Customer Reviews

The Teenage Investor: How to Start Early, Invest Often & Build Wealth

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This easy-to-read, nicely formatted (highlighted sidebars) 204-page paperback is fun to read and clearly written. It is one of the simplest and best expositions on the subject that I've come across. Although its title suggests that it was written solely for teenage investors, it could have been easily titled "Everybody's Guide to Investing". A 13-year old precocious investor, Timothy Olsen, wrote the book. Interestingly, the writing style, subject knowledge, and comprehensive coverage of the topic appears to be written by a much more experienced professional investor. Congratulations to Timothy on mastering a complex subject and explaining it so simply.

This book is suited for anyone who desires a quick and basic overview of stock market investing. It is perfectly suited for novices who have no idea about this intriguing and vital subject. Unfortunately, the high schools in this country do not spend much time, if any, on the basics of investing and savings. This book should certainly be recommended as supplementary reading by high school Economic classes. In addition to the stock market basics, other topics covered include mutual funds, index funds and bonds. The author also explains how difficult it is to beat the market, why market timing is not a good idea, and why selecting mutual funds with low expenses is critical. He then covers issues of trust with regard to analysts, brokers and financial planners. Also discussed are how to research stocks and the importance of asset allocation.

The book does not cover most subjects in great depth - as this is only a primer - but provides the basic tenets needed to understand the key investing concepts. Two shortfalls of the book are its lack of website addresses and bibliography. For example, there were several references to John Bogle (Former Vanguard Chairman) on pages 105 and 169 in wonderful sidebar notes. It would have been great if the Website of Bogle's speeches or titles of his books were included. (That site is: ........ Another example where Websites were lacking were when the author refers to index funds and exchange-traded funds. (Those sites are indexfunds.com, etfconnect.com, ishares.com, etc.)

If you have teenage children and you want them to learn about the stock market with a quick and enjoyable immersion in the subject matter, then I highly recommend this book. The future investors in America's capitalist system need to know what it's all about, and this book provides solid information and a head start on the investing journey.

This book is mainly for those who are extremely afraid of risking money in individual stocks or smaller kids (<12) The only stocks he likes are index funds. Otherwise, its CDs or something having to do with the bank. The author is ultra-concerned about risk, and he's 13 years old. His ultra-concern about risk gets very annoying and repetitive after you've read 50 pages.

This is a great book for small kids, who aren't ready to take on the more risky stock market and individual stocks- it shows you the other options. (like the bank!) But for everyone 14+, I recommend "The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing".

(I'm 15 years old)

this is a good, easy read and i definitely recommend it for teenagers or people that are just starting to build some financial knowledge. the basic concepts are explained quite well, and the language is clear and straightforward. however, he sometimes sounds like a broken record and constantly admonishes the reader to use mutual funds and save money and not take risks- again and again, and it kinda gets old after awhile. this book could probably be written in about half it's length if that weren't the case.

Do not let the title fool you, it's not only for teenagers but for everyone, novices and market veterans alike. This book is a true gem. Written by a 13 year old (who is now 14), I went in expecting it to be tailored to kids and not well-written. Was I mistaken! This book is very well-written and offers simple, practical advice on how to make money over the long-term in index funds and stocks and why asset allocation plans are so important for investors. This book is a welcome relief from the stock promoting that other books by teenagers frequently exercise, and it's a great book because it doesn't offer any get rich quick schemes, only solid financial advice.

I do not believe this book is only for teenagers. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more, or expand their knowledge of the financial markets. Not only is this book great for the novice, but for the experienced, well-seasoned investor, as well. I hope Timothy Olsen keeps writing books - I would buy and read them all.

Michael LeBoeuf, Ph.D. and author of "The Millionaire in You" endorses Olsen's book on the front cover, saying: "Get a copy for yourself, your children and anyone you care about. You will all be richer for it." I could not agree more. Buy this book for everyone you care about.

I am impressed that a 13-year-old Tim is not only investing, but educating others about investing by writing a book. In this book, he introduces readers to the basics of investing. He covers investment products such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

His investment philosophy is to start early, invest often, and build wealth. He recommends investors to buy investments through index funds which are cost effective and beat most of the active money managers. In his opinion, trying to beat the market is very difficult and is better left for institutional investors who have an advantage over individual investors. Those who beat the market are just lucky.

While I agree that most individual investors should participate in the market through indexing, I do not agree that institutional investors have an advantage over individual investors and that managers who beat the market are lucky. Institutional investors are actually at a disadvantage because they have too much money, and this limits the number of opportunities. Individual investors can invest in small-cap and large-cap companies. Also, individual investors do not have clients complaining when their portfolio is experiencing paper losses. As to beating the market, most fail because they over-diversify. Successful investors such as Warren Buffett, Joel Greenblatt, and Mohnish Pabrai are value investors who are extremely successful but they do not recommend diversification.

Other than having a slightly different investment philosophy than the author, I enjoyed reading this book and would make it a requirement for all teenagers.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

I bought this book for my son who is about to inherit a large amount of money. I loved it. As a mature adult, I wish this book had been around when I was younger. I'm going to buy some copies for my Junior High class so my students can learn the basics of the Stock Market. True, it's simple, it's low risk themed, but a great way for the younger generation to get started.

The book is written in simple language and is very easy to undestand for novice investors. Highly recommend it to othere.

Purchased Teenage Investor for my grandchildren but decided not to give it to them. While the book gives a reasonable survey of the stock market it promotes the negative theme throughout that we, average investors, cannot succeed and would be better off buying mutual funds. (So, why write a book about investing?)

This boy-writer (in my opinion) must have garnered a lot of help from dad, a lawyer, an accountant, a broker, a writer, and an editor. I read the whole book hoping to find something that read as if a teenager actually contributed, but I couldn't find it.

Read it.

Or you will go broke, live off food stamps, and vote for Bernie Sanders.

Material is repeated over and over again. If your already familure with investing you probably should keep searching for another book.