Yesterday, I attended the GetMotivated seminar here in my city.  There were about 17,000 people there, and it was really good.  I truly enjoyed it, and I loved the presenters.

There are some naysayers out there who say that these seminars are only there to make you buy their products.  I have to say that that is not true.  These seminars are there to provide you with information from sources that you would never see all in one day anywhere else, and the information you get is as good as you use it to be.

Yesterday, we saw Lou Holtz, Terry Bradshaw, Laura Bush, Steve Forbes, James Smith, Colin Powell, and others.  I loved Laura’s stories about 9-11 and how it changed their family along with so many other American families.  I enjoyed Terry’s humor, as he is just as funny off-the-field as he is in the commentator’s booth.  I enjoyed hearing from one of my childhood heroes – Lou – as he was the coach of the Razorbacks years ago and I’ve always admired him.  Steve’s insights to today’s financial crises was very enlightening, and I totally agree with many of his statements regarding the tax code and what we need (and don’t need) from Washington.  Colin is one of the calmest people I’ve ever heard speak, while still conveying a strong message.  James, who is a motivational variety who travels with the seminar group, was funny and almost irreverent at times, but his points came across very well to those, like me, open to hearing them.

We heard 8 people speak before 3pm.  Only 2 of those people talked even a little bit about the financial management tools that the seminar promotes, and even their talks were not that long.  Regardless of how you feel about these things, if you don’t manage your money, you will never be able to retire.  Listening to them, even for a little bit, gave me some tools that my family and I can use to better manage our retirement and other funds.

So, all-in-all, I highly recommend these seminars.  It’s a day of time and $9.95 for your whole office to go, no matter how many people attend.  It’s time and money well-spent, and it’s not, as I heard prior to the seminar “a waste of time and only a sales pitch”.  Those people have obviously never attended the actual seminar or perhaps they aren’t open to listening and doing what these top speakers, like Laura and Steve, are trying to convey.  Attending is easy.  Following up and doing what they suggest is the harder part.  If more people would do instead of just nod and listen, the world would be a better place.