Rated 5 out of
5
by
Cheryl101 from
Good way to introduce various investment vehicles
I have been investing for over 30 years, but I still enjoyed listening to this series. The professor picks several highly successful investors in a broad array of investment vehicles and describes, at a high level, each of these investor’s strategy. He defines many investment terms, sometimes multiple times. While this might be annoying, it should enable even a novice to jump around and not necessarily have to follow the lectures in order.
He does not do a deep dive in any particular strategy, so this is more of an introduction to various investment opportunities. I did like how he gave some background to each investor he covers, while giving a good overview of the particular investment vehicle the investor targeted.
In the end, he gives some hints on how the listener can develop their own strategies. I still wish there was a course focused on the neurology and psychology behind investing and personal finance to help people become better investors. I find the worst enemy of most investors is themselves, not which strategy they follow. At the end of the day, there are probably almost as many different investment strategy variations as there are investors, and most of those strategies would work, at least in some market conditions. However, so many people struggle, even when they are investing in simplistic index funds simply because their own psychology (fear, over confidence, etc.) causes them to buy high and sell low.
I listened to the audio version and had no issues keeping up with the pace.
Date published: 2019-03-25
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Murlskid from
Good survey of investing strategies
The professor is precise, thorough, and thoughtful. In the end, the last lecture presents a list of strategy related factors an investor should consider, along with references to the lectures on the progenitors of the strategies and methods. This nicely pulled together a huge reservoir of diverse ideas. At times some lectures felt a bit tedious but all the detail contributes to overall understanding. The course includes most of the strategies developed over decades by investment strategists we’ve read about and admired. Most motivated investors will be familiar with much of the material, but there is a gain in working through it in a concentrated and organized way. I ended up feeling I had a better overall understanding of the various pieces, but not that much impact on strategies I’ve come to use. I do feel more confident about my goals, analysis, and strategies. The course includes a perspective on Chrysler over its lifetime that is very mind-opening about situation, perspective, and analysis. The course was a good experience.
Date published: 2019-03-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Very Moneyed from
A Great Review of Investing Strategies
After success from many years of index investing it gives me some ideas I may try with a low % of my small fortune. A good review of investing strategies from successful traders.
Date published: 2019-02-19
Rated 4 out of
5
by
TraderW from
Greatest Traders Bio's
Excellent biographies of many of the greatest traders. Very helpful to understand their styles and motivations. Enjoyed listening to the ones of most interest and applicability to my personal investing strategies. Would have liked a deeper dive into some of the details of techniques. Liked the series very much.
Date published: 2019-01-16
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Kentkun from
Excellent Course
Course covers a wide variety of trading strategies and introduces some of the best at their craft. Each chapter is filled with insight into each type of trading strategy and gives interesting details into the expert traders past. The course can help a trader find the trading strategy that best suits him or her. Instructor provides clear and understandable explanations for some of the more challenging types of trades such as arbitrage and the carry trade among others. I highly recommend this course.
Date published: 2018-11-18
Rated 4 out of
5
by
SETXDOC from
Excellent introduction
Whether or not this is a useful course depends upon the goal one is after and the knowledge one brings to it. It is a good introduction to investing for the rank amateur. Professor Longo defines various basic financial terms, sometimes several times. For example he defines price/earnings ratio three or four times in different lectures, in case you weren’t paying attention the first time. He outlines the various approaches to investing using examples of great practitioners of those arts. For someone who knows nothing about investing and wants a clear introduction, this is a useful tool. For a sophisticated investor, I doubt there is anything of value here. One lesson that is clear is that outstanding success, no matter what vehicle one uses, requires tremendous work and probably a bit of luck as well.
In my case, I already knew the basics and bought the course largely for the mini biographies of the famous investors I have read about over the years: John Templeton, Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, David Dreman, and others. Some of those people have had book length biographies written about them (or have written books themselves), and those books should be consulted for much more in depth information. Nevertheless, I did learn a little about more esoteric investment vehicles such as sovereign wealth funds, private equity, and hedge funds, although I doubt I will ever personally use them.
Date published: 2018-11-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Joe G from
Excellent Presentation and Coverage
This course exceeded my expectations. The presenter is energetic, articulate, and very knowledgeable -- both as professor and practitioner. The selection of greatest traders and depth of coverage are outstanding. Production values (set, movements, camera work, etc.) are very high quality.
Date published: 2018-06-16
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Gustavo300 from
Outstanding!
Very inspiring stories about the best investors ever.
Date published: 2018-05-11
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Poncho from
Good course
Overall a good course of some of the great investors over the last 40+ years. Brings to light personal styles and approaches but will not be a guide to help an individual investor develop a portfolio strategy
Date published: 2018-03-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
don2507 from
Fascinating Biographies of Great Investors
John Longo is a Professor of Finance, has the CFA certification, and currently manages $2.5 B for an investment trust, so he would appear well qualified to introduce us to the world's greatest investors, and in my view he does a very good job in profiling these investors and discussing the myriad ways in which they beat the market, many for 10-20-30 years. In addition, and most importantly, a viewer can learn a good deal about the capital markets, some financial theory, and investment in general from Professor Longo's presentations. What strikes me are the many different ways these famous (and not so famous) investors made their billions. Some invested in growth stocks, some pursued value stocks; others invested in small cap stocks in the U.S. while others sought large cap stocks around the globe. Some of them concentrated on bonds, others looked at currency valuations, and some specialized in commodities. Some made their billions by being contrarian and going against the flow of market opinion while others were equally successful in pursuing "momentum" strategies and riding with the prevailing market opinion.
The course reveals, as the various successful (but conflicting) strategies above suggest, and as also indicated from the course's title, that successful investing is much more of an art than a science. If (greatly) successful investing were purely a science, then it could be systematized and then quantified for easy replication by other investors, and then it would no longer be successful as the ensuing higher valuations for "entry" investments would erode the previous market-beating returns. These great investors employ a not easily replicable "art" in identifying great investment opportunities. It seems from the profiles in this course that a common skill they possess is the ability to discern patterns in data, or in the financial landscape, that the rest of us may miss. It was fascinating to hear that one of the "quants" profiled, James Simons, used speech-recognition experts because the software they've developed can get "signals" out of noisy data, and can also be used for predicting what will come next using probability theory. This pattern-recognition skill may be just as important for the fundamentalists, or those who strip out the financials and product lines of individual firms, as well as those who just evaluate price data without knowing what the firm produces.
Longo has identified these "great investors" because they made billions, became famous, and most importantly for his purposes, beat "the market" (or an equivalent risk-adjusted index) consistently. By beating "the market" (e.g., S&P500), they beat the rest of us, or the average investor who receives market returns. Should we try to emulate these guys? Increasingly, we are told as investors that our investments should not be centered on beating some index by, say, 1.5% over 5 years, but in simply meeting our personal goals, e.g., retirement or education. These guys, many of whom manage money for others, must focus on surpassing market returns, because so long as investors seeking active funds exist, the fund managers need to attract these investors and build their assets, and earn greater fees therefrom. I can conclude on a counterpoint to Longo's great investors by reminding us of Warren Buffet's (one of Longo's great investors) challenge to the hedge fund industry in 2007, via a charity bet, to see if any pre-selected hedge fund would beat the S&P500 over the next 10 years. Let me quote Buffet at length (2005 Annual report): "I argued that active investment management by professionals - in aggregate - would over a period of time underperform the returns achieved by rank amateurs who simply sat still. I explained that the massive fees levied by a variety of 'helpers' would leave their clients - again in aggregate - worse off than if the amateurs simply invested in an unmanaged low-cost index fund." Buffet publicly offered to wager $500,000 that no investment professional could select a set of at least 5 hedge funds that would beat the S&P500 over the next 10 years. He had only one taker, and that investment professional's hedge funds were soundly beaten by the S&P500 and the bet was settled near the end of 2017. Lesson: it's very difficult to consistently beat the market, and this is one very big reason why Longo's "great investors" are indeed special.
Date published: 2018-03-06
Rated 4 out of
5
by
McLearner from
23 years old canadian guy review
This course is good for understanding the basics on which History's greatest traders relied to match their investment strategy with their personal experience. As a student in Business Affairs, it offered me a larger perspective on the historical implications of these traders and made me understand some key elements to building my own philosophy on investing. However, some lectures seemed to run slow and some of them didn't seem to have a prior connection with the previous lecture. Overall, there is a Flow, not perfect, but there is a flow within the course. It's a course that a recommend for people that want a quick background on greatest traders' implications on the financial market and want to expand their knowledge on the various strategies available to build your own investment portfolio.
Date published: 2018-01-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
cpr_northern_cal from
Extremely Intereresting
As a relative new investor, I found this course very interesting. It gave me a lot of insight into the "why's" of investing strategies. I found the personal biographies to be really engaging. Highly recommend this course!
Date published: 2017-12-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Sgt Buckhout from
I haven’t been able to get into them yet.
I look forward to beginning my studies and I have gifted 3-4 of them to family members
I have been sharing my catalogs and talking them up to friend’s because I am so excited about your offerings.
Date published: 2017-12-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
JP124 from
Excellent Content
I think this is a fantastic course. Every lecture dives into investment strategies of the most successful investors of all times. The information is timeless and very insightful.
Date published: 2017-12-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Steve G R from
The Art of Investing
I work in professional investing. This is a great course highlighting investing and the various styles as practiced by the masters. Professor Longo covers a lot of material in detail including: value, growth, small cap, index, international,distressed, private equity, and quant strategies. This is a great book for experienced professional as well as anyone looking to enter the profession.
Date published: 2017-10-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ythrix from
Excellent!
Excellent class: interesting approach of using “great traders” examples to teach investing concepts, well organized, clearly presented. Definitely will help my future investing, which makes this course extremely valuable.
While Professor Longo is careful to define terms, this class might be a stretch for those new to investing. In that case I suggest starting with Understanding Investments, followed by this course.
Highly recommended.
Date published: 2017-09-15
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Tonyg from
Good Basic Review
Interesting history of investors and investment styles
Date published: 2017-06-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
KikiNY from
Great course from The Great Courses!
Having read a bit about some of the investors, this course was a much more interesting way to learn about the investors. In addition to learning about the background of the investors that lead to their strategies via interesting stories, it also serves as a primer for learning about stocks, bonds, private equity, and hedge funds.
Date published: 2017-06-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Studentdoc from
Understanding Investing through real life stories
Great way to understand investing by presenting the lives and ups and downs of the most prolific investor in recent history makes this topic far more engaging than other courses on this topic
Date published: 2017-06-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Deans from
Great course!
A course of the great investors. Good to know, How they did it. I pretend I'm good. I'm not!. Not like them!
Date published: 2017-05-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Sandskaer from
Great Courses as such
It is not just this course....as an Brazilian-Scandinavian with two MSc degrees and a PhD and completely fluent in all of eight languages (useful western european) I must say that the amazing universe that -The Great Courses- did open for me has been and it´s been a life changing experience !!!!. Thank you for almost a decade of great experiences that have given me a new way of looking at life!
Thanks again.
You can quote me as much as you feel is necessary in all of your marketing drives !
Carlos Cettillbjoern Sandskaer, Loeddekopinge, SWEDEN.
Date published: 2017-05-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
B J Kerner from
This is one of my favorites! I can hardly stop watching it so I can make it last.
Date published: 2017-03-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ravenmouse from
The Best
Bought as a gift for my son. He has since asked for more courses.
Date published: 2017-03-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Jeffret from
well presebted and understandable.
Very helpful for those interested in learning investing.
Date published: 2017-03-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Loco Nova from
Enabling and Enriching
I found the parallax view of investing seen as historic necessity and endeavor from the vantage of very successful investors/ traders extremely insightfull. I am myself a necessary investor of my own retirement and taxable funds, and help such as this is extremely appreciated. I know from acquaintance that Great Course financial offerings are also used as training for major banks (employee post academic) to ensure that recent hires understand real world basics; and this offering is on the list.
Coverage includes all asset classes, strategy (analysis) styles, and risk factors. Coverage targets investing concepts historically and by persona, giving investing financial concepts coupled to the historic "Traders" that used them; and the historic time periods and problems that drove the solutions. Explainations are provided about investor tools such as the Morningstar style grid, alpha, beta, leverage percent, P/E, open funds, closed funds, and the various risk and fundamentals numbers on all investment tools and brokerage sites. Also, "fundamental", "technical", "secular/ short term", "reflexive (social feedback)", "multi strategy", "futures", "distressed asset", and "quantitative (modelling)" analysis as well as "leveraged buyout" and "private equity" strategy are introduced. I haven't found this range in other Great Course offerings, or investor readings.
Longo's engaging, campy, fun, yet professional presentation is easy to disgest; but provoked my desire to search further in depth. The chapters can be viewed out of order, since concepts are re- explained as needed (although historical context may be lost). As an example of Lango's good humor, he reports a "distressed asset" strategy investor by the name of David Tepper, from Pittsburgh, keeps a pair of brass cachobies on his desk, and rubs them for luck every day. (Yinz seez a minority "Stillers" owner, huh?) Tepper is "not afraid to go back and work in the steel mills". For corresponding feminine taste, there's market mover Hetty Green, the wicked "Witch of Wall Street"; and Lango notes research that shows women do marginally better than men at investing, even without desk ornaments.
"The Art of Investing" stands on its own in depth and usefulness. The offering is not only chock full of investor "war stories", but also has summarized research findings about what really works. However, the offering is easily great complimentary material, and perhaps works best supplemented by deeper dives (that can be supplied by other Great Courses offerings) and other basic starting material and readings.
I found the material is not "basic" investing, as the Fullencamp Great Course offerings are. What's explained is more advanced "strategy" and "analytic" styles, advanced risk concepts like "moats", "portfolio theory", "index funds", from the standpoint of what motivated the successful investors that invented and used the concepts. I gained a much better understanding of the numerous leverage and derivative forms, and "hedge funds". The offering assumes a knowledge of basic investing terms, and offers no helpful glossary. To be fair, Fullencamp's "Financial Literacy" recommends "investopedia.com" instead of having an actual glossary. There is minimal math (as contrasted with Slezak's Great Course offerings), just the concepts in context.
A familiar book that provides more academic depth and concrete conceptual investment categorization would be "Expected Returns" by Antti Ilmamen, missing from Longo's bibliography. The academic depth recommendation by Longo is "Investments" by Bodie et al, which I've ordered. The companion course guidebook "Suggested Readings" references the literature that the great "Trader" investors produced, and targeted readings.
I feel somehow more enabled and figuratively enriched. Helpful, indeed, in my efforts at more literal enrichment.
Date published: 2017-03-06
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Don2 from
Over priced for the value received
The entire course could be understood by reading the book that accompanied the disks. The content was good but the delivery was 20th century. We just had the speaker talk to the camera with a few photos. The state of the art of on-line learning has become so much more interesting and effective that your mode of presentation has become antiquated.
Date published: 2017-03-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Chuckdun from
Great Start to Active Investing
I purchased this course because of my desire to learn what the great pillars of the investing world did to revolutionize the everyday norms of investing, learn from their strategies (what worked and what did not) and hopefully...obtain more of an idea of what kind of investor/trader best fits my personal strategy and profile. This course dramatically increased my knowledge and understanding of securities beyond a level that I ever imagined. I'm very new to investing in securities, so much of this information is new as well. I really liked how well this course and instructor not only gave definitions of terms like Derivatives, different types of Special Situation Investing (e.g. Spin-0ffs, LEAPS, Rights Offerings, etc), he gave superb examples to help solidify the understanding of the savvy and build the knowledge of the neophyte. I had no idea that securities investing went so much deeper than stocks and bonds. I also liked how this course gave a history of the great investors and revealed how their upbringing, family business/work/challenges/education and workplace encounters all factored in to what made them so successful in their spheres of investing. So much to say... I'm just blown away. Thank you, Great Courses Team, for putting together such a great work. Much appreciation.
Date published: 2017-03-03
Rated 1 out of
5
by
ExpectedBetter from
Course not worth the cost.
Dull presentation and material of little practical value. Save your money.
Date published: 2017-03-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
dakotastephanie from
Just started listening to this course. So far, very good! Would recommend it.
Date published: 2017-02-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
JayT from
Fascinating and so informative.
Bought this for my husband who's an enthusiastic amateur investor (and who has a long daily car commute). Like nearly all of the Great Courses, this one is terrific. He sits in the car waiting for a lecture to finish!
Date published: 2017-02-24
