Rating: 
Summary: Tyson's money column is much better than his book!
Review:
"Investing for Dummies" gives readers, new to investing, some good advice, such as you need to save money to invest, and that you should generally fund tax-deferred retirement plans before paying down a mortgage. Tyson also advises keeping cash reserves, not in ultra-low-yielding bank savings accounts, but in a money market fund. He urges you to seek "ownership" investments, e.g., stocks, real estate, or your own small business, rather then buying bonds or borrowing your nephew money to start his business. The above advice is common sense, as Tyson admits, and shows up in many good personal finance books. So, what does Tyson offer that the other investing and personal finance books don't? Well, there are some really funny cartoons. Tyson also covers real estate investing and investing in small business in more detail than most investing books. However, if you contemplate starting a business or buying one, there are far better books to read. Same for real estate. Of course, a small section devoted to starting a business won't do a complete job of teaching you what you need to know. But, at least "Investing For Dummies" exposes the reader to the small business and real estate possibilities, which many investing books fail to do. "Investing For Dummies" also recommends index funds and foreign stock funds, which are very good directions to consider. Tyson, in fact, counsels investors not to buy individual shares of common stock, but, rather, to invest exclusively via mutual funds. Of course, he urges you to keep expenses low and select mutual funds carefully. It seems Tyson runs out of meaningful investment advice to give and degenerates into promoting his views on tangent issues in several places. For example, he devotes a full section to criticizing radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh on issues like global warming. Come again? How does that help us become a better investor? Tyson later gives a short plug for Handgun Control, Inc., saying its agenda is to "educate" people about the dangers of guns. At least Tyson does a better job of working this into the flow of the book, saying that some people who start businesses have goals besides money. And, non-profits have agendas other than profits. Thanks, Eric. We might have missed that! OK. Everybody has his or her own ideas, and we can forgive Tyson for straying off the topic, occasionally, but it really galled me when he attacked ham-and-cheese-filled croissants, blaming them for heart attacks. Another story of a restaurant entrepreneur had the partially non-profit agenda of teaching people to eat healthy. Maybe, we can look forward to a "Eating Healthy For Investors For Dummies" in the future!? Tyson also wisely suggests we not try to follow a stock market guru. I strongly agree. Nobody can predict the future. Tyson also criticizes other investment writers who try to sell ongoing investment advice, but, I think, when he criticizes Peter Lynch and Simon and Schuster for trying to sell Lynch's books, Tyson is going a little too far. After all, this is coming from a writer who is famous for pumping out For Dummies books! Unlike Tyson, who is by trade a writer, Lynch retired rich, as a successful mutual fund manager, and Lynch passed up the opportunity to start his own mutual fund which would have earned him tens of millions of dollars more than selling any investing book. So, what is the ulterior motivation for Peter Lynch to write that he believes individual investors can beat the pros in buying individual stocks? None. Lynch believes this and explains why in detail in his books. Tyson claims to have read hundreds of investing books, but he totally ignores Lynch's rational, that individuals can beat the pros. He never addresses this, just sarcastically dismisses it.
Lynch's rational, that the professionals are all consumed with short-term performance and need to diversify widely, not for diversification's sake, but simply because they have too much money to invest, should not be dismissed lightly. Tyson tells investors who try to buy their own stocks to examine the portfolios of mutual fund managers to see what they are buying. Boink!! Never mind professionals often recompose their portfolios before disclosure, so it looks as if they have been buying the best stocks of the day. Never mind that these professionals might well be selling long before you are notified of the change. And, never mind that most individuals are seeking stocks to buy-and-hold, while professional money managers are more frequent traders. Not Tyson's best advice. Tyson correctly mentions that your earnings power is probably your greatest asset and that you should give enhancing your career some attention. But, we assume you knew this, also.
Overall, I do recommend "Investing For Dummies" to those individual investors who are totally new to investment and who want a quick overview of mutual fund investing, real estate investing, and small business. "Investing For Dummies" can be obtained at most local, public libraries. But, if you are already a saver, know how to evaluate an income statement and balance sheet, and have read a superior personal finance book, such as Jane Bryant Quinn's "Making The Most of Your Money", "Investing For Dummies" is probably too basic for you. But, in fairness to Tyson, I think he has a great personal finance column! If you read the column, then get the book, you might be disappointed. Peter Hupalo, Author of "Becoming An Investor: Building Wealth By Investing In Stocks, Bonds, And Mutual Funds.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent
Review: best book ever in simple ideas of how to invest
Rating: 
Summary: Practical Introduction for Beginners
Review: Considering that I know hardly anything about investing in stocks, real estate, etc., this book was a very good one because it introduced me to the basics. It starts with each topic on "level one" and gradually leads you to the level where you understand the topic but do not have useless information. It discusses stocks and bonds, real estate, portfolio buiding, and even the interesting psychological obstacles in investing. I thought an interesting idea was that to succeed long term in mutual fund investing, your portfolio must be diversified and well-researched. This book also discusses the pros and cons of having a financial advisor, and gives resources for more information. The book has cartoons, which add humor and taught me how investing would be applied to my life. The section of the book least applicable to me was about running and buying business, but it was interesting nevertheless. It was a great introduction to investing and I feel much more prepared than I did before reading the book.
Rating:
Summary: Practical Introduction for Beginners
Review: Considering that I know hardly anything about investing in stocks, real estate, etc., this book was a very good one because it introduced me to the basics. It starts with each topic on "level one" and gradually leads you to the level where you understand the topic but do not have useless information. It discusses stocks and bonds, real estate, portfolio buiding, and even the interesting psychological obstacles in investing. I thought an interesting idea was that to succeed long term in mutual fund investing, your portfolio must be diversified and well-researched. This book also discusses the pros and cons of having a financial advisor, and gives resources for more information. The book has cartoons, which add humor and taught me how investing would be applied to my life. The section of the book least applicable to me was about running and buying business, but it was interesting nevertheless. It was a great introduction to investing and I feel much more prepared than I did before reading the book.
Rating:
Summary: Investing for Dummies
Review: Eric Tyson is so great! he can make a complicated subject so easy to understand.
The book is so simple to understand that anyone can follow it and use the information.
Many books are so dry, but this book is funny and very entertaining. Read it if you want to know about Money and Finance.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book.
Review: Eric Tyson's Investing for Dummies in broad in scope, but still written in plain english. Even the most naive to investing can understand and apply what he writes.I also recommend Personal Finance for Dummies and Mutual Funds For Dummies.You will find these books more informative than Jane Bryant Quinn's books. What is the love affair with her anyway? I made the mistake of buying How To Make the Most of Your Money and found it to be a complete waste. Couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Read and apply Eric Tyson's great work. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book for novices and experienced investors
Review: Finally, an intelligent and honest investment book! After wasting time reading so many books that either don't give specifics or hype techniques to promote the author's own agenda, this book makes sense. It covers investing in the financial markets, real estate and small business since these are the three major ways people build wealth. In each of these areas, Tyson explains what to do and what not to do. As for saving money to invest, the reviewer above who queries what a person should do who needs 20K cash for a new car, Tyson's advice in his Personal Finance for Dummies book is don't buy such an expensive car - buy a good quality used car you can afford!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for a new investor
Review: I am finally just starting to learn about the stock market. I don't have much invested and I don't really know what I'm doing. This book has shown me that I have a lot to learn!! I really want to learn to invest, and I like how easy it is to understand this book. I also like that I don't have to read it in order from front to back for it to make sense. I can pick almost any chapter and get a complete lesson right there. I recommend this book for anyone who thinks they'll never understand money. With this book it's not as hard as I thought!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Investing book by Tyson.
Review: I bought this book after reading Mr Tysons first book on Personal Finance. This investing segment in the dummies serial takes the guesswork out of how to start investing. Like Personal Finance for dummies, this edition is also a easy read. I also strongly recommend "More Wealth without Risk" and "Financial Self Defense" for even more strategies on powerful investing. Read and grow rich!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for beginners
Review: I bought this book on Monday night and finished it on Thursday. Great information on a variety of subjects. I am taking what I read and opening an account within a week of finishing this book. I recommend to anyone who is thinking of opening a brokerage account. Well worth the money.
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