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

Simple is Sophisticated is my theme for you this month. In this issue, I offer you a new one-stock program that I think may appeal to those of you interested in a shorter timeframe than my usual buy it and forget it strategy. Also this month I cover a lot of ground on mutual fund investing and where you should put new money today. Plus, I talk about some of our Monster Master List companies and what recent news stories mean for your investments. Make it a good month.

Tags: ABX, American Century Global Gold, Barrick Gold, BGEIX, Burton Malkiel, coca-Cola, DayJet, Delta & Pine, DIA, DIS, Disney, DLP, Dow Diamonds, DRAM, dynamic random access memory, EWS, FAL, Falconbridge, FCEa, FICDX, Fidelity Canada, forest City, GE, general electric, General Electric Capital 6.45%, General Thabit, George Tomsco, GG, GLD, Goldcorp, Goldman Sachs 6.20%, harley-davidson, HDI, HOLBX, Holland balanced Fund, HSBC Financial 6.36%, Inco's, iShares MSCI Singapore, Jack Bogle, Japan, Jeremy Siegel, JNJ, johnson & johnson, KO, magnetoresistive random access memory, Marvel Eneterprises, mcCormick, MKC, MRAM, MVL, N, NEM, Newmont Mining, Norman Petty, PEP, Pepsico, Piedmont Natural gas, PII, PLD, PNY, Polaris Industries, Prologis, Retirement Compounders, Saudi Arabia, Simple is Sophisticated, stretTRACKS Gold Shares, Teck Cominco, TEK-SVB.TO, terrorism, The Fireballs, Vanguard Wellington, Vanguard's Value Index, VIVAX, VLJ, VWELX, Wrigley, WWY, Yankee Candle, YCC