Looking back on my very full life I have some regret that I

didn't pursue a career in teaching because it had always

been my first vocational preference. For more than fifty years

I have enjoyed an immense working and travel experience. I

have acquired much insight relative to our relationship with

others especially with persons living in the thirty-four

countries and Island Groups that my wife Elizabeth and I had

visited prior to her death in 1991.

In regard to the above destinations, many of the Countries

we visited many more than once. We made twelve visits to

Italy prior to 1991 mostly for business. I would buy a few

kilos of human hair and other required items. I seized the

travel opportunity also as an excuse to visit one of my

favorite countries. We also went to other countries in

Europe, Mexico, British Columbia and Eastern Canada many

more times.

We were very fortunate to have taken as many trips as we

did. It seemed to be as if God had sent me a message to

make every effort possible to share as many pleasurable

moments with Elizabeth as I could because my moments

with her were limited. Apparently he knew. I did not!

Many years ago I realized that there are topics that are

overlooked or just neglected in our schools. In my opinion

there are numerous extremely important subjects that are

excluded unintentionally because the subjects are believed

by some to be not as important as other subjects selected to

be included in the curriculum.

It is my wish that the following information will assist and

make it easier for our children, adults as well as the

uninformed of all ages comprehend and become prepared

for the pit falls and challenges that they are likely to

encounter. When they enter the extremely competitive world

of business they will be able to recognize and be suspicious

of questionable perpetrators of scams. If they retain and

follow my suggestions set forth here in as my advice.

Perhaps they will spare themselves the agony and the

despair that I caused myself by trusting my friends implicitly and trusting persons that I did not know well. I did no

research about their business practices and acted hastily. It

will be obvious to you that there is no continuity of story

here. That is because there is no fiction interspersed with

these true facts. Had I been knowledgeable of my written

words here in at the time I loaned and foolishly, invested.

I would not have lost more than a half-million dollars

($500,000.) to crooks, con artists, thieves and rip off type

scams! I hope the information contained in these pages will

help prevent you from making the same very serious errors I

made and describe.

Readers' Comments

"This book is a lighthouse guiding the naive and the experienced alike, through the treacherous waters of business and deception."

Christopher J. Calabrese, Exq., attorney

"Joe I think your book is fantastic and I am going to recommend it to all of my clients as required reading!"

David Stern, Esq., attorney

"As an educator I know that the school curriculum at all levels on the educational continuum is a crowded one. somewhere along that curricular continuum we should take the time to teach the easy way what Joe Roberts had to discover on his own the hard way!"

G. Mancuso