Amazon.ca:Customer reviews: The Most Important Thing Illuminated: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor (Columbia Business School Publishing)

Top positive review

Fantastic insights. Best book I've read on value investing!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on August 8, 2020

I can't say enough about this book. So much to take in, so get out your highlighter (says the happy nerd in me)! It is so clearly laid out and explains the illusions that most new investers buy into, the tremendous effect that psychological factors have on the market, the discipline and restraint required and the reasoning behind these ideas.
Definitely had to do some side learning to understand some concepts as I'm new at this, but the book is written in an easy style that makes it accessible for all.
Love it!

One person found this helpful

Top critical review

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Chiorisi

Three Stars

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 20, 2017

Good but redundant with all the useful and free online teachings.

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From Canada

MVH

Poorly written. Useless commentary from contributors.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on August 31, 2020

Verified Purchase

I kept thinking as I read the book; “get to the point!”

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A. J.

Nonsense with a mix of common sense

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 27, 2019

Zero practical value. Common sense stuff reiterated into oblivion in the most nonsensical way: To buy a stock, decide how much risk you’re willing to accept, accepting risk is important, but before you do so, you need to value a stock that you intend to buy, but before you decide on a stock to buy, determine how much risk you’re capable of accepting. There, I just summarized a book for you.

Do yourself a favour, if you’re anxious to read it, get it from your local library, don’t spend your money.

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From other countries

MLK

Nothing for investors or traders here. Move on to useful books

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 4, 2018

Verified Purchase

There is nothing useful for investors or trader in this book. Amazingly, this author has managed to write two books that amassed 500 pages on market cycles driven by emotions and how he is an intellectual superior. You can get all he has to say with the first two chapters of either of the books. His phrase ‘second level thinker’ is a constant drum beat though out both books. This is how he describes his superiority over us ‘first level thinkers’. This is a man who has gotten rich off other people’s money. He has done so by being politically and professionally connected. Now, he is richer than me. So, he is considerable more successful (richer) than I am. I have to give him that.
His book implies that an investor can do well by paying attention to public sentiment. The problem with this is these sentiment last for 25% of any move in either direction. Another problem with this concepts is they promote public sentiment to extend moves to maximize their profits. Since this is so scary for us first level thinkers, we need to pay him to manage our money for us.
In this book he says in passing, he uses technical analysis information. In the second book he ridicules people who use technical analysis. I’m not sure how this works out.
He also implies; these books are used at the Columbia Business Schools. There is no way lesson plans can be developed from this book, unless you just make one and repeatedly use that plan. It must be required reading to expand his sales.
I force myself to read every book I purchase. There is almost always a nice little nugget in there somewhere. Here, I’ve been unable to find any nuggets. Just mind numbing repetition. Unless you want to accept his premise that cats chase carrots up trees. Not birds, Carrots. Well maybe it’s just beyond this first level thinker to see the cleverness of this analogy.
Conclusion: Traders and investors, there is nothing useful here for you.

61 people found this helpful

Donald Swanson

waste of money

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 2, 2022

Verified Purchase

I'll tell you the message of the whole book: do contrary to what the majority is doing.

Poorly written, so basic (average writer)

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book is so average that I think it should not have been published. It is definitely one of the worst investment book I have ever read. There are better investment books out there: this one is not one of them.

Klum

nothing you cant quickly google

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

if you are an investor, most of the information in this book are things you have heard before. They key for the book is to buy things for less than they are intrinsically worth. The rest of the book is just waffle.

You can apply this to any type of investment. stocks, real estate etc. If you are expecting some sort of secret from the book that you have never heard before, you will be disappointed like me.

One person found this helpful

Dennis

Wrong book from this shop

Reviewed in Japan 🇯🇵 on May 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

I receive the wrong book from you. Please explain and tell me how to change

Olivier Libouban

So far, the worst investment book I've read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

The worst investment book I've read. Maybe the worst book I've read. Filled with clichés and self-adoring notes from the author, it's hard just to find actual information. The "most important things" are just what has been written before but without real data, research, or depth. I'll never buy another book by this author.

11 people found this helpful

Cliente Amazon

Muchas expectativas, pobre realidad

Reviewed in Spain 🇪🇸 on May 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

Mucho de lo importante que te voy a contar pero poca profundidad en lo contado. Me ha defraudado

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delpr

Not a "Signed Edition"

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

Contrary to description in the "publisher" column, the book is NOT "signed" by author.

One person found this helpful

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The Most Important Thing Illuminated: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor (Columbia Business School Publishing)

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