones did you catch. A little bit less clanging against the ear in terms of grammar. I have almost finished reading this book (happily, borrowed from the library, it isn't worth owning) and I think it has a lot of excellent and useful information. I've read this several times and the these tables are related to something else that is discussed further in the chapter. And the pitch for one of his now out of print books (saddled with a bad title he explains) is really kind of pathetic. Maybe. One can still get the idea but having the information (costs/shares/dates) would be quite helpful.Finally, if you can decipher this, you probably don't need Index Funds and can go ahead and anticipate the market with ease - so buy stocks. :) And, more importantly, a thorough and precise read through before it goes off to the press.
So, 3 stars.However, I began writing this review earlier: I am only as far along as page 7 and am already dismayed to see such a poor writing style. And not just by the spell checker. Worse - which ones did you miss.Now on page 82, all of the data related to the "Tax Swapping" example is missing - it seems two tables of purchase information were intended. ;)"A successful sector fund investing diversified their portfolio into several sectors so they will not be hurt badly when one sector takes a tumble."Now on page 252 it gets really frustrating, because here we are creating a portfolio to meet retirement goals. Perhaps the 3rd edition will be more felicitously edited. I hope so, as these errors and omissions GREATLY detract from a very practical and useful book.Two stars wouldn't be unfair.
I love Richard Ferri's books. Unlike books that promote sales pitch and sell garbages like (IBD: Investor's Business Daily or even Wall Street Journal) Ferri provides sound studies done on investment strategies, sound strategies, expectation and mindset.However it does not cover all the story. This is one of them.If you are clueless about financial investment and want to get started on it, then read this book. Also recommended are All about Index Funds, Serious Money, and The ETF Book. You still need to understand our debt-based economic structure and fractional banking monetary system to avoid heavy losses during severe recession or depression. I recommend The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve and Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (Lynn Sonberg Books) for that.
I have been doing a self-study on investing topics this year and previously read several books on indexing by Jack Bogle [my hero, and an erudite writer], and Morningstar's Christine Benz [Clear and concise], but I think this is my favorite. This would be a perfect book if it was better edited. Ferri is laser sharp in explaining investing concepts, and reads like you are learning one-on-one from an excellent business school professor. I bought this book because I had already read his also excellent book on asset allocation. The text and content is fine but there are typos, repeated words, etc. Ferri's work deserves better, but I still very highly recommend the book.
He avoids the fads, and provides information in clear, understandable terms without all of the emotional "hype" present in many books about the capital markets. I have taken advantage of the latest market volatility to confirm my long-term financial strategy. In my opinion, Mr. I ordered several books from Amazon on asset allocation and using low-cost index funds or ETFs for investment. Rick Ferri's books (I also ordered his new ETF book) are well-researched, complete guides to sensible, long-term investing. Ferri's prior books (and the articles he has published in journals for financial professionals) have made me a better investor. I highly recommend All About Index Funds.
|
