All Consuming : egoodwin

A story about "Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 11:31:19 GMT

Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation

by John D. Stowe

The book is extremely dry but is a good overview of the valuation standards in place today. It’s part of the coursework for the CFA Level II exam.

A review of "Mindfulness" (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 04:21:29 GMT

Mindfulness

by Ellen J. Langer

This is a great book on how to think clearly about various problems. The author gives several examples of how assumptions made can lead to erroneous conclusions. While there are tips on how to combat this tendency to prejudge a situation, the book doesn’t give a lot of useful advice. The truth is, being “mindful” takes a lot of effort and is not practical to every situation. The key is knowing when concentration is necessary and when to shut it off.

A story about "Understanding Financial Statements, Seventh Edition"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Wed, 05 Oct 2005 22:09:55 GMT

Understanding Financial Statements, Seventh Edition

by Lyn M. Fraser

This is a pretty enjoyable surface read on Financial Statement Analysis and identifying “red flags” of business performance. This won’t make you a master stock-picker or anything of that sort, but it would serve as a great introduction to financial analysis for someone with a basic understanding of accounting. Worth reading.

A story about "Damn Right: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:05 GMT

Damn Right: Behind the Scenes with Berkshire Hathaway Billionaire Charlie Munger

by Janet Lowe

This does a really good job of introducing the world to Charlie Munger, Wesco’s CEO and Berkshire Hathaway’s Vice Chairman. A must read for any Berkshire Hathaway fan. My only criticism is that the book seems to skip around and the writing is rather simplistic in parts. I would have appreciated a little more detail about Munger’s research methods. Still, the discussion on Munger’s mental models and his value system is well worth the book price.

A story about "Sam Walton: Made In America"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:05 GMT

Sam Walton: Made In America

by Sam Walton

Excellent! I really enjoyed this book and unlike most autobiographies Walton’s does a good job of detailing both his triumphs and his failures. Well worth reading.

A story about "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:04 GMT

The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

by Matt Ridley

The only complaint I had with this book is that it was less concrete than Ridley’s work with “Genome”. Having finished the book I think a lot of this had to do with the highly theoretical nature of evolutionary history. Ridley uses the book more as a means of painting the evolutionary landscape and outlining the prevalent thoughts in force today and lets the reader come to their own conclusions. Still, the science has serious gaps in reasoning and he does a good job (for the most part) of pointing these out and offering his own personal theories where applicable.

A story about "Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, 3rd Edition"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:04 GMT

Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, 3rd Edition

by McKinsey & Company Inc.

so far I’m not at all impressed with this book. It reads like it was written by consultants (which it was). A lot of attention is applied to valuation models with very little is spent on application, financial reformulations, or the tricky things that bog down most analysts.

The sections on insurance companies and banks, while containing some useful information should have included some sort of example, as opposed to several pages that come to the conclusion that “evaluating financial companies is difficult.” I already knew that, you bonehead authors, otherwise I wouldn’t have decided to read the book and the section on evaluating these companies.

A story about "The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:04 GMT

The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

by Jared Diamond

I’m a huge Jared Diamond fan (ever since Guns, Germs, and Steel) and this book doesn’t disappoint so far.

A story about "Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:03 GMT

Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder

by Richard Dawkins

Excellent read that is educational and also captures the enthusiasm that Dawkins has for science of all kind, from astronomy to biology, optics and quantum physics. It reads a lot like Carl Sagan’s “The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”

A story about "Operations Management: Strategy and Analysis (6th Edition)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:03 GMT

Operations Management: Strategy and Analysis (6th Edition)

by Lee J. Krajewski

This book is an okay intro to operations management. Still, like most operations management books, it’s heavy on theory and light on practical advice.

Like most books pertaining to Information Sciences (like IT, OM, and PM) they tend to be written by theoreticians who have spent little time actually implementing projects. I would prefer a framework for an implementation and what pitfalls to watch out for than a primer on prevailing theory.

A story about "Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:03 GMT

Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors

by Michael E. Porter

So far I like the book. Porter is one of those academic deities that I think a lot of people pay lip-service to and then promptly ignore.

So far my impression is that, like all really insightful stuff dealing with strategy and management, most of this stuff seems obvious in hindsight.

A story about "Abraham Lincoln"

nobody@allconsuming.net (egoodwin) — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:14:03 GMT

Abraham Lincoln

by Benjamin Thomas

serves as a good overview of Lincoln’s life and history. This is not seeking to be a definitive compendium of Lincoln but is rather a heavy, historical introduction which provides a good road map to further research if the reader decides to do it. The compendium of Lincoln references at the end of the book is alone worth the price.

A story about "Understanding Financial Statements, Seventh Edition"