Santa's Reading List

“We do occasionally give books, not just for holidays. One we’ve given to many people is an investment philosophy book, Winning the Loser’s Game: Timeless Strategies for Successful Investing, by Charles D. Ellis (1998). Also, Peter Bernstein’s books–Capital Ideas (1993), Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk (1998), and The Power of Gold (2000). Then there’s my book, Wealth Management (1997), for clients who have indicated a pretty deep interest in investments.” Other titles his practice will present to clients, although not necessarily for the holidays, are Mary Rowland’s A Common Sense Guide to Mutual Funds (1998), Judith Viorst’s Necessary Losses (1997) and for clients who are grieving, Melba Colgrove’s How to Survive the Loss of a Love (1993) and Antoine St.-Exup?ry’s The Little Prince (2000).

Ross Levin of Accredited Investors in Edina, Minnesota, also has some suggestions. “Our view of financial planning is to integrate all the client’s resources,” says Levin. His firm’s clients are not generally concerned with having enough money to get by, he says; it’s more a question of trying to integrate their values with their lives. “Most of our clients have meaning issues, and it’s a matter of trying to figure out how they can make decisions consistent with their values,” so the books he suggests are a truly eclectic mix. Such titles as The Overspent American (1999) by Juliet Schor, Luxury Fever (2000) by Robert H. Frank, For Richer, Not Poorer: The Money Book for Couples (1999) by Ruth L. Hayden, Siddhartha (1971) by Hermann Hesse, and Man’s Search for Meaning (1976) by Victor Frankl, cover everything from wanting too much in the way of material goods to the quest for finding your way through life.

Some further suggestions from Susan John: To go from the sublime to the visually captivating, you might want to try The Art of the Market (1999), by Bob Tamarkin. Art from two centuries’ worth of stock certificates graces the pages of this book. Historically minded, feminist-oriented clients might also be interested in Other Powers (1998), by Barbara Goldsmith. And the scientifically inclined might welcome Beyond Einstein (1995), by Machio Kaku, a look at string theory and other scientific esoterica.

Keep in mind this advice from Maton: “We found that if you really have a message you want the client to get, don’t expect them to read the book from cover to cover,” she says. “Put a little card in it, and say, ‘You might want to read chapter such and such.’ Everybody’s busy. Handing them a book that might have a message might be a little overwhelming, and marking it can make it easier.”

We wish you all a peaceful and joyous holiday season. Happy reading!