AUGUST 2003

Favorite Books Of NAIC Members

Voice of the People

by Mark Robertson

What have been the best books on investing that you have ever read? More than that, which books would you recommend to a friend?

Picture this. You're comfortably seated with a friend at your local coffee purveyor, and your friend confides in you, "You've been in involved with this NAIC approach to investing for a while now. I've been thinking about taking more responsibility for my personal investment strategy. Do you know of any good books that can help me get my feet on the ground?"

Better Investing has conducted polls in 1999 and 2001. Our readers told us their favorites. The responses have been tabulated and are presented as a list of all-time classics and current favorites. Some of the current favorites are recent releases. Others are just good old time-honored tomes that continue to deliver wisdom and guidance. Here is a look at the investment texts attracting the interest of NAIC investors, according to the Better Investing informal surveys:

All-Time Classics

1. Motley Fool Investment Guide - David & Tom Gardner
2. One Up on Wall Street - Peter Lynch
3. Take Stock - Ellis Traub
4. Security Analysis - Graham and Dodd
5. Beating the Street - Peter Lynch
6. Bogle on Mutual Funds - John Bogle
7. Stocks for the Long Run - Jeremy Siegel
8. Learn to Earn - Peter Lynch
9. Warren Buffett Way - Robert G. Hagstrom, Jr.
10. Individual Investor Revolution - Charles Carlson
11. Common Stocks, Uncommon Profits - Philip A. Fisher

Current Favorites

Jeremy Siegel's classic work ranks as one of the more popular books cited during the last three months.

Here is a look at current favorites, attracting the interest of NAIC investors, according to our informal survey. The Motley Fool Investment Guide remains among the more popular. Jeremy Siegel's Stocks for the Long Run is among those that have been mentioned most frequently in recent months and it has advanced on the all-time rankings, too. Ellis Traub's Take Stock continues its strong showing and it also has moved up the all-time ranks, reaching 3rd place as of June 30, 2003.

1. Motley Fool Investment Guide - David & Tom Gardner
2. Take Stock - Ellis Traub
3. Stocks for the Long Run - Jeremy Siegel
4. Security Analysis - Graham and Dodd
5. One Up on Wall Street - Peter Lynch
6. Investment Clubs for Dummies - Douglas Gerlach and Ange McQuade

This survey is continuously updated. Please consider sending your list of all-time favorite investment books and those of current interest to manifest@better-investing.org

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