Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World

...but not of Cramer. Excellent book for beginner to intermediate investors. Cramer is a good story-teller which is helpful in understanding some of the more complex concepts. It is a good idea to examine many different viewpoints on investing because to make truly informed investment decisions, you have to know two things: 1. What's in it for the person giving the viewpoint? (ie. what are they trying to sell you - buyer beware) 2. Does the viewpoint ring true? On score 1 it is quite clear Cramer would like to sell you stuff (the content he offers through TV, Radio, Internet and Writings), however the good news is he is not a broker or agent and has rules in place to prevent fraud (besides the fact the industry is highly regulated and he is a public figure). That is not to say public figures or regulated industry are immune to fraud! Like Cramers says, you have to do the homework yourself. On score 2, in my opinion his book rings true. He does a good job of grounding himself by his own mistakes and telling you how to learn from them, though unfortunately there is no substitute better than your own mistakes. The stock market is more unpredictable than the weather and Cramer brings to light most of the factors that can impact the market. He also acknowledges the fact that investing is very much like gambling - case in point? - he recommends a handicapping book over any other investing book to help pick stocks! Bottom line is... this book is a great addition to a personal investment book library.

This is a terrific book for anyone who wants to make real money in the stock market. I have been trading for over 30 years and I can tell you that this is one of the best books I have read on the market in many, many years.. It has many very good tips and insights that reminded me of my past mistakes and triumphs. It was a great read! He proposes a simple, straightforward strategy for developing a small portfolio of stocks, tells you how to manage this portfolio - and make real money! He addresses timing, when to buy, when to sell, tops and bottoms - everything you need to know. But he keeps it simple and straightforward so that it is an action plan you can actually use and follow. I only wish the American people would get out of this Mutual Fund Mania and set up a nice little portfolio of individual stocks like this instead. They would make so much more money and the country would prosper like never before! Like anything in life you need to experience years of trial and error in order to come to an intelligent strategy that will work for the future. Kramer has this experience and he is sharing it with you in this book. You don't have to take his advice, but you would be a fool not to listen. He's telling you - don't do this, I tried it in the past and I lost money. Do this instead - I learned by experience that this strategy works and will make real money. What more could you want? Believe me when I tell you that if you are just starting out buying individual stocks - you will make many, many errors and you will have losses. Kramer's writing style could use a little more severe editing - he is too rambling and anecdotal for me. I hit page 75 before I found the nuts and bolts of what I was looking for - but from then on the nuggets flowed and flowed - it was terrific. The dilemma is that the people who really need this book will have a tough time realizing that this book is of any use to them! It's like trying to tell a 19 year-old college student what to do with their life - when you have a world of experience behind you and they are just starting out. The same thing applies to this book and some who will approach it. They'll say it wasn't useful, it didn't give them the information they were looking for, or that Cramer doesn't know what he's talking about. But after having traded for 30 years and having lost hundreds of thousands of dollars as well as having earned many hundreds of thousands of dollars - I can tell you that this man is speaking from experience in the real world and his advice should not be taken lightly. [...] I'm sorry to say however that I can't stand Cramer's television show -- his speaking style is anathema to me. So what I do is I subscribe to theStreet.com and read the columns and articles in the evening at my leisure - and I replay his audio programs on specific issues. I find them very helpful. And I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to be able to read this book and not have to list

A perfect complement to his popular CNBC show "Mad Money", Real Money gives Cramer fans an in-depth look at what drives his stock market sageness. Many viewers of his show may be mystified as to what Cramer looks at when analyzing a company, but this book explains it all! He describes the Cramer ideas on utilizing P/E ratios, decisions from Fed, and even tips on how to judge a company's top management. This book is extremely practical because Cramer uses his saavy from 30+ years of investing experience and the lessons learned from working as a mighty hedge fund manager. A portion of this book deals much with investment discipline - deciding how much of a portfolio should be dedicated to speculation, how to properly diversify, etc. Another focus is about reading the market and predicting which sectors will be the performers based on the overall conditions of the market. Cramer also throws in signs to look for in individual stocks by presenting many examples of good CEOs (Commerce Bank) vs. wish-washy management (Sunbeam). Cramer gives reasons why "buy and hold" no longer works and why at least a small portion of everyone's portfolio should be devoted to short-term speculation. Real Money is a great read for anyone with money in the market. It's written for investing professionals as well as home gamers (individual investors). The investment advice is practical and definitely this is the best investment guide I ever read.

In Law School, you learn the Law, but you also learn how to Think like a Lawyer. If you want your hand held and told which stock you would Never lose money in..then this book is not for you. But if you want to Learn how to think and analyze like a Pro...then this is the Best Book ever written on this Subject (sorry Benjamin Graham). Reading this book, I was amazed to find so many things Mr. Cramer and the Great Mr. Buffet share in common.. from their thought, anaylsis to their overall personality. Neither one believes in holding more then 15 different companies, both live for Homework and both LOVE a bargain...be it a Stock or shopping at Target or finding a really good price on a Case of Coke (men after my heart). Neither Man waste money or are flashy with their wealth...and I think that is the greatest lesson that these Men (and this Book) can teach our status seeking society. I also suggest that you read this book before you read his first book, Confessions of a Street Addict...because once you have taken Cramer 101, you can truly enjoy Confessions....including the Horror of the $50,000.00 Desk...do you Know HOW much Sears Holding you can buy with that!

I am a 22 year old college student who started investing in the stock market at age 20. I learned from my father that waiting until you are 40 to do anything is a bad idea -- especially investing. From age 15 on I heard about the tech boom and specifically one name: Jim Cramer. My dad talked to me about Cramer every day of my life until I left for school... then we talked about him on the phone. To say the least, I have grown up hearing second hand the ideology that this man (Cramer) possesses when it comes to trading securities. Cramer is more than a money manager -- his energy and style motivate you to see through the bad in any macro situation and steer clear with your plans. His writing style is so uplifting you will find yourself thinking about the stock market 3x what you did before reading his texts. Cramer is a man that has capitalism running through him -- and he is not ashamed to show it. So, to boost the book: using Cramer's tips/ my own stock picks my first year of investing I was able to net ~20% return. I contribute much of this success to learning two key lessons from his teachings: 1) Don't be afraid to cut your losers 2) You have never taken a loss in the market unless YOU are lost in the market. Specifically on #2 -- Cramer's book takes direct aim and nails common fundamental analysis and ideas any stock investor should have in mind when analyzing potential companies. Even after my business school education it was a great refresher to hear some strategies again. To anyone that has the backbone to withstand losses and then will to stick to a core set of beliefs, get this book now.