David's Reviews > The Intelligent Investor

Okay, this is the book to read if you are serious about investing in stocks. Benjamin Graham's "value investing" method is the time-tested "choose 'em carefully and hold 'em" long-term strategy used by Warren Buffett. Benjamin Graham is the man that Warren Buffett calls The Man. So, you know, if you want to be rich like Warren Buffett, read this book.

... Of course it's not that easy. This book is long, dense, and dry. And even if you read and absorb every page, you're still not going to be Warren Buffett. But you'll be a lot more informed about stock investing. Most of it is about how to analyze the actual long-term value of a stock, which means diving deep into company financial statements. Not just picking one based on a favorable history or because you think you can predict a stock is about to take off because you're sure the company is the next Apple. (Hey, remember in the 80s when Apple seemed all but dead? Meanwhile, how's that Kodak stock looking?)

Make no mistake, this is not one of those self-help "How to beat the market" books. It's pretty much a textbook, with graphs and charts and long complicated financial terms that you need to study as seriously as you studied for your college final exams (well, maybe more seriously than that) if you're really going to get anything out of it. It is not for the dabbler, the mildly interested, or the "can't wrap my head around complicated formulas" investor.

No, no, I have not gotten rich like Warren Buffett. I didn't buy Apple in the 80s, either.