THE LITTLE BOOK THAT SAVES YOUR ASSETS

What the Rich Do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets

By David M. Darst

“This book will do more than educate you; it will empower you as an investor.”

Jim Cramer, Host, “Mad Money with Jim Cramer”

“All too often, wisdom arrives in heavy doses. But not with David Darst. Although the wisdom he provides has extraordinary value, Darst delivers it here like fine champagne; full of sparkle and so good you hate to finish it. All investors have much to gain from his sparkling advice.”

 -Peter L. Bernstein, author of Capital Ideas, Against the Gods, The Power of Gold, and                                                                                                               Capital Ideas Evolving

With the runaway price of oil, a weak dollar, the credit squeeze and a seemingly never-ending line of imploding companies, the bad financial news never seem to end. In these unstable and turbulent market times, we all need to know how to stay profitable (in the long-run). Whether you are on your own handling your 401K and long-term savings, or are overseeing an endowment, David Darst’s THE LITTLE BOOK THAT SAVES YOUR ASSETS: What the Rich Do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets (John Wiley & Sons, August 8, 2008, ISBN: 978-0-470-25004-4; $19.95, hardcover) can help grow, maintain and protect your investments.

David Darst’s three keys to success:

• Use asset allocation to determine where you are going and then diversify accordingly so that regardless of the current economic or financial environment, you will create and grow wealth.
• Focus on portfolio protection as well as return to help quell losses and contain the risks of an investment.
• Face reality on a regular basis, take action and rebalance your long-term investments to create mental endurance and psychological stability.  Get a grip on your investment plan so Mr. Market doesn’t grab you by surprise.

A Managing Director of Morgan Stanley, David Darst serves as Chairman of the Asset Allocation Committee and is Chief Investment Strategist of the Global Wealth Management Group. Currently, he is considered the leading thinker in asset allocation. The Little Book that Saves Your Assets, the latest in John Wiley & Sons Little Book Big Profit series, is based on leading research and David Darst’s decades of experience and insights. As Darst says “There is no magic formula to asset allocation. As with any human endeavor that has a lot of art in it, patience, perspective, curiosity and emotional intelligence should be your steadfast allies.”

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There are some behaviors to avoid:

• Don’t be overconfident – Darst calls this “confusing a bull market for brains.”
• Don’t be rigid and absolute in financial markets – this leads to missed opportunities.
• Don’t overestimate the risks of investment – avoid fixating on short-term markets. There should be room in an asset allocation plan for short term bumps.
• Don’t let your emotions rule your decisions – according to Darst, “fear and greed are the two most frequently cited emotional forces that drive financial markets.”

Anyone feeling the financial squeeze should stop and think about where they are going:  short-term reactions won’t get you to the finish line, which is the point of investing (where are you going?). In THE LITTLE BOOK THAT SAVES YOUR ASSETS, David Darst demonstrates in easy to understand language how to invest and grow your money so that you’ll have the resources you need and want to reach your goals and dreams -- just like the wealthy.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Darst is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley and chairs the firm’s Global Wealth Management Asset Allocation and Investment Policy Committee. He serves as Chief Investment Strategist of the Global Wealth Management Group, with responsibility for Asset Allocation and Investment Strategy, and was the founding President of the Morgan Stanley Investment Group. He Joined Morgan Stanley in 1996, after more than 20 years with Goldman Sachs, where he served in the Equities Division. He is an author who appears frequently on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox news and on radio shows and he is quoted as well as profiled in the business press including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Financial Times and others.

The Little Book That Saves Your Assets

What the Rich do to Stay Wealthy in Up and Down Markets

By David Darst

August 2008; $19.95; ISBN 9780470250044; Hardcover