Winner of the Book Excellence Awards 2017, Personal Finance category Given the complex and challenging world of investing, what chance do individuals have navigating the financial minefield and emerging unscathed? Not much, unless they become knowledgeable about investment fundamentals, recognize and correct their mistakes and behavioral biases, and avoid traps strewn along their path. Investment Traps Exposed guides investors past such potential pitfalls as pyramid and Ponzi schemes to help them become more financially successful. Investment Traps Exposed helps investors and advisors increase their awareness about the external and internal traps that they or their clients can encounter. Baker and Puttonen not only examine common mistakes, assumptions and deceptions that can ensnare investors, affect sound judgment, and reduce wealth but also delve into how to recognize and avoid these errors. The authors present practical advice and real-world examples in a user-friendly manner, and also nudge investors to stay on the right course to mitigate misbehaving.

Are you an investor facing an obstacle you don't know how to overcome? Are you ready to invest, but not sure how to reduce your risks? There are two important things you must do to be a savvy investor: make good investment decisions and avoid costly mistakes. As important as good investments are, one bad mistake can ruin the result of all your good decisions. In the second book in The H. Kent Baker Investments Series, investing experts H. Kent Baker, John R. Nofsinger, and Vesa Puttonen offer an insightful guide on avoiding those detrimental missteps. The Savvy Investor's Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls, Frauds and Scams explores the common pitfalls that investors face. Highlighting important issues when investing especially in common stocks and mutual funds, they explore the psychological biases of investors that can cause you to be your own worst enemy. Finally, they look at frauds and scams, and how to protect yourself from dishonest people wanting to profit at your expense. If you feel unprepared to face the risks of investing, Baker, Nofsinger, and Puttonen provide this essential guide to arming yourself against devastation on your path to becoming a savvy investor.

When you think about investing, what words come to mind? Overwhelming? Intimidating? Scary? Investors face a vast array of investment options vying for their business. They are aware that some of those providing these "opportunities" seek to take advantage of them. And although most investors realize they are fallible, they often have no clear idea why or what they can do about it. So what chance do less savvy investors have navigating the investment minefield and emerging unscathed? The answer is not much-unless they recognize the pitfalls along the way. In this book, H. Kent Baker and Vesa Puttonen show new investors how to avoid rash financial decisions and basic investing sins. They help them to recognize and avoid common investing mistakes, behavioral biases, and traps that can affect sound judgment and reduce wealth. Ultimately, they explain how to separate investment fads from time-tested investment principles-a task that is easier said than done, but that is well worth the effort. Navigating the Investment Minefield is essential reading for novice investors, and it is of keen interest to more seasoned investors seeking a refresher course on the most basic, time-honored truths of wealth management.