Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings (Wiley Investment Classic) by Philip A. Fisher

Product Description

"You will find lots of jewels in these pages that may do as much for you as they have for me."—from the Introduction by Kenneth L. Fisher Forbes columnist

Widely respected and admired, Philip Fisher is among the most influential investors of all time. His investment philosophies, introduced almost forty years ago, are not only studied and applied by today's finance professionals, but are also regarded by many as gospel. He recorded these philosophies in Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits, a book considered invaluable reading when it was first published in 1958, and a must-read today.

Acclaim for Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits

"I sought out Phil Fisher after reading his Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits...When I met him, I was impressed by the man as by his ideas. A thorough understanding of the business, obtained by using Phil's techniques...enables one to make intelligent investment commitments."—Warren Buffett

"Little known to the public, rarely interviewed and accepting few clients, Philip Fisher is nevertheless read and studied by most thoughtful investment professionals . . . everyone will profit from pondering—as Warren Buffett has done—the investment principles Fisher espouses."—James W. Michaels Editor, Forbes

"My own copy [of Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits] has underlinings and marginal thoughts throughout."—John Train Author of Dance of the Money Bees
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #150015 in Books
Published on: 1996-05
Number of items: 1
Binding: Paperback
271 pages
Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile
This program takes a fundamental view of what it takes to be a top-drawer business worthy of your investment dollar. It's based on traditional company variables like capitalization, market position, and labor relations, and some new variables like organizational adaptability and leadership depth and vision. The broad thinking and nuances are so intuitive and clearly drawn that listeners won't even realize how abstract and intelligent this writing is. The impressive piece of work is nicely abridged, and George Guidall is as connected to the material as anyone could be. Still, this is not for the cognitively challenged, nor for overly aggressive investors nor those with money hang-ups. A great resource for understanding why some companies are great and which ones will be. T.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Book Info
Text presents some of the writings of Philip Fisher, with a new preface and introduction by Kenneth Fisher. Previous edition: c1996. Softcover. DLC: Stocks.

The publisher, John Wiley & Sons
Regarded as one of the pioneers of modern investment theory, Philip A. Fisher's investment principles are studied and used by contemporary finance professionals including Warren Buffett. Fisher was the first to consider a stock's worth in terms of potential growth instead of just price trends and absolute value. His principles espouse identifying long-term growth stocks and their emerging value as opposed to choosing short-term trades for initial profit. First published in 1958, this investment classic is considered a must-read as the foundation for many of today's popular investment beliefs.
Customer Reviews

Boring and uninspiring
As a Warren Buffett fan, I finally got to reading this book which is highly recommended by him. Buffett, it is said, is 85% Ben Graham and 15% Philip Fisher - whatever that means. I think that is a nice slogan but Buffett is really 100% Buffett. Unlike Graham and Fisher, Buffett is more than a money manager. Buffett has an incredible ability to buy entire companies with their management included.

I wanted to like Fisher's book, but I found it so boring that I quit after about 100 pages. Normally I don't write reviews for books that I quit (after all it is possible that I did not give the book a fair chance), but I figured if I read more than a third of a book I should be allowed to critique it and hopefully help future readers. I hope this review helps you.

Fisher guides us through 15 points to study before buying stock in a company. His points are certainly valid but they are too academic. Furthermore he does not guide the reader as to how to go about really acquiring the necessary knowledge. He dedicates three pages to "scuttlebutt" which is supposed to help us learn how to go about acquiring the necessary information. His writing style is very dull. I can read a dull book if it teaches me stuff but I did not find this book educational. The book is a better fit for management consultants who have to make fancy presentations to their clients than to investors. Fisher advocates buying growth stocks with certain characteristics, but there is no discussion on the price the investor has to pay for the growth. You can buy an outstanding company but if you overpay for it then it is a lousy investment. If you invested in Microsoft, a well managed company that is almost a monopoly in 1999, your returns would not be that impressive today. In the past 9 years nothing particularly went wrong with Microsoft - it is just that the price was too high in 1999.

If you are still considering purchasing this book, I recommend scanning the chapter on the "15 points". If it clicks then maybe it is the right book for you.

The Bible of Growth Investing
This book is a timeless classic on growth investment principles and research. Some reviewers have implied that Fisher's painstaking research is not practical and doesn't apply today. Beware, because if you are like Philip Fisher and you don't like diversification, the lack of research can be deadly to your investments! As he plainly states in the book, if you are not going to do the research, you should still learn what it entails so you can hire someone who can do the proper research for you.

Excellent book...
This book has much more than the original "common stocks and uncommon profits". It's a nice collection of some of Fisher's greatest works. Just wish there was a hardcover version.