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Rating: 
Summary: Something for Mom
Review: A friend of mine gave me this book to read for an opinion since I have been very involved in trading the markets for the past 3 years and I am glad he did. I have always wondered whether or not there was a simple, effective investing methodology I could give to my mom and not have to worry about taking a few days to explain it to her. Now, I do. The MarketBuster is a great investment strategy that doesn't take to long to understand and hardly any time to do. I highly recommend it to investment professionals and parents, alike.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent book, ideas have been hit on before
Review: Alright, it's not a bad book, and is certainly relevant to the last twenty years, but, before you implement the strategy recommended in the book (basically, put your money in equities when the 3-month Treasury < 3-year Treasury), please be cognizant of the fact that equities were a terrible investment from the mid 1960's to the early 1980's (real estate, especially on the West Coast, was the best investment vehicle at the time). Hence, I don't think your returns would've been that good if you had followed the author's advice during the turbulent times of the late 60's and all of the 70's. Yet, since most 401(k) plans offer you only limited investment vehicles (some mutual funds/market indicies, company stock, money market, Treasuries, etc.), there's not much one can do to optimize the performance of their 401(k) given a specific market condition. In conclusion, I'm going to implement the ideas in the book, but, as a reviewer hinted at earlier, this advice should not cost someone $..., rather it should be expounded gratis on a quality investment website.
Rating:
Summary: Common Sense Investing
Review: I am kind of surprised and embarassed to admit it (being an accountant) but this is something that I should have figured out for myself if I really sat down and thought about it. Basically, Kwong says that the Fed has a significant influence on the economy and if you manage your investments in such a way that you put your money into the market when the Fed is supporting economic growth and vice versa your nest egg should signficantly outperform the old buy and hold investment strategy. It looks like it helps you avoid major bear markets like what we saw in 2001. As far as I can tell, this MarketBuster strategy is better than putting away my money and forgetting about it. I know a lot of people who have done that and lost a whole lot of money in their retirement accounts because they didn't use a strategy like this.
Rating: 
Summary: A Terrific System
Review: I am quite pleased with the quality of the research put into this manual. Kwong has really shown a definitive way to approach the way one should manage their own retirement accounts.I am excited in implementing the strategy on my now dormant 401 K. I think I now have the means to reach "critical mass" with this system! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Simple 401(k) strategy to protect your retirement
Review: The concepts touched upon in this book, as one reviewer pointed out, are not new. Strategies looking at fed movements were popularized by Marty Zweig, and have been written about more recently by Mark Boucher. This book is primarily aimed at the layman, and not the professional money manager. It addresses the target audience very well, and lays out a plan in simple terms. One thing to be cautious about, however, is that monetary stimulus (i.e., trying to stimulate the economy by lowering short term rates...or steepening the yield curve) can be ineffective in times of stagnant to declining prices (i.e., deflation). Therefore, as a reviewer pointed out below, this strategy would have had you long the market from somewhere around 1200 on the S&P. The S&P now sits at ~840 (March 1, 2003). This is a 30% decline, and hardly risk free. If the model incorporated some sort of inflation/deflation measure it might be able to avoid times similar to the one we are currently experiencing. Also, in regards to a previous reviewer's comment about trading in and out of the market too much (and stating that TradingMarkets.com is a daytrading website). 1.) TradingMarkets.com is for traders of all types - day traders, intermediate term traders, etc. (I am a satisfied member), and 2.)One could use some sort of mutual fund product that was comission free and mirrored the market. Rydex or Profunds have several funds that act as index proxies (check with your broker to see if they are comission free). This would eliminate the transaction costs involved in getting in and out frequently. In conclusion, if you've never heard about how the actions of the Federal Reserve impact the stock market, or if you're looking for a way to time the market other than your "gut", this is a good place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Sound concepts, but understand the risks first
Review: The concepts touched upon in this book, as one reviewer pointed out, are not new. Strategies looking at fed movements were popularized by Marty Zweig, and have been written about more recently by Mark Boucher. This book is primarily aimed at the layman, and not the professional money manager. It addresses the target audience very well, and lays out a plan in simple terms. One thing to be cautious about, however, is that monetary stimulus (i.e., trying to stimulate the economy by lowering short term rates...or steepening the yield curve) can be ineffective in times of stagnant to declining prices (i.e., deflation). Therefore, as a reviewer pointed out below, this strategy would have had you long the market from somewhere around 1200 on the S&P. The S&P now sits at ~840 (March 1, 2003). This is a 30% decline, and hardly risk free. If the model incorporated some sort of inflation/deflation measure it might be able to avoid times similar to the one we are currently experiencing. Also, in regards to a previous reviewer's comment about trading in and out of the market too much (and stating that TradingMarkets.com is a daytrading website). 1.) TradingMarkets.com is for traders of all types - day traders, intermediate term traders, etc. (I am a satisfied member), and 2.)One could use some sort of mutual fund product that was comission free and mirrored the market. Rydex or Profunds have several funds that act as index proxies (check with your broker to see if they are comission free). This would eliminate the transaction costs involved in getting in and out frequently. In conclusion, if you've never heard about how the actions of the Federal Reserve impact the stock market, or if you're looking for a way to time the market other than your "gut", this is a good place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Simple 401(k) strategy to protect your retirement
Review: This book is actually very simple. The author's point is to watch the Fed for signals on what to do with your 401(k). You keep your money in the market when the Fed is supporting economic growth, and pull your money out of the market when the Fed is not trying to rein in economic growth. If I had followed this strategy, I wouldn't have been holding stocks in the last bear market.
Rating:
Summary: Reasonable advice, not a bad book.
Review: Written in very easy-to-understand language (a bit too simple for anyone who even reads the Business Week). But it does get the point across. It focuses on exactly one idea of "following the Fed" and boils it down to one simple market-timing rule. The book actually injects some reason behind why this should work, unlike most other market timing concepts which are a little more than astrology. I am willing to put at least some of my money on it. I did find it upsetting that the signals traded you in and out somewhat frequently in 1998, but it did cause you to stay pat in the good parts and did keep you out of many of the bad. One reviewer complains that these signals would have brought you back in the market in 3/2001, and the market has dropped since. But the point is that the Fed's cue is still positive, and the market will eventually rise before a sell signal is generated. The Fed has already started to try to make things better as of 3/2001, - it can't help if [some major companies] cooked their books and its all coming out now (Yes, Fed is not the only factor, but the one that is likely to win eventually). I think the book is very light on information, and should have probably cost less ... Other than the essential idea, and a pointer to the Fed website (the address is not quite right), it is basically the same words repeated again and again.
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