Đó là những gì cuốn sách này là tất cả về. Nó được thiết kế để giúp nhà đầu tư khác hướng những gì nhiều người đã được dẫn dắt để tin là hồ sơ của phức tạp bằng cách giải thích ý nghĩa ẩn trong in tiền phạt. Không, bạn sẽ không thể nắm bắt mọi vấn đề tiềm năng. | Introduction That s what this book is all about. It s designed to help other investors navigate what many have been led to believe are complex filings by explaining the hidden meaning in the fine print. No you won t be able to catch every potential problem. But you can learn to be a more informed investor and learn how to avoid investing in companies that push the accounting envelope. Even if it takes you a while to pick up these new language skills chances are you ll be able to spot some potential red flags that can be damaging to your financial health. Because the simple fact is that if you want to own individual stocks you need to do your homework. 5 CHAPTER 1 Don t Get Fooled Again Remember when picking winning stocks seemed virtually idiot-proof You d catch an analyst on TV glimpse a headline in some newspaper or magazine or listen in awe as one of your neighbors boasted about how they had managed to double their money in less than a year. Doubled in less than a year And then you d click a button or two on your computer and buy 100 shares or maybe even more if you were feeling bullish that day. After all time was a-wasting and there was money to be made. If you were feeling particularly ambitious maybe you spent a few extra minutes and skimmed the company s most recent earnings release just to make sure things were as rosy as you thought they were. Or maybe you checked out an online message board to see what other investors had to say about the company. Still you didn t want to waste too much time on research or you d never be able to afford your own tropical island just like that tow truck driver had done in that commercial for one of the big online brokerage firms. wasn t ignorance bliss
