Investment Philosophies: Successful Investment Philosophies and the Greatest Investors Who Made Them Work [Hardcover]

Aswath Damodaran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0471345032 | ISBN-13: 978-0471345039 | Edition: 1

The philosophy behind the best investment strategies of all time
Investment philosophies are as unique as the individuals who practice them. In his latest endeavor, investment expert and NYU Stern School of Business professor Aswath Damodaran goes beyond investment strategies and looks at the individual underlying philosophies that support these techniques. He explores all of the time-tested investment philosophies that have worked over the long run, and discusses the greatest investors who made these philosophies so famous. Investment Philosophies will expose readers to a wide range of investment philosophies so as to give them a sense of what drives investors in each philosophy, how they attempt to put these philosophies into practice, and what determines ultimate success. In doing this, Damodaran provides an unbiased forum for the presentation of different investment philosophies, while supplying the tools-the definition and measurement of risk, the notion of market efficiency and how to test for inefficiencies, and the components and determinants of trading costs-and the empirical evidence for readers to make their own judgments on the investment philosophy that fits their specific investment goals and views of how markets work. Filled with valuable insights and expert advice, this book reveals various investment philosophies to a general audience of investors, not purely to professional investors.
Aswath Damodaran (New York, NY) is Professor of Finance at New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He is the author of Applied Corporate Finance (Wiley: 0-471-33042-6) and Investment Valuation (Wiley: 0-471-41488-3).

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…a complete guide to the approaches that is needed for those whose dream is to be rewarded vast wealth…”(Portfolio International, May 2003)

From the Inside Flap

Since the inception of the financial markets, investors have been bombarded with sales pitches from experts claiming to have found the secret formula or the magic model that guarantees investment success. In one corner, you have seasoned veterans telling you to buy businesses with solid cash flows and liquid assets because that's what worked for Warren Buffett. In another, you have financial professionals advising that in the new world of technology, you have to bet on companies with solid growth prospects. And still others recommend passive index investment as the way to outperform most active investors, or nontraditional investment strategies that have worked for a select group of successful hedge funds. The only thing this barrage of claims and counterclaims has created is investor confusion.

To successfully implement any investment strategy, you must first adopt an investment philosophy that is consistent at its core and which matches not only the markets you choose to invest in, but your personal preferences (risk tolerance, time horizons, etc.). In Investment Philosophies: Successful Strategies and the Investors Who Made Them Work, Aswath Damodaran will help you do this by going beyond the simple explanations of traditional and alternative investment strategies, to discuss the individual underlying philosophies that support these techniques.

Investment Philosophies explores many of the time-tested investment philosophies that investors have used over the years-from value investing and growth investing to technical analysis and market timing-and discusses some of the investors who made these philosophies work. This unique book will expose you to a wide range of investment philosophies to give you a sense of what drives investors in each philosophy, how they attempt to put these philosophies into practice, and what determines ultimate success. Damodaran offers an unbiased forum for the presentation of different investment philosophies, while supplying you with the tools-the definition and measurement of risk, the notion of market efficiency and how to test for inefficiencies, the components and determinants of trading costs-and the empirical evidence to make your own judgments on the investment philosophy that fits your specific investment goals and views of how markets work.

Filled with valuable insights, useful formulas, and comprehensive charts, this book provides you with the tools to pick an investment philosophy that is right for you. With Investment Philosophies as your guide you can be more confident in the way you or your fund managers invest.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471345032
• ISBN-13: 978-0471345039
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aswath Damodaran is a professor of finance and David Margolis teaching fellow at the Stern School of Business at New York University. He teaches the corporate finance and equity valuation courses in the MBA program. He received his MBA and PhD from the University of California at Los Angeles. His research interests lie in valuation, portfolio management, and applied corporate finance. He has been published in the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Review of Financial Studies. He has written three books on equity valuation (Damodaran on Valuation, Investment Valuation, and The Dark Side of Valuation) and two on corporate finance (Corporate Finance: Theory and Practice, Applied Corporate Finance: A User's Manual). He has coedited a book on investment management with Peter Bernstein (Investment Management) and has written a book on investment philosophies (Investment Philosophies). His newest book on portfolio management is titled Investment Fables and was published in 2004. He was a visiting lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1984 to 1986, where he received the Earl Cheit Outstanding Teaching Award in 1985. He has been at NYU since 1986 and received the Stern School of Business Excellence in Teaching Award (awarded by the graduating class) in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2001, and 2007, and was the youngest winner of the University-wide Distinguished Teaching Award (in 1990). He was profiled in Business Week as one of the top 12 business school professors in the United States in 1994.