| id="body"> | | | | have the index turn back downward for a |
| Defined within the realm of the statistical Bell | | | | prolonged period of time, or a chart will appear |
| Curve, the long tail would reside in the skinny tail | | | | bearish having just broken through a floor of |
| at the borders. The long tail, in regards to goods | | | | resistance only to turn around and begin another |
| and services, refers to the evolution away from | | | | bullish ascent. |
| mainstream offerings towards more niche | | | | In fact, you have seen some of these turnaround |
| products and services. With the internet drastically | | | | trends with some of the technical posts that I've |
| reducing the costs of establishing distribution | | | | placed on my blog in previous months. In fact, |
| channels, the ability of entrepreneurs to focus | | | | that is why I always state that I never rely solely |
| more on the longtail sector to fit their customized | | | | on technical indicators to make my decisions. I |
| needs is gaining increasing appeal. | | | | rely only on technical indicators to confirm or |
| However, almost no one speaks of the longtail of | | | | dispel what my long tail investment strategies tell |
| investing. To me, longtail investment strategies | | | | me. Of the three types of analysis, fundamental, |
| are the strategies that do not heavily rely on | | | | technical and long tail, long tail investment |
| fundamental or technical analysis, but exploit other | | | | strategies yield by far the least amount of false |
| strongly predictive factors to produce not only | | | | negatives and false positives. That's why I rely on |
| superior returns to traditional investment | | | | them so heavily. |
| strategies but also investment opportunities with | | | | This sentiment will lead to an evolution of longtail |
| far better risk-reward paradigms than those | | | | investment strategies, and the discovery of more |
| produced by traditional investment strategies. | | | | efficient and better predictive means of making |
| Here are 10 reasons why the longtail of investing | | | | investment decisions than even those that already |
| is the only way to build wealth. | | | | exist. Even current longtail investment strategies, |
| (1) You will never achieve the level of wealth you | | | | such as those utilized at SmartKnowledgeU(TM) |
| desire by handing your money over to a large | | | | are constantly evolving as access to reliable |
| investment firm. The vast majority of private | | | | information increases every year. Making decisions |
| investors hand their money to large institutions | | | | as if you were a fly on the wall of boardrooms is |
| and allow them to invest their money for them. If | | | | no longer a fantasy. It is possible, thanks to the |
| this were truly the best way to achieve financial | | | | evolution of the information landscape. |
| freedom, then almost every one you know would | | | | (4) With the growth of blogs and pure information |
| be ecstatic with their financial consultant. Think of | | | | sites on the web, the stranglehold of global |
| how many people you know that absolutely rave | | | | investment myths, including the Modern Portfolio |
| about their financial consultant. | | | | Theory of diversification, will soon be exposed for |
| The fact that 90% of people you know do not | | | | what they are - cleverly disguised sales strategies |
| rave about their financial consultant should tell you | | | | posing as investment strategies. Once people |
| that niche investment strategies, or longtail | | | | realize this, longtail investment strategies will gain |
| investment strategies, are far superior. The ones | | | | wider acceptance, much like acupuncture and |
| that are happy with the large investment houses | | | | herbal medicine eventually gained credibility as |
| already were independently wealthy before they | | | | healing regimens in the schools of Western |
| sought out their help. Think about how many | | | | medicine. |
| people you know that have ever told you, "I | | | | (5) Wider acceptance of alternative, longtail |
| wasn't wealthy before, but thanks to my | | | | investment strategies that far outperform those |
| investment firm, I am wealthy beyond my | | | | utilized by global investment firms will happen as |
| dreams now." | | | | word of successes via these strategies spread |
| (2) Thanks to evolving information technology, | | | | throughout the world via the internet. The internet |
| there are many other means of making | | | | distribution channel can and will be used to change |
| investment decisions than just utilizing fundamental | | | | the mindset of investors. |
| and technical analysis. Though people have been | | | | (6) The Do-It-Yourselfers are Growing - With the |
| really slow to grasp this, once they do, longtail | | | | success of books such as Stephen Covey's "The |
| investment strategies, like those invented by | | | | Eight Habit" that emphasize personal accountability |
| SmartKnowledgeU(TM), will boom. There is no | | | | to achieve excellence versus handing control over |
| doubt that the level of top-notch financial, political | | | | to someone else, cultural shifts will happen |
| and corporate information available to the average | | | | whereby people will seek to seize control over |
| investor has increased by leaps and bounds within | | | | their own financial future versus just handing their |
| the past decade. | | | | money to a firm to manage. As this cultural shift |
| There is a virtual treasure map that was created | | | | happens, multitudes of people will realize that they |
| by the flattening of the world over the past | | | | are shorting their returns significantly every single |
| decade to selecting stocks that are poised to | | | | year by handing their money to global investment |
| explode. However, because the largest, most | | | | houses. |
| powerful investment institutions in the world have | | | | (7) The flattening of the world and accessibility to |
| kept the masses of investors fixated on | | | | previously inaccessible investment information will |
| traditional investment techniques such as value | | | | undoubtedly yield an increasing amount of |
| and fundamental analysis, the longtail of | | | | investment strategies that reside in the longtail. |
| investment strategies is currently much further | | | | People will realize the foolishness of believing in the |
| behind in its developmental phases than it should | | | | one investment strategy thrust upon them by |
| be. | | | | global investment houses for the past half of |
| The best analogy I can use when explaining why | | | | century as "the only viable and safe way to |
| people have ignored the long tail of investment | | | | invest." If the younger generation takes an |
| strategies is to compare it to the incredibly slow | | | | interest in investing, adding their creativity to the |
| adoption of Internet Protocol Version 6 (Ipv6) by | | | | investment arena will result in explosive growth in |
| the United States. When China started preparing | | | | the longtail of investment strategies. However, |
| its country for Ipv6 a decade ago, the benefits in | | | | since the odds of this occurrence are quite low, a |
| increased security and its added value properties | | | | more gradual shift towards niche investment |
| in e-commerce were evident even back then. | | | | strategies is much more likely. |
| However, people in the U.S. were comfortable | | | | (8) The explosion of social networking sites like |
| with the lesser Ipv4 so did not take any action | | | | YouTube, MySpace, Friendster, and so forth, will |
| until the progress and superior internet and | | | | amplify the viral marketing of longtail investment |
| business capabilities of China, Korea, Taiwan, and | | | | concepts. Again, ignorance of longtail investment |
| Hong Kong finally embarrassed the U.S. enough to | | | | strategies causes fear and hesitancy to use them. |
| move forward and catch up with Asia. | | | | Viral marketing of longtail investment concepts will |
| I see the same thing happening in the educational | | | | increase millions of investors' comfort level with |
| realm of investing. Everyone is comfortable with | | | | these different and unique concepts. |
| the traditional investment strategies that have | | | | (9) People are ultimately interested in returns, no |
| been propagated for the last several decades so | | | | matter how much global investment firms try to |
| nobody sees a need to move forward even | | | | separate themselves from their competitors with |
| though much better strategies exist today. Just | | | | smoke and mirror service claims. All the gratitude |
| as with Ipv6, the world will eventually realize that | | | | for luxury box suites at Los Angeles Lakers |
| the safest and best means of investing money | | | | games, suites at the Four Seasons Hotel, |
| reside in the longtail, and they will eventually adopt | | | | conferences at world-class golf courses and |
| these strategies. | | | | resorts will quickly wither once people realize how |
| (3) With so much investor skepticism of | | | | much more money they are earning with longtail |
| corporate integrity sparked by past accounting | | | | investment strategies. |
| scandals at Enron, WorldCom, General Motors and | | | | (10) Again, because people will readily abandon all |
| the like, and the current, ongoing backdating | | | | the perks they get as a preferred client at a |
| option scandals, investors will increasingly seek | | | | large investment firm for far superior returns on |
| alternate means of making investment decisions | | | | their portfolios, longtail investing will eventually |
| other than crunching numbers that they feel are | | | | reach a critical mass. Eventually the longtail of |
| untrustworthy. Furthermore, technical analysis | | | | investing will migrate towards the center and |
| often yields false positives as well. A chart will | | | | become the mainstream methods of investing, |
| show indexes that appear bullish having just | | | | though this may take several decades to occur. |
| broken through a ceiling of resistance only to | | | | |