The Teenage Investor: How to Start Early, Invest Often & Build Wealth

by Timothy Olsen

Book Overview

A Wall Street wiz kid teaches teens all about investing At the age of 8, when most kids look no further than baseball cards and video games, young Tim Olsen bought his first stock. Now, with a diverse... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071416633
• ISBN13: 9780071416634
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.7" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

I'm buying it for my class!

I bought this book for my son who is about to inherit a large amount of money. I loved it. As a mature adult, I wish this book had been around when I was younger. I'm going to buy some copies for my Junior High class so my students can learn the basics of the Stock Market. True, it's simple, it's low risk themed, but a great way for the younger generation to get started.

the kid's okay

this is a good, easy read and i definitely recommend it for teenagers or people that are just starting to build some financial knowledge. the basic concepts are explained quite well, and the language is clear and straightforward. however, he sometimes sounds like a broken record and constantly admonishes the reader to use mutual funds and save money and not take risks- again and again, and it kinda gets old after awhile. this book could probably be written in about half it's length if that weren't the case.

Basic Investing Primer for All Ages

This easy-to-read, nicely formatted (highlighted sidebars) 204-page paperback is fun to read and clearly written. It is one of the simplest and best expositions on the subject that I've come across. Although its title suggests that it was written solely for teenage investors, it could have been easily titled "Everybody's Guide to Investing". A 13-year old precocious investor, Timothy Olsen, wrote the book. Interestingly, the writing style, subject knowledge, and comprehensive coverage of the topic appears to be written by a much more experienced professional investor. Congratulations to Timothy on mastering a complex subject and explaining it so simply.This book is suited for anyone who desires a quick and basic overview of stock market investing. It is perfectly suited for novices who have no idea about this intriguing and vital subject. Unfortunately, the high schools in this country do not spend much time, if any, on the basics of investing and savings. This book should certainly be recommended as supplementary reading by high school Economic classes. In addition to the stock market basics, other topics covered include mutual funds, index funds and bonds. The author also explains how difficult it is to beat the market, why market timing is not a good idea, and why selecting mutual funds with low expenses is critical. He then covers issues of trust with regard to analysts, brokers and financial planners. Also discussed are how to research stocks and the importance of asset allocation.The book does not cover most subjects in great depth - as this is only a primer - but provides the basic tenets needed to understand the key investing concepts. Two shortfalls of the book are its lack of website addresses and bibliography. For example, there were several references to John Bogle (Former Vanguard Chairman) on pages 105 and 169 in wonderful sidebar notes. It would have been great if the Website of Bogle's speeches or titles of his books were included. (That site is: ........ Another example where Websites were lacking were when the author refers to index funds and exchange-traded funds. (Those sites are indexfunds.com, etfconnect.com, ishares.com, etc.)If you have teenage children and you want them to learn about the stock market with a quick and enjoyable immersion in the subject matter, then I highly recommend this book. The future investors in America's capitalist system need to know what it's all about, and this book provides solid information and a head start on the investing journey.

I Learned So Much

This book is wonderful! I am a more mature woman who has just begun investing. What a great book to help me make my decisions. Informative but not condescending. Many helpful facts and lots of useful information. I can't wait to begin investing! Should be used by schools to help children save money. I can't believe an adult didn't do a book like this. Hope there will be another.

Great book!

Do not let the title fool you, it's not only for teenagers but for everyone, novices and market veterans alike. This book is a true gem. Written by a 13 year old (who is now 14), I went in expecting it to be tailored to kids and not well-written. Was I mistaken! This book is very well-written and offers simple, practical advice on how to make money over the long-term in index funds and stocks and why asset allocation plans are so important for investors. This book is a welcome relief from the stock promoting that other books by teenagers frequently exercise, and it's a great book because it doesn't offer any get rich quick schemes, only solid financial advice. I do not believe this book is only for teenagers. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more, or expand their knowledge of the financial markets. Not only is this book great for the novice, but for the experienced, well-seasoned investor, as well. I hope Timothy Olsen keeps writing books - I would buy and read them all. Michael LeBoeuf, Ph.D. and author of "The Millionaire in You" endorses Olsen's book on the front cover, saying: "Get a copy for yourself, your children and anyone you care about. You will all be richer for it." I could not agree more. Buy this book for everyone you care about.