Books for my general well being?

[nekross]

ryano,



I have found these notes from Paul Dawkins very useful for self-study.



It covers Algebra, Linear Algebra, Calculus I, Calculus II , Calculus III and Differential Equations.

[ryano]

FatChoi - Thanks a lot for this list! I believe the markjoshi list will be very valuable to me.



Alphaholic - I live in Portland, Oregon. My primary motivation for the CFA was two-fold. First, I wanted to learn more about finance after my undergrad and second, the CFA is quite reputable for analyst jobs which is most likely the course I will have to take in the nearest future. Since finance jobs are slim in this city, I am still unemployed and want potential employers to know I am not just sitting around. I also think it will be valuable to me regardless of what path in finance I eventually take. I have wavered between a career as an actuary and a career as an analyst several times because I wish what I did was more mathematical. I did some soul searching and really intend to pursue the things that I want to know. The truth is that I began finance because of my interest in trading. Somewhere along the way I got derailed on my path because many things I read indicated that it was a fantasy. Perhaps it is, but it is something I have a genuine interest in and now that I have a better understanding of what I need to learn I am trying to develop a plan to get me there. So I've decided on a trio of finance, math, and programming. For general finance stuff I wish to include the CFA program, and once I have developed stronger math and programming skills I will include more advanced mathematical finance topics as that is what I am most interested in.



In summary, I have a good idea of what I'd like to do, but it may be awhile before I get the chance, so I am doing my best to improve. I also feel it's important to become an autodidact.

[quantz]

only half-derogatorily: have you considered law school? ok mandatory soul-searching jab aside i will tip my hat to you if you work through Spivak on your own steam having finished HS and undergrad with no calculus. very good book but it may be rough

[ryano]

quantz - I actually have had calculus in high school. In my major the math classes we had to take were all statistics classes. Regrettably, I did not take any calculus classes for electives. I also self studied calculus for actuarial exams not too long ago, but I did not have a text book and was trying to learn through examples. I didn't pass the exam, but I came very close and enjoyed doing the problems. Since I actually want to learn calculus the right way, I figure I could just start over from scratch, even though many topics will be very familiar if not redundant. The first course will almost certainly fill any gaps and be a nice transition into self study. The appeal to a book like Spivak or Apostol is that they would train my mind to think(so I've heard), not just do, which I think would be beneficial if I make it through to more advanced topics.

[pj]

(Fondly remembering).



I know a girl who decided to introduce herself to martingale theory from a book by Dellacherie Meyer

She was able to work out through half of part of the book.

She said it was very enlightening but not a word about the martingales (them being in the second book).



Yes, that was before the internet.

[ast4]

Coming from a very limited background in mathematics, just for fun you could pick up a book on Abstract Algebra (my opinion is that you don't need any advanced mathematical background to learn it). It's an exceedingly interesting subject and if anything it'll improve your problem solving skills.



I used this text during my first undergrad course, but a dover would most likely suffice as well.

[Baikinman]

After you had time to read some of the books mentioned here, you might try "Why Stock Markets Crash" from Didier Sornette. It's very easy to read and one of my favorite books on finance. It gives an introduction in complex system theory and markets.