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Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio: How to Build and Grow a Panic-Proof Investment Portfolio – Irreverent and Valuable Advice for Out-Thinking Wall Street Pros
“Motley Fool makes investing fun again.”
— BetterInvesting Magazine The mission of Motley Fool—the multimedia financial education company cofounded in 1993 by brothers David and Tom Gardner—is to “educate, amuse, and enrich.” Their valuable, innovative, and entertaining investing book, Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio provides insight, pointers, and sometimes very unorthodox advice that can help any investor build a seven-figure portfolio by out-thinking and out-maneuvering the professional financial wizards on Wall Street. With a new introduction by the authors, Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio offers irreverent investing wisdom ideal for any financial market, even the most bearish.
— BetterInvesting Magazine The mission of Motley Fool—the multimedia financial education company cofounded in 1993 by brothers David and Tom Gardner—is to “educate, amuse, and enrich.” Their valuable, innovative, and entertaining investing book, Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio provides insight, pointers, and sometimes very unorthodox advice that can help any investor build a seven-figure portfolio by out-thinking and out-maneuvering the professional financial wizards on Wall Street. With a new introduction by the authors, Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio offers irreverent investing wisdom ideal for any financial market, even the most bearish.
288 pages, Paperback
First published December 24, 2008
258 people are currently reading
471 people want to read
About the author
David Gardner
25 books17 followersTom and David Gardner cofounded The Motley Fool, a multi-media financial education company, in 1993. Since then they have co-authored four New York Times bestsellers, including The Motley Fool Investment Guide and The Motley Fool's Rule Breakers, Rule Makers.
Librarian note:
Ther is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian note:
Ther is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
February 7, 2014
Reasonable intro to investing in stocks and mutual funds. Many of these types of books don't actually cover anything but the very basics. This goes a step beyond and describes some specific measures to use, and illustrates with interesting examples of stocks and analysis. I liked that they included the appendix in the audiobook version, since a lot of good information was only in that section. I didn't like the regular commercials for the Motley Fool's services, but then again, I did expect them given the title and the author. Had the right amount of snark for this kind of book.
July 27, 2012
Inspiring but only quasi informative book about beginning in the stock market.
Definitely dedicated to those long term investors with plans of buying Dividend stocks.
Overall worth the read but not something I will be revisiting in the future.
Definitely dedicated to those long term investors with plans of buying Dividend stocks.
Overall worth the read but not something I will be revisiting in the future.
December 3, 2021
Sound logic, rational and straight forward ideas for investing. Built on the value investing concepts of Graham Greene and Warren Buffet. Definitely a must read for any investor.
September 9, 2020
5/10
A good primer I suppose, and will certainly help those new to investing. However, for most new investors it strikes me that buying individual stocks is actually terrible advice until they have some idea of what they are doing, and can understand market fluctuating without selling every time their stock dips by 15%. The unspoken truth is that it is incredibly difficult to pick even a single stock that will outperform the market for 40 years, never mind 10. It seems far more of a sure bet to simply track the market with index funds, thereby raising the floor of your investment markedly. Unbeknownst to most analysts, this is what most American's want from their investments: not get-rich-quick so much as surety of funds in retirement. If your goal is the second, stock picking is not a great bet.
They do mention funds at the end, though of course no specific funds, making their information relatively useless.
Overall, the book was fine. They do an admirable job at describing what to look for in companies and even funds, but fail to give much in the way of concrete advice. At least they avoid telling me what stocks to buy, though if they did I suppose I could track those. I'd recommend Paul Merriman's podcast for those interested in long term retirement oriented investing.
A good primer I suppose, and will certainly help those new to investing. However, for most new investors it strikes me that buying individual stocks is actually terrible advice until they have some idea of what they are doing, and can understand market fluctuating without selling every time their stock dips by 15%. The unspoken truth is that it is incredibly difficult to pick even a single stock that will outperform the market for 40 years, never mind 10. It seems far more of a sure bet to simply track the market with index funds, thereby raising the floor of your investment markedly. Unbeknownst to most analysts, this is what most American's want from their investments: not get-rich-quick so much as surety of funds in retirement. If your goal is the second, stock picking is not a great bet.
They do mention funds at the end, though of course no specific funds, making their information relatively useless.
Overall, the book was fine. They do an admirable job at describing what to look for in companies and even funds, but fail to give much in the way of concrete advice. At least they avoid telling me what stocks to buy, though if they did I suppose I could track those. I'd recommend Paul Merriman's podcast for those interested in long term retirement oriented investing.
July 9, 2021
After reading a few books for complete beginners (Richest Man in Babylon, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Wealthing Like Rabbits) and a few for very advanced readers (Essays of Warren Buffet, Mastering the Market Cycle, Fooled By Randomness), this book stood pleasantly in the middle. It provides a great insight about creating an investment strategy that goes beyond set-it-and-forget-it approach but still offers very practical advice.
I would recommend this book to any non-beginner investor. This is stuff which you need to be successful beyond index funds. If you are not there yet, start with the books for beginners.
What I took from this book was the toolset for evaluating stocks with a framework rather than only a “gut feeling”.
I would recommend this book to any non-beginner investor. This is stuff which you need to be successful beyond index funds. If you are not there yet, start with the books for beginners.
What I took from this book was the toolset for evaluating stocks with a framework rather than only a “gut feeling”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2023
Interesting read, with some practical information and guidelines for investing (geared toward individual stocks, with some info on funds). Interesting to read more than a decade later. Wonder if some of the picks still stand as good ones?
The thing that annoyed me most is a lot of it seemed to be a thinly veiled advertisement for their own services. Our stuff continually beats the market!! Amazing us!! Makes sense, since this is their book, but I found it to be annoying.
The thing that annoyed me most is a lot of it seemed to be a thinly veiled advertisement for their own services. Our stuff continually beats the market!! Amazing us!! Makes sense, since this is their book, but I found it to be annoying.
October 2, 2014
Not a bad investing book for beginners, but doesn't provide enough actionable insight for those of us who are past the basics. Most of what you find in here can be found online and is pretty readily available.
May 31, 2011
Basic and informative but not boring. A good start for novice investors.
September 28, 2014
Awesome book to learn about investing!
July 15, 2020
I don’t think this book follows the current Motley Fool approach to investing. This book is just too old.
August 12, 2020
Ouotdated. It is pre 2008.
Full off refenrences to other pay services.
Full of contracditions.
Wothless.
The wotst book on investment I read.
Full off refenrences to other pay services.
Full of contracditions.
Wothless.
The wotst book on investment I read.
June 13, 2017
"Time is the friend of the wonderful company, and the enemy of the mediocre." - Warren Buffett
As is common with most people that invest, I wish I'd started about ten years ago. An abundance of time, a long-term mindset, and the magic of compounding are frankly remarkable forces in the world of investing, and the earlier one starts the better. As a 29-year-old newcomer taking my first steps as an investor, I would propose that it's never too late, and The Million Dollar Portfolio by David and Tom Gardner serves as an ideal companion for both novice and more seasoned investors. The masterminds behind The Motley Fool deliver an accessible, easy to understand and highly informative guide on what can seem a murky and complicated way of building wealth.
Several investing strategies are analysed in detail and supported by a host of practical examples. Although the book was published in 2011, the bulk of knowledge and advice is timeless and will hold true no matter what the economic landscape. Each chapter focuses on a specific philosophy, be that dividend stocks, value investing (in the style of Warren Buffett and his mentor Benjamin Graham), international securities, small-cap gems, or the use of mutual and exchange-traded funds. My own personal investment thesis, albeit rather short-lived at the moment, revolves around acquiring dividend-paying equities with growing income streams, particularly those trading at cheap prices relative to book value. I found a great deal of useful and pertinent information in the middle chapters of the book in this regard. Crucially, some facts and figures helped to reinforce my philosophy and indicate the potential returns I might expect to see in the long run. Asset allocation and diversification (to help mitigate unsystematic risk) are outlined in a significant amount of detail, with some example portfolio weightings based on your age and risk tolerance. A useful appendix discusses the pros and cons of mutual funds and their selection, if you'd prefer a more 'hands-off' approach.
Given the pitiful interest rates on savings accounts (as of June 2017, you'll be lucky to get more than ~2% AER) I would strongly advise anyone to invest their risk capital in equities and strive towards developing a seven-figure portfolio. With time, the passive income generated may be used to fund your lifestyle, charitable interests, bills, expenses and other commitments. This book is well written and humourous in places, which helps the reader digest the often complex mechanics of the market. My only critique would be the constant referencing towards The Motley Fool's products and services. Notwithstanding, the wealth generated in applying the strategies in this book will more than pay for the asking price, and the knowledge within should be seen as an investment in itself.
A fundamental objective in my opinion is to continue to pursue education about investing, and the reading list highlights some influential texts from the greatest financial minds of all time. I intend to work my way through these as I strive to develop my own portfolio and grow it in the coming years. It's a shame that these methods are not taught more widely in schools, to help young people understand the realities of generating wealth and financial responsibility. This book, and several of those it cites, are an essential part of the investing curriculum and I thoroughly recommend it.
As is common with most people that invest, I wish I'd started about ten years ago. An abundance of time, a long-term mindset, and the magic of compounding are frankly remarkable forces in the world of investing, and the earlier one starts the better. As a 29-year-old newcomer taking my first steps as an investor, I would propose that it's never too late, and The Million Dollar Portfolio by David and Tom Gardner serves as an ideal companion for both novice and more seasoned investors. The masterminds behind The Motley Fool deliver an accessible, easy to understand and highly informative guide on what can seem a murky and complicated way of building wealth.
Several investing strategies are analysed in detail and supported by a host of practical examples. Although the book was published in 2011, the bulk of knowledge and advice is timeless and will hold true no matter what the economic landscape. Each chapter focuses on a specific philosophy, be that dividend stocks, value investing (in the style of Warren Buffett and his mentor Benjamin Graham), international securities, small-cap gems, or the use of mutual and exchange-traded funds. My own personal investment thesis, albeit rather short-lived at the moment, revolves around acquiring dividend-paying equities with growing income streams, particularly those trading at cheap prices relative to book value. I found a great deal of useful and pertinent information in the middle chapters of the book in this regard. Crucially, some facts and figures helped to reinforce my philosophy and indicate the potential returns I might expect to see in the long run. Asset allocation and diversification (to help mitigate unsystematic risk) are outlined in a significant amount of detail, with some example portfolio weightings based on your age and risk tolerance. A useful appendix discusses the pros and cons of mutual funds and their selection, if you'd prefer a more 'hands-off' approach.
Given the pitiful interest rates on savings accounts (as of June 2017, you'll be lucky to get more than ~2% AER) I would strongly advise anyone to invest their risk capital in equities and strive towards developing a seven-figure portfolio. With time, the passive income generated may be used to fund your lifestyle, charitable interests, bills, expenses and other commitments. This book is well written and humourous in places, which helps the reader digest the often complex mechanics of the market. My only critique would be the constant referencing towards The Motley Fool's products and services. Notwithstanding, the wealth generated in applying the strategies in this book will more than pay for the asking price, and the knowledge within should be seen as an investment in itself.
A fundamental objective in my opinion is to continue to pursue education about investing, and the reading list highlights some influential texts from the greatest financial minds of all time. I intend to work my way through these as I strive to develop my own portfolio and grow it in the coming years. It's a shame that these methods are not taught more widely in schools, to help young people understand the realities of generating wealth and financial responsibility. This book, and several of those it cites, are an essential part of the investing curriculum and I thoroughly recommend it.
January 21, 2020
This book is decent for the complete novice investor, you will get a kick start reading every word from the Fool’s advices. The one thing I don’t like about this book is that every other page the Gardners tries to sell you all kinds of newsletters and subscription services that you DON’T need. Such as “Hidden Gems” for small caps, “Rule Breakers” for speculative stocks etc.. Come on.. you don’t need to be spoon-feed, especially not when you first started. You need to slowly learn the routes and make mistakes along the way. Granted, they are a business, but most reader would have already paid for a book and here they are trying to suck more dollars from readers of this book. Don’t pay a dime for their services though. Not worth it when you are just started investing. You can learn and gradually master the game at your own pace.
Anyway, misleading title. Don’t even think that the fool’s will reveal their “Million Dollar” secret apart from some basic beginner tips and company analysis. Thus, this book is rather useless for seasoned investors. Unless if you have read this when it first published after the financial crisis back in 2008, you might already be a millionaire if you have invested in the FAANG stocks. If not, read the book if you are interested in getting into investing. For the principles in this book are indeed timeless.
The core message of the book is “you should build a diversified portfolio including all kinds of stocks—stable dividend payers, small-cap unknowns, fast-growing rockets, and large-cap value plays.” Plus some international ETFs in different sectors to fully diversity your risks. There you have it. Skip reading this book and instead listen to their podcasts, read their stock recommendation articles (take it with a grain of salt and do your own research) and watch their weekly stock pick series instead.
Anyway, misleading title. Don’t even think that the fool’s will reveal their “Million Dollar” secret apart from some basic beginner tips and company analysis. Thus, this book is rather useless for seasoned investors. Unless if you have read this when it first published after the financial crisis back in 2008, you might already be a millionaire if you have invested in the FAANG stocks. If not, read the book if you are interested in getting into investing. For the principles in this book are indeed timeless.
The core message of the book is “you should build a diversified portfolio including all kinds of stocks—stable dividend payers, small-cap unknowns, fast-growing rockets, and large-cap value plays.” Plus some international ETFs in different sectors to fully diversity your risks. There you have it. Skip reading this book and instead listen to their podcasts, read their stock recommendation articles (take it with a grain of salt and do your own research) and watch their weekly stock pick series instead.
December 25, 2017
The is an easy-to-read primer on stock investing and portfolio construction best suited for newbies and intermediate-level investors. Overall, the explanation was solid, the writing style held my attention all the way through, and the authors covered all the bases pretty well. Plus, their suggestions are distilled from over 2 decades of (successful and not-so-successful) stock investment experiences, which should help readers avoid the most common and dangerous mistakes. Ironically, to the naive absolute beginners, using the authors' Motley Fool services and newsletters might just result in excessive stock trading and futile obsession over finding the "perfect" stocks. So stick to the book's advice, but think twice before adopting the authors' paid services.
January 7, 2018
I pulled The Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio: How to Build and Grow a Panic-Proof Investment Portfolio off my brother's bookshelf over the holidays. It was fine, but often read as a commercial for their website. It also didn't convince me to ever try picking individual stocks -- in fact, it reinforced my belief that passive investing is really what works best for me. I'm sure beating the market is very gratifying, but I'd rather spend my free time hiking, reading, and (hopefully, one day) writing again. Still, I'm glad to at least know the basics.
May 15, 2024
A sales-pitch for motley fool products every page or so that draws conclusions from manipulated or narrow-focused timelines that don't show the whole picture. Still three stars because I think the checklist for analysis when buying your first stock is helpful and there was useful information in most chapters. I also thought the timing of publication is an interesting glimpse of history (published during the great recession). I'd recommend reading this only if you were also committed to reading many other financial books and not as a be-all end-all of how to invest or manage personal finances.
December 28, 2024
I read this as an assigned book for my investment analysis class this year. It feels a little outdated in 2024. Some of the info feels slightly unnecessary at times, telling you some advice that most people don't actually use in practice or is only applicable to very specific situations, but I also appreciate the granularity as it allows you to have a wider base of knowledge on the subject matter. I definitely appreciate how organized this is as a guide, and how much evidence they provide for everything they say.
November 1, 2019
The Million dollar Portfolio provides excellent advice on how to invest your money and how to diversify your stock portfolio. If you plan to invest or already are investing this is a must read book that can help you understand what your investment strategy ought to be and show you how to pick stocks that will help you grow your money, while also helping you learn when to sell and when to hold on to the stocks.
April 3, 2025
Whist time has dated a lot of references in the book the messages and the fool principles are timeless. I got a lot out of this book in terms of allocation strategy, stock picking mentality & being accountable. I wish that a younger me would have read it but I am very grateful to the Motley Fool they have had a significant positive impact on both my life and my ability to influence my children’s lives through stock picking….
May 4, 2018
This book is pretty involved - I think it tries to appeal to too many audiences, from beginners to advanced investors, and ends up becoming either underwhelming for advanced investors or overwhelming for beginners. This is a good book if you're super hardcore into investing, and can dedicate a lot of time to it. Otherwise, there are definitely better investment books out there.
April 18, 2023
Broad but not too broad intro to the Motley Fool and David Gardner’s investing philosophies. A lot of it was information I have heard them share before through their podcast platform, but overall informative and useful. Not a super long read and included some additional book recommendations, which is always appreciated.
Want to read
March 10, 2019I liked a lot of the things mentioned in the book, but didn't like some of the sales pitch chapters. Their services cost a lot of money and maybe that shouldn't surprise me, but how on Earth do I invest $100 a month while paying $100 a month to motley? I guess I'm not foolish enough.
February 9, 2019
Got to chapter 9 before I had to return it to library. It's advanced knowledge of the stock market but understandable to newbies. I probably will check out the paperback version and re-read and take notes!
December 22, 2019
Great starting advice
Gives various options for where to start and good advice on analysis. Easy to read with little techno-investor-speak. This book helped me start my investment strategies.
Gives various options for where to start and good advice on analysis. Easy to read with little techno-investor-speak. This book helped me start my investment strategies.
July 6, 2020
Good Introduction to Investing
Enjoyed David Gardner's perspective on investing. A good book for those fairly new to the investing game. Motely Fool has a treasure trove of more detailed on-site both on their website and their podcasts.
Enjoyed David Gardner's perspective on investing. A good book for those fairly new to the investing game. Motely Fool has a treasure trove of more detailed on-site both on their website and their podcasts.
June 5, 2021
Great insights into starting your portfolio. They set up a plan for the long run and not a get rich quick chasing growth stocks. The book is straightforward and offers good examples of how to implement different strategies for long term investing.
March 6, 2025
Great concepts of basic investing information. However, the Million Dollar Portfolio website links mentioned throughout the book no longer work. Everything is routed to the Fool main website & nothing is really available without paying for it at bargain minimum price of $200 a year.
April 7, 2018
Good introduction book to stock market investing. Gives a clear distinction between Dividend/Value/Growth stocks with compelling data and reasonable insights.
May 13, 2018
A very good, high level book on the theories on investing in stocks. This is a little dated now, but still has excellent tips and insights.
January 7, 2019
Some good criteria on assets picking.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews