It’s a presidential election year here in the United States, and elsewhere in the world, there are some nasty conditions arising in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and China. Given all this, it’s very important that we stick to my core investment strategy — dividends, income and compound growth. And there are also some great international investments. This month I discuss one of my international favorites–it has become a world-class knowledge-based economy.

Tags: AA, Achievers Trust, AL, Alcoa, Alico, American Century Global Gold, American Express, Anadarko Petroleum, Apache, APC, Australlian dollar, avoid, AXP, Bank of Florida, Barron's, BDJ, BDV, BGEIX, BHP, BHP Billiton, BlackRock Dividend Achievers Trust, BlackRock Enhanced Dividend, BlackRock Global Opportunities, BlackRock World Investment Trust, BOE, BOFL, BWC, C, Canadian dollar, citigroup, Clinton, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, Cresud, CRESY, CVRD, DIA, Dodge & Cox International, Dow Diamonds Trust, Dow Jones, Dow Jones Iindustrials, DUK, Duke Energy, election, EWA, EWH, EWL, EWS, FDX, Federal Express, Federated Investors, FICDX, Fidelity Canada, Fidelity Select Natural Gas, Fidelity Select Natural Gas Fund, FII, Franklin Mutual Series Financial Services � -Z Class, FSNGX, general electric, Giuliani, GLD, harley-davidson, HBC, HOG, HSBC Holdings, Illinois Tool, Investment Trusts, iShares MSCI Australia, iShares MSCI Hong Kong, iShares MSCI Singapore, iShares MSCI Switzerland, ITW, JOE, McCain, NAREIT, National Association of Real Estate, Obama, PCL, PEP, Pepsico, PLD, Plum Creek Timber, PPP, PRJPX, ProLogis Trust, purchasing power parity, RDS.A, Rio Tinto, Romney, Royal Dutch Shell, RTP, Singapore dollar, St. Joe, streetTracks Gold Shares, Sysco Corp, SYY, T. Rowe Price Emerging Europe & Mediterranean, T. Rowe Price Japan, TAREX, TAVIX, TEFAX, the Wall Street Journal, Third Avenue International Value, Third Avenue Real Estate Value, Transports, UL, UNG, Unilever, United States Natural Gas ETF, Vanguard GNMA, Vanguard Value Index, Vanguard Wellesley Income, VFIIX, VIVAX, VNO, Vornado Realty Trust, VWINX, Xstrata, XTA.L, yuan

Oil and gold prices are skyrocketing. The housing slump, along with the sub-prime write-off mess, has nowhere near run its course. Manufacturing employment is falling. And all this is occurring in the ever-important election year. But despite my jaundiced view of the U.S. presidential candidates and the storm clouds advancing over the U.S. economy, there are still promising investment opportunities to ride out the turbulence — you just need to stay focused, patient, and objective. This month marks my annual Q&A issue, so along with discussing the economy and the potential for a recession, I answer a number of the questions weighing on your minds.

Tags: AA, AAUK, ALCO, Alcoa, Alico, Anglo American, BA, Bank of Florida, BHP, BHP Billiton, Boeing, BOFL, BTU, Cameco, CCJ, China, China Panda, coca-Cola, coins, Dodge & Cox income, DODIX, Enerplus Resources, ERF, FDG, Fording Canadian Coal, GE, general electric, GLD, global economy, gold, Harry Winston Diamond Co., inflation, JOE, KO, manufacturing employment, municipal bonds, natural gas, NEM, Newmont Mining, NILSY, Norfolk Southern, NSC, oil, PBG, PCL, Peabody Energy, Penn West Energy, PEP, Pepsi Bottling, Pepsico, PG, Plum Creek Timber, president, presidential cycle, PRJPX, PRNEX, Procter & Gamble, PWE, Rayonier, RDS.A, recession, Rio Tinto, Royal Dutch Petroleum, RTP, Russia, RYN, Southwest Water Company, St. Joe, streetTracks Gold Shares, SWWC, Sysco, SYY, T. Rowe Price Group, T. Rowe Price Japan, T. Rowe Price�New Era, TAVIX, Teck Cominco, TEK-SVB.TO, terrorism, Third Avenue International Value, TimberWest Forest Corp., TROW, TWF.UN, UL, Unilever, United Parcel Service, UPS, Vanguard GNMA, Vanguard Growth Index, Vanguard Precious Metals & Mining, Vanguard Precious Metals & Mining Fund, Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade, Vanguard Value Index's, Vanguard Wellesley Income, Very Light Jet, VFIIX, VFSTX, VGPMX, VIGIX, VIVAX, Vladimir Putin, VLJ, VWINX, W.M. Wrigley, WWY

Of the more than 8,000 mutual funds in existence, only a handful are worthy of consideration for your investment options. The majority are just closet index funds masquerading as something unique. But there is a growing segment of the investment industry that has overtaken mutual funds and they are ETFs. ETFs have caught on in a big way. So big, that this month I am adding nine to my Monster Master List. With these additions, you can now construct a diversified ETF-only portfolio. Along with the ETFs I have one new stock, and four A-rated Preferreds to help you avoid the leveraged buyout industry taking over many BBB-rated firms. Plus, I have changed the layout for my issue to include a full two-page update of my Top Ten Countdown stocks. I’ve also added my What’s Up & What’s Down column to the main issue. I believe you’ll find these enhancements very informative and useful. Make it a good month!

Tags: Alexander, Alico, American Express, assets, Australia, Baldwin, barclays, Barrick Gold, benchmard, BHP Billiton, capital gains, citigroup, Dodge & Cox Balanced Fund, ETFs, Federated Investors, GE Capital, income tax, iShares MSCI Canada Index Fund, iShares MSCI EAFE Value Index Fund, iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund, iShares MSCI Sweden, iShares S&P Global Materials Sector Index Fund, Jardine Matheson, johnson & johnson, land, Market Vectors Gold Miners, Market Vectors Russia ETF, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Nazis, Newmont Mining, Nomura Small Cap Japan, Norilsk Nickel, Plum Creek, Precious Metals & Mining, Preferreds, rifle, Rio Tinto, Southwest Water, SPDR DJ Wilshire International Real Estate, SPDR Russell, St. Joe, Sweden, Swiss, Switzerland, Tiffany, Unilever, Vanguard GNMA, Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade, Vanguard Value ETF, Wells Fargo, Whole foods

1967’s Monterey International Pop Festival was a catalyst for a financial tidal wave in the pop music industry that lasted an entire decade. My 2008-based Big Idea hitched to the luxury goods supercycle is much the same, if not a whole lot more. Read this month’s issue to find out more about the impact this will have on babyboomer retirements. Also this month, I have a special guide on high-yield investing, along with quite a few new Monster Master List stocks and an update on our agricultural commodities portfolio. Make it a good month.

Tags: 2008, Alcan, Alcoa, Alico, American Express, AMEX, aquarius, barclays, Barrick Gold, Big Idea, Black Army, Black Hills, Bombardier, catalyst, citigroup, Coke, Cresud, default, Dodge & Cox income, ExxonMobil, Federated Investors, Fidelity, First National Bank Shares, Garmin, General Dynamics, general electric, harley-davidson, high yield, iShares, Japan, jet, Newmont Mining, peaks, Pepsi Bottling, Polaris, pop music, Powershares, Retirement Compounders, Royal Bank, ruger, St. Joe, Sturm, supercycle, Syngenta, Tiffany, Unilever, vanguard, yield spread

Timing is everything … but good timing is not just a matter of luck. It’s the product of good fortune, and one makes one’s own good
fortune by creating the right environment to allow good things to happen. If you look at this month’s Economic Analysis, you will see more evidence
about your good fortune—namely our awesome success in picking highly profitable mutual funds and stocks! This month, I have a detailed look at
my top 10 stocks to buy today. Finally, we had so many excellent questions for this year’s annual Q&A that I had to add a bonus section. Check
out this month’s issue for all the details. Make it a good month.

Tags: average, Canadian General Investments, Caterpillar, citigroup, coal, coca-Cola, ConAgra, conterbalance, ExxonMobil, Fidelity, Fidelity Canada, fixed income, GE, heart, iShares Hong Kong, iShares Malaysia, Jardine, Kinder Morgan, map, McDonalds, Norway, Plum Creek, Q&A, questions, ruger, St. Joe, Sturm, Sweden, Timing, Valero, vanguard

This month, I talk about balance. Just like you need a balanced diet, you also need a proper balance with your investments. The proper balance is achieved
through diligent research and perspective, as well as the patience to achieve your goals. In this month’s issue of Intelligence Report, we
review the basics of our portfolio to create this balance and how well my current recommendations are succeeding for us. I also discuss an old favorite
on the Monster Master List, as I think now is the time to buy it since it is a likely takeover candidate. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Tags: American Express, AXP, BA, BACprC, balance, Bank of America Issue, BDJ, BDV, Black Rock Dividend Achievers Trust, Black Rock Enhanced Dividend Achievers Trust, BOE, Boeing, CAG, Canada, CAT, Caterpillar, coca-Cola, ConAgra, DIA, dividends, Dodge & Cox Income Fund, DODIX, Dow Diamonds Trust, Enerplus, ERF, FDG, Fording Canadian Coal, Franklin Mutual Series Shares, GE, general electric, Global Opportunities Equity Trust, GNMA Fund, Halloween, harley-davidson, HOG, illinois tool works, ITW, JOE, KO, MCD, McDonalds, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley Cap, MSFT, MUTHX, omega-3, Omega-6, Penn West Energy, PRJPX, PRNEX, PWE, Retirement Compounders, RGR, ruger, Sell harley, Simple is Sophisticated, St. Joe, Sturm, T. Rowe Price Japan, T. Rowe Price New Era, TAREX, TAVFX, The Omega Diet, third Avenue Real Estate, Third Avenue Value, TimberWest Corp, time warner, Toronto, TWF.UN, TWX, United technologies, UTX, Vanguard Equity Income, Vanguard Precious Metals & Mining, Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade, VFIIX, VFSTX, VGPMX, WEIPX, Wrigley, WWY, Yankee Candle, YCC

Where do you put your money today? This month, I still have gold at the top of my list. In fact, there is a new offering from the U.S. government that I think you should buy. Also, the long-term increase trend in the Canadian dollar bodes well for our Canadian investments so I have two new funds from Canada that I want you to add to your equities positions as well. Plus, in my Monster List, I am bringing back one of my favorites, and I have breaking news that shows a strong future for this company’s new product line. Make it a good month.

Tags: AA, ABER, aber diamond, Al Qaeda, Al-Zaeqawi, Alcoa, ALEX, Alexander & Baldwin, Alpha Natural Resources, American Century Global Gold, ANR, Archstone-Smith, ASN, Bank of America Capital trust X11, BlackRock Enhanced Dividend Achievers Trust, BlackRock Global Opportunities Equities trust, BTU, CAG, Canadian General Investments, Cleveland-Cliffs, CLF, coca-Cola, ConAgra Foods, DD, DEL, Delta & Pine Land, Deltic timber, DLP, Dow Diamonds, DuPont, EQR, Equity residential, FAL, Falconbridge, FDG, Federated Investors, Fidelity Canada, FII, Florida rock, Fording Canadian Coal, FRK, harley-davidson, HDI, illinois tool works, Inco, Iraq, ITW, JOE, KO, Kurds, Marvel Enterprises, MVL, N, NOC, Norfolk Southern, Northrop Grumman, NSC, PD, Peabody Energy, Pentair, PEP, Pepsico, Phelps Dodge, Piedmont Natural gas, PII, PNR, PNY, Polaris Industries, Retirement Compounders, RFID, Smart Dust, Smart Rocks, St. Joe, streetTracks Gold Shares, Sysco, SYY, Teck Cominco, trinity Intustries, TRN, VNO, Vornado, Xstrata, XTA.L, Yankee Candle, YCC

“Walk, Don’t Run” as recorded by Johnny Smith and also by the Ventures was a seminal rock and roll classic, and it is a great approach to start out your lifetime financial plan. Take it slow and easy. I can get you started with this approach with some “retirement arithmetic.” It will help you sort out your financial options. Also, I review my reasons for continuing to invest in gold and why you should do the same. Along with those gems, I have two new preferreds for the fixed-income portions of your portfolios. And I give you updates on many of my Monster Master List Stocks. Make it a good month.

Tags: AA, Alcoa, American Century Global Gold, American Express, Australia, AXP, BA, Berkshire Hathaway, BlackRock Enhanced Dividend Achievers, BlackRock Global Opportunities, Boeing, BRKb, C, China, citigroup, DIS, Disney, Dow Diamonds Trust, FAL, Falconbridge, GE, general electric, gold, Hong Kong, Inco, inflation, iShares, JNJ, JOE, johnson & johnson, Marvel, Microsoft, MSFT, MVL, N, purchasing power parity, Royal bank of Scotland, Singapore, St. Joe, streetTracks Gold Shares, Third Avenue Real Estate Value, Vanguard Precious Metals & Mining, Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade, Vangurad GNMA

I always talk to you about the power of compound growth–well, this month we get back to the basics. My wife and I recently visited Vermont’s Authentic Designs to order new lighting for our home. The skilled craftsmen of Authentic Designs still work on 150 year-old machines and turn out some masterful creations. Their guiding principle is “Simple Is Sophisticated.” I love that phrase, and I think it’s one that every investor should take to heart. In this month’s issue I cover all the “keep it simple” principles and steps that help our portfolios grow. This is an educational issue you won’t want to miss. Enjoy, and make it a good month!

Tags: ALEX, Alexander & Baldwin, Berkshire Hathaway, Brazil, BRKb, Efficiency Frontier, Fidelity Canada fund, Fidelity International real Estate, GE, general electric, harley-davidson, HDI, illinois tool works, Imer, Inco, iShares Australia, iShares Singapore, ITW, Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd., JMHLY, JOE, LMI.L, Lonmin PLC, N, St. Joe, Third Avenue International Value, time warner, TWX, Vanguard GNMA, Vanguard Precious Metals & Mining, Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade, Vanguard tax-Managed growth & Income, Vanguard Wellington

There’s no doubt in my mind that the world’s greatest and most successful rock and roll band is the Rolling Stones. However, this success would not have been possible without an enormous amount of focus and patience by the band. Focus and patience are what this issue is all about. What are you doing to make sure your portfolio maximizes its compound interest and dividends? This month, I provide some options to help you stay on point. Also, I revisit a few funds that you need to increase your holdings in, as well as introduce two new funds and three new stocks that I believe should be a part of your portfolio. Read this month’s issue for all the exciting details. Make it a good month.

Tags: ABER, aber diamond, ABX, American Century Global Gold, Australia, Barrick, Ben Grahm, Blackrock Enhanced Fund, Canadian General Investments, CAT, Caterpillar, Century Bank, Chemistry and Synergy, China, coca-Cola, diamonds, DIS, Disney, dividends, FAL, Falconbridge, Federated Investors, FII, FLEX, Flextronics, GE, general electric, harley-davidson, HDI, Hong Kong, Inco, iShares, iShares Goldman Sachs Natural resources Index fund, J.M. Smucker, Janus Fund, JOE, KO, Marvel, MVL, N, Norfolk Southern, NSC, Oak family funds, PDG, PEP, Pepsico, Placer Dome, power investing, presidential cycle, quadrennial theory, RGR, Rio Tinto, RTP, ruger, Singapore, SJM, St. Joe, streetTracks Gold Shares, Sturm, T. Rowe Price, T.Rowe price Dividend Growth, Third Avenue International Value, Third Avenue Small-cap value, TimberWest Forest, TROW, Union Pacific, United technologies, UNP, UTX, Vanguard GNMA, Vanguard Growth & Income, Vanguard Precious Metals & Mining, Warren Buffett, WFMI, Whole foolds