business and investing

I bought this book back in 1997. Up to then I had never invested in the stock market and did not give it any thought.

This book opened a new door to me. I remember to grow ever more enthusiastic as I read through its pages for it showed me a whole new world. A gust of fresh air made me realize the overwhealming advantages of partly owning a great company in the stock market at a reasonable price as a small investor. I quit looking at the stock market as a simple casino and turned serious attention to it for long term investment. Not only did I find the studying of different companies by fundamentals and the process of investing very fun, but also financially very rewarding.

Today I want to thank from these pages Warren Buffett and Robert Hagstrom for contributing to the spread of financial common sense in a world where the lack of it is stunning. And above all, for the privilege to read this masterpiece on investing and get an insight of Warren Buffett investment style.

This book is strongly undervalued and should be bought by everyone that cares about his financial future. Strong buy recommendation. Full of wisdom and fun to read. And I owe to it my personal financial success, averaging 40% yield per year, just applying the investment principles taught here.

Superb.

For starters, you can read this book and understand investing even if you're not a businessperson. Beginners should read the biography written by Roger Lowenstein first although this book is much more interesting.

The book talks about the billionaire investor Warren Buffett, how he got started, his achievements, the type of guy he is, how he calculates what a company's worth. Much like a biography... but the best part in my opinion, are the details on Buffett's past purchases. Hagstrom (the author) actually gives charts to show these which to me is invaluable. You'll know what I mean if you've ever tried to put money in stocks as a value investor.

To the experts (and I don't mean the people with advanced degrees or MBAs but the experienced VALUE investor), this book is a must have. I use it to study the specific purchases he made and by looking at the graphs, I think it's not hard to tell what Buffett was thinking, given what he already knows about the companies. And plus, you'll get some idea on calculating intrinsic value which I honestly think came from Hagstrom, not Buffett. But it's a start.

As it relates to price, I'd say this book is undervalued, it's a screaming buy pitch (under US$6)... You'll learn a great deal about stocks and about people (from managers to stockbrokers).

ahmadredza@rocketmail.com

Forget B-school, read this book. Seriously, a great introduction to value investing and the Buffett mentality of risk.

Hagstrom's analysis is very easy to read and understand... a book everyone should read.