Stock Picks

It's worth keeping in mind that Wall Street love affairs are notorious for their short lifespan and bitter endings.

Let's say, for argument's sake, you think the worst of the bad news is behind us and the trend is still up. What do you buy? And importantly, too, what do you shun?

Corporate America is on a rejuvenation kick. Its goal is to reinvigorate the stuck-in-the-mud stock market. The good news is that the rejuvenation process will fatten your wallet.

Let's say you share Wall Street's growing party line that things are looking up despite all the risks and uncertainties, and you think now is the right time to be a player. What do you buy?

Sometimes, it takes a swift kick in the can to wake us up to reality. That may have occurred last Friday when the Dow got hammered for close to a 101-point loss.

Sam Stovall, the chief investment strategist of Standard & Poor's, has come up with his own magnificent seven for the new year -- a group of seven fat dividend-paying stocks.

When will investors realize that investing with those who claim a skill they don't have is harmful to their financial health?