The Financial Times Guide to Investing: The definitive companion to investment and the financial markets (The FT Guides) Paperback – 19 Nov. 2009

Prior to picking up this book I should point out that I have (had!) no background in economics at all. I was merely someone who was looking to invest, as savings accounts in the UK were a waste of time and I wanted to investigate more practical uses for my money.The first point I'd like to make about this book is that it is surprisingly readable. I don't just mean the author's very straightforward and non overly-technical prose, but also the dimensions and layout of the print which makes it a very comfortable read. The sections are all well laid out and if perhaps you want to look up advice on company accounts, the meanings of particular financial jargon, etc. then it's all very straightforward to find.The second point is that the book does a superb job at introducing absolute beginners to the concepts of investments and markets. This is NOT a book of tips or short-cuts to investment success (you know those websites that pop-up in your face with pay-to-subscribe tips for investments). In fact, the only times specific companies are mentioned is in the past tense when illustrating a historical point about their finances or reports.This book is for those who don't want to pick out companies at random, or take 'punts' or 'tips', but who wish to look into reports for themselves and try to understand (as far as reason and resources allow) how a company is performing before going in for investment. A truly excellent book that I originally feared would bore me to tears!

In an economy which at the moment seems to be so focused on borrowing, this comes as an extremely welcome read. Why this material is not compulsory in all schools is saddening. The guide is extremely well presented and very logically structured, starting with the basics of how and why companies are structured before moving on to the specifics of investment. Investment/ economics/ capitalism are major subject areas in themselves and this book expertly manages most of the time to get the balance spot on. It is a perfect length and goes into plenty of detail but no too much detail thus avoiding become a technical bore that is not more accessible to a wider audience. The guide also serves as an excellent reference resource, although I read it first time front-to-back. Four stars for a few picky reasons. It's slightly out of date, chapters could do with better summaries at the end (i.e. what are the key/ points/ learnings) and at times it can get fairly technical quite quickly and in doing so it loses sight of practical applications. Nevertheless, very much recommended.

There is not much that you need to know about investing that is not in this book. I have owned it for a while now and whilst I have not read it cover-to-cover like a "normal book" I refer to it on a regular basis.I am a financial adviser and have taken numerous investment-based exams and this has always been good at clarifying subject matter that other text books have failed to cover properly (or in depth). The CII and CISI list this book as "recommended reading" and for good reason.If you are not working in financial services but want an understanding of the investing then this book is great. The content is not as impenetrable as many other books on the subject. However, the book is 584 pages long (487 pages of content, a near-80 page glossary then index) and some people may find it daunting to just pick up let alone try to read. Don't be put off, it is well laid out and you will find it easy enough to search for, and find, what it is that you want.The first chapter starts with "What is Investment?" and then progresses to other chapters such as "Stock Markets", "Buying and Selling Shares", "Pooled Investments" and even has a chapter on "Spread Betting". Anyone non-financial looking to buy their own shares will really benefit from "Company Accounts" and "Tricks of The Accounting Trade".I cant genuinely think of a fault to the book. Anyone wishing for something super-technical would do better to get an investment management text book - there is very little, except for a glossary entry, about CAPM or MPT etc.Highly recommended

This book gets a 5 star award as despite some shortcomings there are more positives than negatives. This book should form a type of encyclopedia for any investor, trader or speculator and is ESSENTIAL reading for anyone considering entering the market or just starting out.Stocks, shares, OEIC's, Corporate/Government bonds, financial review of firms etc etc etc are all within this book and will allow the user to recognise what each item is and how you review, purchase, hold and sell items as well as what you should expect.Negatives: This is a less prescriptive book and in this case not less is more but less is less. There book is an encyclopedia and will always act as a point of reference but from that point of reference will come further reading not a close to your issue.If your interested in shares this book will tell you all you need to know about dealing and then you can read further, the same with other types of investments. It will NOT however tell you how to suceed or what you should be doing.

I own this and the Naked Trader and both are excellent. This book certainly has no humour (unlike the Naked Trader) and is twice the price. However it goes into much more detail and in some cases too much detail (e.g. the sections on options\futures).As an absolute beginner, I'd recommend the naked trader books, simply because they are very good introduction. This is the next step up and great when you need to get that bit deeper.