Bill Gross may be doing poorly in this low interest rate environment but hes had a successful career, and I wasnt somehow endorsing these folks as amazing gurus, just real people that are successful and have been known to post blogs contrary to your points. If successful investors are too busy making money to blog then they should be way too busy to write a book, which is much more of an undertaking. Soros writes "essays" articles quite often, and these are essentially blog posts, your divisions are artificial. Buffet also communicates often with people, but doesnt have a blog of course. Blogs are a form of communication, its important the content therein not the form it takes, and even the "greats" you mentioned communicate. That the octogenarian investing crowd isnt big on blogs should come as no shock to anyone as it makes perfect sense. Its unlikely that persists into the future as it becomes just another normal form of communication.
There are people making much more than a physician will on blogs, and this is without any risk whatsoever, so its not a terrible thing and sign of failure as you suggest. I'd be perfectly happy pulling in some of these guys paychecks to sip coffee and write articles.
Im unsure where I said that understanding economics is paramount to being a successful investor, I am simply of the mind that acquiring more knowledge in general is better when paired with a focused intent to produce a better more predictable outcome. Economics in general has some serious flaws at the very base of their theories, mainly that people are rational and always do what is the best utilization of such and such...when its quite predictably the opposite, but there is a lot of good in knowing basic things. The OP asked about economics and how to get an idea about it in general, and given that I place just a tiny bit more weight/interest in it than yourself, I suggested blogs, as its easy to become familiar with things without going overboard first thing by getting a book. Someone asked a question, I just answered it in line with their intended subject matter. Given the subject matter, blogs seem a good start, and if you find you really want to delve into econ, then by all means read a book then but thats more than I think you need to do.
Its especially nice to have a superficial understanding of these things in election times when everyone tosses out judgements and plans about the economy or the fed, and it becomes clear immediately those that have zero understanding of how money works in general (almost everyone unfortunately). Theres really nothing more to it than that. Sometimes one interest leads to another and a desire to learn more, even if that doesnt flow directly back into the first reason you started in an obvious way or even ever, sometimes its just learning. I doubt the OP thought learning a little econ was going to make them an ace investor.
"economists have predicted 15 of the last 6 recessions"-ha, no, pure economists dont seem to be great investors on their own.
