We do not find many issues with Than Merrill and his FortuneBuilders at this point, but it is important to note that Than merrill's FortuneBuilders uses the same "medicine show" scam strategy used by many of the other gurus like Armando Montelongo. In such a strategy, they hook you with a free, or low cost teaser that is designed to whet your appetite and convince you that you, too, can pocket a bundle of cash if only you will plunk down your own bundle of cash so they can teach you how. But they rarely do much in the teaching arena once they have your money. That is where it falls apart. As we have pointed out before, seminars and boot camps are designed for selling, not teaching.

Here is a brief comparison between Than Merrill FortuneBuilders and a competitor, "The Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate":

A quick check with the Better Business Bureau shows Than Merrill Fortune Builders currently has an "A" rating, which is quite good for real estate gurus. Still, though it appears pretty good it only got that high after the BBB got them to clean up their marketing hype to reflect reality. And the fact that he tries to resolve complaints is a big plus for Than Merrill. (Bill Vaughn's "Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate" also sports an A+ Rating at the Better Business Bureau)

THE BAD

As of this writing, the only real issue we have with Than Merrill and FortuneBuilders is the "medicine show" seminar structure designed to upsell the audience to much more expensive add-ons, and the exhorbitant cost that is so typical of most gurus (the exception being Bill Vaughn). As so aptly stated by FORBES magazine, seminars are for selling, not teaching. Than Merrill and his Fortune Builders will entice you with a "free" seminar, and then will slap you for $1500 for the "follow up" seminar, and upwards of $35,000 or more for the full program. No training in real estate investing is worthy of the prices most of these gurus charge - thousands, and tens of thousands of dollars. Real estate investing is not rocket science - average folks have been doing it successfully for centuries. When gurus such as Than Merrill or Armando Montelongo charge anywhere fron $5000-$60,000, they are billing their students for the humongus costs incurred for traveling the country, promoting and hosting expensive seminars, and paying for their infomercials. Frankly, if a person has that much to invest, they likely do not need Than Merrill!

A Low Cost, More Effective Choice

If you want to learn all 24 methods of real estate investing, and you think you would like access to a free coach who has at least 20 years field experience in real estate investing, and if you want to save a ton of money over what Than Merrill would charge, then check out the course that beats them all, combined. Offered by a non-profit to keep it affordable (under $150), "The Simple Man's Guide to Real Estate" by Bill Vaughn is the most comprehensive and effective of all the courses available today.

It'a lot like fixing your car - when it starts to act up, and your mechanic says it could be a $5.00 part, or maybe a $5000 new engine, which would you have him try first?

It doesn't cost anything to look...

IntelliBiz, publisher of this site is not affiliated with Armando Montelongo, Carleton Sheets, Ron Legrand, Russ Whitney, John Beck, John Alexander, Than Merrill, FortuneBuilders, Larry Goins, Robert Allen, Robert Kiyosaki, Peter Conti, Dave Lindahl or Robert Shemin