“Now available as a column on Toyo Keizai Online!” Profit begins with reading books.

Good morning, this is Matsushita.

Daytime is still hot at times, but

the mornings and evenings have grown noticeably cooler.

Even the food scene looks autumnal.

Investors, inevitably occupied with daily trading,

and those who say “autumn for reading”

are few, I think, but today I would like to strongly recommend

that you read a book.

I read books every year as well.

Recently, about ten books a year, perhaps.

MAKOTO Investment School Online's

Free Course: Stock Investment Start Course

“Seven Actions to Make a Profit”

The first action is

“to read books.”

The profits of an investor start from reading books.

By reading, your knowledge and understanding of the market and investments

will expand.

Investors who do not read books

vastly lack knowledge.

There is no such thing as profit without knowing anything.

Also, reading a single book only once

and fully understanding its content and

being able to act on it to make profits

is not something we can achieve by genius alone.

To understand what is written in a book and

to put it into practice, you need to read it over and over again, two or three times.

Good books, books with many lessons,

even if you reread them dozens of times,

you learn something new each time you reread.

My mentor said,

“Read The Market Wizards 100 times!”

I thought 100 times would be an exaggeration, of course

but now I have read it about 50 times.

And I reread it every year.

“The Market Wizards” has lifted me to where I am now,

and in a sense it feels like a revelation to me.

If you read it many times and

encounter a book that becomes your investment’s cornerstone,

I hope you will reread it again and again.

Investing, even after tens of years of success,

the anxiety does not disappear, and you must keep learning.

There you need a mentor’s guidance, and for us, a book is a precious mentor.

Another major benefit of reading is that it brings calmness to your mind.

When your mind is anxious, you cannot read properly.

To be able to read a book means your mind is settled,

and when you read, your mind becomes calmer.

Time passes slowly.

Investors cannot win when their minds are anxious and unsettled.

If you look back, you will understand this.

When funds are almost depleted and you are anxious,

or when you are unwell and cannot think clearly,

or when work and relationships are not going well and you are irritable,

or when a drawdown continues and anxiety grows,

in such times you absolutely cannot win.

Investors cannot win unless their mind is calm.

And reading books helps calm our minds.

It gives knowledge and theories like, “It will be okay, you can win this way.”

And it gives your mind composure and space.

After 15 years of investing, I have truly felt

the true importance of reading books.

So today as well I will read a book.

That is simply to win.

It is a good season to read books.

Please read a book that will guide you,

calm your mind, and expand your knowledge and understanding.

ps

The book released this February, “The Philosophy of Investing,”

has been selling steadily, thanks to your support.

This book too, when you are about to waver or feel anxious,

will lift your spirits and make you want to try again.

Investors, in that way,

always spur themselves on to earn profits.

Please keep it handy and

read it.

Matsushita Makoto, 4th book

“Philosophy of Investing”