DON'T HAVE DINNER WITH
CHARLIE CHAPLIN

When is a good idea really a bad idea?

The night before the stock market crash of 1929, two of the biggest stars of the day had dinner together. Charlie Chaplin, the movie star, and Irving Berlin, the composer/songwriter.

Irving Berlin on that night had $5 million invested in the stockmarket. He had seen the market grow by 37 percent in 1927, 44 percent in 1928 and was already up 28 percent by the last quarter of 1929.

Berlin was enthusiastic about the future of the stock market. Charlie Chaplin was not. He tried to persuade Berlin to sell all of his stocks, like he did the year before.

Chaplin told his friend that "owning stocks was unwise" especially since unemployment was at 14 million. Berlin did not listen and the next day, you know what happened.

You may think that Charlie Chaplin was very smart and Berlin was extremely foolish. Charlie Chaplin received many a free meal through the years telling this story. But, was Charlie Chaplin's advice, which everyone thought was as a good idea, really a bad one?

First, Chaplin was wrong about unemployment. The night before the crash it was 2 million, not 14 million, or 3.2% which is better than what is considered full employment (there is always a percentage between jobs). US unemployment has never been more than the 13 million at the depths of the Great Depression.

No one knows when or if Irving Berlin gave up and sold off his stocks, but if he held on and assuming his stock portfolio followed closely to the Standard and Poor's 500 Stock Index, by 1932 his $5 million would have fallen to $1.2 million.

If he held on he would have been even by 1937. By 1945 his portfolio would have grown to $7.9 million. By 1955, he would have been worth $37 million. Irving Berlin died in 1989, at the age of 101, and his investment would have grown to
$1.1 BILLION.

The stock market can be rough in the short term, but over the long term it has historically returned 10 percent annually. This means that every 7 years you should double your money, quadruple it in 14 years, octuple it in 21 years, etc., etc.




FreeEnterpriseLand.com


ONE OF A KIND!
He made and lost
three fortunes
and loved every minute.

FREE ENTERPRISE IS GREAT!
Socialism Stinks
FREDERIC BASTIAT EXPLAINS IT ALL
Why free enterprise is great and why politicians are misguided.
STEW LEONARD
The Disneyland of Dairy Stores
CATCH LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE
He became rich after figuring out he could sell something he had been giving away and had invented to stop roughnecks in Alaska from throwing plates at him.
GONE IN 60 SECONDS
The time it takes him to sell out a whole year's work.
SELL SOMETHING PEOPLE USE UP AND THROW AWAY

GARY KILDALL
Could he have been richer than Bill Gates?
WORLD'S LARGEST DRIVE-IN
They serve 15-30,000 hot dogs a day and more Coca-Cola than any one place in the world.
WANNA BUY SOME BRINE SHRIMP?
How to get rich selling something that no one would want.
THE MIRACLE GREASE
How a bucket of oil well sludge turned into a jar in everybody's medicine cabinet.
THE GUSHER
They laughed when he walked around town and called him "The millionaire", until his idea changed the world.

Edison's Dirty Trick

ROSE BLUMKIN: Warren Buffet's partner
At over 100, Rose still whizzed around in her electric cart "like a cossack" selling furniture seven days a week at her store that Warren Buffet bought into.
THE MONEY GO ROUND
Take a ride on the music business money-go-round.
RICHARD BRANSON
A billionaire with no office, no computer
THE MAD BLUEBIRD
the photograph that changed an electrician's life forever.
HENRY'S SON
Henry Hershey was a walking disaster. Did Milton succeed despite or because of Henry.
NICK TAHOU'S HOTS
the home of the "Garbage Plate"
DEAL OF THE CENTURY
OR How to get paid $13 million a year to do nothing
Owwwwwhhhh! Get Nekkid!!!
Wolfman Jack and the gun battle in the Mexican Desert
SCRABBLE
The game you almost never heard of
KING OF THE KNOCKOFFS
A man who loves Academy Award Night more than anyone
ROLLO
the red nosed reindeer
ROADSIGNS TO SUCCESS
To Get/Away From/ Hairy Apes/Ladies Jump/From Fire Escapes/ BURMA SHAVE
DON'T CALL HIM THE SOUP NAZI!

A BRAND NAME GONE WRONG
"I wonder why all of those people who aren't coughing want cough syrup?"

Read this before going
on "THE APPRENTICE"
You'll Win!!

MADAME C.J. WALKER
Her hair fell out, so she created a business empire and became the first black woman to become a millionaire.
MATTRESS MACK
He started his business in an abandoned model home park. Now, he sells over $100 million a year.
THE PERFECT FIT
What is that thing called that measures you feet at the shoe store? The truth is revealed.
METEORITE MAN
The man that sells rocks from outerspace.
Where Does Lost Airline Luggage Go?

SAUSAGE KING
What caused Jimmy Dean to start making sausage?
LITTLE BOXES, LITTLE BOXES
The Levitt Brothers, their dad and the story of Levittown.
"BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE"
Ron Popeil, the father of the infomercial, hair-in-a-can, RONCO, and inventor of countless handy dandy kitchen devices.
ZAMBONI
The story about the machines with the funny name that mesmerizes crowds during time outs.
CHARLES ATLAS
The man that prevented thousands of sand kicking incidents.
COMMIE CAPITALISM
Anyone can find success in free enterprise system, even if you're against it.