Chaotic Cacophony

I just arrived at the office and began scanning the usual suspects for financial information. Here are four verbatim headlines I found on CNBC.com:

"20%-30% Correction - Then Rally to Dow 15000"

"Food Shortages Coming, Buy Commodities"

"The Future Reserve Currency Is the Euro"

"Markets to Peak in Late January"

What do all these stories have in common? They're stated in absolute terms. There is no equivocation. The authors clearly have a level of sophistication and insight that we commoners can only marvel at. They are masters of their own deluded universe and, at best, three of them will be wrong. The more likely scenario, however, will prove that all four of them are wildly off-base.

So what does this mean to the individual investor? Ignore the talking heads and self-important bloggers who promote their own beliefs to push up the price of their own holdings.

Instead of being torn between disparate prognostications, write down your investing goals and develop a strategy to achieve those goals. If you need help in this process, read a couple of the timeless investment books from this recommended reading list and check out Chapter 9 ("Intelligible: Writing It Down and Keeping It Up") of my new book: Your Nest Egg Game Plan: How To Get Your Finances Back on Track and Create a Lifetime Income Stream.

It's your money so make it work hard for you -- not for stock-touting "experts."