Author Description

Break the Wall Street Rule explains how you can maximize your stock-market returns by acting as a true owner of the companies whose stock you purchase. In his thorough analysis of today's investment landscape, former Treasury Department official Michael T. Jacobs shows that this "effective owner" approach takes the guesswork out of investing and reinvents the relationship between corporations and shareholders. In contrast, the current Wall Street Rule - to sell stock whenever its performance displeases you - actually undermines your returns.Most investors speculate on stock prices, either buying and selling or paying mutual funds to buy and sell. Such shuffling produces dismal results compared to the overall market; each year three out of four money managers return less than the market average. The real beneficiaries of the Wall Street Rule are the investment industry and company executives who don't want to answer to owners. Jacobs shows that simply by investing for long-term growth, you can beat 95 percent of mutual funds. Even better, in the last decade companies with large effective-owner shareholders earned triple the market average.With Break the Wall Street Rule investors of any size can become effective owners. In clear language Jacobs explains how small shareholders can utilize the power of institutional investors. There are guidelines for choosing companies structured for the benefit of their shareholders, not to insulate their executives from shareholders. Other chapters describe how to assemble a portfolio and how to calculate whether a stock has paid you back enough.Many books explain when to buy stocks or which stocks to buy. Break the Wall Street Rule shows how real gains come from what you do once you own a stock. You can use the power of new SEC proxy rules to maximize your returns. You can ensure that management works for shareholders by supporting directors and resolutions that protect your interests, such as connecting pay to performance. Owning only $1000 of stock lets you propose your own shareholder resolutions; Jacobs illuminates the rules and realities of this process. As shown at Sears and GM, shareholders and boards can affect how major corporations are run. In sum, the effective owner philosophy of Break the Wall Street Rule will revolutionize the way you look at stock-market investing.