If you’re like me; you find the whole thing of should I take a book / shouldn’t I take a book on holiday one of those inconvenient pre-holiday nagging questions to answer; you feel guilty if you don’t, it’ll way my bag down if I do, do I need more than one book, should I take fiction or non-fiction, I should really embrace whats there and not take books etc etc, then this article may help! So, if you feel compelled to order something from Amazon before you depart, but are still not sure what to take, then I’ve created a list of 10 books that I think make for essential beach holiday reading for traders & investors in 2017! They may just aid your trading and investing when you return back refreshed from your vacation!
I’ve deliberately steered clear of heavy, dull, technical books – you’re on holiday for goodness sake! I’ve gone for the smart thinking, psychological angle in most cases. The books in the list are to get the brain cogs gently turning whilst you recline in 32 degrees of sun on your lounger with your Mohito by your side and the waves lapping calmly just meters away! Some are newly published, some have been around for decades, but all I think will make for a good read:
1.”The Wisdom of Psychopaths” Arrow – 12 Sep 2013 by Kevin Dutton.
Why read? Psychopaths aren’t as perceived, always violent or criminal. Good psychopaths are as the book says: fearless, confident, charismatic, ruthless and focused – all skills of the successful trader! So find your inner good psychopath – think James Bond rather than Hannibal Lecter!
2. “Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business and the World” – 26 May 2016 by Don Tapscott , Alex Tapscott
Why read? By the looks of it Cryptocurrencies are here to stay and could very well be the near future of the worlds currency markets before we know it. Originally I was doubtful of them – just a short term fad I thought. They had the feel of the ‘Wild West’ about them. How wrong I was. They are a very tradeable instrument, which I’ve embraced into my own trading. Even if you don’t want to trade them, then you should at least understand this revolutionary new market and this book certainly helps.
3. “#TradingThought: Mind Medicine for Traders & Investors” CreateSpace, 9 Dec 2016, by Stephen Hoad
Why read? It would be rude not to include my own book! A beach friendly read – there’s a fine line between winning and losing in the financial markets, and the smallest edge can make a difference. One of the biggest reasons for failure is not having the right mindset – this book can help you be one of the winners!
4. “Move Fast and Break Things: How Facebook, Google, and Amazon Have Cornered Culture and What It Means For All Of Us” MacMillan – 4 May 2017 by Jonathan Taplin
Why read? Future thinking is good – see how global business culture, practice, performance is changing. Getting a better perspective on where things could go can only aid your trading and investing.
5. “How to Predict the Unpredictable: The Art of Outsmarting Almost Everyone” One World Publications – 1 Jun 2015 by William Poundstone
Why read? Isn’t that what trading is about? Sharpen your skills!
6. “Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed” Penguin – 8 Jun 2017 by Daniel McGinn
Why read? The right mental preparation is the key to mastering any challenge including trading. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
7. “The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload” Penguin – 4 Jun 2015 by Daniel Levitin
Why read? Trading is about information overload and can kill your results if you don’t know how to process it efficiently. As the title says – you need to be able to think straight, so get some new skills to aid your trading.
8. “Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction” Random House Books – 7 Apr 2016 by Philip Tetlock, Dan Gardner
Why read? What if we could improve our ability to predict the future? Traders are always looking for an edge – maybe this book will help you get the creative smart thinking juices flowing.
I’ll finish with a couple of trading books:
9. “Flash Boys” Penguin – 23 Mar 2015 by Michael Lewis
Why read? You liked the film ‘The Big Short’ and want more of a taste of that world? Flash Boys, which has been out for a couple of years now, gives an excellent insight into one of the other big trading developments of recent times – high frequency trading, tech whizz kids controlling the markets.
10. “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator: With New Commentary and Insights on the Life and Times of Jesse Livermore (Annotated Edition)” Wiley, by Edwin Lefevre (2009-12-21)
Why read? Quite simply I think it’s the best book on trading and investing. Written about a trader who functioned in the early part of the 20th century, what he went through, learnt is still 100% relevant today and any trader wanting to improve and get into the mindset of what it takes to win at this game should read this book. Go for the annotated edition – I think this version makes the book even better still.
I could have carried on the list further. It’s not an exhaustive list, or even a ‘best of’ list. It’s simply a list of books I think you’d enjoy and learn from. As you can tell, I love reading! Charles Koch who I worked for for many years, always encouraged us to read as much as possible – it develops smart thinking and creates opportunity. If you’ve already taken your holidays in 2017, then I still think this book list is worth investigating further.
All of the books should be downloadable onto your tablets, but if you want something else to take a look at from your technology whilst on holiday, then why not consider our Traders Club – full of resource, market insight and analysis, learning and education and we’re giving any one who signs up their first month free! TRADERS CLUB
If this list has inspired you to give trading a go or you’d like to find out more about trading and investing and how we could help you, then please visit us at www.thestophunter.co.uk. or email us at [email protected]
Happy holidays!
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