Mathematical Interest Theory (ISBN 0131472852)

Book Description:
Mathematical Interest Theory gives an introduction to how investments vary over time, and this book provides a solid foundation for readers embarking on actuarial careers. It is among the recommended reading options for the Society of Actuaries/Casualty Actuarial Society FM/2 exam.

Purchase at your own risk:
To begin with, I think that this book is written for those who already have a familiarity with the material. Just so you know my experience with this book, I took a college math course where this was the required text. I soon found out, that the examples through the chapter were decent, but the questions at the end had little or no correlation to those previously read in the chapter. I should add that what made these questions decent is that you could decipher the meaning of the chapter examples because the examples solutions were directly after. I think that if the author spent a little more time making the review problems a little more understandable and similar to those seen previously, than thinking up different names for the people in every single problem, He may have written a decent book. And that is a BIG MAYBE! If you are thinking of purchasing this book to prepare for the Actuary FM Exam, DON'T. Stick to the ones on the SOA recommended list, or one of the Temple or Actex study manuals.

One of the worst books:
I'm a computer engineering and math double major. I took a math class about interest and this is the book associated with the class. This is one of the worst books, the sections do not prepare you for the end of chapter problems. The questions are unclear it's either that they need to improve the questions or the sections. This book sucks, I rated it 1 star because there are no negative stars. This is the worst book ever. I was so angry at this book I actually burnt it after I was done with that class. Waste of money, waste of time. Infact my I.Q. probably decreased after reading this book and attempting the excersises at the end of the chapter.

I won't buy it:
If it hadn't been a required textbook, I won't buy this. It is written too technical for a beginner and I had to struggle with it. I thought it was just me, but when I ask my classmates, a few of them have the same problem......be prepared to spend time re-reading it a few times before understanding the material presented in some areas.

Not User Friendly:
This book, like another reviewer stated, is geared toward people who are already familiar with the concepts. This is not a text for the beginner. Also, the symbols used in the book are confusing and some of the formulas are not adequately explained. If you are studying for an actuarial exam, get another book.

Good Introductory Text:
I took this class with one of the authors in the fall and I would say that it serves as a nice warm-up to anyone studying for the FM exam. However, I thought that some of the concepts were unclear and that there weren't enough problems in the book for me to be fully comfortable with the topics covered. I'd recommend reading additional texts in preparation for the FM.