Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
- Published by: Simon & Schuster; 2Rev Ed edition April 3, 2000
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0743200403
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0743200400
-
Book Dimensions:
8.4 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
- Weighs: 9.6 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
Writing with Rothchild ( A Fool and His Money ), Lynch, director of the Fidelity Magellan Fund, the nation's largest equity fund ($9 billion in assets), argues that average investors can beat Wall Street professionals by using the information that they encounter in their everyday lives. For example, Lynch invested in Hanes after his wife told him about the popularity of L'eggs pantyhose. Other winning stocks that average investors could have picked well before Wall Street became aware of them include LaQuinta motels, the Limited clothing store chain and Agency Rent-A-Car, note the authors. They advise readers to look for spectacular growth among companies that sound dull; do something disagreeable; are spinoffs; are buying back theor own stock. They caution readers to avoid companies touted as the next IBM or Xerox; that are diversifying ("diworseifying"); that depend on a single customer. The book is also a primer on how the stock market works and is written in a light, entertaining style. Investors will be able to put the shrewd insights presented to good use. Author tour.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Review
Anise C. Wallace
The New York TimesMr. Lynch's investment record puts him in a league by himself.
Reader Reviews
This is the first book I ever read on investing. My cousin, Paul, who was a broker at Merrill Lynch, recommended it to me. I followed Paul into the financial services industry, toiling 12 long years peddling stocks, bonds, mutual funds and insurance products. During my tenure as a Wall Street professional (I use that term very loosely), I must have read 200 different books on investing. Oddly enough, I have discarded many of those poorly written investor guides and still refer back to this classic book penned by Peter Lynch, mutual fund demigod, investment guru, stock-picking legend! At the heart of Lynch's case is that each individual has enough inherent knowledge and experience to be a successful investor. He uses numerous analogies to show investors: 1. The power of common knowledge (take advantage of what you already know) 2. You don't need to be a Wall Street analyst to uncover great investment opportunities 3. You are not disadvantaged vs. large, institutional investors You don't have to accurately predict the stock market to make money in stocks 4. To keep an open mind to new ideas From my years on Wall Street, I found many of his theories and ideas to be completely accurate. Many other books I have read focus on the inherent evils of the possessed financial consultant community. Yes, the industry has its problems. However, $8 stock trades are not the only ingredients in profitable investing. In fact, I don't recall him emphasizing the need for discount trades, a fact over-emphasized in almost every other book I have read (remember, I am no longer in the industry...I don't need to strike a case for broker commissions). Instead, he shows you what information to focus on and how to apply it. Do yourself a favor: Buy this book. Read it twice. It is not outdated...it is timeless. Yea, I know, you already know it all. My advice is to lose the ego and take a refresher course on common sense investing. When you finish, put it on your bookshelf. Do not give it to your kids or neighbors; buy them their own copies. This is a great book!
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