Some Australian families are struggling to make ends meet and have little savings ability. At the other end of the spectrum there is a small number of people who are very rich.

In between these two extreme groups are the members of a large middle class. The realities of modern life mean that saving and investment have virtually become compulsory for these people. This contemporary book will help them to understand better how stockbrokers and investment advisers operate and how to interpret their recommendations.

Related issues such as "commission versus fee for service" and "managed funds versus shares" are analysed. Other topical subjects covered include conflicts of interest by intermediaries, the dangers of black boxes, the strange ambitions of index fund investors and how to make consumer complaints about advisers. Many current stock exchange practices are described in some detail.

This book, written in plain English and from an independent perspective, will undoubtedly help investors to increase their personal wealth and thus to improve the welfare of their families.

The author, Nick Renton, is a consulting actuary, well known for his best-selling Understanding the Stock Exchange, his recent Successful Online Investing and his many other popular investment books.

How are stockbrokers perceived these days? Renton does not hesitate to call a spade a spade: "Newspapers periodically publish tips from brokers. These can make entertaining reading at the time and even more so some 12 months later."

With a Foreword by Professor Michael Skully.

200 pages   9781863503839   RRP $A29.95