James Cramer is the host of CNBC’s Mad Money. In case you have not had the privilege, his show consists of guest interviews, viewer phone calls, and stock tips in an effort to make you money. Yea right! Do you seriously think you are going to gain any information of value from a guy who jumps around ringing bells and pushing buttons that make annoying noises? The answer is no.

Do not feel bad. Somehow this lunacy has even leaked into the doors of the investment management firms I have worked for. CFAs and people who should know better, but come to his defense like this guy has just shown them the stock picking bible.

I will admit that he does have quick access to a lot of company information which is disclosed to the public. Now that might impress a lot of you out there, but keep in mind that this information is useless and outdated. He probably has a team of analysts ready to spit financial statistics and data that is already researchable and of a nature that most Americans do not even understand in the first place.

In my opinion, this guy does not live up to the hype or provide results that one might expect. This can also be said for that of many of today’s fund managers that are losing you money or are barely able to squeeze out an annual return that beats the rate of inflation. It is truly sad that good fund managers will never be recognized unless they matriculate from a top 10 business school or have connections to someone on the inside.

I read that someone actually did some due diligence on a sample of picks that Cramer made only to discover that after a year most of them had negative returns. Not only were these picks in the negative, but many retreated in excess of 20%. You could have done much better at your local bank!

The point is that his show is for entertainment purposed only. Why would you trust a guy that regurgitates news that is already factored into the current price of the stock? Chances are you will only purchase such a pick near its peak after the Cramer effect had died off. This is why you should never listen to the news when it comes to stock advice. Chances are that the opportunity has already come and gone. It is a good thing that Cramer is hosting Mad Money today because he would not have gotten very far in the previous recession which began in late 2000.

If you lack the willingness, time, or interest to do your own research then it is best to test any stock pick ideas or simply invest in fixed income and other safe investment vehicles. These investments should provide a rate of return higher than the rate of inflation and contain low risk.

Good luck and try to see the show for the entertainment that it is. Too much Mad Cramer on television can really hurt your brain.