Although this Book is more theory than practice and certainly more Art than Science it nevertheless affords the Novice to Intermediate Investor an excellent interpretation of the thinking behind/and the implementation of Value Investment in the Stockmarket,a technique that rewarded it's true Practioners handsomely over the years throughout widely differing market conditions.All of Benjamin Graham's Stock Market Investment tenets,such as The Margin Of Safety, Intrinsic Value,the avoidance of speculation,the preservation of Capital,the need to think and act independently of the crowd,to build an extra margin of safety into estimates by using conservative figures etc,etc are clearly and vibrantly related to the Reader.
Janet Lowe adds value through the use of real life Companies as examples and each chapters comes with several very useful "sturdy pillars" or quotations from Ben Graham to elucidate the central thrust of the particular passage concerned.
Although well written and carefully researched I have some small gripes in that some of the mathematical formula are not that clear but that should not deter potential readers from buying this Book.Furthermore if Buyers are expecting the Book to explain how to calculate a useful range of current intrinsic values for a stock or answer questions such as "at the current price what growth rate is the Stock Market discounting for this Company" using simple fundamental analysis then they will be disappointed(for this purpose I would recommend the excellent "The Vest Pocket Guide To Vale Investing by C.Thomas Howard,ISBN 0-7931-1728-3)
More humourously, in these more politically correct times, Ben Graham's advice for Women to buy there Stocks as if they were buying their Groceries rather than their Perfume is admonished as being sexist.I wonder if Ben Graham had advised Men to buy there Stocks as if they were buying Gardening Equipment and not aftershave have received the same treatment?I don't think so!
However ,in conclusion, I feel this Book will serve as an invaluable guide for the ordinary Investor looking for a time tested and proven technique who is willing to exercise both patience and discipline
Perhaps Value Investing "demystified" rather than "made easy" would have been a better title.Nevertheless I feel that Ben Graham would have approved.
Having recently undertaken the wonderful journey of studying Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett through reading most of their writings, I felt obligated to comment on this book. Many important concepts are nicely explained, and the format is pleasing, however, a disturbingly significant number of facts presented are gross misinterpretations.
The author does a nice job of explaining commonly used Wall Street terminology and concepts, for the novice. However, she fails in the infinitely more important task of consistently explaining the core concepts of investing (and not just stock speculating -- as so many of us all too often do).
Two (among the many) misleading points involve investment diversification and Buffett's used cigar-butt approach. She implies both Graham and Buffett whole-heartedly embrace diversification. Unless I have been reading the wrong Graham and Buffett, they certainly do not do so, unconditionally. The author further misrepresents Buffett when she actually leaves it that he finds the "cigar butt" approach, a wise way to buy businesses. He indeed called that method, "foolish" [Mr. Buffett: if that is no longer the case, please excuse my error.]
If you are searching for enlightenment, the way I was, you will be 1000 times better served to read "The Essays of Warren Buffett", arranged by Cunningham and, of course, Graham's "The Intelligent Investor".