Customer Reviews

The Zurich Axioms

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In the business of investing you only need to read 3 books. The Zurich Axioms by Max Gunther, The Winning Investment of Warren Buffett and George Soros by Mark Tier, and my book, the PYGOD book on speculation/investment. When I will be a filthy rich plutocrat primer in the happy one in a million .0001% class sitting on $30 million-plus in liquid assets.

I've read and seen a lot of books and I can tell you that The Zurich Axioms and The Winning Investment of Warren Buffett and George Soros are the only book on the subject that you should bother to read, re-read and studying. Save your money, the other books are useless!Winning Investment Habits Of Warren Buffett And George Soros

Yeah, I know. The title of my review is pretty extreme. However, this is the best book I have read that specifically targets the rules of risk management. The rules apply to any form of speculative venture.

Unfortunately, this book is difficult to find because it is out of print!

Once someone has been investing for any length of time, they realize that regardless of how much experts tout their skills of predicting the future of an investment, no one really knows what will happen. For example, have you ever had the experience where you've exhaustively researched a stock, built up the courage to commit some money and buy a few shares, only to be blindsided by a surprise earnings shortfall and immediately lose a ton of money? I know I have.

The bottom line is: No one can predict the future and every "investment" (real estate, collectables, stocks, bonds) is a speculation, regardless of how it is prettied up.

The Zurich Axioms teaches that to make money in any speculative venture, you have to manage your risk.

The book covers this subject in depth, detailing 12 Major and 16 Minor Axioms that were compiled from a group of very successful investors of Swiss descent (hence the title). The 12 Major Axioms cover Risk, Greed, Hope, Forecasts, Patterns, Mobility, Intuition, Religion, Optimism and Pessimism, Consensus, Stubbornness and Planning.

This is a fantastic and worthwhile read!

This isn't just a book on investing. Each of these axioms can be applied to any life situation as well. For example: "When the boat starts sinking, jump" can be applied to any situation you find yourself involved in like a friendship or romance, or any business dealing.

This is the only book on speculation / investment you need ever read. Common sense and interesting anecdotes. Shows there is no rocket science behind sucessful investing.

This book really opened my eyes to the importance of taking risks and taking one's losses gracefully and quickly. The book also speaks about the risks of so-called low risk approaches. If one doesn't have much calculated risks are the way to go. The book is positive and upbeat. I read it more than 10 years ago and it is a book I turn to again and again.

A great book about how and why it is necessary to take risks to get ahead. I bought over 30 copies of this books, have given many as gifts to my closest friends. I must have read the book over 25 times since its publication about 12 years ago.

No nonsense clearly articulated principles of investing, devoid of technical jargon, unsupported theories and self-congratulatory braggadocio. The book is written in an engaging, mildly cynical way that resembles a father teaching his son the main principles of the investing process - as the author apparently learned them from his Swiss banker father. The main topic is the mindset and philosophy of successful speculators and investors and the major traps to watch out for when engaged in this activity. Very general advice - there are no spesific recommendations for any stocks, etc. This is an outstanding book for individuals who want to develop a rational basis for their investment activities.

Gives you concise to the point guidelines about getting started in trading in financial markets. Reviews a number of commonly accepted investment ideas and puts them into a new and refreshing (as well as profitable) perpective. Recommanded reading for everybody who is serious about making money in the markets.