RAISING AMERICA'S INVESTMENT QUOTIENT

Craig R. Smith, CEO Swiss America

Feb. 5, 2004

It is said that "a fool and his money are soon parted."
WE TOO are amazed that they ever got together in the first place.

Therefore, we want to do our part to help you avoid "foolish" money decisions. Like, not diversifying assets ... like, trusting your money to financial "genius's" -- instead of learning enough about the risks and rewards of your investment strategy for yourself.

But some ask, "Aren't some money managers smarter?" ...
"Don't they put my best interests above personal gain?" ...
"They have a huge brain trust of experience, don't they?"

Sorry, new research illustrates that neither your I.Q. or your financial advisers I.Q. offer any insurance against financial blunders. Smart people tend to trust their own judgment to a fault, as Dr. Robert J. Sternberg, PhD, of Yale University illustrates...

"What he defines as practical intelligence -- common sense -- is one of the crucial secrets of success, he tells WebMD. "Some people can have very high IQ scores, but they're not so successful in their relationships with other people or in running their own lives. They make a mess of their lives, so they don't achieve the success they want." FULL STORY

So, responsibility and accountability must start at home. No big surprise, but market volatility sure has a way of reminding investors of this fundamental truth. As it is in the family realm, so it is the business and government realms. It starts at the bottom and works it's way up, not the other way around (as both "tax and spend" Democrats and "borrow and spend" Republicans seem unaware of).

The buck stops here literally, when your money is involved, so you better become an active participant using your God-given mind and heart together with your common sense -- which seems to be more uncommon today than ever before.

My point here ... despite the majority of economists who see sunny skies ahead in 2004, you must not trust their analysis alone. It pays to have an overcoat just in case the financial weathermen are all wrong.

For this very reason, we think you will enjoy allowing Swiss America help with your economic education this year. We have magazines, books, CDs, most offered freely to the public for the purpose of general education.

"Welcome to the Era of Common Sense Economics" we announced in the summer of '02 in our 20th Anniversary Issue of Real Money Perspectives, "The New Gold Rush."

Since then 'The New Gold Rush, Pt. II" was released in the summer of '03 with 39 economists who finally agreed on something ... gold! "It's a no-brainer," says one noted economist. And we agree!

TAKE OUR 5-MINUTE ECONOMICS I.Q. TEST NOW
and I will reward you with a $25 Gift Certificate.

P.S. Our 5-minute Economic I.Q. Test is not scientific, but it could help you to dispell some common myths about economics. Although I.Q. Tests can be helpful, the good news is that everyone can increase their level of common sense economics by reading more on the subject. Here are two links to other financial I.Q. tests online:
-> Test Your Money Smarts -SEC
-> Entrepreneural Aptitude Test