Product Description

New edition of the bestseller that started thousands on the road to commission-free investing!

It's been called "The investment guide Wall Street didn't want published," and it ignited the commission-free investment revolution! With Buying Stocks Without a Broker, Second Edition, Charles B. Carlson, CFA, thoroughly updates his unique guide to dividend reinvestment plans. Better known as DRIPs, these investor-friendly programs give you a safe method for buying stocks directly from issuing companies -- often with a discount and always without paying commission fees to brokers. If you want to own stock but resent paying commisions, you'll get the best of both worlds with this edition's...
*Directory of 1000 DRIPs -- with brand-new, enticing DRIP opportunities
*Thumbs-up/thumbs-down at-a-glance ratings of every DRIP on the market
*New corporate profiles and performance ratings
*New model portfolios using DRIPs
*Charles Carlson's favorite DRIP picks

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #467764 in Books
• Published on: 1996-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
This second edition of a classic do-it-yourself guide advocates commission-free purchasing. An expanded directory listing, pro and con ratings of all dividend reinvestment plans on the market, and new corporate profiles are just part of the expanded and enhanced information to be found in this heavily-revised guide. -- Midwest Book Review

Customer Reviews

Helpful, But in Need of Updating
I first purchased this book years ago, and I have to admit at the time it was a revelation. I was trying to buy stocks and usually failed to do so simply because I did not want to pay broker fees and I was rarely in a position to buy 100 shares at a time (if you bought less, the stock price and the broker fee both usually went up). Back then, the book was a great aid. I still own a stock list in the book that I purchased thanks to this book.

But in many ways, this book has lost a lot of relevance. Now one can go online and purchase stocks in any amount with fees of as little as $3.00. And the fact that the book has not been updated since 1996 weighs heavily against recommending it be purchased by anyone today. Perhaps Carlson has not bothered to further update because of the ease with which stocks may eb purchased on-line.

Still, for someone who is a long term investor, it provides some choices as far as investing without involving a broker. And it is definitely an option if you have no desire to use the internet to make stock purchases. Just be aware that your options are limited; most companies do not offer direct purchase of their stock or Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs) to the public at large.

All what you need to learn about DRIP is in this book
This is a well written book about "Dividend Reinvestment Plan", and basically all what you need to start your DRIP investment. The book has a directory and ratings of about 900 companies that offer DRIPs. However, you will need to learn the basics of stock market and investment before you read this book.

Helpful for the novice investor
This book was written before the likes of Ameritrade and E-Trade came along, and therefore is rather dated. The fees associated with most plans today and their minimum investments make DRIPs less attractive today then they were five years ago. However, for those who want to buy stock in companies and hold for ten or 20 years, they are worthwhile. Carlson writes in easy-to-understand language that a person not well-versed in Wall Street can grasp. Plenty of information on the company's listed along with telephone numbers and websites. Different kinds of portfloios are profiled so the investor can see what they can do with whatever funds they have to invest. The pros and cons of this kind of investing are listed so a person can decide if it is for them. It is a worthwhile read.