Customer Reviews

Greed Is Good: The Capitalist Pig Guide to Investing

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is one of those books you're either going to love or hate, due to the author's very individual, conversational style. Personally I loved it, that's why I'm writing this and that's why I gave it 5 stars. It's a fast-paced introduction to all different types of investing, from fixed-income to stocks to futures. It's laced with retro-80s references which you'll be familiar with if you're in the target 20-35 age group.

Despite the whirlwind pace the author has some very good substance to offer. His philosophy of viewing every purchase you make as an investment may come as a shock to some but it is the foundation of good personal finances. He also presents the stock market in a very easy-to-understand way, for the beginner.

This is a fun, introductory book, that maybe surprisingly bears re-reading several times (I certainly have). If you're in the target age group and have just started to think about your money, pick this book up. It makes a sometimes dry topic really come to life.

I'd be compelled to give this book 3 stars, but due to the comprehensive information on options on futures, I choice to give it four stars. This is a great book, but it's simple, conversational style can get annoying and there can be too much substance at times to follow (sidebars, quotes, etc.). This is a good book by an up-and-coming hedge fund manager (Jonathan Hoenig). While I don't know if it would be good for kids to read, it definitely is a great book for adults who are intermediately knowledgeable about the financial markets, as it explains terms and operations in a simple, easy to understand mannerism.

I was looking for a book that would give an overview of the stock market and investing and I found it in this book. The title alone drew me to it. Johnathan Hoenig is the host and producer of "Capitalist Pig", the first radio program exclusively for the financial needs of 'Gen-Exers'. Hoenig has been investing in the stock market before he could drive and now holds a seat on the prestigious Chicago Board of Trade. In this book, he provides a lively intoduction stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures, options, diversification strategies, order execution and other fundamental topics of investing. He encourages investors to take prudent risks and think ahead. Hoenig's philosophy is not just about being rich, but its also about taking control of our future, professionally, personally and financially. His overall philosophy is complete self-reliance. This witty and fun book inspires a delightful spirit of independence and after reading this, I am looking forward to making lots of money investing in the stock market.

Let me start by saying that on a scale of 1-10, I give this book a solid 14. It is a hilarious, and highly educational primer for anyone contemplating entering (or in my case, re-entering) the market. Addressed to the young would-be investor, it nevertheless speaks to everyone. From one of his opening comments: "It's always better to own than be owned. And once you've experienced that feeling, there's no going back.", to his frequent irreverences, "Mutual funds have made stock ownership more convenient than getting a dime bag in Central Park", this book is a pure joy to read. Very obviously a proponent of the "buy and hold" school (nothing wrong with that), the only glaring weakness I can see is that although he points out that bear markets do exist, because of his youth (he's 23) and never having lived through one, he fails to truly factor that into the equation as a reality, rather than a concept. Having said that, though, I've already ordered a copy for my own library, and will gift my son with a copy soon after he's had a taste of what the world of work is really like.

The author's out take on the stock market, investing, and life in general is amazing. If you can find your passions, and be greedy about them, you will discover real wealth.

I lived with Jonathan in college. He's brilliant. He spent our entire senior year working on his program and this book. He even had a stock ticker running across his room. There is absolutely no one who is more on top of trends for investing. If you are just starting to make money and wondering what to do with it, this book is a great place to start. It makes sense out of the maze of investing. Jonathan is a great communicator, which is where many bright people fall short. He's wonderfully able to get his point across, with both wit and flair.

"Greed is Good" is an excellent book for beginner's to the trading arena. I would recommend this as a first book although it's not thorough enough to encompass all that one needs to know to start trading.

Especially if you are considering trading options, I would recommend getting a comprehensive book on the subject. Hoenig's information on options and futures is way too general to be of much use to the beginnner.

What I got from this book was useful web links to investment information and good recommendations on books to further your investment education.

Hoenig also offers valuable advice on money management tactics that even advanced traders will find useful.

Now that Amazon no longer offers this book for sale, I wouldn't pay anymore than $20 on the secondary market. As of this writing there is one secondary marketplace seller selling this book for over $175. Ridiculous is all I can say about that!

My husband and I were trying to learn about the investing world as we started to look to the future. This book was such an easy read that is made this topic easy to understand plus fun as well. I would recommend it to anyone, especially those from our generation, to get serious and think about saving money for the future. It is not that intimidating and actually can be interesting if presented correctly. Thanks Jonathan for making our first taste of investing a delicious one!!

I don't understand the review of the one person who didn't seem to like this book. In addition to the clear and helpful investment explainations and advice I got from the book, I found none of the unpleasantness the disatisfied reviewer found. I am a woman of color and found the book humorous and helpful. Great financial advice for the under 30 set.

Apparently this book was sent to the printing press without the publisher, Harper Collins, actually reading it. It is loaded with typographical and factual mistakes. I have never read a book containing so many mistakes. Here are four examples. There are many others. 1.) Page 120, ' Woman who can talk money are even more attractive than those who can talk sports.' It should be, ' Women who can talk money..." 2.) Page 190, Hoenig misspells the name of CNBC anchorman Bill Griffeth. Hoenig spells it Griffith. 3.) Page 200, Hoenig says Corey Feldman was in the movie 'Licensed to Drive'. The name of the movie was 'License to Drive.' 4.) Page 58, Hoenig actually claims you can invest $100 a year at 11% per year and have $867,996 after 40 years. This is nonsense. These are just four examples. You will find many more if you waste your money on this book