Previous Columns
8:30 AM EST, Thursday, October 4, 2007: I love iShare EWA, which covers Australia. Two more iShares that are interesting: EEM, which covers emerging markets and EEB, which covers Brazil, Russia, India and China (i.e. BRIC). All have had big runs. But the dollar continues to fall. And these economies continue to do well. Charts for all three on a weekly basis:

A neat, honest philosophy: A friend has a successful account with a brokerage firm called Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. in New York. They have independent brokers managing discretionary client accounts. Gilder has a neat sales brochure containing:

Our beliefs:

+ There are no safe stocks.

+ By taking research-based risks, we can, over the long-term earn above-average returns on investments in common stocks.

+ Our job is to pick stocks; our clients' more difficult job is to stay the course.

+ Capital growth requires patience, and is achieved only over many years.

+ While many investors try to create wealth, few succeed. The rest lose heart.

You can pick up the full brochure here.

Garmin goes crashipoo. "So what happened to your 'inviolate' 15% stop loss rule?" asked a reader, after Garmin had dropped by more than 20% and I hadn't sold.

I did what dumb investors do. I fell in love with the company and its great products (especially the c340). But Mr. Market no longer likes Garmin:

I eventually sold my Garmin at $98.45. Had I followed my "inviolate" 15% Stop Loss Rule, I would have sold it at $103.70. Dumb me!

How magazines lie, cheat and steal: Reader James Herbert writes:

How timely your mention of Business 2.0 magazine! We got the last issue in the mail yesterday and am sorry that it's going the way of other failed enterprises. I can certainly contribute to why the magazine hit the wall: One day, a few years ago, an unsolicited copy of Business 2.0 arrived in our mailbox -- and the only reason that we can surmise as to why we got it -- it was probably a perk of the trading website that we belonged to. After all this time, we have never paid for or been asked to pay for a subscription -- and we canceled the trading site membership a very long time ago. No wonder they are losing money -- I wonder how many subscriptions are actually paid for?

For years the business model in trade magazines like Business 2.0 was make money on advertising, lose money on subscriptions. You made more money advertising if you had more subscribers. It's expensive to get subscribers legitimately -- mailing them and dunning them for money or annual signatures (an audit bureau rule). So many magazines simply sent the the magazine to anyone and everyone -- whether they wanted the magazine, or God forbid, actually read it. Eventually the advertisers found out and the rest is history. Business 2.0 is no more.

Honesty actually works, even in the publishing business.

Things You don't know about women. Esquire interviews smart women and asks them for advice for men. This collection came from actress, Melora Hardin:

+ It would be nice if just once you admitted you were unequivocally wrong and we were absolutely right, with no conditions attached

+ We prefer a man who's going to make $50 million to one who already has it. Women take potential over security every time.

+ Women take longer in the bathroom because, unlike men, we clean up after ourselves.

+ When we tell you the new dress we bought was 50% off, you can just go ahead and mark it up about 30%.

+ Even Harrison Ford isn't cool with an earring.

+ We know it's fun for you to come up behind us while we're washing dishes and grab our breasts. Why not make it fun for us, too, and grab a dish while you're at it?

+ Male sperm are faster getting to the egg but die sooner; female sperm are slower getting to the egg but live longer. See? It all starts at conception.

Senior dating.
Dorothy and Edna, two " senior" widows, are talking.

Dorothy: "That nice George Johnson asked me out for a date. I know you went out with him last week, and I wanted to talk with you about him before I give him my answer."

Edna: "Well, I'll tell you. He shows up at my apartment punctually at 7 P.M., dressed like such a gentleman in a fine suit, and he brings me such beautiful flowers! Then he takes me downstairs, and what's there but a luxury car... a limousine, uniformed chauffeur and all. Then he takes me out for dinner... a marvelous dinner... lobster, champagne, dessert, and after-dinner drinks. Then we go see a show.

Let me tell you, Dorothy, I enjoyed it so much I could have just died from pleasure!

So then we are coming back to my apartment and he turns into an ANIMAL.

Completely crazy, he tears off my expensive new dress and has his way with me two times!"

Dorothy: "Goodness gracious!... You are telling me I shouldn't go out with him?"

Edna: "No, no, no... I'm just saying, wear an old dress!"

This column is about my personal search for the perfect investment. I don't give investment advice. For that you have to be registered with regulatory authorities, which I am not. I am a reporter and an investor. I make my daily column -- Monday through Friday -- freely available for three reasons: Writing is good for sorting things out in my brain. Second, the column is research for a book I'm writing called "In Search of the Perfect Investment." Third, I encourage my readers to send me their ideas, concerns and experiences. That way we can all learn together. My email address is . You can't click on my email address. You have to re-type it . This protects me from software scanning the Internet for email addresses to spam. I have no role in choosing the Google ads. Thus I cannot endorse any, though some look mighty interesting. If you click on a link, Google may send me money. Please note I'm not suggesting you do. That money, if there is any, may help pay Claire's law school tuition. Read more about Google AdSense, click here and here.
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