Investing In One Lesson by Mark Skousen reveals the main principle of the investing business and can be called a guideline for those who want to succeed in this business.
The main values of this book include Skousen’s great experience in this area and the simplicity of his explanations and examples. To my mind the book under consideration can be very helpful for starters and professionals as well.
Even Skousen points out the exclusive importance of education and stresses that it is very important to “take time to educate yourself, to research ways to become more proficient in your own job or business” (Skousen 15). Investing In One Lesson lists the main questions that occur to the majority of investors and gives simple and competent answers.
Admittedly, investing business is one of the most complicated and unpredictable; that is why it is very important to know the main laws of this world. The book under consideration contains all the necessary information to understand what this business is and the ways how to escape losses and obtain profits.
To my mind this book is very helpful and readable due to its proximity to life, since Skousen don’t give the theory, he provides very illustrative examples considering famous companies, such as Yahoo, or Miramar Mining, etc. The book depicts different situations companies face, the ways how companies act, and the results of their actions.
I’d like to point out that Skousen repeats one statement from the very beginning through the whole book: “The business of investing is not the same as investing in a business” (Skousen 3). After reading this book I understood that this statement is really true and this knowledge helped me understand better investing business. Now I understand that main rules that are good for leading business cannot be applied to investing business.
Another point that pleasantly surprised me in this book that Skousen admits that losses in this business are quite often and he doesn’t say he never lost money while operating in this business. To my mind, it is very important to remember about the possible losses, and I think that the value of investing business consultants’ portfolio cannot be their doubtful “invincibility”, but ratio of the amount of gained money to the amount of lost money.
Thus, Investing In One Lesson describes the possible ways how to cope with inevitable difficulties in investing business. After reading this book I learned that one of the main points in making success in investing business is the necessity to limit one’s “investment choices to those that suit” one’s “natural disposition” (Skousen 143).
Skousen proves that it is necessary to focus on limited number of affairs you know and can deal with. To my mind this is the clue to making success, since one only wastes his/her time and money on knowing better new markets or new business, instead of making progress in the familiar sphere.
I would also like to point out that Skousen is a supporter of economic theory of Austrian school, suggesting that government intervention in business should be minimized, and economic principles should be restricted by human motivations. These views can be also traced in the book under consideration.
I’d like to point out that Investing In One Lesson broaden my knowledge in investing business and made me understand that it is possible to gain success in this sphere, giving some useful hints.
Works Cited
Skousen, M. Investing In One Lesson. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2007.