The Frugal Prof

Its Not about the Money. Its about taking charge

  • Free Resources Page
  • Income Ideas
  • Humor / Funny
  • Save Money
  • Blogging for Income
  • About Me: The Frugal Prof

Seven Proven Books on Personal Finance to Take Control of Your Money in 2020

December 26, 2019 by Frugal Prof

Seven Proven Books on Personal Finance to Take Control of Your Finances in 2020

 

1.  The Wealthy Gardener

A relatively new book that is destined to be a classic.

Its a simple book with a powerful impact on how to create abundance.  A heartwarming series of stories and practical wisdom on entrepreneurship and wealth in the vein of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, written by a financially independent father for his ambitious son.

More about the Wealthy Gardener Here

 

passive income

2.  The Little Book that Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt

In a straightforward and accessible style, the book explores the basic principles of successful stock market investing and then reveals the author’s time-tested formula that makes buying above-average companies at below-average prices automatic.

Though the formula has been extensively tested and is a breakthrough in the academic and professional world, Greenblatt explains it using sixth-grade math, plain language, and humor.

He shows how to use his method to beat both the market and professional managers by a wide margin.

More about the little book that beats the market Here

 




 

3.  The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

The Book provides a  simple and straightforward game plan for completely making over your money habits.

And it’s based on results.

Read How I paid off $17K in Debt last year here.

Design a plan for paying off all debt—meaning cars, houses, everything
Recognize the 10 most dangerous money myths
Secure a big, fat nest egg for emergencies and retirement

The book provides a game plan that’s worked for Millions of people to become financially free.  Also, it’s really inspiring and motivational.

I recommend it all the time.

More on the Total Money makeover here.

 

4.  Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

In Rich Dad Poor Dad, the #1 Personal Finance book of all time, Robert Kiyosaki shares the story of his two dads:

Rich Dad’s education was “street smarts” over traditional classroom education and he took the path of entrepreneurship… a road that led him to become one of the wealthiest men in Hawaii.

Robert’s poor dad struggled financially all his life, and these two dads—these very different points of view of money, investing, and employment—shaped Robert’s thinking about money.”

Kiyosaki reflects on a mindset that many wealthy people adopt: Financial success isn’t just about saving money, it is about putting money to work to actively grow.

He compares the approaches his two father figures took toward earning and saving money. While both had successful careers, his poor dad “left bills to be paid,” while the rich dad “died with tens of millions of dollars for his family, charities and his church,”

More on Rich Dad here

 




 

5. The Millionaire Next Door:

The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas J. Staley

The investment classic that explores the seven traits necessary to become a Millionaire.  This is an in depth exploration of the ordinary people who have achieved an extraordinary level of wealth and how they did it.

Truly inspirational for those on a debt free journey.

Notable Reviews of The Millionaire Next Door:
… nearly anybody with a steady job can amass a tidy fortune. (Forbes)
A primer for amassing wealth through frugality. (The Boston Globe)

Imagine being able to sit down with 50 millionaires who made their wealth from a normal job.

And ask them how they did it.
What were their habits?
What was their mindset?
That’s what this book is.

How did you do it?  If you want to be wealthy, this book is the answer to most of your questions.

Learn more here

 

Relevant Articles:

45 Ways to Increase your Income

9 Best Ways to Save $7K This Year

11 Legitimate Survey Sites for 2020

 

6. The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

“The most inspiring guide to wealth ever written.”

“Hailed as the greatest of all inspirational works on the subject of debt, financial planning, and personal wealth.

At some point in all of our lives we realize that we’re making money, but our money never lasts.  We have no control of our money.   This book is about the conversation between fathers and sons (or daughters) about money.

How to succeed financially.

The principles are timeless.  Our money problems are the same.  The answers are straight forward and timeless.   More on The Richest Man in Babylon here.

These are the Best Personal finance books of all time.  Each one offers a practical guide to help you take control of your money.   The reason they still sell millions of copies each year is because they work.

More on The Richest Man in Babylon here

 

7.  Think and Grow Rich

Think and Grow Rich has been called the “Granddaddy of All Motivational Literature.”

It was the first book to boldly ask, “What makes a winner?” The man who asked and listened for the answer, Napoleon Hill, is now counted in the top ranks of the world’s winners himself.

The most famous of all teachers of success spent “a fortune and the better part of a lifetime of effort” to produce the “Law of Success” philosophy that forms the basis of his books and that is so powerfully summarized in this one.

In the original Think and Grow Rich, published in 1937, Hill draws on stories of Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and other millionaires of his generation to illustrate his principles.

In the updated version, Arthur R. Pell, Ph.D., a nationally known author, lecturer, and consultant in human resources management and an expert in applying Hill’s thought, deftly interweaves anecdotes of how contemporary millionaires and billionaires, such as Bill Gates, Mary Kay Ash, Dave Thomas, and Sir John Templeton, achieved their wealth.

Outmoded or arcane terminology and examples are faithfully refreshed to preclude any stumbling blocks to a new generation of readers.

More here

 

Relevant Articles:

45 Ways to Increase your Income

9 Best Ways to Save $7K This Year

11 Legitimate Survey Sites for 2020

Filed Under: Books

5 Books to Help you Achieve Early Retirement

March 22, 2018 by Frugal Prof

5 Books to Help you Achieve Early Retirement




For most people, it’s scary to think about retirement. And the following retirement statistics should scare the average person.  However, you are not the average person.  If you are engaged enough in your financial future to be reading this personal finance blog, then I hope you are above average when it comes to taking control of your financial life and planning for retirement.

And if you need some tips on getting started and how I took control of my financial life and paid off $17K in debt, read my story here.

  • *Affiliate Disclosure:  This page contains links to products and companies that I endorse. I may receive a small fee, but the reader is never charged anything.

 

How much do you need to retire comfortably?
It depends. According to many financial experts, you should plan on needing about 80% of your pre-retirement salary once you retire, including income from Social Security, pensions, and any other savings.

And, you may need this income for longer than you think:

  • The average American retires at age 63.
  • The average retirement lasts 18 years, but many last much longer. Plus, who knows what the retirement life expectancy will be by the time you get there? I recommend that you err on the side of caution and plan on a 30-year retirement.
  • You’ll need $1,060,751 in savings if you expect to draw $5,000 per month for 30 years, assuming 6% annual investment returns and 2% inflation.

 

Value Investing

Relevant Articles:

45 Ways to Increase your Income

9 Best Ways to Save $7K This Year

11 Legitimate Paid Survey Sites for 2018

 

Americans know they won’t have enough money, but still won’t save
The vast majority of those in the prime of their careers are aware they have a problem with their retirement savings.

  • The average 50 year old has $42,797 saved. If you look at the retirement “number” from the previous section, it’s easy to see that this isn’t even close.
  • The average net worth (assets minus debts) of a 55-64 year old is $45,447.
  • 45% of Americans have saved nothing for retirement, including 40% of Baby Boomers.
  • 38% don’t actively save for retirement at all.
  • 20% of Americans tap into their 401(k) assets early,.
  • 80% of Americans between the ages of 30 and 54 believe they will not have enough saved for retirement.

Social Security should be a supplement, not your sole income source
Social Security isn’t intended to be a sole retirement plan, but a supplement to other sources of retirement savings. Still, many Americans end up dependent on it.

  • 36% of American adults over 65 are completely dependent on Social Security.
  • 63% are dependent (but not necessarily completely reliant) on Social Security, relatives, friends, or charity at age 65.
  • Social Security is running out of money, and will only be able to cover 77% of promised benefits beginning in 2034.

The best place to start in order to live a comfortable retirement is with these books on personal finance.

The reason you should read these classic personal finance books is because they work and will help you to improve your financial future.  The future is made up of the decisions we make today.  And these books will help you make better decisions.

 

Ray Krok Success Quote

 

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

The book has sold 5 Million Copies.

When you get serious about getting out of debt, this is a great book to read.

That is because It’s the simplest, most straightforward game plan for completely making over your money habits. And it’s based on results.

The Total Money Makeover: will enable you to:

  • Design a  plan for paying off  debt—
  • Recognize the 10 most dangerous money myths
  • Secure a big, fat nest egg for emergencies and retirement

The book provides a game plan that’s worked for Millions of people to become financially free.

Also, it’s really inspiring and motivational.  I recommend it all the time.

More on the Total Money Makeover here

 

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

In Rich Dad Poor Dad, the #1 Personal Finance book of all time, Robert Kiyosaki shares the story of his two dads:

  • His real father, whom he calls his ‘poor dad,’
  • The father of his best friend, the man who became his mentor and his ‘rich dad.’
  • One man was well educated and an employee all his life,
  • The other’s education was “street smarts” over traditional classroom education and he took the path of entrepreneurship… a road that led him to become one of the wealthiest men in Hawaii.
  • Robert’s poor dad struggled financially all his life, and these two dads—these very different points of view of money, investing, and employment—shaped Robert’s thinking about money.”

Published in 1997, Robert Kiyosaki reflects on a mindset that many wealthy people adopt:

Financial success isn’t just about saving money, it is about putting money to work to actively grow.

While both had successful careers, (the poor dad) “left bills to be paid,” while (the rich dad) “died with tens of millions of dollars for his family, charities and his church,” Kiyosaki writes.

 

Ryan Broyles, formerly a wide receiver for the NFL Detroit Lions, wrote  that the book changed his outlook as well.

The Poor Dad’s philosophy basically reinforced the way I already thought about money:  Make money to live, and save some along the way,” Broyles writes.

“But the Rich Dad’s lessons — making your money work for you by investing it and acquiring income-generating assets — made me realize that I needed to make changes in how I thought about money if I ever wanted to be that Rich Dad and not have to work for somebody else.

More on Rich Dad at  Amazon .

 

Relevant Articles:

Survey Sites That Actually Pay

Getting Results: How I Paid Off $17K

The Best Personal Finance Books

 

 

The Millionaire Next Door:

The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas J. Staley

The investment classic that explores the seven traits necessary to become a Millionaire.  This is an in depth exploration of the ordinary people who have achieved an extraordinary level of wealth and how they did it.

Truly inspirational for those on a debt free journey.  Read more about my debt free journey here.

 

  • The implication of The Millionaire Next Door.... is that nearly anybody with a steady job can amass a tidy fortune. (Forbes)

 

Why its a great personal finance book: Imagine being able to sit down with 50 millionaires who made their wealth from a normal job.

  • And ask them how they did it.
  • What were their habits?
  • What was their mindset?
  • That’s what this book is.
  • How did you do it?

If you want to be wealthy, this book is the answer to most of your questions.

More about  The Millionaire Next Door

 

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

I included The Intelligent Investor because investing is an important part of personal finance.  Even if you intend to focus on passive investing, this investment classic is worth a read.  It is the essence of the value philosophy both in business and in life.  And if you intend to be an active investor in the stock market, this classic is simply a must read.

If you can gain an extra 1% of return saving for retirement, it will be a huge benefit to your ability to retire early.  And this is the book that can certainly do it.

Legacy:  Ben Graham is an investment legend.  His disciplined approach to investing has impacted generations of investors.

His book, The Intelligent Investor and Security Analysis have become a blueprint for investment success for generations of high profile Money Managers including Warren Buffett, Seth Klarman, Mario Gabelli, and Leon Cooperman.

“By far the best book on investing ever written.” — Warren E. Buffett

  • If you want to become an above average investor, this book is a great place to start.  It is well worth the time and money.    “The Intelligent Investor.
  • This is the book I re-read during the 2008 Financial Crisis.  And it helped me tremendously.
  • You may want to read my post, Lessons from the 2008 Financial Crisis and How to Profit from the Next Crisis. 
  • “The best known investing book and most likely to make you money is The Intelligent Investor.” — Andrew Tobias
  • Much More on Benjamin Graham, his books, and legacy. 

 

 Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham:

After reading “The Intelligent Investor” at age 19, Warren Buffett enrolled in Columbia Business School in order to study under Graham, and they subsequently developed a lifelong friendship.

One of the best in-depth profiles of Warren Buffett was done by Roger Lowenstein, a Wall Street Journal reporter. Buffett: Making of an American Capitalist.Here

 

The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

“The most inspiring guide to wealth ever written.”

At some point in all of our lives we realize that we’re making money, but our money never lasts.  We have no control of our money.   This book is about the conversation between fathers and sons (or daughters) about money.

How to succeed financially.  The principles are timeless.  Our money problems are the same.  The answers are straight forward and timeless.  More information about the Richest Man in Babylon here.

 

Conclusion:

The retirement statistics are scary.  But you have the ability to take control of your financial future.  These Personal finance books can enable you to accumulate wealth and live comfortably in retirement.

Each book offers a practical guide to take control of your personal finances.

And There is a reason why many of these are the Best Selling personal finance books of all time …  they work.

The earlier you begin to take action, the better the quality of your retirement will be.

So, get started today.

 




 

 

 

Filed Under: Books, Uncategorized

The Best Personal Finance Books of All Time

March 5, 2018 by Frugal Prof




Best Personal Finance Books of All Time:

I believe that each one of these books has the potential to change your financial life.

Many people want to achieve financial independence

  • for their families,
  • to leave a job they hate,
  • or just to live a better life.

Whatever your motivation, these books can help you get there.

 

Best Personal Finance Books of All Time

*Affiliate Disclosure:  This page contains links to products and companies that I endorse. I may receive a fee, but the reader is never charged anything.

 

 

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

The book has sold over 5 Million Copies.

This is the book to read when you get serious about getting out of debt.

Read How I paid off $17K in Debt last year here.

It provides a  simple and straightforward game plan for completely making over your money habits. And it’s based on results.

With The Total Money Makeover: you’ll be able to:

  • Design a plan for paying off all debt—meaning cars, houses, everything
  • Recognize the 10 most dangerous money myths
  • Secure a big, fat nest egg for emergencies and retirement

Why it’s a great personal finance book:  The book provides a game plan that’s worked for Millions of people to become financially free.  Also, it’s really inspiring and motivational. 

I recommend it all the time.

More on the Total Money makeover here.

 

 

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

In Rich Dad Poor Dad, the #1 Personal Finance book of all time, Robert Kiyosaki shares the story of his two dads:

  • Poor Dad: His real father, whom he calls his ‘poor dad,’
  • Rich Dad: The father of his best friend, the man who became his mentor and his ‘rich dad.’
  • Rich Dad’s education was “street smarts” over traditional classroom education and he took the path of entrepreneurship… a road that led him to become one of the wealthiest men in Hawaii.
  • Robert’s poor dad struggled financially all his life, and these two dads—these very different points of view of money, investing, and employment—shaped Robert’s thinking about money.”

Published in 1997, Robert Kiyosaki reflects on a mindset that many wealthy people adopt:

Financial success isn’t just about saving money, it is about putting money to work to actively grow.

He compares the approaches his two father figures took toward earning and saving money. While both had successful careers, his poor dad “left bills to be paid,” while the rich dad “died with tens of millions of dollars for his family, charities and his church,” Kiyosaki writes.

 

Ryan Broyles, formerly a wide receiver for the NFL Detroit Lions, wrote  that the book changed his outlook as well.

The Poor Dad’s philosophy basically reinforced the way I already thought about money:  Make money to live, and save some along the way,” Broyles writes.

“But the Rich Dad’s lessons — making your money work for you by investing it and acquiring income-generating assets — made me realize that I needed to make changes in how I thought about money if I ever wanted to be that Rich Dad and not have to work for somebody else.

More on Rich Dad at  Amazon .

 

Relevant Articles:

Survey Sites That Actually Pay

Getting Results: How I Paid Off $17K

The Best Personal Finance Books

 

 

The Millionaire Next Door:

The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy by Thomas J. Staley

The investment classic that explores the seven traits necessary to become a Millionaire.  This is an in depth exploration of the ordinary people who have achieved an extraordinary level of wealth and how they did it.

Truly inspirational for those on a debt free journey.  More about my debt free journey.

Notable Reviews of The Millionaire Next Door:

  • … nearly anybody with a steady job can amass a tidy fortune. (Forbes)
  • A primer for amassing wealth through frugality. (The Boston Globe)

Imagine being able to sit down with 50 millionaires who made their wealth from a normal job.

  • And ask them how they did it.
  • What were their habits?
  • What was their mindset?
  • That’s what this book is.

How did you do it?  If you want to be wealthy, this book is the answer to most of your questions.  Learn more here

 

Value Investing

 

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

I include The Intelligent Investor because investing is an important part of personal finance.  Even if you intend to focus on passive investing, this investment classic is worth a read.  It is the essence of the value philosophy both in business and in life.  And if you intend to be an active investor in the stock market, this classic is simply a must read.

Legacy:  Ben Graham is an investment legend.  His book, The Intelligent Investor and Security Analysis have become a blueprint for investment success for generations of high profile Money Managers including Warren Buffett, Seth Klarman, Mario Gabelli, and Leon Cooperman.

Graham Books

Warren Buffett in 1962 and Benjamin Graham in 1947

“By far the best book on investing ever written.” — Warren E. Buffett

If you want to become an above average investor, this book is a great place to start.  It is well worth the time and money.    “The Intelligent Investor.

This is the book I re-read during the 2008 Financial Crisis.  And it helped me tremendously.

You may want to read my post, Lessons from the 2008 Financial Crisis and How to Profit from the Next Crisis. 

“The best known investing book and most likely to make you money is The Intelligent Investor.” — Andrew Tobias

 

Much More on Benjamin Graham, his books, and legacy. 

 

 Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham:

After reading “The Intelligent Investor” at age 19, Warren Buffett enrolled in Columbia Business School in order to study under Graham, and they subsequently developed a lifelong friendship. Later, he worked for Graham at his company, the Graham-Newman Corporation.

One of the best in-depth profiles of Warren Buffett was done by Roger Lowenstein, a Wall Street Journal reporter.  Buffett: Making of an American Capitalist. Here

 

 

 

The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

“The most inspiring guide to wealth ever written.”

“Hailed as the greatest of all inspirational works on the subject of debt, financial planning, and personal wealth.

At some point in all of our lives we realize that we’re making money, but our money never lasts.  We have no control of our money.   This book is about the conversation between fathers and sons (or daughters) about money.

How to succeed financially. 

The principles are timeless.  Our money problems are the same.  The answers are straight forward and timeless.   More on The Richest Man in Babylon here.

 

These are the Best Personal finance books of all time.  Each one offers a practical guide to help you take control of your money.   The reason they still sell millions of copies each year is because they work.

 




Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: best books finance, personal finance, personal finance books, poor dad, rich dad, total money makeover

Benjamin Graham: The Dean of Value Investing

February 20, 2018 by Frugal Prof

Investing Ben Graham

 

Ben Graham: Investment Legend.

Ben Graham is widely acknowledged as the Dean of Value Investing.  His disciplined approach to investing has impacted generations of investors.  His best-selling book, The Intelligent Investor has become a blueprint for investment success for generations of high profile Money Managers including

  • Warren Buffett,
  • Seth Klarman,
  • Leon Cooperman,
  • and Mario Gabelli.

In this article, I will review the books Ben Graham wrote as well as the basics of his life and investing style.  The more knowledge we can acquire from Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett, the better our investing success will be.

 

Value Investing

 

*Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  Business partners may compensate me for inclusion on this blog, but I strive to only partner with quality businesses and the reader pays nothing.

 

Who Was Ben Graham:

“The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.”
― Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor

 

Benjamin Graham:  Known as “the father of value investing” and the “dean of Wall Street,”  excelled at making money in the stock market for himself and his clients without taking big risks.

Graham created and taught many principles of investing safely and successfully that modern investors continue to use today’s stock market.

 

 

 

 

 

The Intelligent Investor:

“By far the best book on investing ever written.” — Warren E. Buffett

Graham’s second book is much more user-friendly for the average investor.  If you want to become a really good investor, this book is a great place to start.  It is well worth the time and money.    “The Intelligent Investor,”

This is the book I re-read during the 2008 Financial Crisis.  And it helped me tremendously.  You may want to read my post, Lessons Learned from the 2008 Financial Crisis.

“The best known and most likely to make you money is The Intelligent Investor.” — Andrew Tobias

“Graham ranks as this century’s (and perhaps history’s) most important thinker on applied portfolio investment.” — John Train, author of The Money Masters

More on the Intelligent Investor here.

 




 

1929 Crash and Great Depression:

Value investing is about minimizing risk.

Graham’s painful losses in the 1929 crash and Great Depression led him to hone his investment techniques. These techniques sought to profit in stocks while minimizing downside risk. He did this by investing in companies whose shares traded far below the companies’ liquidation value.

In simple terms, his goal was to buy a dollar’s worth of assets for $0.50. To do this, he utilized market psychology, using the fear and greed of the market to his advantage, and invested by the numbers.

These ideas were built on Graham’s diligent, almost surgical, financial evaluation of companies. His experience led to simple, effective logic, upon which Graham built a successful method for investing.
Margin of Safety:

Graham also stressed the importance of always having a margin of safety in one’s investments. This meant only buying into a stock at a price that is well below a conservative valuation of the business.

This is important because it allows profit on the upside as the market eventually revalues the stock to its fair value, and it also gives some protection on the downside if things don’t work out as planned.

 




 

Ben Graham & Value Investing

How do we apply his investment criteria to make money today.  Many value managers use the following criteria to screen and filter for stocks that are worth much more than their current share price.

I use Graham’s investing criteria to find undervalued stocks.

See my investing articles on Signet or Ralph Lauren, the most undervalued brand in the world, as examples.

 

 

Relevant Articles:

45 Ways to Increase your Income

9 Best Ways to Save $7K This Year

7 Proven Books on Personal Finance to Take Control of Your Money

 

 

Investment Criteria:

Size:  Sales $500 million ($100m originally, but adjusted for inflation since the time of Graham’s writing). Smaller companies are generally subject to wider fluctuations in earnings.

  • For industrial companies, Graham used annual sales as a proxy for company size but, for utilities, he used $50m of assets instead ($250m inflation adjusted).

 

Strong Financial Condition, Current Ratio: Greater than  2.0

A current ratio above 2 means that the cash and liquid assets of the company are more than twice the Total Debts.

This is a strong financial condition.  And it was the painful lessons of the Great Depression that led Graham to be strict in terms of only selecting the companies with a strong financial condition.

 

 

Long Term debt:  Low Debt Long term debt should not exceed the working capital or net current assets.

Earnings Stability: EPS for the last 10 Years on the basis that companies that have maintained at least some level of earnings are more likely to be stable going forward.

Dividend track record over a 20 year period – not as relevant today as few companies pass this test as nowadays, companies are more inclined to use excess cash to buy back their shares.

 

Earnings growth = 3% on average over last 10 years. Graham wanted to see defensive companies grow their EPS by at least one third over the last 10 years, implying this minimum compound growth rate.

Price Earnings Ratio 15, using an average of EPS for the last three years. This is to account for special charges and to overcome the impact of cyclical business.

Price to Book 1.5. Graham recommended that the current price should not be more than 1.5x the book value last reported.

 

Value Investing

 Warren Buffett:

After reading “The Intelligent Investor” at age 19, Buffett enrolled in Columbia Business School in order to study under Graham, and they subsequently developed a lifelong friendship.

Later, he worked for Graham at his company, the Graham-Newman Corporation, which was similar to a closed-end mutual fund. Buffett worked there for two years until Graham decided to close the business and retire.

 

 

Security Analysis:   In 1928 he began teaching investment classes at Columbia University.

Over time, working with former student David Dodd, the lessons of his classes were gathered into his first book, titled “Security Analysis,” which was published in 1934.   More about Security Analysis here.

Security Analysis by Graham and Dodd is a lengthy and serious study of security analysis.

This book is for the knowledgeable and serious investor.

The book has sold over a million copies.

Warren Buffett says he’s read it at least four times.

 

Buffett Investing Strategy:  Warren Buffett went on to develop his own strategy, which differed from Graham’s in that he stressed the importance of a business’ brand equity and of holding investments indefinitely.

Graham would typically invest based purely on the numbers of a company, and he would sell an investment at a predetermined value.

Even so, Buffett could not have achieved his incredible success if Benjamin Graham had not taught him the way.

One of the best in-depth profiles of Warren Buffett was done by Roger Lowenstein, a Wall Street Journal reporter.

Buffett: Making of an American Capitalist here.

 

Benjamin Graham: Legacy of Creating Incredible Value Investors:

  • Investors like Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger refined the principles by applying additional factors – such as franchise value, management quality and capital allocation – in the assessment of intrinsic value.
  • Those who applied Graham’s ideas to new situations:  Investors like John Templeton showed how well value investing could work in international stocks, including emerging markets.
  • Others, like Joel Greenblatt, known for The Little Book that Beats the Market and Seth Klarman, applied the principles to special situations, such as bankruptcy securities, spinoffs, and complex structures.

 

Investing - Wall Street

 

Hedge Fund Titans Leon Cooperman & Mario Gabelli:

While a student at Columbia University’s business school, famed investor Leon Cooperman used to carpool to class with Mario Gabelli, CEO of GAMCO Investors. The two studied security analysis under Roger Murray, a noted value investing professor and co-author of the fifth edition of Graham’s Security Analysis, the bible of modern day value investing.

“Value investing became very appealing to me,” says Cooperman. “Why wouldn’t anyone want to get more for less?”

Cooperman, who was the head of research and a top strategist at Goldman, Sachs before launching Omega Advisors in 1991, says he shuns the risks of momentum investing, believing that a better long-term strategy is to know that he is making investments in stocks that are fundamentally mispriced.

 

The Sequoia Fund:

If there was ever a legendary fund, it’s Sequoia SYMBOL: (SEQUX), managed by New York-based Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb. This mutual fund was co-founded by Richard Cunniff and William Ruane, Buffett’s stockbroker, in 1970. It got a boost right from the beginning because Buffett, who was liquidating his own investment partnership, advised his clients to take their cash to Sequoia.

Ruane and Cunniff shared the Graham-inspired value underpinnings with Buffett and over the years developed a reputation for focusing on long-term growth of capital. The fund looks for undervalued companies with potential for growth and, like Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, is willing to hold positions for many years, even decades.

 

 

Seth Klarman:

Klarman’s fund has reportedly generated annual returns of 16.4 percent and $22.6 billion in net profit for his clients since inception more than three decades ago through 2015. Baupost generated a “high single-digit” return in 2016, according to an investor letter.

Investing Tips from Seth Klarman, author of Margin of Safety: (via FT)

  • Value investing works. Buy bargains.
  •  Quality matters, in businesses and in people. Better-quality businesses are more likely to grow and compound cash flow; low-quality businesses often erode and even superior managers, who are difficult to identify, attract, and retain, may not be enough to save them. Always partner with highly capable managers whose interests are aligned with yours.
  •  There is no need to overly diversify. Invest like you have a single, lifetime “punch card” with only 20 punches, so make each one count. Look broadly for opportunity, which can be found globally and in unexpected industries and structures.
  •  Consistency and patience are crucial. Most investors are their own worst enemies. Endurance enables compounding.

 

Legacy:  Ben Graham’s disciplined approach to investing has impacted generations of investors. His best-selling book, The Intelligent Investor and Security Analysis have become a blueprint for investment success for generations of high profile Money Managers including Warren Buffett, Seth Klarman, Mario Gabelli, and Leon Cooperman.

These books still deliver value to new investors today.  If you want to become a great investor there is no better place to begin.

 






Filed Under: Books, Investing Tagged With: ben graham, leon cooperman, margin of safety, mario gabelli, security analysis, seth klarman, the intelligent investor, wall street, warren buffett

Recent Posts

  • Special offer for my Subscribers
  • Breaking the College Cost Barrier: Employers That Will Pay for Your Education
  • 11 Side Hustle Ideas for Extra Money for 2024
  • You’re Invited
  • Supplement Your Income for $1

Featured Posts

Big Money From Focus Groups Saved Me

Big Money From Focus Groups Saved Me I know what it’s like to struggle financially.  A few years ago, I had started a business and  was struggling to pay my bills. I was embarrassed and I couldn’t afford to attend a friend’s wedding. That’s when my friend Jennifer told me about focus groups. I was […]

Top Posts & Pages

  • Best Savings Account Rates in 2019:  Ignoring your Cash Could Cost You
    Best Savings Account Rates in 2019: Ignoring your Cash Could Cost You
  • 7 Impressive Alternatives to Uber and Lyft as a Money Making Side Hustle
    7 Impressive Alternatives to Uber and Lyft as a Money Making Side Hustle

Subscribe to mailing list

* indicates required
 

Loading Comments...