This book was designed and developed explicitly for a first course in investments taken by either finance majors or nonfinance majors. In terms of background or prerequisites, the book is nearly self-contained, but some familiarity with basic algebra and accounting is assumed.

The organization of the text has been designed to give instructors the flexibility to present an idea of the breadth of coverage in the fourth edition of Fundamentals of Investments. A grid is presented chapter by chapter in the text. This grid contains some of the most significant new features and a few selected chapter highlights. Of course, for each chapter, features like opening vignettes, Work the Web, Spreadsheet Analyses, Get Real, Investment Updates, and end-of-chapter material have been thoroughly reviewed and updated.