Hah. I've been in the "real world" ...

Hah. I've been in the "real world" for quite some time. Specifically, the computers/software/IT side of the real world. What I've learned about investing is that the Big Boys are concerned about speed-of-light issues separating them from the trading floor. This suggests that no matter what I do, no matter what I learn, no matter how smart I am, it will be too late. This has been true since at least the mid-90s, when time-to-deploy-new-algorithms was a key advantage of one employer's products.