- Hardcover: 152 pages
- Publisher: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall; 1 edition (17 Dec 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0273710095
- ISBN-13: 978-0273710097
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.2 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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- #91 in Books > Computers & Internet > Digital Lifestyle > Investing Online
- #92 in Books > Computers & Internet > New to Computing > Family & Lifestyle > Investing Online
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Review
'... should be required reading for anyone saving for retirement - or for anything else.' Pauline Skypala, FT
"The book is a welcome antidote to those who champion equities for long-term growth, and should do well in the current turbulent stock market conditions. For investors who prize safety above all else, it's a worthwhile read" Choice Magazine, March 2008
Choice Magazine, March 2008
The book is a welcome antidote to those who champion equities for long-term growth, and should do well in the current turbulent stock market conditions. For investors who prize safety above all else, it's a worthwhile read.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book does not go into excruciating detail about all the potential returns that investors could receive if they chose to take risk with their investments. As the previous reviewer says, it written in a fairly straightforward manner, explaining how risk is inherent in most investment products in the marketplace. It then focuses on how the amateur investor can meet his or her financial needs through relying on inflation-protected instruments, and hence achieve a "worry-free" existence, as least with regards to investment.
It is not a book aimed at experienced and very knowledgeable investors, rather, it is particularly useful for readers who do not have the scope or desire to risk their monies, or those who have no idea where to start on investments. It is written in very digestible chunks, in laymen's language, with some rather humanistic stories, such as an elderly couple who find their longed for retirement postponed as a result of a market correction. And it does so in a simply set out 6-point plan.
A key message that comes across is that it's fine for people to give up some of the guaranteed return that comes with index-linked gilts/savings certificates/index tracking funds in order to try for a higher rate of return, as long as there is an understanding that they could get less.
So, in summary... it does what it says on the cover. What Worry-Free Investing does do, it does very well. Set out in a straight talking, no-nonsense manner, it provides background with some relatable examples, from young adult to almost-retirees, at least one of which would be a scenario that most readers can identify with, explaining what they need to do if they wanted a low risk approach to meeting their financial needs.
I've given my mother a copy.
It is not a book aimed at experienced and very knowledgeable investors, rather, it is particularly useful for readers who do not have the scope or desire to risk their monies, or those who have no idea where to start on investments. It is written in very digestible chunks, in laymen's language, with some rather humanistic stories, such as an elderly couple who find their longed for retirement postponed as a result of a market correction. And it does so in a simply set out 6-point plan.
A key message that comes across is that it's fine for people to give up some of the guaranteed return that comes with index-linked gilts/savings certificates/index tracking funds in order to try for a higher rate of return, as long as there is an understanding that they could get less.
So, in summary... it does what it says on the cover. What Worry-Free Investing does do, it does very well. Set out in a straight talking, no-nonsense manner, it provides background with some relatable examples, from young adult to almost-retirees, at least one of which would be a scenario that most readers can identify with, explaining what they need to do if they wanted a low risk approach to meeting their financial needs.
I've given my mother a copy.
Format:Hardcover
This book's lead author and Jeremy Siegel lie towards opposite extremes of the investing style scale. Siegel is the author of Stocks For the Long Run, a book which advocates high allocations to risky stocks for many. Zvi Bodie, on the other hand, advocates high allocations to completely riskless inflation-linked bonds. Those two author's have had many sparring sessions in the press.
This version of Bodie's book has been adapted for the U.K. market. I think it's great that he wrote a version of a book that specifically mentions U.K. investment vehicles (too many U.S. books are bogged down with details on, say, the municipal bond market which has no relevance to overseas investors); however, I think that his translation was a little too hasty.
U.S. investors have a great vehicle for inflation-linked bonds: U.S. government TIPS. These bonds frequently trade with real yields on the order of around 2%. The U.K. government inflation-linked bond market is a little different: index-linked gilts tend to trade at much lower real yields. As I write this the real yield on these 30 year bonds is around 0.7%. This poses a huge problem for Bodie's strategy, as it nearly trebles the price of safety. Unfortunately, there's no discussion of the lower U.K. yields, and this short book could definitely have done with some more information.
The other key product mentioned in this book -- NS&I index-linked saving certificates -- have recently been suspended. Obviously, this was long after the book's publication so it's not the authors' fault, but it does make Bodie's strategy exceptionally hard to currently implement in the U.K.
This version of Bodie's book has been adapted for the U.K. market. I think it's great that he wrote a version of a book that specifically mentions U.K. investment vehicles (too many U.S. books are bogged down with details on, say, the municipal bond market which has no relevance to overseas investors); however, I think that his translation was a little too hasty.
U.S. investors have a great vehicle for inflation-linked bonds: U.S. government TIPS. These bonds frequently trade with real yields on the order of around 2%. The U.K. government inflation-linked bond market is a little different: index-linked gilts tend to trade at much lower real yields. As I write this the real yield on these 30 year bonds is around 0.7%. This poses a huge problem for Bodie's strategy, as it nearly trebles the price of safety. Unfortunately, there's no discussion of the lower U.K. yields, and this short book could definitely have done with some more information.
The other key product mentioned in this book -- NS&I index-linked saving certificates -- have recently been suspended. Obviously, this was long after the book's publication so it's not the authors' fault, but it does make Bodie's strategy exceptionally hard to currently implement in the U.K.
Format:Hardcover
This book explains how to make risk-free investments for retirement. The approach advocates buying index-linked gilts and savings certificates. That's fine in itself, and may suit some people who are very risk averse.
However, the book very biased and not particularly objective in its assessment of the alternatives, particularly equities (i.e. shares) as investment options. I concur with another reviewer who suggested to balance this book's advice with Tim Hale's superb book, "Smarter Investing: Simpler Decisions for Better Investing." Hale's book is a master-class in sensible investing, that makes your options clear.
While index-linked gilts may be "worry-free" the downside is that there is no opportunity for better returns as provided by a balanced portfolio of shares, bonds and index-linked bonds. Before going down the route suggested by Worry-Free Investing, you may want to consider alternative strategies - if nothing else, to understand what you might be giving up.
However, the book very biased and not particularly objective in its assessment of the alternatives, particularly equities (i.e. shares) as investment options. I concur with another reviewer who suggested to balance this book's advice with Tim Hale's superb book, "Smarter Investing: Simpler Decisions for Better Investing." Hale's book is a master-class in sensible investing, that makes your options clear.
While index-linked gilts may be "worry-free" the downside is that there is no opportunity for better returns as provided by a balanced portfolio of shares, bonds and index-linked bonds. Before going down the route suggested by Worry-Free Investing, you may want to consider alternative strategies - if nothing else, to understand what you might be giving up.
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