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

High water is the theme of this month’s issue as I analyze hurricane-related issues and why they are vital for you when considering my Big Idea. You should also focus on the following points when considering the future: income, migration and leisure. I discuss each of these issues for you this month, as well as, what is working for us. While this has been a down year for most if you have followed our plan, you are having a darn nice year. All my balanced funds and fixed income funds are up for the year. And there are some I would consider cheap funds and stocks that I want you to focus on, especially Vanguard funds and commodities — gold, aluminum, nickel, and uranium. There is much to cover this month but if you remain focused and take immediate action, you will continue to be successful.

Tags: AA, ABN Amro capital V11, AL, Alcan, Alcoa, Bank of America, bear market, Cabco Goldman Sachs, Cameco, Canadian General Investments, CAT, Caterpillar, CCJ, China, DEL, Deltic Lumber, Dodge & cox, FAL, Falconbridge, harley-davidson, HDI, J.P. Morgan chase, JOE, Lehman Bros, Mandarin Oriental International, MCD, McDonalds, MOIL.SI, Mutual Series, New Era, Norfolk Southern, NSC, PCL, PDG, PEP, Pepsico, PII, Placer Dome, Plum Creek, Polaris Industries, Rayonier, RGR, ruger, RYN, St. Joe, Sturm, T. rowe Price New Asia, Third Avenue International Value, Third Avenue Value, Vanguard GNMA, Vanguard Precious Metals & Mining, Vanguard Short Term Investment Grade, Wells Fargo