The final word on passive vs. active investing The debate on active investing-stock picking and market timing-versus passive investing-markets are highly efficient and almost impossible to outperform-has raged for decades. Which side is right? In The Quest for Alpha: The Holy Grail of Investing, author Larry E. Swedroe puts an end to the debate, proving once and for all that active investing is likely to prove futile as the associated expenses-costs, fees, and time spent analyzing individual stocks and the overall market-are likely to exceed any benefits gained. The book Presents research, data, and quotations that reveal it's extremely difficult to outperform the market Explains why investors should focus on asset allocation, fund construction, costs, tax efficiency, and the building of a globally diversified portfolio that minimizes, if not eliminates, the taking of idiosyncratic, uncompensated risks Other titles by Swedroe: The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You'll Ever Need and The Only Guide You'll Ever Need for the Right Financial Plan Investors are on a never-ending search for a money manager who will deliver returns above the appropriate risk-adjusted benchmark, aka the "Holy Grail of Investing." The Quest for Alpha demonstrates that it's a loser's game-while it's possible to win, it's so unlikely that you shouldn't try.

The final word on passive vs. active investing The debate on active investing-stock picking and market timing-versus passive investing-markets are highly efficient and almost impossible to outperform-has raged for decades. Which side is right? In The Quest for Alpha: The Holy Grail of Investing, author Larry E. Swedroe puts an end to the debate, proving once and for all that active investing is likely to prove futile as the associated expenses-costs, fees, and time spent analyzing individual stocks and the overall market-are likely to exceed any benefits gained. The book Presents research, data, and quotations that reveal it's extremely difficult to outperform the market Explains why investors should focus on asset allocation, fund construction, costs, tax efficiency, and the building of a globally diversified portfolio that minimizes, if not eliminates, the taking of idiosyncratic, uncompensated risks Other titles by Swedroe: The Only Guide to Alternative Investments You'll Ever Need and The Only Guide You'll Ever Need for the Right Financial Plan Investors are on a never-ending search for a money manager who will deliver returns above the appropriate risk-adjusted benchmark, aka the "Holy Grail of Investing." The Quest for Alpha demonstrates that it's a loser's game-while it's possible to win, it's so unlikely that you shouldn't try.

Praise for Active Alpha "Active alpha is the quest for every sophisticated investor. This book covers all of the key alpha sources currently mined by active managers, reduces the complexity of the subject, and helps the investor get started in the right direction." -Mark Anson, Chief Executive Officer, Hermes Pensions Management Ltd. "Long-held traditional methods for investing large portfolios are giving way to new processes that are designed to improve productivity and diversification. These changes find their locus in the sometimes overly mysterious world of absolute return strategies. In this book, Alan Dorsey demystifies that new world and provides a guiding pathway into the future of professional portfolio management. This is an important read for any investor who plans to succeed going forward." -Britt Harris, Chief Investment Officer, Teacher Retirement System of Texas "With great lucidity, Alan Dorsey's book, Active Alpha, fills an important void by identifying the relevant institutional features of this complex subject and by providing a unifying analytic framework for understanding and constructing portfolios of alternative assets. For anyone investing in the alternative class, from the new student to the experienced practitioner, Active Alpha is a necessary read. I am recommending it to everyone I know with such an interest, and it is destined to become a much thumbed reference on my shelf." -Steve Ross, Franco Modigliani Professor of Financial Economics, Sloan School, MIT

Alpha, higher-than-expected returns generated by an investment strategy, is the holy grail of the investment world. Achieve alpha, and you've beaten the market on a risk-adjusted basis. Quantitative Strategies for Achieving Alpha was borne from equity analyst Richard Tortoriello's efforts to create a series of quantitative stock selection models for his company, Standard & Poor's, and produce a “road map” of the market from a quantitative point of view. With this practical guide, you will gain an effective instrument that can be used to improve your investment process, whether you invest qualitatively, quantitatively, or seek to combine both. Each alpha-achieving strategy has been extensively back-tested using Standard & Poor's Compustat Point in Time database and has proven to deliver alpha over the long term. Quantitative Strategies for Achieving Alpha presents a wide variety of individual and combined investment strategies that consistently predict above-market returns. The result is a comprehensive investment mosaic that illustrates clearly those qualities and characteristics that make an investment attractive or unattractive. This valuable work contains: A wide variety of investment strategies built around the seven basics that drive future stock market returns: profitability, valuation, cash flow generation, growth, capital allocation, price momentum, and red flags (risk) A building-block approach to quantitative analysis based on 42 single-factor and nearly 70 two- and three-factor backtests, which show the investor how to effectively combine individual factors into robust investment screens and models More than 20 proven investment screens for generating winning investment ideas Suggestions for using quantitative strategies to manage risk and for structuring your own quantitative portfolios Advice on using quantitative principles to do qualitative investment research, including sample spreadsheets This powerful, data intensive book will help you clearly see what empirically drives the market, while providing the tools to make more profitable investment decisions based on that knowledge--through both bull and bear markets.

Active managers persistently lag the returns of benchmarks and index funds that track them, with the excuses for underperformance recycled every year. This comprehensive book is the antidote for the active managers’ siren song. If you understand the benefits of indexing, or systematic investing, it will reinforce your commitment while increasing your knowledge. If you don’t yet believe, Swedroe and Berkin provide a compelling case that you’re playing the loser’s game of active management. Alpha, or outperformance against appropriate risk-adjusted benchmarks, is shrinking as it gets converted into beta, or factor exposures. They demonstrate that even for the most talented managers, their ability to add value is waning because: the amount of alpha available is declining; it must be split among an increasing amount of investment dollars; and the competition is getting tougher. In this greatly expanded second edition, Swedroe and Berkin show you how to develop an investment plan that focuses on what risks to take, and how much of them, as well as how to build a diversified portfolio. They present a list of vehicles to consider when implementing your plan and provide guidance on the care and maintenance of your portfolio. As a bonus they add appendices that will make you a more informed and, therefore, better investor. This makes The Incredible Shrinking Alpha a complete guide to successful investment strategy.

Don’t miss Tessa and Dastien in the exciting finale of the USA Today Alpha Girls series. Tessa—part witch, part werewolf, raised human and now the unofficial leader of a newly minted supernatural alliance—gets a distressing call from her brother, Axel, in the middle of the night. Tessa and her mate, Dastien, race to save Axel, but Tessa's learned that nothing is ever easy in the supernatural world. She has seconds to make a choice, but there’s only one thing Tessa can do to save the two most important men in her life—sacrifice herself. The last thing Dastien hears from Tessa was her plea—help Axel. But then their bond goes silent. He can’t hear her. He can’t feel her. And there’s no sign of the attackers who took her. Dastien does everything he can to save Axel before calling his friends in a panic but when Dastien’s finally reunited with her, there’s no sign of recognition in her eyes. No magic in her touch. No wolf beneath the surface. Everything that made Tessa who she was...has been erased. “I love this series. I just think that it keeps getting better and better.” — A Reader Lives A Thousand Lives “I have enjoyed every minute of this book and will read what ever Aileen Erin wants to write at this point.” - Smada’s Book Smack hr It’s time to binge the complete Alpha Girls series! Book 1: Becoming Alpha Book 2: Avoiding Alpha Book 3: Alpha Divided Book 4: Bruja Book 5: Alpha Unleashed Book 6: Shattered Pack Book 7: Being Alpha Book 8: Lunar Court Book 9: Alpha Erased hr Don’t miss Off Planet, the biggest and boldest adventure yet from the mind of Aileen Erin. It's perfect for fans of Claudia Gray's Defy the Stars and Maura Milan's Ignite the Stars!

Inspired by classic video games of the '80s and '90s, this clever board book sets out to level up the ABCs. Within these pages lies an alphabet adventure, rendered entirely in striking 8-bit artwork. Young gamers will love guiding their daring hero through the story to learn new words, discover hidden pictures, and find the missing treasure in an epic quest that will have kids and adults ready to press restart!