December 2011 – Smarter Investing

We have been able to accomplish much of what we wanted during 2011 in the Covestor Relative Value portfolio.

Giving ourselves a B+ for 2011 – and here’s how …

This strategy has outperformed the rest of the Dow by about 15% in 2011.

The EM countries have less debt and a rising industrial and consumer base, in contrast to most of the developed world.

Four reasons why - and one caveat.

Be sure to check the sector allocation of an ETF to see if it really accomplishes what you're out to achieve.

Individuals can get in and out of positions very fast, while institutions cannot.

The earnings announcement was discouraging, but there were some positive points.

The interview with the WSJ's Evan Newmark was a followup to Charles' MarketWatch article on investing in Germany at this moment of crisis in Europe.

Here's why I believe Wal-Mart will continue to keep investors happy through the near future.

I reduced the portfolio’s heavy concentration in MS at a positive gain to employ into BBY and SVU after significant drops in those positions.

The Earnings Surprise Model is designed to exploit the performance benefit of investing in leveraged and accelerating companies.

I hope to continue this trend, but I am bearish on the market as a whole in the coming months.