It sure feels like a challenging investing environment — especially for smaller stocks, since they are usually seen as the riskiest. But did you know the Russell 2000, a handy proxy for small-cap stocks, has risen a hefty 15% since late November? Then again,… Read More

It’s tax time once again. For a still-rising number of taxpayers, this means it’s time to buy, download or purchase a copy of TurboTax or H&R Block at Home (formerly known as TaxCut), the leading tax-preparation offerings from Intuit (Nasdaq: INTU) and H&R Block (NYSE: HRB), respectively. Read More

I like to strike while the iron is hot. That’s why I’ve wasted no time committing cash from my $100,000 real-money portfolio in short order. To recap… I bought $12,500 worth of Ford Motor (NYSE: F), which I think is poised for great things… Read More

After a less-than-stellar performance for the S&P 500 in 2011, investors continue to scratch their heads as they try to figure out where to allocate capital for the New Year. Treasuries? Sure, if you want to pay too much, then take on more… Read More

To make money in stocks, you need to focus on companies BEFORE everyone else does. And while many think of Alcoa (NYSE: AA), the second investment in my $100,000 real-money portfolio, as an out-of-favor cyclical play, I see a company that is on the cusp of rotating back into favor. Read More

We’ve all seen it happen. You buy a stock and then it steadily drops in value. Either you were ill-informed about the investment idea, or simply off on your timing. I’ve never wavered from my belief that municipal bond insurer Assured… Read More

I spend much of my time in search of companies that possess robust growth prospects. But I’m also content to occasionally focus my energy on companies that are unlikely to grow meaningfully. The catch: these companies must be able to generate a huge amount of… Read More

At the beginning of any new year, something feels intuitively right about stepping into the prior year’s high-momentum stocks. It’s a rarity, however, for sectors and industries to lead the market two years in a row. In fact, one year’s best performers tend… Read More

We’re less than a week into my $100,000 real-money portfolio undertaking, and we’ve already seen plenty of excitement. I committed more than $12,000 to my first pick, Ford Motor (NYSE: F), which jumped nicely in the days after my initial analysis. If you had the chance to… Read More

They say stocks “climb a wall of worry.” Well, investors now have something new to worry about. Concerns are growing that profit margins may have peaked for many companies in 2011 and could slip a bit in 2012 and 2013. It’s… Read More