Ken Fisher is founder and CEO of Fisher Investments, an independent money management firm managing over $35 billion (as of Dec. 31/09) for individuals and institutions. And, Fisher has written the monthly "Portfolio Strategy" column for Forbes magazine for the last twenty-five years—since 1984—making him, so far, the fourth longest-running columnist in the magazine’s history. During this time, he’s seen everything from the stock market crash of 1987 and the great bull markets of the 1980s and 1990s to the Tech bubble of 2000 and the global market meltdown of 2008. Now, with The Making of a Market Guru, you’ll gain an insightful look at Fisher’s prolific career over the years and discover the high-profile market calls he’s made so far in these monthly columns. At times engaging and timely, at others revealing and informative, this book is a sweeping look at a recent and eventful slice of stock market history. You’ll read about what’s changed, but you’ll be more amazed by what hasn’t. And you’ll see investing wisdom that still applies, now and for the foreseeable future, from a quarter-century of Fisher’s concise and witty market wisdom. Preceding Fisher’s columns for each year are a few pages of commentary—putting them in historic context, pointing out areas that are still salient, and others where Fisher’s perspective has changed over the years—highlighting key points that deserve extra attention. Chapter by chapter, this book offers practical investment advice from a leading market voice, while: Looking at Fisher’s market analysis over the years and providing an industry insider’s view of major, and not-so-major, market events Examining how Fisher called three of the last four bear markets Showing that what many commonly think impacts markets doesn’t—and some very surprising things that do impact markets that few are aware of. And much more The more things change, the more they stay the same—at least when it comes to investing. And seeing history through the eyes of a market guru can help improve your overall investment endeavors today. If you take the time to read this unique, historic compilation, you’ll be taking your first steps to understanding how to become your own market guru.

Table of Contents:
Introduction vii 1984—A Not So Orwellian Year 1 1985—A 30% Yawner 13 1986—Global-dy Gook 33 1987—Crash! 55 1988—Ear to the Ground 75 1989—The End is Nigh 99 1990—A Sneaky Bear Market 123 1991—Unbelievable Bull 145 1992—Times, They Were a Changin’ 167 1993—A Taxing Year 185 1994—The Calm Before the Storm 203 1995—List After Bullish List 221 1996—The Nifty Nineties 239 1997—Rational Exuberance 255 1998—Rubles, Corrections, and More Bull 271 1999—IPOs, Y2K, Nasdaq, Oh My! 285 2000—Tech Bubbles Over 301 2001—Bear Market! 319 2002—Triple Bottom Blues 339 2003—Buy on the Cannons 357 2004—If 375 2005—Giving It Time 393 2006—Celebrity Market Indicators 407 2007—Another Broken Record 421 2008—The Unbubble 437 2009—25 Years and Counting 451 Notes 465 Acknowledgments 469 About the Author 471 Index 473