Much of our foundational knowledge in SEED comes through reading. Below, please find a compiled list of readings we have found helpful in our attempt to understand the finance world:

Daily/Weekly Readings

  • Wall Street Journal

  • Bloomberg

  • Seeking Alpha

  • Exec Sum

  • Daily Upside

  • Various other investment commentaries, outlooks, and perspectives

Memoir

  • The Big Short (Michael Lewis) – Provides an excellent overview of the 2008 financial crisis.

  • Boomerang (Michael Lewis) – Gives color on how the 2008 financial crisis affected several other countries and profiles how they each had their hand in creating their own financial crisis.

  • Liar’s Poker (Michael Lewis) – Essentially a “for entertainment” read that takes a look into the Wall Street experience and lifestyle from Lewis’ perspective.

  • Red Notice (Bill Browder) – A finance thriller based on the true story of a man who sets up a hedge fund in Moscow following the fall of the Soviet Union. Red Notice provides great insight into Russia, its culture, and the injustice that can be found there.

  • Discussion Materials: Tales of a Rookie Wall Street Investment Banker (Bill Keenan) – Akin to Liar’s Poker, Keenan recounts his path to and experience on Wall Street.

Investing

  • Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton G. Malkiel) – Explains several interesting financial crashes and theories. Although SEED doesn’t believe the market is completely random, this book serves as an important ego check.

  • The Intelligent Investor (Warren Buffet Intro, Benjamin Graham Author) – An excellent basis for understanding stocks and bonds from the fundamental perspective. Though a very lengthy and sometime dry read, the book serves as the essential building block for investors worldwide.

  • The Practical Guide to Wall Street (Matthew Tagliani) – Provides a background on various financial assets and explains the business of Sales & Trading

  • Investment Banking (Joshua Rosenbaum & Joshua Pearl) – Rosenbaum & Pearl’s take on investment banking is an essential read for anyone looking to learn about valuation (comparable companies, precedent transactions, DCF, or LBO) as well as those interested in a career in investment banking.

  • Narrative and Numbers (Aswath Damodaran) – Walks through how storytellers can incorporate compelling narratives in financial modeling.

Psychology

  • How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie) - How to Win Friends will teach you how to interact with anyone and will enhance your potential to succeed in various aspects of life.

  • Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman) – As investors, it is important we make decisions free from bias. Kahneman’s award winning title, Thinking Fast and Slow, introduces investors and academics alike to the outdated heuristics and crutches that seemingly get in the way of unbiased decision making.

  • Superforecasting (Dan Gardner and Phillip E. Tetlock) – While SEED does not try to “predict” the markets, everyone can stand to improve their prediction making skills. This book, inspired largely by Thinking Fast and Slow, teaches you how to make informed predictions about anything from finance to politics to international affairs.

Business/leadership

  • Good to Great (Jim Collins) – A fantastic book which profiles various companies who made the change from good to great while explaining various characteristics each company exuded and how to apply them.