The Little Book that Saves Your Assets: What the Rich Do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets (Little Books. Big Profits) [Hardcover]

David M. Darst (Author), James J. Cramer (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Little Books. Big Profits | Publication Date: August 4, 2008

If you’ve ever wondered how investors continue to see substantial market-beating investment returns with portfolios that just seem to grow and grow, The Little Book that Saves Your Assets: What the Rich Do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets will reveal some secrets. David Darst, also known as Mr. Asset Allocations, shows you how to use savvy asset allocation strategies that you can use to invest like the rich do. This dynamic and easy-to-understand book allows you to rethink your asset allocation strategies and make the leap from mediocre to stellar returns.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"My favorite is The Little Book that Saves your Assets: What the Rich Do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets...Darst says to thrive financially today you must practice asset allocation, compiling a financial portfolio with assets that make money when the economy is doing well, but also including assets that make money when the economy slows down."
- Susan Rucci, BookPage, January 2009 Issue

"This 208-page, coat-pocket-size book also comments on why people often muff planning their financial futures. "We take eight weeks to buy a new necktie or dress but then make investment decisions that affect our entire life and net worth after an eight-minute phone conversation," the author writes. To help his readers avoid such pitfalls, he includes some probing questions to ask a prospective investment adviser."–WSJ

The timing couldn't be better . . . with the markets entering bear territory and anxiety over the economy deepening across the country. But Darst's lessons are timeless: the importance of diversification, matching assets to goals and not "confusing a bull market for brains." He imparts them and quite a bit more in a highly readable little book that would make a great present not only for first-time clients and prospects but junior planners as well.–Financial Planning

From the Inside Flap

"Insightful, tidy, essential, provocative, and witty . . ."
—Jerry Goodman, a.k.a Adam Smith,author of The Money Game and Supermoney

The markets seem so crazy these days that an investor—and we're all investors now with our 401(k)s, retirements, and college educations to finance—hardly knows where to turn. While we struggle, the affluent seem to do just fine. How do they do it? Two words: asset allocation. No one knows this better than David Darst, one of the world's foremost and visionary experts on what it takes to make the most with your money.

In The Little Book That Saves Your Assets, Darst distills his immense knowledge into a gem of a guide that anyone can use. Based on a lifetime of clear thinking and innovative research borne out of decades of real-world experience, this book presents the art and science of asset allocation in a crisp, down-to-earth fashion. It's like having your own chief investment strategist on call, just as the wealthy have, to guide you through the turbulent waters of the global financial markets.

Page by page, Darst describes the practical principles behind the process of managing your money in today's challenging investment climate and stresses the substantial investment returns that the right mix of stocks, bonds, cash, gold, real estate, commodities, and other assets can bring to your portfolio. He also explains the critical concept of correlation and how to spread your investments among uncorrelated asset classes to enhance returns and reduce the risks of long-term investing.

With the burden of investment responsibility shifted squarely onto the shoulders of individuals, positioning your portfolio for optimal long-term performance has taken on even greater meaning. Bottom line: if you don't manage your investments in a professional fashion, you'll suffer for it. With The Little Book That Saves Your Assets as your guide, Darst will put you on a path that will help you maximize your returns and achieve your life goals. Whether you decide to do it on your own or with the help of a trusted advisor, you need to understand the ins and outs of asset allocation, and this book will help you learn what the wealthy have long known—that 80% of investment returns are found to come from correct asset allocation.

Wealthy individuals and financial institutions have successfully used the asset allocation strategies outlined by David Darst to protect and grow their assets. Let The Little Book That Saves Your Assets show you how to do this too.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470250046
• ISBN-13: 978-0470250044
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Save your $ - don't buy this book, September 24, 2008

By 

B. Zimmerman (Mound, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Book that Saves Your Assets: What the Rich Do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets (Little Books. Big Profits) (Hardcover)

Mr. Darst must have had all of his buddies write in with 5-star reviews. I bought this book based on the subject and reviews, but it didn't meet my expectations. The title and description imply he will share HOW to balance your portfolio to weather the market ups and downs. His magic solution...allocate your investment $ to various asset classes which have a low correlation to each other (i.e. don't respond similarly to interest rates and economic conditions). How much to allocate to what classes depends on your goals and situation. DUHH! Rather than following through with real examples of asset allocation strategies which have worked for real people, he leaves you in the dark and tells you to hire a financial advisor.

22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Brutal, November 30, 2008

By 

Adolfo Gillespie - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little Book that Saves Your Assets: What the Rich Do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets (Little Books. Big Profits) (Hardcover)

Save your money. This book touts asset allocation but does not provide any practical advice on how to develop or implement a plan. The book asks many questions but provides absolutely no answers!

15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Little Book that Could...change your fortunes., July 23, 2008

By 

M. Parekh "Book Geek" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Book that Saves Your Assets: What the Rich Do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets (Little Books. Big Profits) (Hardcover)

This latest installment in publisher John Wiley & Sons' "Little Book" series of investment books, could be the most important and relevant one for a mainstream investor's portfolio, especially in these trying times.

Serial investment Author David Darst brings an life-time of professional, world-class blue-chip investment expertise to bear in this concise little tome.

A good example of this is David's "Objective-Based Asset Allocation" discussion in Chapter four. In pragmatic and humorous language, he explains the nuts and bolts of determining the most important part of any investment portfolio, the Asset Allocation, that's best suited to the personal needs of the investor.

The book is helpful for both novice and experienced investors, bringing together a medley of time-tested investment principles in a really fresh way.

What's remarkable is that David manages to distill the institutional-grade investment allocation advice from his earlier, larger books, into clear investment mantras for the individual.

Highly Recommended.