Today, gurus are everywhere. They’re on television, the Internet, and most forms of media. It’s hard to turn on the radio and not hear some self-acclaimed financial expert tout the joys of everything from debt reduction to using paid advisors who pay him to push their services on his audience. But please remember one thing about gurus:

Gurus are really just salespeople

When the blond with the short hair goes on Oprah and talks tough about money, she’s there to do one thing: sell her books. When the guy on the radio calls you stupid and dumb for getting into debt, he believes it but really just wants to sell his “university” course on achieving peace of mind financially.

What gurus sell is a dream

It may be a dream to be debt free and scream it to millions of people over your telephone. It may be to start your own successful company because your dad was the “poor one” doomed to life as an employee for 45 years. It may be a dream to create a multi-million dollar portfolio by simply refusing a frou-frou coffee drink and investing that $4 per day instead. But one thing you can be assured of: gurus didn’t get rich by cutting up their credit cards ^[2], foregoing the lattes, pinching their pennies, buying distressed properties, or purchasing discounted mortgages. They got rich by selling a dream that reverberated with the average person cruising through a bookstore, listening to AM radio, watching late night TV or watching Oprah at 3:00 in the afternoon.

Some guru information IS good

The guy on the radio that fancies himself a financial expert because he did “dumb” things a long time ago does know how to help people reduce their debt: it all boils down to motivation and a “dream” of financial freedom. He’s great at it, using words like “KOO-EWL”, and “YOU PAID OFF TEN BAZILLION DOLLARS IN 2 YEARS? THAT’S FREAKIN’ AWESOME!”