The Big Gamble: Are You Investing or Speculating?

By Jose D. Roncal, Jose N. Abbo, Jose Abbo

Book Overview

The Big Gamble takes you on an armchair journey from the tulip fields of 17th century Holland and the South Seas to the gaming tables in Las Vegas. Discover how economic bubbles form, and learn about... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1604940387
• ISBN13: 9781604940381
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Wheatmark
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Worth a read...

They Couldn't have timed it better, Lehman Brothers sunk, Merill Lynch sold, AIG has been on the brink of disaster - these are household names for many of us ... not to mention GM! Jose Roncal and Jose Abbo offered a great primer on the current crisis, and the underlying causes. The book starts off well back in the 1600's and walks the reader through the economic downturns, recoveries, and their underlying causes - hinting at the fact that the current crisis is anything but a new occurrence. The authors go further to provide simple insight as to how to spot the next economic downturn. In addition, they spend a great deal of time through vivid examples on the difference between investment, speculation and gambling. Instead of hiding behind a curtain of mathematical complexity, Jose Roncal and Jose Abbo offer great explanations and the rationale that led us to the current crisis and to the so-called investment mindset we all have and hell that they succeed in making the reader rethink on whether a so called "investments" exists at all. This is certainly a very timely and good read.

Timely, Timeless and Priceless

As an Institutional Financial Advisor I can only say that globalization has added tremendous speculation to our industry. Who can control the globe? Certainly not your financial advisor, when not even governments can control their own financial markets. Who can make a prediction as to the future of any investment when the information today is completely outdated by tomorrow? I truly think that this book is the beginning of a trend even in my industry. Investors have to look deeper into the knowledge of their financial advisors. Not all investment answers are in the stock market as current events are reflecting. We need to look directly into real businesses and perhaps private equity funds may be the answer. A must read for any level of investment experience and for the future of our new investing era.

A must-read for every investor!

I found the The Big Gamble insightful and thought-provoking. It shows the repercussions from "following the herd" when investing. By using key historical financial crises and events, the authors illustrate the warning signs of financial bubbles, and how to keep from making mistakes. As a recent college graduate, I am sure this book will help me avoid "suicidal" financial moves, which is more important now than even, considering what is happening with the economy Unlike other investment books I've read, this is very enjoyable from beginning to end.

This book lifts up the true "fundamentals" of market dynamics

In The Big Gamble, the authors make a critical distinction between investing, speculating and gambling. They ground their story in historical perspective--a necessary ingredient in understanding world financial markets. Giving the reader the proper context, they then start lifting up the critical distinctions that help market participants understand the driving forces behind different investments, speculations and gambles. I wish the book were twice as long and that they could have spent more time going over all the issues and complexities of events in 2007-2008. Perhaps that can be a "2.0" version. After reading this book, market observors will be better prepared to analyze the whirlwind of today and tomorrow.

Timely investing advice

Given the current financial meltdown, with financial institution bankruptcy, government bailout plans, and citizens losing life savings, I find this book very timely - and useful. This financial climate has cautioned investors to understand not only the derivative nature of their investment vehicles, but also the relative risks. I've been a private investor for decades, with a portfolio ranging from would-be-secure real estate, to medium risk funds, to high risk options. This book realistically gauges risk, and provides sound advice for investing wisely, while ensuring the right level of diversification.