Wall Street has often been a place of intimidation for smaller investors, sometimes even discouraging people from investing entirely because they don’t understand the ins and outs of how it works. There’s a mystery behind it, one Wall Street traders, fund managers and analysts do nothing to dispel. It suits them to keep things shrouded in a cloak of mystery.

Chris Camillo has changed all that with his book ‘Laughing at Wall Street’. A self-proclaimed ‘amateur investor’, Chris invested $20,000 in the stock market in 2007. Despite it being one of the worst possible times in financial history to invest, he turned it into $2 million in three years. In ‘Laughing at Wall Street’, he shares how he did this. Chris explodes the confusing terminology and financial jargon of Wall Street, making the complex market much easier to understand. He also explains why ‘professionally’ managed stock market funds are not necessarily the most profitable way to invest, and how those who run them may not have their finger on the pulse of what consumers actually want, thereby missing opportunities. Chris suggests ways of leveraging your own knowledge as a consumer in order to maximize your investments, as well as explaining how to make your way through the minefield of amateur stock message boards and use them to your advantage. It’s full of practical, common sense advice for everyone from beginners to seasoned professionals, and really takes the mystery out of the possibility of making money on Wall Street, whatever the economic conditions.

Written in an engaging, story-telling manner,, this is the first book on finance or the stock market I have actually enjoyed reading. Beyond a few tips for frugal and abundant living, I’ve never given financial advice on The 21st Century Housewife, and I’m certainly not going to start now. I will say that you have absolutely nothing to lose by reading Chris Camillo’s excellent book, and maybe even something to gain. It’s an entertaining and informative look at Wall Street that could quite possibly change how you look at financial markets and investing forever.