Beyond the Basics: How to Invest Your Money, Now That You Know a Thing or Two

Mary Farrell, an investment strategist at PaineWebber, advises investors to put their money in large cap stocks, because they will beat small caps. Why? Large firms have spent heavily to reap the productivity rewards from technological advances. And large caps' earnings and sales will continue to outpace small caps, in part because of big companies' exposure to international markets. Low inflation and interest rates also boost large caps. Aside from this advice, Farrell's investment guidebook offers few specific suggestions. Rather, she writes, investors must determine their own goals and risk tolerance. Farrell gives easy-to-follow explanations of stocks, mutual funds, and bonds, along with an outline of estate planning. In spite of its title, this book is too rudimentary for expert investors. Still, because it contains useful information, we at [...] recommend it to personal investors who are trying to make sense of Wall Street. (Note: Most investments cited are specific to the United States.)

As a fan of Mary Farrell's from her appearances on Wall Street Week, I was excited to read her new book.I have some investment experience, but I am by no means an expert. I thought the book struck the perfect balance of giving me the practical information I need to invest better, without dwelling on the obvious. Farrell uses real-world investment situations that the reader can definitely relate to, and then offers solid advice that can be applied by anyone. I highly recommend this book.

Money magazine (and the other reviewer) were right and these two books will give you the needed money knowledge. "Beyond the Basics" gives useful investing advice. Money's other pick, "Simple Money Solutions: 10 Ways You Can Stop Feeling Overwhelmed By Money and Start Making It Work For You," by Nancy Lloyd fills in the rest of the picture. I strongly recommend both books because they work well together!

"Beyond the Basics" gives insightful advice on choosing investments. But I also had other money matters to resolve, such as credit card debt, student loans and a large mortgage competing for my income.Money magazine's other recent recommendation, a book called, "Simple Money Solutions: 10 Ways You Can Stop Feeling Overwhelmed By Money and Start Making It Work For You," is also helping me with these other financial issues.Together these books will answer all your money questions and help you achieve financial freedom!

I have always admired Mary Farrell on Louis Rukeyser's Wall St Week, where she can be counted on to offer really perceptive financial insights. Her new book shows her to be equally good as a financial writer. It seems to me to fill an important niche between a book for the novice and a book for the professional. I found her comments on thematic investing especially useful as well as her risk/reward ratios. I am eager to see what she does next.