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The rich are different from the rest of us, if for no other reason than U.S. tax and securities laws allow them to invest in ways that keep us from catching up to them. That's why 90 percent of all corporate shares of stock are owned by 10 percent of the people. Kiyosaki believes it's possible for anyone to move up into that 10 percent, but it takes a different view of investing than most people have: it takes a plan to be a successful investor. And a plan is more than simply buying and selling, or collecting "assets" that bring in no cash and are thus more akin to liabilities. The way most people invest, "they might as well be pushing a wheelbarrow in a circle," he writes. A plan is "mechanical, automatic, and boring," a formula for success that has worked historically for most of those who've used it. Kiyosaki's "rich dad" (actually, the father of his best friend) tells him the simplest analogy is the game Monopoly: buy four green houses, trade them for one red hotel, and repeat until you become rich.
The overall message of Rich Dad's Guide to Investing is that this is an abundant world, full of opportunity for the sophisticated investor. However, it sometimes takes a while to find this point. Much of the book is told in dialogues between young Kiyosaki and his rich dad, and these conversations can ramble. There are rewards for the careful reader--for example, in the middle of a section on the basic rules of investing, Kiyosaki's rich dad compares investor education to toilet training: difficult at first but eventually automatic. But getting to these inspired metaphors means wading through a lot of repetitive dialogue. It's a bit ironic that someone who advocates investor discipline should show so little as a writer. But by the end of the book, even the rambling starts to make sense. By the hundredth time you read that the rich don't work for money, and that you don't need money to make money, both concepts start to make sense. It still looks difficult to apply these ideas, but Rich Dad's Guide to Investing certainly makes the case that they'll work for anyone bold and smart enough to practice them. --Lou Schuler
Book Description
The rich are different from the rest of us, if for no other reason than U.S. tax and securities laws allow them to invest in ways that keep us from catching up to them. That's why 90 percent of all corporate shares of stock are owned by 10 percent of the people. Kiyosaki believes it's possible for anyone to move up into that 10 percent, but it takes a different view of investing than most people have: it takes a plan to be a successful investor. And a plan is more than simply buying and selling, or collecting "assets" that bring in no cash and are thus more akin to liabilities. The way most people invest, "they might as well be pushing a wheelbarrow in a circle," he writes. A plan is "mechanical, automatic, and boring," a formula for success that has worked historically for most of those who've used it. Kiyosaki's "rich dad" (actually, the father of his best friend) tells him the simplest analogy is the game Monopoly: buy four green houses, trade them for one red hotel, and repeat until you become rich. The overall message of Rich Dad's Guide to Investing is that this is an abundant world, full of opportunity for the sophisticated investor. However, it sometimes takes a while to find this point. Much of the book is told in dialogues between young Kiyosaki and his rich dad, and these conversations can ramble. There are rewards for the careful reader--for example, in the middle of a section on the basic rules of investing, Kiyosaki's rich dad compares investor education to toilet training: difficult at first but eventually automatic. But getting to these inspired metaphors means wading through a lot of repetitive dialogue. It's a bit ironic that someone who advocates investor discipline should show so little as a writer. But by the end of the book, even the rambling starts to make sense. By the hundredth time you read that the rich don't work for money, and that you don't need money to make money, both concepts start to make sense. It still looks difficult to apply these ideas, but Rich Dad's Guide to Investing certainly makes the case that they'll work for anyone bold and smart enough to practice them. --Lou Schuler
Download Description
'Rich Dad's Guide to Investing' follows the New York Times bestsellers 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad' and 'Rich Dad's CASHFLOW Quadrant'. Most of us know that the best investments never make it to market. This book discusses what the rich invest in that the poor and middle class do not. What follows is an insider's look into the world of investing, how the rich find the best investments, and how you can too. Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter show . . .· Rich Dad's basic rules of investing · How to reduce your investment risk · Rich Dad's 10 Investor Controls · How to convert your earned income into passive and portfolio income · How you can be the ultimate investor!
Customer Reviews:
A good book if you're already rich.......2007-10-15
There is very little useful info in this book for everyday investors. Instead, I would recommend: THE LITTLE BOOK OF COMMON SENSE INVESTING by John Bogle and THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR by Thomas Stanley.
Uri Gofman reviews Rich Dad's Guide to Investing.......2007-08-08
i happen to be a big fan of Kiyosaki. while light on specific acts to do or procedures to follow, this book helps one "think" in a manner that is compatible with creating wealth and success. it is unquestionably inspirational and inspiring. the next step is up to you!
ANOTHER HOMERUN BY RICH DAD!!!.......2007-07-23
Robert Kiyosaki has done it once again!!! Being an avid reader of business/ personal development and finance books for years, I always love reading the Rich Dad books. Robert's style is straight forward, friendly, and highly coversational. Anyone interested in understanding the mindset that one needs to create before beginning their personal conquest down the roads to wealth and freedom should read every Rich Dad book they can get their hands on!
Make Kiyosaki Rich and Yourself a Little Poorer.......2007-06-30
Make Kiyosaki Rich and Yourself a Little Poorer by buying this book. It amazes me how people buy the dream of becoming rich, yet make themselves poor. Kiyosaki certainly takes advantage of this by catering to greed and desire.
Case point: you are reading this book because you are poor. People rich in money and knowledge do not buy his junk.
Interesting read.......2007-05-22
Pros:
- easy to read
- keeps you interested
- you find some good info here and there
Cons:
- too vague about the subject
- repetitive
- too situational to US market
Fine read for a holliday.
Book Description
Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities are fixed-income securities, like bonds, which derive their return from an underlying mortgage or basket of mortgages, or an asset or basket of assets. This market has increased from about $100 billion in 1980 to over $2.5 trillion today. Filling the void for a new book on fixed-income, Salomon Smith Barney Guide to Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities provides a coherent and comprehensive approach to the subject. Featuring material used by the company, this book is an ideal training tool and resource for investment professionals, institutional investors, pension fund investors, and hedge-fund investors.
Lakhbir Hayre (New York, NY) is a mortgage officer at Salomon Smith Barney, and their leading expert on mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. He is a Certified Financial Analyst and a Doctor of Philosophy.
Download Description
Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities are fixed-income securities, like bonds, which derive their return from an underlying mortgage or basket of mortgages, or an asset or basket of assets. This market has increased from about $100 billion in 1980 to over $2.5 trillion today. Filling the void for a new book on fixed-income, Salomon Smith Barney Guide to Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities provides a coherent and comprehensive approach to the subject. Featuring material used by the company, this book is an ideal training tool and resource for investment professionals, institutional investors, pension fund investors, and hedge-fund investors.
Lakhbir Hayre (New York, NY) is a mortgage officer at Salomon Smith Barney, and their leading expert on mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. He is a Certified Financial Analyst and a Doctor of Philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
A collection of client reports: a Handbook (simplified), but not a Textbook.......2007-02-17
If you are a professional working on ABS and you want to have a handy collection of the client reports that were distributed by Salomon Smith Barney (now Citigroup), well this book might be very useful for you. The book covers a large breadth of topics and generally they are written quite well. But putting together 700 pages of reports written by different authors doesn't make it an organized book. Most of the chapters are neither a logical consequence of the previous one nor self contained, and they require you to be already familiar with the terminology. Furthermore, this book lacks examples of implementation details, and the mathematics involved doesn't go beyond the very basic. For example, you won't get much detail on how to structure a CMO or how to calibrate a prepayment model.
If you don't already know ABS and want to learn the details of securitization I advise you to consider the book of Stone and Zissu.
Excellent.......2006-12-12
By covering topics of great practical importance in the mortgage industry, both from the standpoint of mortgage-backed securities and from the mortgage origination process, this handbook should be helpful to those entering the field of fixed income securities and those who are seasoned veterans. The authors of the different articles emphasize the applied and practical aspects of the subject, and so no heavy guns from mathematics are brought in (as they could be in the discussions on term structure models and option-adjusted spreads), but even those readers interested in these tools from mathematics could view the handbook as an introduction to the key ideas used. In this regard the part of the handbook on prepayment analysis and modeling will be of great interest to those responsible for financial modeling, as will the part on option-adjusted spreads and durations. Readers will probably not read the handbook from cover to cover, but instead will select those articles that they have the greatest interest in. The handbook can be consulted as needed and compared with other more current literature on the topics discussed.
Financial revolutions are not as common as revolutions in other fields, due to the conservative nature of financiers and venture capitalists, but when they happen they do so with a vengeance. The mortgage industry is currently undergoing such a revolution, due not only to the innovations that are occurring in mortgage-lending but also to the willingness of homeowners to cash in on their equity. In addition, techniques from artificial intelligence (usually called "smart automation" in the mortgage industry) are being used to automate the loan origination process, particularly that of underwriting and estimation of borrower credit-worthiness. The mortgage loan origination process can now be tuned to the profile of the individual applicant and parameters such as interest rates, to produce a loan that is structured optimally for this applicant. In addition, the sheer number of regulations that must be complied with, both from municipal, state, and federal agencies can be daunting to financial and mortgage firms. But there are now technologies that have automated compliance. All of these developments are dependent on the concepts discussed in this handbook, along with others of course that are not included in it. No doubt as the mortgage revolution reaches maturity, this handbook will have to be rewritten, and might indeed include concepts that at the present time seem extremely radical or even alien, much as the current ones would have just two decades ago.
Filled in the gaps.......2006-11-08
This helped me understand how this works, with some of the jargon and some of the standard models that are used in valuation.
Hayre is lucid and informative! The Best Prepayment book.......2003-10-14
As other reviewers have mentioned this is a must for anyone involved with MBS ABS markets. Outstanding discussions on prepayment. Very detailed analysis of MBS ABS structures and related processes. A must for all people working with MBS.
Some modeling is hidden and not well explained...
Clearly the best!.......2003-01-10
A clear and detailed book, written by the No. 1 expert in MBS from, Salomon Smith Barney, the best MBS underwriting and trading firm on Wall Street. A must for all people working with MBS.
Book Description
An all-new personal finance guide from the authors/creators of The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing
First in a new series based on information from Standard & Poor’s—the leading financial information organization—Standard & Poor’s Guide to Money & Investing demystifies the world of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures, and options, empowering you to make informed investment decisions, measure your performance, and evaluate the risks and rewards. Completely up-to-date to reflect significant changes in investing due to new technologies and the Internet, this concise, easy-to-read guide explains how to understand the markets, evaluate companies, and spot trends to invest for success. Also covered are forces driving the economy and the roles of institutions from the Federal Reserve to multinational banks to the stock exchanges.
Customer Reviews:
a fantastic primer for any investor.......2007-09-17
I have been reading a bit about investing for a decade but still felt I lacked a clear and comprehensive understanding of the previously overwhelming world of money and investing. NO MORE! I have found nothing that compares to the clear, concise and highly readable format of this book. The color coded and cearly defined sections helped me digest the well-organized and very readable material. However, the author's far exceed the abilty of most to clearly and concisely explain the most difficult and complicated of topics. This little book is a gem.
I feel like I've had a brief course in economics and investing and am now able to knowledgably and confidently discuss investing with the most savvy of finanical experts, agents, and those know it alls one often encounters. I will most certainly be looking at other Lighbulb Press materials.
Pretty good general intro to investing.......2007-05-02
This book describes the basic ways to invest your money. It covers markets and currency, stocks, bonds, indexes, mutual funds, ETFs, options, futures, and other alternative investments (briefly).
The format is very easy to read - there are lots of diagrams and pictures, which actually provides a good break from the large amount of dense information provided. One thing I liked (but that some may find annoying) is the frequency of repeating definitions. Between various sections, concepts are often defined multiple times. I found this useful, since it reminded me what a certain concept was without having to go back and find it earlier in the book.
In general, the information is pretty accurate and up-to-date. However, I noticed 1 error on the idea of fluctuation in currency value (International Investing in the Money & Markets section, p. 21), which gets the concept of a "strong dollar" during an international equity trade backwards, but then follows with an example diagram that gets it right. I was frankly surprised to see such a glaring mistake. I e-mailed the publishers, but received no response.
Another thing that I didn't like is the fact that, for some numbers in some of the diagrams, there is no mention at how the numbers were calculated/derived. I personally like to see/try all the formulas, so that was slightly annoying. But for the most part, I was able to figure out the formulas myself.
In conclusion, the book does an excellent job introducing various investment opportunities. It covers general information on each investment vehicle and describes the risks associated. It does not, however, teach you any special strategies (other than the obvious "diversify your portfolio" and "use strategies to minimize risk" ones) on investing - this is not the purpose of the book.
While I was initially put off by the brochure-like format and the clip-art-like pictures, I was pleasantly surprised by the content and the ease with which the information was presented. I certainly recommend this as an entry book for someone who does not understand the different ways to invest in various markets.
Pros:
+ nice introduction to markets and exchanges, and how they are regulated
+ covers all of the important investment vehicles used today
+ lots of useful information - good reference
+ lots of diagrams and pictures to break up the text
Cons:
- a few mistakes
- relatively dense - don't expect to blow through it if you want to retain the information
Book Description
Whether youre a first-time real estate investor or a seasoned professional, The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings helps you map out your future, find apartment buildings at a fair price, finance purchases, and manage your properties. Now revised and expanded, this Second Edition includes tax planning advice, case studies of real acquisitions, and appendixes that add detail to the big picture. Plus, it includes a handy glossary of all the terms investors need to know, helpful sample forms that make paperwork quick and easy, and updated real estate forecasts. With this comprehensive guide at hand youll find profits easy to come by.
Download Description
Whether you¿re a first-time real estate investor or a seasoned professional, The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings helps you map out your future, find apartment buildings at a fair price, finance purchases, and manage your properties. Now revised and expanded, this Second Edition includes tax planning advice, case studies of real acquisitions, and appendixes that add detail to the big picture. Plus, it includes a handy glossary of all the terms investors need to know, helpful sample forms that make paperwork quick and easy, and updated real estate forecasts. With this comprehensive guide at hand you¿ll find profits easy to come by.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Introductory Investment Real Estate Overview.......2007-05-16
I've read several realestate investment books and this is the most comprehensive. It covers all aspects of finding, negotiating, financing and managing apartment building investments. Additional reading and investigation will still be required; however this is a great place to begin.
Great Read, Extremely Valuable........2007-04-22
With all the hype out there in the real estate investing space, it's refreshing to read a book that is honest, intellectual, and driven by a solid foundation in financial analysis.
Steve Berges does an outstanding job of walking the reader through general concepts, straight-forward examples, and detailed case studies. The financial analysis might be a little overwhelming to someone who is being introduced to so many financial concepts for the first time. If you don't have an understanding of finance, I'd recommend hitting Google or a Finance textbook to help get through the financial sections.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was packed full of valuable tips and information. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in adding apartment buildings to their real estate repertoire.
If you don't yet know how you want to invest............2007-04-11
...this is an excellent read. I had never given apartments a thought until reading Steve Berges. Now they are in the mix. The charts in Chapter 8 are a bit tedious, especially to a beginner, but by the time you get to the end of the book, you will know if buying and selling (or keeping) apartments is for you. Pay attention to what Berges says about the value play (Chapter4).
Well written guide.......2006-08-20
This book is a concise well written guide to the core issues of buying, owning and selling multifamily buildings. It was extremely valuable in evaluating our first purchase of a multi-family structure.
4.5 stars for another good book by Steve Berges.......2006-08-17
As a real estate investor and author myself, I read a lot of real estate books. Many, if not most, are written by folks who do not invest in real estate themselves; they only write about it. Berges is not one of them. He knows his stuff and it's clear that he practices what he preaches. I have read three of his books and, I must say, he's one of my favorite real estate authors. You can trust what he says. Experienced investors may want a bit more detail from Steve, but what he does say is accurate and safe. This is a good book on buying apartments. In fact, in my own book, "Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes & Quads," I list the best books I've read on different areas of real estate. This book is the ONLY book I recommend on investing in commercial multifamily (ie, apartments of 5 units and up) properties.
Having given those accolades, here are a few of my constructive criticisms:
1. On pages 37 and 38, Steve gives nice charts illustrating the long-term financial benefits of investing in multifamily properties. On page 39, however, there is an error in referring to the big numbers shown. The reference is made to Investor A's "equity" of $2.1 million and Investor B's (the multifamily property investor) equity of $92 million. I just don't think Steve caught this, but those numbers don't refer to the investor's equity, but to the fair market value of his collective assets (his properties). The investor's equity might be in the range of 20% of that. I do like the charts, however, and I used a similar analysis in my recent book. One other note on the charts - they presume selling and buying exactly at the end of one year - a difficult task as Steve would surely admit. On average, I think 18 months to two years is a better time frame for flipping apartments.
2. Refinancing - Steve didn't give a chart showing the long-range effect of the "buy, hold and refy" strategy (using proceeds to buy again, but retaining the first property). In addition, Steve only mentioned the general banking guideline that you can only pull out cash up to 80% of the new appraised value (i.e., the bank has an LTV of 80%). However, you can get around this. I've done it. It requires a second lender giving a second mortgage, with a CLTV (combined loan to value) of up to 90%. As such, you can pull out much more cash.
3. GRM - gross rent multiplier. In his financial analysis section, Steve doesn't give much detail or provide real life examples on this crucial analysis factor. Granted, the cap rate is the analysis primarily used for commercial real estate, while the GRM is the one used for residential multifamily (2-4 units) real estate. Since many owners and selling brokers will "fudge" on expenses, a cap rate can be very hard to verify. The GRM, however, is fairly simple - just look at the lease agreements.
4. Lack of coverage on residential multifamily apartments. In fact, this is why I wrote my book on this topic. If Steve had covered it here, I would not have written mine. I like Steve's writing style and he knows his stuff. But for investing in small multifamily properties (certainly on residential, but probably up to about 10 units), we really have to cover valuation and selection of properties using the GRM. That and I felt like the "buy, hold, and refy" strategy needed much more coverage.
But for investing in commercial multifamily properties, I recommend this book as the only good one on the market.
Larry Loftis
Author: Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes and Quads: The Fastest and Safest Way to Real Estate Wealth
Product Description
Purchasing tax lien instruments from city, county, and municipal governments can provide you with very high and secure rates of return, in some cases as high as 12%, 18%, 24%, or even 1,000% or more per year. If performed correctly, investments in tax lien instruments will far outpace stock market performance, even traditional real estate investments. The key is to know how to perform this process correctly. Tax lien certificates and deeds are not purchased through a broker; you purchase these property tax liens directly from the state or county government (depending on the state). This type of investment was created by state law, and state law protects you as the investor. Investing in tax liens and deeds can be very rewarding. Tax liens can be tax deferred or even tax-free. You can purchase them in your self-directed IRA. Interest rates vary but average between 4% and 18%. The interest rates are fixed by local governments, essentially a government-guaranteed loan. Additionally, the investment is secured by real property (real estate). This sounds great, but what is the catch? There really is none, except you must know what you are doing! This groundbreaking and exhaustively researched new book will provide everything you need to know to get you started on generating high-investment returns with low risk, from start to finish. You will learn what property tax liens and tax lien certificates are; how to invest in tax lien certificates; how to buy tax lien certificates; insider secrets to help you double or even triple your investment, how to start with under $1,000; the risks, traps, and pitfalls to avoid; and a detailed directory of states that sell tax lien certificates with contact information. In addition, we spent thousands of hours interviewing, e-mailing, and communicating with hundreds of todays most successful investors. This book is a compilation of their secrets and proven successful ideas. If you are interested in learning hundreds of hints, tricks, and secrets on how to purchase tax liens and deeds and earn enormous profits, then this book is for you.
Customer Reviews:
Doesn't offer much.......2007-08-09
The other reviewers are obviously novices, easily impressed, or are related to the author or publisher. Would you rather read a cook book written by Julia Child or Martha Stewart or one written by me after interviewing Julia & Martha? The author has never bought a tax lien and doesn't pretend that she has, and the book reads that way.
The book is fairly thorough, but gives no real insight or tips experienced by a seasoned investor in tax liens. The book has a very general tone about it throughout. It's obvious the author has never gone near a courthouse or auction. The book is roughly 30-40% filler material. I read this book in one evening. Of all the tax liens books that I've read I would put this one at the bottom of the stack.
The best book on tax liens over the past several years is Profit by Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens by Larry Loftis. The 16% Solution written in 1994 is dated, but would be my second choice. No I'm not related to Mr. Loftis and wouldn't recommend any other book written by him that I've read.
More viable information than any other similar book I have found todate.......2007-06-08
The Complete Guide to Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens & Deeds: How to Earn High Rates of Return - Safely
"By far the most through and comprensive of any book I have found anywhere on this subject of Investing in Tax Liens"! Has enabled me to make a considerable amount over the past few months with very little effort.
Buy this book and avoid the seminars.......2007-04-09
Tax lien investing is interesting. They are touted as a surefire winning ivestments and many "experts" offer training costing thousands of dollars to "train" you on how to invest in these "goldmines". Do yourself a favor, buy this book and avoid the seminars. You are going to learn by experience and this book will help you get started. The seminars are simply going to part you and your money. Tax liens are not as easy as they sound. You cannot simply go down to the courthouse and buy a 25% lien. Most people trying to get you into this game neglect to mention the fact that large companies will flood the market with lowball offers to obtain a majority of the better tax liens.
No nonsense. No hype. No Details.......2007-01-13
From reading the cover you might think this is another get rich quick idea. After reading the book, however, you'll find a hype-free matter of fact approach. All the benefits and pitfalls (at least that I could think of) are covered. I went to a seminar where someone pitched an expensive package of services to help someone who wanted to invest in tax lien certificates. Instead I bought this book. It will answer your questions and help you decide if you want to proceed. What the book does not include are all the little details you'll need to actually execute a purchase. This varies a lot by state and would require the book to double in size. So, if you just want to know about these investments, I recommend this book. If you are ready to invest, you'll need more information.
Good explanation of difficult subject.......2007-01-04
Tax lien and tax deed investing are complicated subjects, made even more complicated by the huge variations in laws from state to state. This book explains the different details with great clarity.
The book opens with general chapters that explain why the differences between tax liens and tax deeds, the things an investor must consider when planning such an investment, and guidelines that will help make the process more comfortable. For example, even an experienced investor may have little experience with auctions, which is the method most governments use to sell tax liens and deeds - "The Complete Guide" has tips on what to bring and do in those situations.
Also in the early chapters, Burrell uses real world examples to help explain points - showing, for example, the forms used to register for an auction in Los Angeles. Later, Burrell discusses subjects like foreclosing (the painful part for those of us without thick skin) and getting financing for a tax lien or tax deed investment.
However, the key parts of the book are the tables (I think there are about 20); Chapter 12, which has a comprehensive breakdown of the different state laws; and the exceptionally comprehensive, 60-page (you read that right!) glossary.
Book Description
Written by an expert with 20 years of experience in commercial site evaluation, The Site Book is a practical book that takes a logical and process-oriented approach to site evaluation. Built around dozens of real-life examples of sites that work, sites that don't - and all the reasons why - this book explores the dynamic and sometimes complex relationship between site features and other factors that will ultimately determine the success of any restaurant or retail location. The Site Book features:
In depth discussion of the major areas affecting a site evaluation including customer sources, usage patterns, demographic reports, day parts, linkages, drop-in features, physical surroundings, image, trade area, growth strategies, competition, and cannibalism.
A step-by-step guide through the site evaluation process using a unique site evaluation worksheet.
Strategies for measuring and weighting the relative importance of each site feature and calculating a final site score.
Practical tips for specific concepts and varying market conditions - such as opening a first destination in a new market, adding a second store, or backfilling in a saturated market.
Strategies for site selection in competitive markets where the best locations are in short supply.
Customer Reviews:
Should be titled Site Book For Retail.......2007-03-11
This is a good, pratical book- although it only focuses on retail development. No mention of office, multifamily, industrial, etc. Still worth it though.
Great Resource.......2007-01-19
This book is a great resource for even the most seasoned real estate professionals. It is refreshing to see a scientific approach to site selection that successfully integrates the art of real estate qualitative analysis.
easy to understand and easy to apply.......2005-07-29
This book analyzes the the factors that go into choosing a good site for a commercial venture.
This alone would have been enough to earn 5 stars. The book goes on to present a system for rating potential sites that uses the factors explained in previous chapters. You can customize the process by changing the importance each factor carries.
A software package is offered for sale that provides templates and performs calculations. However, if you are handy with Excel, you should be able to recreate the template/calculations within a few hours.
This excellent book promises to be a guide to choosing commercial real estate. It delivers, in spades, on that promise.
It's a Roadmap for Site Selection!.......2003-04-04
This book was referred to me by a co-worker (who happened to be an expert in real estate). Thanks!! I only wish I'd stumbled upon it years earlier.
After struggling with a homegrown spreadsheet modeling approach in my first retail business, this book brought together all the missing pieces in a way that made perfect sense. It gave me a framework to account for the qualitative site feature data that is so important, yet so difficult to deal with. It became my roadmap for site selection.
The logical model outlined in this book comes to life through Fenker's humorous examples of tips & traps.
If your business depends on good sites, you must read this book!
Great for everyone.......2002-04-27
This book is great for everyone from the beginner to the seasoned sales forecaster.
I browse it every now and again to remind myself that there are fundamentals to this business, and we know how costly veering from those can be.
It's a fast read, and I highly recommend it to those doing site selection.
Book Description
For years, financial planners have focused on helping their clients accumulate wealth for retirement. Now, as millions of those boomer clients head into retirement, there is little quality information on how to manage that wealth in retirement. Evensky and Katz, two of the nation's best-known financial planners, asked leading experts to give advisers a toolkit and roadmap to the new landscape. Included are valuable insights and practical approaches for increasing retirement cash flow, withdrawal strategies, longevity insurance, creating portfolios with low volatility, and decision making. Each of the 26 contributors offers fresh research and solutions for forecasting income needs, evaluating client needs, and communicating effectively with clients. Armed with these more effective approaches to distribution and improved methodologies for planning, financial advisers and wealth managers will be able to make their clients? golden years shine ever more brightly.
Customer Reviews:
Money Well Spent.......2007-08-16
I have read over two dozen books on investing and retirement planning and this is among my favorites. First, there are few books which talk to the subject of distribution (as opposed to accumulation) strategies. Second, the authors have chosen to allow other experts to contribute to their book - 25 of them to be precise. So you are not just getting the advice of one or two people, but the opinions of over two dozen renowned experts in the field. There is a tremendous amount of wisdom contained in the chapters.
As anyone who is a student of investing and retirement planning will know, Harold Evensky is quoted routinely and widely recognized as an expert in his field. Simply getting his advice is more than worth the price of admission. An example is the Evensky & Katz Cash Flow Reserve Strategy (E&KS) which is discussed in chapter 11. I have no doubt I will use this strategy in my own distribution planning.
Also not to be missed in the work of Bill Bengen on sustainable withdrawals, which is presented in chapter 13. Anyone who is contemplating managing their own cash flows in retirement (and even those who entrust this to others) should not miss Bill's views and opinions. He is arguably the leading expert on sustainable withdrawal rates in the financial planning business. I would highly recommend that you also consider purchasing his book, Conserving Client Portfolio's During Retirement, in addition to this fine work. Fortunately that book has recently become available on Amazon so it is now easy to find and obtain. I purchased my copy about 9 months ago and had to order it directly from the Financial Planning Association.
While you may not agree with every opinion expressed in this book, it will certainly get you to thinking (perhaps outside the box) and pressure testing what you think you know.
I'm sure I will use it as a constant guide in managing my own finances.
Excellent source of advice.......2007-08-04
I have been reading retirement and investment books extensively over the past 2 years (Graham, Gibson, Slott, Stein etc.) and while some have touched on saving for retirement, few have touched on withdrawal strategy. In this book, Harold has gone to great length to spell out the retiree's psychological and economic needs, and offers up excellent options to address both. That section, plus the other fine chapters by other authors, make this a must-have book for the enlightened counselor.
Excellent Technical Discussion.......2007-03-10
As a recent retiree, who is not a professional financial planner, I found this book very helpful in understanding the "technical" details of various financial planning tools. I was particularly interested in Monte Carlo analysis (which I use) and how this tool can be used to objectively (albeit not in the most easily understandable form for a lay person) quantify my investment portfolio risk.
It was also very interesting in how the Monte Carlo tool is being misused to evaluate risks other than simple investment portfolio risk. I would agree with the authors conerns about how certain financial planners are trying to use Monte Carlo analysis to evaluate risk far beyond the investment portfolio.
Traditional financial planning advice would suggest an ultra-conservative investment strategy high in fixed income securities. For those willing and able to accept the variablity of the stock market, a significantly higher level of income can be generated with little additional risk. Monte Carlo is the tool (properly used) to evaluate investment strategies.
An Important Book for Financial Advisers.......2006-05-24
This collection of twenty essays on retirement planning shifts the focus of much of the current literature from the accumulation of assets to their distribution. "Retirementality" - how we think about and live out retirement (Anthony) - is being redefined by a generation who are living years longer than their predecessors. Indeed, "longevity risk" is one of the central themes of this book. As defined benefit pension plans disappear and the viability of social security is debated, the net reality is that longer living retirees are left with fewer streams of guaranteed life-time income. Making that nest egg last is a challenge. Failure to do so is "the probability of ruin" - to use Milevsky's indelicate phrase.
A number of these contributors see annuities as integral to generating a guaranteed life-long stream of cash. Carey and Dellinger (and Milevsky elsewhere) maintain that investment returns produced by an annuity will always be superior to identical investments outside an annuity because of the "mortality credits" from other terminated annuity policy holders which are factored into the projected income. A chapter on reverse mortgages presents an evenly balanced discussion of this additional source of income for retirees. Considering that half the population who reach 65 may need some form of expensive institutional care (Greenwald), supplemental streams of income may also prove useful to pay for a long-term care insurance policy.
"Sustained Withdrawals" (Benge) seeks to determine a "safemax" - the maximum, annual withdrawal percentage rate from a retiree's accumulated wealth during this "decumulation" (Katz) phase. Determining this rate is another key theme in this collection. The rub is that relying solely on historical average rates of return and conservative withdrawal percentage rates mean little to a portfolio's survival if the sequence of market returns is negative in the early years of retirement. Benge's research looks at different withdrawal rates, asset mixes, various timing strategies, and adjustments to the withdrawal rate when it is a goal to leave nest egg assets as a bequest. Meanwhile, Stanaslovich in "Creating Portfolios With Lower Volatility" raises the bar with a gloomy projection of low returns for a variety of asset classes into the next decade.
This book should be read by financial planners, brokerage advisers working with retiring clients, and informed investors who want to manage their own affairs.
Amazon.com
This handy fact-filled book initiates you into the mysteries of the financial pages -- buying stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures and options, spotting trends and evaluating companies. For those who are curious but intimidated by everyday financial jargon, this guide offers a literate, forthright and lively alternative. Recommended.
Book Description
The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money & Investing initiates you into the mysteries of the financial pages -- buying stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures and options, spotting trends and evaluating companies. For those who are curious but intimidated by everyday financial jargon, this guide offers a literate, forthright and lively alternative.
Customer Reviews:
Great!.......2007-03-27
Just finished reading it. Wow, what a mind trip. Fast shipment too!
Investing for Dummies.......2005-05-03
I cant believe that I went through college without taking business or econ classes (except for political economy). This is a way for me to catch up.
I like this book because it is easy to read and understand. So easy even an elementary school kid could understand....ok maybe junior high.
Eventually I would hope to read the Intelligent Investor.
Excellent basics.......2004-12-08
This book is excellent for learning the basic concepts in investing and finance. If you would like to iniciate in this area, i recommend this book as an entry door with the basics.
The Best.......2004-05-25
As many have said in their reviews, this is a great starting point for those new to investing and financial markets. In fact, it's the best I've ever found and I've looked a lot. The simple, plain English explanations are what makes this book stand out. For the nuances and more detailed information regarding the topics in the book, look to a textbook from a college finance class. But for the person who knows very little, start with this.
Good for beginner investors.......2004-05-23
If you are new to investing and need a simple primer, read this book. It's well organized and written. Those that have invested for a while will find this book simplistic. Nevertheless, I think every beginning investor should get a copy and read it.
Book Description
Offering advice on joining or starting an investment club, this book also details the NAIC's method for investing in growth stocks--a method so successful that 60% of investment clubs outperform the market. The book includes the unique forms and worksheets the NAIC has developed for selecting, analyzing, and comparing stocks.
Customer Reviews:
Good Information for Beginning Clubs.......2002-10-18
This book will give new clubs information on reading annual reports, preparing and using N.A.I.C. tools such as the Stock Selection Guide and more. This is the Investment Club Bible.
Options for Investment Clubs.......2002-09-18
This books shows you how to get started with an investment club. Such clubs are great educational opportunities, yet I have never seen an investment club help its members learn about options. In today's troubled markets, hedging with options makes good sense. THE SHORT BOOK ON OPTIONS explains how investment clubs can use options to generate the "expected" profits more quickly. Get both of these books and establish your investment club as one that reaps additional profits using options.
Lots of Good & Useful Information.......2000-05-18
The strength of this book is that it's quite easy to read. The book is a great resource for beginning investors who are interested in forming an investment club. It can make for a great present to each member of your family. My brother got me this book as a present, and I finished it in a night; the following morning, we had devised a way to start a family investment club. I find myself contantly referring back to this book, especially the Apendices; the Glossary provided is rich with terms every investor needs to know--if you don't know the lingo, how do you expect to make any money?
A must read.......2000-03-20
This is a must read for anyone wanting to start an investment club or who is thinking of joining an existing club. While some portions of the book, at first, may be a bit overwhelming for a new investor, it all comes together easily and clearly. The questions to ask potential members, brokers, and others all help to insure that if your club is not succesful, it will be because of the market's performace and not your structure.
Required reading for all investment clubs.......1998-03-03
Everything you need to know about investment clubs. You don't need to be part of a club to profit from this book. The one down side is that the writing style can be heavy going at times. The authors know their choosen field but the worked examples could have been better layed out. The book is full of tips and tools for the would-be investor. This book is the current standard when it comes to this subject.
Book Description
Find the sound investments among the foreclosures. Covering both bank-owned and government-owned properties, this book focuses on helping buyers distinguish between good foreclosure investments and those plagued with liens and other pitfalls. Readers will learn about the benefits of buying foreclosures; foreclosure timeline and process; the different types of foreclosures; finding pre- foreclosed properties; important pre-purchase pitfalls; buying at an auction; and more.
• The national residential foreclosure rate rose to from 1 to 1.23% (of all mortgages) by the end of 2003—the biggest jump in 30 years
• Foreclosures are expected to increase as interest rates rise and monthly payments on short-term variable rate and interest-only loans begin to follow (Realty Times)
Customer Reviews:
CID Guide to Buying Foreclosures.......2007-05-06
Sunday, May 6, 2007
For a newbie, this is an excellent introduction. It shows you the way to proceed, if you're serious about trying. For the price, it is a bargin and should be kept as a reference. If you're like me, a yellow lighter can be quite helpfull. Well worth the price when you consider the large sums of money that can be involved.
Very Insightful.......2007-03-10
This is a very informative book. It doesn't mess around with a lot of fluff. I highly recomend it!
Provides solid information worthy of the Complete Idiot Guide series.......2007-01-22
I've always enjoyed the Complete Idiot Guide series. Why? Because it delivers the message down to earth. It takes highly complexed legal matters and shows you step by step on how to invest in foreclosures. If you want to make money in foreclosures or have wanted to invest in them, you need to read this book.
Matt
Illustrator for the Ultimate Foreclosure Kit (ISBN 0978834658)
READ ME FIRST - A comical and resourceful guide.......2006-11-13
This is a comical and resourceful guide to foreclosures, offering an easy to read handbook on how to invest in govt or bank foreclosed properties. Other titles that helped me about foreclosures -- Investing With out Losing: The Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Tax Lien and Tax Deed Auctions
Provides good information for getting started.......2006-11-07
Provides a large amount of information in a concise but easy-to-read format. Considering all of the nuances of buying foreclosures, from the legal considerations to the occupation stage, the author does a good job of capturing and conveying the essentials. The author also does a good job of communicating both public and private foreclosure opportunities, which is important in many states.
The author focuses primarily on 'investing in foreclosures' vs. 'buying a foreclosure for your primary residence.' Consider this when comparing to other books.
Could have used more specific information on where to look for foreclosure opportunities, but the book does mention that actively searching and networking is a key to the game.
Overall, a good, easy read with valuable information for anyone wishing to enhance their real estate expertise.
Books:
- Short-Term Missions: From Mision Tourists to Global Citizens
- So You Want to Be a Mortgage Broker
- Technical Analysis for Dummies
- Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Methods and Applications (New York Institute of Finance)
- Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Methods and Applications (New York Institute of Finance)
- Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Methods and Applications (New York Institute of Finance)
- Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Methods and Applications (New York Institute of Finance)
- Technology Management: Developing and Implementing Effective Licensing Programs (Intellectual Property-General, Law, Accounting & Finance, Management, Licensing, Special Topics)
- The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
- The Betrayal (The Fear Street Saga 1)
Books Index
Books Home
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- Magic Item Compendium
- Teaching in the Knowledge Society: Education in the Age of Insecurity
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General
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Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom
Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
Rich Dad's Advisors®: The ABC's of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss (Rich Dad's Advisors)
Own Your Own Corporation: Why the Rich Own Their Own Companies and Everyone Else Works for Them (Rich Dad's Advisors)
Rich Dad's Retire Young, Retire Rich
