I’ll bet you even casual readers of my tip will read this one with that title. Sorry to disappoint, but that’s what this tip is about, the title.
You see it all the time “10 Steps to Cutting Your Taxes in Half” or “The Five Best Investments For 2009”. I admit that I’m not immune to the technique. My most popular investment seminar was “Avoiding the Eight Most Common Investing Mistakes”.
It’s the allure of learning a secret, and one that’s delivered in a concise form that makes those ads so enticing. If all it does is get you to click on a link or pick up a copy of Money Magazine at the newsstand, no harm done, and maybe a little good will come of it.
But if that intriguing headline is getting you to think about getting the $300 a year newsletter, think again. It’s unlikely that someone can tell you something so simply that is some big secret. Odds are you already know about it. Buy oil stocks? Get some distressed real estate? Wow, never would have thought of that. It’s a truly great example of selling the sizzle instead of the steak.
When spending your money for help of any kind with your saving, your investing or your taxes, make sure you’re getting real value and not the sweet smell of not much.