Every year I go to the Money Show in Orlando, Florida. Thousands attend. It is mostly an older crowd with the youngsters about 40 years of age. I have been saying for years that until you have lost enough money trying to make a fortune you will not become serious about investing. The under 40's are shooting for the moon and it has finally dawned on the over 40's (maybe it's the over 50's) that they must find a better way to get rich.

The Money Show presents a forum of recognized experts in their field. It may be long-term or short term trading. It could be in stocks, bonds, mutual fund, ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), oil and gas properties, options, commodity futures, managed accounts and other more esoteric venues.

Each one of the "experts" allows you to listen to him speak (at no charge) to tell you how he has found the secret to stock market success and why you should buy his Holy Grail service. You will receive his (daily, weekly, monthly) market letter for the ridiculously low price of from $250 to $5,000 or more. You may not have found the Holy Grail, but he has.

Almost all of them have a "when to buy" method, but very few have a "when to cash in your chips" method and fewer than that will have any way to protect yourself from losing it all should their Holy Grail method turn into Holy Cow.

The Orlando show occurs in February so every expert has his predictions for the coming year. The only bear I fount was Martin Weiss, but he wasn't a bull in 1999 either. No one wants to hear dire consequences of a bad year for their stocks so the audience is fed the kind of food they like. Everything is going to be even better this years and with my super software (or newsletter) you will make a better return than ever before.

During the three day show there were 396 individual presentations most of which ran about an hour more or less and then there were the extra charges for having breakfast, lunch, tea, whatever with one of the speakers. And these weren't cheap. You could also sign up for all day seminars. In the Exhibit Hall there was always an expert giving a lecture with a great slide show on how his Grail (I am getting hesitant about calling it Holy) will increase your portfolio.

Many investors came to see the guru whose market letter they were receiving. Very few of these mavens are making anyone rich, but there are some. My question to them is are they putting their own money on the line or are these results hypothetical? After attending several of these seminars each day with each presenter showing his magic get-rich formula it would seem these folks would go home more confused than when they came. There is no Holy Grail of investing. At least I have not found it nor do I know anyone who has. Do not rely on someone else to make you rich.' You have to do it yourself.

The real Holy Grail translates into two words - Hard Work.

Al Thomas

Albert W. Thomas has spent most of his life in the field of finance. In 1965 he founded an insurance holding company, Security Dynamics Investment Corporation, after having been an agent and General Agent for several life insurance companies. In 1970 he became cofounder and president of Real Life Estate, Inc., that marketed a unique real estate and life insurance package.

After he became interested in commodities he bought a seat for his personal trading on the Chicago Open Board of Trade, which is now known as the MidAmerica Commodity Exchange. Later he became a full time trader and also acted as a commodity broker for a few select clients. By fellow floor traders Al is considered to be an excellent technical analyst much of which is outlined in his book IF IT DOESN'T GO UP, DON'T BUY IT! It became a best seller on Amazon.

In 1981 he sold his membership on the Exchange and with his wife, Carolyn, lived full time aboard their 41' ketch, the Aumakua (which means guardian angel in Hawaiian). They sailed in Florida and the Bahamas for two years.

He founded World Trading Group in 1984 that grew to the seventh largest introducing commodity brokerage firm in the U.S. with 35 offices from coast to coast, Alaska and Canada. It was sold in 1992.

Al is a graduate of Northwestern University with a B.S. degree in Commerce and is a member of MENSA. He is now president of Williamsburg Investment Company that syndicates his weekly financial column since 1999 to more than 300 newspapers and writes a financial market letter called Over My Shoulder that is quoted in Barron?s and many other publications. A 3-month trial subscription is available on his web site. He is a regular guest on several financial radio talk shows.

His favorite pastime is fishing.

Mr. Thomas is available for speaking engagements. Please call 321-453-5300 for more information.