Rating: 
Summary: Good book, but not the only guide needed.
Review: Although in my opinion this isn't the only investment guide you need, it is a great book that really sheds light on some of the more boring aspects of personal finance.This entertaining book gives you a good understanding of personal finance, saving, investing, and various strategies to boost your net worth. I highly recommend getting a copy of this book for yourself and one for a friend, believe me if they follow the tips they'll be thanking you later. Here's what different national publications have to say about the author: "Andrew Tobias is one of the financial community's pithily perceptive observers." Forbs "So full of tips and angles that only a booby or a billionaire could not benefit." The New York Times "The only investment guide many will indeed ever need." Barron's Reed Floren
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of great advice in an easy-to-read book
Review: Andrew Tobias knows his stuff and he lays it out in clear and simple terms. Whether you know very little or a lot about investments this book is a good investment. To complete your financial library I would also recommend a book by NPR's Personal Finance Correspondent, Nancy Lloyd. In "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS: 10 WAYS YOU CAN STOP FEELING OVERWHELMED BY MONEY AND START MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU" Nancy puts on paper more of the savvy advice that she regularly shares with Bob Edwards on "Morning Edition." While every one else in the financial press is telling consumers to switch from a credit card to a debit card, to stop writing checks and start using online bill-paying services, and to swap their credit card debit for a low-interest rate home equity loan, Nancy is the only one telling about the costly downsides and increased risks that you will take on with these money moves. Both books are eye openers.
Rating:
Summary: listen up kiddos, don't get too greedy
Review: Andrew Tobias weaves through the dizzy world of T-bills, municipal bonds, alternative minimum taxes, and a host of esoteric personal finance topics. But the bottom line he preaches is simple: be happy living on less than you make, and save the rest in safe no load mutual funds, diversifying between domestic and international stocks. Tobias tries to assure most of us average Joes that we are a fool if we think we can outsmart the Warren Buffetts of the world, so don't go crazy speculating on individual stocks. At best, you will make a broker happy. At worst, you will lose your shirt. There now - I just saved you $14 you can add to your no load mutual fund account (lol).
Rating:
Summary: The best investment book out there
Review: By way of background, I studied finance at a top business school and understand the theory of investing from some of the top professors in the country. But in terms of netting it out into something usable and understandable from an everyday personal investing standpoint, this was better than all of that combined. Tobias cuts thru all the crap the brokers tell you, and by the end of reading this you'll be able to judge good advice from bad advice (at a minimum) or manage your own finances without a professional (even better).
Rating:
Summary: Not the Only Investment Book You'll Need, But a Good Start
Review: I read this book more than ten years ago, when I saved enough money from my first job to start dabbling in the stock market. The new edition also has information on Roth IRA's and still offers good advice. For example, selling life insurance to a single person is like selling ice to an eskimo is a mantra that is still ingrained in my mind. Another is that discount brokers are better than full brokers. The book is easy to read and understand. It complements, Engel and Hecht's "How to Buy Stocks."
Rating:
Summary: Financial Freedom
Review: I read this book several times in the early 1980s. I read it until it fell apart. Since then I've been through dozens (more like hundreds) of other investment books, but this is the one that taught me first principles and taught them the best. Basically this guy is a really fine writer who happens to write about investments and personal finance. He's witty, entertaining, and right on target. As for the content, the basics of investing and frugality are covered. When you get right down to it the basics are all you need, and you can fit them on a 3 by 5 card. Almost all of my investing mistakes in the past 20 years have been a result of trying to make things too complicated. Tobias keeps his message simple, and that's one of this book's strengths. Like other reviewers, I've given this book as a gift over the years. However, there's another good writer out there in recent years -- Jason Kelly, author of "The Neatest Little Guide..." series.
Rating:
Summary: Great book to learn more about finance
Review: It is really the only investment book you will ever need. It covers lots of basic materials. When I first read the book, I thought it lacked details. However, it gave you enough information so that you can dive deeper into other topics on your own. If you are a beginner to investment, that is the best book you will find. Another comparable book would be "The Motley Fool Investment Guide : How The Fool Beats Wall Streets Wise Men And How You Can Too"
Rating:
Summary: The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Tobias
Review: The author discusses a wide range of investment vehicles aimed
at increasing wealth incrementally. He discusses the benefits
of zero coupon bonds that are sold cheaply but yield $1000
at maturity. The author lists the 401K plan as a superior
investment. Stocks are historically a good tax shelter if they
are held for price appreciation and dividend reinvestment.
The dividend reinvestment mechanism forces consumers to save
money that they otherwise might spend foolishly. Whole life insurance policies require an expert because policies tend
to pay low interest rates and there are significant penalties
for dropping them. Overall, the work is a good investment
for the personal investment portfolio.
Rating:
Summary: Some good advice, esp. if you are a couch potato
Review: The best line in Andrew Tobias's 25-year old classic is, one penny saved is two pennies earned. Why? Because when you save two pennis, close to one is taken away by the government, unless you are some dirt-wealthy person protected by tax shelters and a carribean passport. So by not eating that $... sushi meal, it's the same as you just earned $..., minus the cost of the McD burger. Tobias also points out the pitfalls in many popular investments, ranging from stamps to whole life insurance to insider stocks. The book is refreshing, even after 25 years. I totally wish I had had heeded his advice all these years. Indeed, if I had just bought some long-term bonds back when interest rate hit double digits, I would have retired long ago. Instead I played the equity market and in all these years, came out flat at best, not counting the uncountable number of sleepless hours and numerous occasions of near heart attacks. Because Tobias aims to keep the volume slim -- although the latest edition is bigger and 3 times more expensive than the last one I bought back in 1989 -- a lot of important things are left out, e.g., real estate, trusts, etc. Half of the book is devoted to stocks. While the advice is must-read for every small investor, I was hoping to see more content on bonds and also chapters devoted to hedge funds and real estate. Sure Tobias can say something about these increasingly popular vehicles. A timeless classic marred by some missing chapters, but still a gem in a world populated by useless investment advice, in book form or in person.
Rating: 
Summary: Avoiding losing is not winning
Review: Tobias is a good writer with a keen understanding of the "little guy's" financial world (although he clearly isn't a "little guy"). The 2002 edition of the book is the third update I've purchased, plus the original. This is the best update so far with much of the book re-written rather than "updated" with a few additional sentences here and there. Although the reader will not get rich from following Tobias' money management advice, he or she *will* avoid many of the traps (if he or she follows Tobias' advice) that can so easily hurt the small investor (for example, Tobias's advice on using margin to buy stocks: "Don't"). I've given this book to my family and friends in the past and will continue to do so. It's well worth the money and time spent.
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