Book Bits: 26 July 2025

The Evidence-Based Investor: Overcoming Investment Myths for Better Performance
Summary via publisher (Palgrave Macmillan/Springer)
Investing is simple in theory, yet difficult in practice. Investors give up returns and often unknowingly increase risk by falling for one or more of the investment myths. This open access book explores why countless investors keep falling into the same traps, warns against the alluring though deceptive voices of the investment world, and unravels ten specific myths that often lead investors astray. To avoid these pitfalls, a scientifically-based and disciplined approach to investing is presented, one which is centered around only three sub-portfolios. Based on empirical and theoretical insights, this book empowers readers to make smarter, better-informed investment decisions. If you want to master the art of investing and build a prosperous financial future, this book will serve as your essential guide. Note: a free, digital “open access” copy of the book is available at the publisher’s site via the “Summary” link above. 

The Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life
Nick Maggiulli
Interview with author via Morningstar
Today on the podcast we welcome back Nick Maggiulli. He’s the author of a new book called The Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life. His first book was called Just Keep Buying. In addition, Nick writes a wonderful blog called Of Dollars and Data, which is focused on the intersection between data and personal finance. In his day job, Nick is the Chief Operating Officer and Data Scientist at Ritholtz Wealth Management. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University. Nick, welcome back to The Long View.

The Good Investor: How Your Work Can Confront Injustice, Love Your Neighbor, and Bring Healing to the World
Robin C. John
Summary via publisher (Simon & Schuster)
From entrepreneur and head of a multibillion-dollar investment firm, Robin John, comes a transformative journey to heal the world’s brokenness through the power of investing in what bestselling author John C. Maxwell calls a “compelling vision and a practical application for all professionals to embrace the good.” Disrupt the conventional view that investing is simply about returns. Robin John, cofounder and CEO of Eventide Asset Management, offers an inspiring alternative: investing as a path to joy, a tool to create value, and a means to heal the world’s brokenness.

The Almightier: How Money Became God, Greed Became Virtue, and Debt Became Sin
Paul Vigna
Summary via publisher (Macmillan)
The complete story of how we came to worship money, and how we can stop greed from destroying everything. The pursuit of wealth is considered an essential function of human nature, and greed is an unspoken civic virtue. Many of us revere billionaires and Wall Street rain-makers, then complain about “the system” being rigged, and wonder why the country doesn’t seem to work for the little guy anymore. Some blame the Deep State for income inequality and corruption, and others blame capitalism, but the truth is that these issues have much deeper roots: our devotion to money is a manmade invention that has transformed over thousands of years to replace religion as the foundation of our society, and it is tearing civilization apart.

Please note that the links to books above are affiliate links with Amazon.com and James Picerno (a.k.a. The Capital Spectator) earns money if you buy one of the titles listed. Also note that you will not pay extra for a book even though it generates revenue for The Capital Spectator. By purchasing books through this site, you provide support for The Capital Spectator’s free content. Thank you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.