Book Review: "Capital Ideas Evolving"

After a couple discussions with a highly regarded financial expert I realized a few weeks back that my knowledge of finance theories was mediocre at best. Deciding I needed to do something about it, I ended up ordering Capital Ideas Evolving on Amazon; I've just now (two weeks later) completed the book.

Capital Ideas Evolving is the sequel (passionate defense) to Capital Ideas. When the original Capital Ideas was published, one reason it got big time press was for showing how finance theories developed from the late 1950's. However, since the original book was published a lot has changed in the world of finance: LTCM blew up, huge strides have been made in behavioral finance, market valuations went through the roof then came crashing down, etc.

A lot of the content in Capital Ideas has/had been challenged over the past 15 years or so. Capital Ideas Evolving simply expands on the previous book but also adds updates; for that reason alone I suggest reading Capital Ideas Evolving and not even touching Capital Ideas.

Anyways, the book is full of useful information and does a decent job of defending many finance theories that have been "attacked" or "called into question". Just keep in mind that this counter-arguing and theoretical discussion can sometimes make for a boring read. Unless you have a strong appetite for finance theory (who doesn't?) you probably will find yourself struggling at times. However, the important question is this: is it worth the occasional struggle? For me, that's a definite yes; depending on your answer you should consider getting a copy of the book.