I’ve always enjoyed listening to different financial entertainers on a variety of radio and TV shows. They bring us some great ideas (and bad ones) that cause me to think more about certain financial scenarios for my family and clients. I like hearing different perspectives and am always open to ideas that can help us improve our current financial strategies.

However, we must be careful. They can have a huge influence on our behavior. That’s why companies spend a lot of money on commercials. These shows in many ways are one big ad for Wall Street. Their number one job is to entertain and get people to keep listening and watching their shows. When entertainers are giving universal advice and are adamant on their positions, it can cause a lot of harm to people. They are entertainers, not financial specialists.

Watch this YouTube clip from a financial entertainer in March 2008. 

He was adamant about not selling Bear Stearns stock (BSC) when it was at $62/share. Five days later, the stock was bailed out at $2/share by JPMorgan Chase. That is a 97% correction! If an investor had the equivalent of $100,000 in BSC and decided not to sell after watching the show and held on, the same investor had $3,226 one week later.

The takeaway: listen and learn, but then consult with your specialist to make sure it fits your financial strategy.