The Lazy Person's Guide to Investing

Aimed at "procrastinators, the financially challenged, and everyone who worries about dealing with their money," this smartly read lesson has a single point: Investors in stock and bond index funds earn more than those who trade individual stocks. Nick Summers is a solid choice for this brief and snappy presentation. His tone is silky, and his moderate level of intensity is perfect for the writing, which at times grabs listeners by the lapels to make a point. The author recommends dividing assets into four types of no-fee funds. These funds, he says, consistently outperform the market as a whole and provide higher returns than are earned by most Wall Street brokers and individual stock pickers. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

September 4, 2006
This power-to-the-people personal finance book is heavy on motivation: investing is not rocket science; anyone can get started with as little as $25 a month; various financial products eliminate the middle man and charge waifishly thin expenses (which, as Farrell notes, is the only sure-fire way to get a great return). Summers brings great enthusiasm to Farrell's populist manifesto, whether he is praising Vanguard to the skies (does Vanguard get a kickback for this gushing and relentless product endorsement?) or urging people to set up foolproof automatic investments from their paychecks or checking accounts. At times, the marriage of Summers's syrupy voice and some of Farrell's cheesier examples—such as a monkey that allegedly got better returns than Wall Street gurus merely by choosing investments at random—can err on the juvenile side. Also, the gimmicky names of Farrell's various portfolios, such as the Couch Potato and the No-Brainer, begin to run together in the audio version. Still, there is solid advice, and Summers is a competent and sometimes charming narrator. Simultaneous release with the Warner paperback (Reviews, Dec. 15, 2003).