August of 2012 has a clear theme for investors. Many of us are using the phrase “hated rally” because we’re watching a market move that makes little sense in the context of major headwinds still in place. I discussed these headwinds a few weeks… Read More

With all due respect to the brilliant research minds employed at Goldman Sachs, they may be on the wrong side of an important research call. Roughly a month ago, I noted that their bearish… Read More

For readers who have not been following our newsletter editors for an extended period, it’s time to acquaint you with a longstanding policy: We never buy a stock for one of our portfolios for 2 trading days after you read about it. This means we’ll never front-run a stock, getting… Read More

The classic business book The Millionaire Next Door, by Thomas Stanley and William Danko, depicted a quiet lot of wealthy entrepreneurs who made their fortunes in unglamorous, under-the-radar enterprises such as paving contracting, scrap-metal processing, plumbing or industrial supplies. These individuals clearly know how to… Read More

Where have you been shopping lately? At Macy’s (NYSE: M) for clothes, or Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) for toys or at Bed, Bath & Beyond (Nasdaq: BBBY) for a new set of linens? Chances are Sears Holdings (Nasdaq: SHLD) hasn’t gotten much of your business lately. At least if same-store… Read More

The late 1970s were an absolutely brutal time for investors. Stagflation ruled the roost as inflation spiraled out of control and economic growth remained anemic. Yet, investors wise enough to load up on… Read More

The truth will make you sick. Congress is rich — unbelievably rich. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 249 of the 535 congressmen are millionaires. That’s 47%. By comparison, about 5% of U.S. households are worth more than $1 million. And until recently,… Read More

Most people simply hate stocks. According to a June 2012 survey conducted by the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, 84% of respondents say the stock market is untrustworthy and that it’s foolish to put your money into stocks. Read More

This has been another year of extreme market volatility. In May, after rallying to a new multi-year high in the first four months of the year, the S&P 500 saw a sharp 9% pullback before retracing all those losses in June… Read More

In the summer of 2015, either one or both political parties will begin the search for their next presidential candidate (depending on whether Mitt Romney wins the election this fall). By that time, the whole tenor of political positions will have sharply changed.  At least, we can only hope so. Read More