This week, Fred Kobrick, author of The Big Money, is guest blogging -- writing one post a day. Here's Fred's entry for today:
Have you ever wondered why there are so many investment books that come on the market decade after decade and tell people that they can use some new or simple method and in minutes a day get rich? Does it sound like losing weight or some other quick-fix books? What happened to all those books, anyway?
Investors have short memories and even if they do not remember books, they should remember that investing has always been the same, and great business models repeat.
Investors can make big money from knowing what truly were the inside stories of why Microsoft came from behind to beat Lotus, why Nike did it to Reebok, and why Wang and Digital Equipment and Apollo Computer (knocked off by Sun Microsystems) went from great stocks and leaders to “gonzo.”
I always liked the books about legendary investors who did something that was documented so I knew it was real, and I also knew that I could try and emulate them.
Many books would have you think you could be Willie Mays or Tiger Woods, but I only paid attention to those that were fun to read, made common sense, and had methods that I could really practice and emulate. Books must be totally sensitive to how we actually do behave. That is why the stories in my book are interwoven with the Seven Steps.
I did not need books long, since I started to rub elbows with great investors and great management teams and heard their stories.
Investors trade stories with each other and with great managers (I visited a company a few days ago and did just this), and it is how we learn best, and have fun, and make money. All three.
Thus, the entertaining stories in my book are far more than fun—they are how we really do invest for "the big money", and with common sense and focus, so can anyone.
Hope you had fun this past week, hearing some of my stories. Check out my book for even more great stories of the great managers, great stocks and the great companies. Have fun, invest well and create your own stories – and make "the big money” along the way.
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So, what do you think? How was my first attempt with a guest blogger? Have Fred's entries convinced you to check out The Big Money?
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