The best books on investing so that you profit — not your broker

Okay, to be honest, this book can be summarized in just one sentence: You can’t predict the stock market. But, most investors, fed on a daily diet of silly and useless predictions from the financial press, need convincing that this is true. Enter Professor Malkiel. We’re talking almost 500 pages of convincing. At the end of the book, you’ll either be an index investor, or you will continue to throw your money at “active” managers (AKA stock pickers and market timers) and you will continue to underperform the broad stock market. Malkiel helped open my eyes with the first edition of this book, now almost half a century ago. The book, of course, has been continually updated for those who still need convincing. 

Bernstein presents a compact (200-page) but stunningly accurate overview of the financial markets and what makes them tick. He provides solid tips – lots of them – for the little guy trying to navigate the swift and often dangerous waters of Wall Street. I’ve shared this book with a number of clients over the years to help them understand what I do and why I do it. Investing success, explains Bernstein, and I couldn’t agree more, isn’t about market timing or cherry-picking securities. It is about diversification, low costs, patience, and taking on just the right amount of risk. Bernstein is not only an expert in finance but is also a student of economic history who brings a fresh perspective to everything he covers. 

Bogle is a legend. He’s the guy who founded Vanguard investments. He’s the guy who brought index investing to the masses. He’s the guy I interviewed extensively for my book on indexing. He’s the guy who over many decades has helped small investors save billions in management fees with his introduction of low-cost passively managed (index) funds. John “Jack” Bogle has written half a dozen books, and his overall message is crystal clear: Successful investing means avoiding speculation, and avoiding high-cost speculators who want to gamble with your money. Start by reading this short book, and you may want to then read Bogle’s others. My mentor, who was known to many as Jack, died just a few years ago, he was almost 90, still smart as a tack, to the end on a mission help small investors. RIP, Jack. 

Finance doesn’t easily lend itself to humor, but Richards will make you laugh. His insights into the human mind, and human frailties are pure gold. In The Behavior Gap he examines the bad decisions that nearly all investors seem to make before they become good investors. You will recognize yourself in Richards’ words and in his whimsical and thought-provoking illustrations. This book is not so much about the optimal strategies of investing, but rather it focuses on the mindset needed to carry out those strategies. Yes, even we professionals can sometimes fall prey to portfolio-destroying greed, fears, and pie-in-the-sky thinking. I have read Richards's book a number of times to help keep my head screwed on straight, and it works its magic every time!

I’ve bumped into Richard “Rick” Ferri at a few financial conferences. He’s easy to recognize as the guy getting hate stares from across the room. Ferri thinks most financial professionals charge too much – way too much – and he isn’t shy about saying so. One of the reasons he loves passive (index) investing, as I do, is that it can be done at very little cost. If you think you want to be an index investor, but you aren’t sure where to start, I highly recommend this book. It will serve as an excellent pair of training wheels, explaining the whys and the hows of proper index investing. I’d also love to see many financial professionals read it, for they’d become better money managers if they did. Yeah, I’m talking about those guys I see in the back of the room giving Ferri the evil eye!