The Holy Grail of Investing: The World's Greatest Investors Reveal Their Ultimate Strategies for Financial Freedom

by Tony Robbins, Christopher Zook

Tony Robbins, who has coached more than fifty million people from 100 countries, is the world’s #1 life and business strategist. In this new book, he teams up with Christopher Zook, a renowned financial investor who draws from thirty years of experience to round out the trilogy of #1 New York Times bestselling financial books. Together they reveal how, for decades, trillions of dollars of smart money­ – think of large institutions, sovereign wealth funds, individuals with ultra-high-net worth – have been making outsized returns using alternative investments in private equity, private credit, private real estate, energy and venture capital. Until recently, the vast majority of investors – those of us without insider access or eye-popping checkbooks – have been locked out of these exciting, high-yield opportunities. But there is a change underway. Alternative investments are coming to the masses, and investors need to know how to navigate their options, assess the merits of these opportunities, and determine how to best take advantage of this massive trend. In The Holy Grain of Investing, you’ll Where opportunities will arise as we transition from the 'free money' era of zero interest rates to a new more realistic environment. How to take advantage of the trillions flowing into private investments by owning a piece of the firms that manage the assets. How to take advantage of private credit as an alternative (or compliment) to bonds. How and why professional sports teams have become an asset class of their own. How the renewable energy revolution will create new winners and losers. How investments in private real estate can work as an inflationary hedge. Interviews, advice, and insights from some of the world’s most formidable titans of industry, such as Howard Marks of OakTree Capital, Vinod Khosla of Khosla Capital, Barry Sternlicht of Starwood, Robert Smith of Vista, and Peter Theil of Founders Fund, among others. The market is changing, and the conventional wisdom no longer applies. Are you ready to add some fuel to your financial fire? No matter your wealth, your experience, your job, or your age, The Holy Grail of Investing will teach you everything you need to know to unleash the financial power of alternative investments.

Genres: Finance, Business, Money, Nonfiction, Personal Finance, Personal Development, Economics

362 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2024

About the author

see: Anthony Robbins

Reviews

[Ian G · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good book, but I think you could probably cut out Tony’s first 9 chapters and just focus on the interviews in their entirety. He just restates their points of view in the opening anyway.

If you’re looking for a practical, actionable finance book, skip this one unless you’re a very high net worth individual. The “holy grail” described is comprised of private assets mostly reserved for qualified investors as defined by the SEC. It’s a nice long-term planning book if you’re already a high earner in a position of power, but won’t be as applicable to most of the reading audience.

[Jordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the first few chapters, Tony narrates that the alternative investments in this book cannot be accessed by 99.99% of the planet. Then I was not sure if this book was a sale pitch or a "create your own GP/LP family office." The interviews had a lot of quality people from all over the alternative investment world, yet they all pretty much say the same things to the same questions which gets redundant.

The best thing the book illustrates is all the future investments and going in depth on them. You can read about these with Kathy Wood's ARKK fund and what they are looking to invest in. Very interesting to see where people are looking to invest in the future. Also I do like how all proceeds of the book go to his charity of feeding people who need food.

However, this book is not for the lay people. It is for the .01%.

[Akos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I picked this book up, because I got it for free. While it gives a good overview of alternate investment types, it is also a shameless sales pitch for the author's investment firm. Invest into these uncorrelated asset types, but sorry you can't really...oh wait you can invest via our firm. Tony is really laughing at me from that cover.

If we look behind this, then there are actually very good summaries of investment areas that are typically not in the forefront. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on energy transition and real estate.

The interviews with leaders of investment firms are a mix of how did they become successful (luck and perseverance) and some insights about the various markets and what characteristics of good companies private equity and VCs are looking for. Gets repetitive by the end.

[Ben King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realized pretty quickly on that this book was for more advanced investors and such, but I still had a good time reading through it.

Learned how lucrative sports are...the multiple revenue streams are kinda crazy. They just know how to squeeze so much money out of folks.

Also interesting to learn more about the world of private equity/credit, VC, etc. This book was very finance heavy which is a topic I don't know much about, so I'm ultimately glad I picked up this book and kept with it.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information, though I feel it is a little beyond my personal situation. It would be great for those with big money to invest or who work in financials. I personally loved the interviews in the second half of the book and found them to provide perspective of how people got to where they are financially. Real-world examples always help to show that it can be done and what potential paths can lie out there.

The first half of the book I found the energy section particularly interesting, especially how a lot of “green” energy isn’t really all that green, and to consider investing in both types of energy. I also found useful the four common principles of investing: Don’t lose, asset allocation, look for opportunities with “asymmetric” risk reward, and diversification. Overall, the book gave plenty to think about.

[Grace Pilcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to become more financially literate, so that is why I read this book. Not saying I love reading finance books or that I ever will, but def learned a lot. Had to do some researching of my own cause I didn’t understand all the terminology and all the things, but overall solid read.

[James Mkangala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Напушен Песнопойни · Rating 4 out of 5]

not an investment book. very inspirational stories, though

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting book, albeit an odd title. I’ve come to learn that (according to Tony Robbins and Ray Dalio), the holy Grail of investing, is finding 8 to 12 un correlated investments, which will reduce your risk by 80% and provide an asymmetrical risk to reward ratio.

Oddly enough, I learned a lot about energy while reading this book. It was excited to learn about carbon capture and storage and small modular nuclear reactors. I believe these will be the future of our energy sources.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the first part if the book was interesting. The second part put me to sleep. I didn’t want to read about him interviewing business people….yawn! We have 60 minutes for that.

On the first part :
Tony tells the truth about green energy instead of over looking all the problems. He admits that fossil fuel must be used for ev cars, wind mills and solar panels. And China, Congo and Russia have these fossil fuels that is needed.

Tony admits that the USA is the largest producer of oil not Saudi Arabia. But I don’t understand why Tony wants to get to net zero. It is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. We need carbon dioxide for plants and food. And plants make oxygen for us to breathe.

[Syieve Locklair · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the first half to understand what's available if you've mastered basic and executive level investing; this is for those ready to move into (or want to know about) the "that kind of rich" level of investing, but some of it you can be creative and potentially do on a smaller scale.

The second half of the book contains the interviews; they contain a few bits of wisdom and inspirational quotes but are mostly redundant and page fillers.

[Ethan Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great introduction to alternative investments! However, I don't believe much of this book would be helpful to the ordinary investor. Unshakable by Tony Robbins is a much better general book on investing.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

if your a high net worth indivudual or a guy who just wants to read a book this is the book for you but other than that its meh

[Zach Matter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some chapters were great, and others I struggled to get through.

[Adriana Meriles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The holy grail by Tony Robbins

Tony helps find ourserlves, learn from other successful people and be grateful for what we have thanks to the messages in this book. I recommend it to anyone that wants to take action to achieve financial freedom in any industry.

[Glenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

All roads lead to one fund. Very disappointed.

[Carles Carrera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tony Robbins' "The Holy Grail of Investing" delivers a mixed bag. While Robbins impressively breaks down complex investment strategies, such as diversifying into uncorrelated assets, the book often feels like an extended advertisement for his associate’s investment firm, which detracts from its educational value.

Robbins' dual persona as a savvy investor and an overt salesman is evident, pushing the promotional aspect to the limit.

The book's second half, featuring interviews with investment titans, offers some value but is marred by repetitive content that soon grows tedious. Overall, while there are nuggets of valuable financial insight, the book fails to fully deliver on its promise, leaving a sense of disappointment.

Not recommended. With reservations for those looking to expand their investment knowledge but be wary of the commercial overtones.

[Christopher Alaimo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt more geared towards accredited investors instead of retail investors. I think Money Master the Game and Unbreakable were much better by comparison but still worth the read to learn about Private Equity and Private Credit.

[Vlad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think there's some great advice in how to diversify your investment portfolio in this book if you have millions to invest already. Otherwise, you're probably better off reading Money Master the game.

[Brian Elwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit disappointed, the investment strategies are for qualified investors or hopefully that legislation will pass that will allow others to be able to invest. Still insightful, but after reading the first book I was expecting a different product.

[Lukas Michalek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really want tibread this book as soon as I can. Tony has interviewed the top monds in investing so this is the well of knowledge!

[Ferhat Elmas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and up-to-date about alternative asset classes. Same questions are asked in interviews so it feels a bit repetitive but golden to extract working patterns.

[Justin Staub · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for beginning or intermediate investors. A worthy read for young adults interested in finance to understand different uncorrelated investments.

[Blake Bunger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book suffers from a glaring contradiction: Robbins claims the "holy grail" is 8-12 uncorrelated investments for diversification, yet the investors interviewed achieved wealth through concentrated bets in single industries. If diversification is the holy grail, why showcase people who did the exact opposite?
The real red flag is the book's structure as a funnel to CAZ Investments (co-author Christopher Zook's firm where Robbins is a minority shareholder). After explaining how amazing these alternative investments are, Robbins conveniently points out that regular investors can't access them—unless, of course, you invest through CAZ funds that provide this access.
It's a classic bait-and-switch: present exclusive strategies used by billionaires, emphasize how inaccessible they are to average people, then offer the "solution" through the authors' own investment firm. The book reads less like genuine financial education and more like an elaborate marketing funnel.
Bottom line: A contradictory premise wrapped around what appears to be a sophisticated lead generation scheme for the co-author's investment funds.

[Abdulrahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

الجزء الثالث و الاخير من ثلاثية توني روبنز عن المال و الاستثمار

الكتابين الاولين موجهين لعامة الناس و يركزوا على مبادئ، في هذا الكتاب توسع لمواضيع استثماريه كبيره قد لايصل لها الفرد العادي بشكل كبير.

النصف الاول من الكتاب شيق و يحمل افكار استثماريه جريئة لايتحدث عنها الناس كثيرا كونها استثمارات خاصه لايصل لها عامة الناس بشكل سهل. هناك جزئية كبيره عن قطاع البترول و الطاقه و كان اكثر جزئيه ممتعه كوننا في السعوديه البترول هو اكبر استثماراتنا.

المنتصف الثاني من الكتاب كان غير ممتع كونه كان مقابلات ! شخصيا لا افضل المقابلات في الكتب و افضل الحصول عليها من بودكاست مثلا.

لا انصح بالكتاب للمبتدأين بالاستثمار او من لم يقرأ الكتابين الاوليين.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unless you're in the top 1%, you can skip this personal finance book. From the very beginning, I felt out of my element when he started discussing alternative investments that only 99.9% of the population can even get into. If that's the way to the holy grail, I'm out of my element. It didn't get any better from there; I believe I just wasn't the target market for this book. I'm giving it 2 stars because I hated all the plugs for his investment firm (there was a disclaimer in the beginning of the book related to that though).

[Nesthor Luna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Termine de leer el libro, me di cuenta que era el Tercero en la serie y aun así procedí a terminarlo. Es increible que por este libro vaya conociendo a Ray Dalio pero agradezco que se me haya presentado de esta manera. Basicamente por una definicion de este gran personaje, es que Tony Robbins escribe el Santo Grial de la Inversion. Donde consiste en 8 a 12 inversiones no correlacionadas. Te explica y te cuenta como existen diversas maneras de invertir que anteriormente era muy dificil o solamente para inversionistas avanzados, ejemplo equipos profesionales de deportes.

[Harry Harman]

From the barber to the billionaire

investment types (stocks, bonds, real estate, private equity, private credit

between 1986 and 2022, private equity as a whole has outperformed the S&P 500 by over ve percentage points annually (9.2% compared to 14.28%).

accredited investor when you achieve $200k in annual income or $1 million net worth (not including your home).

The SEC bumps you up to quali ed purchaser status when you have $5 million in total investments. This opens up the entire universe of alternative investments.

Sovereign wealth funds, college endowments, and mega family offices

flagship private equity fund

fund was “over-subscribed.”

Ultra-high-net-worth families (those with over $30 million) have nearly 46 percent of their assets in alternative investments, with only 29 percent in publicly traded stocks

used to be a side dish in a portfolio; now they are more like the meat and potatoes.

You can own Apple, not just an iPhone.

Fighting to get into a fund as an LP investor (a limited partner)

The general partner is the actual operating company, also known as the asset manager, who manages the underlying investment funds.

The investors often agree to “lock up” their investments for longer periods of time in exchange for the potential of outsized returns. “lockup” provisions (typically between ve and ten years)

pro ts, typically 20 percent, on all the capital they manage. This is known as carried interest or performance fees.

Sometimes, a private asset manager will go public or be sold to a larger rm. In this case, the owners, with whom you and I sit shoulder-to-shoulder, may receive a multiple on the equity they own upon the sale.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY

“The best route to riches? Finance and investments. More than a quarter of the wealthiest people in America made their money in this industry, which includes hedge funds, private equity and money management.” —Forbes

The fund(s) they manage is (are) pooled capital from numerous investors. When setting up an investment fund, the rm will often use a legal entity called a limited partnership, and thus, the investors are considered limited partners in the fund. Then there is the asset manager, which is responsible for managing the money. This is the general partner (GP).

Management Fee

Performance Fee

Imagine ABC Private Equity, a hypothetical rm that manages a $1 billion fund. The rm will receive 2 percent a year (or $20 million) in management fees, typically for a minimum of ve years. That is a total of $100 million in revenue that is as close to guaranteed as one can contractually get.

Next, let’s assume the fund does a reasonably good job and doubles the value of its portfolio over those same ve years—$1 billion becomes $2 billion. The investors (LPs) are happy, and the rm is entitled 20 percent of the $1 billion pro t. That’s $200 million.

A rm of twenty people managing $1 billion can double the size of the funds it manages without coming close to doubling its head count. I am personally aware of a rm with a mere seventy-ve employees that has $47 billion under management.

Firms will typically raise a new fund every few years, a new “vintage.”

each private equity fund may acquire somewhere between ve and fteen companies.

“What happens if I need to get out? How can I get liquidity in the future?”

Certain vehicles will periodically provide a “tender o er” for your ownership position. This simply means they will buy you out at the current “net asset value,” or NAV, of your position.

Twenty-four seven coverage shifted sports into another gear. Fast-forward to 2002, and the media rights for baseball exceeded “gate revenue” for the rst time in history.

In 2018, the Supreme Court ended a ban on the expansion of the sports gambling industry. Whereas sports gambling was once con ned to the sports books of Vegas, as of August 2023 it is now legal in thirty-ve states.

Like Neo in The Matrix, you are now seeing the alternative reality.

JOKE: You have a balanced investment portfolio. Everything you own is losing money equally.

[Perry Lierman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole book is basically a thinly veiled pitch for the private equity fund Tony is a minority stake holder in. Private equity and alternative investments are great to learn about, but the ulterior motives here create too much conflict of interest.
The second half of the book is interviews with hedge fund managers and people like that, which is interesting but also feels like a series of podcasts more than a book.
Didn't end up finishing the book.

[Josh Dzarir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Offers a wealth of knowledge on alternative investments, delving into private equity, venture capital, and more. Robbins’ engaging writing and Zook’s financial acumen shine through, making complex concepts accessible. However, the structure, heavily reliant on interviews with industry leaders, can feel disjointed and disrupts the flow of the narrative. Despite this, the book’s insightful content on alternative investments is invaluable and makes it a worthwhile read