No one cares more about your personal finances than you - unless they plan to steal your money.

You have a huge advantage over professionals in the financial markets.

Financial market professionals get their MBA and dive right into a specialized financial niche. You will not be better at bond trading than a bond market pro, or better at trading wheat than a wheat specialist.

You can be good at guessing what's next, and learning how to profit in the almost now best sector to invest. If you think metals will take off as China's growth continues, you can research iron, gold, and uranium.

The bond and wheat trader will still be great at their niche, but that's it.

When in a decade or two you decide everyone hates stocks and bonds, you can switch back and buy some stocks. If the professional bond trader is still in business, he'll still be great at bonds.

You can be a generalist, you can switch asset classes at will, you can succeed.

It is a great advantage.

One big point --find your own brokers and advisors. If they call you first, hang up.

You want to pick someone for price and quality. If they call you, they want a quick commission, and then it's on to the next commission. If you call them after due diligence you will protect what is yours.

Pick your broker on price and service, pick your speculation on the elements we discuss here or that you learn from good books.

Think about what you hear on the news. Read good books on investment and speculation. Research with free on-line services that provide data. Do it yourself - for yourself.

Once you know the asset class in which you want to speculate - then research the brokers and advisors in that arena.

Do your own research, or pick a few advisory services after you have researched them.

You want to be in charge.

Its your money - you are the only one that should make the decisions.

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