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A Message From YourBrok . . . er . . . Financial Advisor By Cliff Ennico www.creators.com Hi, all.nbsp; I just returned from an investment conference where forfour days from 9 AM to 3PM (when I usually manage your accounts), Ilistened to numerous industry experts, economists, strategists, moneymanagers and analysts from our company, its affiliated investmentfunds, and a couple of "screamers" from CNN, who discussed the currenteconomic environment.nbsp; Even though these were the same people wholoaded us up with mortgage-backed securities and forced us to be soldoff to The First National Bank of Southern North Carolina earlier thisyear, we have every reason to believe these are the right people tohelp us through some challenging times, especially now that they're nolonger worried about their jobs and can focus 100% on the task ofrebuilding our company with your money. The consensus was the same:nbsp; no one had expected or experienced atime such as what we are now going through.nbsp; As for how long itwill last, the experts were also in agreement:nbsp; "sure beats theHeck out of us".nbsp; Having gotten that out of the way, the paneliststhen told us (and you) what you should do in these difficult times. In his opening address (titled "Oopsie!nbsp; Didn't See That OneComing"), our president O. Leo Leahy said:nbsp; "I know a lot ofpeople say that we're stockbrokers, and that the primary duty of astockbroker is to get their clients into the market when it's down, andget them out of the market when it's up.nbsp; Which means that you allshould have put your client's funds 100% in cash in the first quarterof 2008.nbsp; But we are NOT stockbrokers.nbsp; We leave thatbusiness to the 'day traders' and that's what you need to tell yourclients right now.nbsp; What we are . . . are . . . FINANCIALADVISORS, which means we are bound by the higher laws of finance tofocus on the longer term, no matter how much the World may be crashingaround our ears today!" Virtually all experts felt that the markets bottomed on October 10thand that we are going through a "retesting" of that bottom.nbsp;"You've seen bottoms before," said Leahy, "and you're looking at onenow.nbsp; We may see several more bottoms before we see the realbottom.nbsp; But let me assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that whenthe Dow Jones Industrial Average hits zero, we are absolutely certainthat will be the last bottom, and the market will have nowhere to gobut up!" The experts also were optimistic about the nation's politicalfuture.nbsp; "Now that the 2008 election is over, the 2012Presidential race is under way, and it becomes ever more likely we willbe a one party state within the next few years," said Leahy, "we willNEVER, EVER AGAIN be plagued by market-disrupting election yearuncertainties, and will be able to focus our full attention on growingassets for our Government to take over. That way, the Chinese will besure to buy our assets in 20 years and 'the World will be as one'." So what does an investor do now?nbsp; The experts were unanimous thatwhat you should do now is to "stay the course" and keep putting whatlittle money you have into the stock market.nbsp; They gave fourreasons for this: any roller coaster rider knows the ride down is a lot morethrilling than the ride up; you will make it easier for the "day traders" to get THEIR moneyout before the market tanks; the market is bound to go up again someday, and you will recoupyour losses (assuming, of course, you have some cash to buy stocks withand can handle a 50% capital gains tax); and hey, if you put everything in cash there won't be anything for usto do, and nothing for the experts to talk about. You should also remember if your account balance falls below ourinvestment "minimum" we will have to terminate our relationship and youwill be on your own. Look at it this way: if you put money into the stock market in October1930, the depths of the last big "R", and kept it invested untilOctober 2008, you would have DOUBLED your money and would be able toretire at the still young age of 112!nbsp; We have every confidenceyou will be able to do the same in this market. So have a good week and please try not to listen to the financialentertainment networks, your barber, your manicurist or yourdoorman!nbsp; Whom would you rather believe . . . them, orprofessionals like us? One more thing:nbsp; we are pleased to announce a new investmentproduct from The First National Bank of Southern North Carolina.nbsp;It's called a "Christmas Chanukah Kwanzaa Saturnalia Club".nbsp; Youopen an account on January 1, put in One Dollar every week, and whenthe holidays roll around you have . . . not Fifty-Two Dollars but . . .(wait for it) . . . FIFTY-THREE DOLLARS to spend on holiday cheer,thanks to the miracle of compound interest! Please make an appointment with me to discuss this exciting new productat your convenience.nbsp; I'll be at Teller Cage # 3. Cliff Ennico ( cennico@legalcareer.com )is a syndicated columnist, author and former host of the PBS televisionseries 'Money Hunt'. This column is no substitute for legal, tax orfinancial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualifiedprofessional licensed in your state. To find out more about CliffEnnico and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit ourWeb page at www.creators.com .COPYRIGHT 2008 CLIFFORD R. ENNICO. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE,INC. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.