John Kay thinks the modern financial world is greedy, cynical and selfinterested, and that we should all shun the professionals and manage our investments for ourselves. Two years ago, the first part of that sentence would have been a tough sell. Now that everyone thinks City folks are crooks, Kay's timing could not be better.

Most of us may take some convincing that now is the time to grab our battered portfolios and set out on our own. But if anyone can persuade us to do a little financial DIY, it's Kay. Like his weekly FT columns, this book packs an extraordinary amount of insight into a deceptively small space.