2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should be made compulsory reading at school, 23 May 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Motley Fool UK Investment Guide (Paperback)
To keep things short and sweet, I agree with ALL the positive comments made already. Lets face it, the subject in other books is incredibly boring and the Motley Fools do a superlative job in creating something that turns out to be very reader friendly. I have now taken Foolish control of my finances, which wasn't so difficult. I can't wait until my former 'Financial Advisor' calls again.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The book most investors can least afford not to read, 26 Jan 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Motley Fool UK Investment Guide (Paperback)
The Motley Fool Investment Guide If you live on a mountain top and spend your time meditating on life, the universe and everything, you don't need this book If, however, you ever use money, you really should read it. The Motley Fool is an odd name, and might be laughed at by the great and good of the investment world, much as the giants of the computer industry once ignored tiny companies with silly names. Like Apple. Although it may herald a revolution, the advice given is sound and practical. It might not be the best investment book ever written but, for most people, it is the one they can least afford not to read. The Fools are not part of the financial establishment and, freed from the constraint of being too polite about it, they tell us in simple and crystal clear terms how things work. Many of the examples given are astonishing - even to seasoned investors who know this stuff already - and unforgettable. Will they succeed in changing the investment world? With the help of the Internet - probably. Private investors should hope they do. Oh, and it's great fun to read.* Alan Ainslie (*although if you're squeamish, skipping the bit about do-it-yourself open heart surgery might be advisable)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beginners guide to shares + good info on PPPs, mortgages, 7 April 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Motley Fool UK Investment Guide (Paperback)
Half way through this book I was all set to give it a right royal slagging and 2 stars.
I was expecting it to be an anglicized version of the original Motley Fool Investment Guide, which is an excellent book but aimed at the US market. Unfortunately it's an entirely new book, written from scratch.
The US book starts from the basics but works its way up to some pretty heady stuff (such as shorting stocks - way out of my league). The British book, on the other hand, also starts from the basics but doesn't get much beyond them. It is well padded with irritating schoolboy humour and I couldn't help feeling that a lot more information could have been included if the humour had been cut back.
On the plus side it's very down to earth, a good solid introduction to shares. No outlandish claims of being able to generate instant wealth. Two share selection strategies are covered (could have done with a bit more detail here I felt, but still gives you an idea of how to go about it). The first is going for the great and the good - huge, well-known, well managed companies. The other is a mechanical stock selection strategy, Beating the Footsie (aka Beating the Dow).
Up to here I'd say that you could probably pick up the same info for free from the Motley Fool UK website. The bit that prompted me to go from 2 stars to 3 was the Bits and Bobs section at the end. This is not about the stock market at all, but was for me the part of the book that was the most use (given that I'd read the original US investment guide and also browsed the Fool websites). Here is some really good info on mortgages, PPPs, ISAs and the like. Even if you never bother with the share side of this book it would still be worth it because it could save you thousands on your mortgage.
For a more informative and in-depth look at shares I would suggest the Motley Fool UK Investment Workbook (a lot more info and a lot less humour) and the Zulu Principle by Jim Slater.
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