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Title: Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings (Wiley Investment Classic)
ISBN: 047111927X
Author:
Philip A. Fisher
Publicate Date: 1996-05
Publish: 1996-05
List Price: $19.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $19.00
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $3.75
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Good Points but Too Damn Boring
Common stocks and uncommon profits explained in a very common sense. I am sure back in the 50's the "15 points" explained in this book was a great deal but now in 2000's it has very little value although the points are still perfectly valid. My biggest problem with this book was ,however, that it was too boring to read. The sentences were too long (3-4 lines) all connected with "by which", "in which" etc. I couldn't read more then 3 pages at a time. I often said "come on cut to the chase!" while reading. Anyway after my second attempt to finish the book at around 2/3 the way to the end, I gave up and put it in the shelf.
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2: Great Book for Long-term Investors
This book makes me want to finish up any other project I'm currently working on so I can spend my free time finding good investments. Excellent book, not to mention it's recommended by Warren Buffett.
I was disappointed, however, that there wasn't an Unabridged Audio CD version. And the reader of the abridged audio CD is rather boring, but overall I'm very glad I found this book.
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3: The philosophy of long-term investing.
This is an outstanding outline of the philosophy for long-term investing. The text is somewhat abstract and difficult to read at times, but it is very insightful and well worth the effort. I generally prefer this book over Ben Graham's work.
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4: A disappointment to say the least
I had read other reviews of this book that gave it high marks. I have no idea why. The book is nothing but generalities or suggestions the average investor can not use. For example, his point 10 in evaluating a company is: How good are the company's cost analysis and accounting controls? Then he goes on to say that the average investor has no idea. Brilliant! If you want to read a good book, get "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjemin Graham instead. Leave this one on the shelf.
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5: Absolutely "boring"
I bought this book on the belief it could be helpful since it is widely acclaimed, but I discovered that is far from being an "investor's bible"
First. It spend too many pages (about 30 or more) in "Family stories and affairs" that is a pure "torture" and absolutely useless to the reader eager to learn about investement strategies...This could be good maybe on a Fisher Bio book, but not here...I bet that while you are reading this part you will end up doing exactly like me...just skipping many of those pages.
Then...The book lost itself on many "stories" about many companies and the market in general without any useful insights or which analytical/dynamical approaches were followed.
I think it deserves 2 stars for the effort, but nothing more...
To me, was absolutely boring. Maybe I didn't understand the book "purpose", I don't know...But while reading, I started to get bored and skipped many pages...Finally, I just quit reading it before finishing...Got nothing from it.
I don't really know why this book is so acclaimed...And I'm wondering why Buffett says that He's a Fisher follower after reading this book...What He could have learned from this reading?
Maybe to buy and hold a good stock over the years? I believe this kind of investing style requires any book to learn but just patience and following fashions and trends, like those who bought Apple Computer stock when the iPod frenzy was launched; by just being patient any investor would have made 5 times his/her money in these last years, The same is true for Research In Motion and many more companies that are living a great momentum in their products today.
But it's just a matter of following the fashions of "hot" products rather than any sort of stock market skill and this could be really dangerous. Think of investors that today are buying like nuts solar tech stocks.
In my opinion...The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham is the world's best book on investing and a light-year far a better book than this one.
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