My talk is a colorful, irreverent look at stocks. Unfortunately, almost everything you know about it is wrong. My perspective is threefold: First, I'm a veteran stock analyst & portfolio manager. Second, I'm among America's best-known tech stock pickers. I've started & managed the world's largest tech mutual funds franchise. Third, I'm a popular stock market & tech commentator on air & in print. My shtick is my contrarian view & no-holds-barred presentation. I start my presentation with a funny tale of being a Net investment guru during that Bubble. Within only 18 months, I went from giving autographs & co-hosting THE financial television show with the "Money Honey" to receiving death threats. I then debunk 5-10 popular investment principles. Example: “Prudent” portfolio diversification is “diworsification.”

Paul Meeks, CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) teaches at WWU. He has been a stocks analyst or portfolio manager for 29 years. He's among America's best-known tech investors & commentators. CNBC introduces him as "Top Tech Investor." Paul is the Chief Investment Officer of Portland's Sloy, Dahl & Holst. He lives in Bellingham but he's often in Seattle covering cloud computing companies.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx