The Neatest Little Guide to Do-It-Yourself Investing [Paperback]

Jason Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2002

Written with the trademark flair and financial expertise that have made his guides to Stock Market Investing and Mutual Funds so invaluable, Jason Kelly's The Neatest Little Guide to Do-It-Yourself Investing uses real-life success stories to show how individual investors can reduce risk and make money in any market. From thinking like an investor to creating a profitable portfolio, readers will learn everything they need to know about:

* How to cut costs by being your own full-service broker
* How consistent investing offsets the risk of roller-coaster markets
* How Behavioral Finance can keep Dr. Greed and Mr. Fear at bay
* The importance of dollar-cost investing
* The pitfalls of investment software

Plus:

* Top 7 recovery portfolio picks
* 401(k) advisor
* "Investor Tools" sections in each chapter


Featuring an in-depth look at stock market facts, fallacies, and financial faux pas, this eye-opening handbook is filled with invaluable resources to help readers overcome risk and create and maintain personal finance security.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a quick, informative and enjoyable read. -- Roanoke Times, February 10, 2002

...filled with useful, basic information that's easy to digest. -- USA Today, March 25, 2002

About the Author

Jason Kelly, a frequent guest on CNN's financial network, is the author of the bestselling Neatest Little Guide series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Plume; 1st edition (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452282845
• ISBN-13: 978-0452282841
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jason Kelly is the author of nine books including "The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing," a BusinessWeek best seller now in its 2010 edition, and his newest title, "Stock Market Contest," published in November 2011. He also publishes "The Kelly Letter," a curiously readable weekly investment advisory.

He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1993 with a BA in English, but not before a professor told him that he would never succeed as an author because he "lacked a basic command of the English language." Luckily, IBM disagreed and hired Jason as a technical writer at its Silicon Valley Laboratory in San Jose, California. Once income from his freelance writing matched his income from IBM, Jason left corporate life to become a full-time freelance writer. About IBM hiring him for the only "real" job he's ever had, Jason wrote in Financially Stupid People, "I keep a special smile for Big Blue because of that break. It was the only company that believed in me. I never knew the meaning of the term 'competing offer.'"

One of Jason's Japanese publishers, Shueisha, brought him to Tokyo on book tour in 1999. He took that opportunity to visit his old high school exchange student friend, and wrote a funny article about the experience. That article remains one of Jason's most widely read. It's still on his site, at http://is.gd/cLe5V. Japan went straight to Jason's heart, and he decided to live there. He rented out his home in California and moved to Sano, Japan in 2002 for what he thought was going to be a one-year stay. Eight years later, he still lives and works there.

In addition to writing new books and "The Kelly Letter," he's also the angel investor in Red Frog Coffee in Longmont, Colorado, a delightful little shop managed by his sister and business partner, Emily.

Learn all you could ever want to know about Jason at jasonkelly.com/about.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably informed 30something investor, April 7, 2002

By 

Rich F. (New York City, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Neatest Little Guide to Do-It-Yourself Investing (Paperback)

I've read several of Jason Kelly's other titles prior to this DIY title. I have also worked in the Wall Street community as a low level hack, perhaps, but I had access to 'big gun' reports ala big name firms. Jason's writing style is head and shoulders above the rest. He grabs your interest and keeps the interest flowing from start to finish, and that's not an easy feat for someone like myself, who had been used to very dry and somewhat esoteric texts with the kind of writing one reads to fall asleep. That is definitely not the case here. I like the fact that his books are full of clear, concise and useful hints, AND there is very very little, if any, overlap from his other books. Some authors sometimes take bits and pieces from prior books to fill gaps or holes, but frankly, and I've read the Personal Investing and Stock Market books several times over, there is none of that here. I tip my hat to Jason for great style, wit and depth of information. Really quite remarkable.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding beginner information, April 3, 2002

By 

"brcjacks" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Neatest Little Guide to Do-It-Yourself Investing (Paperback)

I was just getting started as a do it yourself investor when I came across this book and I'm glad that I did. The author helped me avoid some big mistakes and really helped get me off and running in the right direction.
This book is easy to read with explanations of terms and phrases that the novice can understand. Everything he says is backed up with facts as well as resources you can turn to for additional information.
I found this book a valuable guide to investing in the new millenium. There are plenty of references to information on the web as well as useful sites for investing.
Additionally, the author has his own web site with a great deal in information as well as other books he has written.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Neatest Little Guide to Do-It-Yourself Investing, April 4, 2002

By 

Nolan Carlson (Fargo, ND) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Neatest Little Guide to Do-It-Yourself Investing (Paperback)

Being new to the world of investing, one of the first things I bought for reference was this book. Not really knowing what to expect, I was very impressed with the wealth of information that streamed from it. As others have said, it is very easy to read, objective and entertaining. I have passed the book on to my sister who also has just begun investing on her own. I can't wait to read the next Do-It-Yourself guide from Jason.
I truly can't say enough about this great publication nor can I thank Jason enough for the skillful advice he's rendered by writing it.

Thanks,
Nolan