New to the financial markets? Need to bone up on one area or function to move up the ladder, change careers, provide better sales or consulting services.-- Provides easy to understand descriptions of all the major elements of the financial markets-- Author is a 28-year veteran of the financial markets-- Filled with graphs and charts that help readers move quickly and easily through the book and acquire the necessary information
We were reading this book as part of a book club at work.
There are many parts to the financial systems and this is a easy introduction to all of them, what they are, and how they fit together. When I started reading it, I was working at a firm that was building a marketplace and also offering a custodial service. I then moved to another firm that was acting as a financial advisor, with a close relationship with a broker. I liked being able to apply what I was learning to my every day work.
Fiduciary: act prudently in the best interest of the client.
There are many, many ways to make money in a financial system. One party may charge fees while another may rely on appreciation. There are plenty of opportunities for conflicts of interest, which calls for various forms of regulations. Various firms can get very creative when finding ways to make money and design financial instruments.
The book itself often comes across as very light and dry. There are plenty of illustrations, but they are very repetitive and don't always add much to the main text. Perhaps the other books in the series offer more depth or provide some case studies. This one gives a whirlwind tour of all the nomenclature, but its dryness makes it hard for the more complex concepts to stick.
A book with good graphics and enough narrative to get the basic concepts clear and without complicating things unnecessary. It helped me to get the basic Financial Market concepts and how it’s structured. It gave me the type of insight I was looking for.