The classic guide to constructing a solid portfolio—with out a financial advisor!  “With relatively little effort, you can design and assemble an investment portfolio that, because of its wide diversification and minimal expenses, will prove superior to the most professionally managed accounts.Great intelligence and good luck are not required.“ William Bernstein‘s commonsense approach to portfolio construction has served investors well during the past turbulent decade—and it‘s what made  The Four Pillars of Investing an instant classic when it was first published nearly a decade ago. This down-to-earth book lays out in easy-to-understand prose the four essential topics that every investor must master: the relationship of risk and reward, the history of the market, the psychology of the investor and the market, and the folly of taking financial advice from investment salespeople. Bernstein pulls back the curtain to reveal what really goes on in today‘s financial industry as he outlines a simple program for building wealth while controlling risk.Straightforward in its presentation and generous in its real-life examples,  The Four Pillars of Investing presents a no-nonsense discussion of:  The art and science of mixing different asset classes into an effective blend The dangers of actively picking stocks, as opposed to investing in the whole market Behavioral finance and how state of mind can adversely affect decision making Reasons the mutual fund and brokerage industries, rather than your partners, are often your most direct competitors Strategies for managing all of your assets—savings, 401(k)s, home equity—as one portfolio Investing is not a destination. It is a journey, and along the way are stockbrokers, journalists, and mutual fund companies whose interests are diametrically opposed to yours. More relevant today than ever,  The Four Pillars of Investing shows you how to determine your own financial direction and assemble an investment program with the sole goal of building long-term wealth for you and your family.

Reviews

A must read for any investor
I have started devoting time to understanding personal finance and retirement over the past year. I’ve listened to multiple pod casts and read about six books on the subject. I avoided this book because it was written in 2002 and obviously, now, out of date (the 2010 update was a short, and rather useless, post-script). The investment strategies that I have gravitated to have been simplicity and indexed funds, especially Vanguard. I have not looked into whether or not this was one of the foundational books which made an argument for this strategy or not, but no book has been close in quality. Until completing the book I was honestly skeptical that a good knowledge of theory, history, and understanding of the financial business was important to me. I see now that I was wrong. Even after reading other books, I have evaluated investment options completely wrong. I finished the book one day ago, so I would rather wait a year before making this statement, but presently I feel this is one of the top 5 most important books I have read. An absolute game changer. I could not suggest more strongly that you read this book, regardless of how much you buy his advice at the end of the book, I think the foundational knowledge you receive in the first three quarters is absolute gold. Regarding the antiquity of the book, its actually irrelevant and surprisingly improves its punch. The book was written during the dot com meltdown and before the housing bubble. In retrospect, yet again nothing is new and the solid foundations discussed in the book have held true. My only criticism is the last section felt very much like 2002 advice and not generalized enough, which I think can be problematic. It is touched on in his post script, but I think a complete revision would be more appropriate when describing the book as a new edition.

About the Author

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“The Ages of the Investor: A Critical Look at Life-cycle Investing” is intended to be the first installment in the “Investing for Adults” series. Just as grown-ups do not believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, or Santa Claus, “Investing adults” know that there is no such creature as the Stock-picking Fairy or the Market-timing Fairy. Further, there is no Risk Fairy who will write you cheap options that will protect your stock holdings against loss. Investing adults are familiar with Gene Fama, Zvi Bodie, Jack Bogle, and Burton Malkiel, and understand that a mean variance optimizer does not blend vegetables. In other words, this series is not for beginners. Future topics will, with luck, include the limits of market efficiency and diversification in increasingly non-segmented global markets.

Reviews

Great for a reality check for all investors at all ages
Liked the approach to investing for different ages’ needs. Especially liked the case scenarios that helped differentiate species options. Really would reading and it can be done on the flight, literally as well as figurative.

About the author

William Bernstein, Ph.D., M.D., is a retired neurologist in Oregon. Known for his website on asset allocation and portfolio theory Efficient Frontier, Dr. Bernstein is also a co-principal in the money management firm Efficient Frontier Advisors, has authored several best-selling books on finance and history, and is often quoted in the national financial media.

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Adam Smith wrote that man has an intrinsic “propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another”. But how did trade evolve to the point where we don’t think twice about biting into an apple from the other side of the world?
In A Splendid Exchange, William J. Bernstein tells the extraordinary story of global commerce from its prehistoric origins to the myriad controversies surrounding it today. He transports listeners from ancient sailing ships that brought the silk trade from China to Rome in the second century to the rise and fall of the Portuguese monopoly in spices in the 16th; from the rush for sugar that brought the British to Jamaica in 1655 to the American trade battles of the early 20th century; from key innovations such as steam, steel, and refrigeration to the modern era of televisions from Taiwan, lettuce from Mexico, and T-shirts from China.

Along the way, Bernstein examines how our age-old dependency on trade has contributed to our planet’s agricultural bounty, stimulated intellectual progress, and made us both prosperous and vulnerable. Although the impulse to trade often takes a backseat to xenophobia and war, Bernstein concludes that trade is ultimately a force for good among nations, and he argues that societies are far more successful and stable when they are involved in vigorous trade with their neighbors.

Lively, authoritative, and astonishing in scope, A Splendid Exchange is a riveting narrative that views trade and globalization not in political terms, but rather as an evolutionary process as old as war and religion – a historical constant – that will continue to foster the growth of intellectual capital, shrink the world, and propel the trajectory of the human species.

Review

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