About the Author

An ex-Green Beret and former river guide, Phil Town is a self-made millionaire several times over and America's most widely sought-after speaker on investing. Phil Town appears regularly on the same dais as Rudy Giuliani, Jimmy Carter, and Colin Powell as part of the "Get Motivated" touring success seminar. He speaks to more than 500,000 people annually about Rule #1. Town lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Reviews

For amateur investors who admire the incredible returns produced by Benjamin Graham-Warren Buffett-style value investing but can't figure out how to replicate these billionaires' methods at home, Town's investment guide is manna from heaven. A former river-rafting guide, Town learned how to calculate such crucial numbers as Return on Investment Capital and Equity Growth Rate from "Wolf," a wealthy rafter whom Town saved from a rapid in 1980. Under Wolf's tutelage, Town learned how to turn $1,000 into $1 million in five years, but the selection of lucrative stocks took weeks of library research. In this engaging and accessible book, Town shows readers how to replicate that sort of exhaustive market research on the Internet-and shorten the research time to just a few hours per stock. Fans of The Intelligent Investor will recognize that Town's Rule #1 formula-"1) Find a wonderful business, 2) Know what it's worth as a business, 3) Buy it at 50 percent off, 4) Repeat until very rich"-is a variation of Benjamin Graham's investment philosophy. (Graham and Buffett are cited heavily throughout the book.) But Town's ability to break down that philosophy into a detailed, step-by-step program that can be understood by any reader with basic math skills is unique. His chummy, reassuring tone ("If you're finding yourself already a bit overwhelmed, take a deep breath") will leave readers feeling empowered and ready to manage their money themselves. (Mar. 21) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

"Town's investment guide is manna from heaven... engaging and accessible... Town's ability to break down that philosophy into a detailed, step-by-step program that can be understood by any reader with basic math skills is unique... will leave readers feeling empowered and ready to manage their money themselves." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Extraordinarily readable...provides investors with surefire tools to outperform costly advisors. Follow Town's simple, time-tested precepts, and even unsophisticated investors will leave most mutual fund managers in the dust." -Arthur Levitt, author of Take on the Street and former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission

"A really smart, homework-driven read that tells you precisely how to do it. Rule #1 may be the clearest and best book out there to get you on the path to riches. This one's special!" -James J. Cramer, host of CNBC's "Mad Money" and Markets Commentator, thestreet.com

"Rule #1 is an investment Bible for our time. In fun, easy-to-understand words, Phil Town tells you how to buy quality stocks at a discount." -Rich Karlgaard, publisher, Forbes magazine, and author of LIFE 2.0

"For the individual investor, Rule No. 1 should be, 'Read Rule #1.' This book debunks a lot of myths in the market and provides pearls of common-sense wisdom...Indeed, Rule #1 rules." -Gene Marcial, Senior Writer, Business Week

"Rule #1's common-sense, pragmatic approach is money in the bank. This step-by-step guide is methodically researched and terrifically accessible ... Can you really beat the mutual fund mangers and so-called experts at their own game? Hell yes!" -Jonathan Hoenig, Portfolio Manager, Capitalistpig Hedge Fund, and regular contributor to Fox News Channel

"Rule #1 is probably one of the most inclusive, no nonsense, fundamental books about investing in the stock market I've ever read. This book is a must-read for everyone; from beginner students of the market to super know-it-alls." -Danielle Hughes, President and CEO, Divine Capital Markets LLC

"A refreshing departure from those boring investing books... If you're tired of being shut out of how exactly the rich guys on Wall Street make money, this important book will teach you how to run with the bulls. It's priceless." -Elizabeth MacDonald, Senior Editor at Forbes Magazine; regular, "Forbes on Fox"