5 Minute Investor: When You Don't Want to Spend the Time, but Want the Results by Michael Craig

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  • Pub. Date: September 2002
  • 256pp
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    Product Details

    • Pub. Date: September 2002
    • Publisher: Career Press, Incorporated
    • Format: Paperback, 256pp

    Synopsis

    This book gives any investor the ability to protect him-or herself in this uncertain environment by using financial statements as a weapon. Becoming a "financial detective" doesn't require any understanding of accounting, mastery of obscure language, or the ability to read the fine print without a microscope.

    In just five minutes, you can learn:

    • How to spot the tricks modern companies use to boost revenue totals, artificially reporting top-line growth.
    • Where to find all the places companies put acquisition gains and losses, either hiding bad investments or bolstering operating results with one-time items.
    • How to compare the income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet to judge the quality and predictability of earnings.
    • What "pro forma results," "EBITDA" and "goodwill" are, and what they can reveal...or hide from you.
    • How to tell when even an "honest" company is feeding you information that's not entirely accurate or forthcoming.

    Customer Reviews

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    • Ratings: 1Reviews: 1

    5 Minute Investor: When You Don't Want to Spend the Time, but Want the Resultsby Anonymous

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    September 06, 2002: Investing in five minutes? I had to at least glance through it to see what it was about. This book explains how to read financial reports of public companies. Not just with technical language and accounting terms but how I could quickly (that's the five minute part) understand the most important parts. There are great examples with Enron, Lucent, General Electric, and other companies. The last chapter goes step by step through AOL Time Warners report. Anyone who invests should do the kinds of things suggested in this book.