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Best Investment Books

When I think of investments, I’m reminded of the song by 1980s band The Smiths called “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”.

First the song’s hero is miserable because he doesn’t have a job and then he’s miserable because he does.

Not having money is obviously very stressful and huge parts of the UK and USA are basically living from on a month to month basis with inadequate savings to meet unexpected large bills.

Having money is also very stressful because you don’t want to lose it. The financial services industry has been a disgrace as it has repeatedly ripped-off one group of customers after another.

Far too many people have become debt slaves as the housing market was artificially inflated and people took out huge mortgages. And then car loans and credit card debts added to the burden.

Since 2008, the government and central banks have got into the game with excessive government spending and “funny money”.

The Current Climate For Investments

The world is turned upside down by funny money. Shares are high, Bonds are high, Gold is high and yet, you can’t earn much on money in savings accounts.

Even they are not safe. The bank collapses of 2008 were bailed out by public money, now the rule is that shareholders, bondholders and even depositors will be the losers through the bail-in regulations.

In Greece and Cyprus, people were limited to how much they could take out of the bank. They couldn’t even get at their own money during the respective bank crises.

Things can’t continue and they are slowly changing.

– people can’t keep borrowing more and more.

– companies can’t keep borrowing more for share buybacks to prop up their share prices and allow executive share options to pay-off.

– governments can’t keep borrowing more and more with debt to GDP ratios increasing despite claims of “austerity”.

– Interest rates can’t stay artificially low for ever, rewarding the borrowings and incentivising more borrowing while penalising savers.

Indeed The Federal Reserve in the USA has been gradually increasing interest rates very slowly… testing the water to see what happens.

– Pension schemes can’t carry on with their unrealistic assumptions of future growth and claim to be solvent when logically many aren’t. Day by day, the pensions crisis edges closer.

What is Someone With Some Savings Supposed To Do?

The obvious answer is to talk to an independent financial advisor.

Even that can be a problem as I don’t think I’ve seen one say “sell and hold cash”.

Instead it’s “Sell this and buy that”, moving money from one area of risk to another.

The mainstream media can’t be trusted. They are invariably pro-investment , rationalising any dips as short term. To be fair, it’s hard for them to do otherwise since they could create a crash if they say “Get out of the markets now. It’s going to crash.”

Who can you trust?

Only someone who bears the losses and the gains. Not someone who sees a dip in income but a dip in capital too.

In other words, I think you can only trust yourself.

No one else suffers the pain of a bad investment like you do.

I don’t understand why so many people neglect this topic and think it is boring. You work hard to earn the money, You should do your best to keep it and help it to grow.

You And Your Savings

It’s your job to be as well informed as possible about the potential futures and the investment alternatives.

You have to live with the consequences of bad decisions.

Either you miss out when others get richer or you follow the herd, invest and suffer the next crash when it happens.

Yes there will be a next crash.

History shows that it happens regularly so logic says it will keep happening.

Especially when the side-effects of government and central bank interference may, in the long term, be worse than the problem the authorities are trying to solve.

You need to educate yourself.

Only two groups of people are safe from the next crash.

– the poor with next to no savings.
– the extremely rich – losing £500 million would hurt but if you’ve still got £500 million left, your lifestyle and future isn’t going to change much.

The rest of us are in trouble.

The Best Books About Investing In Shares, Bonds, Gold and Elsewhere

You will only see the books I’ve rated at Four Stars (meaning good and well worth reading) and Five Stars (excellent and very highly recommended). Reviews of lower rated books appear on Amazon.co.uk but I haven’t brought the reviews across to my own website.

If you read my reviews, you’ll see I try to explain why I like them but also to identify any weaknesses. My job as a reviewer is to help you to find the most appropriate books rather than to help sell more books.

On that note, if you do decide to buy, I’d appreciate it if you could click through to Amazon on my links as (hopefully) I’ll earn a small referral commission.

Some of these books can be very expensive so, if you’re happy with a hard back or paperback book, take a look at the second hand options on Amazon. Personally I only buy if the condition is described as “As New” or “Very Good” unless I’m really keen and forced to drop down to “Good”.

Five Star Books About Investing

The Art of Execution: How the world’s best investors get it wrong and still make millions in the markets by Lee Freeman-Shor

This book reveals that by nature, people do the wrong thing, they hold losing investments for too long and sell profitable investments too early. I admit, I’ve been guilty of both and understanding momentum investing and trend following can help.

The Permanent Portfolio: Harry Browne’s Long-Term Investment Strategy by Craig Rowland and JM Lawson

A fine explanation of how proper diversification against the main economic risks can lead to higher long term gains. This book totally changed the way I think about investments, even if I have concerns about how lessons from the past can apply in today’s artificially inflated markets.

Four Star Books About Investing

Cautionary tales for the modern investor by Aberdeen Asset Management

Moving Averages 101 by Steve and Holly Burns

How to Own the World by Andrew Craig

DIY Simple Investing by John Edwards

DIY Financial Advisor by Wesley R. Gray, Jack R. Vogel and David P. Foulke

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The Star Principle by Richard Koch

Trend Following 101 by JB Marwood

Code Red by John Mauldin and Jonathan Tepper

Financial Bull Riding by Roger McKinney

Investing Through the Looking Glass by Tim Price

Yes, You Can Time the Market! by Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth

The Stock Market Bubble Bust Of 2015 And Beyond by Michael Swanson

Other Categories Of business & Finance Books

Business Books For WomenBusiness NovelsBusiness PlanningBusiness Start-UpEconomicsEnergy & EnvironmentalFinanceGetting UnstuckInner GameMarketingProfit ImprovementRecessionSpecific Niche MarketsThinking

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Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The full title of this book by Robert Kiyosaki is

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money – That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not!“.

In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a Four Stars rating. This means I consider it to be good to very good.

Here is my book review.

An important book to read even if you can’t change the inequalities in the system

This book is a revelation and many people have raved about it to me but I read the follow-up, Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant first and that summarises the key messages in this book and goes further.

I love the way this book teaches the fundamentals about money in a very compelling way. Finance and investing should not be thought of as a boring subject and something to leave to others. [continue reading…]

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Trend Following 101 by JB Marwood

The full title of this book by JB Marwood is

Trend Following 101: A Concise Guide To Trading Long And Short“.

In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I consider the book to be good.

Here is my book review.

A good introduction to trend following

The book title promises a concise guide and that’s what you get.

If you’re intrigued by the idea of having a system for investment then beware of looking too deeply into this before you’ve mastered the basic concepts because it can get extraordinarily complicated. [continue reading…]

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Investing Through the Looking Glass by Tim Price

The full title of this book by Tim Price is

Investing Through the Looking Glass: A rational guide to irrational financial markets“.

In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I gave this book a rating of Four Stars. This means I consider it to be good.

Here is my book review.

A good book about the difficulties of investing in a QE/ZIRP distorted world

his book is very readable as it looks at the problems with the economic and investment worlds before going on to look at possible investment solutions.

I’ve read quite a few books that look at the Great Financial Crisis from 2007/8 and the aftermath. Whilst this repeats some of the issues, it casts its net wider, going all the way back to the Roman Empire and how various emperors undermined and then destroyed their money. [continue reading…]

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Moving Averages 101 by Steve and Holly Burns

The full title of this book by Steve and Holly Burns is

Moving Averages 101: Incredible Signals That Will Make You Money in the Stock Market“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means I think it is good.

Here is my book review.

Useful book for anyone wanting to understand investing around trends

By nature, I’m a value based investor but in this years of QE pumped up and interest suppressed markets, momentum is the only game in town until the financial system repeats the 2008 crash.

This book looks at very short term moving averages suitable for traders and longer term moving averages that will help guide longer term investors. It takes each popular moving average and explains when to use it and what the movements are trying to show. [continue reading…]

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DIY Simple Investing by John Edwards

The full title of this book by John Edwards is

DIY Simple Investing: A Guide to Simple but Effective Low Cost Investing“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated it at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good.

Here is my book review.

A Very Nice Introduction To Investments For Beginners

This is a good UK based introduction to the world of investment for anyone who is thinking of taking control of their finances.

It starts by stressing the importance of getting out of debt and staying debt free since debt usually costs more per annum that your investments will earn. It also urges you to build a safety fund for just in case emergences and unexpected events. [continue reading…]

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The full title of this book by Wesley R. Gray, Jack R. Vogel and David P. Foulke is

DIY Financial Advisor: A Simple Solution to Build and Protect Your Wealth“.

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good.

Here is my book review.

You Can Beat The Experts By Following Relatively Simple Rules

Looking back, I don’t know what made me buy this book but I’m very glad that I did.

The book argues that the best way to invest is for you and me, as non-financial advisors – to invest our money ourselves following some relatively simple rules that help to identify the shape of the portfolio, the selections within the portfolio and provide risk management to avoid large financial losses in crashes like 2000 and 2008. [continue reading…]

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The full title of this book from Aberdeen Asset Management  is

Cautionary tales for the modern investor: The seven deadly sins of multi-asset investing“.

In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good.

Here is my book review.

A good read if it is still free

I was sceptical of this short book because I’m cynical of the fund management industry. I keep seeing arguments to buy (stocks are going out so don’t miss out or alternatively, stocks have gone down so grab yourself a bargain) and I thought this would be similar propaganda. [continue reading…]

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How to Own the World by Andrew Craig

The full title of this book by Andrew Craig is

How to Own the World: A Plain English Guide to Thinking Globally and Investing Wisely“.

in my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated the book at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good.

Here is my book review.

A much needed financial education which is explained well

This is an important book to read for anyone who feels the need for a financial education. The author and I share a belief that managing finance is something that must be taught better in schools since it is a vital life skill. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books

The Art of Execution by Lee Freeman-Shor – 5 Stars

The full title of this book by Lee Freeman-Shor is

The Art of Execution: How the world’s best investors get it wrong and still make millions in the markets“.

In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I rated this book at the Five Stars level. This means I think it is Excellent.

Here is my book review.

This will change the way you invest (if you’re sensible)

This is a must read book for anyone who invests in the stock exchange by buying individual shares.

Based on the experience of running a Best Ideas unit trust where well known investors were given a large amount of money to invest in a small number of companies. He saw some live up to their big reputations but others stumbled badly so he started to investigate why by looking at their investments and their trading habits. [continue reading…]

in Best Business Books, The Next Economic Crash

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I rated

The Stock Market Bubble Bust Of 2015 And Beyond” by Michael Swanson

at the Four Stars level. This means I think it is Good.

Here is my book review.

The Bear Market Is Here – What Are You Going To Do?

In February 2016, many of the stock markets around the world have been redefined as bear markets as they have fallen at least 20% from their peak values. The underlying economies haven’t (yet) been recognised as in recessions but they are in a mess. Massive indebtedness risks turning the markets of the west into copies of Japan since the 1990s and don’t get me started on what might be happening in China. [continue reading…]

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