Investing in Vice: The Recession-Proof Portfolio of Booze, Bets, Bombs & Butts [Hardcover]

Dan Ahrens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

Stocks markets go up and down, but no matter what the economy is doing, people worldwide continue to drink, smoke, gamble, and fight. Why not invest in vice?

Vice Fund Manager, Dan Ahrens focuses on "sin stocks"- tobacco, alcohol, adult entertainment, gambling, and aerospace/defense, contending that even during an abysmal economy, people will continue to indulge in these goods and services.

In Investing in Vice, Ahrens explores all major aspects of the vice industry and provides traders and investors with:

o A brief history of each principal vice industry
o Strategies for building a profitable portfolio
o Charts of each industry's stock performance
o Instructions on how to invest in vice-pros and cons of full service brokers, managed portfolios, and mutual funds
o Top Picks-of the best companies, and top stock holdings
o Reasons why Socially Responsible Investing may not work

With its lighthearted tone and simple approach, Investing in Vice is the ultimate defense in these troubled economic times.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

An increasing number of mutual funds are touting a "socially responsible" approach to investing, which often means that they avoid companies involved in vices such as drinking, smoking, gambling, and adult entertainment. Ahrens and his colleagues at MUTUALS.com decided to take the opposite tack and in August 2002 launched the Vice Fund, which invests exclusively in "sin stocks." Believing that these politically incorrect industries are relatively recession proof, Ahrens also claims that the so-called socially responsible investing community is filled with hypocrisy and contradiction and may even be misleading millions of investors. Anheuser-Busch, maker of Budweiser, may be considered a sin stock, but it is also one of the top recyclers in the country, and no one is accusing it of cooking the books, either. Ahrens' short, lighthearted manifesto includes brief analyses of companies such as alcohol giant Diageo PLC, Altria Group (formerly Phillip Morris), and Harrah's Entertainment. The alcohol, tobacco, and gaming industries are here to stay, so why not put a little fun in your portfolio? David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Dan Ahrens is President and Treasurer of the MUTUALS.com family of funds. He has appeared on CNN, CNNfn, ABC News, CNBC, MSNBC, and the BBC. When the Vice Fund was launched in August 2002, it attracted enormous publicity and has since been featured in The New York Times, Time, Barron's, Fortune, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many others. He lives with his wife in Dallas, Texas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312325045
• ISBN-13: 978-0312325046
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #715,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly straight forward investing talk!, March 19, 2004

By 

Jocelyn K. (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Investing in Vice: The Recession-Proof Portfolio of Booze, Bets, Bombs & Butts (Hardcover)

I thought Ahrens book would be gimmicky, as it turns out, it was anything but gimmicky. Ahrens' take on the gaming, alcohol, tobacco and defense industries being an essential part of any investors portfolio is well thought out and credible. For those investors looking to recession proof their portfolio, Ahrens' book on vice investing is a great resource. I enjoyed the book in large part because it was an easy read, but very informative.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lord Help Me, March 26, 2004

By 

Bill Trainor (Lakewood, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Investing in Vice: The Recession-Proof Portfolio of Booze, Bets, Bombs & Butts (Hardcover)

Investing in Vice is a very insightful with straight forward and well developed ideas on the virtues of investing in vice. A must read for all investors and a great portfolio diversification strategy. The author is a sage voice in a sector where the hype, glam, politics, and zeal often overshadow the reality that many of the companies are great performers and stocks.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Investing in "Sin" Stocks made easy, March 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Investing in Vice: The Recession-Proof Portfolio of Booze, Bets, Bombs & Butts (Hardcover)

I will be the first to admit that I know very little about stocks in general. But after reading numerous articles about investing in so called "sin" stocks, I became very interested in learning more. Mr.Ahren's book is an easy read full of clear, insightful information. He not only explains why investing in these stocks makes so much sense, he lays out the facts to back up his statements in a way that is easy for even novices like me to understand. If you are interested at all in investing, especially in "sin stocks", this is a must read.