Includes index

"Five Steps outlines a different path to wealth creation. At the heart of the book are five essentials that any investor can quickly learn and put into use. Chapters on diversification, asset allocation, controlling risk and managing costs are there because you can't invest responsibly without that foundation. What is truly unique for this genre is the fifth principle, a discussion of how to use the media to make people better investors. Getting good advice is the name of the game, yet in most self-help investment books; the power of the media to improve investment results is ignored. If there is any mention of the media at all in these books, it is usually critical. That's shortsighted, because for almost all investors, the media is the best place to get money making advice. Five Steps discusses media in all its forms: newspapers, personal finance magazines, newsletters, books, radio, TV, and online. There are sections on selecting actively-managed funds and selecting a market timer. Almost everything that Sheldon recommends, he has tried himself. This includes a discussion on investing in a Broadway show--Sheldon once profited from a personal investment in Hairspray"--