100 books like The World's Simplest Stock Picking Strategy

By Edward W. Ryan,

Here are 100 books that The World's Simplest Stock Picking Strategy fans have personally recommended if you like The World's Simplest Stock Picking Strategy. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Dual Momentum Investing: An Innovative Strategy for Higher Returns with Lower Risk

Jason Kelly Author Of The 3% Signal: The Investing Technique That Will Change Your Life

From my list on to learn systematic stock market investing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing and The 3% Signal, among other financial books, and editor of The Kelly Letter. Despite having been ranked by CXO Advisory as one of the best stock-market forecasters, I gave up the practice in favor of price reaction. I realized that nobody knows where stocks are headed, myself included, and set out to find ways to beat the market without forecasting—and succeeded. My readers and I are now much happier and wealthier.

Jason's book list on to learn systematic stock market investing

Jason Kelly Why did Jason love this book?

I first encountered Gary Antonacci’s strategy in his paper “Risk Premia Harvesting Through Dual Momentum,” in which he called momentum “the premier market anomaly.” He found that combining absolute and relative momentum delivered optimal results. In this book, he shows how to boost performance with monthly switching among three asset classes in the following decision tree: Did the S&P 500 beat US bonds over the past 12 months? If no, own US bonds. If yes, did the S&P 500 beat global stocks over the past 12 months? If no, own global stocks. If yes, own the S&P 500. Just three funds could power this system: SPY (S&P 500), AGG (US bonds), VEU (global stocks ex US).

By Gary Antonacci,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dual Momentum Investing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The strategy that consistently gets high returns with low risk--because it knows when to adapt

After examining more than two hundred years of data across dozens of markets and asset classes, the conclusion is clear: Momentum continually outperforms. However, most mainstream investors haven't had a way to fully discover and implement the benefits of momentum investing . . . until now! Whether you're an independent investor, investment professional, or money manager, Dual Momentum Investing enables you to consistently profit on major changes in relative strength and market trend.

Based on the award-winning work of Gary Antonacci, an expert in modern…


Book cover of The 12% Solution: Earn a 12% Average Annual Return on your Money

Jason Kelly Author Of The 3% Signal: The Investing Technique That Will Change Your Life

From my list on to learn systematic stock market investing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing and The 3% Signal, among other financial books, and editor of The Kelly Letter. Despite having been ranked by CXO Advisory as one of the best stock-market forecasters, I gave up the practice in favor of price reaction. I realized that nobody knows where stocks are headed, myself included, and set out to find ways to beat the market without forecasting—and succeeded. My readers and I are now much happier and wealthier.

Jason's book list on to learn systematic stock market investing

Jason Kelly Why did Jason love this book?

This monthly approach uses three-month momentum to select two funds from a pool of four stock funds and two bond funds. The stock indexes are the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400, Russell 2000, and Nasdaq, i.e. US large caps, mid caps, small caps, and tech. It’s not a revolutionary idea but provides a good introduction to major asset class switching, which runs circles around pundit guessing games. If you do nothing but swear off gut-guessing in favor of price reaction, you’ll beat almost everybody—including the supposed pros.

By David Alan Carter,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The 12% Solution as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

How to make money in stocks?

First step: don't trade stocks. In a radical departure from most investment books, a former day trader demonstrates how a simple asset allocation strategy that 'adapts' to changing market conditions has delivered a 12% average annual return over the past 10 years. What does 12% mean?

If you're familiar with investing basics, you'll know that figure comes close to doubling the average return of the benchmark S&P 500. It also outperforms 99% of all mutual funds.

But what's outperformance without protection? When the S&P 500 crashed in 2008 and lost 37% of its value,…


Book cover of Global Asset Allocation: A Survey of the World's Top Asset Allocation Strategies

Jason Kelly Author Of The 3% Signal: The Investing Technique That Will Change Your Life

From my list on to learn systematic stock market investing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing and The 3% Signal, among other financial books, and editor of The Kelly Letter. Despite having been ranked by CXO Advisory as one of the best stock-market forecasters, I gave up the practice in favor of price reaction. I realized that nobody knows where stocks are headed, myself included, and set out to find ways to beat the market without forecasting—and succeeded. My readers and I are now much happier and wealthier.

Jason's book list on to learn systematic stock market investing

Jason Kelly Why did Jason love this book?

This book traverses the world to find asset allocation best practices, from master investors to lesser-known but equally helpful ones. The main takeaway is confirmation that basic asset classes are all you need, nothing exotic. All of the best systematic portfolios simply rearrange the basic asset classes in slightly different ways. The upshot for you? As long as you confine your portfolio management to these core building blocks, you probably won’t go wrong. It sure beats buying a penny stock everybody’s talking about.

By Mebane T. Faber,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Global Asset Allocation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With all of our focus on assets - and how much and when to allocate them - are we missing the bigger picture? Our book begins by reviewing the historical performance record of popular assets like stocks, bonds, and cash. We look at the impact inflation has on our money. We then start to examine how diversification through combining assets, in this case a simple stock and bond mix, works to mitigate the extreme drawdowns of risky asset classes. But we go beyond a limited stock/bond portfolio to consider a more global allocation that also takes into account real assets.…


Book cover of Quantitative Equity Portfolio Management: An Active Approach to Portfolio Construction and Management

Jason Kelly Author Of The 3% Signal: The Investing Technique That Will Change Your Life

From my list on to learn systematic stock market investing.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing and The 3% Signal, among other financial books, and editor of The Kelly Letter. Despite having been ranked by CXO Advisory as one of the best stock-market forecasters, I gave up the practice in favor of price reaction. I realized that nobody knows where stocks are headed, myself included, and set out to find ways to beat the market without forecasting—and succeeded. My readers and I are now much happier and wealthier.

Jason's book list on to learn systematic stock market investing

Jason Kelly Why did Jason love this book?

Ready to roll up your sleeves? This book takes work but is worth the mental energy. It’s a departure from most rules-based material in that it advocates applying objective odds when making subjective judgments. I prefer an all-algorithmic approach, but tip my hat to this hybrid strategy—far preferable to mainstream financial-media dart-tossing. Established patterns exist and are exploitable. Big-picture tactics trump lucky breaks. How much better the world would be if more people understood that bonds are less volatile than stocks. This book confirms that tweaking essential portfolio management factors to eke out a slight advantage runs circles around the casino mindset.

By Ludwig B. Chincarini, Daehwan Kim,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Quantitative Equity Portfolio Management as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Praise for Quantitative Equity Portfolio Management

"A must-have reference for any equity portfolio manager or MBA student, this book is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of equity portfolio management, from factor models to tax management."ERIC ROSENFELD, Principal & Co-founder of JWM Partners

"This is an ambitious book that both develops the broad range of artillery employed in quantitative equity investment management and provides the reader with a host of relevant practical examples. The book excels in melding theory with practice."STEPHEN A. ROSS, Franco Modigliani Professor of Financial Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"The book is very comprehensive in its…


Book cover of The Elements of Investing: Easy Lessons for Every Investor

Mark Varder Author Of It's Not about How Smart You Can Be. It's about How Wealthy You Can Be.: Make the Most of the Market

From my list on for first-time investors in the stock market.

Why am I passionate about this?

Investing in the share market appears to be a bewildering, constantly shifting, extremely noisy, and busy world – one best left to the experts. Fortunes can be made but, equally, fortunes can be lost – with devastating results for those on the receiving end. And yet there are a few, simple, timeless principles to investing in the market successfully – and, ironically, those principles – known collectively as index or passive investing – will be more successful than all the noisy, busy stuff put out by the industry. In writing our book, this is what we would like as many people as possible to know. It’s not about being smart.  

Mark's book list on for first-time investors in the stock market

Mark Varder Why did Mark love this book?

This is a slim, to-the-point, easily understood book based on the same principles as the well-known book on writing, The Elements of Style. With its five chapters, it is the opposite of the highly complex, bewildering, we-know-more-than-you communication put out on a daily basis by the investment industry. Its wisdom is timeless. It’s all that a first-time investor needs to know.

By Burton G. Malkiel, Charles D. Ellis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Elements of Investing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Seize control of your financial future with rock-solid advice from two of the world's leading investment experts

Investors today are bombarded with conflicting advice about how to handle the increasingly volatile stock market. From pronouncements of the "death of diversification" to the supposed virtues of crypto, investors can be forgiven for being thoroughly confused.

It's time to return to the basics. In the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Elements of Investing: Easy Lessons for Every Investor, investment legends Burton G. Malkiel and Charles D. Ellis deliver straightforward, digestible lessons in the investment rules and principles you need to follow to…


Book cover of Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment

Martin S. Fridson Author Of Investment Illusions: A Savvy Wall Street Pro Explores Popular Misconceptions About the Markets

From my list on investing from a money manager.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a money manager for high-net-worth individuals. During my Wall Street years, I was ranked number one in my category in the Institutional Investor All America Research Survey for nine consecutive years. The CFA Society New York presented me its Ben Graham Award in 2017. I’ve served as a governor of the CFA Institute and consultant to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. My writings have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, the Financial Times, and various scholarly journals. I live in New York City with my wife, musicologist Elaine Sisman. We have two children and five grandchildren.

Martin's book list on investing from a money manager

Martin S. Fridson Why did Martin love this book?

As head of the Yale University endowment fund, the late David Swensen was one of the foremost innovators and most successful practitioners of institutional investing. Remarkably, he also wrote one of the best books ever for individual investors. Unconventional Success shows why on average, mutual fund investors significantly underperform the funds they own: They trade excessively, buying at the highs and selling at the lows, creating tax inefficiencies in the process. Swensen also valuably details hazards to avoid in fund selection. 

By David F. Swensen,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Unconventional Success as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In UNCONVENTIONAL SUCCESS, investment legend David Swensen reveals why the for-profit mutual fund industry consistently fails the average investor, from its excessive management and incentive fees to the frequent 'churning' of portfolios that forces investors to pay higher taxes. Perhaps most destructive of all are flagrant schemes designed to thwart regulators and further erode portfolios, limiting investor choice and reducing returns. Swensen's solution? A 'contrarian' investment alternative that creates more diversified, equity-oriented, 'market-mimicking' portfolios that minimize loss and reward the investor with the courage to stay the course. Swensen backs up his unconventional proposal with well-documented evidence supporting not-for-profit investment…


Book cover of Asset Dedication: How to Grow Wealthy with the Next Generation of Asset Allocation

Wade Pfau Author Of Retirement Planning Guidebook: Navigating the Important Decisions for Retirement Success

From my list on preparing you for retirement.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am economist who first started exploring retirement planning for my own personal situation. I became so captivated by the topic that I changed fields and was selected as the Professor of Retirement Income at the American College of Financial Services. I am a past curriculum director for the Retirement Management Analyst designation and past program director for the Retirement Income Certified Professional designation. More recently, I am the co-creator of the Retirement Income Style Awareness and co-host of the Retire with Style podcast. I enjoy learning and teaching about all topics related to retirement.

Wade's book list on preparing you for retirement

Wade Pfau Why did Wade love this book?

Stephen Huxley and J. Brent Burns bring the topics of dedicated portfolio theory and asset-liability management to life by discussing how to think about retirement investments in a new manner.

They discuss how bonds can be used to meet upcoming expenses, while stocks and other growth investments are earmarked for longer term expenses. This allows each asset class to perform as it was meant. Bonds provide fixed income rather than being used in an asset allocation model that treats them as less risky versions of stocks.

In 2022, we were all reminded how both stocks and bonds can lose value. But when individual bonds are held to maturity, investors know what they will receive. 

By Stephen Huxley, J Burns,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Asset Dedication as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book presents the breakthrough technique that outperforms asset allocation - and takes your portfolio to the next level. Over the past two decades, asset allocation has become the holy grail of investment techniques. Experts championed it, brokers and financial planners sold it, clients bought it, and few questioned the wisdom of trying to squeeze widely varying investors and their financial goals into prefabricated "one size fits all" allocation formulas. Problem is, asset allocation has significant flaws in the way it is used today, especially for personal investors."Asset Dedication" exposes these flaws, corrects them, and propels investors and advisors into…


Book cover of The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things with Money

Russell Wild Author Of Bond Investing For Dummies

From my list on investing so that you profit, not your broker.

Why am I passionate about this?

I collected coins a kid. I went to college and studied econ. I worked in a bank. I later became a financial journalist. And later, a professional money manager. I’ve always been fascinated by money…the way it moves around the world, the enormous role it plays in peoples’ lives, the power it gives a select few, the good it can do, and the way it grows. As a fee-only financial planner running my own shop, I'm only peripherally involved with Wall Street. That frees me to step back and look at the key players, the shenanigans, the sometimes awful greed. The books I’ve selected were instrumental in helping others make their money work for them.

Russell's book list on investing so that you profit, not your broker

Russell Wild Why did Russell love this book?

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!

By Carl Richards,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Behavior Gap as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"It's not that we're dumb. We're wired to avoid pain and pursue pleasure and security. It feels right to sell when everyone around us is scared and buy when everyone feels great. It may feel right-but it's not rational."
-From The Behavior Gap

 


Why do we lose money? It's easy to blame the economy or the financial markets-but the real trouble lies in the decisions we make.

As a financial planner, Carl Richards grew frustrated watching people he cared about make the same mistakes over and over. They were letting emotion get in the way of smart financial decisions. He…


Book cover of The Social Justice Investor: Advance Your Values While Building Wealth, Whether a Few Dollars or Millions

Janine Firpo Author Of Activate Your Money: Invest to Grow Your Wealth and Build a Better World

From my list on women want more money investments.

Why am I passionate about this?

Almost 20 years ago, I committed to investing all of my money–starting with my cash–in ways that align with my values. It’s been a long and arduous journey, even with the help of financial advisors. When I retired, I took control of my money and realized investing this way does not have to be that hard. Moreover, most women want to invest in their values, but no one is helping them. So, I wrote a book to share the knowledge I’ve gained over 40 years as an investor. Later, I co-founded Invest for Better, a non-profit that puts women into investment clubs to help them become confident, values-aligned investors.   

Janine's book list on women want more money investments

Janine Firpo Why did Janine love this book?

It is great to see women stepping up to write investment books that go beyond the status quo–a financial system developed primarily by men for men. Rather, they help us to think–and act–differently.

Unlike other books about investing for impact, this book leads with stories. Although the book addresses practical questions like: Do I need a financial advisor? How do I start as a 401(k) or DIY investor? How do I want to define risk and return?it also tells the stories of women (and a few men) who are paving a new way of investing for others to follow, inspiring you to join them. 

By Andrea Longton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Social Justice Investor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Whether you have $100 or $100 million in your bank account, you have the power to change the world for the better.

Having lived through recessions and pandemics, we all recognize the importance of financial well-being. But we are also living in a time of uncertainty, marked by injustice, climate crisis, and social change. How do we reconcile these two things--our financial well-being and our desire to advocate for a more just and equitable world? Perhaps you already donate to causes you care about, or you're looking to start, but the world of finance and investment feels intimidating, especially if…


Book cover of Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard: How to Achieve Superperformance in Stocks in Any Market

T. Livingston Author Of Swing Into It: A Simple System For Trading Pullbacks to the 50-Day Moving Average

From my list on learning stock market trading.

Why am I passionate about this?

The stock market has been a passion of mine for over 15 years. These books have helped me learn how to spot trends and manage my risk while trading in stocks and cryptocurrencies through bull and bear markets. 

T.'s book list on learning stock market trading

T. Livingston Why did T. love this book?

Mark Minervini is undoubtedly one of the greatest traders to ever live. This book is an absolute gem, building on what O’Neil wrote in his book. Minervini has gotten his trading down to absolute precision, from when to buy, when to sell, and how to screen for stocks. It’s all in here. A must-read for anyone looking to learn about trading.

By Mark Minervini,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Minervini has run circles around most PhDs tryingto design systems to beat the market." -- JACK SCHWAGER, bestselling author of Stock Market Wizards

"Mark's book has to be on every investor's bookshelf. It is about the most comprehensive work I have ever read on investing in growth stocks." -- DAVID RYAN, three-time U.S. Investing Champion

"[Minervini is] one of the most highly respected independent traders of our generation. His experience and past history of savvy market calls is legendary." -- CHARLES KIRK, The Kirk Report

"One of Wall Street's most remarkable success stories." -- BEN POWER, Your Trading Edge

THE…


Book cover of Dual Momentum Investing: An Innovative Strategy for Higher Returns with Lower Risk
Book cover of The 12% Solution: Earn a 12% Average Annual Return on your Money
Book cover of Global Asset Allocation: A Survey of the World's Top Asset Allocation Strategies

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,501

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in investment management, personal finance, and stock market?

Personal Finance 90 books
Stock Market 40 books