Laughing at Wall Street

September 19, 2011
In an era marked by economic downturn, market volatility, and investment losses, consumers may have little confidence in Wall Street and in the ability of professional stock pickers to help them grow their assets. Amateur investor Camillo—who claims to have parlayed a $20,000 into $2 million during 2007-2010, the worst years of the recession—pitches his own “do it yourself” technique. While portions of Camillo’s method smack of common sense (e.g. consumers should only invest after creating a nest egg), readers with little familiarity with investing should be wary of his advice. The author only discusses potential losses at the end of the book when describing options and leverage, risky techniques, which he espouses as a way to maximize potential gains. He summarily dismisses both technical and fundamental analysis, slams professional stock pickers as a whole, and asserts that amateur investors actually have an advantage over professionals in their ability to more effectively spot trends in the marketplace. He cites smart investment opportunities—in Apple say, or J. Crew—that “anyone” could spot simply by opening her eyes and trusting her own judgment about information. While Camillo has clearly been lucky and has honed his technique, the probability that readers can replicate his experience and success is questionable.