Terrible Truth about Investing: How to Be a Savvy Investor

This book is out of print and Mr. Temkin has only himself to blame. He could have chosen any number of titles for his book, such as "How To Be a Complete Idiot and Still Get Very Rich Very Quick." Instead, he chose a title that implies that investing might not be the all that easy. What is worse, he published his book in 1999, when the stock markets were not quite at the end of a prolonged period of much higher than average returns and much lower average volatility. This is not a book about how to buy stocks and bonds. It will not tell you what mutual fund to buy. What is does contain is a very good explication of what is actually known about investing strategy, based on the historical data as first assembled and analyzed by Ibbotson and Sinquefield in the early 1970s. The information on offer here is especially valuable at a time when more and more of us are responsible for saving enough for our retirement needs. Among other useful things, this books explains: why you may need more money for retirement than you think; why you may not be as diversified as you think; why your investments may be riskier than you think (or, perhaps, thought, up until the last three years); how diversification can reduce but not eliminate risk; why investment mixes with higher volatility can reduce your total returns; why you have an investment strategy even if you don't think you do; why the handy investment software programs you find on the Internet may be misleading you about your retirement savings needs; why life cycle investing advice is often oversimplified; and, perhaps most importantly, why your psychological reactions to swings in the markets may cause you to make bad decisions.Perhaps, in the light of the experience of the last three years, we have reached what another investment writer called "the educable moment" and we are ready to absorb some of the terrible truths about investing that Mr. Temkin teaches. Some clever publisher ought to get Mr. Temkin to do another edition of this book and promote it as being by the-investment-guru-who-was-smart-enough-to-know-the-stock-market-would-go-down-again-some-day. Maybe they could call it "The Completely Easy Way to Get Rich in a Hurry in Spite of the Fact That You're an Utter Fool" or something like that.

Have you, the individual investor, read books by Larry Swedroe, Burton Maklkiel, and John Bogle? Do you think you now know a great deal about investing? If so, STOP. DO NOT PASS GO. BUY THIS BOOK.Once discovered this text will become an investment classic. For the average investor it will challenge your thinking, present some very valuable insights that otherwise might be ignored, and reinforce some sound principles of investing.Following an introductory examination of the long-term performance among various asset classes and the risks to investors posed by inflation, Bruce Temkin then delves into the impact of taxes upon real investment rates of return. He then aids the investor in understanding market volatility and various types of risks. Additional insights follow in his frank discussion of personal risk factors, investment time horizons, the role of (and limits of) diversification, and the role emotions can play in making investment decisions. Charts and graphs throughout the 258 pages help explain and reinforce the concepts presented.Throughout this book Bruce Temkin challenges us to carefully consider the steady diet we have been fed of misleading historical charts, the illusion of "average" rates of return, and longevity statistics. Mr. Temkin effectively explains why both "conservative" and "aggressive" investment portfolios can be far riskier than many investors think, and why investment portfolios should be (and must be) rebalanced periodically.The author scatters various insights throughout the easy to follow text - precious nuggets to absorb, contemplate, and apply to your individual situation. For example, he summarizes the benefits and limitations of financial software programs, including those employing Monte Carlo simulations. Also, he effectively conveys to the reader in several places the central theme that there are no guarantees in investing.Think you know it all, or most of it? This book is clearly for you. To quote the author, "When it comes to investing, feeling invincible can be dangerous. It can lead investors to overlook the principles that significantly contributed to their success in the first place."This is perhaps not the first book the beginning individual investor should read. But this is the one book on investing that should not be overlooked by investors and their advisors. This book will challenge your thinking, whatever level of experience you may possess. This is one book that deserves to be read carefully not only a first time, but every several months again, lest the individual investor think he or she has explored all there is to consider in investment and financial planning decision-making.Candid and insightful, this text is a must read for those seriously interested in investing and financial planning.