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Monthly Archives: December 2009

Investing New Year’s Resolutions

December 18, 2009
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Now for my investing New Year’s resolutions: 1) I will not invest in any growth stock if I can’t give a one-sentence summary of why I like it.  Note: Hearing it mentioned online or on a TV show doesn’t count! 2) I will not allow any stock position to hand me a loss greater than 20%.  Ever.  Note: Knowing when to sell separates the market’s victors from its victims. 3) I will clean out my portfolio of any stocks in which I have a big loss.  Note: Hope makes a great breakfast, but it’s a sorry supper.

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The Decade in Verse

December 17, 2009
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Because the year and decade is winding to a close, and because I am more than just a studly stock picker (I also have a softer side that comes out around the holidays), here’s a poem I put together … a decade in review.  Hope you enjoy! When we review the decade past, Since Y2K came storming through, We see 10 years of trouble, which Boils still, like a witch’s brew. Truth, the decade’s been so rife With scams and major market troubles History should face the facts And call it just “The Age of Bubbles.” Bubble One (The...

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My Favorite Investing Books

December 15, 2009
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My Favorite Investing Books

It’s that time of year again … time to figure out what to get everyone on your holiday shopping list. I think one of the best gifts, both for getting and giving, is investment books. Here are some of my favorites: “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator”:  My favorite book, which I’ve read many times, was written by Edwin Lefèvre.  It’s the fictional biography of Jesse Livermore and many of his escapades, both good and bad.  Not a step-by-step book on how to get rich, but if you fancy yourself a student of the stock market, you must read this...

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10 Tips for Your Investing Toolkit

December 14, 2009
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10 Tips for Your Investing Toolkit

Today I want to start off by giving you 10 nuggets to put in your investing toolkit. These tips won’t be new to longtime readers, but I think it’s always helpful to review classic investing advice from time to time, especially as we approach year-end. And for new readers, these lessons will help set you on the path to investing success. 1.  Most big-winning stocks advance for 12-24 months, from their breakout to their top:  In other words, if you’ve owned something for more than a year and it’s been pretty much straight up, the stock’s likely in the...

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Fuel Systems Solutions: A High-Potential Green Stock

December 12, 2009
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Fuel Systems Solutions: A High-Potential Green Stock

This week marked the start of a global meeting on climate change in Copenhagen, with nearly 200 nations trying to reach an agreement on this contentious issue. The delegates attending the summit will have until December 18 to discuss things like cuts on greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from big polluters like the United States and China, and aid to poor countries who need help cleaning up pollution that they may not have even created. Despite several countries, including the U.S., China, Brazil and India, announcing new emissions goals before the summit, some feel that the new targets are not...

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