Form Financial Analysis

My condolences.  One thing that I've mentioned a lot on this board is that I am extremely skeptical of a masters in quant finance, and your story is typical.First thing, find the school that gave you the degree, and scream at them.  Find people that you graduated with and collectively scream at the school that gave you the degree.  Having taken your tuition money they have a moral responsibility to get you a job.  You should be furious at the school, and let them know how furious you are.Second, if you are interested in a CS Ph.D. that is a very good choice.  The good thing about a Ph.D. is that you can get one without incurring new debt, and it will help you a lot getting computer positions.  Also work experience in a computer company outside of finance is also very useful.The jobs that you are being steered toward are not what you were promised.  One problem with the term "quant" is that it started getting applied to all sorts of jobs in finance that have nothing to with with quantitative analysis.  The financial crisis basically *killed* any demand for vaiuation of exotic options.  The jobs that exist now are basically pure C++ programming jobs, or essentially filling out forms for government regulators.One rule of thumb is that if you are interviewing for a quant job, and you are talking to an MBA, then it really isn't a quant job.  They are looking for someone to type in numbers into Excel spreadsheets.The other thing is that location is an issue.  There are essentially no entry level quant positions outside of New York City.  If you are in Chicago, there is basically only one employer that hires entry level quants (Citadel).  In Dallas, there is also basically one set of employers that hires entry level quants (HBK and spinoffs).  You might considering contacting some headhunters in NYC before doing a CS Ph.D. to see if that will work.I wish you luck, and you can send me private e-mail if you can think of something I might be able to help you with.

The best investment you can make is to invest in yourself.   The second best investment you can make is to reduce costs.Invest in yourselfEducation: You should be investing in your education.  That doesn't necessarily mean college or grad school -- but it does mean massive knowledge accumulation to advance your career.  Luckily, the cost of attaining knowledge has gone down dramatically. Buy time to focus more on your career.  You can invest small amounts of money to buy yourself time.  You can invest money to pay for things like grocery deliveries, laundry services, etc. to increase your time.  Sometimes you can get a whole hour for less than you make in 10 minutes -- always make that trade-off if you can afford it.  If you can put more hours in your career, you should see faster and larger raises, promotions, etc.More details at: What is the best way to maximize profit using my 20K?Cut your expensesThe second best investment for a young person to make is to cut your expenses -- especially the reoccurring expenses.  Cutting expenses is much better than corresponding income because you get taxed on income.  And if you live in a place like California or Manhattan, then you get taxed A LOT on income (top tax bracket for Fed+State+local is about 54%).  For instance: Cut expenses like your monthly cable bill -- if you call your cable or mobile phone provider, you could probably knock off $15/mo in a 30 min phone call.  That means you just made $180/year tax free.   Cancel other services you don't use.  Get a place with lower rent and just live cheaper.  Long-term: two years of savingsIf you grow your revenues enough and cut your expenses enough, you will save.  If things go well, you might achieve freedom.  My definition of financial freedom for a young person is having two years of savings in the bank.  That means you could sustain your current lifestyle for two years with no additional income.  If you can achieve two years of savings, you can take real risks.  You can quit your job to pursue a "crazy" idea.  You have freedom to build real wealth.

No one probably feels like losing money in stock market. In market, the pain of losing money is much greater than happiness of earning some. If you’re thinking of making an investment in stock market but worried of ending up with loss or the very thought of loss upsets you, you shouldn’t invest in stock market. Through this article, we will help you understand how market works and why prices go up and down. Moreover, we will also discuss how to start with stock market for novice, for trading and investment perspective.What comes to you mind when you listen to the word “stock market”?The answer to this question would be quite different to people based on their level of understanding on the market.If you ask me, what comes to my mind, here’s a small list-1. Money2. Trading screen3. Warren Buffett4. Profit and loss5. Excitement and many moreBefore going deep into this, let’s start from the very basics of stock market.What is stock market?The stock market is a mechanism in which the shares of publicly traded companies are issued, bought and sold. It is one of the most important parts of the free market economy. The stock market helps your small money grow into big sum and becoming wealthy without involving the risk of starting a business. To many people, the stock market is nothing more than a gamble, but it isn’t actually a gamble.Say you invested Rs 500 on one roll of a dice, where on your win you gain Rs x and in case of loss, you lose the entire Rs 100. While you invest in stock market, it’s hardly when you will lose all your money unless there’s serious problem with the company like in case of Kingfisher Airlines and there’s nothing much to explain in this regard.How does stock market work?The rise or fall in stock prices is determined by a number of factors which includes demand and supply, political or social unrest, media, availability of suitable alternatives, opinion of renowned and big investors like Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, natural disasters etc. These factors along with suitable information help create bullish or bearish sentiment in the economy.Accordingly say if the number of buyers is more than sellers, stock prices will certainly go up. Similarly, the stock price will tend to fall if numbers of sellers exceeds the number of buyers.What makes stock market so unpredictable?Let’s explain this discussion with an example. Say the stock prices have been rising for several years so few investors will sit on the sidelines holding cash and waiting for the opportunities to go short. But the point is that how to judge exactly when the selloff will take place. The important question here is that if you are on the sidelines, how to understand that when to get inside the market? However, if you are already in the market, how to judge when to exit the position. If making prediction about the market were so easy, then these questions would have been answered easily but actually it’s not the case.Now since we are done with the basics of stock market, let’s understand how a novice can start with stock market-When is the right time to invest in stock market?Are you willing to learn or planning to build your career in stock market?So what are you waiting for?If you are concerned about your age to learning in markets, let me tell you that there is actually no age to learning or doing anything in life.There’s a famous quote by Martin Luther King (Jr) which says-The time is always right to do what is right.Let me take two examples to show that there’s actually no age to do anything in life-The first example is of Harland David Sanders (the man behind the KFC), who started his career in his 40’s and he franchised his secret recipe “Kentucky Fried Chicken” at the age of 62. Soon after that he got very successful.The next example is of legendary investor, Warren Buffett who started his career at the age of 11. If you are new in the field of stock market, you must know or have heard about Warren Buffett. He is a renowned investment guru and one of the most respected and richest businessmen in the world.Warren Buffet said-“I made my first investment at the age of 11. I was wasting my life until then”These two examples prove that there is actually no age to do anything in life.How to start with stock market for novice?1. Start with Warren Buffett’s letters to shareholders (which is like bible to investors). It may so happen that you face problem with some aspect of the letters but these letters are supposed to be read and re-read again and again to keep gaining the wisdom and knowledge from it.Download the shareholders letter of Bershire Hathaway. You may click on the links below to learn the key lessons from some of the letters of Warren Buffett.http://blog.elearnmarkets.com/ke...http://blog.elearnmarkets.com/ke...http://blog.elearnmarkets.com/ke...2. As a novice, you should read business newspapers like Economic Times, Business Standards, Mint etc and watch business channels like CNBC, Zee Business etc to get a hang of the market.To know what are the important things you should read or how to conduct business newspaper analysis, watch the video below.3. Start reading books like-a. One up on Wall Street by Peter Lynchb. The Intelligent Investor by Warren Buffettc. Learn to Earn by Peter LynchTwo important tips to keep in mind in stock market are as follows-i. Start earlyii. Money management techniquesOnce you gain basic understanding about the market, we’ll move on to the next level.Beginner’s Checklist for Stock MarketStock Market for trading mindsIf Charts and technical pattern interests you, it seems that you are drawn towards Technical Analysis. So if you are new to this field, here are few guidelines you can follow to build your base in Technical analysis.1. Read good BooksStart with good books on Technical Analysis like-a. Reminiscences of a stock Operator by Edwin Lefevreb. Trading for a living (By Alexander Elder)c. Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets (By John J Murphy)d. Japanese Candlestick charting techniques (By Steve Nison)e. Encyclopedia of chart patterns (By Thomas Bulkowski)2. Learn Technical AnalysisIf you are willing to learn technical analysis from very basic, you can take up a course at Learn Share Market: Finance Courses by Elearnmarkets. Click here to know more about the Technical Analysis Course certified by NSE Academy.Moreover, you can also go through the study material or videos in google to develop an understanding on technical analysis.3. Read articles and blogsYou can regularly go through good blogs or articles or videos like-a. http://stockcharts.com/school/do...b. https://tradeacademy.in/courses/c. http://blog.elearnmarkets.com/te...d. http://www.tradingwithrayner.com/4. Virtual trading is importantPaper trading is a good way to track your performance and understanding on the subject. Moreover, you can use NSE Paathshala for virtual trading. This process is very important before entering into actual trade in the market.5. Market PsychologyPsychology plays a very important role in trading just like in a game of chess or in athletics. As a trader progresses from novice to expert, the understanding of both individual and crowd psychology becomes extremely relevant to become a successful trader apart from gaining the basic knowledge like chart patterns, risk management, market structure etc. With the market becoming extremely competitive day by day, traders are facing a lot of challenges which are sure to test their skills and limit of their psychologies.6. Follow good tradersStart following good traders in the world. Read about them, their trading strategies, their books, etc and it will surely benefit you in your trading career in the long run. Some of the well known names in the industry are as follow-a. Paul Tudor Jonesb. Jack swaggerc. Alexander Elderd. Martin J Pringe. John J Murphy7. Opt for Professional degreeYou can opt for CMT course, to gain specialization and detailed knowledge on technical analysis.Stock Market for Investment minds1. Books should always be the first stepSomeone has rightly said-“Books are one’s best friend”Some of the good books on fundamental analysis are as follows-1. The Intelligent investor by Benjamin Graham2. Competitive Strategy by Michael Porter3. The Essays of Warren Buffett by Lawrence Cunninghan4. Buffettology by Mary Buffett and David Clark2. Education is importantFundamental Analysis is a vast subject which starts right from reading Annual Reports and sector reports to analysing financial statement to valuation of the company. It’s better to get proper education on fundamental analysis, equity valuation and financial planning. Opt for a NSE certified Equity Valuation and Financial Modelling course on Elearnmarkets.3. Read annual report of companiesThere can be no better piece of information about a company than annual reports. It may look like a collection of pages which companies sends at the end of the year and reading it may seem to be a time consuming and a boring job. However it is a very valuable piece of information about a particular company. In the annual report, the company’s management discusses the important aspects about the company like industry performance, its vision for the long term, opportunities and threats faced by the company, company’s historical performance etc.Some of the important things which we need to focus while reading the annual report includes-a. Chairman’s letterb. Financial highlights- It gives snapshot about the performance of the company.c. Director’s report and MD&A sectiond. Financial performance- It provides 10 years summarised track recorde. Financial statementsFew of the important areas where we should focus while reading annual and comparing the annual reports :-i. Debt scenario of the companyii. Salaries drawn by the key personnel of the companyiii. Actions by the leading shareholders of the company4. Read good blogs and magazinesBlogs are good source of learning in today’s era where we are so busy with so many work. Reading blogs or articles helps you gain a lot of understanding on the subject and building storehouse of knowledge. Some of the blogs you can start with are given below-a. http://blog.elearnmarkets.com/fu...b. https://fundooprofessor.wordpres...c. https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/d. http://www.safalniveshak.com/5. Make idol and followThere are so many learned investors across the globe whom you can follow and learn from them. Read their biographies or autobiographies, their lessons and investment techniques. Some of the well known investors whom you can follow are as follows-a. Warren Buffettb. Charlie Mungerc. Jim Rogersd. George Sorose. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala6. For specialisationYou can opt for CFA course, to gain specialization and detailed knowledge on fundamental analysis.How to generate stock investment ideas?Once you start making investments in stock market, the question arises as to how to maintain the flow of investing ideas.This is one of the important discussions in the investment world. Out of so many companies listed on the exchange, it becomes really difficult to conduct research and decide in which companies to invest.So if you think that it is very difficult to implement practically, here’s a list of ways to generate simple stock investment ideas-i. Stock Screeners- Use stock screener and feed your own list of criteria’s for screening.ii. Disgraced stocks- Never take cues from stock price, rather look for strong businesses which have corrected much from its highs.iii. General observations- Seek ideas from things you use in daily life or see around yourself. Do research of the companies whose product or services you like the most.iv. Business media- Focus on the company specific news and avoid macroeconomic noise.v. Blogs- Good articles and blogs can be used as a base to start your own research work.vi. Read annual reports- After gathering information from the above ways, read annual report of companies in your circle of competence.Power of Trading and Investment togetherIt has been seen that they are able to generate better stock picks if you combine the expertise of both trading and investment. Some of the well known personalities who have done really well by combining the expertise of both trading and investments are as follows-a. Paul Tudor Jonesb. Mark Minervinic. Rakesh JhunjhunwalaMoney Management techniquesMoney management is a technique of managing money which encompasses investment, expense control and tracking, budgeting and taxes and it involves greater control of your incoming and outgoing.In the field of investment, money management deals with the decision of how much risk an individual should take in case of uncertain situation. To be more specific, it highlights what percentage or amount of the individual’s wealth should be risked so as to maximise the individual’s utility function.In stock market, it plays an important role in every success of a trading system. It has a close link with trading expectancy, which can be defined as average amount you can expect to win or lose with every dollar at risk.Let’s take an example that how money management plays a key role in your trading and investment life. Say the probability of profit and loss of all trade stands at 60:40, so using money management a trader can set his average win substantially higher compared to his average loss in order to produce a profitable trading system. On an average basis, say if the win fetches him around Rs 1000 per trade while the losses are limited to Rs 250 per trade, the expectancy stands at-Expectancy = (Trading system Winning probability * Average Win) – (Trading system losing probability * Average Loss) Expectancy= (0.4 x 1000) – (0.6 x 250)= Rs 250 i.e. the net average profit stands at Rs 250 per trade.In simple words, the mantra of successful money management is to maximise every winning trade and minimise all loss making trade (regardless your %Loss probability > %Win probability).Start investment with little moneyIt’s wise to see investment as something to be started small and then grown. It’s better to start where you are if you have little money or very less capital. However, even if you have a good capital base, it’s better to start small so that any big mistake doesn’t affect you much.If you are a working professional with little extra money each month after paying off all your expenses, it’s better to start with little money every month. It’s better to start with an SIP every month rather than direct equity if you do not much idea about markets and have no time to track the markets.BottomlineWe hope that this article helped and guided you in walking on the right track to further learning and decision making in stock market. A lot of time, dedication, patience and effort will be required to become a successful trader and investor. To conclude, the stock market has so much to learn, so the process of learning should never be stopped and rather it’s important to learn from your mistakes.

NOOOOOOO. You are talking to a military romance scammer. I received an email from the US Army that directly answers your question that is pasted below please keep reading.I believe you are the victim of a military Romance Scam whereas the person you are talking to is a foreign national posing as an American Soldier claiming to be stationed overseas on a peacekeeping mission. That's the key to the scam they always claim to be on a peacekeeping mission.Part of their scam is saying that they have no access to their money that their mission is highly dangerous.If your boyfriend girlfriend/future husband/wife is asking you to do the following or has exhibited this behavior, it is a most likely a scam:Moves to private messaging site immediately after meeting you on Facebook or SnapChat or Instagram or some dating or social media site. Often times they delete the site you met them on right after they asked you to move to a more private messaging siteProfesses love to you very quickly & seems to quote poems and song lyrics along with using their own sort of broken language, as they profess their love and devotion quickly. They also showed concern for your health and love for your family.Promises marriage as soon as he/she gets to state for leave that they asked you to pay for.They Requests money (wire transfers) and Amazon, iTune ,Verizon, etc gift cards, for medicine, religious practices, and leaves to come home, internet access, complete job assignments, help sick friend, get him out of trouble, or anything that sounds fishy.The military does provide all the soldier needs including food medical Care and transportation for leave. Trust me, I lived it, you are probably being scammed. I am just trying to show you examples that you are most likely being connned.Below is an email response I received after I sent an inquiry to the US government when I discovered I was scammed. I received this wonderful response back with lots of useful links on how to find and report your scammer. And how to learn more about Romance Scams.Right now you can also copy the picture he gave you and do a google image search and you will hopefully see the pictures of the real person he is impersonating. this doesn't always work and take some digging. if you find the real person you can direct message them and alert them that their image is being used for scamming.Good Luck to you and I'm sorry this may be happening to you. please continue reading the government response I received below it's very informative.   You have contacted an email that is monitored by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. Unfortunately, this is a common concern. We assure you there is never any reason to send money to anyone claiming to be a Soldier online. If you have only spoken with this person online, it is likely they are not a U.S. Soldier at all. If this is a suspected imposter social media profile, we urge you to report it to that platform as soon as possible. Please continue reading for more resources and answers to other frequently asked questions:  How to report an imposter Facebook profile: Caution-https://www.facebook.com/help/16... < Caution-https://www.facebook.com/help/16... >   Answers to frequently asked questions:  - Soldiers and their loved ones are not charged money so that the Soldier can go on leave.  - Soldiers are not charged money for secure communications or leave.  - Soldiers do not need permission to get married.  - Soldiers emails are in this format: john.doe.mil@mail.mil < Caution-mailto: john.doe.mil@mail.mil > anything ending in .us or .com is not an official email account.  - Soldiers have medical insurance, which pays for their medical costs when treated at civilian health care facilities worldwide – family and friends do not need to pay their medical expenses.  - Military aircraft are not used to transport Privately Owned Vehicles.  - Army financial offices are not used to help Soldiers buy or sell items of any kind.  - Soldiers deployed to Combat Zones do not need to solicit money from the public to feed or house themselves or their troops.  - Deployed Soldiers do not find large unclaimed sums of money and need your help to get that money out of the country.  Anyone who tells you one of the above-listed conditions/circumstances is true is likely posing as a Soldier and trying to steal money from you.  We would urge you to immediately cease all contact with this individual.  For more information on avoiding online scams and to report this crime, please see the following sites and articles:   This article may help clarify some of the tricks social media scammers try to use to take advantage of people: Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/61432/< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/61432/>   CID advises vigilance against 'romance scams,' scammers impersonating Soldiers  Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/180749 < Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/180749 >   FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: Caution-http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx< Caution-http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx>   U.S. Army investigators warn public against romance scams: Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/130...< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/130...>   DOD warns troops, families to be cybercrime smart -Caution-http://www.army.mil/article/1450...< Caution-http://www.army.mil/article/1450...>   Use caution with social networking  Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/146...< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/146...>    Please see our frequently asked questions section under scams and legal issues. Caution-http://www.army.mil/faq/ < Caution-http://www.army.mil/faq/ > or visit Caution-http://www.cid.army.mil/ < Caution-http://www.cid.army.mil/ >.  The challenge with most scams is determining if an individual is a legitimate member of the US Army. Based on the Privacy Act of 1974, we cannot provide this information. If concerned about a scam you may contact the Better Business Bureau (if it involves a solicitation for money), or local law enforcement. If you're involved in a Facebook or dating site scam, you are free to contact us direct; (571) 305-4056.   If you have a social security number, you can find information about Soldiers online at Caution-https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sc... < Caution-https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sc... > . While this is a free search, it does not help you locate a retiree, but it can tell you if the Soldier is active duty or not.  If more information is needed such as current duty station or location, you can contact the Commander Soldier's Records Data Center (SRDC) by phone or mail and they will help you locate individuals on active duty only, not retirees. There is a fee of $3.50 for businesses to use this service. The check or money order must be made out to the U.S. Treasury. It is not refundable. The address is:  Commander Soldier's Records Data Center (SRDC) 8899 East 56th Street Indianapolis, IN 46249-5301 Phone: 1-866-771-6357  In addition, it is not possible to remove social networking site profiles without legitimate proof of identity theft or a scam. If you suspect fraud on this site, take a screenshot of any advances for money or impersonations and report the account on the social networking platform immediately.  Please submit all information you have on this incident to Caution-www.ic3.gov < Caution-http://www.ic3.gov > (FBI website, Internet Criminal Complaint Center), immediately stop contact with the scammer (you are potentially providing them more information which can be used to scam you), and learn how to protect yourself against these scams at Caution-http://www.ftc.gov < Caution-http://www.ftc.gov > (Federal Trade Commission's website)

Reading the Intelligent Investor is the first step to learning about investing or understanding how to invest your many in any amount. Warren Buffet himself suggests the book. It is well known this is the end all be all book for investing. To get an Idea of what the book is about and how great and important it is here is a little article. Known as "the father of value investing" and the "Dean of Wall Street," Ben Graham (1894-1976) excelled at making money in the stock market for himself and his clients without taking big risks. Graham created and taught many principles of investing safely and successfully that modern investors continue to use today. These ideas were built on Graham's diligent, almost surgical, financial evaluation of companies. His experience led to simple, effective logic, upon which Graham built a successful method for investing. His Legacy ​Graham's work is legendary in investment circles. He's been credited as the creator of the security analysis profession. While best known as Warren Buffett's mentor, Graham was also a famous author, most notably for his books, "Security Analysis" (1934) and "The Intelligent Investor" (1949). Graham was one of the first to solely use financial analysis to successfully invest in stocks. He was also instrumental in drafting many elements of the Securities Act of 1933, also known as the "Truth in Securities Act," which, among other things, required companies to provide financial statements certified by independent accountants. This made Graham's work of financial analysis much easier and more efficient, and in this new paradigm, he succeeded. His Beginnings ​Graham was a star student at Columbia University in New York, and went to work on Wall Street shortly after graduation in 1914. He built up a sizable personal nest egg over the next 15 years with the use of his keen attention to details. Even so, he hadn't yet honed his investment strategy. He lost most of his money in the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression. After learning a hard lesson about risk, he wrote "Security Analysis" (published in 1934), which chronicled Graham's methods to analyze and value securities. This book has been used for decades in finance courses as the seminal work in the field. His Highs and Lows ​His losses in the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent bear market during the Great Depression led Graham to hone his investment techniques. These techniques sought to profit in stocks while minimizing downside risk. He did this by buying shares of companies whose shares traded far below the companies' liquidation value. In simple terms, his goal was to buy a dollar's worth of assets for 50 cents, and he did that very well, both in theory and in practice. There were two general ways that Graham used to do this. The first method was the use of market psychology. That is, using the fear and greed of the market to his advantage. The second was to invest by the numbers. His Theories: "Mr. Market" and Margin of Safety ​Graham stressed the importance of looking at the market as one would a business partner who offers to buy you out, or sell you his interest daily. Graham referred to this imaginary person as "Mr. Market." Graham said that sometimes Mr. Market's price makes sense, but sometimes it is way too high or low given the economic realities of the business.  You, as the investor, are free to buy Mr. Market's interest, sell out to him or even ignore him if you don't like his price. You may ignore him because he always comes back tomorrow with a different offer. This is the "use market" psychology. Graham viewed the freedom to be able to say "no" as a major advantage the average investor had over the professional who was required to be invested at all times, regardless of the current valuation of securities. Graham also stressed the importance of always having a margin of safety in one's investments. This meant only buying into a stock at a price that is well below a conservative valuation of the business. This is important because it allows profit on the upside as the market eventually revalues the stock to its fair value, and it also gives some protection on the downside if things don't work out as planned and the business falters. This was the mathematical side of his work. His Life as a Great Investor and Teacher ​In addition to his investment work, Graham taught a class in security analysis at his alma mater, Columbia University. Here, he was fascinated with the process and strategy of investing - just as much as he was fascinated with making money. To this end, he wrote "The Intelligent Investor" in 1949. This book provided more practical advice to the common investor than did "Security Analysis," and it became one of the best-selling investment books of all time. Warren Buffett describes "The Intelligent Investor" as "by far the best book on investing ever written" - high praise for a relatively simple book. Buffett has said that Graham was incredibly generous toward others especially with his investment ideas. In fact, Graham spent the better part of his retirement years working on new, simplified formulas to help average investors invest in stocks. Buffett now too follows this credo as he views his annual meetings as a chance to share his knowledge with the average investor. After reading "The Intelligent Investor" at age19, Buffett enrolled in Columbia Business School in order to study under Graham, and they subsequently developed a lifelong friendship. Later, he worked for Graham at his company, the Graham-Newman Corporation, which was similar to a closed-end mutual fund. Buffett worked there for two years until Graham decided to close the business and retire. Afterward, many of Graham's clients asked Warren Buffett to manage their money, and, as they say, the rest is history. Buffett went on to develop his own strategy, which differed from Graham's in that he stressed the importance of a business's quality and of holding investments indefinitely. Graham would typically invest based purely on the numbers of a company, and he would sell an investment at a predetermined value. Even so, Buffett has said that no one ever lost money by following Graham's methods and advice. If you're really interested in getting better results from your investments, then you should to read (and even re-read) Graham's work. The Bottom Line ​If you're wondering how Graham fared on his investments, it has been said that he averaged about a 20% annual return through his many years of managing money, although details of Graham's investments are not readily available. He achieved these results at a time when buying common stocks was widely regarded as a pure gamble, but Graham bought stocks with a method that both provided both low risk and a good return. For this reason, Graham was a true pioneer of financial analysis.You can get the book for free here at this link in PDF form by taking a quick survey: reliablefiles.com, When I downloaded it I just filled in the survey with a bunch of junk to bypass it and get my free PDF copy of the Intelligent Investor. Hint: One survey seems kind of spammy, it will come up as a Car Insurance survey, if you look closely you can find a skip button. I found the gift card surveys are the easiest, You will know what I am talking about when you see it. Thanks For Reading

Some great answers already here!However since the question states investing,money and stock markets I thought it would be nice to differentiate and make a comprehensive list. This i felt is crucial because for someone with no financial background its necessary to have a basic understanding of money and then financial markets.MONEY (General)THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR by Thomas J.Stanley and William D. DankoWhy you should read it?"The Millionaire Next Door' is great because it talks about the basics of personal finance," says Rob Gough, co-founder and president of Eckim (DefinitiveDeals.com, CouponChad.com). With simple, commonsense lessons like "spend less than you earn," "avoid buying status objects," and "diversify your investments," the book helps readers develop good habits from the very beginning.THE BEHAVIOR GAP by Carl RichardsWhy you should read it?A financial planner by training, Richards focuses on the silly mistakes people make over and over again — spending money they don't have, buying high because everyone else is, buying things that aren't meaningful — and explains how our natural instincts lead us astray even when we know what we should be doing instead. He tells and shows why we make bad decisions with money and offers tips and suggestions to avoid it.RICH DAD POOR DAD by Robert T.KiyosakiWhy you should read it?Rich Dad, Poor Dad" is well over a decade old, but is still one of the most-referenced and discussed personal finance books available. While telling the story of learning from two dads (as you'd expect, one is rich and one is poor), Kiyosaki relays six lessons to become wealthy, including "the rich don't work for money," and "work to learn, not for the money.Although Kiyosaki's book is somewhat polarizing, it provides a unique perspective on earning and business while encouraging entrepreneurship, a career path that's only gaining popularity among recent grads.I WILL TEACH YOU TO BE RICH by Ramit SethiWhy you should read it?In a breezy, irreverent style, Sethi lays out a serious six-week personal finance program for 20- to 35-year-olds who want to master their money with the least amount of effort and then get on with their lives."'I Will Teach You To Be Rich' is hands down the BEST book out there for the younger generation," says J. Money from Rockstar Finance. "It’s funny, educational, and full of exact 'how tos.' And a super easy one at that — which anyone with A.D.D. can appreciate (like me!)."INVESTINGTHE INTELLIGENT INVESTOR by Benjamin GrahamWhy you should read it?This book was written in 1949 and has been hailed by Warren Buffett as the best investing book ever written. Benjamin Graham is considered the "father of value investing." This paradigm advocates the purchase of stocks that appear underpriced relative to their inherent value, which is determined through fundamental analysis.Graham delves into the history of the stock market, and informs the reader on conducting fundamental analysis on a stock. He discusses ways to managing ones portfolio including both a positive and defensive approach. He then compares the stocks of several companies to illustrate his points.What makes Intelligent Investor one of the best investing books for beginners is that he talks at length about how to focus on the long-term health of a company or holding as a way to limit your risk. Again, the idea is focusing on a long-term wealth building strategy and not chasing after gains. If that’s not enough, Graham was Warren Buffett’s mentor so you know he knew a little bit about what he was talking about.BEATING THE STREET by Peter LynchWhy you should read it?Peter Lynch is one of the most successful stock market investors and hedge fund managers of the 20th century. He started out as an intern at Fidelity Investments in the mid 1960s. Nearly 11 years later, he was tasked to manage the Magellan Fund, which at the time had close to $18 million in assets. By 1990, the fund had grown to a whopping $18 billion in assets with nearly 1,000 stock positions. During this time, the fund boasted average returns of more than 29% per year."Beating The Street" allows the reader to peek into Lynch's mind and thought processes in terms of deciding whether to buy or sell a stock. Lynch believes that an individual investor could exploit market opportunities better than Wall Street.A RANDOM WALK DOWN WALL STREET by Burton G.MalkielWhy you should read it?This book was written by Burton Malkiel back in 1973. Yes, that was just over 40 years ago but his concepts still hold true today. In fact, I would list Random Walk as a must read book for both beginner and seasoned investors alike.What makes Random Walk one of the best investing books is that it simplifies difficult material so anyone can understand it. That can be difficult to do, but Malkiel does it in style and offers methods to follow that’ll help you as you begin to invest in the stock market.IF YOU CAN by William J.BernsteinWhy you should read it?What puts this new book on my list of top investing books for beginners is that it’s geared specifically for beginners and younger investors. As I’ve glanced through the book, Bernstein promotes a simple approach to beginning to invest in the stock market. Essentially, focusing on being with the market as opposed to chasing gains. Bernstein boils it down to a discipline that should be followed in order to attain long-term wealth that will continue to build on itself.COMMON STOCKS AND UNCOMMON PROFITS by Philip A.FisherWhy you should read it?Widely respected and admired, Philip Fisher is among the most influential investors of all time. His investment philosophies, introduced almost forty years ago, are not only studied and applied by today’s financiers and investors, but are also regarded by many as gospel. This book is invaluable reading and has been since it was first published in 1958.SECURITY ANALYSISWhy you should read it?First published in 1934, Security Analysis is one of the most influential financial books ever written. Selling more than one million copies through five editions, it has provided generations of investors with the timeless value investing philosophy and techniques of Benjamin Graham and David L. Dodd. As relevant today as when they first appeared nearly 75 years ago, the teachings of Benjamin Graham, “the father of value investing,” have withstood the test of time across a wide diversity of market conditions, countries, and asset classes.TOO BIG TO FAIL by Andrew Ross SorkinWhy you should read it?In one of the most gripping financial narratives in decades, Andrew Ross Sorkin-a New York Times columnist and one of the country’s most respected financial reporters-delivers the first definitive blow- by-blow account of the epochal economic crisis that brought the world to the brink. Through unprecedented access to the players involved, he re-creates all the drama and turmoil of these turbulent days, revealing never-before-disclosed details and recounting how, motivated as often by ego and greed as by fear and self-preservation, the most powerful men and women in finance and politics decided the fate of the world’s economy.NOTE: Reading all the above books are great to enhance your understanding about investing and money. For starters, I highly recommend you start with THE INTELLIGENT INVESTOR by Benjamin Graham.However, on your journey don’t restrict yourself just to books. Start following the news. Read the news and see how it affects peoples perception. You will realize how much impact peoples perception has on a business and vice -versa.Here is a good course which I have personally taken and would recommend:Online Courses - Anytime, Anywhere | UdemyMoreover, watch movies and documentaries.These will give you a good understanding about finance and money in an interesting way. Here is a list of my favorite 5 movies:WALL STREET (1987)THE CORPORATIONENRON: The smartest guys in the roomINSIDE JOBCAPITALISM: A love storyOkay, I said my top 5 but I just couldn’t leave this out:THE BIG SHORT

Look for an SaaS developer, someone with JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL skills to create Cloud-hosted browser-based forms and reports who also has a modicum of financial analysis background.Dumping obsolete Excel client server architecture as soon as you can will be the best thing you can do to bring your operation into the 21st Century.

Departments of education and school districts always have to make decisions about what to include in their curriculum.  There are a lot of life skills that people need that aren't taught in school.  The question is should those skills be taught in schools?I teach high school, so I'll talk about that.  The typical high school curriculum is supposed to give students a broad-based education that prepares them to be citizens in a democracy and to be able to think critically.  For a democracy to work, we need educated, discerning citizens with the ability to make good decisions based on evidence and objective thought.  In theory, people who are well informed about history, culture, science, mathematics, etc., and are capable of critical, unbiased thinking, will have the tools to participate in a democracy and make good decisions for themselves and for society at large.  In addition to that, they should be learning how to be learners, how to do effective, basic research, and collaborate with other people.  If that happens, figuring out how to do procedural tasks in real life should not provide much of a challenge.  We can't possibly teach every necessary life skill people need, but we can help students become better at knowing how to acquire the skills they need.  Should we teach them how to change a tire when they can easily consult a book or search the internet to find step by step instructions for that?  Should we teach them how to balance a check book or teach them how to think mathematically and make sense of problems so that the simple task of balancing a check book (which requires simple arithmetic and the ability to enter numbers and words in columns and rows in obvious ways) is easy for them to figure out.  If we teach them to be good at critical thinking and have some problem solving skills they will be able to apply those overarching skills to all sorts of every day tasks that shouldn't be difficult for someone with decent cognitive ability  to figure out.  It's analogous to asking why a culinary school didn't teach its students the steps and ingredients to a specific recipe.  The school taught them about more general food preparation and food science skills so that they can figure out how to make a lot of specific recipes without much trouble.  They're also able to create their own recipes.So, do we want citizens with very specific skill sets that they need to get through day to day life or do we want citizens with critical thinking, problem solving, and other overarching cognitive skills that will allow them to easily acquire ANY simple, procedural skill they may come to need at any point in their lives?

Years ago I worked at document management company.  There is cool software that can automate aspects of hand-written forms.  We had an airport as a customer - they scanned plenty and (as I said before) this was several years ago...On your airport customs forms, the "boxes" that you 'need' to write on - are basically invisible to the scanner - but are used because then us humans will tend to write neater and clearer which make sit easier to recognize with a computer.  Any characters with less than X% accuracy based on a recognition engine are flagged and shown as an image zoomed into the particular character so a human operator can then say "that is an "A".   This way, you can rapidly go through most forms and output it to say - an SQL database, complete with link to original image of the form you filled in.If you see "black boxes" at three corners of the document - it is likely set up for scanning (they help to identify and orient the page digitally).  If there is a unique barcode on the document somewhere I would theorize there is an even higher likelihood of it being scanned - the document is of enough value to be printed individually which costs more, which means it is likely going to be used on the capture side.   (I've noticed in the past in Bahamas and some other Caribbean islands they use these sorts of capture mechanisms, but they have far fewer people entering than the US does everyday)The real answer is: it depends.  Depending on each country and its policies and procedures.  Generally I would be surprised if they scanned and held onto the paper.   In the US, they proably file those for a set period of time then destroy them, perhaps mining them for some data about travellers. In the end,  I suspect the "paper-to-data capture" likelihood of customs forms ranges somewhere on a spectrum like this:Third world Customs Guy has paper to show he did his job, paper gets thrown out at end of shift. ------>  We keep all the papers! everything is scanned as you pass by customs and unique barcodes identify which flight/gate/area the form was handed out at, so we co-ordinate with cameras in the airport and have captured your image.  We also know exactly how much vodka you brought into the country. :)