"Serious Money" book - Free download

[Rick Ferri]

Serious Money was my first investment book, written incognito during the late 1990s when I was still a stockbroker at Smith Barney. It was the beginning of my quest to change the investment advice industry by exposing bad business practices and advocating lower adviser fees.

HERE IS A LINK TO "SERIOUS MONEY" IN PDF FORMAT

Enjoy!
Rick Ferri

[michaeljmroger]

Thank you!

[oldzey]

Thanks, Rick!

[sschullo]

Thanks Rick!

[LadyGeek]

Thanks! Your wiki page has been modified to reflect the update: Rick Ferri (Books)

[bertilak]

Serious Money was my first investment book, written incognito during the late 1990s when I was still a stockbroker at Smith Barney. It was the beginning of my quest to change the investment advice industry by exposing bad business practices and advocating lower adviser fees.

HERE IS A LINK TO "SERIOUS MONEY" IN PDF FORMAT

Enjoy!
Rick Ferri

So far, I have read only the introduction. That is excellent and makes me want to read the rest! Good work Mr. Ferri!

[RetiredAL]

"Those who do not save for retirement may find their Golden Years are spent flipping burgers at the Golden Arches."

This last Friday night while returning from Stockton to San Jose, I stopped at he McD's just down the street from Lawrence Livermore Labs, and the person taking my order fit this comment of RIck's to the "T". Mid 60's, clean and neat, articulate, excusing his lack of knowledge of McD's because this was just his second day. My thought at the time, OK I thought, someone recently retired needing extra cash flow. I felt for him.

Being smart enough and fortunate enough, I navigated into retirement 3 years ago with a pension frozen in 2002 and the company thereafter funding their retirement contribution $ into my 401K, along with my own contributions. Between my Pension Lump Sum Rollover and the 401K dollars, along with our SS, my withdrawal rate is just 2% to maintain the same net income that I had while working. So McD's is not likely for me, but I feel for those caught in that need.

I'm looking forward to reading all of the book to compare how I've done. Thanks Rick.

[Taylor Larimore]

Serious Money was my first investment book, written incognito during the late 1990s when I was still a stockbroker at Smith Barney. It was the beginning of my quest to change the investment advice industry by exposing bad business practices and advocating lower adviser fees.

HERE IS A LINK TO "SERIOUS MONEY" IN PDF FORMAT

Enjoy!
Rick Ferri

Rick:

I read your book when it was first published and you were working as an unhappy Wall Street broker.

Your book is full of sound advice. This may be my favorite:

"Investing for retirement can be simple, profitable, and tax efficient. By ignoring Wall Street hype and investing in a sound portfolio using market-matching strategies, you have a greater likelihood of achieving long-term success. It is the markets that make us wealthy, not complex strategies designed to beat them." Rick Ferri, CFA

Thank you (and Mr. Bogle) for helping me enjoy a long retirement and without financial concerns.

Best wishes
Taylor

[Harry Livermore]

Thank you Rick. I'm passing this on to my college age son as well. Your writing strongly affirms all things Boglehead, and aligns precisely with my own belief systems and approach to investing. It echoes my favorite authors (Graham, Lynch, and Mr. Bogle himself) on the topic of self-reliance and self-education. I wish I had read it at the dawn of my personal investing journey in the early 1990's.
Cheers

[nisiprius]

Thanks, Rick. If it was "written incognito," did you use a pseudonym, and, if so, what? I'm curious.

[Mr.BB]

Thank you Rick!

[SweetAeromotion]

Serious Money was my first investment book, written incognito during the late 1990s when I was still a stockbroker at Smith Barney. It was the beginning of my quest to change the investment advice industry by exposing bad business practices and advocating lower adviser fees.

HERE IS A LINK TO "SERIOUS MONEY" IN PDF FORMAT

Enjoy!
Rick Ferri

Thank you for sharing this! Look forward to the read.

[Fallible]

Thanks, Rick. Look forward to reading it.

In just a quick skim, I noticed a quote you used referring partly to advice to investors on how to beat the market. The quote reminds me of persistent claims by some active managers that active can still beat passive, even when it's generally not true, and deep down they know it's not quite true, but they still hang on to whatever may be true in case it is (or something like that):

For a long time I have not said what I believe, nor do I believe what I saw, and if indeed I do happen to tell the truth, I hide it among so many lies that it is hard to find.

~Machiavelli in a letter to Francesco Guicciardini, 1521

[Rick Ferri]

I don't know what quote you’re referring to.

There are active managers who have skill and will beat the market; I just don't know how to identify them in advance.

[Spinola]

Thank you!

[Fallible]

I don't know what quote you’re referring to.

There are active managers who have skill and will beat the market; I just don't know how to identify them in advance.

Sorry, Rick. In my post above I should have been more clear that I was referring to attempts by active managers (or their defenders) to prove that the market can be beaten and active beats passive despite costs. The Machiavelli quote you used before the section referring to beating the market (“A Recipe for Mediocrity”) reminded me of these attempts that make me wonder how the active folks can go on denying the truth about beating the market and passive investing.

[DecumulatorDoc]

"Those who do not save for retirement may find their Golden Years are spent flipping burgers at the Golden Arches."

This last Friday night while returning from Stockton to San Jose, I stopped at he McD's just down the street from Lawrence Livermore Labs, and the person taking my order fit this comment of RIck's to the "T". Mid 60's, clean and neat, articulate, excusing his lack of knowledge of McD's because this was just his second day. My thought at the time, OK I thought, someone recently retired needing extra cash flow. I felt for him.

Being smart enough and fortunate enough, I navigated into retirement 3 years ago with a pension frozen in 2002 and the company thereafter funding their retirement contribution $ into my 401K, along with my own contributions. Between my Pension Lump Sum Rollover and the 401K dollars, along with our SS, my withdrawal rate is just 2% to maintain the same net income that I had while working. So McD's is not likely for me, but I feel for those caught in that need.

I'm looking forward to reading all of the book to compare how I've done. Thanks Rick.

We should be careful with our assumptions. Many in retirement chose part time work not necessarily for the income, but possibly for the camaraderie they miss from their careers. And they love the lack of stress often encountered in their career.

Regardless of the reason, I can tell you this man deserves our respect, not our pity.

[RetiredAL]

We should be careful with our assumptions. Many in retirement chose part time work not necessarily for the income, but possibly for the camaraderie they miss from their careers. And they love the lack of stress often encountered in their career.

Regardless of the reason, I can tell you this man deserves our respect, not our pity.

Your point has been heard. Thanks for turning the coin over for me to see.