Everyone has investment opinions. Why should I listen to yours?

The Internet has been quite democratic. These days, anyone with a computer and an internet connection can launch a professional looking investment advice blog. Then, as fast as you can say "stock tip" another financial "expert" is born. But you may want to be careful. After all, this is your money you're talking about. With this rather important issue well in mind, the question that often comes up is "What should I look for when searching for financial advice?"

In real estate, many experts will tell you that the number one thing you should consider when purchasing property is location, location, location. When it comes to investment advice, one of the most important things to consider is independence, independence, independence. Make sure you do your research. Check out the blogger. Is he or she connected with a company that is subtly (or not so subtly) promoting the company's financial products? Contrary to what some people believe, various financial service companies hire people to write financial blogs that at first might appear independent but when reading the fine print, one might discover that they're really not. “Before there were blogs there were anonymous chat rooms. Now anyone who wants to be heard can just as easily create a Web log,” says Matt Rand writing in a Forbes.com review of investment advice blogs. “But writing a useful investment blog isn't so easy. First, you have to have good investment ideas. Second, it helps if your ideas are embedded in insightful commentary.” And let's not underestimate the blogger’s personality.

Some of the most effective financial strategies never get acted upon simply because the person discussing them wasn't all that good at explaining them. When surfing through the blogs, look for advisors that use easy to understand language to paint big picture scenarios that can help you better understand your options.

Unfortunately, finding a blog that accomplishes this might not be as simple as you think. In addition, once someone paints the big picture for you, they should also be able to offer concrete steps as to how you can implement the strategies they’re suggesting.

Here are a few recent examples of articles taken from blogs. Would any interest you?

The topics that interest you the most are likely to depend on the stage of life you're currently in. This is yet another reason why you should make sure your “blog guru” understands the relationship between money and your current station in life.

Investment advice blogs that understand these relationships, make the information simple and entertaining are most certainly out there. One just needs to search for them. If you're looking for an investment advice blog, you definitely want to check out www.alanhaft.com/blog. Give it a try. When it comes to helpful and entertaining investment advice, you just might find this one fits your needs.