Every day, people around the world make financial decisions. They choose to invest in a stock, sell their holdings in a mutual fund or buy a condominium. These decisions are complex and financially tricky—even for financial professionals. But the literature available on financial research is dated and narrowly focused without any real practical application. Until now there's been a gap in the literature: a book that shows you how to conduct a step by step comprehensive financial investigation that ends in a decision. This book gives you that how. h is a guidebook for conducting financial investigations and lays out Cheryl Strauss Einhorn's AREA Method—a research and decision-making system that uniquely controls for bias, focuses on the incentives of others and expands knowledge while improving judgement—and applies it to investigating financial situations. AREA is applicable to all sorts of financial sleuthing, whether for investment analysis or investigative journalism. It allows you to be the expert in your own life. The AREA Method provides you with:*Defined tasks that guide and focus your research on your vision of success;*A structure that isolates your sources, giving you insight into their perspectives, biases and incentives;*Investigative resources, tips and techniques to upgrade your research and analysis beyond document-based sources;*Exercises to foster creativity and originality in your thinking;*A sequence and framework that brings your disparate pieces of research together to build your confidence and conviction about your financial decision.