Golf swings and guppy love

Where to find investing ideas for 2007.

Infectious Greed by Paul Kedrosky (free, Paul.Kedrosky.com)

Kedrosky is both an academic and a venture capitalist. He divides his time between Canada and the U.S., while somehow finding the energy to write a darn funny but also informative blog about what he calls money culture. Here you’ll find insights on the market and on venture capital. Better yet, you’ll discover whether having a CEO who’s a good golfer tends to hurt a company’s stock market performance. (Short answer: yes.)

Our take: A must stop, especially if you’re interested in technology investing.

The Little Book of Value Investing by Christopher H. Browne ($23.99, Wiley)

A useful introduction to finding undervalued stocks by a managing director of Tweedy, Browne, the famed value investing firm. He takes you through the theory behind value investing then shows you how to put a stock under the microscope.

Our take: Browne isn’t a particularly graceful writer, but his book offers a great crash course in the essentials of stock picking.

More than you know by Michael J. Mauboussin ($31.69, Columbia University Press)

The subtitle of this book is Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places and Mauboussin, a Wall Street equity analyst, delivers on that promise. He demonstrates how Tiger Woods’s golf swing, Tupperware parties and guppies’ mating behavior all contain lessons for investors.

Our take: A fast, fun read and one that will stretch your notions of where to find stock market ideas.

Make Money, Not Excuses by Jean Chatzky ($32.95, Crown)

This book by a Time magazine columnist offers eminently practical advice — mostly for women, but suitable for guys, too — on how to get your personal finances in order, starting with four simple rules: make a decent living, spend less than you make, invest the rest, and protect yourself from disaster.

Our take: Chatzky’s focus is purely on the U.S., so you’ll have to do some cross-border translation, but we like her down-to-earth tone and practical tips on everything from how to save to how to shop.

Annual Reports 101 by Michael Thomsett ($24.95, Amacom)

If you’ve ever wanted a plain English guide through accounting jargon, this is it. Thomsett, a former accountant, explains how to break down an annual report to spot potential problems or opportunities.

Our take: One of the clearest, most helpful books we’ve seen on how to decipher a financial statement.