Debunkery: Learn It, Do It, and Profit From It—Seeing Through Wall Street's Money-Killing Myths

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’ve always been fortunate to do something I love professionally—grapple with capital markets—and also engage seriously in my two favorite hobbies: writing and redwoods. And when the professional day is over or on the weekends, when it’s too dark to tramp around the woods, I enjoy turning to my typewriter. (Which has been, for a very long time now, the computer.)

This is my seventh book—and a fun one to write. Easy, too! My editor won’t like me saying this—thinking “easy” means maybe I didn’t put in much effort, so you won’t get much benefit. Not true! Hopefully you will get huge benefit. What I mean by “easy” is these are all short lessons that are near and dear to my heart. Many are ones I’ve even written on before—in different ways and formats and venues—some of which have been previously published and many of which haven’t. A lot are ones I’ve written about before in short pieces for use by my firm. Some I haven’t written on but are things I’ve said repeatedly to clients, in client seminars, in media interviews, etc. Others are newer but still vital core lessons I think about or apply near constantly—or advise others to think about and apply.

There were many topics I considered, but 2010 seemed a particularly good time to attack common investing myths and misperceptions—and how to debunk them. The bad 2008 bear market is still fresh for most investors. And bear markets make people’s brains go haywire like nothing but an extreme bull market. Bear markets are ...