Are You Getting More Than You Paid For?

How Much Is Free Advice Worth to You?

My wife hates the movie “Field of Dreams.” In her opinion, it’s high on the list of “most ridiculous movies ever made."

I’ll give her that. Kevin Costner has had some whopper failures in his time. But I think the movie is generally OK. I mostly like the catchy phrase coined in the film: “If you build it, they will come.” It’s ingrained in our pop culture.

In the movie, the Kevin Costner’s farm is failing. They have no money. One day, he hears a mysterious voice and gets inspired to plow down a good portion of his corn crop to build a baseball field. He and his family then go out to the field every day and night to watch legendary baseball players, who are invisible to everyone but the family, play the game of baseball. Everyone thinks they are out of their minds.

Costner is inspired by a voice throughout the movie to go on a series of quests to bring baseball greats to the farm to watch the game and fulfill their destinies. Maybe that’s the hokey part my wife hates.

Not to spoil the ending, but eventually the family is vindicated. At the end of the movie, once others are finally able to see the players as well, endless lines of people come to pay and watch the game. Apparently, there was nothing to see on the farm before. But once resurrected baseball greats hit the field to play, people are lined up around the block, screaming, “Take my freaking money!”

Problem solved. The farm is saved.

So he built it, and they came. I think it’s a good lesson.

If a company builds a good product or service that people can’t live without, the people will come and buy it in hoards. Apple has done a fantastic job with that since the inception of the iPod, and later with the iPhone and other “cool” devices. People live, die band swear by their iPhones nowadays.

This has been the lesson throughout the history of business and commerce. If a product has true and lasting value, people will always come back for more, and they’re willing to pay through the nose for it.

How much would you pay for good advice?

On the other hand, generally if something is free, people might snatch it up for a while, but they certainly won’t value or appreciate it. It won’t be long before they’re either tired of it, or they hate it, and they’ve abandoned it. Nothing that is free can last long or have any lasting value. One reason is that, if no one’s getting paid to provide it, who will be willing to do so?

On the other hand, anything of real value is worth paying for, as long as the price is right.

You may not be familiar with a man named Warren Buffett. He is widely regarded as the greatest investing legend of all time, turning $100,000 into $50 billion over the course of his investing career. No one has a track record like he does.

Buffett’s main strategy is centered around buying what he considers to be “good businesses.” They are the kind of companies that can generate consistent cash profits, thick profit margins, and boast intense customer loyalty. This customer loyalty is underpinned by something Buffett always looks for in a good investment—considerable competitive advantage.

Competitive advantage is what keeps a company from being overtaken by its competitors. It’s a distinct product differentiation that keeps others from obtaining greater market share.

Buffett saw these qualities in Coca-Cola back in the 1980’s, and bought shares hand over fist when the price was right. This is a prime example of someone who knows how to determine true value. He bought Coke because the stock was cheap, the company was well-managed, and the business was good because the company didn’t have to do hardly anything to retain customers.

And it’s funny, because all Coke sells is sugary flavored water. And yet, it has one of the biggest brand cults in the world. People buy and drink their flavored water religiously.

I have built a product that I believe has similar potential. It’s not even close to being sugary flavored water—but it tastes good when you “internalize” it.

Last year, I founded the The Village Id-Vestor. It houses a wide range of financial services—for now mostly education, but soon, much, much more—designed to provide you with nothing but value when it comes to investments.

Anyone can go on the internet and find information on stocks and other investments, subscribe to pump-and-dump penny stock alerts, open a trading account and scour the internet for hot stock tips, trying with futility to get rich quick in the market.

But that’s not what The Village Id-Vestor is about. That’s not what I consider to be “value.”

The Quest of the Village Id-Vestor

My quest runs much deeper. The Village exists to help you gain the knowledge, experience, judgement, and expertise that I would want if I were in your shoes as an investor. It’s the kind of advice that I would feel comfortable giving to my parents or grandparents.

I deliver knowledge, learning, and financial savvy to you, taught by the finest minds in the industry, legendary investors, business owners, and investor insiders, as well as daily market insight and periodic investment research.  

My articles help you make save money, live wisely, and make wise, prudent, and conservative investment decisions, generating income in the present and helping you become wealthy in the long term.

There are a handful of quality investment sites and advisories out there like mine. But very few of them are willing to offer so much training and value up front to you—at no cost.

I take a straightforward and no-BS approach in writing to finance and investments, taking complicated concepts and breaking them down into workable and simple tools that empower you to take your financial future into your own hands.

Very rarely does the public get an investment right. In The Village, I ignore (but do take occasion to laugh at) the hype around the “popular” investments that are covered in the mainstream media squawk-boxes, and take you by the hand down the path of Contrarian investing—the true way to make money in the markets.

But my services aren’t just for beginners—I have products that will appeal to even the most seasoned investors.

Take a look at what my site has to offer starting here. Spend some time reading through my essays. If what you read makes sense, and you would like to get started, then do it. We’ll be glad to have you, and you won’t be disappointed. Also, tell your friends!

Live long and invest,

Jeremiah