Customer Reviews

The Intelligent Investor: The Classic Bestseller on Value Investing

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The audio version of this book is fairly easy to take. The two tapes (each with two sides) can comfortably be covered in a few drives back and forth to work. While I must admit that I was disappointed when, early in the first side, the speaker announced that the most recent update to the book was in the early seventies. So their references to an expensive Dow of 800 or so is almost amusing today. I found, however, that the material was quite useful sometimes because of that perspective. We are all too often reading someone's writing today about how smart they were yesterday. It is interesting sometimes to listen to what someone thought was smart yesterday and determine if that wisdom would have held up to the present day.

Tom Kelly

While the data must be interpreted in light of today's market situation (this book was last updated in 1973) The Intelligent Investor is a solid, well written, valuable resource for those who can afford to spend time to wisely research their investments. While this book is not meant for the beginner, it does give plenty of structure to help you organize your approach to value investing. This approach has been used by many very succesful value investors including Warren Buffet. A very worthwhile read, and my personal favorite on the subject of investing.

This is a must read for any person serious about investing (ie not gambling) in the stock market. The book is rather easy to read. Graham was an investor but also a teacher (at Columbia). He has a good balance between technical yet simple explanation. If you know absolutely nothing about the stock market and financials, you may still find it a bit obscure at time, but you should probably not invest directly anyway (at least not right away). For everyone else, read it.
Yes the latest edition was written in 1972. It is amusing at time to see the evolution. But actually this evolution is also part of what you learn by reading the book. You do see that some things never change (like valuing a company!), and others do change quite a bit. it gives you a nice perspective. Now the intersting part of the book is to understand the logic of Graham, less its conclusions. The conclusions date a bit. Graham used to work at a time when most corporations where industrial companies, when nowadays services are dominant for example. So take graham conclucions with a grain of salt. But do read in depth and try to understand his logic.
Value investing won't make you rich overnight. But reasonnably well done, it will avoid having you lose money, and can even open you the doors of year by year over-performance in the market. Warren Buffett and several other successfull investors have followed the approach of Graham. But as they all say, when you first read about value investing, you either understand it right away, or you never will. But trust my 15 year of investing on the stock market, you're better of understanding the value of value investing. And this book is the key to it.

I realize that Graham is the dean of Fundamental Analysis. I read his book Security Analysis in Graduate School and still find it very useful. However, the audio tape of the Intelligent Investor is horrible. First, the underlining book needs to be undated. The audio version focuses on events that occurred in the 1970s, which is when the underlining book was last updated. Second, the audio version fails to provide any key insights for investing. Everything is overly general. Finally, the audio tape is verbose. In sum, STAY away from this tape, unless you're having a problem with insomnia.

The abridged book on tape version (ISBN 0-694-51801-8) mostly covers market conditions in the early 1970s. (It's apparently an abridgement done in 1986 of a book Graham wrote in the early 1970s before his death in 1976). Yes, there is some historic interest here, but not enough of Benjamin Graham's timeless advice on investing. I recommend finding another version of Graham's work, unless you're an economic historian researching the early 1970s.

By the way, Graham's comments on the tape totally failed to foresee the big energy crisis and runaway inflation of the mid 1970s (as did 90%+ of investors then, including most other experts).

While Graham's text is obviously one of the most important guidebooks for investors written in this century, I have to agree with the reader from L.A. and say that it is quite a difficult read. Perhaps this is why so few people out of the masses have made a fortune in stocks. If we could all understand it, we'd all be rich.

First, I just want to say that many of you might find this book boring to read. If that turn out to be the case, you can read the commentary (which uses more relevant and recent examples) for each chapter by Jason Zweig, which is worth the price of the book alone. I got tempted to read the commentary only but I forced myself to read the entire book and I'm glad I did it. Warren Buffett is right, this is the best book on investing ever written, by far. This is one of the reasons in my opinion why Warren himself never write an investment book (plus the fact that it is not easy to explain Warren's intelligent on a paper. Instead just learn from what he does).

Now about the content of this book, it tells you everything you need to know about the investing field (not only stocks, but business in general, bonds, macro economy to some extent, psychological factor of the market, strategy for defensive and speculative investors etc).

Secondly, Warren Buffett highly recommend this book and his favorites are chapter 20 (Margin of safety) and chapter 8 (Investor and market fulctuation). Margin of safety should be the central concept of your investment, and understanding how the market works (and the mood and inconsistencies of Mr Market) should be the second thing that you need to know before jumping into the market.

I also find the chapter 11 (security analysis for lay investor) very educating as it teaches us to value the future of a business (breaking down into 3 area:
1. Long term prospect
2. Quality and conduct of management
3. Financial strength and capital structure

Additionally the comparison of eight companies (chapter 18) very practical and eye opening. I won't spill the content right here but when I read them, it feels like common sense to me, but back (during the tech bubble) then I was involved in several similar stocks that I shouldn't have touched with a ten feet pole.

The bonus chapter "The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville" by Warren Buffett is a classic reading. This article shows how inefficient the market can be, and argue that most of the time the market is not efficient. I have become a believer that the market is not efficient (after many years believing that the market is very efficient as the business school has taught me)

This book also cover several useful metrics that we can use to value a company in addition to just looking at EPS or PE ratio, such as the ROIC (Return on Invested Capital) etc.

In general, Ben Graham focuses a bit more on capital preservation (shown by focusing on margin of safety, dividend policy, and stocks priced below its tangible book value strategy.) which I think are really important, but one need to understand that there's more to investment than just those things (such as long term groth/the business itself and management) which are also covered in book.

This book would not serve as your investing philosophy, but it should help you create your own investing philosophies. It will help you find what your strength (defensive or enterprising) is and find/form your circle of competence. And as a minimum, this book will increase your confident when dealing with the stock market.

Last but not least, also read "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits" by Philip A. Fisher and "One up on Wall Street" by Peter Lynch to complement this book.

Happy Investing!

Sidarta Tanu

There are a number of problems with this audio tape. They are:

a) Content is very outdated. The original copyright was 1973 while the latest, on the audio tape box, was 1996. Despite this 23 year difference there are no modifications for almost anything that has happened in terms of either the financial markets, historically, since that time nor (more importantly) have their been any additiions for the large number of financial instruments that permit portfolio diversification (i.e., mutual funds are barely discussed, ETFs, indexing and foreign stocks and finacial instruments are not even mentioned). How can it be 2007 with not a mention (or bare mention of any of these?

b) No discussion of portfolio theory and the importance of diversification.

c) Stock analysis is primarily geared to manufacturing company. For example, the analysis on the importance of book value is geared exclusively to manufacturing and inventory carrying businesses. The concept of intellectual property is not even mentioned in passing.

d) No discussion of economic or financial market history since early 1970s. In addition, no mention of financial markets outside the U.S. (or world outside of the US for that matter).

e) Very limited financial discussion on financial ratios and the few there are are limited to manufacturing companies.

f) Emphasis in stock analysis is primarily on Dow Jows Industrials. Not much of a world outside that exists in terms of book's discussion.

One can obtain much more useful information on stock analysis and investment in almost any introductory level undergraduate text on finance.

There are two reasons it is to be given even one star. One is that it discusses some stock market history from WWI period to early 1970s. The second is that it was "cutting edge" for many years since it was first published. It thus provides some historical perspective on stock analysis (i.e., especially the analysis on manufacturing companies, almost no technology or intellectual property discussed, etc.). This alone is worth the one star as it will make one think how much of what is currently "mainstream" or "cutting edge" in stock/finance investment will become just as obsolete in another 30 years.

Intelligent Investor is the single greatest book ever written on investing. Look at Ben Graham's track record, all of several of his students (including Warren Buffett) have also built foutunes using his advice.

I got this book because of a Lou Rukeyser panelist who recommended it for understanding the latest milieu in the stock market. I found this book densely written, boring and of no practical value. A one year subscription to Money magazine would be better spent if you are truly a novice and are interested in portfolio analysis.
Graham gives little insight to the market, focusing on how building your portfolio with bonds and stocks for long-term (ie. buy and hold) growth. Does anyone still believe that garbage? If they do have they held thru last debacle in the market and made money?
Perhaps Graham has great things to say, but alas, not here.