The Gone Fishin' Portfolio: Get Wise, Get Wealthy...and Get on With Your Life (Agora Series)

259 Pages·2008·2.92 MB·English

by  Alexander Green

TTHHEE GGOONNEE
FFIISSHHIINN’’
PPOORRTTFFOOLLIIOO
Get Wise, Get Wealthy—and Get On with
Your Life
A L E X A N D E R G R E E N
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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TTHHEE GGOONNEE
FFIISSHHIINN’’
PPOORRTTFFOOLLIIOO
Get Wise, Get Wealthy—and Get On with
Your Life
A L E X A N D E R G R E E N
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright © 2008 by Alexander Green. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or
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Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have
used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or
warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this
book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fit-
ness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales
representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained
herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a profes-
sional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Green, Alexander, 1958-
The gone fishin’ portfolio : get wise, get wealthy-- and get on with your
life / Alexander Green.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-470-11267-0 (cloth)
1. Investments. 2. Portfolio management. 3. Finance, Personal. I. Title.
HG4521.G693 2008
332.6—dc22 2008017690
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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This book is dedicated to Judith and Braxton Green. If there is one thing
I know how to do, it’s pick the right parents.
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If a man writes a book, let him set down only what he
knows. I have guesses enough of my own.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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CCOONNTTEENNTTSS
Foreword vii
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv
Part I Get Wise 1
Introduction 3
Chapter 1: The Unvarnished Truth About Your Money 9
Chapter 2: The First Step on the Road to Financial Freedom 15
Chapter 3: Why Manage Your Own Money? 25
Chapter 4: Know What You Don’t Know 35
Part II Get Wealthy 45
Chapter 5: Common Stocks: The Greatest Wealth-Creating Machine of All Time 47
Chapter 6: Don’t Buy What Wall Street Is Selling 61
Chapter 7: Your Single Most Important Investment Decision 73
Chapter 8: The Gone Fishin’ Portfolio Unveiled 89
Chapter 9: Why the Gone Fishin’ Portfolio Is Your Best Investment Plan 119
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vi CONTENTS
Chapter 10: How to Legally Stiff-Arm the IRS 129
Chapter 11: The ETF Alternative 137
Part III Get On with Your Life 147
Chapter 12: The Last Two Essentials: Specific Goals and Realistic Expectations 149
Chapter 13: Your Most Precious Resource 159
Afterword 169
Appendix A: Vanguard Funds 175
Appendix B: ETFs 217
About the Author 233
Index 235
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F FOORREEWWOORRDD
You have no idea what good hands you’re in. I do . . .
You see, at this point I’m now one of the world’s most widely
read investment analysts. I’m not quite sure how I got here. I don’t
have a gimmick. I don’t promise zillion-percent returns overnight.
I think I’m here because I’ve given consistently good advice over
my career.
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you today is this:
Listen to Alex Green.
I know that Alex Green is better than I am at what I do. Darn
it, the guy always has been.
I started out in the business as an investment advisor. Alex worked
at the same firm. It was obvious why people trusted him with their
life’s savings, and why, too, he was in a league of his own.
You see, Alex has an extraordinary ability to see an investment
idea before anyone else. And he combines that with another
extraordinary ability—he can communicate complicated invest-
ment ideas in plain language.
vii
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