My Investing Notes

08Aug 2005 by stanley No Comments

Real Estate Begins to Cool

Housing

More signs point to a slowdown in real estate: mortgage rates up, inventory up, time to sell up, prices paid (down?).Reference:Real Estate Begins to Cool by The Big Picture blogReal Estate Begins to Cool - Follow UpRelated:Rise in Supply of Homes for Sale Suggests Market Could Be Cooling by WSJ (need subscription)

29Jun 2005 by stanley 2 Comments

Housing Bubble

Housing

Are we experiencing a housing bubble? Overpriced houses? A lot of speculation. I think so. I think this craziness has to stop sometime -- especially in the NJ area. That's what I think. See what Celia Chen, from Economy.com, has to say about the housing bubble in this article, U.S. Bubble Trouble. She does not say the bubble will burst, but she sees the housing market cooling considerably if the rates move up to 7%. Also, she explains the effects of the bubble actually bursting. Very good article.

11Apr 2005 by stanley No Comments

S&P Outlook & Value Line

investing

I went to a local library right after work today. This has become a weekly activity for me. Why? To read the latest S&P Outlook newsletter, and the latest issue of Value Line Investment Survey. These two newsletters are probably the best you'll find. No question about it. They're expensive, though. So that's why I go to the library.S&P Outlook (you can try it on-line for 30 days) ranks around 1000 stocks. Each stock has a rating of 1 to 5. 5 is the best (strong buy) and 1 is a strong sell. I've been following S&P Outlook for couple years now. I think I'm a better investor because of it. It just gives you a little bit more confidence in a company which you know has either a 4…

10Apr 2005 by stanley No Comments

My April 2005 Buy Stocks

My Stock Picks

Here are the stocks that are "on my radar" now. I am doing a little re-shuffling in my portfolio. My objective is to have 10-15 quality stocks and invest in them regularly. (In addition to the ETFs I hold.): ($44.1, S&P Rating: 4 stars, Great Value Line rating): Good company to own. Great appreciation potential. Recommended in Value Line as well as S&P Outlook.: ($127, S&P Rating: 5 stars): Recommended in Value Line as well as S&P Outlook.: ($31.4; S&P Rating: 4 stars): Owner of Red Lobster and Olive Garden is looking exceptionally well. Ready to deliver. Recommened by Value Line, S&P Outlook, and Barrons.: ($59.3; S&P Rating: 4 stars): I've always liked Amgen. I invested in it couple times before and always came ahead. The stock looks good, has…

23Mar 2005 by stanley No Comments

Warren Buffet's Letters

Tips & Advice

I just signed up for the I Will Teach You To Be Rich blog yesterday and I'm already finding great stuff: Warren Buffet's letters. When the greatest investor of all speaks, open your ears. He sees things ahead of everybody else. Read them every year, that' s my tip.

21Mar 2005 by stanley No Comments

Personal Finance Blogs

investing

The Wall Street Journal has an article about personal finance blogs. I subscribed through couple of them with Bloglines.com. Some of them look good, so take a look.By the way, WSJ.com is my favorite daily newspaper. I read it every day before work. It's not cheap ($80/year; I pay $40 because I also have a subscription to Barron's), but it is worth every penny. I like to get my information from the most reliable source.

06Mar 2005 by stanley No Comments

My March-2005 Buy List

My Stock Picks

Here are the stocks that are "on my radar" now. I haven't been buying lately (only investing in stocks that I currently own -- dollar costing, to be exact), but these look good...Now, after February is gone -- one of the worse months, historically -- it might be a good time to load up on some stocks. This year, my strategy is to pick big, international companies as the dollar is weak and the economy might cool a little bit. I'm also investing in the following ETFs: SPY, VDE, VGT, VHT, VUG, EFA, EEM.: ($23.5, S&P Rating: 5 stars): Very good company to own for superior returns. I'm looking to get in. Recommended in Value Line as well as S&P Outlook.: ($18, S&P Rating: 5 stars): Very good company beaten…

08Feb 2005 by stanley 2 Comments

Investing 101

Tips & Advice

I recently gave a speech titled "Investing 101." It was for my local Toastmasters club. In the speech, I covered some things that might be of interest to individual investors. I'd like to share some of them, below.Stock Market 101What is a stock market? It's where all public companies are listed and are available to be traded. Public? After a company has been successful and the owners decide to make some big money, they sell the company to the public -- investors like you. Once the company is public, the original owners no longer own the company. How do you buy shares of the company? You can do it in a brokerage account, or you can buy the shares directly from the company (some companies allow it).How does a company…

28Dec 2004 by stanley 2 Comments

Scottrade Loses Its Appeal

investing

I used to like Scottrade a lot. Where else do you get free Mutual Fund investing? Where else do you get no inactivity charge? No longer at Scottrade, I'm sorry to say. :-( Scottrade limited the number of no-transaction mutual funds from 9000 to 900. I found out about this yesterday. For a while, I thought that I might have to stick to the 900 they have. Just wait, Stas. :-) I found out about FirstTrade. You basically get old Scottrade: $7 trades; FREE mutual-fund trading; no inactivity fee. I am switching over my IRA accounts and one other personal account to FirstTrade. (I use InteractiveBrokers as my main account, of course -- can't beat $1 trades.)

10Sep 2004 by stanley 3 Comments

My Sept-2004 Buy List

My Stock Picks

Here are the stocks that are "on my radar" now. I haven't been buying lately (only investing in stocks that I currently own -- dollar costing, to be exact), but these look good and might be up for grabs soon.Note, however, that September has been, historically, the worst month of all.: (S&P Rating: 5 stars): This is a good stock, good long-term play.: (S&P Rating: 4 stars): Chip stocks are down but because they're cyclical they'll bounce back. Applied Materials should do well. Good time to get in.: (S&P Rating: 4 stars): Good stock; cheap.: Stock that was recommended in BusinessWeek (see article); I think it has a lot of potential. I like their business plan.: (S&P Rating: 5 stars): Recommended all over the place: good international player; safe bet;…