The Gold Investor’s Bible


wealthymatters.comThis is the free e-book advertised in ‘The End of America’. Despite the negative reports I decided to look for a copy and read it just to see for myself if it was really as bad as it was portrayed.

I personally find this is a very good book and it has all the basics in one place.You can get a copy here: http://www.capitalsynthesis.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/The-Gold-Investor-s-Bible.pdf .If you are interested in investing in gold,I heartily recommend this book to you.Reading a book doesn’t mean uncritically accepting everything and tossing money into untested ideas.This book will offer you ideas,consider them,test them and if things work for you go for them.

Here is more about what I gained by reading this book with essays contributed by Chris Weber,Jeff Clerk,Steve Sjuggerud etc. : Read more of this post

Marc Faber On Indian Equities


wealthymattersMarc Faber, the author of The Gloom, Boom & Doom report, spoke recently to Bloomberg UTV on the Indian equities and the global headwinds. Here are the key pointers from the interview:

On Indian economy:
– 2008-like fall will send dollar higher, rupee lower
– Domestic consumption remains India’s biggest story
– Growth in rural areas, population key driver

On Indian equities: 
– Difficult for Sensex to cross 21,000 in next 6 months
– Expect Sensex to fall 12000-15000 in near-term
– Don’t expect India to fall below 2008 levels – Markets got oversold in last 2 months
– Would accumulate Indian stocks on weakness
– May also look at investing in Indian banks
– Impossible for India to hit new high in next 6 months
– Banks continue to operate like hedge funds Read more of this post

James Montier’s The Seven Immutable Laws of Investing


 

wealthymatters.comJames Montier expounds The Seven Immutable Laws of Investing to help investors  avoid some of the worst mistakes, which, when made, tend to lead them down the path of the permanent impairment of capital.They are as follows:

1. Always Insist on a Margin of Safety

Valuation is the closest thing to the law of gravity in finance .It is the primary determinant of long-term returns. The objective of investment (in general) is not to buy at fair value, but to purchase with a margin of safety.This reflects that any estimate of fair value is just that: an estimate, not a precise figure, so the margin of safety provides a much-needed cushion against errors and misfortunes. When investors violate this law by investing with no margin of safety, they risk the prospect of the permanent impairment of capital. Read more of this post

Food for Thought


Here is a poem I came across in Napoleon Hill’s ‘Think and Grow Rich’.I think it is very good.I wish that I had somehow come across this poem years ago;sometime in middle school when we had to  memorize so many poems.It would have saved me so many years and so much vain effort chasing perfection.I would have then concentrated on winning instead of trying to be most worthy of winning.BTW a bit of googling brought up the poet’s name Walter D. Wintle. Read more of this post

Eight Principles of Strategic Wealth Management


wealthymatters.com

Stuart E. Lucas is a fourth-generation heir to the Carnation fortune.Carnation was a family-owned business which made products like evaporated milk and non-dairy creamers before Nestle bought it in 1985.I was attracted to his book ‘ Wealth: Grow It, Protect It, Spend It and Share It’ ,because it was written by an unusual sort of financial adviser: a wealthy man with experience of managing his family’s wealth.

Personally,I’m not just interested in wealth building,but also in the ways of passing it down the generations.I was looking for some ideas on how to manage a family fortune that would hopefully grow over generations . I was looking for ideas on how to deal with family politics and the complexities arising from different temperaments and inclinations. I was looking for advice on  choosing investment managers, thinking about tax strategy,goal setting in the family etc.

Here’s a summary of what I culled from the book:- Read more of this post