The Captains Wench Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 My father’s birthday is coming up and I am at a loss for what to get him. My mom suggested that his biggest hobby right now is investing. I was thinking of getting him some investing books. Has anyone read anything they would recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 I'm sure muck may be able to provide some good advice here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 subscription to barrons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DO Jaded Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Dave Barry has a new book out on Investing. May not help your dad's portfolio, but it'll give him some great laughs. Dave Barry's Money Secrets : Like: Why Is There a Giant Eyeball on the Dollar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Depends on how sophisticated he is. If it is a general hobby and he likes to get general info, a subscription to Smart Money magazine would be good. A popular book last year that kind of relates economics to everyday life is Freakonomics. There is also a series of Rich Dad books that he may like. If likes to watch James Cramer on CNBC I know he's got a few books out. Some of my all-time favorite non investing books about investment firms are Liar's Poker, Den of Thieves, Serpent on the Rock and When Genius Failed. If he is in to stock market theory, the old stand by in A Random Walk Down Wall Street. Although many people disagree with this theory, it is still good to understand it. One of my favorite books that I re-read often is a book of speeches by a number of business leaders from the last century. I can't remember the name of it but if you think he'd like something like that, I can look tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDFFFreak Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 (edited) Subscrirption to Kiplingers, Smart Money or Money (the most "basic" of the three). Beat the Street by Peter Lynch The Number by Lee Eisenberg Liar's Poker A Random Walk Down Wall Street Hot Commodities by Jim Rodgers I find Jim Cramer's book Mad Money interesting, but he gets a bit technical and confusing at times for those of us who aren't investing or math geniuses. That said I know of some real smart people who love what he says. Edited February 1, 2006 by TDFFFreak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Captains Wench Posted February 1, 2006 Author Share Posted February 1, 2006 Thank you gentlemen - this gives me a bunch of things to choose from. I can always count on my huddle friends to help me out with ideas. I'm not sure how serious / savvy my dad is with investing but he seems to know a lot about it and he's a pretty smart guy. I think I'll stay away from the more basic literature. If I don't hear from Muck here, I'll send him a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 (edited) Market Wizards, New Market Wizards are both interesting and informative. They were written by Jack Schwager (a long-time investing vet) and are (essentially) interviews with top professional investors and what they think are the keys to their success. May be a bit more fluff than some of the others below...but are very worthwhile for any 'investment library', imo. Sorta related in theme to the book immediately below this... Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom by Van Tharp ... the title is misleading (imo) ... have heard very good things about this, and have recently started reading it (although, am not far enough along to really comment on the merits of the ideas) ... essentially, the focus of the book is to how to learn the right things about your personality so that you can invest in a manner that is consistent with how you are wired ... meaning that some people are wired to be day-traders and others are wired to buy-and-holders, and that you won't be a successful investor until you are investing in a manner that is consistent with who you are internally Education of a Speculator and Practical Speculation by Victor Neiderhoffer ... he's gone boom/bust twice in his career, both times through a mis-assessment of risk ... has some interesting insights on things and doesn't mind approaching the world a bit differently than others ... I've not read the first one (although I hear it is very good), and have read the second (may need to read it again down the road). The (Mis)Behavior of Markets by Beniot Mandelbrot ... a discussion on the appearance of order within the random-looking price behavior of assets (stocks, bonds, commodities, etc), pokes significant holes in quite a few of the major theoretical pillars of modern finance (although offers no concrete alternatives as replacements) ... a very interesting read and no math formulas in the text (which is nice for the non-technically inclined) ... Against the Gods by Peter Bernstein ... a study in the progression of the assessment of risk and probability, primarily through mini-biographies on the people and social systems that drove us to try to understand what the probability of any event actually is ... a very interesting read ... Manias, Panics and Crashes by Charles Kindleberger ... have not read it, although hear good things about it Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb ... another one I have not read, yet have heard very good things about ...there are loads of other good / great books ... these are a few off the top of my head ... Edited February 2, 2006 by muck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.