Customer Reviews

Essentials of Investments (Irwin/McGraw-Hill Series in Finance, Insurance, and Real Est)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I studied the entire book for my Investment Management course at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and found it very complete from the point of view of the "novice" investor and/or student. The book is not written for the intermediate or expert investor, but for an introductory course in Investment management it did the trick.

This is a clearly written book with excellent visual aids. I especially liked the concept checks and the current events boxes. The sample questions from CFA exams were particularly helpful. On whole the book does an exceptional job of explaining difficult subject matter. I'd even recommend this book to the 'lay' reader.

The authors no doubt know Investment analysis. Unfortunately they don't communicate that information too well. Frequently happens when Phd's forget they are writing to students, not other Phd's. Bought this book for a senior level finance course, required to complete my major in finance.
Even my Prof. started the course with, "the textbook is difficult to read but just follow my notes and you should do ok". Not too good of an endorsement for a textbook. Now, after completing the course, I am searching for another text on the subject to keep as a reference. Even after the lectures, this book's explinations of the same topics are difficult to follow.

I am a student and used this book for my Invesment Analysis class. The text reads well. However, it is confusing in some spots, particularly the word explanations of the equations. (i.e. Put-Call Parity Theorm) However, it covers everything under the sun and has a up to date feel about it. I highly recommend this book to up and coming investors. Professionals do not need to read this book.

I am a person who likes to learn stuff mostly on my own. I've basically taught myself subjects such as Accounting, Operational Management, and many other courses just by reading textbooks (along with a little bit help from professors). Most textbooks I have read are clearly written and easy to understand. This book is by far the most BORING and DIFFICULT textbook I've ever read....and I had the toughest time of teaching myself any essentials of investments with this book.

Essential of Investments is poorly written with complicated sentences, which make it much harder to understand the already complicated subject of Finance. I sometimes find myself reading the same sentences for 15 minutes and still don't get what it's trying to say. When I finally do get it, I can always think of at least 10 other ways to reword them so that the readers won't have to scratch their heads and say, "Ehhh, what...?" Finance is not an easy subject and it is probably hard to write about, but so is subject like Accounting, which is probably even more boring than Finance. But the Accounting books that I have read were really easy to understand and I really taught myself Accounting with the textbook.

Seriously, if it's not required for some class, DON'T buy this book.

This book is widely used in finance courses in my university, a puzzling fact because books should rarely sell if they're hard to read. The book�fs authors introduce a broad array of investment theories and discoveries. That�fs a plus. But their wordy sentences, which grow wordier and harder to follow as they delve into each chapter�fs key concepts, offset the plus. The authors�f inconsistent use of terminology is another drawback. As I move on to later chapters, I feel as if the authors were growing more verbose. That benefits no readers, given the later chapters discussing higher-level concepts.
When they revise this book for the next edition, they should hire proofreaders, journalists if possible. They care about readers and can help rewrite the entire book into a readable piece that helps students instead of confusing them.

This is a poorly written finance text. It is not organized and unclear in some sections. I have a degree in Finance, and I would never recommend this book to anyone.

I searched for this book on Amazon for the 8th edition, saw the link to kindle edition on the 8th edition and purchased it, I not only paid $4 dollars more than it was before but received an Ebook that isn't the edition advertised. The 8th edition had a crucial new part edited to reflect the financial collapse of 2008 and a new chapter on hedge funds.

Amazon gone wrong!

The authors make even the interesting areas of finance unimaginably dull with long, confusing sentences and few real world examples. I also think the textbook is setting students up for failure by presenting formulas without enough discussion of the assumptions going into those formulas. All in all, it's a text by academics for academics.

Also, one of the authors is said to have "spent two years at Fredie Mac, where he helped to develop MORTGAGE PRICING and CREDIT RISK MODELS."

Ummmm?

I made the mistake of choosing this book as this text for an undergraduate finance course because it is used by the New York Society of Financial Analysts in their portfolio management class. Don't make the same mistake!! Part One is very informative and gives the reader practical information and advice. The rest of the book is terrible. The equity section concentrates on Modern Portfolio Theory--the Efficient Fronter, co-variation, efficient markets, blah, blah, blah. While Value Investing is mentioned (barely), it is almost an afterthought and it's certainly frowned upon. I wonder how poor investors like Warren Buffet and Seth Klarman have made any money at all using the Value Investing approach. I found the section on bonds and fixed income portfolio management interesting but difficult to follow. I traded corporate and municipal bonds for 20 years. If I had not had such a background, I would have been totally confused. If you are a quantitative GENIUS, this book MAY help you. If you are not, you can choose another book and learn much more.