feedburner
Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Ruminations on “Investment Legends”

Labels:

sunset

Saw a quotation in a book that I identified with strongly:

We think we can count everything. We can count everything, except what’s important. We can’t count integrity, we can’t count loyalty, we can’t count character.

John C Bogle – Investment Legends that Leads to Wealth

Been reading this book by Barrie Dunstan about Investment Legends: The Wisdom that Leads to Wealth (Financial Review) and have read about Peter Bernstein, Barton Biggs and John Bogle. The thing about reading about people like them is to realise that when even people like them keep learning and are humble about it, what more an ordinary investor like me?

Investing is a funny business. You need to know something so that you are not suckered into a fools’ game, trading positions on a daily or regular basis, contra without the basis to cover your position, putting all your money into one stock etc. At the same time, the more you know, the more you realise you don’t really know.

Another investor legend, Barton Biggs, is “essentially someone who looks at investors’ big picture asset allocations, rather than picking individual stocks. He appears to approach this task like a sponge, building a base of knowledge, talking to people, reading various information sources before getting a feeling that a market is attractive”.

If an investor who has managed billions and is still managing these billions thinks like that, and is eager to learn more, what more a mere ordinary investor like me?

And still the same Mr Biggs has this to say “This book (Hedgehogging by Barton Biggs) is not a how –to primer. There are no enduring answers about how to invest successfully in these pages because I have none.”

I find such humble attitude and eagerness to learn more endearing. I like that a lot better than those who try to preach and have a know it all attitude.

So the next time someone comes up to you and say buy this or sell that, listen politely, learn more and find out more instead of blindly following.

Before I go, I have to explain the photo above. It was taken by my brother-in-law as we were taking a taxi to visit my grandmother in Yishun. The sun was setting and we saw the most amazing sunset that I have ever seen. I didn’t bring my DSLR, my brother-in-law did.

Which investment book do you find the most useful to you thus far?

Related Posts




Bookmark and Share


0 comments:

Post a Comment

Disclaimer

The information contained in this blog is prepared from data believed to be correct and reliable at the time of publication of this report. The authors do not make any guarantee or representation as to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness, reliability of the information contained herein. Neither the authors or any affiliates or related persons shall be liable for any consequences (direct or indirect losses, loss of profits and damages) of any
reliance placed on information provided in the blog.

Shares and financial instruments illustrated in this blog can go down sharply or in certain instruments suffer total loss on the initial investments. Investors are advised to make their own judgment on the information provided and consult their own financial advisors or consultants as to the suitability of the products illustrated to their particular financial needs and objectives before acting on any information contained herein in this blog.