
Extreme results are part skill and part luck, and on the next draw the luck component resets, so outliers drift back toward average. Investors apply it by distrusting extrapolation: the fund on a hot streak, the company at record margins and the star analyst are each likelier to get worse than better. Where luck demonstrably drives the extreme, trimming after abnormal goodness is the model executed in one move.
How people learned to measure risk, from early probability to portfolio theory.
“I think some of the books that are a must would be Peter Bernstein's book about risk, Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk.” — Charles de Vaulx
Source: De Vaulx naming Bernstein's book a must-read on risk
Recommended by: Charles de Vaulx, Jim Collins and 8 others
Kahneman's synthesis of behavioral economics is the cognitive science underpinning every negotiation tactic. Anchoring, loss aversion, framing effects, and the planning fallacy — understanding why these biases operate, not just that they exist, makes you harder to exploit and more honest about your own irrationality.
“…books I've recommended, highlighted to death, or forced on friends.” — Andrew Wilkinson
Source: Andrew Wilkinson's Bookshelf, neverenough.com
Recommended by: Andrew Wilkinson, Charles de Vaulx and 32 others
How judging firms by their results corrupts most business research and advice.
“Phil Rosenzweig's must-read book, The Halo Effect, shows this idea is alive and well in the business world.” — Michael Mauboussin
Source: Was Harry Potter Inevitable? Cumulative Advantage, Counterfactuals, and the Halo Effect (Legg Mason)
Recommended by: Michael Mauboussin, Ev Williams and 1 other
How randomness shapes our lives, the history of probability, and why we misread it.
Recommended by: Patrick Collison
How to separate skill from luck in business, sport and investing.
Recommended by: Mohnish Pabrai, Jessica Livingston and 3 others
Charlie Mungerrecommends 1 book here
Sam Altmanrecommends 1 book here