Even though the best financial consultant you could ever hire stares back at you every day when you look in a mirror, for those of you absolutely unwilling to learn how to do-it-yourself, here are ten tips to help you find that one financial consultant out of every 1000 that actually is fairly impressive.

To help me formulate this list, I considered some of the absolutely useless investment strategies I had learned at the world’s leading investment firms as well as the ridiculous focus of some boutique firms I had spoken to when formulating the long tail investment strategies that constitute the curriculum of my SmartKnowledgeU™ campus.

About five years ago, as I was just starting to develop and test my investment strategies that I now use today, I interviewed with a smaller, boutique investment firm in the Bay area of San Francisco that has a stellar reputation in the mass media as being on the cutting edge of revolutionary investment strategies. I thought to myself, if anything can reveal how far the top investment firms have evolved in their strategies to incorporate a changing information landscape to identify better investment opportunities, it will be my interview with this firm. Needless to say, I was stunned by the fact that this firm’s strategies basically mirrored the same, old, strategies of every investment firm on Wall Street.

A top manager at this firm proceeded to ask me five key questions (key to him at least) that he strongly believed was important to making intelligent investment decisions. However, I felt that his questions were either irrelevant or too unfocused to be of any worth. I was astounded that this firm had managed to gather billions of assets from private individuals. After witnessing the incompetence of this top manager at a top investment firm in the United States, I was merely convinced that hundreds of thousands of people have been duped and bamboozled by very strong salesmen that are able to effect the appearance of investment experts but in reality, know close to nothing.

The only problem with this scenario is that since most people do not know the right questions to ask, they never learn that their trusted advisors know next to nothing. If investors don’t know the right questions to ask, investors can ask a hundred questions and still not receive any answers that will help him or her assess the level of that financial advisor’s competence. Ask better questions, receive better answers, and improve your returns three fold, four fold or even more.

So here are 10 questions to get you started:

(1)What is your strategy to select individual foreign stocks?

I’m not a fan of mutual funds. I know all about their hidden expenses besides the overt fees they charge, plus I don’t like the fact that a lot of foreign mutual funds take a beating whenever the masses have the slightest fear about a pullback in the markets. I think owning individual stocks is a much better strategy, especially in foreign markets.

(2)What strategies do you personally use to give me a good chance of earning 20% or higher without assuming great risk?

Look, I’m going to be honest. 6%, 7% even 10% a year doesn’t cut it for me.

(3)Where do you think will be the best performing markets for the next five years? What percent of my portfolio will you devote to these markets?

b>(4)This question is a follow-up question to (3). If the answer to question three was, for example China, Canada and Australia, then ask, How much of my portfolio should be in Chinese, Canadian & Australian stocks and why?

(5)If answer (4) does not make sense in response to answer (3), probe with more questions.

For example, if the answer your financial consultant tells you is 20% tops, then ask, If you tell me hands down that the best markets for the next five years will be in China,India and Australia, why are we only allocating 20% of my portfolio to these markets?

(6)What are the best asset classes to be invested in for the next five years and why?

I don’t want the standard diversification strategy applied to my portfolio that you apply to every other client here. I think it’s a terrible way to build wealth and don’t agree with it. Look at all the great individual investors that were able to build wealth by determining what assets were the best and then concentrating their investments in just a few asset classes.

Even if you tell me ,”Look at Warren Buffet who was a buy and hold buyer”, today we live in different investment times. The horse and buggy was the best way to get around at one time but not anymore. Investing has changed, and what worked in the past is not the best way to invest today.

(7)What effect will the global currency markets have on the best and safest places to invest this year and why?

(8)How are you using technology and the internet to improve portfolio performance for me?

What novel strategies do you use that leverage technology and increased accessibility to top-tier financial, economic, and political information to grant me the best chance of earning stellar returns?

(9)How will you safely invest in developing markets for me?

A lot of the best performing markets are emerging markets that also are prone to huge corrections. And remember I don’t like mutual funds and I don’t think mutual funds are safe either.

(10)Tell me 3 things that you do that no one else at your firm does in managing my money and why.

To understand what many of the answers of these questions should be, feel free to visit the Free Educational Resources at http://www.smartknowledgeu.com. If you receive intelligent answers to all the above questions, you may have just found yourself a winner.

More than half of all borrowers use a broker to arrange their mortgage. But how do you go about finding one? Should you be paying any fees for their services and how do they work?

#1 There are literally thousands of mortgage brokers in the UK – well over 10,000! These mortgage brokers will range from large companies with nationwide coverage through to the small one-man bands covering their local area.

These different companies may use the full range of advertising media to attract your attention such as the internet, newspapers, magazines, radio, television and yellow pages.

Should you prefer to use a local broker, you can get a shortlist of three financial advisers in your area from Independent Financial Promotions (IFAP) You can also look online at the numerous directories of mortgage brokers online to find one that best suits you.

#2 Whenever you have dealings with a mortgage broker, ensure that you find out whether they are authorised by the Financial Services Authority, either directly or as an appointed representative/principle of another company. Regulated brokers are listed on the FSA website: fsa.gov.uk

#3 Many mortgage brokers will have access to literally thousands of different lenders and products – this can be hugely beneficial when shopping around. It should be the aim of all mortgage brokers to source the market in order to achieve the best deal for you. Beware however, not every mortgage broker will be as ethical as the next – make sure you do your research!

If you wish to find out which lenders a mortgage broker has access to on their panel, you simply have to ask them. Brokers will either charge you a flat fee for their services, or charge you nothing whilst receiving a commission from the lender, or of course, a combination of the both. They are legally bound to disclose details of the commission they receive including the figure if this is more than 250.00.

#4 Mortgage advice is regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Individuals who give mortgage advice must be professionally qualified.

#5 If you are looking for advice on other financial products, for example on pensions, investments and insurance, be aware that these areas are also regulated by the FSA – your mortgage adviser may not be qualified to give advice on these areas. Unlike mortgages, advisers dealing in investment products have to be either tied to one provider or an independent financial adviser who can source the whole of market.

#6 The mortgage industry is packed full of confusing words that you may never heard of before – Do not be afraid to ask any questions. If you are not completely sure what you are getting into or signing up to, it is vitally important that make sure every detail is explained fully by your broker or lender. A mortgage is a huge commitment so make sure that you know exactly what is entailed.

#7 Using the services of a mortgage broker can offer many different benefits to the borrower. If your mortgage requirements are specialised, a broker can sometimes access specialist lenders that may not be directly available to the public. Having a damaged credit history can mean that can that applying for a mortgage can be a little more troublesome via the conventional routes.

#8 As a first time buyer the prospect of using a mortgage broker can be very appealing – even if your needs are very simple. Buying a home and arranging a mortgage for the first time can be a daunting prospect and having a point of contact available can make the process run more smoothly.

#9 It is important to be as honest and accurate as possible when applying for a mortgage. In todays market of high house prices, it can be very tempting to inflate your income or downplay your debts and other financial commitments. It is in fact a fraudulent offence to lie about your income on a mortgage application form.

#10 If you have a problem with your broker or have reason for complaint, it is necessary for both yourself and the broker involved to meet a satisfactory conclusion. Once this avenue has been exhausted, you may take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman service. It may be possible to claim compensation from the broker in question via the Ombudsman service.

With everything else on your mind, have you put your auto insurance on auto pilot? It’s not your fault if you have — lots of people do it. In fact, the insurance companies count on it. They make more money that way by raising your rates over time.

But maybe it’s time you review your policy and compare it with what else might be out there that can save you substantial amounts of money this coming year.

Here are 10 tips that can help you make an informed decision as to whether you are paying too much for auto insurance:

Request higher deductibles.

Your auto insurance deductible is the amount you agree to pay upfront before your insurance company pays its share to repair your damages. Inquire about increasing your deductible from, say, $200 to $500 — you might be surprised at how much you can save every year. In some cases, you could save between 15-30% on the cost of your collision and comprehensive coverage. If you increase your deductible to $1,000, you may be able to cut it even further — perhaps by as much as could decrease that cost by at least 40 percent, or more.

Drop coverage you don’t need.

Do you drive an old beater? Consider dropping collision and/or comprehensive coverage altogether. Who needs to pay a premium that is higher than the actual value of the car to begin with? So go online and check out how much your car is actually worth. You can do this at Edmunds.com.

Don’t pay for double coverage for medical.

If you’re already covered with a decent health, life and/or disability insurance policy, just buy the the minimum personal injury protection that your state requires.

Don’t buy a car that thieves like to steal.

It’s more expensive to insure a car that is popular with car thieves. You can check out the statistics for that at ConsumerAffairs.com. And while you’re at it, don’t buy a car that is expensive to repair.

Drive less.

Many insurance companies offer a “low-mileage discount” to drivers who qualify. So if you can carpool to work, you might save on gas AND insurance. And not only that — you’ll sustain less wear and tear on your vehicle too. Lastly, many cities reserve an express lane on the freeway/interstate for carpoolers — so you’ll get to work faster, too. Call your insurer and find out whether you qualify.

Safety features can save you money, too.

Did you know that You can often get a discount if you own a car with automatic seat belts, anti-lock brakes and/or daytime running lights? Also, if you have an approved alarm system or other anti-theft device you can save money, too.

Put your teenager on your policy.

Don’t put teens on their own policy — it costs too much. And another thing about teens: if they keep decent grads and pass an approved drivers’ training course, you can get a reduced rate for that as well. Lastly, if your teen goes to college more than 100 miles from home, they can qualify for further discounts — if they leave their car at home.

Put all your family’s vehicles with one insurance carrier.

Many insurance companies will be happy to take your premiums for more than one car at a time. And not only that — if you buy homeowner’s and/or life insurance too, you’ll save even more.

Ask this simple question: “What other discounts should I know about?”

If you’re older than 50 and/or retired, you might qualify for a discount through organizations like AARP; if you have no accidents or points on your record, you could qualify for a safe-driver discount; and/or if you’re a longtime customer with your carrier, you could save some money that way.

Reconsider before paying extra for roadside assistance.

Here’s the thing: getting towed might actually increase your premium and/or affect your eligibility for coverage. And adding insult to injury — you might have had coverage through your credit card. Check it out. Sometimes having roadside assistance through an independent company might be the best deal of all.

Conclusion

So there you have it — lots of ways to save on your auto insurance. Pick up the phone and check it out. After all, who wouldn’t like to have an extra few hundred (or thousand) dollars to save or spend?

The Buy-To-Let market place is booming. More and more people are investing in a second property as a long term investment plan. As attractive as the proposition sounds, there are a number of potential pitfalls that need to be taken into consideration. Use the steps below to ensure that your Buy-To-Let investment is a success.

#1 Choose The Right Property

The location is extremely important. Make sure that speak to a number of local letting agents to determine the supply and demand in the area. Look at such things as whether there are local employers or a university. You can get the details of letting agents near you by contacting The Association of Residential Letting Agents.

#2 Choose The Right Mortgage

You will need to check with your lender to how much you eligible to borrow. Most lenders will allow you to borrow 85 percent of the properties value. Also most lenders will take into account the expected rental income when they are deciding how much they will lend. Make sure that your rental income covers 125 percent of your monthly mortgage payment.

#3 Work Out Costs And Income

Work out how much your monthly mortgage repayment will be and whether the expected rental income will exceed this. Checking out the rental prices of similar properties advertised in newspapers in your area will give an indication of whether this is possible. Also look at whether you could afford your mortgage if interest rates shop up and the property is unoccupied for 3 months.

#4 Consider Hidden Costs

You will have to pay solicitors fees, estate agents fees, building insurance, mortgage arrangement fees, stamp duty and possibly service charges and ground rent.

#5 Budget For Ongoing Costs

You are responsible for ensuring that the property meets health and safety standards. Local authorities require that you comply with fire regulations, which could mean you have to put in fire doors and smoke alarms.

#6 Choose A Professional Letting Agent

You might want to consider using a professional letting agent. They will find tenants, collect deposits and the rent and arrange the inventory and tenancy agreements. But expect to be charged anything from between 10 to 18 percent of the gross rental income that you get.

#7 Ensure You Have The Right Insurance

As you are the owner it is your responsibility to insure the structure of the property, which includes permanent fixtures and fittings. You will need to check your policy as most buildings insurance policies exclude buy-to-lets.

#8 Sort Out Your Tax Position

You have to pay income tax on any rental income you receive, but you can deduct some expenses and you will probably be liable for Capital Gains Tax when you sell. You would be well advised to speak to your accountant before you proceed.

#9 Get A Fully Flexible Mortgage

These types of mortgages are well suited to the buy-to-let market. This is because you can fluctuate your payments in line with rental income.

#10 View Buy-To-Let As A Long Term Investment

Do not expect to make a quick profit on rental income and equity gain in the property. You look at the longer terms for profits. Generally about five to ten years.

If, you’re looking for a fundraising project for a school, sports team or construction project you will the following useful for you.

Use these 10 tips to catapult you fund raising efforts and raise more funds.

1. Examine you database of supporters. How likely are they to help you out? Don’t assume that folks will keep helping you out because they have done so in the past. Remember that people will donate only with a good strategy.

2. Who is your target audience? You can expect about 25 -20% of your database to contribute. But… are they interested are they in your project and how committed are they? Can they contribute from their own funds?

3. When is the best time to ask for donations? Timing is crucial in fundraising.

4. How will you word your request for help? Look at other people’s efforts and find out what has worked in the past.

5. Energy and enthusiasm make the difference. Try to get volunteers with the time and energy to put into the project.

6. How much money do you want to raise? Have a clear amount of how much you want or need, then you can better guestimate the effort required to raise funds to that amount.

7. Determine the amount you will ask each individual for. This is a great way to get the answer to the really important question….. “is what I am providing worth the price I am asking for?” If the answer is no then your funds will not be boosted this time.

8. Examine your intangible assets. This is things like, do you have anyone who has great experience in raising funds? What are the fundraising activities that have impressed you in the past, and can you emulate them? Go through a list of these with the people in your project.

9. Keep the faith. Fundraising can be soul destroying so make sure you have taken steps to motivate your helpers by telling them the reason for the fundraising. Remind them of the good they are doing and why you need to raise the money.

10. Keep on keeping on. Don’t give up. In order to achieve the best results possible, you as an active member of the team, must keep your spirits up and striving for more cash. It’s the only way to rasie as much cash as possible.

By taking heed of the tips above your fund raising activity will have the best chance possible to raise funds for your club or organisation.

Just a few minutes proper planning can have a dramatic impact where it matters most…………increasing your funds.

Refinance loans and home equity loans both give you an opportunity to get cash when you close on the loan. While both options can be a great way to save money and get money, there are certain things you should know before getting a refinance or home equity loan:

You Need a Good Reason to Get a Loan

It doesn’t matter if you are considering a refinance loan or home equity loan; you need to have a good reason for spending the money it will take to close on the loan. Good reasons may include the need for a better rate and terms or the need for cash to consolidate debt or pay other outstanding bills. Whatever it is, make sure the loan will save you money in the long run, and more importantly, make sure you can afford the new loan payments.

Refinance Terms Vary

Not every refinance loan is the same. Some have lower payments during the term and one final balloon payment at the end. Some terms last 30 years, while others only last 15. If you will be getting a refinance loan, make sure the terms will be manageable for you.

Home Equity Loan Terms Vary

Like refinance loan terms, home equity loan terms can also vary. Some loans are adjustable rate options, while others are fixed. Term lengths can also fall all over the map, so it is a good idea to evaluate all of the options available to you before making any final decisions.

Introductory Rates Can Be Misleading

Sometimes known as “teaser rates”, introductory rates look good on paper, but can be very misleading. Before being drawn into a loan with introductory rates, you should have a clear understanding of when the rate will adjust, what the rate cap is, and what your payment might be at its highest.

Fees Need to Be Compared

When most people are looking for a refinance or a home equity loan, they compare interest rates. While this is a smart thing to do, interest rates aren’t the only thing that should be focused on in the comparison process. Because lending fees and closing costs can vary from lender to lender, you also want to take time to make comparisons between these variables.

Loan Interest Isn’t Always Tax Deductible

Contrary to popular belief, the interest paid on a home equity loan or a refinance loan isn’t always tax deductible. Before automatically assuming that you will be able to get tax savings, you should speak with a qualified accountant. An accounting professional will be able to look over your situation, as well as the potential loan to determine whether or not you are eligible for tax deductions.

There is No Such Thing as a Free Loan

Don’t be fooled by lenders who offer no closing cost refinance loans or home equity loans. There is no such thing as a free loan. If you don’t pay the costs upfront, you will pay for them later on in the loan. While this may not seem so bad, you need to remember that you will also be paying interest on anything not paid upfront.

Negative Amortization Loans are Risky

Though they are not as popular as they once were, negative amortization loans are still offered by lenders. These loans present a great risk to the borrower because loan payments aren’t always enough to cover the required interest payments. Any unpaid interest will be added to the unpaid principal, making it very difficult to pay the loan off in a timely manner.

Tax Assessment Aren’t Genuine Appraisals

If you are thinking about getting a refinance loan or home equity loan, don’t assume that the local tax assessor’s appraisal represents the actual market value of your home. Tax assessments aren’t genuine appraisals. Your home may be worth quite a bit more or quite a bit less than the amount indicated on your tax assessment. The only way to find out how much your home is really worth is to contact an independent real estate appraiser.

You Can Back Out

Federal law gives you the opportunity to back out of a refinance loan, a home equity loan, or any other type of loan that will be using your home and property as collateral. You have a total of three days to change your mind after the loan has closed. If you are unsure about the loan for any reason, this window of opportunity is your chance to get out before it is too late.

Your bad credit will cause you no end of trouble and stress, but it’s not the end. As hopeless as things may seem, bad credit won’t last forever. You can do several things to improve your credit starting right now.

1. Stop using your credit cards.
If you already have bad credit, one of the worst things you can do is continue accumulating debt by continuing to use your cards. Don’t purchase anything unless you can pay cash for it.

2. Obtain a copy of your credit report.
Get a copy of your credit report. You can go to http://www.annualcreditreport.com to learn how to obtain your copies free of charge.

3. Fix mistakes in your credit report.
Contact all three credit bureaus to fix any mistakes contained in your reports. Dispute anything you feel is wrong or out of the ordinary. Make sure to keep an eye out for negative entries that don’t belong to you.

4. Pay up any late accounts.
Getting up to date on any past due accounts will have a great impact on your credit.Your payment history makes up 35% of your credit score.

5. Stop filling out those darn credit applications.
While your trying to enhance your credit don’t fill out any more credit card or loan applications. More applications will harm your credit score and while your credit is still damaged your more likely to be rejected any way.

6. Don’t be hastey in closing older accounts.
You should go ahead and close any gas or store charge cards you have, however don’t hurry to close your mainline credit cards like Visa or Mastercard. Paying off the balances will improve your credit, but closing these cards will reduce your availabe credit and hurt your credit score, also the older the account the more your score is helped by the longer history.

7. Pay off debts.
Do what you have to, but get out of debt. This may mean giving up some freedom and taking an additional job, but you must pay off that debt. In the long run you will find your enhaced credit will be well worth it.

8. Call your creditors.
Talk to your creditors about your situation, right now they’re certainly the last people you want to talk to, but you’d be surprised at the help they may offer you. Negotiate to lower your monthly payments for a short period of time if possible.

Below, I present Part II of my original article, “10 Surefire Ways to Make an Investment Fortune.”

(6)Understand Why You Own Everything You Own, Then Stand Firm in Your Convictions

Since most people never take the time to learn how to invest properly, or are fed a bunch of misinformation by the so-called industry professionals, they waffle as much as a shady politician when making investment decisions. They don’t know if they should hold, sell or buy during corrections, or hold or sell during steep runs higher. Primarily they don’t know because they don’t understand what they own because they have allowed someone else to make those decisions. I’ve always found it odd how people will refuse to allow other people to do the most trivial of things for their companies, preferring to take care of them him or herself, or will consult 20 people before buying a car, but will gladly hand over $2 million in cash to a stranger to manage.

Yet, just having conviction is not enough. Being wrong in your convictions can be just as devastating to your portfolio performance than having no conviction at all. For example, in June, July, and August of 2007, many housing analysts repeatedly called bottoms in housing stocks, and many investors, just like sheep, jumped in and bought up shares in housing related stocks. Some even kept increasing position in shares of sub-prime mortgage companies that had plummeted 70% believing they were acquiring the stock for pennies on the dollar. Most of these investors, instead of profiting, lost a great deal of money from stocks that did not stop hemorrhaging and some lost 100% of their money from investing in companies that eventually went bankrupt. This is the lazy man or woman’s way out and almost never ends up well.

When I say “Stand Firm in Your Conviction”, do so only after gaining expertise in a subject matter. Do not blindly follow someone else’s advice just because they appear on Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal or Reuters. Just because someone has the appearance of an “authority” does not make him or her one. In fact, often there are shameless self-promotion reasons behind media appearances and the only person that is bound to get hurt by blindly listening to these people is you. Only after you take the time to truly learn everything you need to know to become an expert in a particular industry or asset class, then don’t be afraid of going against the grain of the majority opinion. You’ve taken the time to become an expert, so utilize your knowledge in how you manage your portfolio. More times than not, you will be correct when everyone else is wrong.

(7)Make Volatility Your Friend

Most people have been taught that volatility equals risk. Baloney. If you remember that market timing in asset class cycles is possible, then you can basically negate much of the risk of volatility by buying close to the troughs instead of close to the peaks. Furthermore, you can never make any money by buying a bunch of stocks that plod along at 6% to 10% growth a year. Thus, you need volatility in your portfolio in order to make money. In fact, I advocate even owning some speculative stocks to boost the performance of your portfolio. Again, with due diligence, a fair batting average with speculative stocks is not only feasible but very likely. I’ve only been able to obtain 25% to 35% annual gains in stock portfolios by devoting a percentage of my portfolio to speculative stocks that have returned 280%, 260% and 190% a year. At the end of the day I don’t care if I have some speculative stocks that go belly up (meaning they got stopped out at 40% losses) if I have enough stocks that earn several hundred percent that significantly add to the absolute return of my portfolio. Like I said, make volatility your friend.

(8)Never Listen to the Government

Government statistics do move the market. But that doesn’t make the statistics right or truthful. The Consumer Price Index, Housing Starts, Job Growth, the Consumer Confidence Index, and so on all influence the markets. Markets always await with bated breath for the release of these numbers, then are accordingly swayed higher or lower depending upon whether the reported numbers miss or exceed analysts’ targets. Knowing that these government statistics affect market movements, why would I say disregard them? Here’s the answer.

Rarely are these statistics every forthcoming and aboveboard. Instead they are manufactured to sway markets to react in certain ways. For example, the formula to determine the CPI in the U.S. was tinkered with greatly under President Clinton. Current U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has been reported to be tinkering with the formula even more. If the CPI formula used 15 years ago would report a drastically different number than the CPI formula used today simple due to significant differences in how the CPI is now calculated, how much confidence doest that grant you in the validity of this statistic? Other major benchmark government statistics aren’t even based upon real surveys of actual transactions, but rely heavily on government estimates. Thus, the government just estimates the statistic to be whatever they want it to be so that it will serve their purposes and will steer the economy and the stock markets in the desired direction.

People have often asked me how I always pick stocks that end up with 20% gains in a couple of months or triple-digit gains in a year. They ask me is it luck? Maybe with a couple of stocks it may have been luck, but luck doesn’t play a role in buying ten or more stocks in the same year that earn more than 80% returns. The key is not to follow the herd, stop listening to the investment talking heads, and to learn an investment system and then be unwaveringly courageous in applying your system. There have been times family and friends have asked me for advice, and I have told them, “Buy this stock. I guarantee you, you will not lose money.”

Now I know that there are no guarantees in the stock market, but if you follow certain strategies, you can be 90% sure that the stock will appreciate. With this particular agricultural stock, it was almost the perfect stock, and I was 99.9% sure that the stock would produce monumental gains. Sure enough, the stock exploded almost 130% higher in about a year. And this stock was not some risky penny stock trading at less than a dollar a share. This stock was trading at about $70 a share at the time I advised my friends to buy it. So below are the 10 surefire rules I employ to build enormous gains in investment portfolios.

(1)Buy When Fear is Rampant, Sell When Mania is the Greatest

Every investing course should be accompanied by a psychology course as well. The most difficult thing to do in investing is to buy more when fear and panic is rampant and to sell when mania is the highest. Stock markets and asset classes cycle in peaks and troughs. Most people will not buy stocks until after stocks are plastered all over the news and after they have just risen by 30%, 40%, 50% or more, believing that they will rise higher forever. Buying at the troughs when nobody is talking about a stock or during steep corrections provides a low-risk, \high-reward setup for your portfolio.

(2)Learn What Your Neighbor is Doing, Watch Investment Shows on MSNBC and Bloomberg on TV, Listen to the Recommendations of Your Financial Consultant – Then Make Sure that You Don’t Have a Single Thing in Common With Their Strategies

If you are one of the thundering sheep herd and perpetually follow the mindless actions of others, you are virtually guaranteed to lose money or forever relegate your portfolio to average to below-average returns. The surest way to build an investment fortune is to buy asset classes and stocks when nobody is discussing them and to sell them when everyone is talking about them. This requires a nose for market timing. Is market timing impossible as all the global investment firms always tell you? Hardly. Learning what asset classes and individual stocks are poised to skyrocket every year just takes a little bit of time, but is really not that difficult. Since time is a commodity that Private Wealth Mangers and Financial Consultants employed by large commercial investment houses lack, they tell you that market timing is impossible merely because they don’t have the time to perform the necessary research.

However, purchasing stocks that are likely close to cyclical bottoms instead of believing that market timing is impossible and indiscriminately buying stocks will easily add another 10% in returns to your portfolio per year. Do you really believe that you can make a fortune by buying any stock that is advertised on a TV program watched by millions of investors worldwide? Ultimately, if you own the same stocks as your neighbor to the right, your neighbor to the left, the talking head on TV, and the talking head at your commercial investment firm, then are doing something the proper things to build an investment fortune.

If you don’t seek out stocks and asset classes at times when nobody is considering them, you will never make serious money in investing. You may make 10% a year or maybe even 15% a year but if you want to enter the world of the big boys and earn 25% or more in annual returns, you have to dig a lot deeper than your investment peers. Just a couple of months ago (June 25, 2007) this email landed in my inbox from a big investment newsletter publisher. “Over the past week, I’ve crisscrossed northwestern Canada looking for the next great investment. I’m up here to find out what everyone’s invested in. And after attending an investment conference in Vancouver last week, I can tell you absolutely that no one is interested in gold…Base and minor metals will continue to be the best place to have your money over the next few years. Gold, as a virtually useless metal that has few industrial uses, appears to have hit its peak and could be running sideways for years like it has many times in the past.”

Then, in August, when the HUI (the major AMEX gold index) took a sharp hit in response to global market corrections, everyone proclaimed that gold was no longer a safe haven and that gold was “done”. Now, just a one-month later, on September 26, 2007, a lot of people are talking about gold’s strong rapid surge. So was the newsletter that ended up in my mailbox that proclaimed gold as dead in June right in June but terribly wrong in September? The answer is neither. The only person that is wrong is you if you blindly listen to talking heads that end up in your inbox or that you watch on TV. The fact is that little-discussed asset classes and stocks are ignored because perhaps 1 out of 1000 investors truly understand them, and even the ones that parade as experts on TV have been more terribly wrong about their calls than right. So it’s up to you to get off your proverbial bum and learn how to invest for yourself. Chasing stocks higher and buying when everyone else is speaking about them is a sure way to lose money. And so is listening to talking heads. Learn a system that teaches you to buy assets when everyone is ignoring them and you’ll outperform everyone else.

(3)Concentrate, Don’t Diversify

If you’ve read the paragraph above, you already realize that Private Wealth Managers and Financial Consultants are in short supply of time as they partake in the race to gather as many assets as possible for their respective firms. Thus, this is the reason they employ the rule of diversification for your portfolio. U.S. Navy SEALs will tell you that during an operation exfil exercise, the easiest way out is rarely the safest way out. The same holds true in investing, yet diversification is by far and away, the easiest investment strategy that anyone could possibly teach to tens of thousands of financial consultants. Certainly, diversification cannot be a complex strategy if tens of thousand consultants from varied backgrounds and industries can all efficiently apply this concept to their clients’ portfolios with very little training. Diversification is the biggest cop-out investment strategy of all time. It screams of incompetence and lack of skill – “I have no idea what asset classes are going to perform well this year so I’m going to invest you in everything under the sun.”

Assume everyday, a NBA coach looked at his active roster of 12 players and said, “I have no idea who are the best players. Because I don’t know, and don’t care to take the time to figure it out, I’m going to ensure that all 12 players share equal time every game.” This coach is unlikely to win many games versus the coach that takes the time in training camp to assess who his best 5 players are and then consequently plays these 5 players the majority of minutes during every game. This is the difference between diversification and concentration. The coach that diversifies may win some games based upon pure luck because maybe he has a couple great players that can make up for the deficiencies of the poor players he puts on the court every night. Still, most nights, the deficiencies of the poor players will drag down the performance of the excellent players.

However, the coach that concentrates and puts his best players on the court every night will be able to field a team every night that has an excellent chance of winning. This is why we concentrate in investing. To give us the best possible chance of winning. Diversification will never achieve this.Study the best investors in the world. The best investors in the world always manage their own money and they concentrate their portfolios in the best asset classes every year. Don’t believe the hype about diversification – diversification stinks, it doesn’t protect your portfolio, and it certainly will never make you wealthy.

(4)Learn Everything You Can About the Relationship Between Politics and Stocks

On September 18, 2007, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut the Federal Funds Rate (the rates banks borrow from each other and the rates the rates banks loan to customers) by 50 basis points. The U.S. stock markets soared that day, followed by strong surges in Asian markets the following morning. The interest rate cut undoubtedly was not just motivated by a desire to manufacture stability and confidence in the U.S. economy, but also motivated by politics. If you don’t \understand what I mean by this, then you have homework to do.

Governments and corporations in every major global economy in the world have formed relationships that have since been coined as “corporatocracies”. Politics has a major hand in all of the following: interest rate cuts, interest rate increases, the price of oil, the price of gold, the valuation of the Euro, the valuation of the dollar, the valuation of the Pound Sterling, permits to mine uranium in Australia, defense spending for national security, decisions to go to war, and contracts awarded to corporations. If you don’t understand politics, you cannot possibly understand global macro-economic trends and what asset classes and stocks offer the best low-risk, high-reward opportunities year after year. The lack of understanding of politics is what causes Chief Investment Officers of major commercial investment houses to make poor calls in the direction of commodity prices and the direction of global economies. Understand politics and your investment returns should increase tremendously.

(5)Learn Everything You Can About Gold as an Investment.

Gold, as an investment, is perhaps the most misunderstood and poorest understood asset class in the world. Some people believe that the physical commodity is the only way to invest in this asset, and as such, only put money into the paper gold ETFs. Other people that invest in gold stocks don’t understand the differences in price behavior between the juniors and majors; explorers, developers, and producers; hedged and unhedged companies; and the political risk of operating in different countries. Therefore, they never understand the risk-reward quotient of their gold portfolio, sell out during steep corrections, always lose money, and think that gold investments are speculative and stink. Furthermore, they don’t understand that short-term manipulation of prices of the underlying commodity and stocks can’t change the long-term outlook and performance. However, learn how to buy and sell this asset class properly and you will be rewarded as no other asset class can reward you

Defined within the realm of the statistical Bell Curve, the long tail would reside in the skinny tail at the borders. The long tail, in regards to goods and services, refers to the evolution away from mainstream offerings towards more niche products and services. With the internet drastically reducing the costs of establishing distribution channels, the ability of entrepreneurs to focus more on the longtail sector to fit their customized needs is gaining increasing appeal.

However, almost no one speaks of the longtail of investing. To me, longtail investment strategies are the strategies that do not heavily rely on fundamental or technical analysis, but exploit other strongly predictive factors to produce not only superior returns to traditional investment strategies but also investment opportunities with far better risk-reward paradigms than those produced by traditional investment strategies. Here are 10 reasons why the longtail of investing is the only way to build wealth.

(1)You will never achieve the level of wealth you desire by handing your money over to a large investment firm.

The vast majority of private investors hand their money to large institutions and allow them to invest their money for them. If this were truly the best way to achieve financial freedom, then almost every one you know would be ecstatic with their financial consultant. Think of how many people you know that absolutely rave about their financial consultant.

The fact that 90% of people you know do not rave about their financial consultant should tell you that niche investment strategies, or longtail investment strategies, are far superior. The ones that are happy with the large investment houses already were independently wealthy before they sought out their help. Think about how many people you know that have ever told you, “I wasn’t wealthy before, but thanks to my investment firm, I am wealthy beyond my dreams now.”

(2)Thanks to evolving information technology, there are many better and more highly predictive means of making investment decisions than just utilizing fundamental and technical analysis.

Though people have been really slow to grasp this, once they do, longtail investment strategies, like those invented by SmartKnowledgeU™, will boom. There is no doubt that the level of top-notch financial, political and corporate information available to the average investor has increased by leaps and bounds within the past decade.

There is a virtual treasure map that was created by the flattening of the world over the past decade to selecting stocks that are poised to explode. However, because the largest, most powerful investment institutions in the world have kept the masses of investors fixated on traditional investment techniques such as value and fundamental analysis, the longtail of investment strategies is currently much further behind in its developmental phases than it should be.

The best analogy I can use when explaining why people have ignored the long tail of investment strategies is to compare it to the incredibly slow adoption of Internet Protocol Version 6 (Ipv6) by the United States. When China started preparing its country for Ipv6 a decade ago, the benefits in increased security and its added value properties in e-commerce were evident even back then. However, people in the U.S. were comfortable with the lesser Ipv4 so did not take any action until the progress and superior internet and business capabilities of China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong finally embarrassed the U.S. enough to move forward and catch up with Asia.

I see the same thing happening in the educational realm of investing. Everyone is comfortable with the traditional investment strategies that have been propagated for the last several decades so nobody sees a need to move forward even though much better strategies exist today. Just as with Ipv6, the world will eventually realize that the safest and best means of investing money reside in the longtail, and they will eventually adopt these strategies.

(3)With so much investor skepticism of corporate integrity sparked by past accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom, General Motors and the like, and the current, ongoing backdating option scandals, investors will increasingly seek alternate means of making investment decisions other than crunching numbers that they feel are untrustworthy.

Furthermore, technical analysis often yields false positives as well. A chart will show indexes that appear bullish having just broken through a ceiling of resistance only to have the index turn back downward for a prolonged period of time, or a chart will appear bearish having just broken through a floor of resistance only to turn around and begin another bullish ascent.

In fact, you have seen some of these turnaround trends with some of the technical posts that I’ve placed on my blog in previous months. In fact, that is why I always state that I never rely solely on technical indicators to make my decisions. I rely only on technical indicators to confirm or dispel what my long tail investment strategies tell me. Of the three types of analysis, fundamental, technical and long tail, long tail investment strategies yield by far the least amount of false negatives and false positives. That’s why I rely on them so heavily.

This sentiment will lead to an evolution of longtail investment strategies, and the discovery of more efficient and better predictive means of making investment decisions than even those that already exist. Even current longtail investment strategies, such as those utilized at SmartKnowledgeU™ are constantly evolving as access to reliable information increases every year. Making decisions as if you were a fly on the wall of boardrooms is no longer a fantasy. It is possible, thanks to the evolution of the information landscape.

(4)With the growth of blogs and pure information sites on the web, the stranglehold of global investment myths, including the Modern Portfolio Theory of diversification, will soon be exposed for what they are – cleverly disguised sales strategies posing as investment strategies.

Once people realize this, longtail investment strategies will gain wider acceptance, much like acupuncture and herbal medicine eventually gained credibility as healing regimens in the schools of Western medicine.

The new information age has stripped many accepted investment strategies such as diversification of much utility when attempting to build wealth. Furthermore, it has also rendered such beliefs as an inability to time the market and the efficient market model as mere myths. This has been proven time and time again by investment sites such as SmartKnowledgeU™ that have called for steep market corrections in certain global markets and in asset classes like gold with consistent accuracy.

(5)Wider acceptance of alternative, longtail investment strategies that far outperform those utilized by global investment firms will happen as word of successes via these strategies spread throughout the world via the internet.

The internet distribution channel can and will be used to change the mindset of investors.

(6)The Do-It-Yourselfers are Growing – With the success of books such as Stephen Covey’s “The Eight Habit” that emphasize personal accountability to achieve excellence versus handing control over to someone else, cultural shifts will happen whereby people will seek to seize control over their own financial future versus just handing their money to a firm to manage.

As this cultural shift happens, multitudes of people will realize that they are shorting their returns significantly every single year by handing their money to global investment houses.

(7)The flattening of the world and accessibility to previously inaccessible investment information will undoubtedly yield an increasing amount of investment strategies that reside in the longtail.

People will realize the foolishness of believing in the one investment strategy thrust upon them by global investment houses for the past half of century as “the only viable and safe way to invest.” If the younger generation takes an interest in investing, adding their creativity to the investment arena will result in explosive growth in the longtail of investment strategies. However, since the odds of this occurrence are quite low, a more gradual shift towards niche investment strategies is much more likely.

(8)The explosion of social networking sites like YouTube, MySpace, Friendster, Squidoo, Digg, and so forth, will amplify the viral marketing of longtail investment concepts.

Again, ignorance of longtail investment strategies causes fear and hesitancy to use them. Viral marketing of longtail investment concepts will increase millions of investors’ comfort level with these different and unique concepts.

(9)People are ultimately interested in returns, no matter how much global investment firms try to separate themselves from their competitors with smoke and mirror service claims.

All the gratitude for luxury box suites at Los Angeles Lakers games, suites at the Four Seasons Hotel, conferences at world-class golf courses and resorts will quickly wither once people realize how much more money they are earning with longtail investment strategies.

(10)Again, because people will readily abandon all the perks they get as a preferred client at a large investment firm for far superior returns on their portfolios, longtail investing will eventually reach a critical mass.

Eventually the longtail of investing will migrate towards the center and become the mainstream methods of investing, though this may take several decades to occur.