Think of the information in these pages as a guide…

…from someone who has spent years in the financial jungle. Someone who knows the terrain, knows where the traps are located, and who wants to see you make it through and accomplish your long-term goals. What you won’t find in this book is a get-rich-quick scheme. I can’t tell you how to game the market for the purposes of making rapid gains. Indeed, I don’t suggest that as a strategy. It’s a sure fire way to go bumbling into the nearest patch of quicksand.

Imagine that you were planning an expedition to a real jungle. You wouldn’t wander in alone. You’d survey the landscape, consider your goals, and gather a team of people you trusted. That’s what I suggest you do before entering the financial jungle. My aim is for this book to become your trusted companion on the journey.

You might have a few advisors, a CPA, and an estate attorney, all of whom you like, but you don’t talk that often or feel an emotional connection with any of them. They’ve never drilled down to ask about what matters to you: your goals, values, relationships, or charitable interests. Too many advisors today focus on products, not people, and are more concerned with allocating capital than allocating risk. They build portfolios on faulty assumptions that lead to bad decisions and unnecessary market exposure.

To protect what you’ve built, you need a better approach to wealth management. In Navigate the Investment Jungle, Douglas Stone points out seven financial traps you might have fallen into without even realizing it. Douglas shows how to climb out of any traps you find yourself in and equips you to sidestep them in the future. Once you know the real risk, you’ll invest with more confidence knowing your assets are better protected.