The Investment Writing Handbook

Book excerpt: The writing "bible" for financial professionals The Investment Writing Handbook provides practical, accessible guidance for crafting more effective investor communications. Written by an award-winning writer, editor, and speechwriter, this book explains the principles and conventions that help writing achieve its purpose; whether you need to inform, educate, persuade, or motivate, you'll become better-equipped to develop a broad range of communications and literature for investor consumption. Examples from real-world financial institutions illustrate expert execution, while explanations and advice targeted specifically toward investor relations give you the help you need quickly. From white papers and investment commentary to RFPs, product literature, and beyond, this book is the financial writer's "bible" that you should keep within arm's reach. Investment writing is one of the primary influences on investors' attitudes. It educates, informs decisions, shapes opinions, and drives behavior—so shouldn't it be expertly-crafted to achieve its intended goal? This book explains the "tricks of the trade" to help you get your message across. Understand the principles of effective investor communication Master the conventions of informative and persuasive writing Examine well-written sample documents from real-world institutions Improve research papers, presentations, investor letters, marketing literature, and more Virtually all firms with investors as clients need to communicate to them regularly, but few financial professionals receive formal training in investor communications. When investors' opinions, attitudes, and actions determine the health of your company, it is vitally important that these communications not be left to chance. The Investment Writing Handbook provides essential guidance and clear explanations to help you transform your communication strategy, execution, and results.