There are certainly plenty of financial analysts with advice about whether or not to buy stock in Apple, Inc. But have you asked your local newspaper’s business columnist?
U. Scott Smith, with the Financial Planning Center at Waukegan Savings and Loan, writes for Illinois’ Lake County News Sun and is asked by a reader:
Thanks to an uncle I admire, I bought shares of Apple Computer a few years ago. Could you discuss this company and give me your opinion on whether you still like Apple. I’ve already made quite a bit of money.
It actually seems an odd question for Scott, seeing as how he first notes:
You’re writing to a guy that still uses a Smith-Corona and who has come into the technological age kicking and screaming. So I don’t claim to know much about the iPod M3 player, other than it’s a playing card-sized device that plays music.
Here’s a tip, Scott, it’s MP3.
After consulting with my handsome and hip young son, I can tell you that the iPod is a portable digital audio player that stores media on a built-in hard drive.
First, how does your son being handsome have anything to do with this? Second, if you need to consult him to answer questions from readers, why isn’t he writing your column? Well, maybe Scott has some insight that even his hip son doesn’t:
Because of the popularity of the iPod, consumers are now falling all over each other to buy the Macintosh.
Yikes, look out from above! But what about the iPhone, Scott?!
This fancy new thingamajig is a multi-media and Internet-enabled mobile phone and, as implausible as it sounds, sales may exceed the iPod.
Let’s see, Apple sold 10.5 million iPods in the last quarter and is hoping to sell 10 million iPhones in one year. Why, yes, Scott, it does sound implausible.
But what’s his final reply to the query of ‘Give me your opinion on whether you still like Apple’?
So whatever you decide I know that it will be an intelligent decision. I know that because you’re related to your uncle. If you don’t believe me, just ask him.
Gee, thanks for the strong opinion, Scott. A man can do a lot of financial planning with the knowledge that his uncle is related to him.
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