Why you'll never be a good investor. And you're fat.

Half-article written by Austin Edwards, The Motley Fool
Last Friday, something heartbreaking happened. While crammed into a middle seat on a flight from Denver to D.C., I realized that I may never become a great investor.
Tired from a long week, and bored out of my mind, I ignored the more sensible reading material I'd brought along and picked up the in-flight magazine. Before long, I stumbled across an advertisement -- and a troubling fact.
Wasted opportunities "Over 92% of people who own exercise equipment and 88% of people who own health club memberships do not exercise," the ad stated. The more I read that line, the less possible it seemed. But to be honest, at my own gym, maybe one-third of the people I see there look like they've ever been inside a gym.
I guess going through the motions makes them feel good about themselves. But why would so many people spend money, then not even pretend to exercise?
Four words that opened my eyes At one point, all these people had an "I can do it" moment: a brief burst of inspiration brought on by a friend, a personal trainer, or even an infomercial. They came to believe that with a little effort, they could truly get in shape. I should know -- I'm one of them.
Now, I've gone to the gym fairly regularly for years, and I get my fair share of exercise. But have I ever really reached my loftiest fitness goals? Nope.
Is that because I'm lazy, or undisciplined, or I just don't have the genes for it? Sure, that's part of it. But the real reason lies in four heartbreaking words ...
"I don't have time" Time is our most precious resource, and lack of it is the No. 1 reason people don't go to the gym … or travel the world … or, well, you name it. It could also be the reason you never become a great investor, or make the kind of money you want in the stock market.
Becoming a master investor takes an almost impossible amount of time. Warren Buffett began his investing career at 10, and he's been practicing for hours a day ever since. Obviously, he's spent his time well.
But what about those of us who don't have the time it takes to become great investors, or uncover life-changing investments? Heck, what about those of us who barely have time to keep up with the stocks we already own?
Take me, for example Here's a list of stocks I own, along with some of the reading I should be doing just to keep up with them:
Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Pages in 10-K:156, Articles in Yahoo! Finance Monday:4
Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Pages in 10-K:170, Articles in Yahoo! Finance Monday:93
AT&T (NYSE: T), Pages in 10-K:590, Articles in Yahoo! Finance Monday:28
Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Pages in 10-K:114, Articles in Yahoo! Finance Monday:39
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Pages in 10-K:372, Articles in Yahoo! Finance Monday:13
Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX), Pages in 10-K:202, Articles in Yahoo! Finance Monday:2
Transocean (NYSE: RIG), Pages in 10-K:383, Articles in Yahoo! Finance Monday:5
And that's only a third of the stocks in my portfolio! In other words, I should have read roughly 6,000 pages and 550 articles per day over the past month just to keep up with the stocks I already own, let alone find new ones that could make me rich.
Now, don't get me wrong. I really want to be a master investor -- just like I really want to be in excellent shape. But I haven't had the time to read 6,000 pages of SEC filings and 550 articles per day. Have you?
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Another article, by Phil Town:

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/Financial_Literacy/Oct_07_focused_investing_a1.asp?caret=66d

So, do you have the education to sort out the value of a company? Do you have the time to research like Phil Town? I sure as hell don't! Here I come, Index Funds!