My Vast Fortune: The Money Adventures of a Quixotic Capitalist [Hardcover]

Andrew Tobias (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 1997

"This book will make you rich. Filthy stinking rich. You will never need to work again. You will spend the rest of your life on the Riviera sipping piña coladas and listening to Sinatra. And even if this doesn't happen, Andrew Tobias will provide you with such a wealth of wit that you will retire with a vast fortune of laughter. "
--Christopher Buckley, author of Wry Martinis

As Newsweek put it, "Andrew Tobias remains the funniest of the financial writers."  Forbes identified him as "one of the financial community's most pithily perceptive observers." In My Vast Fortune, the bestselling author of The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need tells the amusing and illuminating story of how he amassed dizzying (well, to him) wealth. Then, he describes the unusual ways he's put it to work. Among his more famous money adventures are:


His personal campaign against smoking in Russia, which began when he spotted an opportunity to buy cheap TV airtime for commercials. "Excuse my pronunciation, " he told ninety million Russians night after night, "but I have something important to tell you."
His decision to buy real estate in Miami over the phone, without ever seeing it. For the price of a swank two-bedroom apartment in New York, Tobias realized he could buy most of a neighborhood--so he did. Oops. The tragicomic story of liberal as slumlord.
His crusade to fix the auto insurance mess, which pitted him against--of all people--his  onetime hero Ralph Nader. After spending $250,000 of his vast fortune on a referendum in California (where he has never lived), Tobias came to two conclusions: 1) "Each of us has a calling and--though appallingly boring--auto insurance seemed more and more to be mine" ; and 2) "Ralph Nader is a big fat idiot."


Finally, Tobias addresses your vast fortune and offers his wisest tips on how to make it and how to spend it. Witty and compassionate, Andrew Tobias is a plutocrat for the nineties, a capitalist with a heart. If you enjoyed The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need, you'll love My Vast Fortune.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Financial journalist Andrew Tobias is so socially conscientious that he once mounted an antismoking campaign in Russia simply because it seemed like a good idea. He has likewise taken it upon himself to upgrade living conditions in south Florida, support auto insurance reform in California, and undertake other crusades that result from his lifelong internal conflict between capitalism and socialism. Tobias can take on such causes because he's made quite a bit of money through writing and investment. In My Vast Fortune: The Money Adventures of a Quixotic Capitalist, he humorously reveals the details without hesitating to note that the joke is often on him.

From Library Journal

Tobias (The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need, Harcourt, 1996) claims to have started his own personal fortune when his father gave him five dollars for his fifth birthday. Rather than a primer on personal finance, this is more a memoir with a number of financial stops along the way. Tobias recounts buying real estate in Florida that made him something of a slum lord. He tells us about a personal campaign against cigarette smoking in Russia that resulted in his buying time and appearing on Russian television. He describes an almost obsessive quest to reform auto insurance. His advice for beginning investors: "Largely it's a matter of adopting good spending and saving habits." He even titles a section of his book "Giving It Away," in which he talks about philanthropy. Tobias writes with wit, grace, and, at times, a wide-eyed wonderment that such good fortune could have come his way. Recommended for larger nonfiction collections in public libraries.
-?Richard S. Drezen, Washington Post News Research Ctr., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 207 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (September 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067945618X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679456186
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,119,310 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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Andrew Tobias shares his financial and political adventures, March 11, 2003

By 

James H. McDuffie (Huntsville, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Vast Fortune: An Investor's Fiscal Triumphs and Money Misadventures (Paperback)

In this volume Andrew Tobias shares his adventures in personal finance and politics. The political part is only relevant as a guide to how things are actually done in that arena and also as a warning about how such things affect one's personal finances ( and perhaps as a plug for auto insurance reform). Tobias uses his personal experiences to support his position that slow wins the personal fortune game, even for those with a small fortune to start with. His involvement with auto insurance reform cost him money. His real estate investments are still up in the air. His Russian company and advertisments on smoking hazards worked to a degree. What is really great about this book is that Tobias takes you along on a ride through his personal finances:where his money came from, where it went to. Those looking for a finance guide in this book alone will be disappointed. It is more like the "laboratory research" that supports his point of view in The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need. The only quibble I have with the book is that Chapter 6 Your Vast Fortune appears rushed and scattered. As another reviewer pointed out most of this book is magazine articles collected together. It may be that the parts written to hold it all together are second rate. However, the book is humorous and a good read. It is definitely worth the time. It is also very self-effacing although I am not sure of the sincerity of the author in this regard.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing, August 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Vast Fortune: An Investor's Fiscal Triumphs and Money Misadventures (Paperback)

This is an amusing and readable book, and worth reading. To the reviewer below that accuses Tobias of bragging about his "vast fortune,": the title of the book is meant IRONICALLY. It's like calling a bald guy "curly." Tobias obviously has money, but as he put it in his column recently, he's a "minor millionaire" which in the new world of billionaires might make a millionaire think he doesn't have much to brag about. And I don't see that Tobias brags at all: what makes his writing so funny, is he is a master of self-deprecating humor. He puts himself down a lot in endearing and funny ways. So those who think he's arrogant, etc., here, must have minds that aren't very good at comprehending subtleties in life. This is mainly a collection of previously published articles, which results in some dry patches, depending on your interests, but I think you'll find a lot of it worth your time. And, hey, I'm a heterosexual who always votes Republican and I STILL love Tobias' writing (a gay man who is treasurer for the Democratic National Committee, or whatever the heck that organization is called.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tongue-in-cheek autobiography, serious financial advice, July 31, 2002

By 

Manola Sommerfeld (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Vast Fortune: An Investor's Fiscal Triumphs and Money Misadventures (Paperback)

Ah, the elusive and mysterious world of personal finance. I first heard of Andrew Tobias from his website, where he dissects and explains all mutual funds expenses. Not all no-load funds are created equal, and I realized that thanks to him. This book is great to get a sense of who Andrew Tobias is, what his core investing philosophy is, and be entertained in the meantime (he has lived a fascinating life). I can see where those readers who know a couple of things about personal finance might be a bit frustrated with the book, which is more than anything an autobiography. It was certainly worth my while to read it, and I recommend it.