Review by Zachary Hughes for The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing, 2010 Edition
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This book is a great book for anyone looking to invest money in the stock market. I have read many investment books and stock trading books and this is one of only 3 books that I would advise a new trader or investor to read.

The author, Jason Kelly, starts by explaining “Why Stocks are Good Investments”. Jason points to strong and true facts that show that owning stocks is one of the best ways of increasing wealth over time. He explains how you make money in stocks and goes into the difference between “total return” and “capital appreciation”. Jason then explains why companies even sell stocks and how that works. If you are new to stock investing or trading and you do not have a clear understanding of this then you should read this. There is a quick section also about how to choose a broker to help you buy and sell stocks.

Jason then goes into “How to Evaluate Stocks”. He explains the difference between value and growth investing. Jason does a great job of defining and explaining all of the most common terms in evaluating the fundamentals of companies including: current ratio, EPS, ROE, Net Profit Margin, P/E, and P/S. Then he explains common terms for evaluating the technicals of the stock price including: SMA, MACD, RSI, relative price strength, and volume. Knowing and understanding these terms is a must for anyone who wants to invest or trade in individual stocks.

After reading the 1st 3 chapters you will know half the things they teach you in a 4 year Business Degree. Believe me, I have a degree in Business.

Then Jason tells you “How the Masters Tell Us to Invest”. Here he summarizes how each of the best traders and investors of all time advise individuals to build wealth. He covers Benjamin Graham, Phillip Fisher, Warren Buffet, Peter Lynch, William O’Neil, and Bill Miller. You could read whole books about each one of these investors or you could just read these sections in Jason’s book where he breaks down their main points. Jason then has a section where he finds the common points that all these investors share called “Where the Masters Agree”. This section will be the backbone for the strategy of the author.

Jason then explains “How History Tells Us to Invest”. Here Jason explains some backtesting on various investing methods and shows that combining Value and Growth Investing is one of the best ways to build wealth over time.

Then we get into the real meat of the book. Section 4 “Permanent Portfolios” introduces you to easy to follow strategies to beat the market over time. This is where both new and experienced investors who have not read this book before will be able to really benefit by reading this. If you are someone who wants to beat the market by only looking at and adjusting your portfolio for a few short minutes about 4 times a year then these strategies are for you.

Jason also has the most exhaustive list of resources for stock research I have ever come across. When you read “Research to Riches” section you will have a gateway to all the best data on stocks available through many many sources.

In “This Books Strategy” Jason explains how we will use the “Permanent Portfolio” to build our fortress of wealth and then create and maintain a watch-list of individual stocks that we will send out of our fortress of wealth when the time is right to bring back even higher returns. Jason thoroughly explains how and where to gather information and compare it to stocks you already have on your list so that you are not overwhelmed by all the data and stock gurus available. Jason explains when may be good times to buy and when may be good times to sell stocks. He also has a very interesting way of tracking your performance and reviewing your choices to learn from the past.

And of course he has an investment website and “Letter” to compliment what we have learned in this book. The website is a great way to read his recent observations which he updates with new articles on a regular basis and is available to anyone for free. And he has the “Letter” which is a very affordable service (about $5.35/month I think) where he emails members on updates of his portfolios and his view of the market direction. I recommend at the very least to check it out on his website where you can find a sample “Letter” and see how his portfolios have performed against the “market”.

Review by C. Burke for The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing, 2010 Edition
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I picked this book up hoping to learn a little something about the stock market, instead I have come away with more knowledge than I ever thought I’d get out of a book. The book covers the basics and shows you how to evaluate stocks, build you own worksheet and also includes strategies. I finished it excited to start investing and use everything I had just learned. Jason Kelly breaks everything down so it is easy to understand and very entertaining to read. It’s a great book and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the stockmarket.

Review by Frederick Ancheta for The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing, 2010 Edition
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Having come from a software development background, I began reading the book to spark my interest in financial investments. I didnt really know what to expect. After reading this book, I am now able to keep up with stock tickers and stock analysts on MSNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business. I can read WSJ and Google Finance charts without feeling like I am reading another language. I’ve decided to highlight my favorite parts of the book:

Speak the Language of Stocks:

This chapter alone was the best. For someone without any background in stock markets, this chapter alone is the holy grail of the book. It tells you what stocks are, where they come from, briefly how to evaluate them, and distinguishing growth/value. Like i said before, if you have no clue what stocks are, this chapter will be the most important in the book and the author does a great job explaining it.

How History Tells Us to Invest:

Being a very technical person, I found the analysis in this chapter very interesting. The author advocates the importance of P/S ratios over the popular P/E ratio. He also goes over the criteria for valuing growth stocks vs value stocks and how using both strategies can maximize returns.

The book’s investment strategy is also very simple. The author supplies an abundance of research options for fundemental and technical specs you need to rank stocks. He also supplies worksheets, which can be printed from his website.

For the beginner, this book is a great intro to the market. Give it a try!