The average investor earned just 3.79% while a simple non-advisor index fund earned 11% over time. Dalbar.com QAIB "... that little 2 percent fee will erode 63 percent of what you would have had." John Bogle, Frontline "My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest." Warren Buffett Wall Street exists to make its owners rich. I have been in the financial services business for over 20 years. We make it appear that investors can make a lot of money by using special charts or doing in-depth analysis. It appears that if you follow the advice of people who appear smart, you can become wealthy very quickly. It appears that you can make a killing by paying for our 'brilliant' managers and strategies. But some of our margins are over 45%. We 'help' you get rich by taking your money no matter what you earn. We don't give refunds if we don't perform. Wall Street is really about separating people from their money. Wall Street is really a marketing operation. Salespeople provide attractive promises that create illusions of wealth-building for the "players." The odds of the average investor becoming wealthy by being a "player" are enormous. The owners structure the odds so that they can't lose. And if they fail, the taxpayers make them whole again The owners always take the money FIRST. There are no refunds. REALITY: There were ONLY 40 days from 1950 to 2007 that produced 70% of all the S&P 500 index's total returns. That is 40 out of 14,528. NO ONE can possibly know when to buy and sell into the right stock at the right time and be successful. Take Buffett's advice: Avoid Wall Street's fees and enjoy the Secret Sauce. It is FREE. Just Buy and Hold securities forever. You put up the money and take the risks, so keep the 63%. Let COMPOUNDING make you wealthy. Use the Secret Sauce - the Big Long