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“First think as an entertainer, then as a magician”Any one can learn and do a magic “trick”, but to take a trick and turn it into an amazing performance is one of the keys to performing great magic. May I suggest most people DO NOT like to feel as though they have been “tricked” or “fooled”, instead they like to know they have taken part in good entertainment.Have you asked yourself why you want to do “magic Tricks”? Is it for the fame and fortune or because you have a passion to entertain?”First think as an entertainer, then as a magician”As New York Based Master Society Entertainer Magician Simon Lovell states “Magicians worry about ‘How do I do it?’ Instead of ‘Why’ do I do it? There in lies one of the biggest problems — there has to be a reason. Magic intrinsically is an illogical thing, but you can do it at least in a logical way. You ask, what is more important to me — an audience remembering me or the tricks I perform? I would rather them remember me than the tricks I perform. It is essential to create uniqueness about yourself – separate yourself from the masses”Personal Case Study:While at a cookout this past summer I was talking with the host and he wished for me to entertain the guests, excluding himself; as he told me “I am not fond of ‘magic’, I do not enjoy it”. Like this gentleman, there are those who honestly do not enjoy watching magic, but not liking magic is not a bad thing.In a case like this DO NOT SAY “BUT, YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN ME PERFORM” (Unless of course in that same sentence you have the ability to make a 2 ton elephant appear in his swimming pool and cause a parade of camels to march through the picnic area. If you do possess this power, I will caution, he may call upon a local minister to perform an exorcism).In this scenario for instance I asked VERY un-aggressively “Have you ever seen a live licensed society entertainer close-up magician?” To this he said, “Yes” (In a sarcastic, –… “magic is only a good idea for children’s birthday parties”… type of tone). His comment did not offend me as I have heard this before; I responded to him with “So you have not seen an “impressive” sleight of hand artist?” To this he said “No, the magicians I have seen seemed OK for kid’s but too cheesy and dated for me.”"First think as an entertainer, then as a magician”After some time walking around performing for his picnic guests, I approached him and asked if he would consider giving me his honest opinion of something I have been working on and if he would think it is up to par to perform for his friends? He said, “Sure, go ahead.” Fast forward a few hours: by the evening’s end he was requesting I perform for “this individual and that one over there, oh and they would love the one you just did with me.” Like this individual, most people have seen the “pick any card TRICK” and “make six piles TRICK”, etc. Remember, become an entertainer, not just a magician (trickster).CHILDREN’S PARTIESDuring my children’s birthday party magic shows I entertain the adults as much as the children, part of my guarantee! is ALL THEIR GUESTS WILL BE TRULY ENTERTAINED OR THEY PAY ME NOTHING! I have NEVER had any one take me up on this offer…EVER (Humbly Stated).Usually as the guests are arriving (at a kid’s birthday party) I will do some walk around magic (A FREE BONUS), the client loves this as there is NO dead space and you have even more opportunity to connect with the adults and children before “show” time. The parents in attendance like to know who is entertaining their children. When I perform what I call “Maryland Style Close-Up Magic” for the parents, they receive a better glimpse into who I am and they are not “just” at a “child’s birthday party” anymore.”First think as an entertainer, then as a magician”Some times while doing this type of walk around I will maybe have one or two of the laid back, cool, brew drinking guys and their buddies saying (as I approach) “No, go show the tricks to the kids, I do not want to see any of that stuff it is for children.” I may come back with “Oh, you know I have been working on a few things for this show, for the kid’s,” (I will usually look around as if I am sharing an intimate secrete with them) and suggest, “would you mind/ be so kind to allow me to show you something I may want to perform for the children, you be the judge. Let me know if you think the children will enjoy this or not.”At this point I present Master Magic Creator John Kennedy’s “Mystery Box”, Blizzard Deck from Master Magician Dean Dill of Los Angeles California or maybe some mentalism (Mind-Reading) / card sleights of Dai Vernon (AKA The Professor). The response to these is ALWAYS phenomenal!!! Why? I first think as an entertainer, then as a magician”. These guys always ask to see more and then to show more of this amazing magic to their friends. I also find they get better involved when it comes to the “kid’s” part of the show! They are now the ones taking a front row seat.WHY PERFORM MAGIC TRICKSYou may go into a Baltimore, Maryland magic shop and purchase the newest, neatest, trick on the market. After you get it home, the package ripped open, you can hardly contain the excitement, you read the directions, go through the routine a couple times and then run out of your room showing your parents, husband, wife and/ or children. Showing off your “skills” you now possess with your T.T., Professors Nightmare, and a stripper deck.Your friends encourage you and say…”wow”… that is neat, your parents tell you “You are the best magician they have ever seen” and because you have a few weeks of “practice” and have bought 15 of the “coolest” tricks sold in a local magic studio today you believe you are “ready” to perform as a professional. You make business cards with your name stating you do kids birthday parties, etc. Now you are going to be making money.PLEASE! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP!First, have you taken time to consider why you want to do “magic Tricks”? Is it for the fame and fortune? If I asked if you know who David Blaine and David Copperfield are, you would not hesitate to say “they are famous and wealthy magicians.” Right you would be. But if I were to ask you if you knew the name of Puck, Scott Alexander or Dennis Haney to name a few?Your reply may be “who is Puck, Scott Alexander or Dennis Haney? Why haven’t I heard of them?” I say to you “They are amazing magicians.” You reply, “if they are so amazing, I would have at least seen them on TV.” The answer to your last statement is simple — they have been working, and practicing, taking advice, practicing, learning, creating, performing and practicing.Scott Alexander has been a top pro for many years and one of the busiest professionals in the world. His credits include Denny & Lee, Malone’s Bar in Boca, cruise ships all over the world, Caesar Magical Empire, and now he is starring in his own show at Fitzgerald’s in Las Vegas. His style is simple — comedy that goes right to the center of the audience’s brain.Master entertainer magician Puck headlines around the globe traveling from Orlando, FL one of the most sought after entertainers in the nation.Dennis Haney is one of the most “famous” of all three named here. He owns two magic shops/ studios one is local in Baltimore, Maryland and the other in Las Vegas, Nevada – his tag line is: “Where the pros shop”; Mr. Haney is among the who’s who in the world of magic / entertainment (worldwide).If you try and follow fame and fortune more than likely you will be as Client Eastwood so calmly said in one of his movies “You are a legend in your own mind.” Do not pursue fame and fortune, let it find you. Keep on practicing, rehearsing, reading and listening to those in the trenches, learn from their mistakes and their victories. Did David Copperfield “just appear” on the scene? (bad play on words, I know but hey…it is a free article what do you expect), no, he was practicing over and over again. Practice does not make perfect, as one individual told me some time ago, “perfect practice makes perfect.”"First think as an entertainer, then as a magician”Practice, practice and then practice some more. Once you have practiced several times, multiplied by 10 then go into your nearest magic shop, or to a local full time magician and show them what you have been working on, you have two ears and one mouth, use the first two and not the last one, listen to what they have to say. Go back and practice, oh, by the way have I stated to you you must practice? (I say this with a curious grin).”First think as an entertainer, then as a magician”

Every mutual fund has an investment objective that spells out its goals. The objective states what investing style fund managers pursue and how they intend to carry out that objective.For example, a typical growth and income fund’s objective could read like this: “Growth and Income Fund X seeks growth of capital and dividend income. The fund invests at least 65% of its assets in common stock of large, well-established companies with a history of paying level or rising dividends. The fund may invest up to one-third of its assets in foreign securities.”There’s a lot of information packed into those two sentences. From reading this objective, you’ve learned that the fund is traveling down the proven growth and income route, buying up stocks of large companies with solid histories of dividend payments.Keep in mind that, in some cases, a fund’s name is really not consistent with its objective, although it is in this case.Note also from this objective that Growth & Income Fund X may invest a full third of its assets outside of the United States. The key word here is “may.”To see exactly what percentage of assets is invested oversees, take a look at the global weighting, which can be found in a fund’s Morningstar report, as well as in the fund’s annual report to shareholders.Some investors are wary of funds that invest a significant proportion of their assets overseas, because it isn’t always easy to get information about foreign companies. Without adequate information, it can be hard to tell whether these foreign companies are growth companies or the type of companies you want to invest in.Investment ObjectivesWhen it comes to stock funds, investment objectives range from the most conservative to the most aggressive.Index funds attempt to replicate the performance of a portion of the market or even of the entire market. The most widely followed index is the Standard and Poor’s 500 index, which consists of the 500 largest publicly traded U.S. companies on domestic stock exchanges.Index funds are based on a variety of domestic and foreign indexes. Before you invest in an index, be sure you know exactly what types of companies your chosen index invests in.Balanced funds hold stocks and bonds. Traditionally, the proportion allocated to stocks and bonds has been close: 60/40 or 65/35 one way or the other. Make sure that whatever balanced fund you choose does divide its assets between stocks and bonds using a stated formula; otherwise, you may be purchasing a stock fund or bond fund in disguise.Stock income funds focus their investment on high-dividend-yielding companies and pay out more dividends and distributions to shareholders than other types of funds. Stocks held by a stock income fund typically account for 60% to 75% of such a fund’s portfolio.The trade-off here is that the dividend income gained by fund shareholders is often at the expense of slower growth and lower price appreciation for fund holdings.Growth and income funds hold growth and income stocks. They can also hold more bonds to generate income. These funds are designed to be less volatile than typical growth funds, and they provide some of the income potential traditionally found in stock income funds.Growth funds seek to profit from capital appreciation; that is, an increase in share prices of their individual company holdings. To accomplish this, fund managers invest in companies that exhibit rising sales and earnings.If about 90% of a growth fund’s assets are in stocks of large, established companies with a moderate rate of growth and paying high dividends, a strong degree of stability is provided, offsetting risk.Aggressive-growth funds aim for maximum gains by taking larger risks than other growth funds. Managers invest in companies with estimated potential, or by purchasing smaller companies in popular industries.Because of this aggressive investment philosophy, the turnover rate of aggressive-growth funds can be extremely high. A high turnover brings higher commissions and potentially higher capital gains that can increase your investing costs.Sector funds concentrate their portfolios in one particular industry. There are many types of sector funds, ranging from those focused on technology to others focusing on health care or the financial industry. Because these funds have a concentrated portfolio, they tend to be highly volatile.International funds invest in companies around the world. Be aware of different types of funds within the international category. Global funds can invest anywhere in the world, including in the United States. International funds invest only in countries outside the U.S. There are many narrowly focused funds that invest in one particular country or region of the world.Investment StyleInvestment style, as categorized by companies such as Morningstar and Lipper, comes in three flavors: growth, value, and blend (or core).In the growth style of investing, the fund manager seeks out companies with above-average sales and earnings growth.Under the value style of investing, managers purchase companies that appear to be undervalued. Valuation is based on certain defined measurements such as price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios, price-to-book-value ratios, or “fair value,” a ground-up valuation of the company’s business expressed in dollars per share. Fund managers assess such opportunities based on their experience with other turnaround situations.With the blend style of investing, managers blend both growth and value investing. In some cases, they follow a growth philosophy, while in others, they look for undervalued opportunities.Both growth and value investing have their proponents and both styles have done well in years past.