Book Reviews · Investing

Book Review: Security Analysis

security analysisDavid Abrams sums up Security Analysis the best in his introduction to Part VII of the 6th edition, where he calls it “the value investors’ equivalent to Deuteronomy” . SA is an extremely thorough explanation of how to evaluate stocks and bonds, primarily focusing on a company’s income statement and balance sheet. It is not an ideal starting point for young investors, but it is essential reading for any serious investor.

Graham and Dodd discuss the philosophy of value investing eloquently. They provide detailed analysis of dozens of companies’ finance statements to support their arguments about how investors should analyze securities. It is an excellent reality check for anyone who thinks he knows a thing or two about investing.

The examples given by Graham and Dodd are a bit dated (1930s), but most of the principles are still relevant today. The organization of the book is a bit awkward, but I don’t presume that I could organize such a massive quantity and variety of material any better.

It took me a long time to get through this, and I will probably explore many parts of it again over the next few years. It is a valuable addition to any business library and a resource that you can use for a lifetime of investing.

Investing · Personal Finance

Robinhood to the Rescue

An app that let’s you quickly and easily trade stocks with no transaction fees? It sounds too good to be true. There has to be a catch, right?

robinhood iconThis was my reaction when I heard about Robinhood, the app you can download for free and use to start trading stocks with no transaction fees. At the time, most of my retirement savings was in a 403(b) and a state pension. These accounts have limited options, mostly made up of index funds. I am not crazy about index fund investing for several reasons, which I will elaborate on at another time. I had finally opened a Roth IRA with an online broker to invest in individual stocks, but I was frustrated with the fee situation. I investigated Robinhood as an alternative, and here is what happened. Continue reading “Robinhood to the Rescue”

Book Reviews · Investing · Personal Finance

Book Review: All About Asset Allocation

All About Asset AllocationAll About Asset Allocation is worth a read by every investor, even if you don’t buy into efficient-markets theory (EMT) or modern portfolio theory (MPT) and focus your investing on alternative strategies.

Richard A. Ferri uses tons of charts to help demonstrate the effectiveness of various kinds of diversification of the portfolio. He identifies the roles of various kinds of securities in the modern portfolio. He makes excellent cases for the importance of real estate exposure and international equities. He points out the weakness in the simplistic approach that many financial advisors take to investing in bonds.

Ferri demonstrates various strategies for hedging against inflation, interest rates, and other risks. He creates suggested allocation plans for investors at 4 different age levels and 3 different risk profiles. While I do not agree with all of Ferri’s theories and strategies, everything he advocates is research-based. His approach is appropriate for investors at any level, young or old, advanced or beginner. This is a great resource for anyone committed to meticulous portfolio management.