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Your Stock Picks?

LizardofOz

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Something that has interested me the past few years is investing, however I am not financially secure enough to go into like I would like right now so I play a stock game as I guess a "pre-test" to see how well I would fair when I finally get into it down the road.

When I begin I want to have $10k to start with although I likely wouldnt invest that all immediately for obvious reasons. So my question is what would you guys invest in or what are you invested in already right now? Here is what I got on my stock game right now:

Windstream Corporation: NASDAQ:WIN quotes & news - Google Finance : Does telecomm and DSL internet with expansion in rural areas. Something I also currently use. Great dividend too.
Sequenom, Inc.: NASDAQ:SQNM quotes & news - Google Finance : Works in genetics and works on stuff such as cancer cure research, and other genetic disorders
Ford Motor Company: NYSE:F quotes & news - Google Finance They're Ford.
Web.com, Inc.: NASDAQ:WWWW quotes & news - Google Finance : Website solutions company
ARM Holdings plc (ADR): NASDAQ:ARMH quotes & news - Google Finance : Creates CPUs for Nintendo DS, iPhone, HTC handsets, Droid phones etc. Pays dividends at least once a year.
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: NASDAQ:SOMX quotes & news - Google Finance : Works on medicines made specifically for nerve disorders
NVIDIA Corporation: NASDAQ:NVDA quotes & news - Google Finance : Creates graphics for computers, PS3, and is moving forward into lowpower and mobile industry.


Other companies I'm interested in to put in my "money" in my game when the price goes down:
IBM: They pay out dividends like crazy and create the CPUs for all the gaming systems, as well as networking that private and government use.
GE: In a slump for sure, but once the sale of NBC-Universal is finalized and they expand into medical and energy infrastructure I could see that changing. Also pays decent dividend every few years.
UPS: People need packages. Good dividend too.
Iron Mountain Incorporated (IRM):Works in data security although the stock is kind of up and down right now.
P&G: Everyone needs them. Pays the best dividend yield I have found so far. Also got to support local companies!
Johnson and Johnson: Very good longterm, just not worth buying right now.
Coca-Cola: Another good long term stock with an awesome dividend
ConocoPhillips: Redirecting resources into natural gas and slowly away from crude, stock performs badly in comparison to a few years ago but still pays a good dividend and I think is a good long term.
Apple: Probably the sweetheart of the stock market, if you buy this when its under $100 your just about guaranteed to win. Mac was my first computer and will be my last.
Microsoft: A dividend every quarter, despite declining market value I suspect it will rise with the advent of their new tablet strategy, and hands-free gaming and computing.
Exelon Corp: Works in utilities and nuclear power I think is good for longterm and has a quarterly dividend of around 1.21%
Nintendo: Not 100% sure about them but something I think everyone should watch and see when they launch new hardware the next 2 years.
Brown-Forman: A kentucky based whiskey company that makes Jack. Everyone needs Jack. Stock is to high to buy though.
YUM Foods: Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc another local company with decent dividends just have to wait for the stock to drop some.
RIM: Maker of Blackberrys I think their new direction will make them a favorite again soon, just waiting for wallstreet/blogs to smack talk them a little more before buy.
Ashland: Another KY company makers of chemicals and invested somewhat into natural gas and coal.


So anything you guys see wrong with my picks, also any suggestions for natural gas, solar, wind, or nuclear companies? What are yours?
 
What time frame are you talking about? Since the end of last year I've largely avoided the stock market and bought high-quality corporate bonds and Treasuries (through ETFs). My thing at the moment is return of capital as opposed to return on capital. If I were to buy stocks now I would be very defensive and stick with larger (liquid) companies that pay a dividend, especially companies in industries that tend to be countercyclical or defensive in nature like consumer staples. From your list, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, ConocoPhillips, IBM, Coke, and YUM! Brands fit the bill, although I think they'll all be cheaper down the road. But the dividends will tend to support their stock prices better than companies that don't pay a dividend. Apple is a great company, but it's risky in this environment. If you're going to invest in natural gas, I'd stick with a pipeline/distribution company like Southwest Gas (SWX), as opposed to a production company like Chesapeake Energy.
 
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Something that has interested me the past few years is investing, however I am not financially secure enough to go into like I would like right now so I play a stock game as I guess a "pre-test" to see how well I would fair when I finally get into it down the road.

When I begin I want to have $10k to start with although I likely wouldnt invest that all immediately for obvious reasons. So my question is what would you guys invest in or what are you invested in already right now? Here is what I got on my stock game right now:

Windstream Corporation: NASDAQ:WIN quotes & news - Google Finance : Does telecomm and DSL internet with expansion in rural areas. Something I also currently use. Great dividend too.
Sequenom, Inc.: NASDAQ:SQNM quotes & news - Google Finance : Works in genetics and works on stuff such as cancer cure research, and other genetic disorders
Ford Motor Company: NYSE:F quotes & news - Google Finance They're Ford.
Web.com, Inc.: NASDAQ:WWWW quotes & news - Google Finance : Website solutions company
ARM Holdings plc (ADR): NASDAQ:ARMH quotes & news - Google Finance : Creates CPUs for Nintendo DS, iPhone, HTC handsets, Droid phones etc. Pays dividends at least once a year.
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: NASDAQ:SOMX quotes & news - Google Finance : Works on medicines made specifically for nerve disorders
NVIDIA Corporation: NASDAQ:NVDA quotes & news - Google Finance : Creates graphics for computers, PS3, and is moving forward into lowpower and mobile industry.


Other companies I'm interested in to put in my "money" in my game when the price goes down:
IBM: They pay out dividends like crazy and create the CPUs for all the gaming systems, as well as networking that private and government use.
GE: In a slump for sure, but once the sale of NBC-Universal is finalized and they expand into medical and energy infrastructure I could see that changing. Also pays decent dividend every few years.
UPS: People need packages. Good dividend too.
Iron Mountain Incorporated (IRM):Works in data security although the stock is kind of up and down right now.
P&G: Everyone needs them. Pays the best dividend yield I have found so far. Also got to support local companies!
Johnson and Johnson: Very good longterm, just not worth buying right now.
Coca-Cola: Another good long term stock with an awesome dividend
ConocoPhillips: Redirecting resources into natural gas and slowly away from crude, stock performs badly in comparison to a few years ago but still pays a good dividend and I think is a good long term.
Apple: Probably the sweetheart of the stock market, if you buy this when its under $100 your just about guaranteed to win. Mac was my first computer and will be my last.
Microsoft: A dividend every quarter, despite declining market value I suspect it will rise with the advent of their new tablet strategy, and hands-free gaming and computing.
Exelon Corp: Works in utilities and nuclear power I think is good for longterm and has a quarterly dividend of around 1.21%
Nintendo: Not 100% sure about them but something I think everyone should watch and see when they launch new hardware the next 2 years.
Brown-Forman: A kentucky based whiskey company that makes Jack. Everyone needs Jack. Stock is to high to buy though.
YUM Foods: Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc another local company with decent dividends just have to wait for the stock to drop some.
RIM: Maker of Blackberrys I think their new direction will make them a favorite again soon, just waiting for wallstreet/blogs to smack talk them a little more before buy.
Ashland: Another KY company makers of chemicals and invested somewhat into natural gas and coal.


So anything you guys see wrong with my picks, also any suggestions for natural gas, solar, wind, or nuclear companies? What are yours?

As you start to invest thing about industry segments of the economy and where you think we are in the economic cycle. Right now people are concerned that the economy is slowing down. Tomorrow morning will be the monthly employment numbers. If the economy is indeed slowing, then companies like UPS, P&G,Nintendo may have an issue. You may have heard that certain nations may restrict RIM messages in their company. GE still has a large finance group that churns out a bunch of their profits. The best part of IBM these days is their consulting business which is strong. Doubt you will see Apple at $100 unless the market hits the old lows at 6,600.


Homework is key to good investing.

Hope you knock it out of the park.
 
What time frame are you talking about?
Well either 2012/2013 or 2016/2015 whenever we have a new president and/or when I am sure I am finanically stable enough. I've noticed a trend at least since Regan on down, that the stock market likes to dip during transistion of power no matter how the economy is doing.

From your list, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, ConocoPhillips, IBM, Coke, and YUM! Brands fit the bill, although I think they'll all be cheaper down the road.
Agreed!


Apple is a great company, but it's risky in this environment.
Yeah I definately agree there. Between now and within the next 3-6 years whenever I do actually get heavy into the market a lot can happen with them although as recent as 2008 when the market began to tank, they were worth under $100 and ended up to $300 a few weeks back, it would be one of those things where I would definately sell after a certain point because I can't see it getting much better, and yeah they are pretty stingy with their money and have paid like one dividend and made one split since 2000.

Southwest Gas (SWX)
Noted, I will keep my eye on this one.

high-quality corporate bonds and Treasuries (through ETFs)
As investing and the whole saving as much money as possible thing is new to me, this is something I will have to look in as I get a better grasp on this stuff.

As you start to invest thing about industry segments of the economy and where you think we are in the economic cycle. Right now people are concerned that the economy is slowing down. Tomorrow morning will be the monthly employment numbers. If the economy is indeed slowing, then companies like UPS, P&G,Nintendo may have an issue. You may have heard that certain nations may restrict RIM messages in their company. GE still has a large finance group that churns out a bunch of their profits. The best part of IBM these days is their consulting business which is strong. Doubt you will see Apple at $100 unless the market hits the old lows at 6,600.

All noted, P&G though for example has generics to compete with, Nintendo I think may be slowing down, but still something to consider, especially because consumer entertainment spending goes up during recessions. UPS yeah I can see that being an issue. Apple, as I noted went under 100 in 2008.
 
Municipal energy, Oil and consumer staples are my personal picks.

Like Ahlevah said, the market is kinda so-so right now.
So I make my picks based on long term sustainability, market need and dividends.

The rest is going towards P2P notes.
 
What time frame are you talking about? Since the end of last year I've largely avoided the stock market and bought high-quality corporate bonds and Treasuries (through ETFs). My thing at the moment is return of capital as opposed to return on capital. If I were to buy stocks now I would be very defensive and stick with larger (liquid) companies that pay a dividend, especially companies in industries that tend to be countercyclical or defensive in nature like consumer staples. From your list, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, ConocoPhillips, IBM, Coke, and YUM! Brands fit the bill, although I think they'll all be cheaper down the road. But the dividends will tend to support their stock prices better than companies that don't pay a dividend. Apple is a great company, but it's risky in this environment. If you're going to invest in natural gas, I'd stick with a pipeline/distribution company like Southwest Gas (SWX), as opposed to a production company like Chesapeake Energy.

Just the last part of your response hurt. I own CHK, although I did write call options against the position.

Also I think treasuries are the current bubble asset. Just like housing or tech hard to know when it will burst but it could be messy.
 
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Municipal energy, Oil and consumer staples are my personal picks.

Like Ahlevah said, the market is kinda so-so right now.
So I make my picks based on long term sustainability, market need and dividends.

The rest is going towards P2P notes.

Definately interested in long term stuff and dividends.
 
Definately interested in long term stuff and dividends.

I personally don't think Apple is a long term company.
The market for devices and OS systems is highly competitive with fast changing market share.
I'm fine with risk but for long term, in my unprofessional opinion, Apple is a no go.
(Just highlighting that I'm not a professional investment advisor, I could always be wrong.;))
 
I own CHK, although I did write call options against the position.

It's a great company and would probably be a decent long-term investment, but recently it's also been one of those "momentum" stocks, like Freeport-McMoRan and Potash, that hot money moves into and out of as the prices of various commodities fluctuate. So anyone who invests in it needs to be prepared for some volatility. At least with a pipeline company or distributor the revenue stream is more dependable and not so dependent on the price of natural gas.
 
I personally don't think Apple is a long term company.
The market for devices and OS systems is highly competitive with fast changing market share.
I'm fine with risk but for long term, in my unprofessional opinion, Apple is a no go.
(Just highlighting that I'm not a professional investment advisor, I could always be wrong.;))

Well while I am mostly interested in long term stuff, as I said I understand that Apple is at the forefront of many trends, and define categories of products constantly. Since Steve Jobs coming back to Apple they have hit several homeruns, and redefine any industry they enter. I am still cautious about them though, but I doubt that if, they tanked along with the industry industry (for example like they did at the end of 08) that they wouldn't bounce back enough to hold on to the stock for a little bit and cash out.
 
Well while I am mostly interested in long term stuff, as I said I understand that Apple is at the forefront of many trends, and define categories of products constantly. Since Steve Jobs coming back to Apple they have hit several homeruns, and redefine any industry they enter. I am still cautious about them though, but I doubt that if, they tanked along with the industry industry (for example like they did at the end of 08) that they wouldn't bounce back enough to hold on to the stock for a little bit and cash out.

Emerging market etf's (specifically EPI) are poised to outperform developed economies (while providing a relatively low beta).
 
It sounds like a low risk, very long term thing. I don't mind the risks, that's why it interest me, although I will definitely look more into them.
 
Decide how much to keep in cash, John. If we have the deflation that many think is on the horizon, that asset class may perform best of all. ;-)
 
Well like I mentioned, wont be doing this for another few years. As I understand though Europes markets are going to tank hard, and it isnt a matter of if but when with them, taking us down with them.
 
Pay off all debt first, starting with credit card debt, car financing, and then mortgage. THEN, with no payments other than normal expenses, use no more than half of what is left to invest, and NEVER borrow money again....
And when you do invest, don't believe stock brokers. Too many of them are just parroting their employer's guesses.
Look ahead to where you want to be and what you want to have when you retire, and start buying/investing accordingly.
Wealth shouldn't be measured by what you have, but by what you don't need.
 
It sounds like a low risk, very long term thing. I don't mind the risks, that's why it interest me, although I will definitely look more into them.

You can try a higher beta by looking to Vietnam (VNM) or China (FXI & EWH). Avoid Direxion's leveraged ETF's as they are made for other types of investors.
 
Vietnam (VNM) or China (FXI & EWH)
As with my investing I will have a few morals with it, I have no interest in investing in countries like China, be it if they are profitable or not. Call that stupid or whatever you want, but I just refuse to. I primarily will invest mostly into American companies, and then maybe a little into European, South Korean, and Japanese. Also, many of the companies I intend to invest in have major operations or HQs in midwest/south (such as Coke, PG, Ford, UPS, Yum, Ashland, etc). I dunno, I guess I just am forming some strange morals around it.

Also Utah I'm with you on the whole paying back debt thing, hence one of the reasons I'm going to wait a few years. :)

The way I look at the stock market is with common sense, I go on fool.com some, watch CNBC occasionally, look at government policy, trends, and above all, what people will want now, and want 20, 30, 40 years from now.
 
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As with my investing I will have a few morals with it, I have no interest in investing in countries like China, be it if they are profitable or not. Call that stupid or whatever you want, but I just refuse to. I primarily will invest mostly into American companies, and then maybe a little into European, South Korean, and Japanese. Also, many of the companies I intend to invest in have major operations or HQs in midwest/south (such as Coke, PG, Ford, UPS, Yum, Ashland, etc). I dunno, I guess I just am forming some strange morals around it.

Also Utah I'm with you on the whole paying back debt thing, hence one of the reasons I'm going to wait a few years. :)

The way I look at the stock market is with common sense, I go on fool.com some, watch CNBC occasionally, look at government policy, trends, and above all, what people will want now, and want 20, 30, 40 years from now.

It has nothing to do with morality; emerging markets are set to outperform developed economies on the basis of convergence alone.
 
It does for me, I just can't invest in China.

Anyways, I looked into ETFs and I got to say I am very intrigued. Is there a list of all available ETFs, and what about silver and ETFs, how much more are they over inflation and typical indexes if at all?

Also I'm just looking for some stories here, how old were any of you when you seriously invested, and what specifically have you invested in? How much did you initially invest, and how long has it been since and with what percentage of return?
 
As with my investing I will have a few morals with it, I have no interest in investing in countries like China, be it if they are profitable or not.

You realize that one of YUM! Brands' fastest growing markets is in China, right? And all of those Apple iPods are made there, too? Coke? China. It's almost impossible to invest these days without having an investment in that country. Many multinationals have Chinese subsidiaries or are partnered with Chinese-owned companies.
 
You realize that one of YUM! Brands' fastest growing markets is in China, right? And all of those Apple iPods are made there, too? Coke? China. It's almost impossible to invest these days without having an investment in that country. Many multinationals have Chinese subsidiaries or are partnered with Chinese-owned companies.

Coca-Cola's main operations are still located in United States, including where they get their main extracts from. YUM as I said, is based in Louisville, and continue to do majority of their business within the United States. I understand how hard it can be to avoid China, but I try to avoid them as much as I can, and will refuse to directly invest into a Chinese ran company.
 
Coca-Cola's main operations are still located in United States, including where they get their main extracts from. YUM as I said, is based in Louisville, and continue to do majority of their business within the United States. I understand how hard it can be to avoid China, but I try to avoid them as much as I can, and will refuse to directly invest into a Chinese ran company.

So it's not about investing, its about upholding an agenda?

Good luck :thumbs:
 
I just like to stick to morals. I'm not going to invest into companies or countries that I feel are at odds with my morals, and I think someone could easily make money off the stock market and still have guidelines on the kinds of stocks they invest into.
 
I haven't touched the stock market in so many years. In 2002, anticipating the mess after 9/11, I liquidated my portfolio and divested of a whole bunch of stuff to buy all the gold I could get my hands on. I normally hate to have a portfolio that consolidated, and I'm always diversifying in some measure, but gold was an absolute slam dunk for most of the last decade. It's the easiest to predict movements with.

Since selling off gold in late '08, I mostly just tinker with my IRA.
 
Probably was best to get rid of the gold. I still have my reservations about it and it's actual value. I still have a hard time grasping how we can value a shiny rock over actual products and good, when in reality if it came down to it, gold could be devalued pretty fast, and gold is overvalued in some instances (about 2 ounces of gold equals a 10 million Canadian coin) or a golden franc is sold to Americans at $300 each while it is actually worth around $50. These artificial inflation of gold is what makes me weary to use it as a sort of long term investment vehicle specifically the GLD ETF now that I looked into it.
 
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