[.ca] The Informed Investor: A Hype-Free Guide to Constructing ... (ISBN 0814472508)

no help:
There are two sentences on page 59 that sums up this book. They are, "Begin by deciding how much risk is comfortable and then seek the optimum level of return at that point. ... An advisor can then construct a portfolio that has the highest possible expected return within that risk criteria." The book touches on basic concepts and theories, but does little to help you figure out how to implement those theories. I found this book to be no help at all. I don't know if these other reviewers are friends of his, but I just don't understand giving this book 5 stars.

The best approach to stock market investment:
I have read literally hundreds of books on investing and have been an invester since 1982. The approach described in this book (and also The Intelligent Asset Allocator, by William Bernstein) is the most practical, sensible, way of investing I have found. It shows why market timing doesn't work, stock picking doesn't work, but asset allocation does. One of the great things about this approach is that once you're invested, there's almost nothing to do! Stop worrying, relax and know you're ideally invested for the long haul. Also, see Armstrong's website at www.investorsolutions.com.

Good buy:
I bought this after seeing it in a magazine and left it on the shelf for six months. I should have picked it up sooner. This is exactly what I needed. I have no formal training with investing. I thought investing was opening a savings account, buying CDs and putting money into my company's retirement plan. I had a crude understanding of the way things work, but this book opened my eyes to options (like index funds) that I did not know about -- and for that matter, would probably never be told about by a broker or my company's 401k administrator. It is especially informative in light of the accounting and broker scandals of the last year and a half. It is clearly written. No mumbo jumbo. The Informed Investor informs-as advertised.

Finally an investment book I can understand:
I bought this book because I wanted to learn the basics of investing so I could make informed decisions. All the other invetment books at the bookstore are either too boring or too complicated to make any sense of them. I feel that I have gained a wealth of knowlege with this book and I am no longer listening to friends, relatives or magazines for tips that never worked. They only confuse you more and end up making you loose your money or pay a large amount of taxes. Now I have a long term strategy that makes sense and is in line with my long term goals and needs. I highly recommend this book.

Assessing risk before one leaps:
The Informed Investor: A Hype-Free Guide To Constructing A Sound Financial Portfolio by Frank Armstrong III (Founder and Principal of Investor Solutions, Inc. and a frequent contributor to CNNfn.com) is a straightforward instructional guide to avoiding uncertainty and pitfalls in the world of modern investing. Of special interest is the presentation of the "Modern Portfolio Theory". From options specifically for the purpose of saving up for college, to expertly gathering intelligence and assessing risk before one leaps, and so much more, The Informed Investor is an expert "must-read" guide for nonspecialist general readers and aspiring investors from all financial backgrounds.