Cramer brings the excitement, hardships, and rigorous hard work of working at a hedge fund
(the hardest and most rewarding job in the world) to a television audience. He is an idea
machine and inspiration for aspiring money managers like myself, while he shows the
financially illiterate (no matter their age) how to play the game and actually think for
themselves. Cramer stands tall as a colossus of free market capitalism, at a time when
this ideal has been hurt by the corporate scandals that occurred earlier this decade,
eroding the confidence of the investing public.

I think Cramer put it best himself: "There is an interesting split in the media and
entertainment in general that I am not the first to point out...There's a widespread
hunger for authenticity, originality, and even surprise from the purveyors of traditional
media."

Source: http://nymag.com/news/features/32382/index3.html

Last edited on: 07-07-2007 12:51 am

I'm over 60 and believe that Jim has a tremendous audience in my age group. He respects
the intelligence of his audience, no matter what the age. He never talks down to anyone.
That's almost unique in the financial advice business. For a contrast, check out Suze
Orman, who must think her audience consists of morons. She's the financial Judge Judy.
Or check out any mutual fund company. They have a vested interest in making you think
you're so dumb and ignorant that only their advice can save you. Jim never says that.
It's always "buy and homework", and he tells you how to do it. That's why, no matter how
young or old, we're the Smartest Audience On Television.

I really don't even think he needs to be as wild as he is on the show (though i dont mind
it) to get our attention. He has the creditials, doesnt take himself seriously, and breaks
it down step by step in a way that no one else does. The fact that he approaches us in all
media forms; TV, internet, magazines, and books gives a great variaty for ways to learn
from him. Touching on a point i already made he does not take himself so seriously. Most
of our generation sees those in their 40's-50's as taking themselves too seriously. That
they are so above us, mature, smarter than us. Jim gets up and screams and yells, gets
excited, admits to drinking, is sarcastic and uses puns like no one else on TV. His
credentials are imressive enough as it is but his style is what sets him apart from the
rest. He is a real money manager, made...real money, but most imporantly he is just real.
(I'm 23 by the way, been watching, reading, and listening to him since 2001)

But no one ever told us HOW to do it or WHAT to look for in stocks. They never told us it
was easier than everyone wants to make it seem. People from fidelity etc. would come and
say we needed advanced degrees in math to be a really good investor and it left us feeling
excited about it but having it seem above us. Jim says, no no no, it is entirely on your
level. For a true cynic he gives our age range a lot of hope and optimism

This is gonna take a long time but I'll try to break it down as simply as possible. It's
mostly his style. It's that whole, "i could have a beer with him" effect that they talk
about in politics. He also lived the story of going from living in his car to the top of
the money making world which makes us feel like we can do it too. I think the books have
more of an effect than Jim even gives them credit for. It isn't really the show because
whenever I'd try and show my friends (who range from 18-25) the TV show they all had the
reaction of thats entertaining but I don't find it credible. Until they find out about his
hedge fund career and start to notice that he is joking around about a lot of what he
says. Then following that process gaining more respect for him after they read the books.
The books, he gives us rules. People would come to our high school all the time and say we
need to get into stocks but that was it, "you need to get stocks to grow your money above
inflation"

Great points above. I think it has to do with his willingness to put himself on the line
in his calls, and with himself no matter how goofy he looks. One thing I've noticed with
this cohort is that they have little shame and a great sense of humor(much like Cramer).
They worry little about how the world views them. Cramer says "That's OK, look at me! I'm
a clown and getting rich at it!". An added kick is that this generation is looking at a
very tall mountain to climb to outdo their parents generation. They know instinctively
that they won't get there with 8-4 and their 401K. And they don't want to sit at the desk
with their tie on waiting for the last tick of the clock. They want to work hard,
preferably playing while their doing it. Jim shows them that this is possible and if you
do it right you can get paid for it. To top it all off, Jim has embraced the technology of
the generation. He knows that he needs insight from the cohort.

Interesting points Alchemy1600. Thank you for sharing.

6. The younger generation loves to gamble (only when there is an advantage). We don't
play Baccarat and Roulette where the house always wins. We play Texas Hold'em poker where
the skilled players have a distinct advantage. How do you become a skilled player
quickly? Learn from proven players using their lifelong experiences. The stock market
works in the same way. If you know what you are doing, you will win. Jim constantly
encourages us to do our homework and we will win! Meritocracy at its greatest.

Last edited on: 07-06-2007 05:24 am

5. Jim says that this new generation is not satisfied with being millionaires. They want
to be billionaires. If you ask most people, "who watches CNBC?" they will say people with
too much money. They feel like there is a socioeconomic class division. Jim has made me
feel that I can be involved in the market. I also must mention that without TDAmeritrade,
I would never have joined the market. These discount brokers have made the stock market
available at my fingertips. We are comfortable with computers and internet accounts
unlike the older generations.

Last edited on: 07-06-2007 05:22 am