I'm tired of all these reviews of folks complaining and attacking Cramer the person - these reviews are meant for the subject matter of the book! You are expected to research and follow all of your investments, including those recommended by Cramer. Stop whining and do some homework. You think any man can predit the market? He has made mistakes, yet taken as a whole his advice is speckled with good insights.

I read one review of some self-proclaimed beginner saying that Cramer suggested buying while the market was falling and that this is stupid. It is obvious that your a beginner - this is when you buy stock, when prices are depressed! You self-righteous whining babies better start analyzing your faults and mistakes if you want to advance. Keep blaming Cramer, see where that gets you.

As for the subject matter, all of his books contain overlapping content as well as unique material. This is a good beginner's book.

Great for looking at the big picture of financial health for life. Although it has some info on investing, it's more geared to retirement plans and mutual funds.

This "author" is a world-wide joke, if he is such a good hedge fund manager what is he doing hosting a monologue show and pumping out books? Personification of greed, yep. Anyway I am up 6 percent over the past 18 months even though I had 50 percent of my portfolio in equities. You see my pappy didnt raise no turnip farmer! I traded corporate bonds no thanks to Jimbo, who is a speculator and a day trader. The market is meant to take the retail "investor" for a ride, its craps game and the house usually wins my friends. I am a professional bonds trader and I dont listen to amateurish advice from self proclaimed experts who dont even know how to use a computer! I feel sorry for the audience this babbling brook has garnered, but you know what they say, "there is one born every minute and two to take him", and Jim is one of those "two". Jim most likely has an arrangement with the NYSE and he gets kickbacks for increased trading volume, as the senseless morons who watch his show rush to their computers to execute a trade. He is all about trading volume!

On the eve of the release of Cramer's new book, Jim Cramer's Getting Back to Even it's as good a time as any to check how his "Twenty Stocks for the Long Term" and 13 mutual fund picks in "Stay Mad For Life" have performed over the last 2 years (Oct 11, 2007 - Oct 11, 2009). Much of the praise (or criticism) of Cramer is lacking in such analytical detail. So here goes. As a basis for comparison, the S&P 500 returned -31.4% over this period, or -27% with dividends reinvested.

Twenty Stocks for the Long Term
11 of Cramer's picks outperformed the S&P, while 9 underperformed. An equal dollar-weighted portfolio of all 20 stocks returned -28.4%. So, you lost a whopping 3% less than the market with this portfolio. The picks that outperformed (GS, XTO, RIG, CVS, MCD, HPQ, GOOG, PEP, PG, UNP, IMA) had very little to do with the "Five Bull Market" sectors that Cramer discusses in this book. Rather, most of these outperfomers have strong, respected brands and good products that helped them retain customers during the downturn. Apparently, the macro themes of Cramer's 5 bull markets were already known and priced into the stocks back in 2007, but the brand equity and operational excellence of the 9 outperformers was not.

Guide to Mutual Funds
Aggressive Growth Funds - 0/5 outperformed (Average return -39%)
Growth Funds - 2/2 outperformed (Average return -15%)
Value Funds - 2/4 outperformed (Average return -36%)
Honorable Mentions - 1/2 outperformed (Average return -28%)

A big part of Cramer's basis for choosing the 13 mutual funds was how well the fund managers preserved capital during the previous bear market of 2000-2002. As it turned out, this had absolutely no bearing on how these funds performed through the market collapse of 2008.

Hopefully, Cramer learned a couple of lessons on stock and mutual fund picking that he can incorporate into new "rules" for a future book. You might not be able to translate a macro economic view into stock picks if the market has already priced your thesis into the stocks, and when picking mutual funds, past performance (even good performance in a down market) is no guarantee of future results.

My 3-star rating is based on a grade of C+ for stock picking and D for fund selection. I'm grading on a curve here, since many other investing gurus were humbled by the worst bear market since the 1930's.

A few months ago I wanted to read one of Jim Cramer's books and didn't know which one to start with. After reading both Stay Mad for Life and Real Money I know that Stay Mad for Life should be read first if you are a newbie investor. It gives a great overview on the whole investment picture. Real Money is an excellent book if you are a more seasoned investor and just want to learn about stock trading. I consider myself somewhere in the middle (ie: I've had an IRA and various accounts for years, although I've just started buying specific stocks on my own w/an online broker) and I still feel like I learned a lot by reading Stay Mad for Life. Both are excellent books.

In this book, Jim not only teaches readers how to invest and make money, but also how to control personal expenses, create budgets, and get out of credit card debt. Why does he want people not to carry credit card debt? Simple - the interest rate on these credit card balances can be over 20 percent and very few people can earn this type of return on their investments. Credit card debt keeps people poor. Jim spends the first three chapters teaching people how to live, spend, and save before he starts talking about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and much more.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

Ordered a new book and received a used one with highlighted markings in it. Condition was ok, but when you order new that is what you should receive. I wouldn't order from them again.

I've been a fan of Jim Cramer's for years, read this particular book several months ago, and think it's great advice for anyone trying to make sense out of the baffling world of investing.

The message Cramer delivers is really quite simple: Be patient, be consistent, and don't fret over short term bear market fluctuations. Investing is for life; consequently, rather than panic over our current fiancial plight, look for opportunities to buy low, and once you do, hang onto them for life.

In recent weeks, Cramer's credibility has been challenged by someone with tremendous credentials in comedy, but I've yet to see any of his expert advice on investing anywhere.

Jon Stewart, or the executives in charge of his mock news comedy show, decided the stock market collapse should be blamed on someone, so they decided to target Jim Cramer. After all, he made some sort of recommendation that didn't pan out, so in a country that loves to pick on high profile people who make mistakes; Stewart thought he'd ridicule Cramer on national television. After all, it would be good for ratings.

I don't really believe Stewart thinks Cramer is bad at what he does for a living; however, his disregard about damaging a good guy's reputation for the sake of a ratings point seems classless.

I'd suggest to anyone interested in building long term wealth to buy this book. I'd also suggest we focus our attention on the root cause for the current economic meltdown; for example, the general lack of productivity in big business, thanks to the questionable leadership tactics of many CEOs in Corporate America.

Cramer's smart, but he can't prevent ineptitude in major corporations from happening; and he shouldn't be blamed for it, either; by a comedian, no less.

I rated this book on what my expectations were and how close the book came to meeting them. With words like "get rich,stay rich..." in the title ,I was expecting information that at least will put me ahead of the average investor. The first one third of the book is absolute common sense basics such as bad debt (credit cards) vs good debt (home mortgage)and the importance of saving money for investments. Even in the latter chapters ideas are not backed up by how they should be implemented. For example in the chapter about "twenty new investing rules" , a couple of the rules are " Don't let the marlket scare you out of a good long term thesis" and "Don't let short term bad news scare you out of a long term investment". What I wanted to know is how do you decide by looking at detailed company information what is a good long term investment. Also short term bad news can be an indication of what to come. So how does Jim evaluate the news to decide whether they should be concerning or not.
Another statement that I found surprising is his advice not to trust technical analysis since according to him it misses major turns most of the time. I believe this is too much generalization since no one can deny that there are successful traders that depend almost completely on technical analysis, many of whom are featured in the books "market Wizards"
I would not recommend using this book for any serious investment or trading, but rather for entertainment and basic knowledge

This was a well written book for novices or as reaffirmation for the more knowledgeable investor.

Jim Cramer is a modern-day P.T Barnum, and the success of his book and TV shows proves Barnum's adage that "there's a sucker born every minute." If you're a Cramer fan, you'll dismiss this review anyway as any loyal sucker should, as Cramer has a large fanbase for his over-the-top huckster shtick.

But if you are not a fan, or not involved in the market, please, for you own sake, look elsewhere. Cramer has no more success creating wealth than Vinnie in Brooklyn does in making you rich by picking football games. He guesses, and when he's lucky, he yells. And when he's not, which is often, you hear nothing.

Read this book at your own peril, with a grain of salt larger than the Great Salt Lake.

I love Cramer's books and find them to be some of the most useful of my financial tomes, which generally veer from unread to preachy to outdated. Cramer cheerfully manages to remain none of these things. I think he will continue to grow as well. Hope there will be more books forthcoming.

I am very dissipointed in this book as it is only geared toward the mutual fund investor who probably won't want to read a book like this anyway. An absolute waste of my time and money, his other books are much better.

As always, Mr. Cramer delivers easy to understand insight into several retirment vehicles utilizing stocks and funds through which to utilize to retire comfortably and financially independent. It is even used as a requirement text by some professors in colleges and universities. Highly recommend!!!!!!!

Jim Cramer's latest book is an excellent departure from his previous two investment books. His first two books were focused on the individual stock trader. While I enjoyed those books and highly recommend them, his latest book provides invaluable information that must be passed on to the young investor.

If you are trying to make a tough choice on what one investment book to give to a person looking to get themselves to retirement eventually and to save and make money all along the way, then this is your book. His simple advice to budget plan and which retirement routes are best for different ages puts this book over the top. If you are a parent buying this book then make sure your kid reads it too.

The more we can pass Jim Cramer's long term advice to young people the better off their lives will be. Buy this book for you or as a gift and you won't be disappointed.

As someone relatively new to the trading, I bought his other books a few years ago. Except for his first book, waste on money IMO. Cramer's first book gives you a true inside to how he is... ruthless dirty tactics, do anything to make money. A better insight to trading on Wallstreet. Now, his books are all the same. Like CNBC, only report happy news regardless if reality is really really bad, like now. BUY BUY BUY, when market is bleeding lower lower lower. His trade recommendation are good for bull markets. But if you follow his trade recommendation in a bear market, you will go broke. No joke. Luckily for me, I stopped watching his show and stopped buying his books after the bull market was over in 07.

If you don't believe me, paper trade his recommendation and see how much money you can lose in this horrible bear market. You can get more trade information and recommendations from stock blogs and websites... and it's free. If you want to make money in a bear market, get ideas from a bear or someone neutral not a permabull like Cramer.

This guy is nothing short of a genius in my opinion, I've purchased all of his books I'm pretty sure and have NEVER been dis-appointed with them. He's a 5 STAR AUTHOR all the way.

Good and informative book . It could have been written in a better structured way . Overall I would recomend it .

Wow Great book!!! Learning a lot about investing and managing money. Newly retired and happy to have time to read this interesting book. It's got lot's of good advise and it's easy to understand. Good investing is like many things in life. You have to do the homework Pete

I love the third book. The section of the new rules are fascinating. I have learned a lot.

A great book by Jim Cramer to explain some basics of how you can use some simple rules and ideas to invest in the stock market. Cramer explains in simple terms how to understand the market and use the ideas he used at his hedge fund for your benefit. It's not a "get rich quick" book, and explains that this isn't for people who have no time and little interest in stocks, companies, and business. But for those that have time and interest, this book is a great resource. My only real negative would be that there isn't a lot of in depth information about what he means by "homework" for your investments... but for that, you can read his next book "Mad Money," which does cover that topic in detail. If you have time and interest in doing your own investing, read this book and then follow it up with Mad Money.

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While this book has some valid theory and elementary education on market cycles, there is without question a definitve arguement against anything that Jim Cramer writes or speaks. Now take this as you may, but for nearly 10 years I followed Jim like a hawk and I lost a lot of money. I thought it was me, I just didn't have it. Please look at this YouTube.com vidoe and decide for yourself.

I am not affiliateed with either party.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt8pd9xd2h4

"He explains what professional money managers do right that amateur investors do wrong." And has forgotten that its the amateurs that watch his program, read his books and heed his advice. Then when he reverses himself and a stock falls off a cliff overnight and "amateurs" lose much of their hard-earned money, he hides behind a disclaimer.

Jim Cramer talked up Sirius Satellite Radio stock for a year, and on the night the merger with XM was made official, he compared the stock to lottery tickets. And the "amateurs" were supposed to see this coming?

Jim Cramer should be ashamed of himself.

Stay Mad For Life is a great financial education experience. This book covers many issues that are never discussed with most people. I wasn't familiar with the different types of disability insurance, and I didn't know the best way to take advantage of retirement plans. However, the first part of the book did seem repetitive about some points, and I did find the last four chapters much more interesting. But, since nothing in the first half of the book is mentioned to students in high school or college, I think it is important information as well.

I enjoyed the way Cramer presented his twenty stocks of the future. I thought it was fun and clever, almost like he was on the Price is Right and was presenting a showcase. Additionally, since I don't do very much homework, I was glad that he presented mutual funds and other investment ideas that he recommends for people who don't have time to pick individual stocks. That is what I like about his novels, he tells how to do something, rather than what he has already done. I found this novel very helpful, if less interesting than his previous novels.

This book is a rehash of what was discussed in his older material so far (Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World and Jim Cramer's Mad Money: Watch TV, Get Rich)
I was given the physical copy of this book and am having it read to me via the software set ups described in Don't Like to Read, Then Don't, Listen!: How to Turn Any Type of Text Into Audio Files That Can Be Read to You!. This is an easy way to turn a physical book into an audio book.

This is a great book for new investors. It covers a lot of information and it's very useful!!! Save yourselves now from financial failure in the future.

In Stay Mad For Life Cramer teaches you all the basics you need to plan for the future and how to be prepared for retirement. However, this book will not help you learn how to trade stocks. For more information specifically on this topic refer to his other books.

I brought this book for my Husband and myself because we are interested in doing stocks online. We really like it because it's easy to read and to understand.

Very interesting and he keeps your attention as he does on his tv show.
If you have the time to follow his suggestions, his philosophy will work for you.

Jim's latest book has some really good advice packaged in an entertaining way (like his Mad Money show). This is a great book (starter book) for young adults and teens. It is a great way to introduce personal finance to those who never have had to do it before. I bought the book for my just out of college sister. I thought it would be more useful than the Dr Seus book "Oh, The places you'll go"

Jim Cramer is crazy, but he is also very smart. I like that he explains much of his insight and also gives explicit picks rather than broad ideas on how to invest. He also covers many different bases, such as mutual funds, IRAs, 401(k)s, health care, credit cards and stuff like that. It is good because I imagine that most people in the country do not know how to save money, where to put it when they do save it and what to do when they have saved up a good amount. This will at least get them started on the right path, which I think is commendable. It is hard to get people interested in financials, but Cramer does a fairly good job at it. He is also a pretty good writer.

I think this book is very informative but I think he can get the point across in a more direct way. It is a little long winded but again very informative!!!

At last, Jim Cramer has written a book for real people. The other ones were useful, but this one finally addresses the issues that affect retired investors, non-millionaires and others who are not out simply to make a fast buck off the market. I recommend this highly to anyone seeking some good basic advice with the Cramer touch.

Do your research. Just recently Cramer told a viewer two days before Bearn Stearns Crash "Keep your money in Bear" then two days later the stock plunged to $2.00. Review his "Cramer vs. Cramer" picks on CNBC... Down, Down. Look at his work as a fund manager during the time of the internet bust. Recommending buys and managing a fund into the ground.

Be MAD for life if you lose money. Read the classic "Intellegent Investor" written in the 40's the advice is sound and good for the market today.

Jim Cramers most recent book as an absolute "required reading" for young married couples. If they apply the principles demonstrated in this book, they will be well prepared financially for the future and retirement.

I consider myself a reasonably savvy person when it comes to basic finance. With that said, I wish I read this book when I was in high school or college. Although I watch Jim Cramer's Mad Money frequently and sometimes question his over-the-top approach on his TV show, 'Stay Mad for Life' is a great book to go through and review the fundamentals of personal finance. To me, this should be the first Jim Cramer book you should read.

Cramer's book titles often flash the word 'rich' and he frequently reminds you that he will make you rich in his book, but I applaud the way he does it. Cramer frequently stresses that you must take care of the basics first, such as getting out of debt, putting retirement ahead of toys, and making sure you take responsibility for your financial future. He does not say do exactly A,B and C and everthing will be great. He also emphasizes that you need to question everything, including him.

I especially appreciated Cramer's dissection of mutual fund fees, especially 12b1 and front-end/back-end loads. If you know what these things are, this book may be too basic for you. If you don't, you'll find Cramer's Mad for Life a good start in personal finance. After reading it, I called my financial advisor, reviewed my portofolio and adjusted it. Cramer's book made me sit up and scrutinize my personal finances. And that is exactly what each person who wants to 'Get Rich, Stay Rich' needs to do.

Everyone planning ahead needs this text. Young savers need to watch what they invest in and be more aggressive in the early years. Cramer explains types of investments to start with and to use the best that is available to you.

Most people who try to follow Cramer's advice on his television program or in his earlier books will lose a lot of money. His success as a workaholic hedge fund manager does not translate into making money for his viewers despite his good intentions. This book (written with input from others) offers more standard sensible financial advice on saving and investing in a more conservative way than on "Mad Money". There are many other similar works out there and this one differs only in that a few "Cramerisms" slip through and that specific stocks and mutual funds are mentioned. Beware in following the stock picks though as if you watch his show you will find out that Cramer can change his view on a stock almost in the same sentence.

The book is an honest no BS kind of book telling people who know little or nothing about money what is going on. Also the more you read the more you want to know. Its not about being a savvy trader, its about consistant common sense approach to making and saving money. Good book for people seeking advise about budgets, market function and saving for a future.
Thanks
Bob H Cleveland OH

I found this book easy reading and finished it very quickly. The information is somewhat basic but very helpful with ideas for actual stocks and mutual funds. I enjoyed it and recommend it.

The problem I have with this book is that most of the advice is generic. I did not find anything new in it. As well, Jim does not make any predictions for the future to help investors navigate what promises to be a very difficult market for years to come. Anyone can write a book with basic investment advice. What seperates these books from a truly great one is one that makes bold yet accurate preditions. That said, the reality is that the market is flooded with similar books, but this one is definately one of the better ones in its category.

If you consider yourself beyond the rookie investment stage, I would recommend "America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression." This is easily the best investment book out today because it lays out an irrefutable case for huge problems for America. The original ediction was released in late 2006 and has been very accurate predicting the full extent of the real estate fallout (including the spillover to the banks; something no one else predicted). I have already made a boatload of money following the recommendations (gold, oil trusts, etc.). It is a MUST-READ if you are serious about your investments. Cramer should invite the author on his show! America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression (Condensed Edition)

The problem I have with this book is that most of the advice is generic. I did not find anything new in it. As well, Jim does not make any predictions for the future to help investors navigate what promises to be a very difficult market for years to come. Anyone can write a book with basic investment advice. What separates these books from a truly great one is one that makes bold yet accurate predictions. That said, the reality is that the market is flooded with similar books, but this one is definitely one of the better ones in its category.

If you consider yourself beyond the rookie investment stage, I would recommend "America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression." This is easily the best investment book out today because it lays out an irrefutable case for huge problems for America. The original edition was released in late 2006 and has been very accurate predicting the full extent of the real estate fallout (including the spillover to the banks; something no one else predicted). I have already made a boatload of money following the recommendations (gold, oil trusts, etc.). It is a MUST-READ if you are serious about your investments. Cramer should invite the author on his show!

America's Financial Apocalypse: How to Profit from the Next Great Depression (Condensed Edition)

"The madman of television stock market advice writes it all down - still entertaining and you might make some money too."

Not a bad book and easy to read. But unless you are just starting out, this is an overtly simplistic book. I don't mean this as a shot, if you have read his previous books, this one is a step backwards.

If you are young & just "starting" to invest, this would be a good read before getting to stocks / trading, as it deals with 401(K), and basic personal finance.

Jim didn't teach me anything new and I am MAD I spent the money for this book. At least I got a good discount on it!! Jim's information is something investors with ANY experience at all should already know.

A disappointing book, far too basic for any investor with a modest degree of sophistication. I expected more creative concepts from Cramer

I liked this so well I bought a copy for all three of my sons. Great insite and well explained.

I quess I expected too much. I was disappointed with the way Mr. Cramer spent so much bashing the credit card companies. Additionally, I found the book to be verbose. The contents could have been edited to eliminate excesses, but this is more the character of Mr. Cramer.

Since purchasing this book I have received no less that 20 offers to join one of Mr. Cramers money making schemes using this book as the free premium for joining.

I am truly disappointed. To the point that I no longer enjoy the TV program hosted by Mr. Cramer. Obviously Mr. Cramer doesn't have to worry about the risk of investmnet, just jot down a few inconsequential notes and exploit.

Great book. Very helpful. I've read all his books and this one is an essential part of the collection.