Have You Heard This One Before?

It's always a good idea to invest. Sure there appear to be many reasons not to and some of them huge, however, well placed investments especially in changing times produce profits.

Warren Buffet's philosophy is to buy stocks of companies he understands that have seen a decrease in their "real" value. It would seem that now with the stock market up and down there are many companies that are falsely low and are a great deal. The same holds true for real estate - take an economically sound region where prices are slightly depressed and you can find some great deals that will appreciate quite well. Edmonton, Alberta is exactly such a region.

Here is a list created by John S. Baen, Professor of Real Estate at the University of North Texas, of why people don't invest -- even though they know they should. I changed some parts to make it Canada-centric

Why People Don't Invest: 12 Humorous Reasons

1. They're already paying into Old Age Security Pension.
   
2. Their budget includes $20 per week for lottery tickets, which is bound to pay off soon.
   
3. They believe that inflation means their money will grow.
   
4. Old people don't eat much anyway.
   
5. They sit at home waiting for the Publishers Clearing House van to pull up in their driveway and deliver their check.
   
6. Their money is safely buried in the backyard.
   
7. Their rich Aunt Melba will die soon.
   
8. Little Matilda is sure to make it big in Films Canada.
   
9. They can cash in their Edmonton Oiler collector glasses when it's time to retire.
   
10. Their dot-com stocks will come back to life.
    
11. They'll write a book and live off the royalties.
    
12. They plan on marrying a young wife/husband when they're 60 and depend on their financial support.