Customer Reviews

One Up On Wall Street: How To Use What You Already Know To Make Money In The Market

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

You can learn some basics from this book but you'll find yourself laughing about it's outdatedness at times! There is a comment about buying Kodak stock because sales of print film are on their way up with the introduction of small cheap cameras!!! I guess if you bought into that you would now be regretting it...

The book came out in 1989 and the introduction was updated in 2000 (pre tech-stock crash!) but it could do with a BIG update in light of the last Wall Street collapse...

Peter Lynch was a star manager of Fidelity's flagship mutual fund in the late 1970s and 1980s, gaining well deserved recognition for his outstanding performance record, and even more recognition for his excellent writing. One Up On Wall Street offers an excellent, entertaining, educational tour through the very vast world of investing, always with an eye to the novice investor. Originally published in 1989, just before his retirement, one would expect many of the examples to be dated and on occasion no longer in existence, and that is true, but unfortunately some of the insight that Lynch gives and advice that he offers is also dated as the faster paced world of computers and instant information. The issue isn't that one can't substitute a computer for the reference book in Lynch's advice, rather it's that the common sense thinking and basic research is available to everyone, everywhere at all times, so much of the advice itself comes across as quaint or dated. Still, Mr. Lynch presents his advice extremely well, with interesting anecdotes, a wealth of experience, and plain language.

Readers could do much worse than this as a starting point, but will want to continue on with some more up to date advice for their next book.

Peter Lynch, the legendary money manager of Fidelity Magellan Fund, shares his investing principles in this book. This book is for both casual investors and professionals because it contains many timeless investing principles.

The book is divided into three sections: Preparing to Invest, Picking Winners and The Long-Term View. The second section is the most valuable one as Lynch talks about what he looks for in a great investment, as well as what to avoid. Chapter 13, Some Famous Numbers, is especially useful for novice. Lynch explains the key financial numbers/ratios and why they are important. Those are very helpful when conducting analysis of individual companies. Chapter 15, The Final Checklist, summarizes the second section. Every investor should not be buying stocks without going through the checklist.

Beginners would develop many proper habits of sound investing including focusing on companies rather than stocks and separating stock tips from the tipper. It is a great book for beginners and less so for professionals because some of the things in the book are rather basic. However, investors who master these basic principles would be very well rewarded from the stock market.

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This is a terrific book for stock investors of all levels, beginner through advanced. Lynch has tremendous credibility, as an extremely successful long-term mutual fund manager. And he shares a good deal of his investment knowledge with readers in this book. The author shows why stocks have been better than cash or bonds in the long run, and covers the basics of valuation: PE ratios, earnings growth, brand value, financial/cash position, etc. Then he points out that each individual investor brings their own "edge" to the investment table, such as that a truck driver might notice that he's delivering more for a growing business before "The Street" realizes that the business is growing, or a retail sales clerk might have a better handle on what's selling than a Wall Streeter in New York City, etc (this "edge" is the "One Up" part, referenced in the book's title).

I read this book before I got serious about investing myself, it's helped me to be successful (I've "beaten the street" fairly consistently, much of this thanks to Lynch's book) and I've re-read it several times over the years. My biggest problem with this book is the printing; while the quality isn't terrible, it could be a lot better, a lot more readable. This is a book just CRYING to be published again in hardback, with new, larger typesetting. And I don't mean that little miniature abridged hardback version. Considering the popularity of this book, and the great number of well-to-do investors, why not sell us a leather bound, acid free paper, nicely typeset version for $50-$75 retail? Until that ever happens (unlikely, but I can hope) this excellent investment book will have to do in the current paperback form. Remember, if you are considering investing in stocks - start here, read this book! And even if you think you know it all, you still should read Lynch's book, it's that good.

I first read this book as an "assignment" when I started working as a financial analyst in 2000. The book is well written, and offers a lot of insights and tips that are applicable to analyzing companies and stocks. Most of the stuff here are very applicable to my work, and even offers examples that can be emulated by any investor/analyst. To date, I still practice most of the philosophies and tips suggested here when it comes to analyzing companies. Amazingly, the book is not written in financial jargon but rather in a simple way that even novices would easily understand. i rate this book a "buy!"

If your read one book on investing, make it this book. If you visit one site on investing, make it Fool.com

The kind of patience required in seeking the kind of gains you can only reap by holding through volatility and buying & selling on fundamentals & valuation is the key piece of knowledge that you will gain from this book. We're too bombarded on a daily basis about the daily swings of the market - the result? More and more people with less patience failing to make the kind of gains that can only come with good stock picking and more importantly, the patience demonstrated by investors like Lynch, Buffet, Graham and Shelby Davis.

If you are going to pick your own stocks (I buy individual stocks only with money I can afford to lose, the rest is in real estate, mutual funds, and bonds), this book, by one of the best stock pickers of all time, should be considered mandatory reading for you.

Peter Lynch does not give you a mechanical, step-by-step process to pick the winners, but his stories give you an insight into how he thinks, and learning to think like Peter Lynch is bound to help you become a better stock picker.

Mr. Lynch does not promise that you will get rich by picking a quick series of ten-baggers. He makes it clear, I think, that investing in individual stocks is not meant for those people who don't have a strong stomach and are not good at doing research.

Mr. Lynch recognizes that for many people their best investment, in the end, turns out to be their home. His view of the investment world is broader than that of many other stock market experts.

P.S. An additional caution of the risks involved in picking individual stocks to invest in: A long time after Peter Lynch wrote this book, I read that he lost a significant amount of money by investing in an upscale carpet business that did not pan out as anticipated. Even the greatest track record does not guarantee future results. So beware! No matter how good you are, and how strong your stomach is, you will have to absorb some big losses sooner or later. Peter Lynch did.

A Good book of investment for beginner as well as veteran.
I like the most about how he classified companies into six categories and talk about what you should reasonably do to make a profit out of them.

Also, the witty writing will give you a laught even if you are not interested in investment.

I think this book is a very good book for people that want to buy good growing companies that they might do business with, in fact in this book Mr. Lynch recommends buying stock in companies that you do business with. For instance if you drink a lot of Mountain Dew you might want to consider investing in Pepsi-Cola.

Peter Lynch was the manager of the world's largest mutual fund (Fidelity Magellan) also during his tenure that mutual fund was the best performing mutual fund in the world.

Mr. Lynch doesn't give you an exact formula but with careful reading I believe you can determine some of the criteria he used. He also goes into discussion of what criteria he uses to sell a stock. (hint it isn't the same for all stocks)

Here are a few things that Mr. Lynch thinks would make the perfect stock:

1. If it sounds dull or, even better, ridiculous
2. If it does something dull
3. It does something disagreeable
4. It's a spin off
5. The institutions don't own it and analysts don't follow it.
6. The rumors abound: It's involved with toxic waste or the mafia
7. There's something depressing about it
8. It's a no-growth industry
9. It's got a niche
10. People have to keep buying it
11. It's a user of technology
12. The insiders and buyers
13. The company is buying back shares

Overall I think this is a good way to learn about investing in growth stocks that aren't exactly CAN SLIM, and what to hold stocks for a year or longer. I'm not alone this book is ranked 4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars at amazon.com

Reed Floren

I borrowed my copy of "One Up On Wall Street" from a friend who is a longtime professional equities investor. He received this gift as recommended reading from a veteran investment analyst he knows. While Peter Lynch has written an easily comprehendible advice book on common stock investing - very much written in layman's terms and without emphasis on industry jargon - the principles he puts forth are fundamental and worth reviewing by anyone, amateur or pro.

Within the 300 pages of this book, Lynch outlines a useful rubric against which all stock selections might be measured. His stocks fall into six categories: Slow Growers, Stalwarts, Cyclicals, Fast Growers, Turnarounds and Asset Plays. Screening, buying and selling advice are outlined for each of these six flavors, although nothing revolutionary (eg., Sell a slow grower when the dividend is unattractive.) He delivers a wealth of the basic analytical tools (well, more like rules of thumb) for stock research, explaining price earnings ratios, the import of tax loss carry-forwards, goodwill accounting, inventories, and other basics of P&L statements and Balance Sheets. It's a pocket guide financial course for those who may have slept through Accounting 101.

Lynch urges stock pickers to do their homework, and suggests the regimen of a "Two Minute" drill, whereby an investor can recite a brief monologue of reasons for selecting a security: Reasons for selection, what the company needs to do to succeed, and pitfalls that stand in the way. Obviously, this is not a book for the technicians or chartists. Nor even speculators, as Lynch reminds the reader that his "ten-baggers" or "forty-baggers" all come as a result of having held at least three to four years.

Quite a bit of the book carries a populist bent. There is plenty of advice to pay more heed to what's happening in the local shopping mall than to investment brokers ("oxymorons"), and to avoid stocks with exotic names or that may have been whispered to be hot. Of course, we've all been aware of this, and we're all wealthy and drinking daiquiris on the beach now, right?

In sum, it is worth the investment of the few hours it takes to swallow this information. At worst, it is an entertaining look at some high-fliers the former Magellan manager scored with, but at the very least it serves as reminder that basics need to be followed, and nothing works as well as solid research, good discipline and old fashioned hard work.