Investing Classes Worth the Money

Most of us would like to be better investors. Who wouldn't like to make millions off a few good stock picks and retire early? Heck, most of us would settle for being able to pick investments that grow steadily over the years until we retire in our sixties.

So maybe you've been tempted by the infomercials for trading systems that claim to teach you how to master the markets. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Associate Editor Thomas Anderson actually sat through several free seminars that promised to help people become successful traders. He shares the lessons he learned in Our Man Goes Undercover and Tells All.

For the most part, the seminars turned out to be short on wisdom and long on hard sell. However, he does point investors to a few classes that are worth the cash. He writes:

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If you are in the market for investing seminars, try the Morningstar Investing Conference. The investment research firm's annual shindig in Chicago, to be held this year from June 23 through June 25, attracts top mutual fund managers and analysts. As we went to press, the only participants Morningstar had announced were the keynote speakers: star bond-fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach and Vanguard's chief executive, William McNabb. The confab costs $675 if you register by March 15.

Big spenders and serious stock pickers might consider the Value Investing Congress. The two two-day events, held May 4 and 5 in Pasadena, Cal., and October 12 and 13 in New York City, bring together top value investors to pitch their ideas and take questions from the audience. The Pasadena event costs $2,995 if you register by March 16.