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  • 2009: Expecting a Massive Rally
    Up, down, sideways, stagnant, etc. Everyone seems to have an educated "guess," which is all that it is. Nobody truly knows which direction the market is headed. This article and subsequent conflicting commentary proves it. Still it's entertaining to read everyone's varying perceptions.
    Jan 02 11:07 am |Rating: +1 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Deepwater Drillers: Not in a Very Deep Hole
    Alan von Altendorf: This may an ideal time for you to short energy big-time ("...those oil service jobs aren't coming back"). Meanwhile, some of us don't find it feasible to think that energy pricing will stay suppressed for the long-term. Only time will tell if you are correct or some of us are badly mistaken. And when all is said and done, none of us truly know what's in the cards for the future.
    Dec 28 14:47 pm |Rating: +1 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Best Stocks for 2009
    Thanks, Dividends4Life, for publishing an entertaining article. I enjoyed reading the fearless predictions of your various, "investment experts". Do I take any of those predictions seriously? I don't think so.

    Still, it's always interesting to read the differing perspectives of readers in the commentary section. It simply proves that investing is a very inexact science and nobody can truly predict the market's future. This implies to both the "investment experts" as well as those SeekingAlpha readers who offer their own unique opinions.
    Dec 28 14:14 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • TIPs to Protect Yourself from Future Inflation
    Rory,

    According to Morningstar's columnist Sue Stevens and what I've been told by other investment analysts/advisors, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) have a fixed interest rate, but investors’ principal adjusts along with inflation rates. Because interest paid from TIPS is taxable, it’s generally best to hold them in tax-deferred accounts.

    Naturally, there's exceptions to every rule, but this is the guideline that I've been following. I'd be very interested in learning if the investment landscape has changed in this respect...
    Dec 05 12:22 pm |Rating: +1 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • TIPs to Protect Yourself from Future Inflation
    Thanks for your timely article. I've been considering adding TIPS to a tax-deferred retirement account (to constitute approximately 10% of my wife's and my overall bond holdings). And as you point out, now may be a very opportune time to do so with both ETFs being down between 7% and 8% for the year while yielding near 8%. In the mutual fund realm, Vanguard's Inflation-Protected Securities (VIPSX) is currently down 7.7% for the year and yields 6.48%.
    Dec 05 12:11 pm |Rating: +1 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Coke or Pepsi?
    I like both KO and PEP. IMHO, both can coexist very well in almost any portfolio.
    Nov 26 15:16 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • China: The One Global Market with Gains Behind the Gloom
    brooklynbl,

    << Did you not read the news before writing this article? Obama, 2.5 million jobs, road, schools, infrastructure. Hello? >>

    Proposing the creation of 2.5 million jobs, etc. and successfully putting these ideas into play are two very different things...
    Nov 23 19:58 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Buy, Sell or Hold: PepsiCo Got Thrown Out with the Bathwater
    P-Opt,
    Between your price point of $55.00 and Morningstar's "Consider Buying" point of $59.20, shares of PepsiCo (PEP) remains a timely buy. PEP also provides a strategic play on China, along with Coca-Cola (KO), McDonald's (MCD), and Yum Brands (YUM). IMHO, this sure looks like a win/win proposition especially in the face of a currently deteriorating economy.
    Nov 23 19:43 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • General Electric: Genuine Risk of Collapse?
    In my personal opinion, I think we've hit a period in history where there is a serious dearth of talent in the upper management ranks of an overwhelming number of American companies.
    Nov 19 10:11 am |Rating: +1 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Ten Illinois Stocks
    Thanks for the Illinois Chamber of Commerce tour :)
    Nov 15 14:28 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • McDonald's: Safety in Gold - or in Golden Arches?
    In support of the author's column, it should also be noted that McDonald's CEO, James Skinner, recently purchased an additional 20,000 shares of MCD at $55.00 for a total investment of $1.1 million (10/23/08 purchase date). This increased his overall holdings to 236,700 shares of MCD. The buy was the first for Skinner in at least five years.

    Under the terms of McDonald's stock ownership guidelines, Skinner is expected to hold 6 times his annual base salary in shares, or $7.65 million in stock. He exceeded the ownership guidelines prior to his recent purchase and presently owns more than $12.55 million in shares, excluding unvested restricted stock, phantom stock, and options.

    When you take into account McDonald's results and Skinner's optimism in the face of an obviously deteriorating economy, it's hard to ignore the largest insider purchase at the company in more than five years. A company lifer, Skinner is now more financially committed to the business than ever before.

    Sources: Morningstar, Street Insider.com, finance.paidcontent.or... and Mark Skousen's report at StockAdvisors.com
    Nov 15 12:51 pm |Rating: +1 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • The Shallowest Generation
    As each of us realizes, for every "point," there is most likely a "counter-point.&q... The following article was allegedly authored by a late night television celebrity. Agree or disagree, the following does merit consideration as it offers a unique and differing perspective to the very bleak depiction of where we, and this country, currently stands.

    "As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.

    The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? 

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?''

    A. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
    
B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
    
C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?
    
D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
    
E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?
    
F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
    
G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

    H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.
    
I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

    J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.
    
K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.
    
L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

    M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? 

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy. 

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here. 

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession?

    Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?
    The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? 

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

    Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. 

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable dischar... after a few days in the brig. 

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? 

Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows t his and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another.

    Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane! 

Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

    We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative."
    Nov 09 09:34 am |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • McDonald's Defies Economic Gloom
    marketfolly,

    I read your article at www.marketfolly.com (thanks for providing the link). I think your analysis is both accurate and timely. One other aspect that isn't mentioned anywhere, and may be flirting with politically incorrectness (but who cares), is that many younger-to-middle-aged women either: (1) do not know how to cook, or (2) proudly refuse to. This also represents another segment of society that is accustomed to frequently dining out. Again, as money becomes tighter due to escalating bills, paychecks that don't keep pace with inflation/cost of living, etc., more and more are opting for that quick, economically feasible meal at their neighborhood Golden Arches.

    I personally think it's just another "real" factor that plays into McDonald's favor.
    Oct 24 18:20 pm |Rating: +1 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • McDonald's Defies Economic Gloom
    "McDonald's, I'm lovin' it," (their stock, generous dividend, evolving menu strategies, and global presence).

    The "Secret Sauce": A main ingredient has to be management/stewardship that is actually in tune with their marketplace, knows a thing or two about strengthening their brand, and strive to constantly enhance their customers' experiences. McDonald's intends to continue returning $17 billion to shareholders, via dividends and stock repurchases, which began in 2007 and will continue through 2009.

    Their "Value Menu": The U.S., Europe, and Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, account for about 47%, 40%, and 13% of the firm's operating income, respectively. McDonald's also has a presence in Canada and Latin America. McDonald's also has a presence in Canada and Latin America. In-roads into China and other emerging markets will continue to grow.

    The "Drive Thru": Lots of folks that we've watched, over the years, frequent nearby establishments such as Applebee's, The Ground Round, and other like eateries are now seen stopping by (or driving thru) the Golden Arches instead. Should this econonomic climate persist, I think we'll see more diners/families frequent McDonald's.

    Is McDonald's a safe long-term bet? In my humble opinion, "Yes, it's about as safer or safer than anything out there." However, like all stocks, only time will tell. Meanwhile, "I'm loving" the fact that MCD maintains a prominent position within my family's portfolio.
    Oct 24 10:22 am |Rating: +1 0 |Link to Comment |View article
  • Buffett Likes to Be Early; Don't Rush to Follow
    I still have faith in many old school investors such as Warren Buffet, Sir John Templeton, John Bogle, etc. They've experienced the many highs and lows of the marketplace. In my personal opinion, they still have credibility and much to offer by way of advice and guidance.

    (Note: Sir John Templeton passed away on 07/08/2008 at the age of 95. I, along with many others, enjoyed his frequent visits to Louis Rukeyser's "Wall Street Week").
    Oct 22 13:14 pm |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article

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