Jane Bryant Quinn.

FINANCIAL COLUMNIST

Jane Bryant writes a biweekly column for Newsweek magazine and a bimonthly column for Good Housekeeping. Her new book, Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People, collects her best ideas in all areas of personal finance, including the smartest way to invest retirement funds.

UNCONVENTIONAL SUCCESS

A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment

By David F. Swensen (2005)

You can't beat this book on mutual funds. It tells you how most fund managers really make their money--by charging you too much!--and how it sandbags your returns. Swensen, a legendary investor, makes billions of dollars for Yale University by running its endowment. His savvy advice for individuals peels away all the Wall Street hype and leads you to the best, low-cost funds that spell success.

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WINNING THE LOSER'S GAME

Timeless Strategies for Successful Investing

By Charles D. Ellis (4th ed., 2002)

Most investment books claim they can tell you how to beat the market. What I love about Ellis is that he tells you--truthfully--that almost nobody does over the long run. That's not even a useful goal. Ellis, a leading thinker about the market, explains the principles that underlie good investing. If you get the principles right, you'll get your investments right, too.

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THE FUTURE FOR INVESTORS

Why the Tried and the True Triumphs Over the Bold and the New

By Jeremy J. Siegel (2005)

If you want to buy and hold individual stocks, this book should be your bible. Siegel, a finance professor, wrote the influential book Stocks for the Long Run. Here he shows how growth investing can become a trap because technology changes so fast. Over time, the best returns have come from companies that market tried-and-true products and pay dividends. Completely counterintuitive.

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