As seen on examiner.com:

‘The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing’ by Jason Kelly

Whether you are a beginner in stock market investing, or an advanced investor already, you have to admit that the best way of improving your strategies is to learn from the best in this field. In ‘The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing: 2013 Edition’, Jason Kelly discusses the philosophy and the strategies behind the success stories of some of the greatest investors in the world. You get the chance to learn from Ben Graham, Phil Fisher, Peter Lynch, and Bill Miller. After you turn the last page of this book, you will be able to create your own way of analyzing and evaluating stocks in order to buy the right ones.

It is known that if you want to progress, you need to keep learning even when things are working well for you. This is exactly what Jason Kelly’s book provides: clear and concise learning material that will turn you into a stock investor who does not take any unnecessary risks. What makes this guide perfect for beginners is that the author starts by explaining what the stock market it, how it functions, and what techniques you can apply to analyze stocks. It is always better to learn how to analyze and evaluate stocks on your own, without turning to someone who would tell you what to buy. This is why you will learn to take into consideration the Price to Earnings ratio, Price to Book ratio, Dividents, and many other elements. You will also get familiar with the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement.

These are just some examples of the things that you will learn about from Jason Kelly’s guide. Everything is explained in simple words, which makes the information even more useful and effective for anyone, regardless of their experience in stock market investing. Theories and concepts are described in an easy-to-understand way especially to encourage investors to start doing their own research and make decisions based on their own observations.

Aside from reading the success stories of all the great investors mentioned above, you will also find an exclusive conversation with Bill Miller. The idea is for the readers to understand that there are many ways in which one can invest in the stock market, and it is very important to analyze all possible strategies and choose the one that suits you best. No doubt, “The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing: 2013 Edition” is what any investor needs to keep pace in the current market.

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

 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.

On March 11, 2011, one of the largest earthquakes ever to hit Japan sent a tsunami deep into cities and towns along the coast of Tohoku, the northeastern region of Honshu, the country’s largest island. The wave killed 16,000 people and destroyed or damaged more than a million buildings.

I’m an American living an hour north of Tokyo in a city called Sano, and that quake is still in my bones. It sounded like wind approaching underground. The power went out and none of us knew until the next day the devastation that lay farther north. When we saw it on the news and recognized places we’d been, we had to help.

Helping after a natural disaster is not easy, however. Most relief organizations advise staying out of the way and just donating money. Those who’ve been in disaster zones around the world tell stories of people dumping piles of unsorted junk that nobody wants to pick through. Kindhearted supporters helping the wrong way like this make the situation worse, not better. Yet, there is a way for citizens to help directly by bringing gifts beyond the life support provided by governmental and non-governmental organizations. Small groups of volunteers can comfort survivors personally and give them hope.

Large relief operations necessarily focus on food, shelter, and medical care, and they’re good at it. In Japan, the military set up camps at breakneck speed. The Japanese Red Cross deployed thousands of doctors and nurses. Gymnasiums and other public spaces became shelters. After this phase, though, survivors ended up on mats on giant floors, surrounded by strangers, fed three times a day, checked off as having been looked after. Two days went by, then four, then a week, and still the survivors sat with only thoughts of their homes washed away, their jobs gone, their cars missing and, most of all, the people they’d never see again. Depression became the sharpest thorn in a survivor’s side.

To help, we started Socks for Japan to deliver socks with care letters from people around the world. We learned from reports of past disasters that people in shelters often request socks, and they were a perfect item for our volunteer group to manage. Socks are cheap, they don’t break or spoil, and everybody needs them. We focused on this simple care package, sorted into five categories for men, women, boys, girls, and babies. We would not create chaos by collecting many different kinds of clothing or other items. We checked with Japan’s postal service and shipping companies to be sure we wouldn’t cause trouble by receiving thousands of boxes of socks. They assured us that we would not.

We announced our project to the world, and the world stepped up. Those thousands of boxes arrived from the United States, Australia, Canada, and dozens of other nations including Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Peru, Qatar, Croatia, French Guiana, and Finland. Some boxes burst open to reveal 50 pairs of socks with colorful notes from children. One pair arrived alone in an envelope. The letters of encouragement helped our volunteers as much as they did survivors. In a time of sadness and fear, it boosted my spirit to hold boxes from home. Return labels from churches, Brownie troops, neighborhood coffee shops, small town light and power departments, Mrs. Wilson’s fourth grade class, and other mainstays of American culture poured in. Over 70 percent of donations came from the United States. I was so proud of my country.

Forty local volunteers sorted this precious cargo each night after work and on weekends, helped by 20 volunteers from overseas. We made two trips per week 200 miles north into the heart of the disaster zone, visiting shelter after shelter to hand-deliver each package. Community leaders heard about us and requested visits to their neediest people. We became experts at packing our gifts, 100 pairs and letters per clear storage bag, and knew how many thousands we could take in our van.

The result was smooth distribution of a basic item that people needed, with a letter that brightened their day. Survivors held our hands while telling their stories. They’d cry and say how badly they needed socks. Sometimes, they’d hold up a letter proudly to announce, “This came all the way from America!” We weren’t saving lives, but we were improving them.

In 35 trips, we delivered 160,000 pairs of socks with letters. Some went to big cities like Ishinomaki, where people lined up in front of Watanoha train station by the hundreds and waited patiently to receive a gift from our van. One time there, we ran out of socks before reaching the end of the line and worried for a moment that a riot would ensue. Instead, the next person after the last person to receive socks told us, “We understand. Just please come again.” We did, on our very next trip. Other socks went to fishing villages at the ends of roads scraped through tsunami mud, where our volunteers walked to old ladies on mats who lifted their heads to see who’d come for a visit. None of us will forget the transition of their faces from expressionless resolve to delight. “For me?” they’d ask. “You brought these for me?”

Some of the survivors wrote back to their donors, and friendships formed. Charmingly rough English made the letters more touching. One read, “Received a warm socks. I get happy tears. Japan still must work hard. Going to overcome the hardships together. Thank you very much.”

Citizen volunteer groups can help survivors by delivering the care of the world directly where it’s needed most. When they focus on one needed item and bundle it with love, they reach people in ways that large organizations do not. Creating in somebody the idea that their survival was a blessing, that they will find happiness again, is important. Basic necessities keep people alive, but compassion provides the joy of being alive.

Jason Kelly is a financial writer based in Sano, Japan. Socks for Japan trip reports and photos are permanently posted at socksforjapan.com.

Click the image below to view Jason Kelly’s speech about Socks for Japan:

Blog Review and Giveaway for Jason Kelly’s THE NEATEST LITTLE GUIDE TO STOCK MARKET INVESTING

Jason Kelly sent me an updated version of his book, The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing: 2013 Edition*, to read and review. I finished reading it yesterday. It’s a short read, which is good because I’m a notoriously slow reader.

Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to anyone just starting out on the road to investing. Jason covers most of the basics from defining what stocks are, how to open a brokerage account, how to buy and sell, and he even spends a good portion of the book offering tips from some of the well-known investors like Warren Buffett and Bill Miller (along with a few others).

To read the entire view and enter the giveaway, go to the following links:

http://allfinancialmatters.com/2013/02/01/a-review-of-the-neatest-little-guide-to-stock-market-investing/

http://allfinancialmatters.com/2013/02/01/giveaway-a-copy-of-the-neatest-little-guide-to-stock-market-investing/

As seen on JasonKelly.com:

On America’s Morning News