As a high school sophomore with a budding interest in the stock market, I took a shot in the dark. I wrote letters to twenty or so of most successful investors, hoping for guidance. Only one responded – Bill Ackman.
On May 19, 2014, his handwritten note arrived with simple but powerful advice:
“Read the books on the attached list and start investing. You will learn by doing.” — Bill Ackman
The Reading List
Attached to Mr. Ackman’s note was a carefully curated list of investing classics – a roadmap for anyone serious about understanding the market.
- Seth Klarman’s “Margin of Safety” – The value investor’s bible
- Benjamin Graham’s foundational works – “The Intelligent Investor” and “Security Analysis”
- Peter Lynch’s market wisdom – “One Up on Wall Street” and “Beating the Street”
- Joel Greenblatt’s “You Can Be a Stock Market Genius”
- Thornton O’Glove’s “Quality of Earnings”
- Lawrence A. Cunningham’s “The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America”
- Robert G. Hagstrom Jr.’s “The Warren Buffett Way”
- Christine Richard’s “Confidence Game”
Looking back a decade later, this simple act of mentorship from a Wall Street titan made a lasting impact on my life. Sometimes the smallest gestures – a note, a reading list, and words of encouragement – can change everything.