The First Time Investor: How to Start Safe, Invest Smart & Sleep Well! [Paperback]

Larry Chambers (Author), Kenn Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1994

The First Time Investor is the beginning investor's bible. Packed with accessible information on every aspect of investing, it focuses on proven products and strategies -- stocks, mutual funds, bonds and annuities, international investing, using the Internet as a valuable tool, and more -- everything a beginning investor needs to know.

This thoroughly revised and updated edition provides a complete overview of the essentials of investing, plus:
-- A detailed glossary to ensure complete understanding of key points
-- Model portfolios, with varying risk levels, that anyone can adapt for their own use
-- An up-to-date listing of valuable Internet resources

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The only guide investors need to get started in the market.

"Investment planning has become an important aspect in my life. The First Time Investor offers real-world investment applications in an understandable way."­­Jack Canfield, co-author, Chicken Soup for the Soul, #1 New York Times bestseller

Do you see the rest of the world getting rich in the financial markets--as you sit on the sidelines with your money in a "safe" savings account? The First Time Investor will change the way you view your money.

A step-by-step blueprint of how the market really works, and a bestselling Fortune Book Club selection in its first edition, has been completely updated to show you how to make and protect money in today's turbulent investment marketplace. Regardless of whether the stock market is up or down, you'll learn how to make your money work for you in stocks, mutual funds, bonds, annuities, and more. Master the rules of independent investing­­minus sales pressure, bias, and irrelevant media noise­­with The First Time Investor.

Valuable for investors just getting their feet wet as well as those investors needing the latest facts and research, The First Time Investor explains: how to keep your perspective during market fluctuations; safe, successful strategies to profit from overseas and emerging markets; asset class investing­­the strategy the pros use to maximize return while minimizing risk; innovative ways to use IRAs, 401(k)s, annuities, and more to build a million-dollar retirement fund; simple, effective methods to finance your children's education; a listing of important resources; on-line trading techniques that slash commission costs and keep your money in the market­­where it belongs. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Probus Pub Co (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557385157
• ISBN-13: 978-1557385154
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,678,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi I'm Larry Chambers. Today I live in Ojai, California. I have two great and successful kids, Christin (27) is a singer, song writer and realty show producer and Logan (23) has a degree in Marine Biology UCSC and is a California State Beach Life Guard.

My first two books; Recondo and the First Time Investor pushed me in a new direction and launched a writing career that my teachers would have told me is impossible - once they stopped laughing. I was guy always distracted, inattentive, impatient, forgot his homework, and spelled words that looked more like turds.

But I beat the odds. I've written over 50 published books and hundreds and hundreds of magazine articles.

It wasn't until I was plopped down in the jungles of South Vietnam that I moved to 'the head of the class.' Distractibility, risk taking and impulsiveness were liabilities in school, became survival traits in combat. I would noticed things others overlooked, a blade of grass bent in the wrong direction or VC snot dripping from a tree leaf. Without being able to explain why, I'd knew when things were about to happen.

MILITARY BACKGROUND: served with F 58th Inf LRP and the originating L Co 75th Rangers 101st Abn ("Merrill's Marauders') company organized as the parent unit for the separate long-range reconnaissance patrol companies 1968-69.

AWARDS: Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars, two Air Medals; Combat Infantryman's Badge; Parachute Badge; Army Commendation Medal; National Defense Metal, Good Conduct Metal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Vietnam Service and Vietnam Campaign Metal. Recondo Badge.

BACKGROUND: Corning High School, located in Northern Cal, where he played football, basketball, track and boxing. He spent the summers milking cows and delivering feed to neighboring ranches. Went to Shasta College during the summer worked in the Forest Service as a fire fighter. After Vietnam he moved to Utah and completed his Bachelors and Masters of Science degrees. A certified ski instructor he also taught skiing for the University of Utah. After graduation he became a stockbroker for EF Hutton & Co, started Hunter/Chambers Construction Company and Credibility Marketing a hi-bred marketing and writing service.

AFFILIATIONS: Vetrepreneur (magazine for military Veterans who own a business) Advisory board member for the Journal of Retirement Planning; Associate Editor for the Journal of Investing; Business and Economics columnist for the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi Forum; Contributing editor for Investment Advisor magazine; and Wealth Manager; contributing editor Financial Planning, On Wall Street, Registered Representative, and on the editorial advisory board at Pension World magazine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Deceptive Title, January 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The First Time Investor: How to Start Safe, Invest Smart & Sleep Well! (Paperback)

This book is not appropriate for a first time investor. It never really describes what a stock is, how a bond works, or why interest rates matter. If you have no knowledge of investment, I suggest you find a gentler introduction.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Badly organized., January 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The First Time Investor: How to Start Safe, Invest Smart & Sleep Well (Paperback)

Make no mistake: I can see that Chambers is fairly intelligent, and his prose is actually not that bad. But he needs a harsher editor. The book drifts from topic to topic, and the sequence of chapters makes little sense. Especially poor are the discussions of academic theory. Chambers fails to make it clear whom he agrees with, or why. The strategy of "get in, stay in, and ignore the investment noise"--which Chambers is correct to recommend--does not need elaborate citation of investment theory to justify itself. It is becoming common sense, even for "ordinary" investors. (Or maybe I'm too optimistic?) The discussions of diversification contain some insights, but I've read other books that present the same points much more clearly (e.g. anything by Rick Edelman). No, I'm not an experienced investor, but I am a writer, and as a writer and reader I cannot recommend this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is excellent., February 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The First Time Investor: How to Start Safe, Invest Smart & Sleep Well (Paperback)

I'm no writer, but I've been an investor for 25 years. I have two kids in college. I bought books for both of them. The author makes it clear how to invest without taking needless risks understandable. I know the "On-line Day Traders" are today's hot books, but I've seen traders come and go. I like how the author refers to investment news as investment pornography. It get you all excited but that's about all. I think this is an important book because once this part of your life is handled, you can make different life decisions. Not decisions based on investment catch-up. Today's college kids are watching CNBC and CNN on their breaks. They think that kind of info gives them up to the minute answers. But so much of the news is mis-information. This book will help anyone who is serious about saving and investing. I recommend it.