As with most of my previous books, I found this one in the second-hand store for $4. (regular price $26.95)
The book was put together by the Canadian newspaper “Financial Post” in an effort to help us understand all the information published in the newspaper. In spite of being a brilliant marketing idea, I never felt a pitch to subscribe to the newspaper. Bravo! In the past, I have been disappointed when writers oversell their services on almost every page.
This book could be the equivalent of one or two years of university studies in finance. Each chapter is full of condensed information. At times I felt challenged and re-read the same chapter more than once in order to absorb everything.
Some of the subjects covered in the book were:
- Understanding stock charts and company reports
- How to buy and sell equities
- How options, warrants, REITs, commodities, and futures work
- How to trade in currencies
- Understanding mutual funds
- How to build a portfolio
- Understanding tax planning
- How to plan for retirement
- Understanding other personal finance subjects such as credit rating, mortgage options, affording a college education, and bankruptcy
- Understanding insurance
The book felt disjointed. It was written by five different reporters/writers ( William Hanly, Patrick Bloomfield, Sonita Horvitch, Jonathan Chevreau, and Arthur Drache). There was no flow from one chapter to the other.
The major drawback of this book is that it was published in the year 2000. Many things have changed in the past 15 years.
Although the first edition was deemed a “runaway bestseller,” I don’t think this edition had many sales. I went to the Amazon page and I only found one review, my own.
Overall, although the information in this book covers all aspects of personal finance and a lot more, I would not recommend it. It’s not a good investment of your time. A great deal of the information is outdated and there is a lot of fundamental information missing.