Abbreviated Table of Contents & Thought Provoking Excerpts
Introduction: The Premise - Slaughter on 10th Avenue.com
"In thirty years of investing, I've been unable to find a correlation between a calendar year and any meaningful investment, economic, business, market or interest rate cycle"
Chapter 1: Wall Street 101 - Consumers Buy Products; Investors Buy Securities
The Invasion of the Business Snatchers
"Ultimately, the income generated by your assets is more important than their current market value. Realized income pays the bills!"
Chapter 2: The Big Three - Quality, Diversification, and Income - The Circle of Gold
"No matter how you slice it, there's no such thing as a bad profit."
Chapter 3: Waltzing Around Wall Street - Applying the "KISS" Principle - Relax, a Volatile Market is Your Dearest Friend
"Averages and Indices are investment tools designed to provide investors with a sense of direction, but not of a particular portfolio! There is no clear relationship between any of these tools and the actual performance of any properly diversified portfolio."
Chapter 4: Buy Low - Bulls, Bears, Pigs, Sheep, & Sharks - Now Warming Up in the Bull Pen
"To benefit from a rally, you must take action during the correction. Trading eliminates dangerous positions in overpriced securities and replaces them with safer ones in 'undervalued' issues. You just can't do this with the 'Chain Letter mentality' of Mutual Funds."
Chapter 5: What Your Mother Never Told You About Income Investing - Are all Fixed Income Securities Created Equal? - The Total Return Shell Game
"The critical relationship between the two classes of securities in your portfolio is this: the Market Values of your Equity holdings and that of your Income investments are totally and completely unrelated."
Chapter 6: Sell Higher - The Wizards of Wall Street - Fire When You See the Whites of Their eyes!
"We won't hesitate to caution you now that paper profits increase nothing but hat size. Control your greed with some profit taking."
Chapter 7: Performance Evaluation - Exorcizing the Wall Street Performance Demons - A New Wall Street Line Dance
"Contrary to popular belief and Media propaganda, investing is not a competitive event. Rather, it is a uniquely personal and goal directed activity that individuals must organize and control for themselves."
Chapter 8: The Investment Dashboard - The Real Scoop on Annuities - Who's In Your Wallet?! - Indexed Investment Illusions
"Stop analyzing, charting, predicting, reading, reviewing, classifying, and crying. It's time for action"
Ten Selected Professional Book Reviews & Reader Comments
The Best Investment Book I’ve Ever Read! - Jim Dexter, Host, "The Jim Dexter Show" (09/15/03)
It was a pleasure to read your book. This is a work that deserves a wide audience. The writing style is clear, and plainspoken. The book is refreshing in its astute and acid commentary on Wall Street. Investors would be wise to be aware of the tremendous "brainwashing" to which Wall Street subjects the public. - Reviewed by: Allen I. Kraut, Ph.D., Professor of Management, Zicklin School of Business
I have not been this excited about a book since "The Wall Street Jungle" by Richard Ney. (Don G., 03/06/03) - Reviewed by: James A Cox, Editor-in-Chief, The Midwest Book Review, (December, '02)
A realistic guide to what Wall Street tends to gloss over or conceal from the mainstream public when it comes to investments in stocks and bonds. The "real scoop" on annuities and unique insights and wisdom for investors of varying experience levels. Written for those whose portfolios have been so badly abused in the recent rash of corporate corruption scandals. - Reviewed by: Stu Taylor, Host of "Equity Strategies" on "Business Talk Radio" and "Radio America" (09/18/02)
Now and then a book comes along that has a permanent place by the bedside. "The Brainwashing of the American Investor" is one of those books. Selengut's masterpiece has unlimited value, and will help maximize your opportunity to secure the financial future for you and your loved ones without repeating the mistakes of the past. - Reviewed by: Dr. Karen J. Frey, CPA, Chair, Department of Management, Gettysburg College, (10/30/02)
Just finished reading your book and I loved it, especially the comments about accountants of which I happen to be one. I am interested in obtaining the "Starter Kit" you mentioned at the end of your book. Rob C, CA (4/29/04)
I found you investment philosophy and process to be sound, logical and refreshingly different from what appears to be "canned" advice from other investment advisers, either "independent" or aligned with major financial institutions.
You make more sense than anyone I think I've ever heard, and I work in the investments division of my company. M. E., Scottsdale, AZ, (10/04/03)
The Brainwashing of the American Investor" is direct, hard-hitting and brutally honest...The title implies a strong message, and the book does not let the reader down. Once Steve Selengut debunks the notion that Wall Street is on your side, he tells you how to take control of your own investments. His strategy is easy to understand and takes the guesswork and emotion out of investing.
Steve Selengut has been my portfolio manager for 12 years. Over that time, he has practiced what he preaches in his book, all to my personal gain. Bravo, for telling it like it is. More important: IT WORKS!
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Reviews and Take Aways <--
Based on 29 reviews.
The KGIS investment training package includes: optional Q & A on the golf course, one (optional) personal investment meeting that can cover anything you want to talk about, and two private, on-line, workshops at your convenience. If your spouses are traveling with you, they are welcome to participate in the investment meeting and workshops. The book is your syllabus.
