Investing 101 [Paperback]

Kathy Kristof (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000 | ISBN-10: 1576600440 | ISBN-13: 978-1576600443 | Edition: 1

Investing 101 helps readers take their first steps into investing, even if they've been uncertain how to go about it before. This is the book that gives the novice investor the knowledge base and confidence to invest wisely

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The "Your Money" syndicated columnist for the Los Angeles Times, Kristof has written a primer for novice investors, but despite her accessible prose she misses the mark here. Her opening chapter, "Exorcising Your Demons," examines the various psychological reasons people make dumb investing decisions: for example, the "money-lover" agonizes over every penny spent and is always working for more, while the "ostrich" refuses to alter an investment strategy until it's too late. Other chaptersA"Risk and Reward," "Investing in Bonds" and "Mutual Funds"Acull standard advice found in countless books, Web sites and magazines. Yet her presentation of the material is too abbreviated, which may mislead beginners. For example, Kristof describes mutual fund prospectuses as "long, boring legal documents that spell out all the details about investing in a particular fund. Like most long, boring documents, they contain a handful of fascinating tidbits of information that can tell you whether the investment you're looking at is likely to be a boon or bust before you put your money at risk." Then, albeit briefly, she discusses the significant data found in a prospectus. However, after reading about something that is "long and boring," readers may well skip the useful information that follows. There's a chapter on socially responsible investingAit's an important topic, but not for readers new to the game. Kristof's writing style is friendly, but readers may be shortchanged by her breezy approach. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

If I had to suggest a book on investing and personal finance to an absolute beginner, it would be [this]. -- BookPage, September 2000

[M]ore simple and straightforward than the typical book on investing... also more humorous and personal. -- Today's Librarian, September 2000

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Bloomberg Press; 1 edition (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576600440
• ISBN-13: 978-1576600443
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed With Knowledge!, March 9, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Investing 101 (Paperback)

Investment greenhorns: Read this book - Now! Can we be any clearer? Kathy Kristof has written the ideal manual for anyone mystified by the world of finance. Her clear, fact-filled book completely dispenses with the condescending tone and soothing jabber of most books in the how-to-invest genre. In their place, Kristof has compiled an enlightening compendium of elementary investment wisdom, lucid explanations of financial terms and instruments, and educational walk-thrus of stock-valuation techniques. Simply put: If you are not investing, you must read this book. Whether it's fear, ignorance or inertia that's keeping you out of the markets, Investing 101 will inspire you to put your money to work by revealing, in easy-to-understand language, exactly how it all really works. We at getAbstract recommend this book as required reading for any beginner investors, or to anyone who feels intimidated by a lack of financial knowledge.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do the Worksheets and Invest Like a Pro, October 19, 2008

By 

John M. Lowe (Knoxville, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Investing 101 (Bloomberg) (Paperback)

This review is about the updated and expanded 2008 edition of Investing 101 by Kathy Kristof, nationally syndicated Personal Finance Columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

I approached this book from two perspectives, first, as a teacher (retired) of technical subject matter and, second, as a self-reliant investor (active) who is living out of his retirement funds.

View One

As a teacher, I had three objectives for students who took my courses. I expected students who completed my courses to come away with: (1) an appreciation for the discipline, (2) an understanding of the subject matter, and (3) a proficiency for putting the discipline into practice. If I were teaching Investing 101, could I realistically expect my students to achieve these same objectives with Kristof's composition as their textbook? The answer is Yes, Yes, and Yes. (And, yes, I know that Investing 101 was not written as a textbook, but please bear with me for the sake of this review.)

First, I believe my Investing 101 students will come away with a positive attitude toward the discipline of do-it-yourself investing. The FUD factor (fear, uncertainty, and doubt about private investing) is more than adequately addressed by Kristof in the first chapter of her book. I am convinced that an attitude check at the beginning of my make-believe course compared with the same attitude check at the end of the course would show that anxieties toward individual investing will be allayed because of Kristof's practical advice.

Second, I believe my students will come away with a clear comprehension of what investing is about, not only the buying and selling of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate investment trusts, but understanding these matters in relation to retirement planning and tax strategies. I believe that students who study Kristof's book and complete the paper-and-pencil assignments (worksheets spaced throughout the book) will finish this introductory investing course with enough fiscal savvy to be able to explain their financial goals, buy and sell strategies, and preferred portfolio allocations to their spouse, friends, financial adviser, and tax man.

Third, I believe my students will come away with a proficiency for setting up and maintaining investment portfolios on their own. I believe these portfolios will be wisely allocated between cash, stocks, and bonds so that principal will be protected and grow, income will be provided, and inflation will be hedged. I believe these portfolios, different for each student, will thrive in good markets and survive bad markets.

Overall, I believe my pretend students will benefit by the way Kristof's book is laid out. Each chapter is prefaced with a pedagogically sound "Quick Take" page. Kristof briefly tells the reader "What You'll Learn," "What You'll Do," and "How You'll Use This." If this were a theology book instead of a secular book, I would rename these headings as "Facts to be Believed," "Commands to be Obeyed," and "Promises to be Enjoyed."

View Two

As a self-reliant, active investor who is living out of his retirement funds, I looked for but could not find any ill-advised, slipshod action plans in this book. Kristof writes unambiguously about real financial problems and genuine investment solutions. Her explanations and illustrations are clear and to the point.

On the one hand, I found no investment topics so simple or elementary that they had no place in this book. On the other hand, I found no esoteric discussions of financial topics that were beyond a novice investor's level of appreciation, understanding, and ability.

My Favorite Chapter: I especially liked Chapter 14, "The Lazy Investor's Portfolio Planner." ("Lazy Portfolio" is a hot topic on the Internet. I got 366,000 hits with a Google search.) In this chapter, Kristof tells the reader how to take everything they've learned in Chapters 1-13 and apply it to a "hands-off" portfolio. [...]
My Favorite Kristof Quote: "Do the math."

Bottom Line: I recommend Investing 101, the 2008 updated and expanded edition, both as a tutorial for the newbie investor and as a review guide and reference manual for the intermediate investor.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Basic Investing Information, December 31, 2001

By 

M. Summers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Investing 101 (Paperback)

As the title would suggest, this is very basic investing information. If you are a new investor, and seek a very broad overview of investing, and your options, then this is the book for you. I bought this book for my mother, who has never invested outside of a savings account. I read the book to be sure it would give her the information I was hoping for. It was exactly what I wanted, written in easy to follow terminology. If you're an experienced investor, this book is not for you, however if you're seeking basic investing information, give it a read.