Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CLS Chief Investment Officer

Over the years, many people (especially those new to investing) have asked me to recommend the best financial books to read. Granted, the question has changed in recent years to also include blogs or websites, but the question is still essentially the same. Given my fondness for reading, I have to admit I love the question.

Below is a short list of my favorite books and topics about investing:

• “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham (revised by Jason Zweig in 2006). Okay, this book is a bit dated in parts, but it’s a classic. And once upon a time, it was like a code to put on a resume or cover letter to show you were really interested in the markets.
• “The Money Masters” by John Train. This is a book from decades ago that has helpful overviews of many famous money managers – some who are still household names today.
• “Market Wizards” by Jack D. Schwager. This book is really more about trading than investing, but it gets across important points about discipline and self-awareness.
• “Pioneering Portfolio Management” by David F. Swensen. This is arguably the most important book about multi-asset money management in recent times.
• “Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger” by Charlie T. Munger, Warren Buffett’s right-hand man. It’s tasty.
• “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game” by Michael Lewis. It’s about baseball, but it applies to investing too. For a while, I had all my analysts read it.
• Anything about Sir John Templeton. I met him in the ‘80s, and I’ve always been impressed by his style.
• Anything about Warren Buffett. I’m from Nebraska so of course I would include him.
• Just about anything on behavioral finance. This topic is arguably the most important for becoming an effective investor.
• Articles and books by Jack Bogle. Mr. Bogle lays it straight. I’ve learned a lot from him.

And these are currently some of my favorite financial writers:

• Jason Zweig http://www.jasonzweig.com/
• Morgan Housel http://www.morganhousel.com/
• Tadas Viskanta http://abnormalreturns.com/
• Larry Swedroehttp://www.etf.com/sections/index-investor-corner
• Carl Richards http://www.behaviorgap.com/
• Ben Carlson http://awealthofcommonsense.com/
• Rob Arnott http://www.researchaffiliates.com/Our%20Firm/Our%20Team/Pages/Rob-Arnott.aspx
• Jeremy Grantham and James Montier https://www.gmo.com/
• Howard Markshttp://www.oaktreecapital.com/memo.aspx
• Nassim Nicholas Taleb http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/
• Doug Kass https://twitter.com/DougKass
• Shane Parrish https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/

Happy reading! Stay balanced.

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2436-CLS-9/18/2015