I often wonder why normal people invest on what they hear in the local coffee shop.  It seems that people are more likely to take advice from a random stranger or friend as opposed to listening to a professional.

I try to watch myself and make sure I don’t take free advice.  You see, free advice usually ends up being very expensive - chances are the stock picks your buddy gave you will lose you money.  When I invest, I would rather invest in something that is a sure thing or at least as close to a sure thing as you can get.

So, I have subscribed to a number of paid stock investing newsletters that come out each month.  In fact, a couple of the newsletters are the same ones that the professionals get their advice from.

So far, reading the newsletters have paid off.  My returns on my portfolio this year are already at 15% - and we are only a quarter of the way through the year.