LOW-HANGING FRUIT 233 Not My Broker! You and your parents might read stories like Josephine Fergo's and think, ``Thank God my broker isn't like that.'' Don't be so sure. As we discussed in Chapter 1, every healthy human responds to these stories with an initial rejection of the idea that she could suffer the same fate. It is the optimism bias at work. Defeating that bias begins with recognizing it. You can then move past it to a vigilant investiga- tion. One other thing stands in the way, though: charisma. People describing conversations with skilled politicians relate how, even in a room crowded with people vying for their attention, they make you feel as if you are the only person in the room. You walk away con- vinced that they are ``the real deal.'' All successful brokers have at least a little bit of that gift. The securities industry weeds out those who