COMMON STOCKS AND UNCOMMON PROFITS

A firm and forthright analysis of market investments is much more decisive than the usual if/but/and approach (which usually leaves the purchaser as hesitant as he was before) made by an experienced security analyst- who has done it himself. If his program is unorthodox, it also requires ""hard work, a keen intelligence, and a great deal of calm financial courage"". And it is directed to the large investor- or the small investor who doesn't need an immediate return. Fisher believes that the opportunities today for making real gains are as strong as they were in the first quarter of the century; he indicates fifteen points to look for in a common stock (or rather the company behind it); when to buy it, when to sell; dismisses dividend considerations- they should be given the least weight; and ends with ten don'ts which kill off some sacred cows (diversification, etc.)... An alluring title may draw a wider market than the author intends; this is not for the man of little means who needs a quick return, but for the larger investor who has the time and the money to wait for the accruement from long-term growth stocks.