The Successful Investor was written by William O'Neal, the founder of the Investor's Business Daily newspaper. He is well qualified to advise people about the stock market. The book was written as a response to millions of investors losing money during the bear market of 2000-2002. He discusses techniques of buying and selling so that people will win most of the time if they follow his directions.

For example, he suggests buying stocks when they are rising. A stock that is on the bottom could languish there for years or drop even lower. A rapidly rising stock, though, shows that institutional investors are most likely buying it.

The book shows numerous price charts to illustrate buying and selling points during a stock's history. There a certain signs that show a stock has hit a peak, and it is time to sell it to protect your profit. William also talks about a seven point procedure for buying stocks initially. Overall stock market direction is also critical because three out of four stocks follow the general market up or down.

The author also shows a table for how long it took for certain stocks to hit their maximum peak. Some took several years while others only took a couple of years to achieve greatness. This book is definitely worth reading for investors.