Years later and I've noticed that there are still many people searching for Guzzo the Contrarian.
So, I've created this Blogger link to let anyone searching for me know that I shut down my previously self-hosted Wordpress blog back at the beginning of 2010. Why?
I initially created Guzzo the Contrarian in 2006 to show, through personal example, that an average individual investor can manage their own finances and investments much safer, better and cheaper than most anyone else could do it for them.
Leading by example and sharing my own personal financial and investment actions with my readers - as I made them - I more than proved my claims beyond any reasonable doubt.
In the face of almost every heralded investment manager, financial pundit, economist, market guru, or any other so-called "expert" predicting otherwise, and in my own "Quest to Conquer the Markets", I accurately forecast the housing bubble, the 2007 recession, the 2009 bull market, and successfully made many accurate and profitable stock picks and short-term forecasts along the way.
I also lived below my means, stayed out of debt, saved a big portion of my income, invested it wisely, and most importantly - didn't listen to the criminals and buy a house during the bubble. I followed the financial "Tao" that I often mentioned in my posts.
My successes have empowered me financially and allowed me to retire early. Anyone following my actions, and investigating my views, opinions, and insights for themselves, would have successfully positioned their finances and portfolios in response to my forecasts, and over the years would have made their lives much easier, and their bank accounts much fuller too.
But even after many years of proving my claims freely and openly for all to read, to this day I'm still not given any credibility by the average Joe investor like myself whom I targeted for readership.
Unfortunately, while on my quest I discovered that most people are incapable of independent thought, refuse to see what's in front of them, and will continue to buy whatever Wall Street is selling.
They're born followers who need someone else telling them how to lead their lives, regardless of how much they're being exploited. They're doomed to follow the herd, and will never be able to discern fact from fiction, truth from lies, or be able to determine the good guys from the bad guys.
Ironically, only the criminals on Wall Street and in the financial industry gave me any credibility, but they were profiting from my actions and opinions. So, I shut Guzzo the Contrarian down.
This doesn't mean that I ended my "Quest to Conquer the Markets". I still live below my means, still stay out of debt, still manage my own money, and I'm still accurately forecasting market movements and successfully picking individual stocks. I just do it less publicly.
There are some undeserving people whom I want staying away from my financial Tao.
