Bob Brinker just called it quits! Marketimer is gone!

[rmcelwee]

Favorite was the great Bruce Williams (RIP).

They took Bruce off our radio maybe around 1995. Maybe 10 years later I found his program while searching streaming sites. I listened to an episode and it seemed like it was all politics so I turned it off. A buddy and I would used to joke in the early 90's that Bruce had an answer for any question you had. The first call of the day would be about brain surgery and he would tell you which nerves and blood vessels to stay away from. The next call would be how to set up your computer for 256 com ports and he would tell you which custom hardware to buy. Yeah, he was great and I can still hear his theme song in my head 25 years later. Da, da da da, da, da da da, da da da da da (if you know you know).

 

[Montecfo]

He was the best. I actually saw him in person once.
I loved when he would get a caller who wanted to declare personal BK.

Bruce: what do you owe?
Caller: 10k on credit cards.
Bruce: ok, how many jobs do you have?
Caller: what? Just one but I work 40 hrs a week....
Bruce: just 40 hours? Seems to me you have plenty of time to take a 2nd and maybe 3rd job to pay that down...
Caller: (befuddled response).

Not to hijack...

 

[Chuckanut]

I recall hearing Bob Brinker call a stock car race years ago out somewhere in the Midwest. He got his start behind the microphone early in life.

 

[RetiredAt49]

Am I the only one who hasn’t heard of this guy? Perhaps it’s my age (51)?

 

[Graybeard]

Link to my call is below (it is nice to hear his opening themesong). I did manage to run the HSA up to $250K last week so his comment on HSA's missed the mark.

Thanks for posting that, I was just transported back to a Saturday and Sunday afternoon listening to WTIC 1080 hearing that opening music and Bob's voice! I was listening to the Super Bowl broadcast as I was driving back from SUNY at Stoney Brook in 1986. I couldn't find anything to listen to so I settled on his show.

Bob had a lot of good general advice about investing. I bought the MT newsletter one year but didn't find it actionable as I was not interested in buying individual stocks and was limited in my 401k at the time but I loved listening to his show. I still listen to financial talk radio shows but most are just infomercials for the host's company and not interesting.

When Bob retired his son took over the newsletter, I guess he has no interest in doing that now.

 

[youbet]

I bought the MT newsletter one year but didn't find it actionable as I was not interested in buying individual stocks

The "MarketTimer" newsletter emphasized MF's and generally down played investing in individual stocks. You must be confusing it with your subscriptions to Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey!

 

[youbet]

On Saturdays, DW and I would listen to Brinker on WLS from 3pm to 5pm and then tune to public radio WBEZ from 5pm to 7pm to listen to "A Prarie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor. That meant we missed the last hour of Brinker's show, but so be it.......

That was our version of "cutting the cord" at the time.........

Can you imagine tuning an analog radio receiver and pulling in signals from out in the ether? It was like magic! And very quaint to think of today....... As I recall, we needed no subscriptions or passwords!

 

[Chuckanut]

IIRC, in the early years of the Super Bow Money Talk and Super Bowl game often occurred at the same time. Thankfully, professional football realized their mistake and move the Super Bowl to a starting time just after Money Talk finished.

Bob Brinker was a huge help to me in my early years. I was convinced to invest in mutual funds after reading a book written by a financial planner. So, I bought my first fund which immediately took about 8% of my money for the sales fee or whatever. I only put $1000 into the fund so it was not a big loss, but it was an immediate loss. After listening to Mr. Brinker, I checked out the Forbes magazine mutual fund issue and found this fund called Mutual Shares that invested in bankrupt and near bankrupt companies. And it did not have a load. I made a small bundle ( by my young wet-behind-the-ear standards) on Mutual Shares. Now I live the life of a retired gentleman of modest but independent means. Not bad for a guy who never came close to earning a six figure salary.

Thanks Bob.

 

[Rianne]

IIRC, in the early years of the Super Bow Money Talk and Super Bowl game often occurred at the same time. Thankfully, professional football realized their mistake and move the Super Bowl to a starting time just after Money Talk finished.

Bob Brinker was a huge help to me in my early years. I was convinced to invest in mutual funds after reading a book written by a financial planner. So, I bought my first fund which immediately took about 8% of my money for the sales fee or whatever. I only put $1000 into the fund so it was not a big loss, but it was an immediate loss. After listening to Mr. Brinker, I checked out the Forbes magazine mutual fund issue and found this fund called Mutual Shares that invested in bankrupt and near bankrupt companies. And it did not have a load. I made a small bundle ( by my young wet-behind-the-ear standards) on Mutual Shares. Now I live the life of a retired gentleman of modest but independent means. Not bad for a guy who never came close to earning a six figure salary.

Thanks Bob.

+1000. We were victims of the "shark attack" a few times as newbies in the investment world. Bob guided us through to critical mass. We listened to the radio during long drives back and forth for holidays at home. Bob was instrumental in helping us understand it all.

 

[Aspire to Retire]

Bob Brinker alternative?

I have benefited greatly from Bob's advice and his buying opportunity recommendations. Sadly, I just received my newsletter refund in the mail, but I knew this day would come someday. Is there a reputable individual or newsletter similar to Bob and Marketimer?

 

[rk911]

The "MarketTimer" newsletter emphasized MF's and generally down played investing in individual stocks. You must be confusing it with your subscriptions to Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey!

Ramsey is a good growth, low-cost mutual fund guy. Don't know about Suze...never could warm up to her.

 

[mpeirce]

Is there a reputable individual or newsletter similar to Bob and Marketimer?

These folks are pretty good: https://moneyguy.com

They have a good podcast that I listen to. They also have a bunch of free content on their website.

As is always the case, they too are selling something (Bob made money from his newsletter of course...), but they are good about not over selling. Their basic story is that once your portfolio gets bigger, you should consider using their services. Fair enough.

 

[jazz4cash]

On Saturdays, DW and I would listen to Brinker on WLS from 3pm to 5pm and then tune to public radio WBEZ from 5pm to 7pm to listen to "A Prarie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor. That meant we missed the last hour of Brinker's show, but so be it.......

That was our version of "cutting the cord" at the time.........

Can you imagine tuning an analog radio receiver and pulling in signals from out in the ether? It was like magic! And very quaint to think of today....... As I recall, we needed no subscriptions or passwords!

My routine was similar but I don’t recall a conflict between PHC and MT. I was also listening to WLS but I was in Indianapolis. The signal was weaker in the winter months so I had to sit in the car in the driveway in the cold because the car radio reception was better. I recall Bob promoted a GE enhanced range AM radio and I bought one. It worked well. With Bob everything was a soft sell and he barely pushed the newsletter. I remember he got into “trouble” for giving away a buy signal for free on the radio. I think that’s when he started the ‘action alert’ email notifications for subscribers.

 

[youbet]

My routine was similar but I don’t recall a conflict between PHC and MT. I was also listening to WLS but I was in Indianapolis. The signal was weaker in the winter months so I had to sit in the car in the driveway in the cold because the car radio reception was better. I recall Bob promoted a GE enhanced range AM radio and I bought one. It worked well. With Bob everything was a soft sell and he barely pushed the newsletter. I remember he got into “trouble” for giving away a buy signal for free on the radio. I think that’s when he started the ‘action alert’ email notifications for subscribers.

WBEZ FM (public radio) broadcast PHC live from 5pm to 7pm Saturdays. Then they rebroadcast it from noon to 2pm Sundays. Brinker was on WLS AM from 3pm to 6pm Sat and Sun. So we had a one hour conflict (5pm to 6pm) on Sat. If Bob had something particularly interesting going on that last hour of his show, we'd stick with Bob and catch the PHC rerun Sunday.

Of course, in today's world everything would be "on demand" and brought to you flawlessly via some digital delivery system. Sometimes I miss the old days and the intrigue of the airwaves........

The radio you referred to was the GE Super Radio. An excellent product. Clones are made today but don't work as well.

You were smart to sit in the car to listen! Few in-home radios worked as well as car radios in those days.

I'm a Market Timer subscriber and, sadly, have my refund check in hand.

 

[ducky911]

I have been getting his news letter for over 20 years. He has been my security blanket at times when I felt like panic selling. He has in the past years been perfect on his bottom calling. I guess it is time for me to fly alone. Thanks Bob

 

[Chuckanut]

when I got my first AM/FM radio cassette recorder/player I was in 7th heaven. I would record the mid day hour of rock music with no commercial interruptions. And Bob Brinker on the weekend.

Bob, along with Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street Week, saved me from panic on that day the market dropped 20% in one session.

 

[Graybeard]

The "MarketTimer" newsletter emphasized MF's and generally down played investing in individual stocks. You must be confusing it with your subscriptions to Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey!

Well that was over 20 years ago, I thought he also recommended stocks.

I was only using the Vanguard S&P 500 index in my taxable account and the balance was not that large, everything was going into my 401k so today I can have large RMDs . My 401k had MF choices but at the time were corporate managed funds that were not sold on the open market but they were "clones" or very similar to their public MFs like Capital Appreciation or International so again his advice was not worth $185 IMO but I liked listening to his radio show.

 

[Koolau]

On Saturdays, DW and I would listen to Brinker on WLS from 3pm to 5pm and then tune to public radio WBEZ from 5pm to 7pm to listen to "A Prarie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor. That meant we missed the last hour of Brinker's show, but so be it.......

That was our version of "cutting the cord" at the time.........

Can you imagine tuning an analog radio receiver and pulling in signals from out in the ether? It was like magic! And very quaint to think of today....... As I recall, we needed no subscriptions or passwords!

It WAS sort of magic, wasn't it? We had an ancient old radio in a wood veneer cabinet with a record player that slid out. The tuner had 4 or 5 bands including a SW range. I loved to turn the whole thing around and look at all the tubes and watch them glow. That puppy must have taken as much juice to operate as a current dishwasher! Every couple of years, we had to have a guy come out and replace tubes. I was fascinated to watch him w*rk. Again, there was a level of alchemy or magic involved.

Now, the "ether" surrounds the modem and is accessed with WiFI or (in our case - an ethernet cable)

 

[Massey444]

I found this web site when I Googled what happened to Bob Brinker. He often said that his show started in 1986. That was the beginning of his national show. Before that he was on a New York City radio station early on Saturday mornings.

The great bull market of the 1980s, which became the even greater bull market of the 1990s, was born Aug. 13, 1982, when the Dow Jones industrial Average was 788. Today it is 33,714. I remember waking up Saturday morning on August 14, 1982 and turning on his radio program. He was practically begging listeners to buy no-load mutual funds. I think he was working as a money manager in those days.

Another great recommendation he made was to buy savings bonds in 1986. Ronald Reagan turned them into variable rate bonds that paid the greater of 7.5% or a market-based formula for the first 10 years. After that I think they paid 4% for the next 20 years. I bought the maximum then, which was $15,000. Thirty years later when I cashed them in, they paid me over $69,000.

 

[rmcelwee]

The "MarketTimer" newsletter emphasized MF's and generally down played investing in individual stocks. You must be confusing it with your subscriptions to Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey!

I've been listening to Dave Ramsey for 25 years. I've never once heard him say you should buy an individual stock. He is 100% against it.

 

[youbet]

I've been listening to Dave Ramsey for 25 years. I've never once heard him say you should buy an individual stock. He is 100% against it.

Sorry rmcelwell if I mislead you. My comment, directed at another poster, was intended as a joke based on his distaste for either Ramsey or Orman.

 

[youbet]

It WAS sort of magic, wasn't it? We had an ancient old radio in a wood veneer cabinet with a record player that slid out. The tuner had 4 or 5 bands including a SW range. I loved to turn the whole thing around and look at all the tubes and watch them glow. That puppy must have taken as much juice to operate as a current dishwasher! Every couple of years, we had to have a guy come out and replace tubes. I was fascinated to watch him w*rk. Again, there was a level of alchemy or magic involved.

Now, the "ether" surrounds the modem and is accessed with WiFI or (in our case - an ethernet cable)

Yep! Real radios glow in the dark!

 

[dandan14]

Now you'll have to switch over to Clark Howard. He's still putting out daily content after 30+ years. It is a little more consumer oriented, but he's always been my favorite. "Save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off!"

 

[JJpop]

Now you'll have to switch over to Clark Howard. He's still putting out daily content after 30+ years. It is a little more consumer oriented, but he's always been my favorite. "Save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off!"

Unfortunately I took his QQQ advice and I never liked how he seemed to never address that he screwed up big time.
Nobody is perfect but I did not like his attitude regarding his big misses.

 

[Murph]

i used to listen to Bob’s radio show on the weekends. I guess he has reached ‘Critical Mass’.

He FIREd. We all gotta quit sometimes.