Independent AI Evaluations — Same Prompt, No Coaching

9 / 10
Claude.ai

Its strength lies in its applied orientation: a focus on screening, cash flow versus income, footnotes, fraud signals, and decision discipline rather than abstract theory. Behavioral insights, real-world examples, and a structured checklist approach make it more actionable than many traditional texts.

9 / 10
Perplexity.ai

A practitioner's self-defense manual that is readable, psychologically grounded, and built around a structured, real-world process. It integrates market psychology, red-flag forensics, case studies, and a complete investment framework in a single volume—something most competitors do only in part.

Inside the Book

Table of Contents

I
The Case for Financial Self-Reliance
An Uneven Playing Field · The Individual Investor's Hidden Advantages · The Role of Generative AI
II
Market Psychology and the Mind of the Investor
FOMO · Story Stocks · Historical Bubbles · Bear Phase Psychology · Investing as Entertainment
III
Learning by Negative Example
Luby's · Trump Taj Mahal · Enron · WorldCom · Sunbeam · SPACs, Crypto & NFTs · Commodity Futures
IV
An Approach to Stock Investing
Value Investing in Plain English · The Investment Process · Screening & Selection · Selling Discipline · After-Action Review
V
Financial Statements in the News
Capitalizing Expenses · Earnings Expectations Game · Non-Standard Metrics · Auditors · Footnotes: Where the Truth Lives
VI
Analytical Tools
HAv2.3 Analysis Tool · Stock Screener · Altman Z-Score · Short Selling · Projection Model v2.3
VII
Proof of Concept
Back-Testing · Real-World Validation · Thirty Years of Real-Time Experience · Combined Evidence
VIII
Recommended Readings
Core Texts · On Investing · Fraud Detection · Corporate Corruption · Market History & Psychology
IX
Summary of Readily Detectible Red Flags
A structured checklist of financial statement warning signs every investor should know
X
Why Share What Works?
The author's philosophy on investor education and independent financial self-defense
APPENDIX A: HAv2.3 Input Form  ·  APPENDIX B: HAv2.3 SHLD Output Sheet  ·  Bibliography  ·  Disclaimer

About This Book

Financial Statement Analysis — A Self-Defense Manual for Independent Investors

Most investors are told to "do the homework." Few are ever shown what that actually means. This book fills that gap—not with abstract theory, but with a practitioner's process built and tested over thirty years of real-time investing.

It covers the full terrain of intelligent self-directed investing: reading and comparing financial statements, identifying cash flow versus accounting income, spotting fraud signals before they surface in the headlines, and understanding the psychological traps—FOMO, confirmation bias, herd behavior—that defeat even intelligent investors.

Case studies drawn from real failures—Enron, WorldCom, Sunbeam, SPACs, crypto manias—teach by negative example. Structured checklists and proprietary analytical tools translate the lessons into an actionable, repeatable process.

Two leading AI platforms, given an identical prompt and no coaching, independently rated the book 9 out of 10 for its intended audience of self-directed retail investors.

About the Author

Les Greenberg

UCLA BA Mathematics, 1965
UCLA Juris Doctor, 1970

Chairperson, Committee of Concerned Shareholders

Thirty years of real-time investment experience applying the analytical framework described in this book.

Chapter IX — Readily Detectible Financial Statement Red Flags (Summary)

  • Revenue recognition manipulation
  • Capitalizing expenses improperly
  • Non-GAAP "fantasy math" metrics
  • Cash flow lagging reported earnings
  • Auditor changes or qualifications
  • Footnote disclosures buried or vague
  • CFO or accounting officer departures
  • Earnings just meeting expectations
  • Related-party transactions
  • Inventory or receivables surges
  • Aggressive goodwill accounting
  • Language shift in annual reports

"Thanks for visiting this website."

— Les Greenberg

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