Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor (Columbia Business School Publishing) Hardcover – September 15, 2015

Lots of good info

This is a good read. Really a synthesis of munger's quotes and publications. Well put together and thought out. However, it is a bit of a hodgepodge of quotes as opposed to something written by the man himself.

Munger is one of my heroes! Tren Griffin's book is invaluable for anyone seeking an introduction or refresher on Charlie's contribution to lifelong learning. Like MINDSET, I find his worldly wisdom requires constant effort and repetition. I love CHARLIE's ALMANACK and Peter Bevelin's SEEKING WORLDLY WISDOM titles. Whereas they provide a sparkling scrapbook or collection of his quotes this book also brings another level of coherence to learning how to make decisions in investing and life. Full disclosure....I have been honored to publish DAMN RIGHT by Janet Lowe and this book. As a passionate student of value investing, new mental models and learning I am committed to the dissemination of this thinking and have gained greatly from it.

Enjoyed reading this one.

Value investing, an investment approach and discipline popularized by Ben Graham dating back to the depression years, has a host of acolytes including the likes of Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger (partners in Berkshire Hathaway) and the author of this little book, Tren Griffin. To say that value investing is mainstream is an understatement but my knowledge of the finer points has been limited and so when I saw this book citing the views of one of the most distinguished practitioners of value investing I purchased a copy.After reading the first couple of chapters two thoughts came to mind. First, the author seems almost sycophantic is his admiration for Mr. Munger, citing him tiresomely to drive home points about his (Mr. Munger's) value investing philosophy and approach. After reading roughly half the book it was clear to me (it didn't actually take that long to be fair to myself) that the information presented to that point could have been said in a quarter or less of that space. Second, at the same time I was annoyed with myself for not simply securing a copy to start with of Ben Graham's, The Intelligent Investor. The Definitive Book on Value Investing and get it directly from the progenitor of value investing himself. (I subsequently have.)This is not to say I didn't learn anything from Mr. Griffin's book. It's hard not to given the extent of needless repetition. The book's long on philosophy and psychology (providing a bevy of observations and suggestions to help an investor overcome the biggest impediment to successful investing: himself) and short on analytical tools of finance. That's okay except that the author repeatedly cites the importance of understanding the intrinsic value of a business (the present value of future cash flows) yet how exactly it is derived remains nebulous throughout. My take away here is that intrinsic value may be hard to define but you know it when you see it. Well, okay. Beyond these limitations I found the book wanting in illustrative examples of Mr. Munger's actual investments to reinforce the many useful philosophical elements presented. And finally, the large and tedious number of quotations from Mr. Munger had for me the unintended consequence of characterizing him as a bit of a curmudgeon, probably unfair and undeserved but read the book and see what you think?All in all, this book reminds me why I seldom read business books. The authors are often inexperienced writers who are either in love with themselves or their subjects, doing an injustice to all concerned. There is certainly a place for "complete investor" presentations but for me they are the stuff of articles in magazines, not monographs, Benjamin Graham's The Intelligent Investor being a deserving exception.

Obviously, a book on Charlie Munger's investing acumen should be heavy on Munger's own words ... and this one meets the test with flying colors. This work excels at demonstrating the interrelationship of Ben Graham's foundational investing principles with the even more advanced thinking that Munger brings at the individual business level. Many other writings are more apt to leave the reader with the idea that Munger dismisses Graham, rather than eloquently builds on him. I firmly appreciate the author's harmonizing of Graham-Munger; an investing approach best reflected by Berkshire Hathaway choices since 1972.

Warren Buffets friend & partner

I would highly recommend this book if you thought about or are actively investing. There are other nuggets in there that you can use in your life. This book can definitely help with FOMO fear of missing out and help to ease your mind when investing. The author did a great job