Mutual Funds For Dummies, 5th edition,   ISBN:9780470165003

Customer Rating: 

This is a review for 2nd edition. It's an informative, but it's heavily promoting Vanguard products which aren't the best financial products on the market. I bought two Vanguard mutual funds after read this book in 1999. One broke even after 7 years, which means I loss money on it if you count the 7 years interests. I'm still holding on the other one. After 10 years, it's still 30% in red. Needless to say, my impression of Vanguard mutual funds and this book isn't the best.

Customer Rating: 

This was a great overview of mutual funds with specific recommendations for which funds to buy for what purposes and time frames. Definitely a good buy!

Customer Rating: 

This is a great resource for those wanting to know more ABOUT mutual funds, not for those wanting to know WHICH mutual funds to buy. Heavy on the explanations, definitions, and categorizations; light on the criticism and praise of individual funds. While you do get a bit of "how to pick the right funds", it is all fairly basic, with nothing very stunning or surprising that will make you a better mutual fund-picker.

For what it is, this is a great book. Clearly written, with only the right amount of detail and very little repetitive content. At times it can be a bit wordy, making this book a bit longer than it really needs to be, but overall it is an easy read with an index and table of contents that will help you find pertinent information quickly.

So, if you want to learn more about mutual funds, how they work, ect., this book is for you. If you already feel like you have a good understanding of what they are and how they work, there isn't probably too much you'll learn from reading this fairly long book.

Customer Rating: 

We all know every Mutual Fund associate thinks THEIR fund is the best on the market, hence the NEED for a non-partisan book that helps you understand WHAT to look for in a GOOD Mutual Fund. If that sounds like you, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is TRULY what it says it is...you may be a beginning investor when you begin the book, but you'll feel confident enough to make thorough investigations into prospective funds by the time you finish it! It is an 'easy read' book with easily understandable text.

Customer Rating: 

Eric does a good job of a broad view of the particular subject matter at hand. My only issue is that the books are highly overlapping. A structure with the original book on personal finance with additional chapters on subtopics would likely have avoided all the duplication.