The Fund Investor's Reading List

Making the Most of Your Money -- Jane Bryant Quinn. While many of the books on this list serve as epic treatises on a particular investment philosophy, personal finance columnist Bryant Quinn's Bible-length book is the dog-eared how-to book you pull off the shelves when you have to sit down and do something with your money. It is an invaluable resource with straightforward sections, including "How to Pick a Mutual Fund," "Saving More Money" and "How to Use Bonds." Bryant Quinn makes a monumental effort to cover everything you'll ever need to do with your money -- college, investing, banking, home-buying, you name it. It's a great go-to guide for money and investing decisions. And you don't have to read the thing cover to cover to benefit.

The Successful Investor Today: 14 Simple Truths You Must Know When You Invest -- Larry Swedroe. Swedroe has written four books -- including the excellent What Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Know -- which read more like intelligent, impassioned arguments to get you to do the right thing. His latest book, just out this month, takes aim at the fund industry, the media, excessive fees, the lack of investor education and more -- all in an effort to inform investors about the virtues of index funds, diversification and long-term investing. It's a fast, entertaining read that will make you a smarter investor.

The Great Mutual Fund Trap -- Gary Gensler and Gregory Arthur Baer. Consider this entry the cautionary tale. Gensler and Baer take large portions of the mutual fund industry to task for hitting investors up with hidden fees, getting bogged down with conflicts of interest and chronic underperformance. The authors lambaste fund managers for their inability to beat the market, and tout the virtues of exchange-traded funds and index funds. It is a timely piece of investing agit-prop that serves as a fine wake-up call to na¿ve investors.

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