If you're like me, every week you see dozens of ads and emails telling you all about how great their “system” is for picking the next big stock.

They want you to follow their “picks” that they have carefully selected just for you. They want to help you become a millionaire overnight.

Years ago, before I knew any better, I admit that I fell into their trap. I thought, “Hey, they must be smarter than me.” So I bought their stuff.

Here's what I learned: Following someone else's advice was no different than handing my money over to a big Wall Street firm with high hopes. At the end of the day, I still didn't know how to intelligently invest on my own.

That's when I began to follow mentors that I trusted and respected. I didn't want to just mimic their investments. I wanted to learn the process they followed.

By following some very smart and giving mentors, I discovered for myself how to find good investments. I learned how to evaluate the risk involved. I gained the skills to always put the odds in my favor — even when everyone else was freaking out about big market drops.

For everyone I talk to about investing, my advice is always the same: Learn how to think and act like a real investor. Gain knowledge about money and the economy that will serve as your foundation. Follow mentors that you trust and admire so you can see how to put that knowledge into practice.

Millions of people follow stock tips and are still in bad financial shape.

Education is the path that leads to true financial freedom.