About 10 years ago I bought this book, 100 Ways to Beat the Market by Gene Walden. The blurb on the cover said, "Anyone can beat the market. That's right. You can beat the market with nothing more than patience, persistence, and the simple insider strategies revealed in 100 Ways to Beat the Market." I was enthralled. I couldn't wait to read the book.

The table of contents was full of tempting topics. The introduction was inviting and encouraging. It said that in the stock market, the odds of winning were in favor of the investor because the vast majority of stocks increase in value over time. It sounded good to me, so I read with relish.

It didn't take long, however, for me to realize that this book, like so many others I had read, was chock full of good advice, i.e., what to do, but totally lacking in substance, i.e., how to do it. Take, for example, the topic of "Buy low, sell high" on page 73. The very first sentence said, "What could be easier?" The next few sentences said, "As elementary and logical as it may sound, buying low and selling high is much easier said than done. What makes it so difficult is that it clashes with every fiber of human impulse and emotion," i.e., to jump into the market when it is hot and pull the plug and sell when it's not. "It takes nerves of steel to buy low and sell high, to put your money on the line when the market is floundering, and to sell out when everyone is buying in."

Yup, this was good stuff alright. But how does one buy low without getting caught in a suckers rally, and sell high at the right time?

This is where VectorVest comes in. It has all the tools, training and information you need to have to know when stocks are low or high. Virtually, everything VectorVest does, from Timing-the-Market, to searching for the right stocks, to giving Stop-Loss prices is geared to buying low and selling high. We even start our Investment Clinics, as described above, with a presentation on "Buying Low, Selling High." We don't just talk about it. We show you how to do it.

If you can't attend an Investment Clinic, visit the VectorVest University. It has all the training courses you need to beat the market. In particular, view our "Strategy of the Week" presentations. They will show you how to Time-the-Market and apply this information to a wonderful strategy such as "Climbing the Golden Staircase." This strategy tells you when to buy, what to buy and when to sell. You're in stocks when the market is going up and in cash when the market is going down. What could be better than that?

Well, I'll tell you what's better than that. It's being short when the market is going down. You don't like to sell short? Then buy Contra Funds or use one of our Bear Beater strategies. The one I suggest is Stalwarts. Its performance is unbelievable. To say the least, it's Beating the Market.