04/15/2024
Approximately 40 percent of Americans shy away from investing in the stock market due to lack of knowledge, funds, or confidence, Sabath (author of What Self-Made Millionaires Do That Most People Don't) notes in this pragmatic guide crafted to invite new investors (ie, “wannabe”s) into the fold. Sabath, herself a wannabe-investor-turned-diversified stock owner, lays out in each chapter a “Must-Know Fact,” each separately numbered. Fact #1 concerns the importance of becoming financially literate. Not doing so, she argues, “hinders us from achieving financial stability” and “building wealth.” She knows that intimately—before applying these lessons in her own life, Sabath was an “ordinary person” whose money went to sleep for a Rip Van Winkle-like 20 years languishing in low-performing certificates of deposit, all while the stock market roared ahead.
Sabath’s 40 facts demystify the world of finance, debunk myths (“I don’t have enough money to invest”), and lay out a clear route to understanding one’s own finances and taking the steps not just to invest but to make informed choices. Sabath explains, in crisp and direct prose, basic concepts as long-term investing, while offering action steps, examples, hypotheticals, and more. She demonstrates that one should contribute to qualified retirement plans while building an emergency fund and eliminating debt. Other issues covered include risk, tax minimization, automatic investing, the importance of working with a fiduciary, and the power of compounding.
Sabath’s straight-talking lessons will open new investors’ eyes in this era of self-directed retirement accounts, long life spans, and a questionable Social Security system. For all her helpful specifics (“allocate no more than 10 percent of your portfolio to a single investment when you’re purchasing it”) perhaps Sabath’s greatest lesson is that the secret to investing success is no secret. Systematically saving and sensibly investing while minimizing taxes and expenses will help one live a comfortable life. As Sabath notes, most of us are capable of meeting such challenges. The Wannabe Investor illuminates the path.
Takeaway: Clear-eyed advice for anyone making excuses not to invest.
Comparable Titles: Jean Chatzky and Kathryn Tuggle’s How to Money, John Bogle’s The Little Book of Common Sense Investing.
Production grades Cover: A- Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A Marketing copy: A
