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Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World
A co-host for Kudlow & Cramer presents guidelines on how to invest successfully by becoming a "prudent speculator," explaining the role of psychology in risk taking while covering such topics as understanding hedge funds, spotting an undervalued stock, and knowing when to sell. By the author of Confessions of a Street Addict. 125,000 first printing.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
164 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
August 27, 2008
For a long time I was a staunch critic of Cramer as I perceived many of his ideas to be reckless and dangerous. Having read his book I've done a complete 180. Not only did I enjoy the book, I watch his show on CNBC almost every day now. His insights are not earth shattering. Rather I would describe them as Advanced Common Sense. His book and show have helped me to identify why some of the stocks that I've invested in the past did not perform as I expected them to. Although he shamelessly plugs his book and TV show, I genuinely believe that Cramer's primary motivation is to educate people and help them succeed in investing. He owns his mistakes which is rare in this day and age. I've yet to read an analyst report that said "My bad, we blew it when we recommended BUY on this stock".
The book is well laid out and the information is simple and easy to understand. Cramer describes almost everything by relevant analogies that I think most everyone can relate to. The book is all about empowering its readers as opposed to offering a get rich quick scheme. My only criticism of this book is his abundant use of SAT words that I had to constantly look up in the dictionary.
The book is well laid out and the information is simple and easy to understand. Cramer describes almost everything by relevant analogies that I think most everyone can relate to. The book is all about empowering its readers as opposed to offering a get rich quick scheme. My only criticism of this book is his abundant use of SAT words that I had to constantly look up in the dictionary.
May 18, 2011
I started listening to Jim Cramer about a decade ago when I was still living in South-East Austin. There was a 50,000 watt AM station (WOAI) being broadcast out of San Antonio that was somehow able to get coverage all the way to me, some 80 miles away. As I drove around town I would listen intently as Jim would invite me and my leaky 1989 Ford escort to join him in a piece of the action. He was exciting, motivating, and usually right. Cramer was my first real glimpse into the finance world, and ten years later I still listen to him with just as much interest, (no pun intended). I can't help but think that in some small way, the years of enthusiasm Cramer has given me in regards to the market is most likely one of the reasons I will begin work on a Master's degree in Finance this coming year.
.
After many moons of listening to Jim on the radio and then his television show, "Mad Money" over on MSNBC, I decided to take the time to read one of his books. He's written several, but I chose, "Real Money - sane investing in an insane world." I wanted to read this introductory book on the stock market because I had questions; questions so embarrassingly simple that only a conversation between me and Jim's silent text could provide the privacy I needed while overcoming the learning curve. Jim came through for me big time. I was baffled before I had bought the book as to why if you buy a stock from a company, and the company won't buy it back nor pay you dividends, that it is worth anything at all... I was baffled as to what use the P/E ratio was to me, or why do some investors tell you to keep your money in the market even when everything is falling. The answer to those and dozens of other obtuse and seemingly simple questions are cleverly sorted out in Jim's book. Because of that, this is a must read for any novice or intermediate investor.
Cramer's Twenty-five Rules for Investing
1. Bulls, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered.
2. It's OK to pay the taxes.
3. Don't buy all at once.
4. Buy damaged stocks, not damaged companies.
5. Diversify to control risk
6. Do your stock homework.
7. No one made a dime by panicking.
8. Buy best-of-breed companies.
9. Defend some stocks, not all.
10. Bad buys won't become takeovers.
11. Don't own too many names.
12. Cash is for winners.
13. No woulda, shoulda couldas.
14. Expect, don't fear corrections.
15. Don't forget bonds.
16. Never subsidize losers with winners.
17. Check hope at the door.
18. Be flexible.
19. When the chiefs retreat, so should you.
20. Giving up on value is a sin.
21. Be a TV critic.
22. Wait 30 days after preannouncements
23. Beware of Wall Street hype.
24. Explain your picks.
25. There's always a bull market.
.
After many moons of listening to Jim on the radio and then his television show, "Mad Money" over on MSNBC, I decided to take the time to read one of his books. He's written several, but I chose, "Real Money - sane investing in an insane world." I wanted to read this introductory book on the stock market because I had questions; questions so embarrassingly simple that only a conversation between me and Jim's silent text could provide the privacy I needed while overcoming the learning curve. Jim came through for me big time. I was baffled before I had bought the book as to why if you buy a stock from a company, and the company won't buy it back nor pay you dividends, that it is worth anything at all... I was baffled as to what use the P/E ratio was to me, or why do some investors tell you to keep your money in the market even when everything is falling. The answer to those and dozens of other obtuse and seemingly simple questions are cleverly sorted out in Jim's book. Because of that, this is a must read for any novice or intermediate investor.
Cramer's Twenty-five Rules for Investing
1. Bulls, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered.
2. It's OK to pay the taxes.
3. Don't buy all at once.
4. Buy damaged stocks, not damaged companies.
5. Diversify to control risk
6. Do your stock homework.
7. No one made a dime by panicking.
8. Buy best-of-breed companies.
9. Defend some stocks, not all.
10. Bad buys won't become takeovers.
11. Don't own too many names.
12. Cash is for winners.
13. No woulda, shoulda couldas.
14. Expect, don't fear corrections.
15. Don't forget bonds.
16. Never subsidize losers with winners.
17. Check hope at the door.
18. Be flexible.
19. When the chiefs retreat, so should you.
20. Giving up on value is a sin.
21. Be a TV critic.
22. Wait 30 days after preannouncements
23. Beware of Wall Street hype.
24. Explain your picks.
25. There's always a bull market.
September 15, 2009
Interesting book, interesting ideas/theories. Sometimes I thought things could have been explained a little more clearly, but maybe that's just me.
I think that people who have some stock experience already would get more out of this one than complete beginners would; you don't have to be an expert, but if you need concise definitions and have never bought a stock, this may not be quite right. On the other hand, just reading these kinds of books, even if they're over my head, help me learn by immersion ;-)
I think that people who have some stock experience already would get more out of this one than complete beginners would; you don't have to be an expert, but if you need concise definitions and have never bought a stock, this may not be quite right. On the other hand, just reading these kinds of books, even if they're over my head, help me learn by immersion ;-)
August 31, 2015
I stumbled across Jim Cramer's "Real Money" while flipping through books at my local Barnes & Noble, trying to find some book to help me figure out investing. At the time, I had no idea who Jim Cramer was nor ever saw his show. Of all the books on the shelf, this one was the easiest to read and explained topics which were complex to me at the time in a way that was very clear and concise. I can easily attribute much of my understanding of some of the more advanced areas of the stock market to this book, which I found excellent in laying out the confusing world of Wall Street to the everyday investor.
September 11, 2007
Fav. Quote, "Nobody cares about your money like you do."
January 23, 2015
Good information but at times it was over my head and hard to get through. Think he has valuable information and stories but maybe not for a beginner investor.
March 20, 2015
A Must Read
Cramer is the best. This book really is a great guide to investing. If you want to learn the basics pick this one up and get reading.
Cramer is the best. This book really is a great guide to investing. If you want to learn the basics pick this one up and get reading.
June 14, 2015
Good general advice about investing in stock.
August 14, 2015
This is one of the best books I have read on personal finance and investing.
March 5, 2017
This book is a classic example of why you should always do your homework. For my short investment career, I've been led to believe that Cramer was a buffoon. I know now that that is extremely false.
January 15, 2014
This book is about the rules that governs cramers trading.
about his rules that have helped him win in good and bad markets.
he wants you to win and he wants you to know the games that others are playing with you.
so further lets get to the body of the work that cramer has laid out for individuals with investment on the mind.
His chapter listing is as such
Staying in the game
Getting started the right way
How stocks are meant to be traded
Some investing basics
Spotting moves before they happen
Stock picking rules to live by
Creating your discretionary portfolio
Spotting bottoms in stocks
Spotting Tops
Advanced Strategies for speculators
Epilogue
Index
Staying in the game
is the essence of investing of not quitting when the going is rough and to continue doing homework even when the tides seems as though it is against you.
the fact of tides is that they recede as they also come.
It talks about intelligent investing and that no investor has infinite bullets to get it right so you have to be making good calls to stay in the game.
Stay tough so that you can get past the really bad years because the stock market is cyclical.
Getting started the right way
This chapter is very important it talks about cramers interest in speculation as well as the fact that he decries the buy and hold mentality. At some point you have to sell and no one is going to tell you when that time is so you have to figure it out for yourself. So this chapter takes you on a tour of thinking of thinking about the angles and playing them because you must.
He warns of penny stocks and shell companies and how you have to be on your guard so you are not taken by these companies so that you do not loose all that you have worked so hard for. This chapter talks about paychecks and how they almost never have enough left over to do any thing that really matters with. Thats part of the reason why I want to invest I want to be able to carry out the things that I have been thinking of so long with the environment of my creation.
Rules that beyer created that cramer thought was important
1 If you only learn from mistakes you will not repeat them
2 Only go to the tracks where there aren't lots of good players so you can clean up
3 Only bet on situations where you have total conviction
It takes homework to be a trader.
This chapter also discusses some of the things that happen when you are going to have an ipo.
How stocks are meant to be traded
Multiple * Price = Earnings
Price / Earnings = Multiple
Limits allow you to set prices without having to pay unless the trade is executed.
Multiples are often set improperly for small lesser known companies. When the economy turns down debt can be a real killer.
Some investing basics
This chapter discusses the idea of where your portfolio may want to be depending on risk and age. Although he certainly says that even early on some of your cash should go to retirement investments. Speculation is part of the key to his achievements. As time goes on you have to shift your focus so that you can live well as time passes. Separate your speculative pool from your retirement pool. Diversification is the only free lunch on wall street. At least five stock for diversification and one hour per week with those stocks for homework. Make sure you are investing in viable companies before you measure growth. Long term growth to determine purchases vs dollar amounts.
Shared ideas
cramer and buffett both follow the paper
buffett cramer and soros look for their inadequacies and change in situations
buffet and cramer believe in homework and keeping up with whats going on.
buffett and cramer, soros lived through some tricky deals and still have done well.
Spotting moves before they happen
This chapter talked about the specifics of a one point move and its exactly what you think its a large purchase by large brokerages or other people with large amounts of assets buying a large amount of assets. Market dislocation and fully valued sectors. Looking for big moves when you are looking for these moves you are focusing on the paper and the paranoia of the people. The psychology and the psychology of fear and the game that is generated by the psychological factors that make people make bad decisions because they are not keeping it together under stress and duress.
Different techniques and rules cramer uses for each cohort and discuss.
Rotational catalysts
shift group to group depending on macro backdrop.
estimate revision catalysts
secrets of large cap investing.
24 percent year no down years because he figured out the markets and which companies where going to beat expectations.
what happens when the fed changes things how it squeezes and expands cash flow. Cyclical buy and sell chart on pg 115.
the value of cash in some markets.
the importance of the fed.
sell in time.
valuing companies
40% management
30% fundamentals
15% technical analysis
15% alpha factor
Stock picking rules to live by
Tactics
wealthy money is impatient.
rules of the trade
never turn a trade into an investment
your first loss is your best loss
its okay to take a loss when you already have one
never turn a trading gain into an investment loss
tips are for waiters
you don't have to profit to sell
control losses winners take care of themselves
don't fear missing anything
don't trade headlines
don't trade flow
twenty five investment rules to live by
bulls and bears make money pigs get slaughtered
its okay to pay taxes
don't buy all at once arrogance is a sin
look for broken stocks not broken companies
diversification is the only free lunch
buy and homework not buy and hold
no one ever made a dime by panicking
own the best of the breed its worth it
he who defends everything defends nothing or why discipline trumps conviction
the fundamentals must be good in a takeover
don't own too many stocks
cash and sitting on the sidelines are fine alternatives
no woulda shoulda coulda
expect corrections don't be afraid of them
don't forget bonds
never subsidize losers with winners
hope is not part of the equation
be flexible
when high level people quit a company something is wrong
patience is a virtue giving up is a sin
just because someone says it on tv doesn't make it so
always wait thirty days after earnings preannouncement before you buy
never underestimate the wall street promotion machine
be able to explain your stock picks to someone else
there is always a bull market somewhere
Creating your discretionary portfolio
you will do time consuming sometimes tedious homework
spend an hour per position per week doing research
you must be interested in business
you must have someone to talk to about the idea
cramer can't encourage you to quit you have to endure
Spotting bottoms in stocks
Look for balance sheets that are out of whack vs long term fundamentals. first thing he gauges is market sentiment. capitulation crescendo bottom sell offs the only people left are the people not moving. catalyst.
find the bottoms and buy and sell some on the way up.
Spotting Tops
Look for tops and sell before tops so that you don't kill your market appreciation. Competition caps companies as well as taking from them if a move happens in the other players zone. When ever management is vague it is a top because management wants to show off good results. Over expansion a company cannot handle its growth this causes a top. Government blindside, this happens when the gov changes rules and you get unexpected consequences. When retail cannot expand any more it hits a top. Fad stock tops occur when the fad is depleted of its energy and it's not going to go anywhere from there. Accounting mayhem things with the books seem cooked you have to get out. The grilled egg top you have to leave because its to hot and being in to long with force loss.
Advanced Strategies for speculators
The arithmetic of buying calls
call option
price = purchaseprice * 100 * option
shorts
Books that Cramer recommends
Reminiscences of a stock operator by Jesse Livermore - psuedonym Ed Lefevre
Picking winners by Andy Beyer
about his rules that have helped him win in good and bad markets.
he wants you to win and he wants you to know the games that others are playing with you.
so further lets get to the body of the work that cramer has laid out for individuals with investment on the mind.
His chapter listing is as such
Staying in the game
Getting started the right way
How stocks are meant to be traded
Some investing basics
Spotting moves before they happen
Stock picking rules to live by
Creating your discretionary portfolio
Spotting bottoms in stocks
Spotting Tops
Advanced Strategies for speculators
Epilogue
Index
Staying in the game
is the essence of investing of not quitting when the going is rough and to continue doing homework even when the tides seems as though it is against you.
the fact of tides is that they recede as they also come.
It talks about intelligent investing and that no investor has infinite bullets to get it right so you have to be making good calls to stay in the game.
Stay tough so that you can get past the really bad years because the stock market is cyclical.
Getting started the right way
This chapter is very important it talks about cramers interest in speculation as well as the fact that he decries the buy and hold mentality. At some point you have to sell and no one is going to tell you when that time is so you have to figure it out for yourself. So this chapter takes you on a tour of thinking of thinking about the angles and playing them because you must.
He warns of penny stocks and shell companies and how you have to be on your guard so you are not taken by these companies so that you do not loose all that you have worked so hard for. This chapter talks about paychecks and how they almost never have enough left over to do any thing that really matters with. Thats part of the reason why I want to invest I want to be able to carry out the things that I have been thinking of so long with the environment of my creation.
Rules that beyer created that cramer thought was important
1 If you only learn from mistakes you will not repeat them
2 Only go to the tracks where there aren't lots of good players so you can clean up
3 Only bet on situations where you have total conviction
It takes homework to be a trader.
This chapter also discusses some of the things that happen when you are going to have an ipo.
How stocks are meant to be traded
Multiple * Price = Earnings
Price / Earnings = Multiple
Limits allow you to set prices without having to pay unless the trade is executed.
Multiples are often set improperly for small lesser known companies. When the economy turns down debt can be a real killer.
Some investing basics
This chapter discusses the idea of where your portfolio may want to be depending on risk and age. Although he certainly says that even early on some of your cash should go to retirement investments. Speculation is part of the key to his achievements. As time goes on you have to shift your focus so that you can live well as time passes. Separate your speculative pool from your retirement pool. Diversification is the only free lunch on wall street. At least five stock for diversification and one hour per week with those stocks for homework. Make sure you are investing in viable companies before you measure growth. Long term growth to determine purchases vs dollar amounts.
Shared ideas
cramer and buffett both follow the paper
buffett cramer and soros look for their inadequacies and change in situations
buffet and cramer believe in homework and keeping up with whats going on.
buffett and cramer, soros lived through some tricky deals and still have done well.
Spotting moves before they happen
This chapter talked about the specifics of a one point move and its exactly what you think its a large purchase by large brokerages or other people with large amounts of assets buying a large amount of assets. Market dislocation and fully valued sectors. Looking for big moves when you are looking for these moves you are focusing on the paper and the paranoia of the people. The psychology and the psychology of fear and the game that is generated by the psychological factors that make people make bad decisions because they are not keeping it together under stress and duress.
Different techniques and rules cramer uses for each cohort and discuss.
Rotational catalysts
shift group to group depending on macro backdrop.
estimate revision catalysts
secrets of large cap investing.
24 percent year no down years because he figured out the markets and which companies where going to beat expectations.
what happens when the fed changes things how it squeezes and expands cash flow. Cyclical buy and sell chart on pg 115.
the value of cash in some markets.
the importance of the fed.
sell in time.
valuing companies
40% management
30% fundamentals
15% technical analysis
15% alpha factor
Stock picking rules to live by
Tactics
wealthy money is impatient.
rules of the trade
never turn a trade into an investment
your first loss is your best loss
its okay to take a loss when you already have one
never turn a trading gain into an investment loss
tips are for waiters
you don't have to profit to sell
control losses winners take care of themselves
don't fear missing anything
don't trade headlines
don't trade flow
twenty five investment rules to live by
bulls and bears make money pigs get slaughtered
its okay to pay taxes
don't buy all at once arrogance is a sin
look for broken stocks not broken companies
diversification is the only free lunch
buy and homework not buy and hold
no one ever made a dime by panicking
own the best of the breed its worth it
he who defends everything defends nothing or why discipline trumps conviction
the fundamentals must be good in a takeover
don't own too many stocks
cash and sitting on the sidelines are fine alternatives
no woulda shoulda coulda
expect corrections don't be afraid of them
don't forget bonds
never subsidize losers with winners
hope is not part of the equation
be flexible
when high level people quit a company something is wrong
patience is a virtue giving up is a sin
just because someone says it on tv doesn't make it so
always wait thirty days after earnings preannouncement before you buy
never underestimate the wall street promotion machine
be able to explain your stock picks to someone else
there is always a bull market somewhere
Creating your discretionary portfolio
you will do time consuming sometimes tedious homework
spend an hour per position per week doing research
you must be interested in business
you must have someone to talk to about the idea
cramer can't encourage you to quit you have to endure
Spotting bottoms in stocks
Look for balance sheets that are out of whack vs long term fundamentals. first thing he gauges is market sentiment. capitulation crescendo bottom sell offs the only people left are the people not moving. catalyst.
find the bottoms and buy and sell some on the way up.
Spotting Tops
Look for tops and sell before tops so that you don't kill your market appreciation. Competition caps companies as well as taking from them if a move happens in the other players zone. When ever management is vague it is a top because management wants to show off good results. Over expansion a company cannot handle its growth this causes a top. Government blindside, this happens when the gov changes rules and you get unexpected consequences. When retail cannot expand any more it hits a top. Fad stock tops occur when the fad is depleted of its energy and it's not going to go anywhere from there. Accounting mayhem things with the books seem cooked you have to get out. The grilled egg top you have to leave because its to hot and being in to long with force loss.
Advanced Strategies for speculators
The arithmetic of buying calls
call option
price = purchaseprice * 100 * option
shorts
Books that Cramer recommends
Reminiscences of a stock operator by Jesse Livermore - psuedonym Ed Lefevre
Picking winners by Andy Beyer
September 19, 2018
Booyah to Jim Cramer for writing this book. I’m a new listener to Mad Money and a 1-year investor in the market, so I’m still trying to figure out the reason people say Booyah to him, but I’ll swim with the tide.
I’m still a rookie investor so this book was a lot of help, especially in explaining the small details and key elements of the market. He offered great advice and I’m already starting to implement (rate your stocks from 1-4, as per the book!)
I love Mad Money and I’m so glad Cramer decided to narrate this audiobook himself. I’m excited to continue learning from The Professor.
I’m still a rookie investor so this book was a lot of help, especially in explaining the small details and key elements of the market. He offered great advice and I’m already starting to implement (rate your stocks from 1-4, as per the book!)
I love Mad Money and I’m so glad Cramer decided to narrate this audiobook himself. I’m excited to continue learning from The Professor.
April 12, 2015
It's hard to rate this book after immediately reading it, mainly because this is the type of book that you read and then go do. And after you do what the book recommends, you can give it some time and truly evaluate. However, there's a lot of solid ideas in this book for the novice stock investor and Cramer is different in many respects to your typical stock guru. He embraces the gambling/speculating nature of stock picking and does make very good arguments for why the mainstream advice on stock investing can totally wreck a person's portfolio. This book is also 10 years old from the time I read it, so the examples he gives are of course dated and we didn't know in 2005 what sort of calamity awaited the markets in 2008. Overall, the book was fun to read, at least for me being a personal finance/investing junkie and the personal stories he used as examples helped flesh out the concepts.
Something interesting I found in the very last chapter as he discusses shorting and options as "advanced strategies", he never mentions selling call options on stocks you own. He talks some about buying calls to get in on positions when you don't have the cash to buy the stock outright, but never mentions selling the call options when you own the stock. To me, this was a miss on his part - although you can't provide every strategy known to man in this short book. Selling the call options is a very conservative way to make some extra cash flow on your stock positions since the worst thing that can happen if the option is exercised is you have to sell your stock at a higher strike price than when you sold the call originally.
Something interesting I found in the very last chapter as he discusses shorting and options as "advanced strategies", he never mentions selling call options on stocks you own. He talks some about buying calls to get in on positions when you don't have the cash to buy the stock outright, but never mentions selling the call options when you own the stock. To me, this was a miss on his part - although you can't provide every strategy known to man in this short book. Selling the call options is a very conservative way to make some extra cash flow on your stock positions since the worst thing that can happen if the option is exercised is you have to sell your stock at a higher strike price than when you sold the call originally.
June 1, 2013
Really disappointed in this book. The book is very dated and he is just bragging about himself most of the time. Far too much jargon and not enough real content. Sad because I find that beneath his entertainment act in TV, he does have solid advice. This book didnt convey that. Newbie investors will like it - he makes it seem too easy and trivializes it as a game. Although he does caution often about the risks, it gets lost in rest of the content. Watch his show rather than waste time reading this.
March 31, 2008
Bueha! Jim Cramer is loud and a madman on his TV program. You might not like his style, but this book is a good guide for investors or those interested in learning about buying stock. According to Cramer it's "not buy and hold" when it comes to stock. It's "buy and homework." This is good advise - i.e. if you're not willing to spend time (1 hour per week) on each stock you own, don't invest in equities.
May 4, 2015
This book had a very interesting idea of how to invest but to me I feel it was just to hard to understand the basics of the investing going on in this book. I need the book to go in depth on were to invest money and how instead of listening to technique to make more. You need more background information before you can do those technique therefore this book was hard for me to understand. If this book described the basics of investing I would like it much more.
May 8, 2015
Unfortunately, this did very little to make the reader a "real" investing guru. I wasn't convinced that you can get rich quick nor understand stock market details well enough to attempt it. Invest for the long term in mutual funds that index the market.
January 30, 2016
It offered a lot of practical advice about investing. It's the first book I read of his. I will probably buy more of his books eventually, but there are other books I need to read first.
March 7, 2016
I've read a lot of investing books and this one is not one of the best. I love to watch Cramer on CNBC because he is so entertaining. His first book Mad Money is better for an investor like me.
Read
March 1, 2019It was surprisingly interesting. Very informative.
July 3, 2018
While there were takeaways from Jim Cramer's Real Money that may ultimately prove themselves valuable, overall I was disappointed with the experience of reading this book.
In the first chapter, Cramer raves about how he is writing a book so that normal people can understand the secrets to getting crazy rich, but then in later chapters, he explains things only vaguely, assuming you have a deeper, pre-existing knowledge of the details than a "normal person" would have. He spends lots of time hammering his tenets of investing, and berating others who don't follow his path, but doesn't really deeply explain the concepts he is laying out.
I feel like this book would better target someone who is just starting out as a Wall Street trader, as opposed to a "normal person".
Read more of my thoughts about this book, and suggestions for alternate books for beginners to read.
In the first chapter, Cramer raves about how he is writing a book so that normal people can understand the secrets to getting crazy rich, but then in later chapters, he explains things only vaguely, assuming you have a deeper, pre-existing knowledge of the details than a "normal person" would have. He spends lots of time hammering his tenets of investing, and berating others who don't follow his path, but doesn't really deeply explain the concepts he is laying out.
I feel like this book would better target someone who is just starting out as a Wall Street trader, as opposed to a "normal person".
Read more of my thoughts about this book, and suggestions for alternate books for beginners to read.
September 22, 2021
I've been investing for years now, occasionally active on my own but mostly passively through a fiduciary. Lately I've gotten more interested in being active again so decided to give this a read. Wow, you really don't know what you don't know until you do some digging. This book covers several aspects of investing I hadn't considered seriously before. Not that I would do a lot of them, I'm not into a lot of the risky stuff, but it is good to know it is out there and how it might impact your own investing. Definitely a worthwhile read, one that I will re-read again after I get through a few other books clogging my "to read" shelf. Four stars.
June 30, 2022
Purchased this book at Goodwill for $2, fascinating read which gives actionable insights and hard fought lessons in investing in the stock market from legendary hedge fund manager Jim Cramer. More of a practical handbook for new and experienced traders than "Confessions of a street addict" by Cramer, this book helped me to be more successful in stock market investing, without suffering losses during a terrible bear market. One of my personal favorites and I recommend reading for any one interested in practical tips on investing in the stock market. "Confessions" is more for those interested in the personal ups and down and biography of Cramer as a stock trader.
June 7, 2018
I love Jim Cramer and I need to get back into investing as a hobby. This was my refresher course. I remember some things from watching Cramer’s TV show religiously. I have two copies of this book in my house, so I can check those as references when I start playing the market.
If there is one criticism of the book, it does get a little dry at points. But, the advice is sound and the book is entertaining overall. We will see how my investing goes once I start in earnest.
If there is one criticism of the book, it does get a little dry at points. But, the advice is sound and the book is entertaining overall. We will see how my investing goes once I start in earnest.
October 8, 2018
Excellent book on Cramer's trading strategy.
It requires some prior knowledge: vocabulary
and basic trading experience.
Cramer touches briefly on options and short selling
mostly this book is about how to diversify, spot "tops"
spot "bottoms" in markets and how to do your
homework on specific stocks.
Great chapter on speculation and managing
growth potential vs risk
It requires some prior knowledge: vocabulary
and basic trading experience.
Cramer touches briefly on options and short selling
mostly this book is about how to diversify, spot "tops"
spot "bottoms" in markets and how to do your
homework on specific stocks.
Great chapter on speculation and managing
growth potential vs risk
November 7, 2025
Really for the investor who wants to do trading. Has a lot of sound advice on how to pick stocks.
Is a strong advocate for doing the homework before you buy or sell a stock which I would totally advocate.
He also advises not messing with your retirement fund, and reducing your risk as you get older.
I would rate it higher if I were more interested in that element of stocks
Is a strong advocate for doing the homework before you buy or sell a stock which I would totally advocate.
He also advises not messing with your retirement fund, and reducing your risk as you get older.
I would rate it higher if I were more interested in that element of stocks
January 24, 2018
great for beginners however very broad and doesn't break down analyzing companies well. P/e and eps, and management may get you to research a great company but shouldnt be the only to aspects you look at.
April 4, 2021
Did you know Jim Cramer ran a hedge fund? If you didn’t trust me by the end of this book it may be the only fact you do know. I haven’t started applying any of his information yet so I can’t speak to that. The information itself seems good and honestly offered.
June 6, 2021
This book is dated, but the stock picking advice is still solid. I enjoyed gaining insight on how to pick stocks, how to diversify and, most importantly, when to buy and when to sell. Well worth a listen or a read to help you manage your portfolio a little more successfully.
March 3, 2022
Jim takes you from the shallows to the deep end
Jim has passed on his knowledge on what to look for and what to look out for. Some sections go deep and I would read this book again in the near future to try and understand the details.
Jim has passed on his knowledge on what to look for and what to look out for. Some sections go deep and I would read this book again in the near future to try and understand the details.
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