The MOTLEY FOOL'S RULE MAKERS, RULE BREAKERS, THE: The Foolish Guide to Picking Stocks

"Business is as simple as changing the rules at the beginning, and then making the rules at the end," say David and Tom Gardner, creators of the Motley Fool investment web site. Invest in the stock of one company that goes all the way from rule breaker to rule maker, and you get rich. But how do you tell the difference between a company that will follow this model--a Microsoft or a Wal-Mart--and a company that only appears to be a superstar, like Boston Chicken? The Gardners explain what takes a company from interesting maverick to the "default setting" of its industry--the name synonymous with its entire type of product, such as Coke, Kleenex, and Band-Aid. They throw in a little culture, too: readings from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part One and Henry V illustrate the classical route from edgy rule breaker to regal rule maker. (Running time: 3 hours, 2 cassettes) --Lou Schuler

From the bestselling authors of The Motley Fool Investment Guide and its successful, savvy prequel, The Motley Fool's You Have More Than You Think, here's an engaging, humorous, and practical stock-picking guide, packed with Foolish insights, that caps off this invaluable personal finance trilogy from David and Tom Gardner.

The Motley Fool's Rule Breakers, Rule Makers presents the sophisticated, yet easy-to-understand stock-picking methods that have kept the Motley Fool portfolio beating the Standard & Poor's averages by more than 30 percent. The key is investing in small start-up companies that have historically offered the greatest investment returns (the "rule breakers") as well as huge companies that maintain legal monopolies in their fields (the "rule makers"). The Gardner brothers explain
-- How to identify the best investments in today's public markets: the rule breakers and the rule makers
-- The definition of a "tweener" -- a maturing rule breaker -- and how to detect the Tweener Death Rattle
-- When to buy and when to sell, and how to manage your portfolio on a regular basis

In their first two books, the Fools got you started in investing and freed you from the fees and worries that Wall Street's Wise Men have been imposing on investors for decades. Now, by sharing their methods for picking rule breakers and rule makers, they guide you through a stock market that has seen company valuations soar to unprecedented heights and that promises to continue providing roller-coaster thrills. The Motley Fools are the ultimate companions to bring along for a safe, fun, and profitable ride.