Common Stocks

Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings BY PHILIP A. FISHER (Author), KENNETH L. FISHER (Introduction)

Books Reviews

About the book

Philip Fisher is regarded as among the most influential investors of all time. His philosophies on investing have been widely studied by financiers and investors forty years since it was first published. Regarded as gospel, this new edition of Fisher’s classic investing philosophies has been updated with his own son, Ken Fisher’s output on his father’s ideas. Ken Fisher, who has created a name for himself in the industry, keeps his father’s investing wisdom intact but adds his perspectives relative to the current state of the industry.

Review

Philip Fisher’s investing ideas and philosophies prove to be timeless and essential despite being published and based on the market conditions forty years ago. The original content of the book allows readers to get a better grasp of the investing scheme overall. However, it won’t be an easy task as it needs reading through many pages of the fundamentals of investment analysis. In the end, the knowledge and experience of this book can provide are invaluable. Philip Fisher’s credentials itself prove that this book is your money’s worth. With an additional introduction from his son, Ken Fisher, this book is remains updated and connected to the current market conditions. Philip Fisher’s investing philosophies remain applicable and classic up till today.

About the Author

PHILIP A. FISHER is the founder of Fisher & Company, which is an investment counseling business. It was established in 1931, three years after Fisher began his securities analyst career in 1928. He is renowned in the finance industry and deemed as among the pioneers of modern investment theory. 

Table of Contents

Preface What I Learned from My Father’s Writings

Introduction

PART ONE COMMON STOCKS AND UNCOMMON PROFITS

Preface

  1. Clues from the Past
  2. What “Scuttlebutt” Can Do
  3. What to Buy: The Fifteen Points to Look for in a Common Stock
  4. What to Buy: Applying This to Your Own Needs
  5. When to Buy
  6. When to Sell: And When Not To
  7. The Hullabaloo about Dividends
  8. Five Don’ts for Investors
  9. How I Go about Finding a Growth Stock
  10. Summary and Conclusion

PART TWO CONSERVATIVE INVESTORS SLEEP WELL

Epigraph

Introduction

  1. The First Dimension of a Conservative Investment
  2. The Second Dimension
  3. The Third Dimension
  4. The Fourth Dimension
  5. More about the Fourth Dimension
  6. Still More about the Fourth Dimension

PART THREE DEVELOPING AN INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY

Dedication to Frank E. Block

  1. Origins of a Philosophy
  2. Learning from Experience
  3. The Philosophy Matures
  4. Is the Market Efficient?

Appendix Key Factors in Evaluating Promising Firms

Index