Here’s what I’ve been reading the past three months:
- The Great Depression: A Diary – Benjamin Roth was an Ohio lawyer who lived through the Great Depression. In 1931, he realized that the country was going through a financially significant moment, so he began a diary. The book is a collection of his diary entries that describe how people coped with the economy and financial markets from 1931 to 1941. It’s a great book for financial history buffs. (notes)
- There’s Always Something to Do – Peter Cundill was a Canadian investor who outperformed the market over his career. He happened about Graham’s deep value approach and applied it globally. The book covers Cundill’s investment career, dives into specific investments, and frequently pulls directly from his journal entries, which he kept for 45 years. (notes)
- Lessons from Century Club Companies – It’s a perfect little book for investors and business managers based on a study of 100-year-old companies. The author covers the unique characteristics that allowed these companies to survive for over a century. (notes)
- High Returns from Low Risk – The author explains why the low vol anomaly exists and offers one example of how to build a portfolio to take advantage of it. I’ve been testing a low vol strategy and read the book to confirm I was on the right track. (notes)
- Your Complete Guide to Factor-Based Investing – The Guide filters the factor zoo down to the most persistent factors like size, value, momentum, and quality. The author then breaks down each factor by summarizing the research, why it persists, and how it fits in a portfolio. The book is perfect for anyone who wants an intro to factor research or to fill in any gaps from the research you might have missed.
Need more summer reading ideas? Try these book lists:
- Traveling This Summer? Book Picks for All 50 States – NPR offers book recommendations for each of the 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
- The Best Books of 2022 So Far – The Chicago public library offers a list of the best books of the year.
- The All-Time Top Books on Hacker News – This list of 100 most popular books contains many about coding and software but a few surprises are interspersed throughout. You’ll find books on business, psychology, biographies, and more.
Last Call
- 6 Things To Know About Stock Market Crashes and Downturns – Morningstar
- Beware Thematic Funds’ Siren Song – B. Johnson
- Who Is to Blame for Inflation – B. Ritholtz
- Disinflation Begins – Noahpinion
- Compounded Luck – S. Godin
- Extreme Beliefs are the Hardest to Quit – A. Duke
- Night Moves: Is the Overnight Drift the Grandmother of All Market Anomalies? – Elm Wealth
- 24 Charts Showing We’re (Mostly) Living Better than Our Parents – Full Stack Economics
- Climate Change is Altering the Chemistry of Wine – Knowable
