What My Horse Had For Breakfast


Let's see, he had some oats, fresh alfalfa and his vitamins. I know from the mixture that is great food and he will win the seventh race this afternoon. He can't lose because of his diet and a great jockey will be riding him.

Kinda reminds me of what my broker (horse trainer) told me to do when I was selecting a mutual fund to buy. He said to check out what was in the fund (the mixture of stocks, like my horse's breakfast) and to see if there was a good fund manager (the jockey). I did what he said and carefully read the annual report and the prospectus too. Sounds great so I bought it.

What I can't understand is I did all the things the horse trainer said I should and "Rocket", my horse's name, still came in 6th in an 8-horse race. All I wanted him to do is come in first and I can't say I'm crazy about that mutual fund either.

That fund has a 5-star rating, is managed by one of the great names on Wall Street and has 60 of the best known company stocks I can think of and yet it is going down. I am doing everything that conventional wisdom says I should, but I continue to lose. Is there and answer?

I am not so sure about the horse, but I know the conventional wisdom of Wall Street is mostly smoke and mirrors. I read the Annual Report, but I forgot that "annual" means that much of the information is over a year old. How much help can that be? And I forgot that the prospectus was not written to enlighten me, but for the bean counters in Washington. It is supposed to make available to me all the financial information I need to make a decision to buy. All of this research is nonsense, as it will not tell me the one most important thing I need to know - will the price increase so I can make a profit? Unfortunately, my broker is not going to be much help here either as he has been trained by the Wall Street method which has nothing to do with making money or protecting my capital.

Anyone can look up all kinds of information, but when it comes down to it ask this question: Will knowing all that stuff make me any money? I always figure that if I can find it out it isn't worth knowing any more because that information is already reflected in the price of the stock or mutual fund. So why bother?

Wall Street brokerage companies want you to do all that "research" because if what you buy doesn't go up they can say you knew everything about it before you bought it. It wasn't their fault you did not understand it.

I think I'll sell that horse. And quit listening to my broker.

Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.


MORE RESOURCES:

Zell Opts for Debt Investing, Awaits Housing Rebound (Update1)
Bloomberg - 2 hours ago
21 (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire Sam Zell, founder of the largest publicly traded apartment landlord in the US, is investing in distressed debt instead of real ...
Zell Focusing on Debt Investing While Awaiting Housing Rebound Bloomberg
all 4 news articles


For investing, PCs are hands-down winners vs. Macs
USA Today - 12 hours ago
Both will run Web browser software, allowing you to complete 99% of the investing and money management tasks you'd want to do. ...


Investing in the Olympics
U.S. News & World Report, DC - 1 hour ago
The S&P 500 and the Dow have tumbled over the past year, but here's one unlikely index that's posting respectable returns: the Dow Jones 2008 Summer Games ...


Mergers and Acquisitions Offer Unique Investment Opportunities ...
MarketWatch - 5 hours ago
That's the conclusion of the latest Taking Stock commentary by members of the Core/Value Investing Team at Turner Investment Partners. ...


Investing in wine Buyers and cellars
Economist, UK - 4 hours ago
Speculators are allowed to buy a portion of the stuff in the hope that the wine proves to be a hit with the retail and investment market two or three years ...


Battle of the sexes in the investment world
Business Daily Africa, Kenya - Aug 20, 2008
Women tend to be less aggressive, but more informed while investing in stocks and options. August 21, 2008: A recent survey by Iowa State University found ...


The Lazy Investor's Guide to Retirement Success
Motley Fool - 5 hours ago
By John Rosevear For many of our Foolish readers, investing is a passion. But I know that for some of you, it's just something that needs to be done, ...


RBC Direct Investing expands offering with Model Portfolios
Canada NewsWire (press release), Canada - 6 hours ago
21 /CNW/ - Do-it-yourself investors at RBC Direct Investing now have access to a new feature that makes it easier for them to create a personal investment ...
Buying mutual funds? Here's some advice Rediff
With funds, buy and hold doesn't always pay off Globe and Mail
all 7 news articles


Investing advice
Storm Lake Pilot Tribune, IA - 3 hours ago
Investing it wisely can make that inheritance go a long way. "I think people move quickly when they get money quickly," says Brianne Babel, ...


Investor listing decision is a matter of class
The Age, Australia - 5 hours ago
ONE of the principles of investing is diversification. This week's announcement by AXA that it will be listing its Wholesale Australia Property Fund on the ...

Investing - Google News

home | site map
© BullMarketData.com 2008