Black Friday Holiday Gifts for Investors

Nov 26, 2009

It's Black Friday, and everyone knows what that means... time to start holiday shopping for those on your list - including yourself! Sure, kids are easy to buy for, but what is a good gift for the adults in your life, specifically the ones who like to sort through the finance pages of the newspaper and spend hours looking over charts for the next investment idea.

If you have an investor on your list, or are just looking for something to gift yourself, here are some ideas that might be of interest.

Books

Reading is probably the #1 prerequisite to success in stock investing - or any kind of investing, for that matter. Good investing books lay out a successful strategy, provide logical arguments, give practical examples, and most importantly, are entertaining to read (the number of boring, dry investing books out there could fill many libraries). Here are 5 choices that are all practical, useful, and entertaining:

	The Little Book That Beats the Market Joel Greenblatt's breakthrough strategy is outlined in under 200 pages and about a 2-hour read, and yet delivered unbelievable 30% annual returns over a 17-year period.
	The Five Rules for Successful Stock Investing Pat Dorsey is the Director of Equity Research at Morningstar, and this book should be called "Analyzing Stocks 101". The book not only goes into detail about analyzing financial statements, but also how to evaluate management, find stocks with durable competitive advantages, and what to look for across different industries. Highly recommended. Read MagicDiligence's full review.
	The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America Warren Buffett is the world's most successful investor and one of the most successful businessmen. This book collects and organizes excerpts from his annual letters to shareholders in a logical way, providing Warren's insight on what makes a good business, management, acquisitions, accounting, and more. Read MagicDiligence's full review.
	The Little Book That Builds Wealth This one, also by Pat Dorsey, is a short read that focuses on a few built-in ways a company can establish durable competitive advantages to maintain high margins and growth for long periods of time. Competitive advantage is an important part of finding good investments, and this book boils it down into a simple, memorable few points to look for. Read MagicDiligence's full review.
	Competition Demystified: A Radically Simplified Approach to Business Strategy MagicDiligence believes that growth, financial health, and competitive advantages are 3 important points to finding good investments. The first 2 are fairly easy to determine, but the third is harder. This book is the best I've read at outlining how to compare competing companies to determine how helpful (or destructive) their competitive position is. At its core, it is a business book, but understanding business is core to being a successful investor. Read MagicDiligence's full review.

Magazines and Periodicals

Books are great for understanding investing strategies and business principles, but outlooks change daily. These daily, weekly, and periodical publications keep investors up to date with the latest developments in the business and investment world. A 6 or 12 month subscription makes a great gift.

	The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal is the most widely circulated newspaper in the world and the gold standard of business journalism. If it happens in the business world, it breaks first through the Journal. An indispensable tool for investors.
	BusinessWeek BusinessWeek is a weekly publication, and the best for in-depth analysis of the latest business and finance trends and developments. BusinessWeek is great for stock investors, as it is usually very focused and rarely delves into other topics like what watch to buy.

Cramer

It is rare to meet an investor who doesn't have an opinion of Jim Cramer. Some loathe him, most love him. Put MagicDiligence in the latter camp - although his "advice" can be flip, Mad Money is both entertaining and a great way to find out about new stocks. Cramer also does a good job of identifying broader trends. A Mad Money souvenir makes a unique holiday gift.

	Jim Cramer's Getting Back to Even Cramer's latest book is positioned to provide investing advice for the post-2008/09 crash market. He lays out a number of "rules" to follow, and also does a nice job of talking sense back into folks scared off during the downturn. Jim's books are always entertaining, even if a lot of the strategies he talks about have been covered in more detail elsewhere.
	Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer Bobblehead Just like on the Mad Money set, this Cramer bobblehead makes a nice desk ornament for the investor on your list.
	Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer Mug Another prop from the show, and who doesn't need a coffee mug?

Joel Greenblatt and MagicFormulaInvesting.com are not associated in any way with this website. Neither Mr. Greenblatt or MagicFormulaInvesting.com endorse this website's investment opinions, strategy, or products. Investment recommendations on this website are not chosen by Mr. Greenblatt, nor are they based on Mr. Greenblatt's proprietary investment model, and are not chosen by MagicFormulaInvesting.com. Magic Formula® is a registered trademark of MagicFormulaInvesting.com, which has no connection to this website. The information on this website is for informational purposes only and solely represents the views and opinions of the author. No warranty is provided or implied as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of this information. This information may not be construed as investment advice of any kind. The proprietor of this website is not responsible in any way for losses or damages resulting from the use of this information. Alexander Online Properties is not a registered investment advisor. All logos are trademarked properties of their respective companies.

© 2008-2013 Alexander Online Properties.

Black Friday Holiday Gifts for Investors

Comments

Log In to Comment