Investing 101: Don't Explain It to a Child

If a financial expert can't explain something simple enough so that you clearly understand what it is and why you would want to do it, then that person is not doing 101 of his job. We're emotionally driven creatures that get irrationally exuberant when times are good and who's rationally despondent when times are bad. And busts are often followed by booms. If you can't fundamentally explain the value of this to someone else, then you probably shouldn't get involved.