Big Mistakes

The Best Investors and Their Worst Investments

By: Michael Batnick

Narrated by: Steve Menasche

Big Mistakes: The Best Investors and Their Worst Investments explores the ways in which the biggest names have failed and reveals the lessons learned that shaped more successful strategies going forward.

Investing can be a roller-coaster of highs and lows, and the investors detailed here reveal just how low it can go; stories from Warren Buffet, Bill Ackman, Chris Sacca, Jack Bogle, Mark Twain, John Maynard Keynes, and many more illustrate the simple but overlooked concept that investing is really hard, whether you're managing a few thousand dollars or a few billion. Failures and losses are part of the game. Much more than just anecdotal diversion, these stories set the basis for the book's critical focus: learning from mistakes. These investors all recovered from their missteps and moved forward armed with a wealth of knowledge than can only come from experience. Lessons learned through failure carry a weight that no textbook can convey and in the case of these legendary investors, informed a set of skills and strategy that propelled them to the top.

Research-heavy and grounded in realism, this book is a must-listen for any investor looking to maximize their chances of success.

©2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (P)2019 Gildan Media

Enjoyed the format

Was a bit surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. Really enjoyed the idea of sharing big losses/mistakes from some of the most successful investors.

The writing style and presentation made the listen enjoyable, and the inclusion of trading idioms and wisdom throughout each chapter was well spaced.

Would actually put this one up there just behind some of the Market Wizards books for overall trading wisdom in a concise and fresh approach.

A good summation of others failures

A good summary of some other famous blunders, but sometimes it is repetitive from other books, ie: The Snowball, or Thinking Fast and Slow. He seems to take many of his examples directly from other books like those. But overall it is a good listen.

good content but annoying narrator

the content of the book is interesting but not perfect. the narrator sounds really annoying. as if he is reading for 3 year old

Lessons learned

Very enjoyable; with good anecdotes about some of the great investors. The last chapter about the author is very relatable; the school of hard knocks which many investors travail.

Really good listen

I wouldn’t say this book gives a ton of “insight” or anything like that. But it’s definitely interesting to get some insight into what some of the most well known investors were thinking or how they were acting at certain points.