Customer Reviews

Getting Started in Mutual Funds

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I just got the book last night, but so far it is great. I know very little about investing, just that I wanted to know more about Mutual Funds before I try to pick one. It has a lot of facts but isn't dauntlingly dense. There are lots of charts, definitions in the margins as well as a full glosary and plenty of room in the margins for notes. I choose this book over the For Dummies book because I didn't want to read an extra 200 pages of stories.

Hall truly does an impeccable job of condensing mutual fund know-how into a concise and effective guide. He never dumbs down the conversation or glosses over any concept. It's in the latter particular that makes this book essential to anyone who is entering or already invested in the world of mutual funds.

Hall divides his book into a logical progression from basic definitions and structure to the more complex aspects of analyzing performance. His thorough description of the various mutual fund types is well organized and explained with common sense examples. The following chapter on fees and expenses is a great reference to deciphering what a fund's prospectus says about fees and the long term consequences of these expenses on returns. He further goes on to discuss buying, redeeming, and exchanging mutual funds; fundamental but necessary skills for any mutual fund investor.

No other book on mutual funds that I've read comes close to his expertise in the collection of definitions, facts, and working knowledge into such an easy read. His final chapter of collected mutual fund investing wisdom is worth the price of the book alone. I strongly recommended that anyone thinking of investing or already invested in mutual funds should get and read this book.