Guy Spier's memoir of his transformation from a manipulative, status-obsessed investment banker to a genuine, ethically grounded value investor is one of the most honest and self-aware books in the investment canon. Spier traces his early career at D.H. Blair, a notorious pump-and-dump operation whose culture he initially rationalized before recognizing its fundamental corruption, through his gradual absorption of the Buffett-Munger investment philosophy and its ethical implications. The book's centerpiece is Spier's participation in the famous 2007 charity lunch auction for time with Warren Buffett, which he won jointly with Mohnish Pabrai for $650,100, and the profound influence that conversation had on his thinking and his construction of what he calls his own "investment environment." Spier's concept of the investment environment — the physical, social, and informational context in which investment decisions are made — is one of the book's most original contributions, arguing that controlling one's inputs and social influences is as important to investment performance as any analytical technique. He also covers his decision to relocate from New York to Zurich to escape the cognitive pollution of Wall Street consensus thinking. Deeply personal and philosophically rich, this book speaks to readers who want to understand not just how to invest but how to think more clearly and live more intentionally as a result of investing seriously.