Are you paying any attention to your retirement savings? Do you have it in cash or an account with a broker? Maybe you have a professional manager who is investing your money as you add to it every month.

Is your account increasing in value every year? If it isnt why are you letting anyone else invest for you? There is no point having a loser in charge of your money. You must take the time to direct what and where you money is invested. Too many people tell me they dont know what to do, but if your account has been going down every year you would not do any worse then the expert.

I love those professional money managers who tell you about diversification. You know that one. Put some in stocks, some in bonds, some in annuities, and some in a money market account. Did it ever occur to you that the reason they want you to spread it around is because they dont know where the best place really is and hope that some part will make some money? Did your broker or financial planner brag that he beat the S&P index last year, but you still lost money because it was down 22%? You are better off to have it in the mattress at zero percent than watch it disappear in those monthly statements.

Brokers are not taught to make money or even how to protect your capital. The average broker has 300 accounts and unless you have a very large sum or are an active trader he doesnt even know who you are. When was the last time you spoke with him? Ask him what his investment strategy is.

In the past 3 years we have seen the general market (S&P500) lose one third of its value as of this date. And the Nasdaq has lost more than 60%. Recently the bond market has collapsed and wiped out all the profits of the previous 4 years. So much for diversification. The mattress looks better all the time.

The single most important thing about investing is not to lose money. Im not joking. It is the basic rule of all professional traders (and I was one when I was a floor trader on the exchange) not to take big losses. You must make that a rule for yourself. Each week or at least once each month you must review what is happening in your account and weed out any and all weak stocks and mutual funds.

You can be sure your broker will not call you to sell out of a weak position. It is your money and no one has more interest in it than you do. You have to take the time out to do it yourself. Take a time out now and make that call.

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.

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