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The GREATEST Stock Investing Book of all time
Everyone wants to know who is the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T.), whether it’s Muhammad Ali in boxing or Michael Jordan in basketball. Those questions and debates will go on forever. This occurred to me as I was researching stock market investing books-I needed to share, with my readers, the best stock market investing book that I found.
When it comes to investing books, everyone wants to know what one book they need to read to become wealthy overnight. Unfortunately, there is no one single book that can do that for you. For new investors, I recommend reading at least 10 great investing books to understand the differences between individual investment styles and decide what works best for your investment goals.
Warren Buffett fans may not agree, but in my opinion, Peter Lynch is the greatest individual stock investor of all time-besting the Oracle of Omaha by just a hair. No doubt, Mr. Buffett is the expert when you’re combine investing and business dealings, however, Mr. Lynch succeeded and exceeded expectations, with out having the luxury of access to endless cash. Buffett’s GEICO and other insurance businesses under the Berkshire umbrella continuously supplied him with cash to invest, as he pleased. Lynch relied purely on his stock-picking prowess in order to create incredible returns for his shareholders. He knows what he’s talking about.
How do you know which stock market investing books are credible & going to help you become a better investor in the stock market?
During my years of investing in the stock market, I have read dozens of books on successful investing practices or listened to the audiobook version, in their entirety. With my own personal investing experiences, and the amount of bad information floating around, I find that I have a strong opinion about the best books for stock investing.
Let me share with you my G.O.A.T. stock investing resource book.
Stock Market Investing Books: Meet the Contenders
When searching for the best stock investing book to suggest to my readers, I took many points into consideration. I looked for solid stock market investing information and tips, clearly explained methods and valuable information regarding investing and investment strategy. I also looked for advice that I have used or would use, in my own investment strategy.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a commission. All opinions remain my own.
The Only Three
Questions That Count
Author: Ken Fisher
One Up on
Wall Street
Author: Peter Lynch
Common Stocks
and Uncommon Profits
Author: Philip A. Fisher
Second Runner Up:
The Only Three Questions
That Count
What I liked about this book:
- The author points out 3 specific questions to keep in mind with any investments you have or are considering.
- His insight helps you to identify & drop bad investments, while helping profitable investments stand out to you, before the crowd.
- The author of this book gives you points to consider that will help you evaluate and learn from your past investment decisions, both successful and and unsuccessful, making you a smarter investor.
Author: Ken Fisher
Where this book fell short:
- The author fails to give specific stock market tips and tricks. He teaches the reader how to “think” about investing decisions rather than giving the reader a specific set of attributes to look for in stocks.
First Runner Up:
Common Stocks
and Uncommon Profits
What I liked about this book:
- This is an amazing book and it’s almost a tie with #1 because I found it to be a really well thought out and valuable resource for investors.
- Philip Fisher’s 15 Points to Look for in a Common Stock is solid, timeless advice that is as applicable today as it was when first published, in 1958.
- Warren Buffett, himself, calls this book, “One of the BEST books on investment”-an endorsement that you can not ignore.
- The excellent writing style makes this investment book easy to read and understand, making it a great choice for novice investors, just learning the ropes.
Author: Philip A. Fisher
Where this book fell short:
- In the chapter about “Scuttlebutt”, Fisher implies that investors need a financial adviser’s help with investment decisions. When it was published, the average investor wouldn’t have access to the data needed to perform an accurate “scuttlebutt” analysis of a company. Things have changed. You can, now, do your own research & control your investing without paying an adviser part of your return.
THE GREATEST STOCK INVESTING BOOK OF ALL TIME IS…
One Up on Wall Street
Author: Peter Lynch
…and here’s why I chose One Up on Wall Street:
Sorry, Mr. Market, this investment book even beats out Benjamin Graham’s investment classic, The Intelligent Investor, which was the first book I ever read on stock market investing.
First, some background on the author:
Peter Lynch did an incredible job, managing the Fidelity Magellan Fund from 1977 to 1990. Mr. Lynch managed to beat the S&P 500 each one of those 13 years, in a row, with a 29% average annual return.
Warren Buffett fans may not agree, but in my opinion, Peter Lynch is the greatest individual stock investor of all time-besting the Oracle of Omaha by just a hair. No doubt, Mr. Buffett is the expert when you’re combine investing and business dealings, however, Mr. Lynch succeeded and exceeded expectations, without having the luxury of access to endless cash. Buffett’s GEICO and other insurance businesses under the Berkshire umbrella continuously supplied him with cash to invest, as he pleased. Lynch relied purely on his stock-picking prowess in order to create incredible returns for his shareholders. He knows what he’s talking about.
About the Book
I first read his book in 2005, 16 years after it was first published. It was a hand-me-down copy from my brother’s bookshelf. One Up On Wall Street is as applicable today, 30 years later, as it was when it was published in 1989.
Peter Lynch is a great storyteller, which is a big reason why this book is so great. You forget that you’re reading a how-to book about stock investing because you’re just listening to a great story. Like many of you, I’ve been out of school for many years. I’ll be happy if I never have to read another textbook again. This is definitely not a textbook.
Things that you’ll learn from this book:
- How to research & find the stock with the highest return potantial.
- The 3 things Peter Lynch recommends everyone do before buying any stock
- The 6 category classifications of stocks
- Financial metrics that he considers important when selecting stocks
- When to buy and when to sell a stock
- The number of stocks he suggests an investor, in the market, should own
- Mr. Lynch’s take on stop-loss orders, options, and going short on stocks.
I learned so much from One Up On Wall Street, that I went back, 14 years after reading this book, and purchased the audiobook version for myself. There’s so much valuable and insightful information, packed into this title, that I’m still finding moresels that I missed first time around.
Like any good investment resource book, the first time you read it, you will find it to be jam-packed with so much information that your brain can only take in a few nuggets. As you utelize and master those nuggets, your brain will be hungry to learn more. With an informative book like One Up On Wall Street, you will learn something new & useful with each read.
Part of my investment strategy includes revisiting this resource, every few years, until I master every aspect of it. It’s that informative.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll beat the market 13+ years in a row. You should join me on my journey.
Before I close, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you which stock market investment book that I do not recommend, to new investors, especially. Like I said, I’ve read quite a few titles on the topic of investing, myself, so I can save you the trouble.
One investment book that I suggest skipping is…
The Intelligent Investor
Where this book fell short:
- The writing style is often-times long-winded and boring, almost like a college textbook on an unfamiliar subject.
- Information overload – Simply put, too much information, at once, for an inexperienced investor to absorb. This book may have worked better, for beginners, as three separate titles.
- The concepts discussed can be overwhelming to an inexperienced stock investor, making it easy to become confused and lost.
- Some topics discussed are out of touch & unnecessary for the average beginning investor, such as “Convertible Issues and Warrants”, further adding to the reader’s confusion, creating an insecure investor.
Author: Benjamin Graham
What I liked about this book:
- This book was authored by the “Godfather of Value Investing”, a credible source of investment information.
- The author is one of Warren Buffett’s own mentors, which speaks to his knowledge and experience in stock market investing.
- Mr. Graham originally coined the terms “Mr. Market” and “Margin of Safety”, 2 important value investing concepts.
So what do you guys think?
Let me know below & be sure to share this article your fellow investors!
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Donnie Nguyen
Donnie Nguyen is the founder and CEO of Wolves of Investing. He started investing in the stock market in the early 2000s. He follows the teachings of Peter Lynch, Warren Buffett, and other investing legends. When he's not investing or blogging, he loves spending time with his family traveling and experiencing the world.
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I think these books are excellent. I would like to know how I could buy the 2 last. I´m not a U.S resident. I live in El Salvador, Central America. By the way, where could I find a Spanish version of them?.
Nice article Donnie!.
Thanks, Sarbelio. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find them in Spanish. Are there any good book stores in El Salvador? Perhaps they may carry them.