The Humble Investor: How to find a winning edge in a surprising world

I have been reading Daniel Rasmussen's Verdad Capital research emails for the past eight years. When this book came up, it was a no-brainer to purchase. Rasmussen has a knack for cutting through the noise and getting to the heart of what actually works in investing, and The Humble Investor is no exception.This book does what most investment books fail to do—it doesn’t sell you a magic formula or pretend the future is predictable. Instead, Rasmussen lays out a compelling case for humility in investing, backed by data and historical analysis. He challenges the overconfidence that plagues the industry and makes a strong argument for disciplined, fundamentals-based investing.What I appreciate most is how he takes concepts that are often buried in academic finance papers or obscured by jargon and makes them both digestible and immediately useful. He doesn’t just tell you to be humble—he shows you why humility is an edge in markets that reward patience and punish arrogance.If you’re looking for an investing book that skips the hype and instead offers a data-driven, reality-based approach, The Humble Investor is worth your time. It’s not just another finance book; it’s a reminder of how much better we can be as investors when we acknowledge what we don’t know.

Have followed Dan's writings at Verdad. Had high expectations and this book did not disappoint!- Did a great job of synthesising academic research with real world experience and learnings. The section on 'crisis investing' was a real highlight - since 'timing the market' is so often written off as infeasible.- The reminder to be humble and realistic about the limits of our capabilities was a very valuable lesson. For investing but also for life.

I have always been drawn to Dan's concise and common-sense approach to writing and speaking about investing. This book is a game changer for me -- highly recommend!- Working-class kid from the Midwest

I have been in the Investment Management business for over four decades. I know and have read most of the good books in that time frame. The Humble Investor is a stand out book. Well researched, great thinking, and to the point. I would totally recommend it to anyone. Ted O.

On the physical object: I bought a hard cover, the book maker did a terrible job. Many pages are held to the spine. I recommend against hardcover.With respect to the content, the book left me hungry. I enjoy delving in the details, but the book often stays at a high level, maybe because the author doesn't want to give away too much of his secret sauce? Overall, I enjoyed the key insights and the grounding that this book left me with, but would have enjoyed a deeper dive.

As always, Dan’s clarity of thought and original thinking offers a refreshing perspective on investing. His meta-analysis of market behavior and human psychology provides valuable insights for investors amidst a noisy market. Highly recommend to everyone!

I have been a longtime subscriber to the Verdad weekly research summary. Verdad is the research and asset management company that Dan Rasmussen founded. The Humble Investor does a great job of summarizing the evidence that supports the investment approach used by Verdad, as well as some of the currently popular views that history suggests will not produce good results. The evidence is presented in a very clear and understandable manner and I can enthusiastically recommend the book to anyone interested in improving their investment results.

Great book and highly recommend to any student of financial markets.