Workshops:
As the economy and market begins to recover from one of the worst periods in our lifetimes, many investors are wondering what we do from here, how can we protect our retirement assets better, how do we make sure our assets last our lifetime?  Compass Investments & Advising is committed to educating investors so they know the answers to questions like these.  We also want investors to know what is essential in an investment strategy to both grow and protect their investment assets and be prepared for retirement.  These workshops will provide important investment principles that are essential to build an effective investment strategy and achieve financial security regardless of the type of markets we face over time.  When it comes to your financial security and retirement investing, you must get it right!  These workshops are aimed at helping you do that.

Financial Planning/Investing Books:
The vast number of books and magazines on Financial issues tend to obscure rather than reveal a clear path to financial security.  While Compass Investments does not agree with everything presented in each of the books listed here, they are some of the best presentations of financial planning and investing principles from recent academic research.
For more information on each book, simply click this link to Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/

Available at Amazon	The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein “The over-arching message of this book is at once powerful and simple:  With relatively little effort, you can design and assemble an investment portfolio that, because of its wide diversification and minimal expense, will prove superior to most professionally-managed accounts…The essential characteristics of the successful investor are the discipline and stamina to…stay the course.” -- from the Introduction
Available at Amazon	The Great Mutual Fund Trap:  An Investment Recovery Plan by Gregory Baer & Gary Gensler “Mutual funds have brought millions of Americans into the investment markets-and for that alone they deserve much praise.  Unfortunately, the returns that many of these investors have received have been less than spectacular.  The Great Mutual Fund Trap exposes many of the flaws that drag down fund performance and suggests ways that investors can tune out the noise and focus on meeting their long-term goals.  The mutual fund industry isn’t going to like this book one bit, but its story needs to be heard.”  -- Don Phillips, Managing Director, Morningstar, Inc.
Available at Amazon	The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle “You’ll also find warning about investment fads and fashions, including the recent stampede into exchange traded funds and the rise of indexing gimmickry.  The real formula for investment success is to own the entire market, while significantly minimizing the costs of financial intermediation.  That’s what index investing is all about.”  -- from the Introduction
Available at Amazon	Live It Up Without Outliving Your Money!: Getting the Most From Your Investments in Retirement by Paul Merriman "In this insightful and comprehensive book, by mentor, presents the practical implications of recent financial research on how to invest and achieve market-like rates of return within one’s unique risk tolerance.  Paul shows step by step the key asset classes that should be part of a portfolio and how they can be structured to target a rate of return and an acceptable level of risk.  The author also includes a unique discussion on withdrawing money from one’s portfolio during retirement and how that rate of withdrawal is critical to the issue of having sufficient assets to last a lifetime. " -- Jim Whipps
Available at Amazon	A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel “{A} classic explanation of the securities markets…A Random Walk has set thousands of investors on a straight path since it was first published in 1973.  Even if you read the book then or more recently, a refresher course is probably in order…A lucid mix of the theoretical and the pragmatic.” -- Chicago tribune “Not more than half a dozen really good books about investing have been written in the past fifty years.  This one may well belong in the classics category.”  -- Forbes
Available at Amazon	Rational Investing In Irrational Times by Larry Swedroe “Fifty years of experience has persuaded me that successful investing results not from rigorous security analysis and complex management strategies but from simplicity as basic as regular saving, financial discipline, realistic expectations, and common sense.  The secret is doing just a few things right and avoiding serious mistakes.  Larry Swedroe’s fine new book will help you to avoid the potholes that punctuate the road to investment success.”  -- John C. Bogle, Vanguard founder and former chairman
Available at Amazon	The Only Guide to a winning Investment Strategy You’ll Ever Need:  The Way Smart Money Invests Today by Larry Swedroe “Like any game, consistently successful investing requires a successful strategy…In this book you will see that there is an alternative strategy to the loser’s game, one that most sophisticated investors use.  This winner’s game accounts for over one trillion investment dollars.  It is based on over forty years of research by the leading financial economists in the world, which culminated in the awarding of the Nobel Prize in economics in 1990.”  -- from the Introduction

Important Financial Planning Websites

Social Security: 
Official SS website and online site with all pertinent information, forms, and publications

• http://www.socialsecurity.gov/
• http://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/

Department of Labor: 
Information and statistics on labor and employment in the U.S economy

• http://www.dol.gov/
• http://www.bls.gov/

Medicare & Medicaid: 
Official Medicare site and additional information sites covering  signing up, benefits, exclusions, and additional coverage options

• http://www.medicare.gov/
• http://www.medicare.gov/
• http://www.medicare.com/

Internal Revenue Service:

• http://www.irs.gov/

College Education:  
Key sites on saving for college, loans, and scholarships

• http://www.salliemae.com/
• http://www.savingforcollege.com/
• http://www.finaid.org/
• http://www.finaid.org/calculators/

Home & Mortgage:

• http://www.bankrate.com/
• http://www.eloan.com/
• http://www.zillow.com/

Health and Life Insurance:

• https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/
• http://www.healthcareshopper.com/
• http://www.llis.com/

Financial Researchers, Research & Education:

• Article by Ibbotson & Kaplan on importance of asset allocation in determining investing returns
  
• Article on Efficient Market Theory by Burton Malkiel
  
• Dalbar Study on Impact of Investors not staying the course during difficult markets
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Financial Professors & Researchers:
Harry M. Markowitz: Autobiography
Father of Modern Portfolio Theory.  Shared 1990 Nobel Prize in Economics.

Merton H. Miller: Autobiography
Shared Nobel Prize in Economics with William Sharpe in 1990.  Professor of Finance and Business at University of Chicago. School of Business.  Wrote or co-authored eight books.

William F. Sharpe: Autobiography
One of originators of Capital Asset Pricing Model and developed the Sharpe Ratio for investment performance analysis. Author of seven books and Nobel Prize winner in 1990 for Economics.

• The Callan Periodic Table of Investment Returns
  
  

Eugene F. Fama: Autobiography
University of Chicago Professor of Economics.  Major contributor to concept of Efficient Market Theory and the Three Factor Model, which focuses on three key factors impacting the risk/reward analysis of securities.

• An Interview with Eugene Fama

Kenneth R. French: Autobiography
Professor of Economics at Dartmouth University and contributor with Eugene Fama on the Three Factor Model on Securities risk assessment.