The Entrepreneurial Investor: The Art, Science, and Business of Value Investing

This book will help readers understand the basic concepts of value investing. It will also help readers understand important factors of companies' value that are not often layed out in books on investing. The material is presented in an easy to understand manner and it is a quick read. Key take-a-ways 1) invest in what you understand and 2) focus your efforts. It is worthwhile to note that on the authors' company website (www.wcam.com), you can find a great monthly newsletter that I have read for years called Exclusive Outlook.

Finally a business book I can understand! The Entrepreneurial Investor explains investing in plain English and is actually fun to read. The style is witty and the ideas are easy to apply and relate to.

The Entrepreneurial Investor is a simple and enjoyable book about business, investing, and the stock market. It is the first book I have read on the topic of investments which didn't bore me or lose me after the first 2-3 chapters. The passion and knowledge of the writers jump off of the page, and I can't help but look for stock ideas everywhere I go now. Had I been paying attention sooner, I wouldn't have missed out on some incredible investment opportunities which were sitting right in front of me!

For 12 years I headed up an independent accounting firm that served the Kinko's Organization during its rise from $80 million to over $1 billion in sales. During that period I tracked Paul Orfalea's stock picks for the purpose of financial reporting. I was amazed that he rarely had a losing pick, and that is portfolios always increased substantially over time. It was not surprising to me that after his tenure at Kinko's, Paul's efforts went into portfolio management and philanthropy. Paul has a way of breaking down business to its most simple and understandable terms. I've also known him to be very generous, especially with what his willingness to share his incredibly intuitive wisdom with anyone who has the presence of mind to listen. His thoughts, combined with that of Lance Helfert, Atticus Lowe, and especially with the amusing, clear and understandable prose of Dean Zatkowsky, make this book a joy to read. If you want to pass some significant wisdom on to your children, get them this book (and be sure to read it yourself!).

The Entrepreneurial Investor should be in every serious investor's library. So many books and publications today are only about the financials and the science of investing. It is refreshing to take a step back and focus on the actual business first, then apply that knowledge to understanding the value of a company. The book is easy to follow and well thought out with the 4 separate sections: 1. Think Like an Owner. 2. Companies Worth Owning. 3. The Owner's Manual. 4. What's It Worth - To Me? The Entrepreneurial Investor offers practical advice to truly act and think like an owner when investing. I especially enjoyed the chapter on company culture, not often a topic in value investing. The book also shares the lives of 4 very interesting Inspirational Figures: Benjamin Graham, David Packard, Bernard Baruch, and Howard Hughes. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in value investing the Entrepreneurial way. Not only will an experienced investor learn new insights to investing, a beginning investor will start with a solid foundation. Joseph Lucia Wealth Manager RJL Wealth Management