Top Investing Books

Whether you're new to the world of investing, or have years of experience and success, there's always room for you to grow as an investor. One of the best ways to expand your knowledge is by reading great books. If you feel like adding one or a number of these investing classics to your personal library, you can order them from Amazon.com by clicking on the headline or download as it will be available soon for our community registered users.

1) The Intelligent Investor

This is perhaps the most important and influential book ever written about value investing. Originally published in 1934 by Ben Graham, this work has been heralded by such notable investors as Warren Buffett as "the best investing book ever written". In it, Graham presents two types of investing styles - one for every day people who don't want to think about their portfolios ("defensive") and the business man or woman who wants to enjoy maximum returns ("enterprising").


2) One Up on Wall Street

As many of you have heard me say, One up on Wall Street is, in my opinion, the first or second book any new investor should read. In it, famed mutual fund manager Peter Lynch teaches you how to use what you already know to make money in the market.


3) The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America

Anyone who is worth their salt as an investor has read the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters, written by Buffett. In this book, Professor Lawrence Cunningham selects and arranges these corporate "essays" by topic and relevance. It is a great tool to have handy and can teach you a lot about management, business valuation, investing philosophy, the use of stock options, economic and accounting goodwill and more.


4) Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits & Other Writings

Philip Fisher is one of the most prominent and important financial thinkers in history. In this book, he examines the fifteen qualities of an excellent business. When this approach is coupled with Graham's "value" method, it can be a very powerful thing.


5) Security Analysis

Security Analyis was originally written by Professor Benjamin Graham in 1934. Five editions and a million copies later, the seven hundred page investing treatise will teach you how to analyze and value almost any investment. If you take more than a casual interest in building your networth, this book will change your life.


6) How to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth

In this 250+ page book, the author takes you through the strategies of many of America's billionaires, going back more than 100 years to such names as Getty and Rockefeller, and ending with such modern-day titans such as Bill Gates. It examines each of their strengths in an easy-to-digest format. This book is a fun and informative read.


7) The Interpretation of Financial Statements

Do you want to learn to read and understand financial statements? This classic investment book makes it simple.


8) 9 Steps to Financial Freedom

Renowned expert Suze Orman discusses nine steps each person can take to put themself on the road to financial independence. Not just limited to investment, this book covers everything from retirement to life insurance. It is an excellent companion if you are looking for a well-rounded approach to bring fiscal responsibility and discipline to your life.


9) Use the News: How to Separate the Noise from the Investment Nuggets and Make Money in Any Economy

This guide to the stock market from CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo, discusses how an investor can separate the "news" from the "noise", allowing them to focus on what is truly important to their investments. You can find more information on the book in my interview with Maria Bartiromo.


10) Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks and Fraud

The second edition of Howard Schilit's book teaches investors to detect financial fraud and aggressive accounting in annual reports, financial statements, and SEC filings. There are dozens of real-life examples ranging from film to tech companies. If you take more than a casual interest in your investments, you should consider owning this book.


11) Beating the Street

My colleague Brian Graney recently told me the precise moment at which he became truly interested in stocks and investing -- a conference in 1996, at which he had the opportunity to hear famed money manager Peter Lynch speak. Brian came away with a permanent imprint of Lynch's energy, thirst for knowledge, and commitment to hard work; and readers of Beating the Street will likely have a similar experience. In his 1994 follow-up to the similarly well-regarded One Up on Wall Street, the white-haired Fidelity icon manages to motivate without cheerleading, teach without condescending, and elucidate without confounding. The message is both general and practical: Diligence, the willingness to do homework, and intellectual curiosity -- plus a healthy dose of common sense -- are more than enough to get almost anyone started down the road to successful investing. Foolish, indeed.

12) The Gorilla Game

If you're looking for the next Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) or Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), The Gorilla Game could help you. The book, written by a former English professor, an investment banker, and a venture capitalist, explains a framework for investing in young technology companies. Like any good story, the book starts with an explanation of why the Intels (Nasdaq: INTC) of the world are much more valuable than the Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD). Then, using past examples, it shows how you can find strong technology companies before they become official Gorillas. With criteria for Gorilla candidates, 10 rules of how to play the "Gorilla Game," and advice on where to find the information needed to play, The Gorilla Game could be a useful read for technology investors.

13) Stocks for the Long Run

This book is invaluable because of a vital point that it makes convincingly: If you're going to invest your money for an extended period of time, your best bet is to invest in stocks. Siegel offers financial market data going all the way back to 1802. He demonstrates how stocks have outperformed bonds significantly over many different time periods. (For example, between 1871 and 1996, stocks outperformed bonds in 94.4% of all 20-year intervals. From 1946 to 1997, stocks returned an annual average return of 12.2%, vs. 5.4% for bonds.) He argues persuasively that long-term stock investing can be safer than saving money at your bank. He also offers insights on the effects of baby boomer investing, addresses market timing and holding periods, and evaluates several investing strategies. This short summary doesn't do the book justice. Check it out for yourself!