The Information Age

It is wonderful to be alive in the information age. We know in a matter of seconds the change in the value of gold in Switzerland, the death of a world leader or the birth of a peasant in Israel.

We are inundated with facts and figures and the emotional tribulations of both famous and infamous people. Can we possibly assimilate all this? Does it help us in our daily lives?

When you begin to analyze it you realize all this information is just an agglomeration of stuff and contains no wisdom. If you were to memorize the Encyclopedia Britannica would that make you wise? Not really. You might know all about everything and you could answer questions on any subject, but unless you could correlate the facts and understand their interaction it would be of not much use at all.

I am in the financial industry. Would it help me to make more money to have memorized the Morningstar Manual? Oh, I would know the PE ratios and earnings of every company and a lot more, but will all that information tell me if the price of a company's stock will go up? Again, not really.

Wall Street has the public believing the myth that you must do research; find out everything about a company, its competitors and that industry. Now that you have done that and all the figures say that according to conventional wisdom this is a "good" company does that mean the stock price will go up? Not really. When you do your historical study you will find there is hardly any correlation in price appreciation and the fact it is a "good" company.

Financial research is worthless. If it were wisdom everyone would be rich.

The reason Wall Street brokerage companies insist you do nonsense research is so you won't sue them when their "recommendations" don't make you any money. There is only one thing you really need to know. Is the price of the stock steadily going up? The simple way to do this is to check the weekly closing price for the past several years. You can get this data at the library. If it has a nice steady upward path what more do you need to know? Everything that is known about this company is reflected in the last price transaction. In that price you are seeing all the world's research.

Information per se is not wise. It is the intelligent application of information that is wisdom. Apply your own common sense wisdom. Don't listen to Wall Street.

Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't BuyIt!" has helped thousands of people make moneyand keep their profits with his simple 2-stepmethod. Read the first chapter athttp://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Streetdoes not want you to know.

MORE RESOURCES:

Washington Post-ABC News poll - Washington Post

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/0-0fd=Rurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101308.htmlcid=1258241768ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNEq0IISzsvkhmqUoYIy_K_-qjOQKAWashington Post-ABC News poll/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWashington Post,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobrOct 12, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1This Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted by telephone October 8-11, 2008, among a random national sample of 1101 adults, including additional b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Crisis may spawn big US wealth transfer moves - Reuters UK

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://uk.reuters.com/article/summitNews/idUKTRE49C82020081014cid=1257815860ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNGHGf112FtA0JSiLqzzu-rDWf81qwCrisis may spawn big US wealth transfer moves/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fReuters UK,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr23 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The wealthy use trusts to pass on bstocks, mutual funds/b and physical assets such as real estate. The tax rates for such transfers are linked to interest b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Indian Savers May Bury Cash in `Panic#39; Over Banks (Update1) - Bloomberg

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-0fd=Rurl=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news%3Fpid%3D20601091%26sid%3DaDX0FXeqhBlA%26refer%3Dindiacid=1258222903ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNGZ-oJlZYbX6E6QQk21enJUVWWz3AIndian Savers May Bury Cash in `Panic#39; Over Banks (Update1)/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBloombergnbsp;-/font nobrOct 13, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1He doesn#39;t invest in bstocks, mutual funds/b or real estate because he thinks it#39;s too risky. ``When I don#39;t gamble for high returns, the government should b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Anatomy of a Scandal - American Spectator

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/3-0fd=Rurl=http://www.spectator.org/archives/2008/10/14/anatomy-of-a-scandalcid=1258024210ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNFonJGEAd06lp7DmybR67kiSc3OjgAnatomy of a Scandal/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAmerican Spectatornbsp;-/font nobrOct 14, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1bStocks, mutual funds/b, 401k#39;s, pensions, credit -- the financial guts of a family, a business, and in turn the underlying financial foundation of the US b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Anxious investors hanging on despite heavy stock market losses - Los Angeles Times

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-0fd=Rurl=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-investors13-2008oct13,0,4669187.storycid=0ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNFJaKmiBZyl0nZdLCel_tXEMFI4EQAnxious investors hanging on despite heavy stock market losses/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fLos Angeles Times,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 13, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b have about half a million dollars in the market, including retirement savings, individual bstocks, mutual funds/b and money market accounts. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Volatile stock market affects 401K#39;s - WQAD

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-0fd=Rurl=http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D9173882cid=0ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNGF-rwsIOFI94GmWQtUlpkL6DZ8iwVolatile stock market affects 401K#39;s/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWQAD,nbsp;ILnbsp;-/font nobrOct 14, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;Although the bstocks, mutual funds/b are going down, the bonds are holding well so when the market turns I feel we#39;ll make it up,quot; Bihn said. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Our View — Let free market be free - Mankato Free Press

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.mankatofreepress.com/editorials/local_story_286005221.htmlcid=1258179900ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNEkW9pYRWjGV6skRuBKIn8Mbygi2wOur View — Let free market be free/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMankato Free Press,nbsp;MNnbsp;-/font nobrOct 11, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Why not require the same thing with bstocks, mutual funds/b and other investment instruments? It would be less costly than the current bailout. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Earning the Boy Scouts#39; personal management badge - Forbes

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-0fd=Rurl=http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/10/10/ap5536783.htmlcid=1256145734ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNGppgqB1JYsASqnhGJbPErK606D2AEarning the Boy Scouts#39; personal management badge/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fForbes,nbsp;NYnbsp;-/font nobrOct 10, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1_Explain the advantages and disadvantages of putting money into the following: bstocks, mutual funds/b, CDs, bonds, savings accounts. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Financial management is part of Boy Scout training - Kentucky.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/8-0fd=Rurl=http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/554066.htmlcid=1257239324ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNG_bRpphF799HiJt4v9OfMB4zXvNQFinancial management is part of Boy Scout training/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fKentucky.com,nbsp;KYnbsp;-/font nobrOct 12, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Explain the advantages and disadvantages of putting money into the following: bstocks, mutual funds/b, CDs, bonds, savings accounts. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Government should stay within our means - Myrtle Beach Sun News

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-0fd=Rurl=http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/opinion/story/628598.htmlcid=0ei=ZWD2SKjaJp_S9QSS9JiQCQusg=AFQjCNGvnw9GoPCq-Lg4BujneSm01g5pBAGovernment should stay within our means/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMyrtle Beach Sun News,nbsp;SCnbsp;-/font nobrOct 12, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Our stock markets are going in the toilet, and the retirees who rely on bstocks, mutual funds/b and 401(k) income are hurting. Rather than asking how did we b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Stocks-Mutual-Funds - Google News

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