1 comments about Options Made Easy: How to Make Profits Trading in Puts and Calls.

1. I bought this book "Options Made Easy," in haste as a father's day gift. My retired dad's new hobby is investing. This book Options Made Easy is a VERY dated! Its author was born 50 years before my dad, (W.D. Gann's was born in 1878, died 1955.) The author may be an icon in investing history but this book is poorly written and so dated that it is a JOKE! I presumed that W.D. Gann's theories were updated to the modern era of real-time Web trading and low cost transactions. Why did I assume that the book was updated? Because it says copyright 2007. The material is comically out of date. There is nothing in its description to clarify that it is dated and I conclude written in the early 1930s. Examples of Dated Content,
   There is no mention of the Internet or the Web; the book says "if you live outside of NYC you can give an order to your local broker and he will buy puts and calls for your account...when you want to sell, the broker will take care of the transaction for you." WOW! The section titled Put and Call Brokers on page 24 is laughable. Then page 25 states that you can send your check or money order to your Put and Call Broker and he will buy puts and calls for your account.
   Someone at the Richest Man in Babylon organization, slapped this old material together with a 2007 copyright date. They could have hired an editor to update the content to current options market reality or at least make clear that is was written in the 30s. Page 25 notes that you can get quicker service using Postal Telegraph or Western Union! The book talks about buying Chrysler, GM and U.S. Steel at $100. Pages 34 and thereafter mentions Chrysler on February 3 1936 to June 5 1936. Page 69 Douglas Aircraft...there is a piece of history...ancient history. Save your money! Do NOT buy Options Made Easy...unless you are buying it for a bit of history and some laughs. The concepts have not changed but the systems certainly have changed and have empowered the individual investor.
   
   Fortunately, I also bought my dad Understanding Options by Mike Sincere...so this Father's Day I can contribute to my dad's continuing financial education.

No comments about Introduction to Option-Adjusted Spread Analysis (Bloomberg Professional Library).

1 comments about When Stocks Crash Nicely: The Finer Art of Short Selling.

1. the book is good overall. it gives you many detailed particular examples and is worth reading also because it gives you an idea which SEC forms to review to determine if a stock is worth buying or shorting. A bit weak on general guidelines though.

5 comments about Real Options Analysis: Tools and Techniques for Valuing Strategic Investments and Decisions (Book and CD ROM).

1. What is a "real option"? This kind of option is not a derivative instrument, but an actual option (in the sense of "choice") that a business may gain by undertaking certain endeavors. For example, by investing in a particular project, a company may have the real option of expanding, downsizing, or abandoning other projects in the future. Other examples of real options may be opportunities for R&D, M&A, and licensing. In corporate finance, real options analysis or applies put option and call option valuation techniques to capital budgeting decisions.
   
   This book is written for both the beginners and as those skilled in real options applications. The book is organized in such a way that each chapter has a brief summary and a list of questions, so you can construct a small exam based on these questions.
   
   The book provides a refreshingly new view of evaluating capital investment strategies by taking into consideration the strategic decision-making process. The book provides a qualitative and quantitative description of real options, the methods used in solving real options, why and when they are used, and the applicability of these methods in decision-making. In addition, multiple business cases and real-life scenarios are discussed. This includes presenting and framing the problems, as well as introducing a stepwise quantitative process developed by the author for solving these problems using the different methodologies inherent in real options. Included are technical presentations of models and approaches used as well as their theoretical and mathematical justifications.
   
   The book consists of two parts. The first part looks at the qualitative nature of real options, providing actual business cases and applications of real options in the industry, as well as high-level explanations of how real options provide much-needed insights in decision-making. The second part of the book looks at the quantitative analysis, complete with worked-out examples and mathematical formulae.
   
   Pros:
   - Has a good introduction to real options, suitable for the beginners
   - Lots of remarkable, real-world examples
   - Gradually progresses from basic to advanced techniques
   - Provides some basic financial statement analysis concepts used in applying real options
   - Compares financial options with real options; provides major similarities and differences
   
   Cons:
   - The accompanying CD disk includes the demo version of "Real Option Analysis Toolkit" (demo) and "Crystal Ball Software" - both expire briefly after the installation.



2. It is a real-hand-on book! Although the book looks very "huge", the analysis helps me to prepare MBA class.



3. Mun's book shows how real options problems, like those faced in the real world, can be solved. Other books may provide a better introduction to real options concepts, but the methods employed are suitable only for very simple problems. Where other approaches require that you develop your own lattices (or other solutions), Mun shows you how to use his Supper Lattice Solver and Monte Carlo simulation software to solve these problems. I am convinced that his approach will not only facilitate the solution of these problems, but will also be more readily accepted by management. I look forward to acquiring Mun's software and applying it in practice.



4. As practitioners and academics continue to grapple with quantifiable uncertainties in real asset decision making, the debate about real option models will no doubt continue.
   
   Johnathan Mun's second book and more specifically his case study approach allows practitioners from diverse industries to enter the debate with simple excel asset pricing skills. To my mind there is no better pragmatic work on the topic than the second edition of Real Options Analysis. With the book in one hand and the robust SLS software up on the screen - framing, pricing and understanding real options is pretty straightforward.
   
   Two points to note: After 30 days, just as you begin to get hooked on the superb software it is likely to gently expire. That's when you are saved by the second point; the author is hugely supportive - His `one line insights' in response to specific queries made this a great purchase.
   
   Edinburgh. Scotland.



5. This was my first book on Real Options. After this, I complemented my knowledge with more accurate researches on the theoritic foundations on the subject (eg. Trigeorgis and Copeland).
   What I liked of this text is that it was a soft landing into the Real Option world, with a simple and easily understandable description. Its major pro is to present transparently the basics of a concept that is often approached at a too high and formal level.
   What I did not like is the fact that few chapters at the end were not really useful but full of stuff and formulas with no explanations that cannot practically be used. I had the sensation they were out of place, since I could grasp their meaning only after passing to more comprehensive books.
   One more criticism is that you don't understand the effect of the difference between private and public risk in real options evaluation as you do with other texts. However, I still consider this the book where I formed my basics before being able to master some other more detailed book (but also more difficult to master). The Crystall-Ball package was also a nice surprise. At the end, if you consider the price and the content it was surely good value for money even though it's not a masterpiece.

5 comments about The Four Biggest Mistakes in Option Trading (Trade Secrets Ser).

1. This is the first review I ever share on Amazon. I tend to keep my thoughts to myself, but this book is more a pamphlet that leads to their service advertisements. I think someone must bring this "scam" to light. (Please check the number of pages in this "book", then divide by 4 to get the equivalent pages of a book)
   
   The 4 items that this book covers are common sense that any experienced investor and intermediate trader would have developed in the first 3 years at the respective area.
   
   Use the cost of this book and buy a deep out of money contract. It will be more profitable.



2. Well written and concise. Very very importan for ALL Option traders to own and keep in their library. If anyone understands a little bit about "Implied Volatility", this book is a must!



3. by far a worthless book on options,
   the cover looks great, but this has no
   value; I learned more on the optionsxpress
   website than this book, anyone who has
   read an options book would not
   appreciate this book it assumes you
   know nothing about options and really
   tricks you into thinking that the author
   knows what he is talking about.



4. This book is useful in directing novice options traders to the four biggest mistakes usually made in this area. The book does what is says with describing the theory behind the authors arguments but unfortunaly does not provide market examples on how that should be implemented in real life. Having read other books by this author, I am sure he is capable of supplementing his theory with examples . One of the mistakes he mentions is buying only out of the money options and he recommends buying in the money options. Unfortunately he does not address the fact that this approach could still result in a total loss if the option ends out of the money by expiration day. In addition to be successful in trading in the money options your timing needs to be accurate enough to be certain you do not face a total loss. Timing is never addressed in this book and you would need to supplement this by other books that focus more on this area.
   Why 5 stars? Even with these shotcomings it is important that beginners know where they can go wrong and then focus on what to do right.



5. There are four basic mistakes all beginning option traders make, these are:
   1) Relying solely on market timing;
   2) Buying only out-of-the-money options;
   3) Using strategies that are too complex; and
   4) Casting too wide a net on option choices

   Relying solely on market timing.
   It causes failure because it ignores implied volatility. It can lead to paying far too much to purchase an option. It would be like buying a stock without knowing its P/E, or buying a car without knowing its blue book value. The way to avoid this mistake is by carefully analyzing which options are best suited to achieve your objective. Also, measure what is the current implied volatility of these options and compare it vs. the historical volatility of this option. This will give you an idea of the current valuation of this option, and whether it appears overpriced or underpriced.

   Buying only out-of-the-money options.
   By doing so, you ignore the probability that the option will eventually be in-the-money. It leads to buying options with little likelihood of profiting. You can get lucky once. But, such a blind strategy is a sure way to get wiped out in option trading. Instead, you should know exactly what is the probability of you making money on each option trades. This entails knowing the "Delta" of a specific option. If an option has a Delta of 20. It has a 20% chance of being in-the-money.

   Using strategies that are too complex.
   This leads to unfavorable risk\reward situations. First, you should determine your objective and make certain the trade you are going to make can achieve those objectives without more risk than you can handle.

   Casting too wide a net.
   You will spend too much time wasted looking for opportunities among illiquid options. By doing so, you will waste a lot of your potential returns on the wider bid and ask spreads of these less than liquid options. Instead, focus on securities that have actively traded options.

   This book is a real eye opener on option trading.

2 comments about Pay Me in Stock Options: Manage the Options You Have, Win the Options You Want.

1. The only useful information I got about stock option programs is a list of websites to check out for information on such programs.
   This book provided fewer details than our company gives us about the program. The rest of the book reads a lot like according to so-and-so. It suggests that you maintain anywhere between 0-75% of your portfolio in company stock. Can you be a bit more specific here?
   I bought this book hoping to learn about what to do with our company stock options, NOT what they are. I can sum up what company options are and how and when you may exercise them in a few pages, You don't need a 200+ page book to do that.



2. Not everyone who has stock options is a dot com millionaire. This is a practical guide to stock options for all levels of employees. The author helps decipher the rules of stock plans that are usually unintelligible.

No comments about Options As a Strategic Investment, 3rd Edition by Larry McMillan.

5 comments about TurnKey Investing with Lease-Options: How to Simply & Safely Create 12% Returns with Investment Property!.

1. I was expecting a turn key guide - I just didn't see it in this book. This book had some good info but not detailed enough for me - a lot of high level, basic, common sense information. I have been a landlord for many years and own many properties. I wanted to use this book to tap into the lease-options market - I will need to keep researching. I am actually a little upset I purchased this book - it was too expensive for what I got.



2. I actually was a big fan of using lease options before i ever read this book. I thought i knew it all when it came to lease options and the different ways to buy properties using this method. Well, guess what...I was very wrong. I actually found this book by accident and decided to give it try. I mean another book on lease options...WOW. Then i started reading the first page, the first page became the 7th page and so on. Next thing you know i was reading the entire book. THis book has changed my life and my business. I am a fellow investor and the information from this book changed the way i looked at lease options. Matthews book shows you exactly why they are number 1 for lease options in there area. His ideas are cutting edge, yet explained so that a 5 year old can understand them. Unlike many writers who claim to be investors, Matthew is a investor turned writer. One of the best features i found was that matthew broke down the mindset of different teants. By knowing the mindset of your tenant this gives you a hugh advantage of the compitition. This book helped me to reach a new level of understanding and a new level for my business. LOL, if he keeps writing books like this then he may have to start a fan club. So, in ending if you want a book that shows in detail the art of selling on a lease option and creating a steady cash flow every month, then please check this book out. I promise you will love it and if you dont then you have missed out.



3. With contributions by Wes Weaver, professional real estate investor and property manager Matthew S. Chan has creative "TurnKey Investing with Lease-Options: How To Simply & Safely create 12% Returns With Investment Property!" a comprehensive, "reader friendly", instructive introduction on creating, investing, and managing a profitable real estate portfolio utilizing Lease-Option. Readers will learn how Lease-Options work to simply and safely build an investment portfolio; how to generate steady, spendable cash flow through Lease-Options; finding the right real estate market to safely invest in for a reliable return; profitably manage properties while avoiding ongoing maintenance expenses eating into the bottom line; recruiting the right management team to build and guard a real estate based investment portfolio; even how to invest in a Lease Option investment strategy without the necessity of owning property. Superbly organized, informed and informative, Matthew Chan's "TurnKey Investing with Lease-Options" should be considered a mandatory study and on-going reference guide by anyone aspiring to make money consistently and reliably in today's volatile and competitive real estate market through the utilization of Lease-Option strategies.



4. If I were still working, I would be reading Turnkey Investing with Lease-Options as I would an excellent novel! Indeed, I was not only impressed with this book; I was amazed! The main reason for my careful review of this book was that I read it wearing two former hats. One was as the experienced lease manager for a land-grant university but, more importantly, the other as a young single professional woman who had entered into a lease-purchase arrangement when I decided to buy a condo many years ago.
   
   Even though I was already managing leased space for the university, when I decided to purchase a condo, I was not prepared for the trauma of having to face a major financial burden with no support. My mother was living with me at the time, but I knew the little money she provided would not continue through the life of the mortgage. Additionally, although I had been promoted on an ongoing basis, and expected another promotion in the near future, I had no savings or verification that I would be able to meet mortgage payments. Fortunately, my landlord wanted to get the last unit sold in this complex and offered to allow all rent payments to go toward an ultimate down payment on the actual purchase price.
   
   If you are in a similar situation-buy this book. It is not necessarily intended for the potential new property owner; however, it provides a lot of essential information you need to know as you consider this option. For instance, for years, I sat in my new condo with nothing on my walls, no pictures, and no decorations-because my landlord had told me this wasn't permitted. Such a little thing, but I grew to hate those bare walls and, finally, even though feeling guilty, pounded the first nail toward making that house a home! With this book, I would have been in a position to question and negotiate what I could have done in this place I intended to make my long-term home! Indeed, the acquisition of a home via lease option is based upon accepting a home, essentially as-is with the ability to improve and upgrade the building as if it were already owned.
   
   At the same time, even though this book is written for a specific geographical area, the philosophy, the management direction, and the presentation itself all provide an excellent learning tool for an individual who has been given any type of property management responsibility, no matter where that property is located. In addition to thoroughly describing lease-options, the book covers how to research the market, purchasing, preparing, marketing and finding the right tenants. The excellent ideas used herein can be easily translated for use in any type of real estate transactions.
   
   And, finally, if I were a potential real estate investor, not having already committed to my retirement plan, I would be in contact with Mr. Chan immediately! Why? This book shows exactly what I as an investor need to know to make the decision to consider real estate as an investment. And, what's more, he proves his claims with sufficient facts and figures that you can believe. That's a major accomplishment for those who are reticent to invest in anything that has some risk.
   
   Mr. Chan's book is perhaps one of the best written books of its type. Using the traditional training method, he first gives an outline of what he is going to explain and teach and then he repeats each item, both times providing specific details, but also anticipating any questions that might evolve based upon his presentation. You can tell immediately that the author speaks with authority, based upon knowledge and experience, readily confessing to trial-and-error issues.
   
   Mr. Chan opens his book with recommendations from those who are involved in considering investment options. By the time you finish the book, you will have gained a certain trust for the company and its team. However, assuming you are not in a position to invest directly with TurnKey Investing, this book provides sufficient details for you to learn about real estate investments. Specifically, the use of conventional financing through a bank, versus private financing, versus seller financing is explained. The author is open and quick to point out that the best financial gain is through the use of cash/private financing. However, the use of bank financing is also explained and the returns of each are explored thoroughly. For a potential real estate investor, Turnkey Investing is worth every penny of its purchase price.
   
   I think the real value of the book, however, is for those who are interested in getting into the real estate business using lease-options. Turnkey Investing defines a market and stays with it-specifically to serve the thousands, if not millions, of people across the United States who wish to own a home but are not able to gain financial backing through the normal process, especially in the early years of their adult lives. Lease-option is an important contribution in today's world of turmoil and insecurity. It provides a no-lose option to those who are now renting without any future return on those funds. At the same time, it provides an opportunity for houses to move faster on the market and a way by which a landlord or property manager can respond in a cost-effective as well as profitable manner.
   
   Finally, as a long-time planner and manager, I was most impressed with this company's use of Kaisen. This Japanese concept is the belief in making small, ongoing improvements to a business system. A review of their online activities which allows practically everything to be done online to apply for a home, the use of a hot-line as a means of dispensing valuable information and basic management decisions to expedite efficient use of their teams' time is a delight to see in practice! Even if you have absolutely no interest in real estate, if you are a planner or manager, study the book to absorb what can be learned from this efficient and effective team!
   
   The TurnKey Investor's Essential Lease-Option Lessons as well as CD audio programs and a Documents Collection supplement this book. However, this first book, TurnKey Investing with Lease-Options, easily stands alone as a major real estate manual. It's a Must Read for property managers, landlords interested in upgrading their activities, as well as real estate agents, lease managers and others who are interested in this major and profitable business!



5. I expected a lot more out of this book. Granted, this is about the only "book" out there that discusses lease-options but it still left a lot to be desired. Most "gurus" charge a lot more for their courses than you will spend on a book, but I still expected that this book would do a better job of explaining transactions and give better guidance. I hoped he would add something that can't be found on about any real estate investing website. Instead there is a lot of empty space on the pages and simple common ordinary advice that I could have got from my own mother (who knows nothing about real estate investing). There is very little meat and not a lot of good examples. Maybe he meant it to be that way as he says in one of the early chapters that it is not meant to be technical or all inclusive but is only written for practical guidance. I actually didn't find it of any practical help as no where does he say how he arrives at his option consideration. What is he looking for in an option? How much is enough? Does he give the tenant any credit from the rent payments? He doesn't say. If not, why not? I had a hard time figuring out his overall approach. Maybe he wants the reader to buy more of his products to find out. I really am bewildered by the book and get the feeling it is written so that you will buy more from his website.

5 comments about The Options Doctor: Option Strategies for Every Kind of Market (Wiley Trading).

1. This book is for the reader who is not familiar in the stock market and didn't trade a stock or read a graph. You may find some valuable chapters in the final section of the book, but I won't recommend this book a whole, because it lacks the central theme. If you didn't read anything about options yet, I have some recommendations. If you are not quite familiar with the stock market, I would suggest "The Options Course" by George A. Fontanills and Richard Cawood. If you did buy stocks already, then skim Trading Options For Dummies by George A. Fontanills.
   
   Pros:
   - has plenty of references to other books;
   - has unique topics about managing a losing position and managing a winning position. These topics are almost always overlooked in other books;
   
   Cons:
   - an important technique of selling puts as a way of buying the underlying security is not covered in this book. If you like this topic, read chapter 19 of "Options as a Strategic Investment".
   - only the second half of the book is devoted to options. The first half is about charts and graphs. I would prefer two distinct books rather than one that combines both.



2. I've been trading options for a few years and this must be the worst options book i own. The author writes in a talk-show host style, covering alot of nonsense that is irrelavant to the subject at hand. Worst, she explains topics that are completely irrelavant in todays market. She devotes a whole chapter on the types of charting, candlesticks, high-low, etc, info easily obtained with a simple google search.I bought this in June 2007 for $34.65 and the price now is priced $10 more today.



3. It has provided a good introduction. The title is misleading as the option strategies only begin in the second half of the book. Pay-off charts are not in the book so it will be hard to visualise the position.



4. I have been trading options for years now and am always on the look out for a good book. This book actually disappointed me; the substance in this book were so poor that I couldn't even get past few pages. To be fair, I also tried reading some chapters where I though there may be some substance, but was disappointing. I am sure the author is learned and qualified but the book is very poorly written and lack substance. There is lot of chatter about trading floor but no reasoning on trades / strategies.



5. 
   I liked the book in a way since it gave you a shotgun approach on the options world of trading. Beware! you must have some Basic Options background to even attempt to read this book if not you will be more frustrated since there are examples that are really complicated but very helpfull to a seasoned option traders. I recommend geting well versed with options before buying this book but otherwise its a good book to have for reference and review.
   
   happy trading!!

2 comments about Listed Stock Options: The Hands-One Study Guide for Investors & Traders, Revised Edition.

1. This slim green book is a study guide, yet it offers real world examples, chapters on simple option strategies and presents its ideas in clear, short chapters. It is still options 101, not hype 101 (for that entertaining course, see Wade Cook's Wall St. Money Machine).

   But the low cost book will serve you as well as Natenber's big green bible on Option Volatility, or Kolb's thick black finance course called Understanding Options.




2. The book starts out explaining the basics of options and then goes on to explain spreads, straddles and strangles, hedging, repair strategy, and a brief discussion of leaps. For a middle of the road investor it brought to light several strategies that I'd been trying to understand. Making me a more informed investor.