Tim's blog

That is an EXACT quote I received from a "customer service" representative this morning.

You are probably thinking, "So? You must've interrupted them." You are right, I did, several times.

As Paul Harvey liked to say, "and now the rest of the story."

Yesterday, in the mail, I received a new business VISA card to replace the one expiring next month.

Over the last 18 months I have managed the rewrite of several software tools my partners and I use in our investing businesses. When we embarked on this journey we had very high hopes. We were going to outsource. The outsourcing firms give really GREAT interview, by the way.

Our list of "benefits" was long. We were going to be able to get everything rewritten using current technology; we would get a long list of features added; save a ton of money; and productize them into something we could offer to others.

The projects started well, as just about all projects do.

I am on a quest. I want to add the blogs and other websites you read on a regular basis to this blog. It will be in a blogroll in the right hand column.

You can submit them either through a comment below or the contact me page above. The link will be added as long as it is a site that covers or is related to investing, is not pornographic, does not promote anything illegal or hateful and in my sole subjective opinion, is useful to other readers. I am pretty generous with my "useful" designation.

It does not matter whether the site links back to this blog or not.

Over the years, I've read a lot of guru materials. At the predecessor of the Field Guide for Real Estate Investors we used to do extensive evaluations of guru materials. A member would purchase a book, ebook, home study course, etc and send it to us to be examined and evaluated. That experience taught me a lot about the gurus, their methods and their real experience levels with the methods and successes they claimed.

Over the years we developed some objective metrics to gauge the value of the materials.

For example, margin size.

One of the suggestions I've received is to make the podcasts more fun using parodies of the gurus.

So, take a listen and tell me if this goes too far. Leave your reaction in the comments below.

http://antigururadio.com/laksdruwqt423ngv384nqwr0e9

I got up this morning a little earlier than usual, fired up the MacBook Pro to check email (and because I'm a parent, the weather at the summer camp my son is attending this week.)

Anyway, I open my email and receive this...
I want to thank you, the last segment episode 5 of your podcast is exactly what I needed to hear. I am trying to get started but agents and brokers keep shutting me down hard saying my offers aren't reasonable. Thursday morning I sent a hand written letter like you said to do and the next day the owner called me!

Yesterday, I received a phone call asking if I would be interested in speaking at a conference.

"Maybe," was my reply.

"Great! We want to tie into the anti guru thing you've got going there because [removed] isn't your typical guru. I'm sure once you meet them you will agree they are the real deal and ..."

"Do you know how many times I've heard that?" I interrupted.

"Heard what?" they asked.

"That so-and-so is the real deal and unlike the gurus I detest," was my reply.

"No, really. [removed] has made more money for others than he has ever earned himself.

I read many of the guru blogs.

Why would I do that?

There are a couple of reasons, first many of them are great for a good laugh or two as they breathlessly proclaim their latest invention/discovery/creation of a technique that will make you instantly rich, better looking and sexually satisfied while you sit and do nothing. As an aside, notice how the guru types hype passiveness? Almost like watching television? Now why do you suppose that is the case?

Anyway, back to my point.

You know the kind I am talking about. The kind where no matter which way you turn, no matter what action you take, Murphy is just lurking in the wings to muck it all up.

Off and on this morning, I have been trying to record audio for the podcasts. I am a little behind and needed to get some recorded and passed to the techie guys to get it bundled and uploaded to the site.

Well, first we have a contractor doing something in the area that is causing short duration power blips. No problem the said they would be finished by 10:30 AM and they were.

Woot!

You can subscribe to The AntiGuru Radio Show a number of ways. Now, one of those ways is through iTunes.

All of the subscription options are available on The AntiGuru Radio Show page. If you don't see one you want, let me know and I will try to get it added.