fund Books

Crazyman's Economics

In researching "Crazyman's Economics", I discovered the "dirty secret" of Wall Street that they rely on the fees and hidden costs as Loeper so thoroughly describes in "Stop the 401(k) Rip-off!." To Wall Street's brokerage houses, it doesn't matter if your 401(k) makes money or loses money, the fact is that as long as you have your money circulating, Wall St. makes money.

Loeper is correct that you need to take a greater look at your 401(k). Where I disagree with his book is that no matter how much you work to take the fees out, the problem is that the entire system is a giant con game. I would recommend that people take money out of their 401(k) and then they won't have to worry about hidden fees.

But Loeper's book is necessary reading to get a discussion started in this country about the role of Wall Street and the need for accountability for those who hold trillions of dollars of our money.

What is the best way to "stop" the "rip-off?" One way is to find an alternative to the 401 itself. Perhaps "Stop the 401K rip-off" by David Loeper is garnering some deserved sales recently. Possibly because the financial markets are in a cyclical slump, and many Baby Boomer 401K holders are getting out their calculators. This book should lead some (not all) to question whether they should have the 401K plan at all to begin with. We know the tax benefits, but there are limitations of investment options, age restrictions, and hidden expenses (fees) that erode a worker's earnings over decades and limit allocation options.

The 401K is one piece among many investments in the retirement puzzle. This puzzle is shrinking, and retirement will be an illusion for tens of millions that will rely on the balance of the 401. Of course, the old adage of "diversification" is needed but some people are using other vehicles in their attempts attain critical mass or sufficient funds for living expenses in the latter years. And, what percentage of the 401K will be used for medical care? Pharmaceutical (medicine) costs? More than many think.

Yes, there is employer matching for some, but 401K plans are dishonest and limited. Some feel even more secure investing into the S & P 500 Index funds that are non-tax deferred.

The 401K plan has been intentionally engineered to steal from and cheat the worker. Congress has allowed this to happen. The lack of knowledge and ignorance has been engineered as well. The more ignorant workers with 401Ks are, the easier it is to profit via hidden fees.

Loeper tells us how to "stop the 401K rip-off." The gravy train of hidden expense theft is the foundation of the plan. The only way to stop the institutional and legally thievery is to stay in your plan and know *everything* about your plan, or to dump it and use alternatives. This is a good point with specifics.

2 key assets to this book. Exposing it and then advising on how to take actions. Loeper explains the "whats" of the 401 and also the "hows" of trying to reduce fees, fee disclosure, and offers points on getting in and out of these plans in the most optimum way. This book is necessary, but why should it be? Because of the systematic plan to separate as much of an American worker's money from him or her as possible.

"Stop the 401K rip-off" by David Loeper ought to be handed out by HR departments across the country when employees enroll in their 401K plans.

Dave Loeper exposes the dark, hidden and arguably unscrupulous (yet legal) ways 401k participants have been (and continue to be) robbed. More significantly he gives you the knowledge to fix this injustice. Read this book and act on it or prepare to cry about it during your retirement or lack thereof.
From my experience as a retirement plan consultant, investment advisor and independent fiduciary; it is a sad commentary that almost every employer I meet isn't even aware of the basic retirement plan issues (let alone the remedies) highlighted in this book.
After reading this book you will know more than your employer about your broken 401k plan, more importantly, you will have the blueprints to help them fix it.

What an incredible book! So many people invest in retirement programs. So many companies offer these programs. Sadly, very few people or companies negotiate well or know where to start. I found this book very helpful and a special discovery to the process of reviewing a company's retirement plan.

My name is Matthew Hutcheson. I'm an independent pension fiduciary, and have studied retirement plan economics for over fifteen years. Every American worker with a 401(k) (or a 403(b)/457 for that matter) should put this book on the top of their reading list. The information contained in this book could be worth many thousands of extra retirement dollars to you down the road. Mr. Loeper should be congratulated on one of the most important and practical retirement books of the decade.

This is a fascinating book about the collapse of one of the largest and most sophisticated hedge funds of all time. The book gives great insight to the hedge fund world, as run by Nobel prize winners and other mathematical geniuses, without being technical. Anyone with a passing interest in the world of finance is likely to enjoy this book.

Does an excellent job of recounting the events and the people involved in the rise and fall of the hedge fund. The length of the novel is short enough to make it possible to read it in one go, the pace is fast enough, with none of the detours that authors are sometimes tempted to take (describing in excruciating and needless detail minutae that seem to serve no useful purpose other than that to fatten the book and make the tome appear more scholarly than it is). The author also does describe, in non technical terms, some of the financial instruments that were used by LCTM. These descriptions are by no means technical, and there is not a single formula in the entire book. Also, unlike some other authors, Lowenstein does not fall into the trap of describing the lifestyles of the protagonists in lurid detail. We do get a glimpse into how the main actors lived, ostentatious or not, but it never gets so involved so as to distract from the main purpose of the book, which is to describe the rise and fall of LCTM.

What is also clear is that the author has a soft corner for Merriwhether, the brain and the soul behind LCTM. The Nobel laureates at LCTM come off as having too much faith in the mathematical certainty of their formulae, while the experienced traders at LCTM as also having drunk the kool-aid. These people, like Hillibrand, Haghani, and others believed so much in their skills and the correctness and certitude of the formulae that they staked their personal wealth on LCTM's success. Markets and investors do not always behave with mathematical preciseness, nor can their behavior be modeled and predicted using past performance or normal distributions (bell curves). Events can cause highly improbable events to turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. Markets are interconnected, and when things go bad, the correlation turns to one. Leverage by itself is not bad, provided liquidity is not a concern. You can be illiquid, and you can be leveraged, but not at the same time. These are just some of the lessons the author draws our attention to.

One drawback listed by many reviewers of this book is that the book is not technical enough. Which is fair enough. However, it would be quite difficult to write a book that did justice to the twin objectives of recounting the events and history of LCTM as well providing enough technical details and background into the various theorems and intricacies of the financial instruments used by LCTM. Such a book would either run the risk of becomg very long, thus losing much of its intended audience, or become disjointed, with the narrative struggling to juggle between the characters, the plot, and the technical details. There are other highly rated books like 'Inventing Money' that are more technical in nature, and could be read in conjunction with 'When Genius Failed'.

Some other books suggested:
Inventing Money: The Story of Long-Term Capital Management and the Legends Behind It
The Scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away?
The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron

The book is a thorough account on what happened at LTCM. Absolutely fantastic writing skills. What I liked the most though is how Goldman came on top as usual :-) Interesting, hein? Goldman is amazing.

An excellent read & indeed very relevant in today's' times when we see fiascos in the financial markets repeated almost every day. I expect another book from Roger Lowenstein soon on Bear Stearns, Lehman, Merrill Lynch & the state of financial markets (today). God Bless Wall Street & God Bless America! Hail Lowenstein!

One of the best stories about modern finance...this book must be read by everyone committing serious money into the markets. Written approximately 10 years ago, 10 years before the bankrupcy declaration by Lehman Brothers, "When Genius Failed" presents some timely lessons that should have been learned a decade ago...but weren't for some odd reason.

#1 The issue of swaps: It is interesting that David Swenson of Yale is described here as inventing the first modern financial derivative--the swap. How ironic is it that Swenson makes no mention of investing in this toxic coolaid himself (in his books)? How ironic is it that losses in swaps were the #1 thing that brought down Long Term Capital...and all of Wall Street's titans were around to see it 10 years ago...and yet what are the financial derivatives bringing down companies like AIG today--the swap...You would have thought people would have learned! Avoid this crap!

#2 Shame on John Reed from Citibank (he was Mr. Conservative, right?)and Alan Greenspan for opposing rules that would have required regulation and disclosure related to derivatives. In retrospect, this is absolutely nuts. Certainly, Citigroup is paying the price for its participation in these same markets now---how ironic that it would likely have really benefited by regulation it opposed.

#3 It is of immense interest that Bear Sterns' Jim Cayne refused to participate with the LTCM bail out...leading other Wall Street firms to promise revenge...Well...look what happened 10 years later when Bear needed help...it was nowhere to be found.

#4 It is shocking that Wall Street never learned the lesson of LTCM's failure: leverage + deritvatives equals big trouble. That is why we are experiencing this same pain today--ten years later. LTCM should have been allowed to go bankrupt 10 years ago...bringing the banks with it...nothing else would have forced upon them a good, conservative nature. Now, unfortunately, surgery is needed to cure the patient...or it may be too late....

Very good book, the author takes you behind the scene of Wall Street and history of the market. He goes over the basics of our economy and the different avenues of investing. This is a must read for anyone who want to start investing but is confused on where to start. I would have given this book 5 stars if he had written down a step by step process to investing. I recommend this book 1st and then read Jim Cramer's Mad Money, he gives the step by step procedures I was looking for in his book.

As a novice to finance, I found this book both educational and entertaining. Highly recommended!

Would have give it 5 stars,except for the fact that they did not return my e-mail, when I had a question

This book helps to understand how the shares market works and its history.

I think it may interest all people who wants to improve his knowleadge in

investing.

The book is otherwise fabulous, but you should steer clear of the Kindle version. The Kindle handles charts poorly, and this book has a lot of them. Some are manageable, but many others contain small text that is so blurry that it might as well be written in Arabic. Quite honestly, it is not entirely clear to me how Amazon gets away with selling this item. The Kindle is great, but Amazon absolutely should not sell books that cannot actually be read on it.

As others have mentioned, this book could be distilled down to "The only way to succeed at long term investing is to buy low-fee mutual funds that track the whole stock market". The entire rest of the book is the justification, and it's pretty hard to argue with any of it. Sure, you can beat the market sometimes, but it can't last.

As a beginning investor, I found the book informative - it helps you think about stocks and the market in ways that aren't immediately obvious to the uninformed.

I love this book. Gave it to my nephew who was content to lose money for 20 years and get into sector funds to make his riches later.

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (Little Books. Big Profits)I thought this book was very clearly written, and its advise quite compelling. It hammers home the long-term advantages of investing in index funds. Of course, the author sells them for Vanguard, but none-the-less, his advise makes sense. He points out how difficult it is to select a mutual fund which consitently beats the market average over a long time period. According to the book, the odds are stacked heavily against it. So I think his point is for me to let go of my ego, and admit how extraordinarily difficult it is to beat the averages, and just invest in index funds and let it ride. Piled with fact after fact, lots of statistics, and bare logic, the book makes its case superbly. I recoommend it to all who own or plan to own stocks or bonds.

Jack Bogle has written a book for the ages...in simple language with illustrations that are easily understood, he makes a compelling case for index investing. This is the single critical volume of knowledge that the typical investor will ever need.

I have been reading about investing since the current market down turn began, including several other books by John Bogle, founder and ex-CEO of the Vanguard Group. This slim volume makes the case once again for investing in low cost indexed mutual funds rather than trying to beat the market, which most of the professionals fail to do. This book is perfect as a refresher course, or for your significant other who is too busy (or too intimidated) to read more detailed books on investing.

Very boring to read. Explains at length reasoning that leads to short sales. Unless short-selling is of particular interest to you or, if you face an imminent encounter with SEC, this book is unlikely to be of any value to you.

Fooling Some of the People All of the Time catalogs the incredible events that followed the author's fast rising hedge fund and the investment community that attacked him after sticking his neck out in a speech. The investment community attached to protect its interests, which provides a good lesson in today's financial crisis. The book gives an informative look at the ins and outs of wall street, and the lengths people there will go to attack companies and individuals who attempt to uncover untoward behavior. It's a very interesting, if detailed, read and necessarily so.

As an investor and fan of the financial markets, I don't typically read psychology books, but a colleague passed along The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book to me this week when we were discussing the chaos that has befallen the financial markets of late. I devoured that book! It's really great at revealing the role emotions play in ANY decision you make, and I'm a smarter investor for having read it.

I like reading books about corporate collapses (eg about Enron and Worldcom), and this book, whilst not about a corporate collapse, details the author's extensive investigation into the accounting and other practices of Allied Capital. Both as a story and technically, this is an exciting book.

Although some claims against Allied appear to be exaggerated, or at least are not fully substantiated within the covers of the book, this is an excellent look into the critical bird-dog role of financial analysts.

Plenty of literary criticisms to be made, but it is a relatively easy, even enjoyable, read.

It is also informative, albeit troubling, to read of the indifference and incompetence of many government officials in response to Greenlight's more damning findings of fraudulent and misleading activity. Although this is something we have come to expect over the course of the George "heckuva job" Bush administration, we need more voices in this fight.

This is an excellent read with great insight into the way true hedge funds try to add value and how publicly traded companies can make perception into reality.

As we approach the 2008 Presidential election it is difficult not to be alarmed at what has become of the election process in this country. John Fund brings us all up to date on just what is going on in the updated version of his 2004 book "Stealing Elections, Revised and Updated: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy". If you are as concerned as I am about the myriad problems we face in conducting elections in this nation then I urge you to take the time to read this extremely important book.
The problems appear to have started in 1994 with the enactment of the Motor Voter Law. This innane act allows individuals to register to vote in church, at the laundromat or at just about any government agency. What is particularly outrageous about this practice is that absolutely no identification is required to register in most states. When I first read about this many years ago I recall thinking just how ridiculous this law was. People can also register by mail, again with no identification required. And the consequences of this law should not be at all surprising. We now have many more fraudulant votes being cast by illegal aliens, convicted felons, by folks who moved away years earlier and yes even by dead people!!! Have you read the news about ACORN lately? As a result the ballots cast by legitimate, law-abiding citizens are being negated. It is an absolute outrage!
Another way elections are being stolen in this country is by the use of absentee ballots and extended election periods. It used to be that a citizen needed to present officials with a legitimate reason for being sent an absentee ballot. Today, in the name of "convenience", standards have been greatly relaxed and more and more voters are opting for absentee ballots. The opportunities for voter fraud increase exponentially in such a scenario. God forbid people have to wait in line for half an hour once every four years to do their duty as citizens! Did you know that in 2008 in the state of Ohio people are being allowed to cast their votes in person some 5 weeks before Election Day? Is this really necessary? And who stands to benefit from such a law? Meanwhile in Oregon virtually all balloting is now done by mail. Melody Rose, a professor at Oregon State University observes in "Stealing Elections": "Vote by mail brings a perpetual risk of systemic fraud." In such a system ballots can easily be stolen from mailboxes and once again the opportunity for all kinds of hanky panky dramatically increases.
In the chapter entitled "High Tech Voting", John Fund also discusses the numerous problems with just about all of the new voting machine technologies that are available to states and municipalities. He points out significant problems that have occured with just about all of the new technologies including touch screens and scanners. Once again, the potential for fraud is tremendous. Democrats have bitterly complained that irregularities in the State of Ohio in 2004 cost Kerry the election. And even if these machines happen to be in good working order on Election Day recent history has taught us that many poll workers are poorly trained and often do not know how to operate these machines properly. Then there is the requirement for issuing so-called "provisional" ballots in many states. The situation has gotten completely out of control and these issues need to be addressed.
As an important first step to remedy some of these issues and to return some level of sanity to the process, John Fund proposes that photo identification be required before voting. This seems like a reasonable idea. A poll taken in 2004 found that 89% of Bush supporters and 75% of John Kerry voters approved of this proposal. Yet Civil Rights groups fight such an idea tooth and nail. It is also clear to me that much of the new voting equipment in use might not be quite ready for prime time use. It is imperative that before a state commits to such new technologies that adequate testing be done beforehand. After all, what is the big rush? Are we falling all over ourselves just so the networks can get faster results on election night? Let them wait!
In "Stealing Elections, Revised and Updated: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy" John Fund has painted a chilling picture of what our elections are turning into. I take this book very seriously and worry what the ramifications might be if people come to believe that elections can be easily manipulated or even stolen in our country. These are issues of the utmost importance that all of us should become acquainted with and reading "Stealing Elections" is a great way to get up to speed on these issues. Highly recommended!

This book addresses important issues that will shape
the very future of our Nation!

John Fund is an outright partisan hack. The myth of voter fraud is a front for the ongoing republican efforts to purge hundreds of thousands of minority and poor voters from the voter rolls in swing states like Ohio and Florida. If you want to buy this book go ahead, but its just another piece of propaganda from the folks who brought you the Iraq debacle, the Katrina tragedy, the politicization of our Justice Department, the retributive outing of a CIA operative, the housing disaster and wall street collapse/bailout, pentagon/retired military trading of republican war talking points for access to military purchasers, the cocaine fueled corruption at the Interior Dept. -- the list goes on and on and on and on. Fund is un-American and, in a more honest age, would be tarred and feathered for the lies and distortions he has penned.

John Fund writes about the stories that you do not read in most newspapers or hear about on the network news. Civil rights are violated when someone doesn't get to vote, but also when their vote is negated by fraud on the part of others. Not only are there people out there running scams to steal people's votes through things like absentee ballot fraud, but there is a growing trend to settle elections by lawfare rather than allowing every vote to be counted. Fund may be a conservative, but facts are facts. Read the book and judge for yourself.

This book is completely different from the earlier version and is a must read for anyone concerned about the upcoming election.
Fund uses numerous examples to back up his claims regarding vote fraud. Vote fraud is not a myth as evidenced by the felony convictions of various members of ACORN (a group Obama worked for and backs). ACORN creates fraudulent voter registration lists in order to get the candidates they back elected to office.
Fund also discusses voter ID laws and outlines the battle that ended at the Supreme Court earlier this year with the decision that voter ID laws are constitutional despite what liberals cry.
It's truly amazing how little policing there is of who votes and when and where in this country. All citizens with the right to vote should be concerned about the issue of vote fraud because every time someone without the right votes, it dilutes legitimate votes.
The first reviewer's rant about all things Republican seems misplaced - this book is about ensuring democracy for all, not partisan politics.

I read this book back in December 07, the perfect timing for it would have been now, however.
A very simple conclusion from this book is that despite all the good intentions that the current bailout (TARP) might have, what we are doing is creating a new demon that will provoke a new crisis, with a different twist, anytime in the future.
Crisis are inevitable and we cannot go against financial innovations (like in the last 10 years with derivatives, CDS, MBOs, CDOs, etc.)
A better synchronicity among financial institutions and one regulatory agency (not several agencies that do not communicate between themselves as they should) could be a solution.

Bookstaber has written a cogent, understandable and witty guide to the structural and human underpinnings of the current financial crisis. While this book requires thoughtful reading, it does not assume that the reader is technically savvy about markets or the plethora of financial instruments that have come to have such a dramatic impact on U.S. and world economies. I unhesitatingly recommend this book to anyone wishing a deeper understanding of the problems that can and have been created by financial markets and instruments.

This book is part memoir, part reflection on risk, part tell-all, part recapitulation of recent financial crises and part polemic. If you fret that all these parts might blur author Richard Bookstaber's objectives and message, you are right, but, if you have the patience, keep reading. Enjoy the somewhat diffuse anecdotes and observations in the first few chapters until you reach the author's straightforward presentation of his case that the U.S. financial system is at risk from complexity and tight coupling. The book would have benefited from a slightly fresher take on the financial crises of the last three decades. However, given the author's years as a risk manager on Wall Street (Morgan Stanley, Salomon Brothers, Citigroup) and as a hedge fund expert (Moore Capital, Ziff Brothers, FrontPoint), his personal experience during fiscal crises and his close view of dramatic turns in the market, getAbstract finds that his diagnosis of systemic problems conveys several important stories and that his analysis deserves your attention.

Loving this book. It really brings clarity to all the events that surround financial crises. Got the book on time and in perfect condition.

I have had great difficulty reading this book firstly as I am not a quant nerd. Secondly, the author deems fit to draw comparisons with hedge funds and a host of unrelated topics eg. Chernobyl, Two Mile Island and the military and the Post Office (for heaven's sake)! The less said about the ill fated shuttles the better!! Third, the book is poorly written and/or badly edited as there are many duplications throughout the text an example of which is LTCM which crops up in every other chapter. Nevertheless, I also read the authors' presentation to the oversight committee of Congress where he did a complete about turn and in complete contrast to this book stated that better regulation was the way forward!
Confused? You better believe it!!

I've read several "for Dummies" books, and in general the entire series is well written, concise, and gives you what you really need. However, I was very disappointed in this one. The book is really dedicated to the three methods of building wealth: equity (stocks, mutual funds, etc.), real estate, and small business. But there isn't enough info on any of the three subjects to do much with. You're better off getting a separate book on real estate if you plan on pursuing that. And nothing he says regarding small business is of much use to accomplish anything. That leaves stocks, bonds and mutual funds, which is what most users would purchase this book for. Regarding that, if you are completely new to mutual funds then this is the book for you as it will explain the basics. However, if you are beyond the very basics (i.e.; "What is a mutual fund?"), and are looking to seriously invest, then I think you'll be disappointed. And if you are looking to get into buying stocks directly, then this book seriously falls short. The entire section on stocks really just explains a canned stock report from a given company. Utterly useless unless you plan on subscribing to that service. No talk of forward PE's, valuation, etc.. Also, the author's continual insistence that you should stay in mutual funds because you "can't beat the market" since there are so many pros out there is utterly ridiculous. There are many gurus out there that have proven track records of generating higher than average returns. Just emulating Warren Buffet's portfolio will do that.

I was looking for a book to dig more into stock valuation, company analysis, etc. and this book barely even touched on any of that beyond definitions. I wouldn't even call it Finance 101, since there is very little about monetary policy, bonds, interest rates, etc.. If you've picked out at least one mutual fund in your life (or purchased a stock directly), then this book is way too simple. If you tremble at the thought of picking a mutual fund and have no financial sense whatsoever, then this is your book.

I bought this for my daughter, who is taking this a college course.
She seems to be happy with it. She asked for this book it as the instructor told her she needed it for the class. Sorry I can't give you more info but I am sure it's a good book.

Kathy in Las Vegas

Great service. Condition of book was stellar and it was delivered in a very timely manner.

I wanted to start investing and read somewhere you should first do some studies. That's when I came across this book. Very well written, and in simple to understand language. I used to dread 401K, IRA, Mutual Funds, Bonds. Now I am confident I know about them and what I am investing into.
Showed new ways to look at debts, as to if I clear my debt sooner, I am investing in something which gives be interest equal to the interest I pay the bank.

I would recommend this book to all who want to get into investing but are hesitant or don't know where to get information from.

This is a clear and concise book for people like myself who are starting to look closely at investing and it gives very good advice and assumes that the reader has no knowledge of investing (true in my case). It warns of the pitfalls as well and can be read straight thru, or by any chapter that you wish to know more about. I would recommend this book to the beginner.

Let's face it, I'm a 30 something Stay At Home Mother with two kids, a husband, a mortgage and a dog.

I heard the book referenced on NPR and thought it would be a worthwhile read. Now I'm asking better questions.

Mostly though I found it frighting.

If you'll excuse me I'm going to resume my ostrich pose.

Swensen provides a excellent analysis of different asset classes and the roles they play (or fail to play) in diversifying portfolios. For example, he clarifies the different diversifying roles of conventional Treasury bonds and TIPS, and explains why corporate, municipal and foreign bonds cannot be substituted. He also demonstrates the advantages of periodic portfolio rebalancing for the disciplined investor.

In what almost amounts to a book within a book, Swensen forcefully chronicles the failure of the mutual fund industry and its regulators to serve the interests of individual investors. This discussion is a must-read for anyone concerned about the implications of the shift towards investor managed defined contribution pension plans as the primary vehicle for retirement savings.

Swensen has not written a practical how-to guide to personal investing or asset allocation; rather, he argues for an approach to personal investing built around core principles. Intellectually-oriented investors will be well served by this book as preparation for developing a personalized investment program.

Swensen's text is well developed and demonstrates a reasonable and rational approach to investing. Though not a text for the novice, I found it accessible to the average reader, as I gained familiarity with the language of investing, and intend to follow his advice.

Unconventional Success is well written with logical explantions, good examples and practical advice. The book goes step-by-step through a discussion of recommended types of investments and popular investments that are not receommended, active vs passive investments and market timing. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in investing. It is one of the best investment books I have read.

Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment This book is a must-read for anyone who is planning to do their own investing whether in a 401k, IRA or taxable account. It gives you a simple but sophisticated approach to allocating your investments among equities (U.S. and foreign), U.S. Treasuries (regular and inflation-protected) and real estate. He shows you how to invest in index mutual funds without paying exorbitant (and unnecessary) investment advisory & management fees. He gives a blisteringly negative review of the mutual fund industry which, based on credible, academic research has failed to beat the market after taking into account the fees charged. The author's "creds" are impeccable as a star investor of one of the largest endowment funds in the U.S. I believe this book is essential reading for any investor.

Truth to be told, I bought two copies to give to two couples that are having children go off to college next year. So, I did not read them. The ordering and delivery were very good, just as advertised. Clayton Penhallegon

This book is very informative. Ben Kaplan manages to convey the information in a fun and lighthearted manner. This is a great book for parents and students alike.

Being the first person in my immediate and extended family to go to college, I had no one there to pave the way to college for me--I especially had no one to guide me through the entire world of financial aid. I am now going to be a college sophomore in the fall, and I wish more than anything I would have had this book in high school! There is so much information I did not know about the entire world of financial aid that would have come in handy before I ever attended college! Even now, I am learning so much from this book that seem like such simple ideas but that I would have never thought of! This book is incredibly organized and very informative. I am going to recommend it to many of my closest friends. [Not everyone though...I want an edge in winning scholarships! :-)]

I thought the concepts were great, and obviously they worked for the author and his family. But seemed he was a single child, with parents that were 100% dedicated to this effort. I have more than one kid, they are all active in sports and activities, and my wife and I don't have the "time requirements" to pull this off. Plus he was apparently an exceptional kid, who engaged in entrepreneurial type activities at an early age, to include his full time scholarship hunting business. My kid does not fit that profile at all. So I was left with what seemed like commitment 7 days a week, 2-4 hours a day. I would be lucky if I could contribute 1 hour a day with my schedule. Plus, for all that effort, there HAS TO BE a point of diminishing returns ... he does not address that but assumes there is no such point. Hunt hunt hunt, research research research, write write write ... no end to the strategy. I have met some folks who simply applied to a small set of schools, filled out the financial aid forms, and got their aid, and have met many who did twice the work, and got the same amount of aid (or nothing close to the return advertised [hyped] in this book).

This book is ok for the clueless, but if you've already applied for scholarships and in the minority group, then this book does not help much. Once in the website, all links are to buy Kaplan's products. Navigating his website is a practice exercise all by itself to find a decent link, you have to weave through all the non-applicable stuff to get anything decent. By then, you're just frustrated at the wasted time. The book gives a lot of promises, but afterwards, you'll see he only skimmed the surface just like any other book.