William Bernstein

The classic guide to constructing a solid portfolio-without a financial advisor!First published two decades ago, The Four Pillars of Investing has been the go-to resource for an entire generation of investors. This updated edition of the investing classic provides the foundational knowledge you need to avoid the most common pitfalls and build a portfolio in today’s roller-coaster world of investing.Retired neurologist and master investor William J. Bernstein has seen it all throughout his career. Buying investments with borrowed money. Chasing past performance. Overestimating one’s own risk tolerance. Listening to cable news. These are just a few of the many mistakes he has witnessed smart, serious investors make, to the peril of their portfolios. Add to these behavioral errors such economic factors as deflation, sudden stock declines, soaring inflation, and the like—and investing can seem like something to be avoided at all costs. But with the right discipline and knowledge, you can build and manage an impressive portfolio. It all comes down to understanding four key pillars:Theory: Risk and return go hand in hand—you can’t make money without riskHistory: Understand past markets to understand today’s marketsPsychology: Avoid the most common behavioral mistakes that tank portfoliosBusiness: The cost of investment services can be high—unreasonably highAfter taking you on a deep dive into each of these topics, Bernstein walks you through the process of designing and maintaining a powerful portfolio.Times have changed. Economies have changed. And markets are ever-changing. But sound investing principles haven’t changed. Use The Four Pillars of Investing to stay a step ahead of your investing peers and build a portfolio to be proud of.

Profit through good times and bad with a resilient, diversified portfolioThe Intelligent Asset Allocator has helped thousands of people like you build wealth through carefully diversified portfolios. Now, with global markets in constant flux, balancing risk and reward is more critical than ever. Self-taught investor William Bernstein offers no gimmicks, inside secrets, or magic solutions—just the facts about investing and calm, smart advice on how to build and manage a portfolio designed for the long run. This is all you need, despite claims of the advisors and pundits looking to profit from your hard-earned money. This easy-to-understand guide provides everything you need, including:* The basics of finance—historical, psychological, and institutional* Time-tested strategies for improving the risk/reward ratio* Ways to sharpen your focus to improve portfolio managementBernstein walks you through the fundamentals of important topics like multiple-asset portfolios, optimal asset allocations, market efficiency, and strategy implementation.No one knows the future of markets. Your forecast is as good as that of the last financial pundit you saw on TV. Trust your instincts, trust your research, and trust the proven-effect approach of The Intelligent Asset Allocator, and your portfolio will deliver returns through the blue skies and storms of financial markets.

How real is money? What, exactly, is money? In this an easily readable, quick look at money, William Bernstein questions money itself and offers a concise, insightful examination of the problem of money, an abstract construct that has no more or less value than what we assign to it. He reminds us that we are the ones that give value to what we call "money"Money defies a concrete definition. It can be exchanged for goods and services but is neither. It takes the form of paper and metal but can be as ephemeral as numbers transferred from one computer to another. People spend lifetimes accruing numbers in stocks, savings, and investments. Those who "own" the most money are seen as successful; those who don't are condemned to lives of hardship. Bernstein strips the illusion away, using simple language for those of us who aren't economists. Is money truly essential for our society, and does it do more harm than good? Adam Smith, whose book "The Wealth of Nations" is the foundation for much of the economic theory that Americans believe we are following, said in that book; "All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind." The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith

“Compact and immensely readable . . . a tour de force. Prepare to be amazed.” — John C. Bogle, Founder and Former CEO, The Vanguard Group “Vital—a cogent, timely journey through the economic history of the modern world.” — Publishers WeeklyIn The Birth of Plenty, William Bernstein, the bestselling author of The Four Pillars of Investing, presents his provocative, highly acclaimed theory of why prosperity has been the engine of civilization for the last 200 years. This is a fascinating, irresistibly written “big-picture” work that highlights and explains the impact of four elements that when occurring simultaneously, are the fundamental building blocks for human progress: Property rights, which drive creativity Scientific rationalism, which permits the freedom to innovate without fear of retribution; Capital markets, which provide funding for people to pursue their visions; Transportation/communication, which allows for the effective transfer of ideas and products. Meticulously researched, splendidly told, and featuring a new preface and introduction, The Birth of Plenty explains the interplay of the events, philosophies, and related phenomena that were nothing less than the crucible of the modern age. This is one of the rare books that will change how you look at the world.

Profit through good times and bad with a resilient, diversified portfolioThe Intelligent Asset Allocator has helped thousands of people like you build wealth through carefully diversified portfolios. Now, with global markets in constant flux, balancing risk and reward is more critical than ever. Self-taught investor William Bernstein offers no gimmicks, inside secrets, or magic solutions-just the facts about investing and calm, smart advice on how to build and manage a portfolio designed for the long run. This is all you need, despite claims of the advisors and pundits looking to profit from your hard-earned money. This easy-to-understand guide provides everything you need, including:* The basics of finance-historical, psychological, and institutional* Time-tested strategies for improving the risk/reward ratio* Ways to sharpen your focus to improve portfolio managementBernstein walks you through the fundamentals of important topics like multiple-asset portfolios, optimal asset allocations, market efficiency, and strategy implementation.No one knows the future of markets. Your forecast is as good as that of the last financial pundit you saw on TV. Trust your instincts, trust your research, and trust the proven-effect approach of The Intelligent Asset Allocator, and your portfolio will deliver returns through the blue skies and storms of financial markets.