You Can Be a Stock Market Genius Even if You’re Not Too Smart: Uncover the Secret Hiding Places of Stock Market Profits is another common sense meets sophisticated investing book by Greenblatt. I love this guy. This book looks at certain situations where an individual investor has an advantage (if he does his research… or her research). He goes over the basics and then gives some case studies. This book is from the mid-90’s, but I think, as far as investing goes it’s really the most educational one I’ve read. Graham’s Security Analysis might have more details, but its very dense reading, very worthwhile but slow to sink in–at least for me. This book on the other hand reads faster than a motivational tape! It’s written in the same funny, no-nonesense, down-to-earth style as his little one. A major concept in this book is the win-to-loss ratio, ie. how much can you win vs. how much can you lose on an investment. He also goes through acquisitions, mergers, and all sorts of other situations that may at first be intimidating, but become fascinating after his hold-your-hand, pat-your-back walkthrough. I wish I could take some of his classes… maybe in a few years. By the way, the portfolio I started based on his website is in the double digits, even after the latest crash. Too bad it’s only a play one.