Jason Kelly has issued a new 2013 edition to his perpetually best-selling The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing. It is a book that I heartily recommend for both beginning and experienced stock market investors. (It sports a 4.9 reader review on a 5-point scale at Amazon).

It is no accident that The Neatest Little Guide has been selling so well since the first edition in 1998. It is not only an accessible guide for newcomers, but it is also sophisticated in its investing strategies. The basic concepts remain timeless. Everything in the book is based on facts supported by sound reasoning. It is an intelligent approach. Terms are explained and used consistently. The writing style is conversational and accessible, with a nice dose of humor. But the book never becomes so informal that important concepts get shortchanged or mangled. As Kelly has taken the book through several editions, he has honed his ideas until they are razor-sharp and very clearly presented.

The Neatest Little Guide has 8 chapters, 3 appendices, and an index. The chapter titles themselves give a good presentation of what you will find here:

1. Speak the Language of Stocks

2. How the Masters Tell Us to Invest

3. How History Tells Us to Invest

4. Permanent Portfolios

5. Get Ready to Invest

6. Research to Riches

7. This Book’s Strategy

8. Bon Voyage

I want to highlight a few features that I believe give this book special value.

Chapter 2, How the Masters Tell Us to Invest, is a gem. In about 60 pages, it presents the basic ideas of six of the best stock investors ever. They are:

• Benjamin Graham
• Philip Fisher
• Warren Buffett
• Peter Lynch
• William O’Neill
• Bill Miller

Business/Investing/Finance

The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing author Jason Kelly’s THE 3% SIGNAL, an automated stock market investing plan that anyone can manage for long-term financial gain, to Kate Napolitano and Phil Budnick at Plume, in a very nice deal, by Doris Michaels of DSM Agency (NA).

FOREIGN

International Non-fiction

Rights to Stanford professors Ryan Babineaux and John Krumboltz’s FAIL FAST, FAIL OFTEN, to Purple Cow Contents Group in Korea, in a nice deal, by Henry Shin at the Eric Yang Agency, toNihonbungeisha in Japan, in a very nice deal, by Miko Yamanouchi at Japan UNI Agency, on behalf of Doris Michaels at DSM Agency.

Russian rights to Charles Pellerin’s HOW NASA BUILDS TEAMS, to Erfolg, by Doris Michaels at DSM Agency.

 Be sure to check a review of the book, as seen on  The Dallas Public Library:
by Teresa Bocanegra

This really is the Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing; it delves into just about everything you will need unless you have very advanced knowledge on the topic.  First of all, there are the basics that many authors never discuss like what exactly are stocks and why and how does a company put stock up for sale on a major stock exchange?  Author Jason Kelly includes a very interesting history lesson when answering these questions. From there he immediately jumps into the differences between the many types of brokers available to choose from (towards the end he then reviews specific brokers such as Fidelity, Schwab, TD Ameritrade and many others).  Do you need a hands-on broker or perhaps an online account where you take charge of when and what to purchase with your funds? So that you are not left to float on your own, Kelly delves into stock analysis and such topics as “growth investing vs. value investing,” as well as “fundamental analysis vs technical analysis.”   Next, how do you actually read and understand a detailed stock quote? What is “net profit margin,” or “price/book ratio” or “return on equity”?  To let this all sink in, I recommend you pull up a stock quote and follow along as you read the book.  For extended stock quotes, the Dallas Public Library has an online subscription to Morningstar and it is free to use with your library card number and pin.  From the homepage, http://www.dallaslibrary2.org/  click the “Databases” link, and then “Business and Professional Resources,” from there, you will see Morningstar listed.

In the next section, Kelley introduces us to the “Masters” of investing.  Profiled are Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Warren Buffet, Peter Lynch, William O’Neil and Bill Miller.  I was so inspired reading their stories and methods that I plan to find a couple of extended biographies on a couple of these legends.  Their methods are then applied to numerous investing examples to help readers understand how to utilize these tools with their own investment choices.  Kelly does not leave you to your own resources for further education, he takes the time to review multiple sources of information such as various magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and investment related websites.  There is an extended coverage of Value Line Investment Survey and how to use it. “Value Line” is also available for free at the library. You will find this at the Central Library, 5th floor and at the Audelia Road Branch.

Kelly also discusses many of the free online tools available for analyzing stock. This book has a little bit of everything and points you in all the right directions for continuing your education.  One of the last pieces of your education involves pulling together all the learning picked up throughout the book. You build your own portfolio, step by step and apply all the research methods and analysis that you’ve just read about. It is almost like a final exam (with open book and multiple resources) where all your learning gets put to the test.  I highly recommend this book! I will use this again and again for a refresher and as a reference source.

As seen on JasonKelly.com:

On America’s Morning News