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The Art of Execution: How the world's best investors get it wrong and still make millions 1st Edition, Kindle Edition


Over seven years, 45 of the world's top investors were given between $25 and $150m to invest by fund manager Lee Freeman-Shor. His instructions were simple. There was only one rule. They could only invest in their ten best ideas to make money.
It seemed like a foolproof plan to make a lot of money. What could possibly go wrong? These were some of the greatest minds at work in the markets today - from top European hedge fund managers to Wall Street legends.
But most of the investors' great ideas actually lost money. Shockingly, a toss of a coin would have been a better method of choosing whether or not to invest in a stock.
Nevertheless, despite being wrong most of the time, many of these investors still ended up making a lot of money.
How could they be wrong most of the time and still be profitable? The answer lay in their hidden habits of execution, which until now have only been guessed at from the outside world.
This book lays bare those secret habits for the first time, explaining them with real-life data, case studies and stories taken from Freeman-Shor's unique position of managing these investors on a day-to-day basis.
A riveting read for investors of every level, this book shows you exactly what to do and what not to do when your big idea is losing or winning - and demonstrates conclusively why the most important thing about investing is always the art of execution.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fantastic...such a compelling read...There is a handful of investment books I wish someone had given me 30 years ago. This is one of them.” ―Tom Stevenson, Telegraph

“This book isn't really about investing, instead it's more of an exploration of human behaviour under different types of stress, and this is what makes the book fascinating...This book is written to appeal to all kinds of investors, and is bound to appeal to both the author's peers and to the inexperienced investor.” ―Owen Jones, Fidelity Personal Investing

“I think that you make a very good point, which is that there are many styles to investing as there are ways to go through life, but the person who knows his character, and is knowing of his environment and his investment horse, is the one that wins over the long term, provided that he is asked to make defined decisions, which strip the investor of his natural inclination to hedge his bets.” ―Crispin Odey, hedge fund manager and founding partner of Odey Asset Management

“Fascinating and instructive reading” ―Jim Slater, Telegraph

“I am often asked by graduate students what books I have read that I could recommend they read to make the students better investors. My answer generally is that the student should read the Intelligent Investor and the Reminiscences of a Stock Operator; I will now add your book to the short list for students to read...I wish I had read this book thirty years ago!” ―Dennis M. Bryan, Partner at FPA and a legendary investor in the USA

“As investors we all know that we should let the winners run and cut the losers. The question is how this works in practice in investment management. Freeman-Shor provides a comprehensive framework how to deal with losing positions and how to make winning positions have a big positive impact on your portfolio returns. A great read for investment novices and professionals alike.” ―Dirk Enderlein, partner and fund manager at Wellington

“With a unique insight into the day to day behaviours of some of the world's best fund managers Lee Freeman-Shor draws out some invaluable lessons for both the private and professional investor and lays bare the behavioural pitfalls we are all subject to in executing our investment ideas” ―James InglisJones, fund manager at Liontrust

“I truly enjoyed reading your book. Not often I read a book that has so many relevant real-life examples. I also enjoyed reading the quotes very appropriate. You summarize a winning strategy in a very concise manner while backing it up with both examples and data. It is a must read for all managers and allocators. I will order my copy right away and will send some to our clients.” ―Arik Ahitov, Managing Director and fund manager at FPA

“I really enjoyed reading it, although I have to say it was in some respects a chastening experience as - in spite of best efforts - there are times when I lapse into some of the negative behaviours you identify. I think the insights are terrific though and it will serve as an 'internal voice of conscience' forcing me to scrutinise execution and timing more thoroughly” ―Daniel Nickols, fund manager and Head of UK Small and MidCap equities at Old Mutual Global Investors

“An enjoyable and thought provoking read, from somebody with the real life evidence to back up the findings. An easy to read and enlightening study of behavioural finance, brought to life with real life experiences” ―Kevin Lilley, Europe ex UK fund manager, Old Mutual global Investors

“It is an interesting and easy read with useful insights for the private investor.” ―Jeremy Prescott, Private Investor

“This might be the most important book on investments that a private investor can read.” ―Mats Larsson, InvestingByTheBooks

Review

"This book isn't really about investing, instead it's more of an exploration of human behaviour under different types of stress, and this is what makes the book fascinating...This book is written to appeal to all kinds of investors, and is bound to appeal to both the author's peers and to the inexperienced investor."
- Owen Jones, Fidelity Personal Investing

"I think that you make a very good point, which is that there are many styles to investing as there are ways to go through life, but the person who knows his character, and is knowing of his environment and his investment horse, is the one that wins over the long term, provided that he is asked to make defined decisions, which strip the investor of his natural inclination to hedge his bets."
- Crispin Odey, hedge fund manager and founding partner of Odey Asset Management

"I am often asked by graduate students what books I have read that I could recommend they read to make the students better investors. My answer generally is that the student should read the Intelligent Investor and the Reminiscences of a Stock Operator; I will now add your book to the short list for students to read...I wish I had read this book thirty years ago!"
- Dennis M. Bryan, Partner at FPA and a legendary investor in the USA

"As investors we all know that we should let the winners run and cut the losers. The question is how this works in practice in investment management. Freeman-Shor provides a comprehensive framework how to deal with losing positions and how to make winning positions have a big positive impact on your portfolio returns. A great read for investment novices and professionals alike."
- Dirk Enderlein, partner and fund manager at Wellington

"With a unique insight into the day to day behaviours of some of the world's best fund managers Lee Freeman-Shor draws out some invaluable lessons for both the private and professional investor and lays bare the behavioural pitfalls we are all subject to in executing our investment ideas"
- James Inglis-Jones, fund manager at Liontrust

"I truly enjoyed reading your book. Not often I read a book that has so many relevant real-life examples. I also enjoyed reading the quotes very appropriate. You summarize a winning strategy in a very concise manner while backing it up with both examples and data. It is a must read for all managers and allocators. I will order my copy right away and will send some to our clients."
- Arik Ahitov, Managing Director and fund manager at FPA

"I really enjoyed reading it, although I have to say it was in some respects a chastening experience as - in spite of best efforts - there are times when I lapse into some of the negative behaviours you identify. I think the insights are terrific though and it will serve as an 'internal voice of conscience' forcing me to scrutinise execution and timing more thoroughly"
- Daniel Nickols, fund manager and Head of UK Small and Mid-Cap equities at Old Mutual Global Investors

"An enjoyable and thought provoking read, from somebody with the real life evidence to back up the findings. An easy to read and enlightening study of behavioural finance, brought to life with real life experiences"
- Kevin Lilley, Europe ex UK fund manager, Old Mutual global Investors

"It is an interesting and easy read with useful insights for the private investor."
- Jeremy Prescott, Private Investor

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0153LKGFE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harriman House; 1st edition (September 14, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1316 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 130 pages
  • Customer Reviews:

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
795 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the premise interesting and worthwhile, with concise and to the point content. They also describe the book as very readable and quick.

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20 customers mention "Premise"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's premise interesting, worthwhile, and concise. They also appreciate the simple ideas and lessons for any investor or trader. Readers also mention the book is well written, well organized, and has tons of real-life examples.

"The book is short, very readable with good ideas, though a bit simplistic at times." Read more

"Book is full of learning tools, rules (strong suggestions) of investing, and plenty of statistical data to prove his points." Read more

"...numbers should be immediately ignored as dangerous, the general concepts are interesting and worth sparking curiosity in a trader's chosen strategy...." Read more

"Good book, very quick and easy read, concise and to the point...." Read more

16 customers mention "Readability"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very readable and good.

"The book is short, very readable with good ideas, though a bit simplistic at times." Read more

"...failure and success behavioral patterns, the final result is a very readable book whose taxonomy seem both reasonable and familiar...." Read more

"...This is now at the top of my recommendation list. Short, relatively easy read with data to back up the perspectives...." Read more

"Great book, well written, and a quick read. It highlights issues we all contend with, but is geared toward long term equity investors/managers...." Read more

3 customers mention "Length"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very short, but say it's a good value.

"The book is short, very readable with good ideas, though a bit simplistic at times." Read more

"...This is now at the top of my recommendation list. Short, relatively easy read with data to back up the perspectives...." Read more

"Very short but a good value..." Read more

Should absolutely be required reading for ALL new investors.
5 out of 5 stars
Should absolutely be required reading for ALL new investors.
I've often struggled to have a valuable recommendation on hand for those asking me about reading material for beginners in the market. Sure, the 'Market Wizards', 'Intelligent Investor' etc. may come to mind, but I think at the most basic level, any new investor should be primed on risk management before hearing/learning anything else. This is now at the top of my recommendation list. Short, relatively easy read with data to back up the perspectives. And even if you're a 'veteran', this is a great value add that touches not just on methodology, but behavioral psychology as well.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2023
I learned I got a few things right now, and it explained all my bad behaviors
I have made changes to my investments because of this book, and will be doing some more changes .
I know most people won't take the action needed, but that is on them.
Thank You for sharing this information.
Life changing.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2023
The book is short, very readable with good ideas, though a bit simplistic at times.
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2016
The author provides us something unique; a behavioral analysis of actual trades for a reasonable cross section of professional traders over a five-year timespan, including bearish and bullish time periods. Thus, this book is not about what traders think they are doing via interviews, opinions, narrative, and other filtered understandings, but what they are actually doing. This is very useful, because even the best managers may be unable to articulate what they are actually doing, and why they are doing it. By evaluating the data, the author provides a taxonomy of the underlying patters of success and failure among this rich dataset of trades and traders. While we have to trust that the author "got it right" in terms of grouping the failure and success behavioral patterns, the final result is a very readable book whose taxonomy seem both reasonable and familiar. Moreover, he supports his observations by referencing developed theories of behavioral finance, thus leaving me with the impression that he did get it right.
9 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
Some of the basic concepts were right, but seriously do people really invest in this way? Behaviors described in this book feels incredibly amateurish. Also, the style of this allocator -- questioning the managers over every little decision -- how can anyone perform under such circumstances
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2022
Book is full of learning tools, rules (strong suggestions) of investing, and plenty of statistical data to prove his points.
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2016
First about me b/c you can't understand an investor's book review without understanding the investor. I have been reading about investing for twenty years and I have probably been a retail market participant for twelve to fifteen years, mostly in strategic asset allocation. I see myself as an investor and not a trader. I have branched off recently into individual stock picking. I bought the book primarily b/c I was looking for information on how to improve my selling decisions. (As an asset allocation guy, I rarely sold anything.) This book certainly fit that bill and the information provided helped me in developing my checklist for quarterly monitoring of investments and clarifying when and why to sell. THe realization that even the pros are only right 50% of the time means they are wrong the other 50% literally blew my mind. As a novice retail investor, I need to always be aware that more than likely any single pick is wrong. This is tough pill to swallow, so I will be reading this book over and over.

It is somewhat rare to find information on what works in selling in books on 'investing' for 'investors'. It may be more prevalent in the books for 'traders' on 'trading', but I don't know b/c that is not my style and not what I read.

I am a value guy, as well, and I found that cost of the book to be a 'good value' for the info I gleaned from the book even though I read whole thing in three to four hours. Knowing what I know now, I'd still buy it again ;-)

That said, if you haven't read What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars, you will want to read it as well.
14 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021
I've often struggled to have a valuable recommendation on hand for those asking me about reading material for beginners in the market. Sure, the 'Market Wizards', 'Intelligent Investor' etc. may come to mind, but I think at the most basic level, any new investor should be primed on risk management before hearing/learning anything else. This is now at the top of my recommendation list. Short, relatively easy read with data to back up the perspectives. And even if you're a 'veteran', this is a great value add that touches not just on methodology, but behavioral psychology as well.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Should absolutely be required reading for ALL new investors.
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021
I've often struggled to have a valuable recommendation on hand for those asking me about reading material for beginners in the market. Sure, the 'Market Wizards', 'Intelligent Investor' etc. may come to mind, but I think at the most basic level, any new investor should be primed on risk management before hearing/learning anything else. This is now at the top of my recommendation list. Short, relatively easy read with data to back up the perspectives. And even if you're a 'veteran', this is a great value add that touches not just on methodology, but behavioral psychology as well.
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2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022
Great book, well written, and a quick read. It highlights issues we all contend with, but is geared toward long term equity investors/managers. The examples are real and vivid, not theoretical what-if scenarios. All traders and investors will benefit from this book.

Top reviews from other countries

Victor
5.0 out of 5 stars Título obligatorio para aspirantes a Inversionista o Trader
Reviewed in Mexico on February 2, 2024
Me hubiera gustado saber de este libro hace años, es muy concreto, usa ejemplos reales, no vas a encontrar nada de análisis fundamental o técnico, más bien, la mentalidad para sobrevivir en los mercados.

Si eres aspirante a Trader o Inversionista este libro es obligatorio ya que te evitará muchos dolores y problemas en el camino.
Derek
5.0 out of 5 stars Counterintuitive conclusions, worth reading and re-reading
Reviewed in Canada on March 27, 2023
This is a very good book about some of the behavioural aspects of investing. The author, Lee Freeman-Shor, oversaw a number of professional investment managers that managed portfolios of $25 to $150 million. He then analyzed the results and studied what behaviours led some to be more successful than others.

The book is divided into two main sections, the first on what to do when you have a paper loss on an investment and the second on what to do when you have a paper gain.

The losing and winning investment sections are further broken down into successful and unsuccessful behaviours in responding to each scenario. These behaviours are categorized into five distinct types, three types of behaviour when a stock is down (one unsuccessful type, and two successful types) and two types of behaviour when a stock is up (one unsuccessful and one successful).

The author makes some interesting conclusions. Maybe I haven't read enough of these sorts of books yet, but I found all the recommendations to be counterintuitive yet logical. They will definitely be something I will apply to my own investing going forward (I found a few of the investing mistakes to be things I currently do or have done)

Overall it is a short, easy to read book on investing behaviour, written in plain English (not much financial jargon). It covers its subject well and provides examples without overwhelming the reader. It might be too basic for people with advanced knowledge, but I nevertheless think there is still some value to be gained by a read through. I highly recommend it.
Moberg Fredrik
2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment
Reviewed in Sweden on July 5, 2024
The author uses a whole lot of words to convey very little. There is nothing wrong with the content per se, but it could easily have been covered in 10-20 pages and does not need a book.

Buy something else.
David Hajek
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, yet very hard
Reviewed in Germany on October 28, 2023
Great book, simply written, but it needs hard work to understand, and EXECUTE.

I have started back in 2005, and it took me 18 years to finally understand :o)

Winners never quit
Gursewak Singh Sidhu
5.0 out of 5 stars Simple yet sustainable thought process
Reviewed in India on August 19, 2021
We all believe that people at top of their fields were born different or are god gifted. It may or may not be true, and we all have to live with what we got. Investing is one key part of managing one’s finances. This book provides simple yet effective habits that could help sustain a good investment profile. Definitely recommended
One person found this helpful
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