Since I learned about the Motley Fool not much more than a year ago, I've been touting its wealth of knowledge to friends and family. Yet, as persuasive as I've been, I haven't been successful in turning some of them away from the beguiling allure of the Wise.

One of the greatest virtues of the Motley Fool is its use of humor while educating. Educators well know the strength behind the "teachable moment." First get the students' attention, make em laugh, and then wham, before they know it, they've learned something. How subliminally insidious.

Comic strips and cartoons have been using this technique since long before "multi-media" hit the monitors. Cartoon programs, especially the "Classics," I'm sure you know which ones they are, were originally targeted toward an adult audience as much as a kiddie crowd. It is for this reason I chose the Flintstones to expound on a fundamental tenant of the Motley Fool, the Foolish Four.

BARNEY: Listen Fred, just an hour of work a year and you might get 20% - 25% return on your investment. That's been the average yearly percentage gain of the Foolish Four over the last 20 years. You can't beat that. All the information you need is right here in this week's Rockstreet Week.

FRED: Yeah, but what do I know about investing? I operate a dinosaur all day long.

BARNEY: That's the beauty of it Fred, even a Neanderthal can do it. I learned about it in the Motley Fool, on the Internet. You should come over some time. I'll show it to you.

FRED: There you go again, talk'n bout those two, David and Tom Garnet ... something.

BARNEY: Gardner. You know Fred, I heard they might even be Homo sapiens. That's why they wear these hats (Barney pointing to his own hat) to hide their bigger brains.

FRED: I dunnoh Barn. I've got my money conservatively invested in mutual funds with Peter Lynchrock and he's been doin' pretty good this year, up 17%! Besides, half of the Water Buffalo lodge members use him or Charles Schwabstone. And what about Wilma and Pebbles? I gotta think about their futures. I'd rather leave it to the experts.

BARNEY: (laughs as only Barney can) He, he, he, he. That's a good one Fred. You know that 75% of those experts can't even manage to beat the market average consistently. Sure your Peter Lynchrock fund is doin' good now, but what about 10 years from now. And what happens to your fund if he quits managing it. Will the next guy be as good?

FRED: Ever since you got that fruity computer of yours, you've been acting so, so ...

BARNEY: Foolish, Fred?

FRED: Yeah, foolish, running around with that dumb belled cap. You're scar'n me Barney. What'ya try'n to do anyway, start a cult or something?

BARNEY: He, he, he, he. Don't worry Fred, I'm just hav'n fun makin' money. And I'm being just as conservative as you, too, probably more. Where do you think I've got Bam Bam's college fund money?

FRED: Yeah, yeah, you already told me, in that "four" thing. What's wrong with 17% anyway?

BARNEY: OK Fred, I'll tell you what's wrong with 17%. Let's say you leave that $20K you've got invested just where it is for twenty years, and you keep making 17% average per year. (Barney punches the numbers into his prehistoric squirrel powered calculator) Let's see, after 20 years before taxes ... (ding) ... $400K.

FRED: Wow!!! .$400K. That'd buy a lot of Brontosaurus burgers.

BARNEY: Wait a minute Fred. The BBQ has just begun. During that same time, if you had your money invested in the Foolish Four at 22%, (at the calculator again) that $20K would become ... in twenty years ... (ding) ... $1.1 Million!

FRED: $1.1 Million!!! YABBA DABBA DOO!

Barney just grins, flicking the bell atop his cap as another Fool is born in Bedrock.