How to Retire Rich: Time-Tested Strategies to Beat the Market and Retire in Style

The main message of _How to Retire Rich_ is that if you want to retire rich, or retire at all for that matter (ever!), you must invest in the stock market. You just don't have a choice in the matter. Sit down and let James O'Shaughnessy take you through the math---you'll quickly see that that is just the financial reality. The good news, however, is that investing in the stock market, when done properly, is not what you think it is. It's not about outsmarting all the other investors out there. It's not about trying to get a 'ten-bagger' so you can buy a cool car and brag at parties. It's not even about shrewd business savvy and scanning financial reports. It's about picking an effective strategy and sticking with it year in, year out until the day you retire, never pulling your money out of the market. But if that sounds hard, don't worry. One of HTRR's strongest points is the wealth of wisdom it provides on the mental aspects of investing over the long term. What do you do if your portfolio tanks? What do you do if it soars? This is a problem? You'd be surprised! O'Shaughnessy is probably the only author with a completely rounded, mature outlook on the emotional aspects of investing. Reading HTRR will give you the confidence you need to invest and stay in the market through good times and bad. So how do you invest? O'Shaughnessy breaks it all down for you, telling you exactly what to do. We're not talking the usual vague, feelgood accepted wisdom here such as 'buy market leaders' or 'buy on weakness, sell on strength'. Throw all those books in the trash! HTRR will tell you how to quickly find the precise stocks you should buy. You'll finish the book at 2 o'clock and have a list of the stocks to buy in your hand at 2:30. Yes, it's just that easy. You'll also know exactly when to buy them (now) and when to sell them (a year from now), and what do after that (repeat the process until you retire). What could be simpler? O'Shaughnessy should be nominated for a Nobel Prize. He is a modern-day Charles Darwin with a theory that has all the hallmarks of a revolution in scientific thought. The theory is simple, but deceptively so. Many readers come away thinking they have understood it, only to later demonstrate that they clearly haven't. Even Motley Fool was apparently unable to grasp Reasonable Runaways (one of the strategies in HTRR). They tried to test it with a universe of stocks picked from Value Line (!). When it wasn't performing well after six months (!), they wondered how they could tweak it (!) to "make it dance" (their words). You'll understand just how ridiculous all of this is when you read HTRR. Perhaps the reason for this widespread misunderstanding is that while the theory itself is simple, its ramifications are not---and without understanding its ramifications, it is impossible to truly understand the theory. Like Darwin, O'Shaughnessy has taken 'God'---the human element---completely out of the picture. That's what readers find so ha

Jim O'Shaughnessey founded the Cornerstone Growth mutual fund. Subsequently, it was sold to Hennessey Funds and is going strong under new manager Neil Hennessey. The fund is strictly managed according to the "reasonable runaway" formula set forth in the book. For 2001, it gained over 12%, beating the S & P by more than 24%. It is now up approximately 8% for 2002. Morningstar now rates the fund 5-star. (I have no connection with O'Shaughnessy or Hennessey other than investing with them.) It is also easy to run the formulas, and buy the stocks online yourself. It just makes sense--buying value stocks which have appreciated over the past year. Jim's research shows that these stocks will continue to appreciate. Value + momentum = profits. The formula predicts 17% average gains over time and in fact the strategy has earned about 16.9% over the last 5 years, with no significant help from the tech runup. Run the numbers for yourself--17% will make you rich pretty darn fast. Highly recommended reading, and unique among the stock market books I've read for actually making sense and working.

As an avid reader and a novice investor I could not put the book down. The information was clear and very understandable. I immediately went on line and was able to pull up the 50 stocks I will be using for Reasonable Runaways. My goal was to self manage my 401k. This has given me the tools to do so. I'm in it for the long term so will let you know in 25 years how the strategy worked. I feel strongly enough about the concept to share it with all my friends and family. Wouldn't it be fun to grow wealthy together???I have also read "What Works on Wall Street". If you must chose between the two "How to Retire Rich" is the better book in my opinion. "What Works" does provide reinforcement of the ideas if that is important to you.

I liked the simple strategies, but when I tried to access Researchnet, Reuters had acquired it. Where's the "free info" now? Let's keep the information and concept current!!

A must read for anyone who cares about their financial future. The cloud of confusion that shrouds Wall Street has been blown away. Finally, a simple, easy to understand investment guide that gives actionable advice. Forget about the 5,000 mutual funds that consistently underperform the market. Forget about this year's genius or this year's hot fund. Follow a discipline and stick to it through thick or thin. Thanks, O'Shaughnessy. This book summarizes everything I've learned about investing over the years, but, of course, not yet acted upon. That will change. ----Three things to count in life: death, taxes, and dismal stock market returns without an invesment strategy!----