<FOOLISH WORKSHOP>

Community Gives Back

by David Forrest ([email protected])

Santa's Village, North Pole (Dec. 18, 1998) -- With Christmas and New Year's Day both falling on Fridays, today is the last Friday column of the year. This means that I get a two week hiatus from writing the column (woo-hoo!), but it also means that we'll be doing the Workshop database, rankings, and returns slightly differently for the next few weeks. I called Value Line, and they told me that despite the holiday, they would still be publishing the electronic version on the Fridays. And, as much as I love the Workshop, I don't think I'll be working on either one of those days :)

So here is what we'll do:

The Workshop database, returns, and rankings will be published on Monday morning December 28th and Monday morning January 4th.

I'll also be writing the column on Monday, January 4th to go over the new portfolios that we'll be tracking for all of 1999. Workshop enthusiasts will want to tune in for that one.

As the year draws to a close and we reflect on our wins and losses, I think we can all agree that this has been a pretty wonderful year. I hope that you've all enjoyed wonderful gains in your portfolio, but more importantly, I hope that your visits to Fooldom have been even more valuable. The biggest win for us here, in my opinion, is the way in which the Workshop has evolved these past six months or so. Many of you have "given back" by conducting your own research and evaluating new models. With the new year comes our first official annual tracking of Spark 5, Beta, and Peg 5. It'll be great fun to watch and see how these models do in 1999.

As you reflect on how well your portfolio has done this past year, I hope you'll stop for a moment and tally up your gains. Maybe it's only $500, or maybe it's $50,000. Regardless of the amount, please consider carving out a small part of that and donating it to the Fool's Charity Fund, Share Our Strength.

Please,don't stop reading here. I know this is where most folks usually click off and go to another page, but resist the temptation. There are actually people out there who aren't eating. Is that even fathomable to you? It isn't to me. When was the last time you were hungry?

"Well, why don't they go to the store and buy food?" -- They have no money.

"Well, why don't they get a job?" -- They have no food, no house, no car, no money. It's kind of hard to get work when you have none of these.

"Well, someone else will give money. I'm covered." -- No, they won't. You need to step up.

Okay, I'm done trying to make you feel guilty. But please realize how blessed we all are. I don't care if you only give $5, but please do it today. Better yet, give stock. You can donate stock. In fact, someone this week donated $21,000 worth of stock. Just awesome!

I'm challenging everyone who reads the Workshop report to give something no matter how small. For today, it's not about us and how much money we've made this year. It's about taking 5 minutes to substantially change the lives of people who need that very badly. The Fool has been dedicated to educating folks for the past 5 years, hoping to make a difference in your lives. All we're asking is that you return the favor in some small way.

Thanks, and have a wonderful holiday season.

David

Check out the latest file updates for the Workshop:
New Rankings | 1998 Returns | New Database