Mauboussin, Michael J. 1964-

PERSONAL:

Born 1964. Education: Georgetown University, B.A.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Baltimore, MD.

CAREER:

Credit Suisse First Boston, Boston, MA, from packaged food industry analyst to managing director and chief U.S. investment strategist, 1992-94; Legg Mason Capital Management, chief investment strategist, 2004—; former president, Consumer Analyst Group of New York. Columbia Graduate School of Business, New York, NY, adjunct professor of finance, 1993—. Member of board of trustees, Santa Fe Institute.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Outstanding Faculty designation, BusinessWeek, 2001; Power Thirty designation as on of "the most influential people on Wall Street," SmartMoney magazine, 2004.

WRITINGS:

(With Alfred Rapaport) Expectations Investing: Reading Stock Prices for Better Returns, Harvard Business School Press (Boston, MA), 2001.

More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places, Columbia University Press (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, and Financial Management.

SIDELIGHTS:

Writer, business journalist, and investment analyst Michael J. Mauboussin is a financial expert who often writes on topics related to investing and related areas of business and personal finance. His books are designed to help investors gain greater knowledge of financial markets, sometimes by considering unconventional sources of information. In Expectations Investing: Reading Stock Prices for Better Returns, Mauboussin and Alfred Rapaport explain how investors can identify situations where money can be made when general investor expectations do not accurately reflect the company's actual underlying value. The book "not only recommends an interesting investment strategy but also provides the [investor relations] officer with a valuable review of discounted cash flow and related corporate valuation methodologies," commented Henry A. Davis in Strategic Investor Relations. The authors "expertly simplify a complex topic," concluded a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places outlines Mauboussin's approach to finding ideas, inspiration, and useful strategies through reading and studying a variety of scholarly disciplines. Arranged in thirty chapters and derived from essays originally published in a Credit Suisse newsletter, Mauboussin covers topics such as the psychology of investing, investment philosophy, complexity theory, competitive strategy, and more. Practical examples with real-world references help explain and illustrate abstract concepts. "Each essay describes a fascinating scientific finding, then develops and applies it to personal investing," reported a Publishers Weekly contributor. Mauboussin encourages readers to expose themselves to numerous types of subject areas, stressing that doing so will broaden general knowledge as well as deepen the pool of information a person can draw upon to make investment decisions. He also acknowledges that such an approach is time-consuming and involves dedication. "The multidisciplinary approach requires lots of time and an appropriate temperament," Mauboussin stated an interview on his Web site. "You have to allocate a lot of time to reading and learning across various disciplines, with no clear assurance that what you learn will be directly applicable to investing—at least not immediately."

A wide-ranging approach can prepare a person to find good ideas and connections from a rich variety of sources, explained Mauboussin. "Almost everything you can read—from science to literature to psychology—can make you a better investor if you're willing to make connections," he commented. Business Week writer Hardy Green called the book a "fun read that draws insights from a wide range of scholarly disciplines, while Fortune contributor Corey Hajim described it as "an unconventional look at investing that delves into science, history, and psychology." Mauboussin's "insights sparkle," noted Business Week reviewer Christopher Farrell, who also asserted that "the book is ideal for busy people: The author invites you to start anywhere, even at the back, so you can read it profitably in small doses."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Business Week, August 13, 2001, "Titles Worth Your Summer Time," review of Expectations Investing: Reading Stock Prices for Better Returns, p. 116; October 29, 2001, "Don't Believe Everything You Read," review of Expectations Investing, p. 98; August 7, 2006, Christopher Farrell, "Swimming with Guppies," review of More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places, p. 94; December 18, 2006, Hardy Green, "Best Business Books of 2006; Power Players, Wall Street Workings, and the Internet's Impact," review of More Than You Know, p. 154.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, December 1, 2006, E.C. Erickson, review of More Than You Know, p. 690.

Financial Executive, December 1, 2001, review of Expectations Investing, p. 18.

Fortune, June 12, 2006, Corey Hajim, "Looking beyond the Fundamentals," interview with Michael J. Mauboussin, p. 186.

New York Times, March 11, 2006, Joe Nocera, "The Future Divined by the Crowd," p. C1.

Publishers Weekly, September 10, 2001, "Investor's Ed," review of Expectations Investing, p. 74; April 10, 2006, review of More Than You Know, p. 62.

Strategic Investor Relations, winter 2001, Henry A. Davis, review of Expectations Investing, p. 60.

Wall Street Transcript, August 9, 1993, "Packaged Food Stocks," interview with Michael J. Mauboussin, p. 11055.

ONLINE

CFA Institute Web site,http://www.cfainstitute.org/ (May 16, 2007), biography of Michael J. Mauboussin.

Legg Mason Capital Management Web site,http://www.leggmasoncapmgmt.com/ (May 16, 2007), biography of Michael J. Mauboussin.

Michael J. Mauboussin Home Page,http://www.michaelmauboussin.com (May 16, 2007).