The need-to-know essentials of investing This book explains the conceptual foundations of investing to improve investor performance. There are a host of investment mistakes that can be avoided by such an understanding. One example involves the trade-off between risk and return. The trade-off seems to imply that if you bear more risk you will have higher long-run average returns. That conclusion is false. It is possible to bear a great deal of risk and get no benefit in terms of higher average return. Understanding the conceptual foundations of finance makes it clear why this is so and, thereby, helps an investor avoid bearing uncompensated risks. Another choice every investor has to make is between active versus passive investing. Making that choice wisely requires understanding the conceptual foundations of investing. • Instructs investors willing to take the time to learn all of the concepts in layman’s terms • Teaches concepts without overwhelming readers with math • Helps you strengthen your portfolio • Shows you the fundamental concepts of active investing The Conceptual Foundations of Investing is ultimately for investors looking to understand the science behind successful investing.

Mutual-fund superstar Peter Lynch and author John Rothchild explain the basic principles of the stock market and business in an investing guide that will enlighten and entertain anyone who is high-school age or older. Many investors, including some with substantial portfolios, have only the sketchiest idea of how the stock market works. The reason, say Lynch and Rothchild, is that the basics of investing—the fundamentals of our economic system and what they have to do with the stock market—aren’t taught in school. At a time when individuals have to make important decisions about saving for college and 401(k) retirement funds, this failure to provide a basic education in investing can have tragic consequences. For those who know what to look for, investment opportunities are everywhere. The average high-school student is familiar with Nike, Reebok, McDonald’s, the Gap, and the Body Shop. Nearly every teenager in America drinks Coke or Pepsi, but only a very few own shares in either company or even understand how to buy them. Every student studies American history, but few realize that our country was settled by European colonists financed by public companies in England and Holland—and the basic principles behind public companies haven’t changed in more than three hundred years. In Learn to Earn, Lynch and Rothchild explain in a style accessible to anyone who is high-school age or older how to read a stock table in the daily newspaper, how to understand a company annual report, and why everyone should pay attention to the stock market. They explain not only how to invest, but also how to think like an investor.

In Foundation and Endowment Investing, authors Lawrence Kochard and Cathleen Rittereiser offer you a detailed look at this fascinating world and the strategies used to achieve success within it. Filled with in-depth insights and expert advice, this reliable resource profiles twelve of the most accomplished Chief Investment Officers within today’s foundation and endowment community—chronicling their experiences, investment philosophies, and the challenges they face—and shares important lessons that can be used as you go about your own investment endeavors.

Embarking on the journey of investing and business can be both exhilarating and challenging. This book has laid out the fundamental concepts and strategies necessary for you to begin this journey with confidence. By understanding the different types of investments, mastering the basics of business structures, and learning how to manage financial and operational aspects effectively, you are better prepared to navigate the financial world. Continuous learning and adaptability are key to long-term success. Use this guide as a foundation, and continue to build upon it as you pursue your financial aspirations and seize the opportunities ahead.

This revised sixth edition lays a firm foundation for thinking about and conducting investment. It does this by helping to build capital markets intuition and critical thinking skills. The material in this book is the product of 25 years of investment experience and 20 painstaking years of destructive testing in university classrooms. Although the topic is applied investments, the integration of finance, economics, accounting, pure mathematics, statistics, numerical techniques, and spreadsheets (or programming) make this an ideal capstone course at the advanced undergraduate or masters/MBA level. The book has a heavily scientific/quantitative focus, but the material should be accessible to a motivated practitioner or talented individual investor with (for the most part) only high school level mathematics. Although aimed at the advanced undergraduate or masters/MBA level, the careful explanations of a wide range of advanced capital markets topics makes this an excellent book for a U.S. PhD student in need of an easily accessible foundation course in capital markets theory and practice. There are literature reviews of multiple advanced areas, and many research questions are identified that need to be answered to fill gaps in the literature; these research questions would be ideal for a master's thesis or a chapter of a PhD. The applied nature of the book also makes it ideal for capital markets practitioners. For example, in one exercise, the reader is taken by the hand and walked through construction of a worked spreadsheet example of an active alpha optimization using actual stock market data. (The reader gets to build ex-ante alphas, and feed them into an optimization that weighs returns, risk, and transaction costs. A portfolio is rebalanced based on the optimization, and ultimately a backtest is conducted to measure ex post alpha.) Other practitioner material includes advanced time value of money exercises, a review of retirement topics, an extensive discussion of dividends, P/E ratios, transaction costs, the CAPM, and value versus growth versus glamour, and a review of more than 100 years of stock market performance, and more than 200 years of interest rates. The list of references at the end of this edition of the book has over 900 items from the academic and practitioner literature. The index has over 7,000 entries (in over 3,900 lines). Special attention is paid to difficult topics like the Roll critique, smart beta, factor-based investing, and Grinold-Kahn versus Black-Litterman models. Every investor needs capital markets intuition and critical thinking skills to conduct confident, deliberate, and skeptical investment. The overarching goal of this book is to help investors build these skills.

The Foundations of Investing (2nd Edition) was written to provide investors with a baseline from which they can make more informed, higher-impact decisions. This book explores structural corporate finance concepts that are critical to know before one can perform thorough due diligence. For example, many people understand investing in a general sense, such as "I will put money in this company, and I want it back with a profit." But what, exactly, are you purchasing when you make an investment? Why is the company offering an investment opportunity in the first place? Where is your money going (hint: it's often not to the company!)? The Foundations of Investing discusses key ideas, such as: - Public vs. private companies - Why some businesses pay dividends, while others don't - Investors' rights or lack thereof - Debt vs. equity investments - What "securities" are and why that matters - Investment funds

For undergraduate courses in Investments. The core concepts and tools readers need to make informed investment decisions Fundamentals of Investing helps individuals make informed investment decisions by providing a solid foundation of core concepts and tools. Smart, Gitman, and Joehnk use practical, hands-on applications to introduce the topics and techniques used by both personal investors and money managers. The authors integrate a consistent framework based on learning goals to keep readers focused in each chapter. Readers leave with the necessary information for developing, implementing, and monitoring a successful investment program. The 13th Edition uses a conversational tone to make the foreign language, concepts, and strategies of investing accessible to readers. With the help of examples throughout, readers learn to make informed decisions in order to achieve investment goals. The book focuses on both individual securities and portfolios, teaching readers to consider the risk and return of different types of investments and how to use this knowledge to develop, implement, and monitor goals. Also available with MyLab Finance MyLab(TM) Finance is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program designed to work with this text to engage students and improve results. Within its structured environment, students practice what they learn, test their understanding, and pursue a personalized study plan that helps them better absorb course material and understand difficult concepts. Fundamentals of Investing, 13th Edition is also available via Revel(TM), an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience. Learn more. NOTE: You are purchasing a standalone product; MyLab Finance does not come packaged with this content. If you would like to purchase both the physical text and MyLab Finance search for: 013440839X / 9780134408392 Fundamentals of Investing Plus MyLab Finance with Pearson eText -- Access Card Package Package consists of: 013408330X / 9780134083308 Fundamentals of Investing 0134083938 / 9780134083933 MyLab Finance with Pearson eText -- Access Card -- for Fundamentals of Investing

You’re smart. So don’t be dumb about money. Pinpoint your biggest money blind spots and take control of your finances with these tools from CBS News Business Analyst and host of the nationally syndicated radio show Jill on Money, Jill Schlesinger. “A must-read . . . This straightforward and pleasingly opinionated book may persuade more of us to think about financial planning.”—Financial Times Hey you . . . you saw the title. You get the deal. You’re smart. You’ve made a few dollars. You’ve done what the financial books and websites tell you to do. So why isn’t it working? Maybe emotions and expectations are getting in the way of good sense—or you’re paying attention to the wrong people. If you’ve started counting your lattes, for god’s sake, just stop. Read this book instead. After decades of working as a Wall Street trader, investment adviser, and money expert for CBS News, Jill Schlesinger reveals thirteen costly mistakes you may be making right now with your money. Drawing on personal stories and a hefty dose of humor, Schlesinger argues that even the brightest people can behave like financial dumb-asses because of emotional blind spots. So if you’ve saved for college for your kids before saving for retirement, or you’ve avoided drafting a will, this is the book for you. By following Schlesinger’s rules about retirement, college financing, insurance, real estate, and more, you can save money and avoid countless sleepless nights. It could be the smartest investment you make all year. Praise for The Dumb Things Smart People Do with Their Money “Common sense is not always common, especially when it comes to managing your money. Consider Jill Schlesinger’s book your guide to all the things you should know about money but were never taught. After reading it, you’ll be smarter, wiser, and maybe even wealthier.”—Chris Guillebeau, author of Side Hustle and The $100 Startup “A must-read, whether you’re digging yourself out of a financial hole or stacking up savings for the future, The Dumb Things Smart People Do with Their Money is a personal finance gold mine loaded with smart financial nuggets delivered in Schlesinger’s straight-talking, judgment-free style.”—Beth Kobliner, author of Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not) and Get a Financial Life

[Note: eBook version of latest edition now available; see Amazon author page for details.] Every investor needs capital markets intuition and critical thinking skills to conduct confident, deliberate, and skeptical investment. The overarching goal of this book is to help investors build these skills. This revised tenth edition is the product of 25+ years of investment research and experience (academic, personal, and professional), and 20+ painstaking years of destructive testing in university classrooms. Although the topic is applied investments, the integration of finance, economics, accounting, pure mathematics, statistics, numerical techniques, and spreadsheets (or programming) make this an ideal capstone course at the advanced undergraduate or masters/MBA level. The book has a heavily scientific/quantitative focus, but the material should be accessible to a motivated practitioner or talented individual investor with (for the most part) only high school level mathematics or intermediate level university mathematics. Although aimed at the advanced undergraduate or masters/MBA level, the careful explanations of a wide range of advanced capital markets topics makes this an excellent book for a U.S. PhD student in need of an easily accessible foundation course in capital markets theory and practice. There are literature reviews of multiple advanced areas, and more than 30 unanswered research questions are identified; these research questions would be ideal for a master's thesis or a chapter of a PhD. The applied nature of the book also makes it ideal for capital markets practitioners. For example, in one exercise, the reader is taken by the hand and walked through construction of a worked spreadsheet example of an active alpha optimization using actual stock market data. (The reader gets to build ex-ante alphas, and feed them into an optimization that weighs returns, risk, and transaction costs. A portfolio is rebalanced based on the optimization, and ultimately a backtest is conducted to measure ex post alpha.) Other practitioner material includes advanced time value of money exercises, a review of retirement topics, extensive discussions of dividends, P/E ratios, transaction costs, the CAPM, value versus growth versus glamour versus income, and a review of more than 100 years of stock market performance and more than 200 years of interest rates. The book contains more than 65 "Quant Quizzes," containing over 100 individual questions. Each is designed to reinforce key ideas. There are also a dozen "You Need to Know boxes," each of which focuses on a very important point that is often taught poorly or overlooked completely in university courses. Special attention is paid to more difficult topics like construction of Student-t statistics, the Roll critique, smart beta, factor-based investing, the Fama-French critique, and Grinold-Kahn versus Black-Litterman models (note that a hybrid Grinold-Kahn/Black-Litterman model is introduced). A key diagram shows how the following models are related to each other: Martingale, Random Walk, ABM, GBM, APT, CAPM, Markowitz, Tobin, Zero-Beta CAPM, CAPM, Black-Scholes, Bachelier, etc. Also, the Roll Critique and the Black Zero-Beta CAPM are both generalized to include reference portfolios that are not necessarily fully invested. The list of references has 1,116 items from the academic and practitioner literature and the index has 9,249 entries (in 4,358 lines). Finally, note that a separate book exists with more than 600 class-tested questions to accompany this book (Foundations for Scientific Investing: Multiple-Choice, Short-Answer, and Long-Answer Test Questions).