Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Collection of Well-Written, Poor Advice
Review: One thing that the Gardner brothers do especially well is writing for the general public. I read my first Motley Fool book when I was ten and very little of it went over my head. Granted, I was a precocious little bugger, but David and Tom still do an excellent job of taking the abstractions of the investing world and bringing them down to earth. It doesn't take much skill to write an esoteric investment book full of jargon to make it seem intellectual. However, explaining the same issues in laymen's terms takes finesse, and I respect that.Enough about the writing though. What matters most in an investment book is what it has to say, and unfortunately, that is where Rule Breakers, Rule Makers is most lacking. Reading this book in the midst of a recession, I couldn't help but laughing on several occasions because over and over again Rule Breakers, Rule Makers dates itself. Written at the height of the tech bubble, this book is full of overly optimistic advice that borders on lunatic at points. No one can be held accountable for what was said during the tech bubble, surely, because we were all talking crazy. However, the advice that could have been perfectly applicable at the time is far from useful or relevant now. That's not to say that there aren't any nuggets of truth in Rule Breakers, Rule Makers, because there certainly are quite a few. However, much of the advice, particularly that involving Rule Breakers, is quite sketchy. The fact that they give high-risk investment advice in a book geared toward the average investor speaks poorly of it. In summary, Rule Breakers, Rule Makers is a very readable book. It offers some sensible advice to its readers. However, most of its advice was only useful during the tech bubble. These days, this book has the dangerous power to encourage impressionable investors to engage in high-risk trading creating a world of problems for themselves. All in all, this book does have advice to offer, but you have to wade through a great deal of crud to get to it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Systematic Approach
Review: Statistically, stock picking is a risky strategy. If you think that you can outperform the average investor's picks, then the Gardners have some excellent advice for you in this book. They present two systems; one for large, established companies and one for small companies with growth potential. Of the two, I like the Rulebreakers (small company strategy) the most - the Rulemakers strategy, with emphasis on S&P 500 market leaders, seems too risky due to its lack of asset class diversification (especially post-2000). Both strategies contain what I consider the rock-bottom minimum of quantitation required of any stock picker, aka fundamental analysis. There are lots of reviews for this book, and most of the negative ones I recall have little basis. However, one reader laments the treatment (or lack of treatment) of VALUE. The Gardner's emphasize growth, which for small stocks especially has been an underperforming asset class on historical average. Growth stocks are a two-edged sword; more downside risk means more upside return for those who pick the right stocks. As an individual investor, I liked this book. However, if you are going to read _one_ book on investing, don't read this one - read John Bogle's "Common Sense on Mutual Funds" ... read this book because it contributes to the many, many sources that form your well-considered investment strategy.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Approach to Thinking about Investments
Review: The Rule Breakers/Rule Makers approach to investing shows how to differentiate between the next Microsoft and the next Priceline, and how to capitalize on that knowledge. Wondering whether to take your profits on that start-up and run or hang on for greater glory? Whether to buy that stock that's already way up on the year or look elsewhere? This is the book for you.
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