THE QUEST OF THE LEGENDARY HOLY GRAIL OF INVESTING

?As King Author and his Knights of the Round Table were in grave financial difficulties they spent many a late night trying to find a solution. However, the only result was a growing division at every meeting. Of the 20 knights, headed by Sir Iva Bias, half of them believed in pursuing the existing policy of investing in the Standard Poor Index Fund that was the very cause of making the knights very poor, because they were spendthrifts on the one hand and on the other felt that the Grail was purely mythical and in any case far too risky to waste time and money ?searching for it. The other half, on the other hand, led by Sir Noah Lot, believed that it really exists and worthwhile to search and research the world until they find the mystical Holy Grail of Investing to solve their problems, because legend said it generates incredibly high returns and removed 95% to 100% of all risk.

As the discussion was turning increasingly into a very over-heated stalemate Sir Noah Lot proposed that he and Sir Iva Bias submit the issue to the King for arbitration. As they approached His Royal Majesty , Iva Bias screamed: “Your Majesty, isn’t it true that index investing is still the best solution?”

The noble king replied, “If you believe that it’s true, then index investing is indeed the best solution.”

Sir Iva Bias rushed forward and kneeling with head bowed continued his tirade: "Sir Noah Lot and his cronies disagree with me, he contradicts me every time and is always annoying me. There is no Holy Grail of Investing. It just a myth and down through time nobody has ever found any Grail. Sire, please punish him for spreading lies”.

The king stood up from this throne and declared “Sir Noah Lot, you are banned from the Round Table until I say so”.

Sir Iva Bias, putting all decorum aside, jumped for joy as he withdrew from the royal chamber, repeating aloud, “The Standard Poor is the best, the Standard Poor, as its name says, only produces standard poverty, and no more. It’s the best what to invest in, the best way to invest in, We win, we win!”

Sir Noah Lot's eyes almost popped out of his head and his ears burned at Sir Iva’s behaviour, hardly believing the king’s decision. When Sir Iva’s outbursts echoed away, humbled as he was by Sir Iva’s euphoria, he asked the king, “Your Majesty, why do you punish me, especially when you yourself believe in the existence of the Holy Grail of Investing, after all you are the one who put it into my head.”

“Yes, dear Sir Noah, yes! It’s true, I believe in the Holy Grail’s existence.”

“Then why punish me, Sire?”

The king softly replied, “This audience with me has nothing to do with the question of whether the Holy Grail exists or not. You are punished because I see that it is not only degrading for you, as an intelligent person, to waste your time and mine, just to validate what you already know to be true! But the biggest waste of time is to argue with someone who is too stubborn to care about a greater truth, who merely wants to confirm his frozen beliefs. Your knowledge and convictions are far deeper than such a person, who cannot see beyond the end of his nose, so don’t waste too much time trying to convince the Biases of this world, because they only seek a reaffirmation of their own stances.”

The king continued, “I said before that you are banned from attending the Round Table, because I am commissioning you and my three most loyal knights Sir Pal Ihad, Sir Dance Alot, and Sir Percy Vale to go forth and scour the world until you find the Grail of ultimate investment knowledge.”

14 years passed fruitlessly, until in a remote corner of the distant land of Swizz, the aging and worn out knights came upon the wizard John Merlin. Famished and filthy, the 4 knights of faith had reached journey’s end, when the wizard Merlin taught them the secrets of the Holy Grail of Investing!

On returning home, not only did King Author and the Knights of the Round Table enjoyed prosperity to the very end of their lives, but the whole country flourished in a never-before-prosperity, the likes of which became the envy of the entire world.