Stay Tuned

This book was OK. It was short, slick, and clearly a marketing piece for the author’s fledgling investment management firm. From the mug shot of the author on the back cover of the book it appears he’s a recent college graduate who is starting his own LLC since there are probably no jobs available to him. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to be successful playing the stock market. You don’t need any formal education to be successful at picking stocks.

The book basically has 14 chapters as follows:

1. Stocks vs. businesses

2. How do businesses make investors wealthy?

3. What is a good business?

4. When to buy

5. How to value a company

6. Basic capital structure

7. Diversification

8. Economy

9. Investing in IPOs

10. Analyzing investments

11. When to sell

12. Case studies

13. Conclusion

A. Real estate or stocks – which is a better investment?

The 14th chapter (appendix) probably should have been inserted up higher (maybe after Chapter 1?). And chapter 2 probably should have been renamed “How do investments make investors wealthy?”

In my humble opinion the title of the book was lousy. Many people are clueless about the stock market. But after reading this book I doubt the reader will be less clueless as to how to actually make money at the stock market. What we read about in this book is common sense. Investors make money by generating profits with their capital. And if the ROI (return on investment) is significant, then they get significant profits.

In a perfect world where everyone has access to all information, then you can implement what the author preaches in this little tome. Unfortunately we do not live in a perfect world, and rarely is it possible to accurately put a value on a plot of land, a business, or a stock certificate. The world is corrupt, it’s unethical, fraudulent, and getting the real story or facts about something usually costs more than it is worth. Remember that time is money.

The clueless after reading this book might be inclined to say to themselves: Hey, the author has done a nice job of explaining stocks to me – so why not let him pick the stocks and I’ll give him a professional fee for his services. If this is you, then the author has accomplished what seemed to be his goal in writing this book. However, if you wanted to truly be knowledgeable about the stock market and want to try and use it to your advantage, then you’ll need to read a lot of other books. And even then you will probably still be clueless.

Warren Buffet has been so successful in playing the stock market because he is not just an investor. He certainly invests, but then he gets involved with the management of his investment vehicles to make them grow and become more profitable. In effect he hedges his bets. Having said this, I think it is much smarter to stay out of the stock market and build your own companies, systematize them, put them on auto pilot or sell them, and then build another and another and another. That way you can invest in a way similar to Warren Buffet method. But buying stocks when other people are manipulating things is very risky. And it is difficult to beat the average returns earned on Wall Street because of all the smoke screens. 3 stars!
Rating: 3 / 5

I believe we are so clueless about the stock market not because we are lazy or inadequate. Instead I believe it’s because we are all selfish human beings. By that I mean, if everyone had a clue then we all would buy and sell at the same time. The few that has an inkling wants to keep it that way, how else would they gain profits?

For example, you don’t see the great “Oracle of Omaha” Mr. Buffett sharing how exactly he picks his stocks. If he’s such a philanthropic person then why doesn’t he share his knowledge rather than his wealth? As the famous saying goes “Give a man fish, you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime”.

I found Mr. Skonieczny ideas very interesting and educational and after reading his book the beginning investor like myself can better evaluate an investment; whether it’s a large corporation or a mom and pop’s store around the corner. Certainly there’s more to learn, but at least Mariusz Skonieczny showed me how to cast a line and provided the basic foundation necessary to become a better investor.

Thank you once again…

Rating: 4 / 5

If you don’t know anything about the stock market and you want to make intelligent choices, this book is for you. The information provided is practical and straight-forward, without a lot of fluff or useless mathematical formulas. The presentation is easy to understand and apply to your individual investment plan. In the final analysis, successful investing for the long term is possible utilizing the principles outlined in this book. This is not a get rich quick sham, but rather a sensible, conservative approach that limits risk and maximizes reward.
Rating: 5 / 5

I’m the first to admit that the stock market intimidates me. I’ve watched certain stocks go up and down like a rollercoaster in just a matter of months and wondering what it would be like to take a chance and invest some of my hard-earned capital in a company I support. With big names like Wal-Mart, AT&T, and Apple showing a strong history of financial strength, are they good investments for my portfolio if and when I decide to take the plunge? This is just a sampling of the kinds of information you get in this book written by financial investment firm veteran Mariusz Skonieczny.

The skills that are taught in this book are not novel, but they do help professionals in other business sectors understand how to be smart about what stocks they put their money in, when to buy, when to sell, and making the most of their resources. Discovering the up-and-coming companies and ditching the down-and-outers is ESSENTIAL to becoming a savvy investor. Knowing the difference between the two can be tricky when you don’t know what to look for. This book will help you tell them apart.
Rating: 5 / 5

Although written for beginning investors it contains excellent descriptions of how businesses operate, which I often find seasoned investors do not grasp. Jumping right into the balance sheets with straight-forward explanations on how a business makes money, provides a clear picture of what can otherwise seem very confusing. Further into the book he tackles the good and the bad of leverage. He uses current examples of companies like AIG and vehicles such as credit default swaps to show how the principles he is explaining work. I give him high marks in producing a book that is more than a beginners book. Although written with simple explanations this book can become one for your reference shelf. It can be used to refresh your understanding and to make sure that the more difficult concepts are clearly understood. As an experienced investor it will help you hone you investment understanding.
Rating: 5 / 5