Education, Not Recommendation?

When reading the Motley Fool's investing strategy features, please bear in mind the following:

Education, Not Recommendation

We do NOT offer our investing strategy features for you to immediately go out and buy or sell the shares mentioned. They're published so that we can show you how some real investors -- relatively ordinary people like yourselves -- can build and manage investment portfolios.The features are for educational purposes only. We believe that all investors should make their own decisions. We're here to teach by example, through our successes and mistakes. We're here to raise questions, offer some opinions, and generate a lot of thought.

Our Right to be Wrong

Be aware that not everything we do is the right thing to do. We don't know everything. We're not seers and we're not perfect. We've made regrettable investment decisions in the past and will continue to do so. We believe that our successes, though, will more than make up for our failures -- but we might be wrong in that too. Observe our mistakes and learn from them.

An Array of Opinions

We employ many writers and each is permitted to think for his or herself. We agree on many issues and on the merits of certain companies, but we also occasionally disagree. We even sometimes disagree on the attractiveness of companies in our portfolios. Don't be surprised to see one Fool write glowingly about one company and another write pessimistically about it. Also, know that some Fool writers are better at financial analysis than others. We're all still learning, just as you are, and just as every good investor is.

We're Real People, Too

Our writers are busy people, just as you're probably a busy person. They don't tend to their investments every day or even every week. If some big development occurs with one of their holdings, they may not have a chance to read up on it for a while.

You Can Do Better Than We Do

Be aware that the companies we write about are not (by a long shot) the only worthy investments out there. They're simply the ones the portfolio manager(s) have studied and came to know well enough to comment upon. You may well outperform the Foolish portfolios by choosing other companies in which to invest. Also, you don't have to swallow any of our approaches hook, line and sinker. You can read about them, think about them, discuss them, and disagree with them. You may have an approach that works better for you.

Buy What You Understand

You should never invest in anything until you understand what you're doing. Never invest on some "expert" advice. And don't copy others, as they may not turn out to be as smart as you thought they were. Take the time to read a lot, think a lot, discuss a lot, and perhaps even practice a lot. Don't rush. Even taking a year or two to get up to speed can be worthwhile.

Fool Investing Strategies

• Rule Shaker
• Qualiport
• Mechanical
• Value