Mutual-fund superstar Peter Lynch and author John Rothchild explain the basic principles of investing and business in a primer that will enlighten and entertain anyone who is high-school age or older.

Many investors, including some with substantial portfolios, have only the sketchiest idea of how the stock market works. The reason, say Lynch and Rothchild, is that the basics of investing -- the fundamentals of our economic system and what they have to do with the stock market -- aren't taught in school. At a time when individuals have to make important decisions about saving for college and 401(k) retirement funds, this failure to provide a basic education in investing can have tragic consequences.

For those who know what to look for, investment opportunities are everywhere. The average high-school student is familiar with Nike, Reebok, McDonald's, the Gap, and the Body Shop. Nearly every teenager in America drinks Coke or Pepsi, but only a very few own shares in either company or even understand how to buy them. Every student studies American history, but few realize that our country was settled by European colonists financed by public companies in England and Holland -- and the basic principles behind public companies haven't changed in more than 300 years.

In Learn to Earn, Lynch and Rothchild explain in a style accessible to anyone who is high-school age or older how to read a stock table in the daily newspaper, how to understand a company annual report, and why everyone should pay attention to the stock market. They explain not only how to invest, but also how to think like an investor.

彼得·林奇是美国，乃至全球首屈一指的投资专家。他对共同基金的贡献，就像乔丹对篮球的贡献，其共同之处在于把投资变成了一种艺术，提升到一个新的境界。彼得·林奇出生于1944年，15岁开始小试投资，赚取学费，1968年毕业于宾州大学沃顿商学院，取得MBA学位。1969年，林奇进入富达公司。1977～1990年间，他一直担任富达公司旗下麦哲伦基金的经理人。在这13年间，他使麦哲伦基金的管理资产从2000万美元增至140亿美元，年平均复利报酬率高达29％，几乎无人能出其右。麦哲伦基金也由此成为世界上最成功的基金，投资绩效名列第一。1990年，彼得·林奇光荣退休，开始总结自己的投资经验，陆续写出《彼得·林奇的成功投资》、《战胜华尔街》、《彼得·林奇教你理财》，轰动华尔街。