One Up On Wall Street : How To Use What You Already Know To Make Money In The Market

I knew I needed to make some good investments with my IRA and 401(k) but I also knew I didn't have enough money left over after paying my bills. Two books have come to my rescue. In February, after watching Diane Sawyer interview Nancy Lloyd on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, I bought Nancy's superb book "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS: 10 Ways You Can Stop Feeling Overwhelmed By Money and Start Making It Work For You." It showed me how to finally pay off my credit card debts and how to shop for a much better credit card and mortgage deal--even though interest rates were rising at the time. The money I saved by following Nancy's advice allowed me to free up over $5,600 so far this year which I have begun to invest. That's where Peter Lynch's excellent advice in this book about picking stocks has taught me a lot. Even though many stocks have been dropping, using Peter's recommendations my portfolio has been steadily rising. Peter Lynch and Nancy Lloyd's books have given me an education on money that I wish I had gotten earlier in life. I now have the confidence that I always lacked and enough knowledge about money to tell my own kids what they need to know about money as they grow up. Well done!

I bought Peter Lynch's book for my son as a college graduation present and he and I are both impressed with the useful and down-to-earth investing advice it contains. After reading Peter's book my son finally confessed that he graduated from college with almost $9,000 in credit card debt. Despite what I thought I had shown him about handling money he, like so many 20-somethings, really needed to get up to speed on basic money management--and as quickly as possible.

Bob Edwards on NPR's "Morning Edition" recommended another book by NPR's personal-finance correspondent, Nancy Lloyd, called, "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS: 10 Ways You Can Stop Feeling Overwhelemed By Money and Start Making It Work For You." My son, Andrew, says he's enjoying that book too and has used it to develop a plan for paying off his credit card debt. He's also started contributing to his 401(k) plan and even chose to buy a used car with a 2-year loan (as recommended by Nancy) so he'll start amassing equity. My son and I are now able to discuss money matters without either one of us getting bored or losing our tempers. I highly recommend both books and have just bought additional copies of each for my older son and daughter.

When it comes to picking stocks, Peter Lynch is my hero. He's insightful and inspiring. But I needed answers to money questions beyond picking stocks.

"SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS" by Nancy Lloyd was recommended by both MONEY magazine and MORNINGSTAR so I decided to take a look. For years I've enjoyed listening to Bob Edwards interview Nancy Lloyd about a wide range of money matters on NPR's "Morning Edition" and I liked the way she could explain complex information in clear and easy-to-follow terms. Her financial credentials are superb (unlike the hacks who have been spewing psychobabble on PBS Pledge shows). "SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS" is entertaining and extremely useful.

We really do know more than we think about investing. This book shows you how to apply your knowledge to make good investments.

But, like many people, I didn't have spare money to make investments with.

So I also recommend the book, SIMPLE MONEY SOLUTIONS, because it showed me and my kids how to "free up cash" every month without feeling deprived.

I highly recommend both books!

This is the first book I ever read on investing. My cousin, Paul, who was a broker at Merrill Lynch, recommended it to me. I followed Paul into the financial services industry, toiling 12 long years peddling stocks, bonds, mutual funds and insurance products. During my tenure as a Wall Street professional (I use that term very loosely), I must have read 200 different books on investing. Oddly enough, I have discarded many of those poorly written investor guides and still refer back to this classic book penned by Peter Lynch, mutual fund demigod, investment guru, stock-picking legend!

At the heart of Lynch's case is that each individual has enough inherent knowledge and experience to be a successful investor. He uses numerous analogies to show investors:

1. The power of common knowledge (take advantage of what you already know) 2. You don't need to be a Wall Street analyst to uncover great investment opportunities 3. You are not disadvantaged vs. large, institutional investors You don't have to accurately predict the stock market to make money in stocks 4. To keep an open mind to new ideas

From my years on Wall Street, I found many of his theories and ideas to be completely accurate. Many other books I have read focus on the inherent evils of the possessed financial consultant community. Yes, the industry has its problems. However, $8 stock trades are not the only ingredients in profitable investing. In fact, I don't recall him emphasizing the need for discount trades, a fact over-emphasized in almost every other book I have read (remember, I am no longer in the industry...I don't need to strike a case for broker commissions). Instead, he shows you what information to focus on and how to apply it.

Do yourself a favor: Buy this book. Read it twice. It is not outdated...it is timeless. Yea, I know, you already know it all. My advice is to lose the ego and take a refresher course on common sense investing. When you finish, put it on your bookshelf. Do not give it to your kids or neighbors; buy them their own copies. This is a great book!