Table of Contents

1. A Day in the Life
2. The Private Equity Industry
3. How Does the Private Equity Industry Work?
4. The Poor Investment Results
5. Private Equity and the Holy Grail
6. The High Fees
7. The Customers
8. The Staffs
9. The Enablers
10. The Fellow Travelers
11. In Closing
Notes
Index

About the Author

Jeffrey C. Hooke is a senior lecturer in finance at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. His books include M&A: A Practical Guide to Doing the Deal (second edition, 2014) and Security Analysis on Wall Street: A Comprehensive Guide to Today’s Valuation Methods (second edition, 2010). He has decades of experience as an investment banker and a private investment executive at major firms.

Reviews

Over the last two decades, the private equity industry managed to cast a spell over institutional investors, convincing them to pay billions of dollars for lackluster returns. Jeffrey C. Hooke’s book uses accessible language and compelling data to break down the myth of private equity performance and should be required reading for all public pension fiduciaries.
*Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers*

Jeffrey C. Hooke’s The Myth of Private Equity is a terrific read. It is nontechnical and full of important and interesting facts about an industry that has been feeding off public pension funds and nonprofit investors for far too long. This book was long overdue.
*Richard Ennis, cofounder, EnnisKrupp, and former editor of the Financial Analysts Journal*

Hooke provides a great public service by explaining a complex topic in plain language and in an engaging way.
*Ludovic Phalippou, academic area head of the Finance, Accounting, and Economics Group, Saïd Business School, Oxford University*

The Myth of Private Equity should be required reading for institutional investors tempted by Wall Street marketing of pricey and risky “alternative” investments. Count on Hooke to decode the jargon, ask the right questions, and prove that the promise of outsized gains in return for eye-popping fees is a mirage.
*Joe Torsella, board member of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System and former state treasurer*

An authoritative assessment. ‘The Myth of Private Equity’ by Jeffrey C Hooke deftly exposes the shortcomings of the private equity world.
*Spear's*