Founder Drew Morrison knows his CityGuru venture is a very high risk and speculative investment. This is why he turns to “Advisors”.  As an investor risking your savings in this venture who are you turning to as Advisors?

In the case of the CITYGURU Investor, two key players you should have on your team are: an Accountant and an Attorney. Few others will be able to provide you with the guidance you specifically need to navigate the unpredictable waters of this investment.

Your Accountant: Super Hero No. 1:

It is the nature of an accountant to think in terms of numbers; what substantiate those numbers and how those numbers add up. They also think in terms of auditing and inspecting the numbers to determine the story they tell. This makes an accountant a natural ally to an investor! Chances are: if something does not add up for him/her, then it probably won’t add up for you, either.

Before you invest or add to existing funding for this investment, ask your investment bodyguard to:

  • Provide you with a second opinion to the investment Drew Morrison and/or his advisors are proposing. This insures you understand it well enough to explain to a third party. Then, take note of his/her questions/concerns and comments and take these back to CityGuru-Drew Morrison for further discussion. Better yet: ask your team mate to join you in the conversation! Like numbers, answers to your questions should add up to both you and your teammate.
  • Ask your new teammate to suggest alternative ways of using your money to minimize risks and to maximize return. Ask your team mate to lay out the alternatives to the CityGuru opportunity and compare the two. Both you and your team mate are likely see instantly which of the two works best for you. Visit our post “Grudge Match: Your Bank vs. CityGuru” for an example of the objectivity an accountant can provide.
  • When and if CityGuru-Drew Morrison begin to provide their investors with financial reporting and accounting, your teammate will be invaluable for purposes of inspecting those reports for accuracy, completeness and currency. You will want to know the story the numbers tell!
  • If your team mate provides you with no else, ask for a reality check against the excitement you may feel towards any investment promises. The final choice is always yours, but that second opinion can and does make the difference between losing a partial or all of your savings.

Your Attorney: Super Hero No. 2:

No less important than your accountant teammate is this teammate whose nature is to think in terms of contingencies; the “What If?” scenarios. What if the numbers do add up but something goes wrong? What do you do about it?   These professional team mates tend to think in terms of “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. This makes an attorney a natural ally to an investor!

Before you invest or add to existing funding for this investment, ask your investment bodyguard to:

  • Examine or to propose all contractual arrangements between you and CityGuru-Drew Morrison and to advise you accordingly. If you don’t fully understand what CityGuru has offered, have your team mate to revise and submit as your own contract/agreement.
  • Some agreements are “implied” and not always “expressed” in writing or even as implied. Ask your team mate to explain the “what-if’s” to you and what could go wrong—and if it does what can you do about it. In ten minutes you will have a good comprehensive risk analysis!
  • Finally, ask your teammate to provide you with a reality check based upon the reward to risk ratio. The final choice is always yours, but that second opinion can have a sobering effect on the high you may have received from the sales pitch!

Of course, you can simply ask both of your team mates: “If this were YOUR money, would you invest it here?”

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hottip[showhide type=”hottip2″ more_text=”- Don’t know an Accountant?  Can’t afford an Attorney?” less_text=” – Don’t know an Accountant?  Can’t afford an Attorney?”]There are free resources. Let us help.

  • We can refer accountants and attorneys in your area
  • Minimize costs for Attorneys to review contracts/agreements: we will provide a free review and risk analysis of any CityGuru agreement underscoring specifics you should discuss with your attorney.  Reduced time is reduced costs.
  • Networking with fellow investors will often provide you with the professional expertise/opinions of their own accountant/attorney team mates.  Let us refer you.[/showhide]