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

Product Description

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 financiers and investors, but are also regarded by many as gospel. This book is invaluable reading and has been since it was first published in 1958. The updated paperback retains the investment wisdom of the original edition and includes the perspectives of the author's son Ken Fisher, an investment guru in his own right in an expanded preface and introduction
"I sought out Phil Fisher after reading his Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits...A thorough understanding of the business, obtained by using Phil's techniques...enables one to make intelligent investment commitments."
Warren Buffet
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #2352 in Books
* Published on: 2003-09-04
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 320 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

Review
"...written by American Investment genius.... We are delighted to have the opportunity to reproduce an extract from this classic, recently reissued..." (Financial Director, November 2003)

"...these updated classics are packed with investment wisdom..." (What Investment, November 2003)

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.
Customer Reviews

Boring and uninspiring1
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 Investing5
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...5
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.