What does wealth mean to you?

One of the ways to deliver a message is through comedy. People laugh and its emotionally engaging..and sometimes a real message can come out of the fun.

Here is a clip by US comedian Jon Stewart. It is his take on CNBC's performance in the current credit crisis.

I hope you will enjoy. There is a bleep word at the end...and yes there is a real message when the laughter subsides.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
CNBC Financial Advice
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis First 100 Days

So..what did you think?

The message shows that the media is interested in speculation not investing. Moreover these experts (I think speculators is a better word) are very rarely held to account and their views are never back tested. Listening to speculators can be entertaining, but certainly not how you make investment decisions.

Investing is different to speculation. Neither is it about entertainment. The destruction of wealth can ruin lives without any responsibility through speculation and not knowing what is or is not entertainment.

Investing is a very serious business.

Taking tips from TV or reading a newspaper …or listening to a friend says they have heard about a new opportunity…or even your financial adviser who explains the benefits of a new fund… a stockbroker who encourages you to buy the next Microsoft, whatever the input, you do need a decision making process in place to help you choose what action to take with the information you receive…

My question is therefore, what decision making process do you have in place?

How do you know if the information you receive is relevant to you? Is a tip really beneficial or not? How do you weigh up the risks? How do you measure the possible outcomes?

These are all important considerations, yet when we often ask this question of new clients, the answer we hear tends be ambiguous. The reason appears to be because no one has helped the investor develop a proper process initially. Why is that?

In truth, the reasons are because those delivering the tips or advice or recommendations have a bias. If there is a product that you are recommended to purchase, a bias will exist. As such, anyone prescribing such advice on products is not going to offer you adequate information to help you decide not to buy!

Wherever possible, you need to find out how the advice is promoted to you and if the adviser is not paid by you, are you really sure they will be acting in your interests…however nice and friendly they maybe.

We help you develop a thought process that allows better investment decision taking. It's one of the reasons why we are different and why that difference adds significant value.