This is why I’m here

The other day, a Barron’s reporter called me “sermonizing”. He said some other nice things about me too, and I wasn’t mad, but it did make me think.

Amidst my efforts to educate myself and my readers with the research and writing I do, am I too coming across too preachy? Is it a tone thing or a content thing? And if so, is that even a bad thing? Isn’t the whole point of having established a soapbox to use it for good instead of evil? To try to make things better?

I didn’t exactly reach a conclusion, but I’ve been stewing over it ever since.

And then this came along…

According to a July 30 press release, Morris is working with Retirement Media Inc. “to educate seasoned investors on how to protect their savings with safe alternatives outside of the stock market.” Morris is headlining several events in the next few months where attendees will “hear market predictions from him.” The event’s website includes a video featuring “A Special Message from Dick Morris” in which Morris warns of people preying on “suckers.”

And that’s when it hit me that the world needs me. I do have a purpose. Writing books like Backstage Wall Street and Clash of the Financial Pundits – that give investors the behind the scenes information they need to survive the investment jungle is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. And if one out of ten things I write comes across as a bit sanctimonious, I don’t really give a shit. I’ve seen too much in fifteen years on The Street to remain silent while civilians are manipulated, tricked and taken advantage of, systematically.

I’m not working on a cure for cancer, I’ve never been a firefighter nor have I fought for this country overseas. I know people who are doing each of those things and I consider their work heroic. I don’t consider my work to be heroic, but I do think it can be significant.

If what I know (and continue to learn) can help people make better choices, then I’m going to keep saying it. If my writing can make it easier for people to fund college educations, medical costs and their retirement plans, then I’ll continue to pass it on. It may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but this is what I’m able to contribute. It’s where I can be of most assistance to the world. It’s the thing I’m most passionate about and it’s what I’m in the best position to help with.

And if there’s a “sermonizing” post on the blog now and again, it’s not because I think I’m so great (anyone who knows me in real life will confirm this for you). It’s because I’ve given these issues more thought and attention than most and I think my points are important.

I’m sorry if I step on some toes or turn anyone off in the process, but this is why I’m here.

And I’m not going away.