The Unofficial Guide to Online Investing [Paperback]

Henry F. Robb (Author)

Book Description

Series: Unofficial Guides | Publication Date: April 15, 2000

Over 4 million people are logging onto the Internet to research stocks, check quotes, and make investments, and the number is growing daily. It's hard to believe that only three years ago the average person hadn't even heard about online investing. And a little over a year ago people in the bricks-and-mortar financial industry didn't believe that online brokerages could compete. Now the likes of Merrill Lynch, Prudential Securities, and Morgan Stanley are rushing to create their own online brokerage sites.

In The Unofficial Guide to Online Investing, new and experienced investors learn to:

• Choose which computer, Internet Service Provider, and investment software is best for online investing
• Find the web sites every online investor must know
• Pick an online broker and set up an account
• Monitor investments on- and off-site
• Evaluate online investment clubs, bulletin boards, discussion forums and news groups, mailing lists, and magazines
• Avoid the scams and pitfalls of online investing -- what happens if the online brokers site crashes?

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The inside scoop…for when you want more than the official line! Suddenly it seems everyone is turning away from brokers and toward the exciting new frontier of online investing. The upside is apparent: low cost, flexibility, speed, simplicity, and a seemingly unlimited supply of up-to-the-minute financial information via the Net. But what about the stories of people taking serious missteps without a broker's guidance, or about the occasional slip-ups or security problems of online brokerages? Let's face it: If you're going to double-click your money away, you want guidance from an informed but neutral authority. You want the inside scoop. The Unofficial Guide^™ to Online Investing is designed to give savvy consumers like you a foolproof appraisal of everything from the stock market and the Internet to making the most profitable choices among the vast array of online investing options. In this book you'll get unbiased recommendations that are not influenced by any company, product, or organization. The Unofficial Guide^™ to Online Investing is intensively inspected by The Unofficial Panel of Experts: William Arnold works for the online brokerage A.B. Watley Group, Inc.; Kenan Pollack is a producer at Hoover's Online; and Azhar M. Usman and Anas Osman are president and CEO of XOLIA.com, respectively. These specialists ensure that you are armed with the most up-to-date insider information on the subject of online investing and are told exactly what "the Official establishment" doesn't want you to know. Vital Information on how to use the Internet and navigate your way around the stock market Insider Secrets on choosing among your options—from stocks, bonds, and mutual funds to futures and options, currency markets, and offshore opportunities Money-Saving Techniques for setting up accounts and putting in orders, building a portfolio, and joining an investment club Time-Saving Tips on knowing when and how to buy, sell, and hold The Latest Trends in online investment—preferential treatment, IPOs, day trading, and more Handy Checklists and Charts for tracking your investments and monitoring your portfolio as it grows visit us on-line at www.idgbooks.com

About the Author

About the Author Henry F. Robb comes from a tradition of publishing and investing. His great-grandfather, George Horace Lorimer, was the editor of the Saturday Evening Post and his grandfather, Graeme Lorimer, an eminent financier in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Robb has written and edited a dozen books, including several business and business-related titles, published in Japan. A veteran of online investing, Robb brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to bear on this new financial medium. The author graduated with honors from Tufts University in 1986.

Product Details

• Paperback: 622 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028637526
• ISBN-13: 978-0028637525
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,929,264 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Guide to Investment and Money Management, December 16, 2000

By 

Gino Mastascusa (Tokyo, JAPAN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide to Online Investing (Paperback)

The Unofficial Guide to Online Investing by Henry Robb is an excellent guide for the individual investor. If you're looking for an extremely thorough, reader-friendly, comprehensive reference tool for not only online investing but a myriad of other vital financial concerns, look no further. It's obvious that the author took great pains in putting this book together. It's wonderfully written in an interesting, easy-to-understand style that doesn't intimidate or confuse the reader. On the contrary, you get the feeling that Mr. Robb has been an investment veteran for a number of years and through his day-to-day experience in dealing with the various financial markets, he has gained a great deal of wisdom on the subject.

The information, which is meticulously organized, is highly objective in nature. The author paints a very honest, if sobering view, of the overall financial picture, and he gives the reader an opportunity to find out about him- or herself with the inclusion of various personality assessment exercises. They were very helpful in gauging where I stand regarding investing, and they'll provide a basic framework or starting point, if you will, for my future investment decisions.

Lastly, I would like to reiterate that this book discusses a wide variety of financial issues within the context of personal investment. That is a key reason why I believe this book is so useful. Its scope as well as its careful attention to detail makes The Unofficial Guide to Online Investing a truly wonderful source of information, as it addresses just about every kind of question relating to individual money management.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Reference, April 15, 2000

By 

Dale Dawson (Southgate, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide to Online Investing (Paperback)

I just finished reading "the Unofficial Guide to Online Investing". This is a great book for the beginner through experienced individual investor. Robb covers all the critical topics in stages, increasing detail with each stage. What results is an excellent tutorial/reference (not to mention an easy read) concerning all aspects of investing. Starting with setting your house in order to planning and executing an investment plan. Well Done!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Should be titled "The Unofficial Guide to Personal Finance", August 26, 2000

By 

James Lor "James Lor" (Montreal, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Unofficial Guide to Online Investing (Paperback)

This book should have been titled "The Unofficial Guide to Personal Finance". Only Part IV, chapters 10 through 13, about 160 pages are devoted to online investing, and it's at a very elementary level. The rest of the book deals with bank accounts, credit cards, debt reduction, insurance, taxes, and other personal finance issues. If you want to learn about Online Investing, leave this book on the shelf and look for another book which has doesn't have all this non-Online Investing stuff. Leave this POS on the shelf.