Book Description

In Buy It, Fix It, Sell It...Profit!, real estate investor and rehabbing expert Kevin Myers presents all-new insights on how to create a quick turnaround in your investments by renovating properties for profit.

Beginning and experienced real estate investors will benefit from the new and improved real estate rehabbing techniques to develop a high-profit, low-overhead business.This expanded edition discusses property inspection, tax issues, funding projects, andmaximizing profits.Buy It, Fix It, Sell It...Profit! is a hands-on guide sprinkled with inspirational stories for those who want to create a financially secure future. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Beginners: this is your book.
I read "Flipping Properties" by William Bronchik and Robert Dahlstrom and I wish I hadn't even read it, let alone bought it. This book by Kevin Meyers is much, much, much better for beginning investors. It tells you what you need to know without delving into a bunch of pretentious real estate legal and technical jargon that's only designed to confuse and intimidate the reader like Bronchik and Dahlstrom's book. Also, this writer actually knows how to write linear paragraphs which is something those other two clowns could really use a lesson in. I highly recommend this book for the beginner who wants to generate some instant cash profits in real estate. If you read Bronchik and Dahlstrom's book and you don't know much about real estate, you're gonna get to the end of it thinking "I'll never be able to do this." Instead, read this book by Meyers. It's better, it's written better, it's more readable, it's more comprehendible, it's everything that other piece o' crap isn't. Get it.

Good deal for $13.97!
I just got done reading this book and learned a lot from it. Though I have yet to purchase a home, the buy-fix-sell strategy advocated in this book seems to be the way to go as compared to the buy-[fix]-rent-[sell] strategy in "Investing in Real Estate, Fourth Edition," (the other real estate investing book I bought along with this one). This book was easy to read and was not unnecessarily complicated. The author seems to be writing from experience and offers many practical insights. I feel that the one major drawback of this book was that it does not cover seller financing in enough detail, therefore it's not possible for me to apply seller financing techniques without getting assistance from another source. For that reason I'm only giving the book 4 stars. For $13.97, this book is definitely worth it!

On a related note, I'm more than ½ way done reading "Investing in Real Estate, Fourth Edition" and I would suggest that a beginner to real estate NOT read it. It uses too many uncommon terms that are not predefined. And worse off it doesn't even offer a glossary. Also, one of the authors is a PhD, so I guess he likes to throw a lot of formulas around. Even though they are simple formulas, I think it's just totally unnecessary to use them so often. I actually started reading this book first, then got tired of it and started reading "Buy It, Fix It, Sell It: PROFIT!." What a difference in writing styles! I'm going to eventually finish this book just to broaden my knowledge, though so far I feel that the buy-[fix]-rent-[sell] strategy in this book has too many liabilities for what it's worth.

Practical
As other reviewers have said, this is written for the layman. Maps the flipping process out and tells you how to do it in easy to understand language. A great starter book. Covers what to look for, working with an R.E. agent, appraisals, foreclosures, purchasing for cash(and how to get it), using private morgage lenders(the hard stuff!),negotiating, inspection, renovation, hiring contractors, and how to sell quickly for top dollar. The final chapter delves into some more advanced strategies. I'm just now getting into "flipping" books and this is one of the best.

ONLY for the complete newbie
This is the first book I've bought solely on the praise of other reviewers. It is also the first book I have ever returned in the four years I've been buying from Amazon. Wow! What a complete disappointment!

Buy it, Fix it, Sell it: Profit! should only be bought by people who have never read ANYTHING regarding buying houses, fixing them up, and selling for profit. I read the free e-book from David Whisant while waiting for this book to arrive...The e-book contained more information and went more in-depth into the topics than this book did.

I have never written a completely negative review before, so here goes: this book is well written and laid out. Having said that, I think that ten minutes spent at google will provide you with a couple of good sites that give more information than this book does.

Not bad, looking forward to a less dated edition...
Anyone spending the enormous amount of money needed to buy property can't frown at $13 for a reference book, if they can glean anything from the book. This guy definitely isn't a writer but the book did contain some good tips. Do yourself a favor and make sure you buy the newest addition - I picked up the '97 and it was extremely dated. My other issue with this book is he uses examples with very unrealistic dollar figures, even if adjusted for inflation. Do you think you're going to buy a $100,000 "handyman special" and renovate it until it's in "doll house/sparkling condition", with that renovation to include a new roof, updated baths, complete kitchen remodel, paint, carpet and landscaping...all for $9,000? Good luck. The roof alone could cost that much and certainly the kitchen is going to run more than $1800 if you're replacing cabinets; even if you were to buy the cheapest of the cheap materials and do the work yourself, in which case the end result would look cheap. To his credit, he harps on the fact that you need to do your homework and estimate all the rehab costs to build them into your offer price - but if you're new to this don't get sticker shock when your estimates for all the above items come in more in the $25,000 neighborhood. One thing I tend to disagree with is his contention that you shouldn't even consider doing the work yourself. If you're starting out and building relationships with subcontractors I think an advanced do-it-yourselfer can do almost anything, you have so many resources available to you with Home Depot, TV and the internet. The key would be getting things done quickly, so maybe farming out the time consuming and dangerous work is okay, but you can do the other stuff yourself much cheaper. Of course, after a few houses and once you've got a HVAC guy you trust, a plumber and electrician you trust and possibly drywall and paint guys you trust, you might take the advice of the book and spend your time looking for the next house.

I did find this book useful enough that I'll be buying the 2003 edition today, you just need to look at it as another resource and not the rehabber bible. ... Read more

Book Description

Build a great financial services practice, AND a great life filled with passion, purpose and enthusiasm.

With more than one million financial services practitioners in the United States and Canada, competition for clients can be intense.While some professionals believe that working furiously around the clock at the expense of a personal life is the route to success, top-producing industry veterans Ron Carson and Steve Sanduski disagree.They believe that financial services is a commodity business, and as such, that performing better, delivering better financial plans, or having access to certain products doesn’t differentiate advisors effectively.Rather, differentiating through service, brand and relationship is the only sustainable way advisors can compete.

In Tested in the Trenches: A 9-Step Plan for Building and Sustaining a Million-Dollar Financial Services Practice the authors explain how securities representatives, insurance professionals, investment advisors and CPAs can do just that . . . and create great lives along the way. Based on concepts taught in professional coaching workshops worldwide, Tested in the Trenches outlines:

• The four “foundation” steps to success.
• Four ways to generate revenue.
• 15 habits of top achievers.
• Forms and checklists to organize your financial services practice.
• Online sources for additional business-building ideas and tools.

If you have the sincere desire to make significant improvements in your financial services business – and your life – clear your schedule, read Tested in the Trenches, then go back and implement each idea in the order it is presented.By doing so you’ll be prepared to join the rarefied group of personally fulfilled and professionally successful top achievers. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Textbook comes with excellent portfolio simulation -- OTIS
Contrary to what the Editorial Review above states, this textbook does NOT come with StockTrack. Fortunately, it comes with an excellent program -- OTIS, an Online Trading and Investment Simulator developed at Wharton, the world famous business school. The simulation program allows you to "buy" and "sell" a whole range of real securities, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, EFTs and derivatives, so you can test out the investment concepts from the textbook. It's just like using a program like eTrade, except you don't use real money. You can test out your investment ideas, and the software tracks your portfolio value using real market data.

The Gitman/Joehnk textbook itself is a fine textbook for someone who has not studied investment theory before, and is ideal for personal investors who want a solid foundation in the essential concepts, tools, and latest technologies they need to be successful.

A "Must Have" book for beginning investors!
Time for me to upgrade to the Seventh Edition!I used Fundamentals of Investing, Fourth Edition around 10 years ago in a college course at WCTC in Waukesha, WI.My instructor was a V.P. at a major brokerage house.It was one of the best and most rewarding college courses I ever took.We covered the entire book in one semester.

As with any book, Fundamentals of Investing will please some and not others.This book lays the foundation for investing by covering topics such as stocks, bonds, insurance, and the like along with understanding the risks of each.This book is not a "get rich quick" self help book.You will not find "trendy ways" to invest, hence the title "Fundamentals of Investing."

This book is where I learned Time Value of Money (TVM).Before I learned of TVM and investing, my retirement plan consisted of the value of my home and social security.Now I am well on my way to achieving my goal; retiring as comfortable as or better than I live now.If there is any social security when I retire it will be a bonus.

On the whole, this book (including my 4th edition) is useful even as a reference to the investment process.I use it to refresh my understanding of the variety and types of securities.Others may disagree but this is my investment bible.It has paid for itself time and time again by reminding me of the basic "Fundamentals of Investing."

You can remove a lot of risks to investing if you read and understand those investments in "Fundamentals of Investing."

Definately a bad choice for students...
This is your typical beginner book on investments.The book is separated into 6 categories, each category having 2 chapters apiece. These categories are, The Investment Environment, Important Conceptual Tools, Investing in Common Stock, Portfolio Management, and Derivative Securities. Although, one can see that the book seems to broken down nicely in each category, the examples illustrated in this book are very sketchy, and at times hard to follow.

What makes this book so difficult to follow is that at the end of each chapter, you are given a set of review questions to practice what you learned. This is very bad if your professor assigns the book, but doesn't use it. Now, this is the catch. There are NO answers for these review questions anywhere in this book. In fact, the only way one can possibly get these study question answers is if her or she is the professor. In order to do this, you have to login to the author's page as the "educator." Of course, students who buy this book for class, will only have student access which only enables them to see what they "need" to have learned from each chapter, and access to a small pc program that solves everything for you. A nice tool, but kind of pointless if you do not know what you are doing in the first place. Oh yea, did I mention you only have a 6 month subscription to this "service." I do not want to call it a service by any means, since its useless.

In short, if you are a student, or want to get the general ideas of investment, Do NOT buy this book, since you will never know if you are applying the principles that you learned from this book properly. I had no choice but to buy this book, but if you can avoid this book, please do, and save yourself a headache or two.

Fundamentals of Investing, 7th
Fundamentals of Investing leaves a good deal to be desired as a textbook for a first course on investments.It is too wordy, being nearly 700 pages in length (not including tables or the index), making it somewhat challenging to cover the entire book in a single college semester.

As with any book, Fundamentals of Investing has its good features and its bad features.The chapter on investment planning (chapter 3) is quite good as it gives the reader an understanding of the motivation for investing.Another good feature about the book is the treatment of the security analysis process and how the investor should approach the analysis of investments for inclusion in a portfolio.

However, the deficiencies of the book appear to outweigh its benefits.First, the authors appear to assume that the reader is already familiar with the concept of the time value of money (TVM).Since the TVM concept is vital in assessing the worth of an investment to an investor, a reader that is unfamiliar or not well versed in the TVM concept is likely not to fully understand how securities are valued.Second, many of the examples given in the book are not always of great help in assisting the reader in understanding the concepts that were presented.Finally, the problems at the end of each chapter do not seem to provide much of a challenge to the reader to apply the concepts that were covered in the chapter to reinforce what was supposed to have been learned.

On the whole, the book can be useful in introducing the reader to the investment process and in understanding the variety and value of different types of securities.But a reader who is less familiar with investing can do better than to buy this book.

Caution
This book although well written was disappointing because it only covers the fundamentals and the basics of investments and portfolios.I suppose I was looking for something more in depth and challenging and this wasn't thewrite book.But if you are looking to learn the basics this book seemslike a good start. ... Read more

Book Description

"Managing a Consumer Lending Business" summarizes the lore and the knowledge of the business as the new century begins. It covers many subjects a good manager should know: the importance of how to attract enough good accounts to offset the inevitable bad accounts that every lender will get, controlling line sizes, encouraging use by good customers/discouraging or controlling the bad customers, managing profitability with predictability, if he or she is to effectively run a high-volume consumer business. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best in its Class
Managing a Consumer Lending Business is an excellent primer covering both fundamental practices and principles for safe and sound lending. This book covers the basics well and should be required reading for management trainees and those new to consumer lending. This 2002-published book is superior to older, now-obsolete books on consumer lending, and is spiced with anecdotes, quotes and references to mistakes that made headlines. The chapter on recessions is germaine and usually neglected by other books. The only criticisms are minor: a few too many references to the authors' consulting practice, and it would be improved by a chapter or two on securitization and the gain-on-sale practices.

A Comprehensive Guide
This book is very well written. It is about managing a healthy consumer lending business by using systematic ways to plan, acquire, and maintain a portfolio and by emphasizing quantitative tools to measure its performance and manage risks. I like this book also because it provides careful accounts about the history of this industry.
This book is an excellent reference for serious practitioners. Portfolio managers and financial analysts can acquire important concepts for managing their businesses. You might even be able to start your own consumer lending business by following the steps introduced in the book. Meanwhile, this is an attractive book for consumers to equip with extensive knowledge to deal with credit card issuers, collection companies and to take care of their mortgages and automobile loans, etc. ... Read more

Reviews (88)

Learn by losing or buy this book
I love this book. It has helped me understand myself in both the market and in life.

I sold a stock that wasn't acting right this week because of the way I've changed my mindset from reading this book. I know I did the right thing and I fully expect it to go down in the near future. This is something I wouldn't have admitted to myself before. I feel like a chain has been broken.

I really like the way he describes things. He tends to give a lot of examples and "in other words" type descriptions.

CANSLIM

Should be three chapters long
An OK book, but very repetitive. The last chapter is the most useful. There are better books, such as Trading for a Living.

Thank you Mr. Douglas
Anyone noticed that Mr. Douglas's detractors are NOT experienced traders? All I have to say is: THANK YOU 1000 TIMES MR DOUGLAS.

Written by a successful trader
It doesn't matter that Douglas is not a psychologist -- the book is about trading, and the mental processes involved in becoming a consistently successful trader. Since the early 1980s, Douglas has been, and still is, a successful trader -- not someone who makes his living writing books about trading -- as Mr. Kiev seems to do. Also, with regard to Mr. Kiev's book and the fact that he is a psychologist -- keep in mind -- Mr. Kiev is NOT a trader, never has been, so how could he write about being successful at something he has never accomplished himself??? But hey -- go ahead and buy Kiev's book -- if you need "degree" initials after an author's name to give a book validity. Myself -- I'll stick with a REAL trader's point of view and Douglas' books and talks -- he knows what he's talking about because he's been there in the trenches with us!

A MUST FOR SERIOUS TRADERS
It is apparent that Douglas exhaustively researched material for his book by talking and coaching other traders -- I see myself, and my fellow traders, in every chapter! It is great to know that even a successful trader like Douglas had problems in the beginning, like most of us, and learned how to overcome them. But more importantly, that he chose to share those ideas with the trading public. Thank you for your generosity! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

the real estate boom is alive and well
Mr. Lerah has written a terrific how to book on the real estate
boom. He describes the facts behind the boom in very compelling
way. A MUST READ 5 STARS

John Smaby
Edina, Mn.

Insightful
This book makes perfect sense It does not allow thinking individuals to become complacent in how they view real estate investments for the future.

"He whose bread I eat is the song I sing"
Go back in time to the year 2000 when the NASDAQ was trading at 5,000. Some people said it was a bubble and couldn't go on forever. Yet the temptation to go with the flow and make was seemed to be easy money was irresistible. Driven by the marketing efforts of those who make their living in the stock market, it was argued that prices would still go higher. If you bought into their line of reasoning, surely NASDAQ 10,000 was not too far away.

I was reminded of those times when I read David Lereah's book "Are You Missing the Real Estate Boom." Even after the biggest 5-year run-up in housing prices in U.S. history - where 40% of all homebuyers must now resort to interest-only adjustable rate mortgages in order to qualify for home financing - Lereah tries to convince us that the U.S. real estate market should continue to stay healthy for the next 10 years.

His arguement goes something like this: Even though housing prices are high, the combination of low interest rates, 80 million wealthy baby boomers and their offspring ("echo boomers") will continue to fuel demand. This is not objective, unbiased advice. As head cheerleader for the Realtor hallelujah choir, Lereah is using the same tactics that have been well-honed on Wall Street: "When the ducks are quackin', feed 'em."

I don't remember what Lereah was saying about U.S. housing prices in 1998 or 1999 when prices were 30% lower than they are today (and 75% lower in many of the highly populated coastal regions), but I think its safe to say he wasn't forecasting a coming real estate boom that would last for the next 15 years.

The key to making money in real estate - and keeping it - is to get aboard a rising real estate trend early, not late. While it is true that real estate is a good long-term investment, what Lereah ignores is the cycle nature of real estate. In other words, if you buy an overvalued house late in the market cycle - and you are over leveraged and illiquid like most Americans are today - you may not be around for the long-term.

Robert Campbell
Author of "Timing the Real Estate Market"

Better title - "Join the Greater Fools of America Club"
For me, this was more comic relief than any scholarly analysis.The author has a vesting interest in the bubble not bursting, and he's selling his soul with this book to prove it.

He spins webs of demographics and interest rates, but he never ever addresses the core issues that determine housing values.What is lost here is that housing in itself creates no value, its value is completely predicated upon peoples ability to pay for it.Ergo, housing prices for the last 100 years have tracked income remarkably closely, that is, except for the last five years.Historically, the ratio of housing price to annual income has been 2.1, with very little variation.In many parts of the country, this ratio is now approaching 10.5!Can you say "major correction?"Further, the amount of leverage used to buy homes during this boom has been increased to absolutely unprecidented levels.Even during the last boom of the late 80s/early 90s, the standard was still 30 yr fixed and 20% down.Not anymore.Last year, less than 15% of borrowers put down 20% or more!Further, the 30 yr fixed has been replaced by the IO, or interest only loan.See now, we have the same borrower capable of bidding 30-40% more for a propery without any better credit or ability to repay.Neat trick, but sadly, Lereah at no point addresses any of these fundamentals.

Our stock/housing pattern appears remarkably similar to the one Japan had 20 years ago.First the stock market busted.Right after, the real estate market rallied, and it busted too.The current Japanese real estate market is in a 14 year slide to date, and houses are going for roughly their 1980 value.

Keep talking Dave - we'll need the comic relief soon!

More Cheerleading From the NAR "Economist"
It is a little worrisome to think that so many investors learned nothing form the speculative bubble that was built up in the stock markets, particularly the Nasdaq.When it comes to residential housing, this is simply Act II being engineered by Alan Greenspan, the person most responsible for Act I (the stock market speculative bubble).People fell in love with residential housing ("very safe, good") immediately after they fell out of love with stocks ("too risky, bad").Coincidence? I think not.Books like this one serve only to fan the flames of a fire that is roaring out of control- especially along the coasts.Shame on you Mr. Blodget, er, I mean Mr. Lereah! ----Instead of this self serving new era garbage, read the recently released Irrational Exuberance, Second Edition by Robert Shiller if you want an easy to read balanced account of what is REALLY going on in residential real estate right now.It might save you thousands upon thousands of your hard-earned dollars if it cautions you against joining the home-speculating heard. ... Read more

Book Description

Offering a unique balance of industry and academic experience, this unique author team presents the latest in financial theory while maintaining a strong real-world connection. Aiming to engage rather than intimidate, they offer a book that is reader-focused yet does not water down content. Their consistent approach focuses on value: what creates value, what destroys it, how value is measured, and how value and risk are related.Offers web-based Interactive Modules that provide extensions of the material presented in the book, such as Excel spreadsheets and Internet links. Bundles with the book Prentice Hall's Mastering Finance CD that includes video clips and other material to illustrate concepts. Features an earlier presentation of the cost of capital (to Chapter 9 from Chapter 12), preceding capital budgeting and cash flow estimation chapters. Provides all-new material on business valuation techniques.Perfect for the financial analyst, marketing manager, or information technology manager who wants an updated reference on financial topics. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An excellent book for starters!!! Great job....Gallagher
This is an excellent book for those who want to delve into finance. It is equivalent to 2nd year material. Finance, most often offered in 3rd year here in Canada, requires knowledge of statistics (i.e. stats, econometrics...etc Intermediate level; 2nd year) when reviewing certain budgeting options; you won't need this for the book. Don't be dismaid, your not missing key information by using this 2nd year stuff (you get all of the math too at an easier to comprehend level).
The disk included with mine helps to build your financial knowledge through a website connection and with practice, but this is not mandatory and is designed for the hardcore finance junkies like myself.
It is only a 4-star because I want more challenging material, but being a 2nd year course I have to wait until 3rd year. ... Read more

Book Description

Covered Calls and Naked Puts Create Your Own Stock Options Money TreeReaders Are Amazed! They can earn good income on their stock portfolio. Even in a stagnant market. Put Financial Nightmares to Rest! Quit Leaving Piles of Money on the Table!Most common response: "Why the heck didn’t I know

about this sooner!"• Provides a clear, easy to understand process for the average investor to make money in the stock market. • Illustrates points that are not currently known or understood by the general investing public. Once grasped the financial value is obvious and the reader is most appreciative. • Provides the tools for independent investing beginning with wise stock selection, building a prospect list, sorting stocks based on clear criteria. • Covered call strategy is appropriate (and allowed) for IRA accounts. • Gain peace of mind from your own financial competence.Brief Summary

Jake Kimball sold his CPA Firm and retired to south Florida in his mid fifties. Funds are running low when he encounters his former Finance professor at a local Rotary Club meeting. The professor is doing unusually well financially. Step by step, with examples, the prof explains to Jake his stock market strategy of careful stock selection and earning a high rate of return by selling options. "You make money by selling, not by buying!" ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Covered Calls and Naked Puts is a Masterpiece
Covered Calls And Naked Puts is truly a masterpiece. Ron Groenke has managed to present the fascinating subject of covered calls and naked puts in the most understandable and refreshing manner imaginable. Buy it now!!

Covered Calls And Naked Puts Is A Masterpiece
Covered Calls And Naked Puts is truly a masterpiece. Ron Groenke has managed to present the fascinating subject of covered calls and naked puts in the most understandable and refreshing manner imaginable. Buy it now!!

A Great Book for the Beginning Options Investor
If you are looking to increase the earnings on your portfolio with a minimum of risk this book is for you. You will learn in a very interesting writing style how to use Covered Calls and Naked Puts to generate a cash flow that could average 25% a year regardless if the market is going up or down. The author even takes into account taxes and losses to arrive at this figure. He introduces a number of basic conservative concepts using covered calls and naked puts but really places the emphasis on how to pick the right stocks in the first place. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in increasing their portfolio income by learning how to use convered calls and naked puts to achieve their investment goals. Once you have read the book you will be very comfortable using these investment tools.

the options primer every trader should read
Ron's new book does not offer the reader the Holy Grail for options trading, but rather provides a very logical and disciplined approach to this type of investing. His writing style is easy to read and understand. He greatly simplifies a complex subject. A good portion of the book is devoted to proper stock selection, with very definable criteria to greatly improve the odds of placing a winning trade. He continually reminds the reader of the importance of managing risk. For any aspiring options trader, this book is A MUST!

Do Yourself a Favor...
Do yourself a favor and buy this book. I've been doing cc writing and option investments for some time. This primer picks up where most other books on covered calls leave off. In addition to covering naked puts, the author holds your hand through critical factors such as when to buy, what to buy, how to buy... simply "put", this is a great book at a very reasonable price. ... Read more

Book Description

PRAISE FOR Modern Investment Management

"This powerful book brilliantly discovers the routes to superior investment results in the roots of economic theory. In the process, it combines elegance of presentation with the highest levels of lucidity. The authors offer lessons that neither the scholar nor the investor-in-action can afford to ignore."
––Peter Bernstein, bestselling author of Capital Ideas: The Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street and Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk

"In Modern Investment Management: An Equilibrium Approach, Bob Litterman and his colleagues at Goldman Sachs Asset Management provide the reader with a gentle introduction to modern financial theory and a survey of their own monumental contributions to theory and practice. The role of the late Fischer Black is amply noted."
––Harry M. Markowitz, 1990 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics

"This comprehensive guide to equilibrium investing is perhaps the finest demonstration of the relevance of financial theory to investment practice. Both the academy and industry owe a huge debt to this exceptionally talented team for reuniting their paths. Study this book carefully and keep it close at hand if you are serious about investing or teaching about it."
––Mark Kritzman, Managing Partner, Windham Capital Management Boston and Research Director, The Research Foundation of the Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR)

"This book develops a powerful framework for making better investment decisions. The equilibrium approach frees you up to focus on what you know, without being blinded by what you don’t know."
––Andre Perold, Professor, Senior Associate Dean, Faculty Director
Harvard Business School

"An invaluable investment manual ably supported by the highest-quality financial theory, but well peppered with common sense. The fund manager and the institutional investor ignore this book at their peril. It will be a key reference book for our pension plan."
––David Morgan, Chief Executive, Coal Pension Trustees Services Ltd.

"This novel and ambitious book breaks new ground in demonstrating how modern investment theory can be refined and adapted to practice. The authors’ experience as investment professionals in a sophisticated institutional setting lends much credibility to their skillful blending of rigorous analysis, intuition, and real-world application."
––Robert F. Stambaugh, Ronald O. Perelman Professor of Finance
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Oldschool
Nicely written from a journalistic perspective but rather old fashioned. Many mistakes and deliberate false claims in order to suit product interests of Goldman Sachs. Examples:

In the chapter on asset liability management there is always an analytical case for equities. However the only reason is that GS does not allow duration as a choice variable. Otherwise beta (in their formula) would become one and the optimal equity allocation is zero. Accidental? I doubt it.

They also claim to have found (earlier) a better method than Stambaugh on dealing with missing data. However either you publish or you shut up.

Waste of time for serious quants

The definitive equilibrium investing title
My highest commendations to the asset management team at Goldman Sachs. They have come together and created a highly comprehensive tome that covers all the bases within the realm of modern investment theory. Their solid equilibrium approach is applied to all areas, from traditional investments to alternative asset classes, from institutional funds to private wealth, using analysis and real world applications. Incredibly thorough, extremely recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

DID YOU KNOW THAT . . .

. . . Real estate is a better long-term investment than the stock market?

. . . You don’t need a lot of money to begin? Since time immemorial, real estate has been an excellent investment. The long-term returns have actually exceeded the stock market and other investments. If you’re looking for financial security, real estate can provide you with welcome supplemental income, year after year. And if you thought investing in real estate was out of your reach, this book will change your mind . . . and your future! Experienced real estate broker and investor Nicholas Masters demystifies the entire process of buying real estate for you and shows you how to get started. Illustrating his explanations with examples from his own experiences in thirty years of real estate investing, Masters takes you step-by-step through the process of understanding the benefits of owning real estate, finding and evaluating properties, getting financing, closing the deal, and managing your property.

You’ll find out . . .

• Why your first real estate investment should be your own home
• Why there’s safety in numbers—the advantages of real estate investment "clubs"
• The pros and cons of individual ownership, partnerships, and corporations
• How to find properties—brokers, foreclosures, government surplus, sales leasebacks, and other methods of matching up with the right purchase
• The ins-and-outs of financing and mortgages—balloon mortgages versus fixed rate; liens and bankruptcies; and other financing options
• How to deal with repairs, tenant relations, insurance, and other aspects of managing property . . . and why hiring a professional management firm could be a good idea for you You don’t need a million dollars to start making money in real estate. All you need is the clear information and sensible, reality-based guidance you’ll find in How to Make Money in Commercial Real Estate for the Small Investor.

Reviews (5)

Buy this book first
When I decided I wanted to learn more about commercial real estate investment, I bought a pile of books that claimed to be relevant and started working my way through them. This one was the ONLY one that I feel was really worth the read. It starts out by ascertaining whether the reader is truly ready to buy commercial real estate, taking a very prudent view of personal finances. It lays out everything worthwhile that any of the books on this subject lay out, and does so in a very readable manner. At the same time, it does not talk down to the reader or try to "dumb down" any of the material. I would suggest starting with only this book, and then buying other books (or talking to experts) in a more focussed manner, based upon what you find here. Incidentally, I haven't bought any commercial real estate yet, but I still intend to and I am trying to follow the advice of this book in preparing to do so.

Sound information. Good for experienced or beginners.
This is a good book with lots of good information. The book is great for persons without any knowledge of commercial real estate and is a good reference book for persons with experience in commercial real estate.

It is worth noting, however, that the much of the author's experience with investment real estate seemed to be during the 1970's decade. During that period of time there was hyper inflation in the real estate market. Often values and prices paid for real estate did not make much sense.

Some of the examples in the book refer to properties indicated to be worth several million dollars - and not exactly what you would call a small investment property.

However, the financial scenarios in this book are based on reasonably sound financial and economic theory. And the reasoning for the mathematical financial calculations seem to be fairly sound.

The book is a good buy for the price.<...

Great way to get started
This book was very simple to read, but jam packed with information. I not only enhanced my knowledge of real estate investing, but also got a refresher in economics. Masters discusses many tools and tips on the best way to get started and shares his experiences both good and bad. While he answered many questions that I had, he opened the doors to other questions I never thought of. I thought I was ready, but now I realize I still have some work to do.

If you are serious about Real Estate, you must read this one
This book and "The Complete Idiots Guide to Real Estate" are my two all time favorite real estate books. This is about true real estate investing. If you are sick of the no-money down,flipping, foreclosure, single family bottom end type books then this is for you.

Very Inspiring
From the front cover to the last page, I found this to be one of the most informative books on investing in commercial real estate for the small investor that I have ever read. I would recomend that anyone considering investing in commercial real estate read this book. It contains information not readily known to the general public. Mr. Masters obviously knows the in's and out's of investing in commercial real estate, and he has graciously shared that information in this well written and delightful book. ... Read more

Book Description

The first plain-English introduction to foreign currency exchange trading--one of today's hottest profit opportunities

The foreign currency market is the largest financial market in the world, and foreign exchange trading is quickly becoming one of today's most high-profile, potentially lucrative markets. One problem is that books on the topic are complex, technically dense, and difficult for Forex novices to grasp.

FOREX Made Easy is the first book to approach the topic in a detailed yet accessible style, gradually and deliberately moving from simple to complex in easy and natural language. Author James Dicks--founder of the popular trading software 4X Made Easy--draws upon his trading knowledge to give readers only the information they need, from setting up a workstation to trading electronically.

This Forex guidebook provides traders with:

• An easy-to-follow, six-step process for FOREX trading
• Methods for gaining an advantage using technical analysis
• Dozens of examples to illustrate key points

Reviews (19)

Basic level oriented towards 4X Made Easy(tm) users
As beginning 4X Made Easy (tm) software user I found the book very useful. It goes into more technical analysis than the GlobalTec trainers are willing to offer. For example there is a good chapter titled "advanced trading charts and indicators" with basic explanations of Bollinger bands, DMI, Stochastics, moving averages, RSI, and ROC. Another chapter covers Fibonacci and Elliot waves. The introduction to technical analysis chapter includes candlesticks, support and resistance, and other trends. All of this is at the basic level, but unlike every other technical analysis book I have found, it is oriented towards the spot Forex (there is one chapter on Forex options). Because the Forex is open around the clock, it does require some modification of typical technical analysis methods.

There is another useful chapter on tax strategies and claiming trader status as a Forex trader. Again it is very basic, but because so few accountants are familiar with the spot Forex and because so many people will simply tell you "consult your accountant" it is useful introductory information.

The book uses examples from 4X Made Easy (tm) version 5.0. This is scheduled to be replaced very soon with version 5.9, now in beta. The changes I have seen in 5.9 beta will not affect the information in the book.

If you are already familiar with the Forex, and don't have any interest in Forex Made Easy software(tm), you may find this book too basic or be annoyed by the author's promotion of his own interests. He does not mention any alternative software to 4XME or even FX Trading Station. Some illustrations are based on 4XME screen shots. There is a full chapter on FX Trading Station software (almost like an operating manual) which is the trade platform used by FXCM brokerage. There are plenty of traders out there that use other companies' trading platforms and don't have any interest in 4XME and these readers should be forewarned. I do think in some way James Dicks is preaching to the choir with this book. He doesn't mention other broker platforms and the possible advantages or disadvantages of using different brokers, for example broker platforms that offer trailing stops, hedging within the same currency pair, tighter spreads, and problems like slippage or limitations on entry orders. This book is not an objective discussion of the spot Forex brokerage business, so don't expect that. Even so, at least 80% of the book is not focused on the author's company's products and is good basic information about the Forex market and trading.

I think all potential Forex traders, and especially 4XME users who want to learn more about technical analysis will find this book useful as an introduction and starting point. In fact this book is an excellent way to learn what Forex trading is all about before you open a live trading account

Im a new FOREX user and this book is GREAT
I just started trading the FOREX and this book gave me a great deal of information about the Market. This book is very informative and I highly recommend it to all FOREX users. I also own and am very happy with the 4X Made Easy software and subscribe to the James Dicks PremiereFX Alerts.

Not beneficial at all
I saw James Dicks' late night ads for 4xme -- Foreign Exchange Trading Made Easy. I explored his background and his firm's background over the net this early morning and read his book on another site where it's posted, in full.

The book does not really explain foreign exchange trading, but is mostly an ad for his firm's software and online services. Also, it's poorly written. So many people have been upset with it that used copies are available on E-bay for 99 cents.

(...)

I spent a dozen years as a retail broker at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and am a Wharton CPA. Also, I supported myself solely through trading from 1984 through 1988. IMHO stay away from James Dicks, his books, and his firms. No good can come from interaction with any of them.

Disappointing FX book
There's a real dearth of good investment books focussing on the FX market, and unfortunately this book does very little to fill that void. Instead of "Forex made Easy," I would love to read a book called "Forex made Profitable," which is definitely not this book. His technical analysis section is pretty much a wash-out. Do not buy this book.

Great book for a new trader to the Forex Market
I found the book to be fast paced and very informative. After reading some of the negative reviews it seems like they are all posted by the same person. Someone that hadn't even read the whole book. My views: The book will show you how to trade the Foreign Exchange and goes into advanced techniques. This is important if you want to protect your money while trading the Forex. I will note that different types of software are mentioned, but in reality there are probably 100 other companies flogging their wares. I did a free trial of the software James discussed and it worked quite well.

I would also recommend trading for a living and reminses of a stock operator for more on trading psycology. ... Read more

Book Description

Even the best Wall Street investors make mistakes. No matter how savvy or experienced, all financial practitioners eventually let bias, overconfidence, and emotion cloud their judgement and misguide their actions. Yet most financial decision-making models fail to factor in these fundamentals of human nature. In Beyond Greed and Fear, the most authoritative guide to what really influences the decision-making process, Hersh Shefrin uses the latest psychological research to help us understand the human behavior that guides stock selection, financial services, and corporate financial strategy. Shefrin argues that financial practitioners must acknowledge and understand behavioral finance--the application of psychology to financial behavior--in order to avoid many of the investment pitfalls caused by human error. Through colorful, often humorous real-world examples, Shefrin points out the common but costly mistakes that money managers, security analysts, financial planners, investment bankers, and corporate leaders make, so that readers gain valuable insights into their own financial decisions and those of their employees, asset managers, and advisors. According to Shefrin, the financial community ignores the psychology of investing at its own peril. Beyond Greed and Fear illuminates behavioral finance for today's investor. It will help practitioners to recognize--and avoid--bias and errors in their decisions, and to modify and improve their overall investment strategies. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A great book about Behavioral Finance
This book builds on the current literature in Behavioral Finance and reviews the most relevant academic articles. It is interesting for the researcher in empirical finance and the best book to understand the behavior of individual investors.

Another fascinating and recent publication in this field is by Andrei Shleifer: "Inefficient Market"

A very good book, but quite academic
I had mixed feeling about this book. Content wise, it's incredible. It's full of real life stories, data, analyses, propositions of many so called market anomalies. However, I really find some of the chapters too long, especially those after chapter 5. The author had copied his style of thesis writing and actually many of his own theses (he's a renowed professor after all) into a book which has a big audience group of investors or traders who want quick fix or certain level of entertainment and personal improvement. In these respects, the "Psychology of Finance by Lars Tvede" and the "Devil take the hindmost by Edward Chancellor" are "easier" but not definitely better alternatives.

Anway, this is one of the very few "serious" books about behavioural finance that is relatively practical. If you are abound of time, go for it. Otherwise, you may try the two books I mentioned above.

p.s. I like the following the most: In April 1997 Financial Timesran a contest suggested by economist Richard Thaler. Readers were told to choose a whole number between 0 and 100. The winning entry would be the one closest to two thirds of the average entry. The winning choice is 13. The real point of this game is that playing sensibly requires you to have a sense of the magnitude of the other players' errors. Hope you got it right.

You won't be overconfident when you've read this!
Behavioural finance is an important topic and this book provides a very enjoyable and insightful read for the layman. It will stimulate interest in the topic by being accessible, which is what it set out to do, so four stars from me. It gives you some good 'dinner party anecdotes' (!) when colleagues or friends tell you about 'how markets work'. It is not a textbook on the subject by any means, rather a book for the airport that you will read again and recommend to others. Don't expect to see any matrix algebra or stochastic differential equations in this one!

A good Overview of the Subject
Mr. Sherfin has written an entertaining, yet scholarly overview of the subject. It is pitched at the practitioner rather than the layman, so anyone wanting detailed financial planning advice or quick fire trading ideas is going to be disappointed. What you do get however is a fascinating insight into the reasons that long-term stock market anomalies continue to exist, and the forms that they take. This should finally bury the idea that markets are efficient.

A couple of beefs though; firstly, as Sherfin points out several times "investors learn slowly" in yet most of the time series he quotes seem to be 3 to 10 years - statistically pretty insignificant in making generalizations about market behavior. Secondly, while he is rightly cynical about he money management industry (and does a good job at exposing some of its less creditable tricks), he at once dismisses active money management - "a combination of private interests and behavioral phenomena provide the basis for the existence of this active segment" - and then goes on to document the success of Fuller & Thaler Asset Management in producing considerable excess return. So which is it Mr.Sherfin?

Pushing Too Far?
In Beyond Fear and Greed, Mr. Shefrin has written a fairly interesting account of the advances in behavioral finance. He draws heavily on previously published research (although often published in fairly esoteric sources), so people searching for lots of new insights will probably be disappointed. That said, Mr. Shefrin covers most of the common biases that we are prone to including mental accounting, loss aversion, trend following and the like. If a reader doesn't see him or herself in at least some of his illustrations, I suspect he is not being honest with himself.

My major problem is that in some instances I think Mr. Shefrin engages in his own form of hindsight bias. For example, in his account of wall street strategists' market predictions I think he finds his bias after he knows the results. If the market had a strong year previously and the strategist predicted another strong year and was proved wrong, then he was guilty of trend following. If however, the same strategist predicted a weak market and proved to be wrong, then he was guilty of gambler's fallacy (mean reversion). So basically either choice represents bias IF YOU ARE WRONG. And yet, just because you are right does not change the mental processes that went into your decision.

However, despite the weaknesses of this book, overall it provides much food for thought for any serious investor and is probably worth at least a quick read. ... Read more

Book Description

"The Brainwashing of the American Investor" is an expose' of the conflicts of interest that plague Wall Street. From stock analysts to retail brokers, no cow is too sacred for this scathing and informative investigation of the Wall Street culture and the financial pros who dwell there. What you discover will give you a whole new understanding ofinvestmentproductpitfalls, and a totally new, objective based perspective for designing, creating, and managing your personal investment portfolio. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Happy user.
You can take this system to heart and to the bank.

Better yet, have Sanco Servicesmanage your money and it will be done right.Then all you do not have to do anything except enjoy your monthly statements.

It works for me.

Unique Advice That Stands Out From The Crowd
I've spent well over $... on my investment library.So many of the books blend together with little worth remembering let alone implementing, but this is one of two that stands out.Besides being written in an entertaining and irreverant style (if you're an accountant, attorney, or Wall Streeter, look out!), it has immensely practical advice.

Steve is one of 2 authors I've read that focuses on making money on the market's inherent volatility vs. trying to guess what's next. Unlike Technicians who play volatility AND try to guess what's next, Steve just assumes that it (volatility) will be there, like the waves on the ocean (interesting that he has a beach house!).Using safe stocks, he buys lower and sells higher, no greed, just take what the market is going to give you. Saves a lot of time and appears to work.

It would be nice to see some historical results documented in the book, but his site does provide some numbers to evaluate.

The other author... Robert Lichello, recently deceased.Zany book, but accurate.Steve adds the missing ingredient - safety.

The Brainwashing of the American Investor
Brainwashing of the American Investor provided invaluable insight into today's Wall Street.Steve's personal experience
on the Street provides the reader with information that one only 'wonders about', but now it's in black print for all to see!
Steve also provides enormous amounts of information regarding his investing 'style'---one that appears too simplistic at first,
but is based on steadfast rules and established algorithms.
I have definitely benefitted from the book--for personal edification as well as financial growth!Hats off to Steve
for a treasure load of info....definitely a 'small investment'
for a much bigger payout down the road!

An enlightened self managed investor
As an individual investor who has manged my own investments for over 40 years, I found The Brainwashing of the American Investor to be a terrific guideline for the future. Not only did I identify many many mistakes that I made thru the years, but the logical approach outlined by Steven Selengut has to make sense to anybody who has tried to get meaningfull portoflio guidelines (from Wall Street brokers, advisors, etc) for future investments tailored to individual needs. After 3 years of going downhill the buy and hold approach for stocks, bonds and mutual funds is dead. Great Book!!!!!

Right on the Money!
I heard a short segment on Stu Epperson's radio show as he discussed investments with Steven Selengut. I heard enough to prompt me to search for his book on the internet.As a securities rep. myself, Steve appears to be "right on the money".I didn't want to put the book down until I was through.Steve's trading strategy is refreshing information that should make a lot of people a lot of money with less risk.I have even contacted him with a couple of questions and was pleased with his prompt and courteous response.Thank you Steve for sharing your success with everyone.In your next book, please remember that all "advisors" are not "sharks", some of us do put our clients first. ... Read more

Book Description

The treatment in Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation is intended to communicate a practical equity valuation process for the investment generalist. Unlike many alternative works, the book integrates accounting and finance concepts, providing the evenness of subject matter treatment, consistency of notation, and continuity of topic coverage so critical to the learning process.

The book does not simply deliver a collection of valuation models, but challenges the reader to determine which models are most appropriate for specific companies and situations. This book contains many real-life worked examples and problems with complete solutions. In addition, the examples and problems reflect the global investment community.

Chapter 1 describes how an analyst approaches the equity valuation process.

Chapter 2 begins with the basic John Burr Williams dividend discount model (DDM) and discusses the derivation of the required rate of return within the context of Markowitz and Sharpe’s modern portfolio theory (the capital asset pricing model).

Chapter 3 shows how the DDM approach can be modified to a free cash flow (FCF) approach. Considerable attention is devoted to forecasting FCF and its relationship both to the firm (FCFF) and to equity (FCFE).

Chapter 4 takes a somewhat different approach to equity valuation by using Graham and Dodd–type concepts of earning power and associated "Market Multiples." The most familiar of these is probably the price-to-earnings ratio, but there is also merit to using price to book value, price to sales, price to cash flow, enterprise value to EBITDA, and price to dividends.

In Chapter 5, the authors present residual income models. The authors demonstrate how to calculate residual income and discuss the accounting adjustments necessary to estimate single-stage and multistage residual income valuation. ... Read more

Book Description

Value-at-risk (VaR) is a measure of market risk that has been widely adopted since the mid-1990s for use on trading floors. This is the first advanced book published on VaR. It describes how to design, implement, and use scalable production VaR measures on actual trading floors. It takes readers from the basics of VaR to the most advanced techniques, many of which have never been published in book form.

Practical, detailed examples are drawn from markets around the world, including: Euro deposits, Pacific Basin equities, physical coffees, and North American natural gas.

Real-world challenges relating to market data, portfolio mappings, multicollinearity, and intra-horizon events are addressed in detail. Exercises reinforce concepts and walk readers step-by-step through computations.

Sophisticated techniques are fully disclosed, including: quadratic ("delta-gamma") methods for nonlinear portfolios, variance reduction (control variates and stratified sampling) for Monte Carlo VaR measures, principal component remappings, techniques to "fix" estimated covariance matrices that are not positive-definite, the Cornish-Fisher expansion, and orthogonal GARCH.

* First advanced text on Value-at-Risk
* Practical, detailed examples drawn from markets around the world
* Exercises reinforce concepts and walk readers step-by-step through computations ... Read more

Reviews (2)

good
The book is great in clear notation, real data examples as well as online solutions for readers with or without math background. It will be better to include some advanced theory such as Extreme Value Theory.

One of the most refreshing QF books to come along
This is one of the most refreshing Quantitative Finance books that have come along in the last few years. This book has been a work in process from the author for at least four or five years.

Glyn Holton's mathematical background and experience as practising risk managemer and consultant is thoroughly reflected in character of this book. The notation is consistent and logical, the mathematical/theoretical presentation is rigorous but accessible to pretty much all the intermediate/advanced undergrad students.

The emphasis is on the methodological process of building a model rather than directly presenting the final product itself. This is in contrast to most of the Value-at-Risk books on the markets which up to this point, have been written mainly by academics (University professors) rather than practitioners.

Throughout the book, Mr. Holton keeps emphasizing the duality of VaR metrics in terms of the exposure and the uncertainty of its underlying portfolio. And using the conceptual differences of these two components of risk as starting point, the relevant mathematical, probabilistic, and statistical background material are presented. For the exposure component of risk, Holton presented the mathemcatical mapping procedure; while for the uncertainty component, the conditional distribution characteristization of the risk factors are thoroughly investigated. This 'Bottom-up' analytical approach breaks down the VaR metrics into its 'atomical' parts. From there the VaR measure is methodologically built from the ground up. As result all the VaR models are presented under a uniform theoretical umbrella. This is in contrast with a 'disjointed list of VaR models' approach taken by most of the available literature up to this point. The result is a book suitable for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. Well done Glyn. ... Read more

Book Description

Options are potentially one of the most profitable investment instruments available in todays intensely volatile financial markets. Just a few years ago, the information needed to exploit the vast earnings potential of options was beyond the reach of all but a handful of analysts. Now, anyone with a PC and a few basic software tools has direct access to all the up-to-the-minute market information needed to compete successfully with the "big boys." But, having information and knowing how to wield it are two very different things. In this groundbreaking book, online options trading innovator George Fontanills arms you with the knowledge and skills youneed to unleash the phenomenal power of your computer to become a successful online options trader.

Following a concise review of the basics of online trading--including hardware andsoftware requirements and essential online resources--Fontanills cuts to the chase with step-by-step coverage of 15 proven managed risk option trading strategies. Specifically designed for online traders, these tested off-floor techniques provide you with a sure-fire method for consistently building up your trading account. Drawing upon his years as a leading international options educator, Fontanills makes it easy for you to master online options trading by walking you through a series of hypothetical trades that demonstrate how to compute the maximum risk, maximum profit, breakevens, and exit alternatives for each strategy.

Trade Options Online also includes a comprehensive guide to fundamental and technical analysis methodologies, a detailed list of 240 hot financial resources, websites analyzed from the point of view of an online options trader, and a review of more than 70 online brokerages. Trade Options Online is your complete guide to earning a living and making a killing as an online options trader.

"George Fontanills, the dean of options trading, has put together an online options trading approach that is down-to-earth and insightful. Armed with this book, investors should feel well equipped to play on the battlefield, having been forewarned of the risks, dangers, and opportunities. Fontanills cares about everyones money as much as he cares about his own--a rare find in the world of finance." - Peter D. Henig Senior Editor, The Red Herring

"Fontanills clearly and concisely outlines a map for options traders looking to move online. Covering options strategies as well as some technical information, Trade Options Online provides a solid overview of this emerging area of investing. As always, Fontanills is ahead of the trend." - Brenon Daly Options columnist

"Fontanills has written a great guide for the experienced and novice options trader. I highly recommend Trade Options Online to anyone. Trading options online is the obvious next frontier. Be ahead of the curve." - Bill M. Williams, PhD, CTA Author, Trading Chaos and New Trading Dimensions

"Options trading expert George Fontanills has written the definitive guide to trading options online. Filled with everything from a comprehensive list of insightful website reviews to innovative options strategies, Trade Options Online is a ‘must read for all investors who want to compete successfully in the computerized markets of the twenty-first century!" - Brown President and CEO ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Good primer for home-spun traders
This text contains wealth of information on online trading in general and trading of options in particular. But be careful, you need to know more than that to succeed in this business. Although this book will tell you how to go about placing your orders and which option strategy is good for which situation, making money comes down to predicting the behavior of your stock price and volatility, something you will have to learn elsewhere. Incidentally the book was most likely written to increase subscriber base of the author's website, so don't let your guard down.

Comphrensive Option book w references
Finally a book you can sink your teeth into and getstarted. I've read dozens of trading books where you finish and youwonder what your next step should be. Here the author gives detailed examples of strategies. There are also very few typos or mistakes which to me is most infuriating. You buy a "how to" book and you need a decoder ring to try and figure out what the author really meant because they didn't bother to proof the book. Not so with this book.

Chapter 9 was so refreshing! Here the author walks thru step-by-step what his typical trading day would involve. No "well-chosen" examples to fit the author's purpose, just fundamentals that he looks for and where online he looks.

The web site reference section alone is worth the price of the book. For me it well save hundreds of hours of World Wide Wait (WWW) searching for relevent sites with good, useful and reliable information. The reference site also had pricing info for those sites that weren't free. It also gave me an idea of what's available out there, Online!

There was a lot of educational sites for those remaining questions, like the break down of the "Greeks". These would of been too much to cover in this book and I'm glad the author didn't try to.

This book is a great first-step for ONLINE Option traders.

Good Luck Trading!

PS The author doesn't self promote. He mentions a couple of his own sites amoung the hundreds of sites he references. The reference would be less than complete if he had left out his own sites.

Time value of that book is zero
First 8 chapters give you a very superficial