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: A personal finance book that doesn't read like the phonebook
Review: Knowing what not to do in investing can be just as important, if not more important, than knowing what to do; investment mistakes can be devastatingly expensive, and you'll be that much ahead of the game if you can vicariously learn from someone else's mistakes. This is exactly what you'll learn from Andrew Tobias; who has humbly submitted his financial foibles to the world. But wait, there's more. You'll learn what you ought to do as well. The secret to sensible, successful investing, revealed within, turns out to be quite simple and embarrassingly dull (though the book is anything but dull); in that sense, this really is the only investment guide you'll ever need. Those who get a thrill out of stock-picking may wish to drill deeper with other books; but those of us who have better things to do with our time than obsessively watch the markets would be wise to follow Andrew's sage and hard-learned advice. For the amateur, time spent researching and picking individual stocks may very well be inversely proportional to their investment success. Informative as well as entertaining, this could be the best twelve bucks you'll ever spend. Andrew Tobias makes reading about personal finance something other than a remedy for insomnia.
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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: A Very Beginning To Personal Finance
Review: If you are expecting to learn everything you need to know about investments from this book, you will probably be disappointed. But this book is funny and entertaining while at the same time it is packed with sound investment advice that can benefit everyone. It was a delightful read. And now my only wish is to have some money to invest! I really enjoyed reading it and learned a lot. It's a great book for a beginner who wants to know more. If that's you, you'll be satisfied after you read it. Some things in life are worth the money. Today I save my money for those things. One of them is peace of mind. I read the book and incorporated its basic message into my daily life. Especially important is calculation of the value of saved money: a dollar (or Russian ruble) saved is one that has escaped taxes and the demands of living. As he puts it, a penny saved is two pennies earned. I remember this message as I walk through stores in Moscow. Now most of our stores in Russia are looking absolutely the same as in Western Europe. Enjoy the book and start enjoying saving! Informative as well as entertaining, this could be the best twelve bucks you'll ever spend. Andrew Tobias makes a good introduction reading about personal finance for everybody.
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: 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: great introduction to the basics of investing
Review: If you have a bunch of cash but are unsure how to invest it properly, this is your book. Interesting to read with a humorous touch. The book doesn't as much give you specific investment advice as it provides you with an overview of the world of investing, and after reading it you'll have a clear idea of what resources to study next.
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: 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: 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.
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