Review of Better than Alpha

[Peace Odii]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Better than Alpha" by Christopher M. Schelling.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Have you ever thought about investments and the confusion of the idea? Do you think of jargon, buzzwords, acronyms used by professionals in the industry and find it tricky deciphering and understanding them? Have you ever heard of the word "Alpha," and it seems beguiling? This book breaks down those jargon, buzzwords, and acronyms into simpler terms.

Better Than Alpha: Three Steps to Capturing Excess Returns in A Changing World was authored by Christopher M. Schelling. With this book, Christopher helps investors learn the difference between finding “alpha” and finding value with the perfect tools, insights, and perspectives that also helps investors. He explained how business owners could find value and not just seek “alpha.” With a three-step framework for making better investment decisions, the author also shows the differences between "alpha" and "beta."

Better Than Alpha: Three Steps to Capturing Excess Returns in A Changing World was published by McGraw Hill in 2021. It comprises eleven chapters organized into three parts. One of the things I liked about the book was the quotes the author used to start every chapter. He uses them so well to lay the foundation before discussing the topic for that chapter. The most striking ones for me are: “don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack” by Jack Bogle on page 23, and “life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forwards,” by Soren Kierkegaard on page 267. Christopher uses tables and diagrams to explain concepts better and even solve some mathematics involved. Furthermore, I liked that the author added notes at the end of every chapter. These notes explained his concepts better, and he also included references for further research.

Furthermore, the best part of the book was the chapter where the author discussed behavioral biases. It's relatable aside from its applications in business and finances or the search for true alphas and avoiding negative alphas. It is also relatable to the average human life and our everyday experiences. I liked how the author explained those psychological concepts, as it concerns humans and animals. He links it to business and how humans react to business ventures or manage finances due to their psychology.

I disliked nothing about the book. The editing was professionally done. The diagrams and tables were neatly arranged. As a result, I rate the book four out of four stars. I recommend this book for business people and anyone that wants to invest, which is everyone of all classes and ages.

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Better than Alpha
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[Astral Magi]

Behavioral biases are a huge issue. Thanks for the lovely review.

[Chinaza Nnabuenyi]

This book is made up of several themes, which any reader will find very educative. Great review!

[Gabriella1997]

Business and carrer books has always been my favorites,I would love to read more about this book, beautiful review.

[Samuel Segun 1]

Lovely review of this book, I so like the way he wrote the book, and use this to explain, I liked how the author explained those psychological concepts, as it concerns humans and animals. He links it to business and how humans react to business ventures or manage finances due to their psychology. So lovely book.