How to Own the World: A Plain English Guide to Thinking Globally and Investing Wisely: The new 2019 edition of the life-changing personal finance bestseller
- Downloads：6714
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-01 11:56:26
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Andrew Craig
- ISBN：1473695309
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
It is time to get your money working for you。 How to Own the World explains why you can and must learn about investment， and highlights the significant advantages you have over many finance professionals。 The knowledge needed to grow your money isn’t complicated， just very poorly distributed throughout the population。 Successful investment can turn hundreds into millions over time thanks to the power of compound interest， something Einstein described as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”。
There has never been a greater need for you to take charge of your financial affairs。 Fortunately the tools available have never been more powerful or inexpensive。 How to Own the World explains why this is and what you can do to make the most of your money。
There has never been a greater need for you to take charge of your financial affairs。 Fortunately the tools available have never been more powerful or inexpensive。 How to Own the World explains why this is and what you can do to make the most of your money。
Reviews
Tim
，
It's alright， if a little dry to read。 Not the best book on this subject I've read but not the worst。 Feel like it could be about half the size and still contain all the info due to lots of repetition。 The author does hint that he's doing that intentionally to hammer the points home so might be a good style for some people but I found myself having to push through and losing interest。 The book could be summarised as budget to save 10% of your income and invest it， 80% in equities and 10 in gold， It's alright， if a little dry to read。 Not the best book on this subject I've read but not the worst。 Feel like it could be about half the size and still contain all the info due to lots of repetition。 The author does hint that he's doing that intentionally to hammer the points home so might be a good style for some people but I found myself having to push through and losing interest。 The book could be summarised as budget to save 10% of your income and invest it， 80% in equities and 10 in gold， 10 in cash and maybe switch some to bonds as you get closer to retirement。 Avoid fees using low cost accounts and tracker funds， and possibly become interested in spread betting and technical and fundamental analysis as your experience grows。 The spread betting push was a little heavy， and generally the book is more theoretical and is lacking in some practical points。 If the idea of taking control of your finance is new， you'll get something out of this book。 If it's not the first foray for you， you might find it reinforces some points but possibly not covering much new ground。 But that's fine， it probably means you know enough to start taking action and stop reading！ 。。。more
Angela Arnott
，
I was keen to read this book after recommendations on various forums so I acquired the latest 3rd edition published in 2019。 Overall the book was a let down！ The writing style is amateur and condescending， with the first 6 chapters full of promises （saying he'll reveal 'how to do it' in later chapters） with an awful lot of repetition and child like story padding。 140 tiresome pages later， in chapter 7， there is some useful info， but this is followed by statements like 'to keep things simple'， sa I was keen to read this book after recommendations on various forums so I acquired the latest 3rd edition published in 2019。 Overall the book was a let down！ The writing style is amateur and condescending， with the first 6 chapters full of promises （saying he'll reveal 'how to do it' in later chapters） with an awful lot of repetition and child like story padding。 140 tiresome pages later， in chapter 7， there is some useful info， but this is followed by statements like 'to keep things simple'， saying that there are only actually a few useful things that you really need to do investment wise。 This is substantiated by a little more info in chapter 10， but nothing radical and certainly nothing new to the average saver who's thinking of becoming an investor。 I can't help feeling that instead of a 320 page story book， an 80 page fact sheet would have been a better bet。 。。。more
Benji
，
This is the first book I've read about investment so I don't have much to compare it to。 The author does a great job of explaining things in simple terms。 He is clearly opinionated， but a lot of the ideas in here make sense and resonate with advice I've heard elsewhere - diversify your portfolio， look at global trends， use fundamental and technical analysis etc。I found the sections on the pension crisis， inflation， the UK property market and quantitive easing particularly compelling and very wel This is the first book I've read about investment so I don't have much to compare it to。 The author does a great job of explaining things in simple terms。 He is clearly opinionated， but a lot of the ideas in here make sense and resonate with advice I've heard elsewhere - diversify your portfolio， look at global trends， use fundamental and technical analysis etc。I found the sections on the pension crisis， inflation， the UK property market and quantitive easing particularly compelling and very well explained。 I hadn't really understood all the implications of the UK's economic situation （soaring house prices， ageing populaiton， over £2 trillion in debt and around £900 billion of quantitive easing at the time of this review） and it's given me a lot to reflect on （and worry about！）。One downside of the book from my perspective is that the author repeats himself a lot （often acknowleding to the reader that he is repeating himself while doing it！）。 Also some parts of the book have been updated and others haven't which makes it feel a little inconsistent， but I don't think that's a major issue。All in all I've gained a lot of new insights reading this book and have come away from it with a lot to reflect on and with plenty of new avenues to explore， so I would recommend it to anyone interested in this subject。 。。。more
Alberto Matesanz
，
Sofia will read this
Graham Price
，
Informative， thought provoking， and heavily bookmarked！
Jvm
，
The best personal finance book for beginners Getting my financial house into order has always been a goal for me。 I’m 41 and have spent most of my adult life struggling and in debt。 I bought the second edition of this book （after devouring the free sample） several years back。 I found it easy to read and particularly liked the way author used simple jargon free language to explain the various concepts， emphasising the importance of compound interest and the importance of underfunding inflation （w The best personal finance book for beginners Getting my financial house into order has always been a goal for me。 I’m 41 and have spent most of my adult life struggling and in debt。 I bought the second edition of this book （after devouring the free sample） several years back。 I found it easy to read and particularly liked the way author used simple jargon free language to explain the various concepts， emphasising the importance of compound interest and the importance of underfunding inflation （which explains why so many people feel poorer but don’t understand exactly why）。I was heavily in debt when I purchased the second edition of this book so followed the author’s advice of lowering my overheads and paying off my debts first before I begin investing。 Whilst I’ve got plenty more to learn， thanks to the advice contained in this highly informative book （and many others， particularly Jim Richard’s excellent books） my financial literacy level has increased one thousand fold and I have recently taken the first steps on my journey towards financial freedom。 Unless you’re already a sophisticated investor （in which case you won’t be reading this） I doubt there are many people who won’t learn anything valuable from reading this book。 。。。more
A-ron
，
Helpful and inspiring， but very basic。
Anca
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Great book about investing， definitely have to go back to it again
Stuart Savage
，
Necessary reading。 The truth about inflation and pensions is quite alarming but this book provides solutions to problems you don't know you have。 Necessary reading。 The truth about inflation and pensions is quite alarming but this book provides solutions to problems you don't know you have。 。。。more
Kudirat Olateju
，
Worth a read。 I work in finance so hardly revolutionary whilst also not being the primer I was expecting。 It’s a good general introduction but hardly technical。 Picked up a lot of evidence implied conclusions that I hadn’t realised which was good。 Can’t say I feel any smarter as much as better tactically equipped。
Jack Patterson
，
Very good introduction to finance and investing。 Some of the book especially in the first half was too preachy and some of the information on gold and inflation seemed to me slightly biased。 This is nit picking and the rest of the book was very informative。
William Martin
，
If you live in the UK and aren’t investing， you should give this book a read。
Farah
，
EVRERYONE should read。
Shayne Brown
，
Like most readers of this book， for someone who had next to no knowledge of investment or the state of governments' finances， this book has educated me alot。 Not only do I feel more confident about different investment vehicles， I think more importantly it has opened up my eyes to both national and international debt， inflation， the cost of living and so many other economic principles。 I really think that this knowledge is a must for any millennial to read if they want to have anywhere near a de Like most readers of this book， for someone who had next to no knowledge of investment or the state of governments' finances， this book has educated me alot。 Not only do I feel more confident about different investment vehicles， I think more importantly it has opened up my eyes to both national and international debt， inflation， the cost of living and so many other economic principles。 I really think that this knowledge is a must for any millennial to read if they want to have anywhere near a decent retirement。 What scares me， is that with national debt rising ridiculously alot of people will not adhere to the principles in this book or， in fact， have any knowledge of them。 I think this book is a must read！ 。。。more
Mohammed
，
An very good read。 A lot of very useful advice for new investors。
Tim George
，
This is only relevant for people who are completely new to investing like myself。 I just started investing 3 months ago。 This book was a godsend。 The author does a great job of breaking down the wide array of investment options any keen investor may have。 The author keeps everything jargon-free and provides a start for understanding financial markets and how to diversify in a way that keeps you afloat during uncertainty。 Whether you are looking to invest passively or are seeking out a more hands This is only relevant for people who are completely new to investing like myself。 I just started investing 3 months ago。 This book was a godsend。 The author does a great job of breaking down the wide array of investment options any keen investor may have。 The author keeps everything jargon-free and provides a start for understanding financial markets and how to diversify in a way that keeps you afloat during uncertainty。 Whether you are looking to invest passively or are seeking out a more hands on approach this book is a great place to start！ 。。。more
Andrew Waterhouse
，
Don’t get me wrong， this book is probably the heaviest financial book I’ve read。 There are times， particularly the last chapter where I felt lost - which is okay。 This book does a great job of expanding your mind。 I found it tricky to rate， because going off my previous reviews I’d in fact recommend the other financial books I’ve read （and reviewed slightly more harshly） to properly understand this book that bit more。 How to own the world taught me the importance of quite a few things。 In summar Don’t get me wrong， this book is probably the heaviest financial book I’ve read。 There are times， particularly the last chapter where I felt lost - which is okay。 This book does a great job of expanding your mind。 I found it tricky to rate， because going off my previous reviews I’d in fact recommend the other financial books I’ve read （and reviewed slightly more harshly） to properly understand this book that bit more。 How to own the world taught me the importance of quite a few things。 In summary， how the pensions crisis is so damn crazy it boggles my mind， how money came to be and why gold is a marker of money， and also the fake inflation - I’m talking 1984 levels of misinformation in the real world of economics。 The book taught me the importance of diversification in your portfolio， so straight after this I’ll be looking in to commodities like gold and also the importance of tax efficiency。 So I’ll also be setting myself up with an ISA。 Thankfully this book is a UK focus， unlike PIAR I’ve read before this。 My book has so many dog ears that this review will go all over the place， but I loved the mid section of the book discussing how shares have transformed the world we live in today。 I loved the examples of having split risk between many investors for creating large projects like creating skyscrapers or factory processes。 Those few pages really connected dots on the good a stock market does for the international stage。 Literally， there’s so much economic progress in the world now because of this。 Standards of living are always increasing， as to are life expectancy too。 It truly made me feel grateful for reading that insight and what an opportunity we have today to make the most of this， and own the world。 To have a hand in the stock market， there’s never been a better time。 Only a few years ago， I’d never have known where the f to begin。 But now， there’s websites， apps， channels and all sorts to help the average joe to start。 The previous extortionate prices of shares now available in etfs， as well as fractional shares and bringing the stock market to a mass audience that it is now， is crazy to ponder。 I’ve yet to read cash flow quadrant， but I feel that’s where this book goes also。 Having the diversity in assets means to always balance the split and always make the world （and your money） work for you。 It’s something I’ll try to put into action and remember as time goes by - for now I’m sticking with stocks （my age） and some gold perhaps。 In closing， this was a good book。 I often found myself enjoying the content， feeling I was learning about history and human psychology。 My book is dog ear’d to hell and back， so no doubt I’ll check over the content again from time to time。 。。。more
Ângelo
，
‘It is not because things are difficult that we dare not venture。 It is because we dare not venture that they are difficult。’I first heard of Andrew Craig （and saw him） during an investing webinar with Finimize。 Needless to say that he made enough of an impression to make me procure this book， How to Own the World: A Plain English Guide to Thinking Globally and Investing Wisely。 This book will teach you how to take care of your money so it doesn't lose value， to grow your money， and most importa ‘It is not because things are difficult that we dare not venture。 It is because we dare not venture that they are difficult。’I first heard of Andrew Craig （and saw him） during an investing webinar with Finimize。 Needless to say that he made enough of an impression to make me procure this book， How to Own the World: A Plain English Guide to Thinking Globally and Investing Wisely。 This book will teach you how to take care of your money so it doesn't lose value， to grow your money， and most importantly， to diversify it in order to keep it safe from disasters — such as Covid-19 or the fact that there won't probably be a pension provided by the government by the time we grow old enough to retire （if you're in your 20's like me）。 Something I've noticed while discussing with friends is that my male friends were either already investing or looking to do it， and in contrast， my female friends were scared by it or didn't care much。 I would reiterate the importance of financial literacy if you belong to the latter group — or the one's down below。You should read this book immediately if you belong to one of these categories of people:- When you hear about investing you think of The Wolf of Wallstreet- You put money on a savings account- You dislike discussing money- You want to retire early or at least have lot's of fun when you do- You have the means to produce extra money （e。g。 YouTuber， painter etc）- You want to buy a house- News about companies you like doesn't stir the dormant capitalist within you- Want to become a millionaire （which you might become if you invest £300 per month for 30 years on an average return of 12% — which is what the S&P 500 index produces。 In comparison， if you save £300 per month for 30 years you would have £108k， which is £900k less。 A horrible figure， right？ It becomes worse if you add the 3% inflation per year that will eat around 30% of that amount。）I already knew most of the very well explained content， having entered the financial realm through darker roads （i。e trading cryptocurrency and forex） — but still， I learned more about the inflation， and how to value a property amongst other important things。 However， I wish Craig had gone more into detail over how to value a company， or perhaps it is something I didn't understand as the final part of the book grew redundant， pushing one to skim through it。 。。。more
Georgios Koutsogkilas
，
Realy good book if you live in the UK and don't have the slightest idea about finances and economics。 It explains all the basic principles of investing and gives solid advice for anyone who is an employee and wants to create a good retirement pot。If you are an entrepreneur or have basic financial knowledge， just skip to the last 40 pages of the book for a bit more "advanced" knowledge。 In total o good read if you belong in the first class of people if not you may better skip it for an book which Realy good book if you live in the UK and don't have the slightest idea about finances and economics。 It explains all the basic principles of investing and gives solid advice for anyone who is an employee and wants to create a good retirement pot。If you are an entrepreneur or have basic financial knowledge， just skip to the last 40 pages of the book for a bit more "advanced" knowledge。 In total o good read if you belong in the first class of people if not you may better skip it for an book which will give you more depth on investing in paper assets。 。。。more
Adebayo Adegbembo
，
Awesome book！ Starts out rather boring but that's because the author takes his time in setting the context for important subjects around real inflation etc。 And then it gets really interesting and some of those seemingly boring parts start to make more sense， thanks to the author's creative repetition。 I've had to come back to different aspects of the book after my first read。 It's formed the basis for my approach to investments， given a foundational start to related resources （including webinar Awesome book！ Starts out rather boring but that's because the author takes his time in setting the context for important subjects around real inflation etc。 And then it gets really interesting and some of those seemingly boring parts start to make more sense， thanks to the author's creative repetition。 I've had to come back to different aspects of the book after my first read。 It's formed the basis for my approach to investments， given a foundational start to related resources （including webinars by the author） I've picked up and continue to and lastly， a recommendation I make to folks around me。 Love it！ 。。。more
Ben
，
Notes while readingresearch goldTortoise vs the hairWhat goes up with inflation？Save 10% of monthly incomeAlways look at real rather than nominal interest rates⁃ hence money in cash devaluesValuing shares⁃ how much profit company is making and is likely to make in the future⁃ P/E ratio⁃ Lower P/E ratio means you’re paying less for the same amount of profit⁃ Earnings yield⁃ Book value⁃ Chapter 7 pdfChapter 10 pdfImportance of diversification and putting in a set amount each month to smooth market Notes while readingresearch goldTortoise vs the hairWhat goes up with inflation？Save 10% of monthly incomeAlways look at real rather than nominal interest rates⁃ hence money in cash devaluesValuing shares⁃ how much profit company is making and is likely to make in the future⁃ P/E ratio⁃ Lower P/E ratio means you’re paying less for the same amount of profit⁃ Earnings yield⁃ Book value⁃ Chapter 7 pdfChapter 10 pdfImportance of diversification and putting in a set amount each month to smooth market vulnerabilities-diversify both geographically and across assets-Brown’s keeping it simple theory 25% equities 25% gold 25% bonds 25% cash-Craig’s 60/70% into ‘owning the world’ （a good range of diversified assets） 10/20% into ‘owning inflation’ （precious metals and commodities）and the rest in cashFor owning the world think about searching for one diversified fund （look at Andrew Craig’s website for suggestions）Invest in gold and silver-look at website for suggestions on howLook at different bondsLifecycle investing-compare value of different assets to see what is undervaluedTrade your way to financial freedom by Dr ThaubThe way if the turtle - Curtis FaithThe assent of money -Niall FergusonTop down approach-looking at macro economic and social demographic trendsBottom up analysis-fundamental analysisWorking out the fundamental value of a company to see if it’s under/over valued eg using accounting principles-technical analysisUsing mathematical formulas and observing historic trends to predict expected outcomesRSI and volumesTrend following and moving average pricesEspecially useful when trading commodities and FXOne up on Wall Street by Peter LynchBig money little effort by mark shipmanRead money week magazinePlain English finance。co。uk 。。。more
Sushil Goswami
，
3。5 stars out of 5。 A decently structured， albeit suffers from repetitions of information， primer to the world of investing。 For me， the most enjoyable and informative sections were about bonds and commodities。
William
，
A solid intro into how money works and why you need to start investing in a diversified fund today！
Lyra
，
After one year reading various books on finance， this is the best， most useful， straightforward and even funny book I've read - though I'd only recommend it for UK private investors。 After one year reading various books on finance， this is the best， most useful， straightforward and even funny book I've read - though I'd only recommend it for UK private investors。 。。。more
Michael Barrett
，
Absolutely superb。 This book has actually changed my life in terms of being able to control and improve my financial affairs。 Andrew is an excellent writer and the book was very easy to read from start to finish。 There were some moments of repetition but it only resulted in hammering the message home。Highly recommended。
Oleksandr
，
Personal finance UK versionI have read so many personal finance books but not as good and directed to UK。 I read this book 3 times to understand money better。 I opened my first ISA account in November 2019 because of this book and now me and my wife are investing our money。 I also subscribing to moneyweek magazine and other email subscription。 I have to say when you learn about money it comes your way。
Andrea Randisi
，
This book is financially open minding。 This is not a book that advice you how to become rich overnight。 It provides an overview of how become disciplined with your money， therefore save wisely and invest for the long term。 It is focus in investing in mutual funds and index funds。
Andrew Moore
，
OutstandingOutstanding book and very easy to read。 The themes and ideas are laid out in both technical and layman's terms which allow complete understanding。 The best thing about the book is that the themes and ideas are repeated throughout so you have a better grasp on what the author is trying to convey。 OutstandingOutstanding book and very easy to read。 The themes and ideas are laid out in both technical and layman's terms which allow complete understanding。 The best thing about the book is that the themes and ideas are repeated throughout so you have a better grasp on what the author is trying to convey。 。。。more
John
，
It took me a while but I have finally finished it。 I think it’s a book you need to read and reflect as well as check the facts。 I learnt a lot and wish this book had been around 15 years ago。 Saying that it’s never to late to make good investment decisions and this book gives you the tools to do it。 I plan to implement the strategy and map my own route to owning the world。 I agree with the two amazing facts about finance。 First， compound interest is important。 Second， never thanks to the Interne It took me a while but I have finally finished it。 I think it’s a book you need to read and reflect as well as check the facts。 I learnt a lot and wish this book had been around 15 years ago。 Saying that it’s never to late to make good investment decisions and this book gives you the tools to do it。 I plan to implement the strategy and map my own route to owning the world。 I agree with the two amazing facts about finance。 First， compound interest is important。 Second， never thanks to the Internet do we have the access to financial products and information sources that we have today。 Well worth a read and one I will be keeping on my bookshelf as a reference。 。。。more
Mahesh Kumar
，