The end of each calendar year spells frenzied activity at Taipan headquarters. Not only is there the annual Taipan Conference that brings together subscribers, Taipan editors, and experts to put their heads together and hammer out strategies for the coming year.

There's also the Taipan Forecast Issue, a densely packed 120-page outlook and summary of what developments the new year has in store for us...and how our current recommendations will fare in the months ahead.

Believe me, it's a lot of work! And the result is usually so heavy we'd virtually have to raise our subscription fee by 50% to mail it to you first class. So instead, we traditionally do something that sends our fulfillment managers into conniption fits: Play around with the production schedule.

To get the Forecast Issue into your hands before the holidays -- so you have ample time to study and evaluate it in the post-Christmas lull -- we will be mailing the issue to you the last week of November. And not to leave you stranded for 6 weeks without an update to our open recommendations, we are stepping up our free hotline and website coverage!

Speaking of our website: taipanonline.com is becoming more and more important as a free supplemental service to your Taipan subscription. In fact, services like Siu-Yee Ng's free IPO update have developed into a bureau all their own. (Remember, IPOs may be scheduled months and months ahead. But when it's time to move, you need to be up and at it within hours...minutes even!)

What I want to say is: If you don't have a computer with Internet access yet...it's about time to get one! I mean it! The Net's instant gratification effect when it comes to the distribution of information has squeezed out nearly all lag time. And we'd feel like we weren't giving you your money's worth if we didn't urge you to take advantage of all we can offer you.

If you are online already and have not yet used taipanonline.com's enhanced service, I urge you to stop by at the home page and register for our free update alert service. This way, you wouldn't even have to check the site regularly: We alert you when new recommendations and updates have been posted.

Simply send an e-mail to majordomo@taipanonline.com with the words "subscribe taipan" (do not include the quotes!) followed by your e-mail address in the body. It's free. It's simple. It's now. And it could mean the difference between profiting from breaking news...or just letting the opportunity pass by...

Until the next issue,

J. Christoph Amberger
Publisher, TAIPAN

P.S.: If you don't want to wait for the Forecast Issue, here's another great alternative to get ahead of the crowd in 2000:

Taipan, in co-production with 247profits.com and The Millennium Society, created the 55-minute video, 2000 and Beyond: Profit Perspectives for the New Millennium.

This exclusive production is chock full with actionable advice and recommendations.

Featured are Taipan editors Chris DeHaemer, Siu-Yee Ng, Brian Hicks, as well as Webhead John Riggin (who also owns J.K. Riggin Associates, a highly successful Internet consulting company based in Towson, MD). But we managed to get a whole new segment of experts onboard this year...such as tax specialist Charles Wolpoff (editor of Tax-Wise Money), penny stock expert Adam T. Lass (editor of Penny Stock Fortunes), up-and-coming commodities guru Dan Ferris of Real Asset Investor, as well as real-life Indiana Jones and Strategic Intelligence specialist Jack Wheeler.

(After I saw the final cut, I felt so good about this production I told Agora President and CEO Bill Bonner that, should I ever be shopping for another job, this video would be on top of my professional portfolio! Louis Rukeyser, eat your heart out!)

This video is priced at US$99. Millennium Society Members, of course, will receive it free. I gladly offer Taipan members a $50 rebate on the tape, so it's yours for US$49 plus s/h. Call 800-433-1528 to place an order, or use the fast and convenient on-line order form.