At the heart of Lynch's case is that each individual has enough inherent knowledge and experience to be a successful investor. He uses numerous analogies to show investors:

1. The power of common knowledge (take advantage of what you already know) 2. You don't need to be a Wall Street analyst to uncover great investment opportunities 3. You are not disadvantaged vs. large, institutional investors You don't have to accurately predict the stock market to make money in stocks 4. To keep an open mind to new ideas

From my years on Wall Street, I found many of his theories and ideas to be completely accurate. Many other books I have read focus on the inherent evils of the possessed financial consultant community. Yes, the industry has its problems. However, $8 stock trades are not the only ingredients in profitable investing. In fact, I don't recall him emphasizing the need for discount trades, a fact over-emphasized in almost every other book I have read (remember, I am no longer in the industry...I don't need to strike a case for broker commissions). Instead, he shows you what information to focus on and how to apply it.

Do yourself a favor: Buy this book. Read it twice. It is not outdated...it is timeless. Yea, I know, you already know it all. My advice is to lose the ego and take a refresher course on common sense investing. When you finish, put it on your bookshelf. Do not give it to your kids or neighbors; buy them their own copies. This is a great book!

54 of 58 found the following review helpful:


1 of 3 books you have to have  Apr 03, 2006 By Mat R. Diehl
There are 3 books any person who is new to investing in the stock market MUST have. This book, Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor and Pat Dorsey's The 5 rules for successful stock investing. The insights these 3 books will give you are priceless and a MUST for anyone wanting to make money in the market. I am very happy to own all 3 and intend on passing them along to my son so he can learn how to best make his money work for him. Lynch goes through how to identify companies that may be of interest, then how to further analyze the prospects of making money by purchasing that company's stock, and then how to continue monitoring whether the stock is likely to head upward. Lynch places companies into 1 of 6 categories and gives you strategies for buying and selling companies that fall into each of the categories. As a fund manager who has proven his strategies are successful, his insight definitely carries some credibility.

68 of 78 found the following review helpful:


Showing My Kids the Financial Ropes  Jun 09, 2000 By Steve Richards
I bought Peter Lynch's book for my son as a college graduation present and he and I are both impressed with the useful and down-to-earth investing advice it contains. After reading Peter's book my son finally confessed that he graduated from college with almost $9,000 in credit card debt. Despite what I thought I had shown him about handling money he, like so many 20-somethings, really needed to get up to speed on basic money management--and as quickly as possible.

Bob Edwards on NPR's "Morning Edition" recommended another book by NPR's personal-finance correspondent, Nancy Lloyd, called, "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS: 10 Ways You Can Stop Feeling Overwhelemed By Money and Start Making It Work For You." My son, Andrew, says he's enjoying that book too and has used it to develop a plan for paying off his credit card debt. He's also started contributing to his 401(k) plan and even chose to buy a used car with a 2-year loan (as recommended by Nancy) so he'll start amassing equity. My son and I are now able to discuss money matters without either one of us getting bored or losing our tempers. I highly recommend both books and have just bought additional copies of each for my older son and daughter.

91 of 106 found the following review helpful:


These 2 Books Worked For Me, Too  Jul 25, 2000 By Kelly
I knew I needed to make some good investments with my IRA and 401(k) but I also knew I didn't have enough money left over after paying my bills. Two books have come to my rescue. In February, after watching Diane Sawyer interview Nancy Lloyd on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, I bought Nancy's superb book "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS: 10 Ways You Can Stop Feeling Overwhelmed By Money and Start Making It Work For You." It showed me how to finally pay off my credit card debts and how to shop for a much better credit card and mortgage deal--even though interest rates were rising at the time. The money I saved by following Nancy's advice allowed me to free up over $5,600 so far this year which I have begun to invest. That's where Peter Lynch's excellent advice in this book about picking stocks has taught me a lot. Even though many stocks have been dropping, using Peter's recommendations my portfolio has been steadily rising. Peter Lynch and Nancy Lloyd's books have given me an education on money that I wish I had gotten earlier in life. I now have the confidence that I always lacked and enough knowledge about money to tell my own kids what they need to know about money as they grow up. Well done!

48 of 54 found the following review helpful:


Great book!  Aug 16, 2003 By D. Olsen
This book is great. Not only does Peter Lynch give a run down of how he invests, but he uses a sensible approach while investing. He examines how to analyze a company, its operations, its financial statements and various other important factors when making an investment decision. This book is an important one that I will recommend and keep on my bookshelf for a LONG time.

See all 129 customer reviews on Amazon.com