Fail-Safe Investing: Lifelong Financial Security in 30 Minutes

Posted on May 16, 2008 - Filed Under Paperback |

Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 031226321X
Manufacturer: St. Martin’s Griffin
Average Customer Review: (From 15 total reviews)
List Price: ~~$12.95~~
Amazon Price: $3.49 (14 new 7 used available)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com:
If you had to summarize Fail-Safe Investing in three words, it would probably be these: Embrace the obvious. Look at your job, Browne advises. You get ahead because of your experience, education, and common sense. Your job is the reason you have money to invest in the first place. So the first of Browne’s 17 rules is, “Build Your Wealth upon Your Career.” Don’t jeopardize your career; it’s going to take many years of smart investing before your earnings will surpass what you earn at your day job–if they ever do.

The other rules aren’t quite as obvious, but equally simple. Browne explains the difference between investing (making a long-term plan and sticking with it) and speculating (betting that you can beat the overall market during a specific period). He shows how life savings are easily lost when you borrow money to invest rather than investing only the money you already have. Browne also suggests a portfolio that he says is the simplest and safest possible for continual, steady returns above inflation: an equal division among stocks, bonds, gold, and cash. That covers an investor in times of prosperity (stocks), inflation (gold), deflation (bonds), and recession (cash). While many investment analysts would undoubtedly gag if you presented them with a portfolio that consisted of a 50 percent investment in gold and cash, Browne nonetheless makes a compelling argument that such an allocation makes it easier to sleep at night. And common sense tells you there are worse things than a good night’s sleep. –Lou Schuler

Product Description:

Do you worry that you’re not paying enough attention to your investments? Do you feel left out when you hear about the clever things other investors seem to be doing? Relax. You don’t have to become an investment genius to protect your savings. Distilling the wisdom of his thirty years’ experience into lessons that can be applied in thirty minutes, Harry Browne shows you what you need to know to make your savings and investments safe and profitable, no matter what the economy and the investment markets do. There are no secret trading systems here, no jargon to learn. Instead, Harry Browne teaches you in simple terms to, among other things:

-Build your wealth on your career
-Make your own decisions
-Build a bulletproof portfolio for protection
-Take advantage of tax-reduction plans
-Enjoy yourself with a budge for pleasure

Customer Reviews

A very good way to invest by Maria Folsom
Browne describes a sensible and simple plan for making money with your investments. I waited over a year to review this book so I could actually try his method and build my portfolio around his idea. So far so good. You won’t get rich overnight with this, but it’s clear that you can maintain your asset value as well as earn money on at least one portion of your “permanent portfolio” at all times.

Practical and Effective Financial Concepts by Donald W. Pendergast
Every book written by Harry Browne is worthwhile, and this is no exception.

‘Fail-Safe Investing: Lifelong Financial Security in 30 Minutes’ should be required reading for anyone considering investing their funds with ‘hot’ fund managers, ‘winning’ advisory services or ‘can’t miss’ trading systems. It also lays out a solid, common sense foundation for lifelong fiscal responsibility and profitability, and should be required reading for all high school students.

Harry passed away last year at the age of 73, and he will be dearly missed by those of us who treasure his legacy of liberty, independent thinking and personal responsibility. His life was a one of a kind gift that God blessed our world with.

A unique and worthwhile approach to long term passive investment by Trillion Dollar Man
Harry Browne’s Permanent Portfolio concept is worth knowing about, and an interesting counterpoint to Ibbotson-style long term asset allocation.

helpful advice by D. Doctor
I learned some good, basic investing advice. I will be a lot more skeptical about supposed new ways to make money in the market. The plan is conservative but rightfully so considering the U.S. banking system and the U.S. dollar are based on fraud. The book gives explicit advice on how to execute the proposed plan.

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