Great overview on how the stock market works

I've been investing for over 25 years. This is a great course on how the markets and investing works.

37 people found this helpful

Must read for everyone outside of the industry

What did you love best about How the Stock Market Works?

This book breaks down the structure of the stock market, dispels most of the myths and traps, and gives you a solid recommendation on how to manage your own stock portfolio.

Specifically this book does an amazing job discussing how money managers try to tell you they've beat the market average and so you should bring your business to them. Very few people, if any, have beaten the market consecutively over any larger span of time. Your best bet is an index fund and to avoid fees and transactional charges.

What does Professor Ramon P. DeGennaro bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is very enthusiastic and knows the material so well it just flows out of him. It's very easy to follow him and it gave me a ton of confidence and ability to shut out all the noise of the industry.

Any additional comments?

Like I said this book should be a mandatory read for every graduating high school kid and should absolutely be on your reading list.

47 people found this helpful

Very basic

Misleading title, should be Basics of Investing. probably good for someone who knows nothing about investing.

14 people found this helpful

Another great course. Broad overview of investing

Basically the Cliff notes from my MBA financial investing course. Basic information everyone should know.

14 people found this helpful

Good Info Ringed with Opinions

In between telling you how the stock market works, he spends quite a lot of energy trying to convince you it is fair, needs deregulation, and a host of other opinions with loose definitions. Other than that, it was a great resource for learning how it all works. And even a bonus about how you might want to invest as a casual.

22 people found this helpful

One of the greatest courses I've taken

If you could sum up How the Stock Market Works in three words, what would they be?

Pluses:
• A great explanation of the investment vehicles available
• Eye-opening insights into what drives the stock market and general principles of investing and examples of its benefits

Minuses:
• While the professor was generally good at explaining investment vehicles, there were a few cases in which a simple example would’ve really helped one to understand the concept being discussed

9 people found this helpful

Great insights for the small guy investing

This lecture series taught me a lot, I did not expected to turn out the way it did. However, it turned out the best way I would hope it too. It educate you on how to invest in the stock market without being a professional stock trader. It gives you tips on when and how to inv

9 people found this helpful

wtf this book sucks

expected an educational explanation of working stockmarket; this book should be titled " I can't, you can't, we can't, and he definitely can't. an experiment in negative thinking" author claims to be an academic, a college professor. if I was enrolled in a corse he taught i would demand my money back plus restitution

7 people found this helpful

Very informative.

Much of what it taught me was new, the information was extremely valuable and I would certainly review it again and recommend it to many other people.

The information is easy to digest, the tips are backed by studies and facts and he offers many ways to continue educating yourself.

I wouldn't say I feel like an expert on the stock market, but I'm less intimidated and know a few things I'd definitely want to look at when I'm in a position to invest.

11 people found this helpful

Bad analogies and useless anecdotes

What disappointed you about How the Stock Market Works?

Bad analogies and useless anecdotes made this lecture series feel like it was trying to fill time. Since it was already one of the shorter Great Courses lectures, I felt myself getting irritated every time the narrator went off on some long tangent that added nothing to my understanding of the subject material. In the end, I felt as though I learned little more than I had picked up by talking to the investment adviser at my bank that handles my IRA. I think the first half of the course is intended for people with absolutely no understanding of business or investing.

Would you ever listen to anything by The Great Courses again?

Yes. This is my 6th Great Courses purchase, and it is the only one so far that I found unsatisfying.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Professor Ramon P. DeGennaro?

Since the narrator is the professor that actually teaches the course, I don't think a narrator change could help.

What character would you cut from How the Stock Market Works?

I would cut the useless analogies and anecdotes, such as (paraphrasing):

Some people think it's unfair to factor in the performance of the stock market during its early years when calculating the average market returns. If you wanted to determine your average weight, you wouldn't start from the day you were born. (A couple more minutes of different methods you could use to measure your average weight.) ...And so using the average returns over the life of the market may not be the best way of measuring current performance.

or

I had a student who was bored in class. When I asked him what he did for a living, he said he flew jets off an aircraft carrier. (A couple of minutes of describing whats involved in flying jets off an aircraft carrier.) ...So I'm willing to bet that he would be more comfortable with a higher risk portfolio than some of my other more conservative students.

Any additional comments?

Too much filler material, and very little useful advice. I'll admit that SOME of the advice and insight the professor offered was very helpful, but overall the course felt diluted and, at times, condescending. For example, he explains how a corporation works by describing them as "a bag of goodies." It certainly didn't feel like a college level course, and I thought the material was pretty elementary even for laypersons.

89 people found this helpful