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.
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.
Rating:
Summary: This man has advice you should read
Review: Whether you are rich or poor this man has advice you should read! he is no nonsense and a pleasure to read. his explanation of how you can save money by spending less is the best financial advice for the common man. Then he continues to tell you what you can do with the money you have saved in plain english. If you read just one, this is it.
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