Marketwatch's Peter Brimelow is out with his annual list of the country's best-performing newsletters.
Motley Fool Rule Breakers -- the growth-stock service that I am honored to be a part of since its 2004 launch -- cracked the top five with its 36.5% return. This isn't a fluke. Rule Breakers cracked Brimelow's top 10 list a year earlier with a whopping 68.3% return.
In retrospect, I'm more impressed by our performance in 2010 than 2009. The absolute returns may be lower, but everything was a bottle rocket in 2009. Last year was a more challenging market, and our stock-picking service stands out against many of the winning services that specialize in trendy precious metals that had a blazing 2010.
However, I'm not here to pat my own back or gush over the analyst team that David Gardner has assembled. I want to share the wealth, peeling back the curtain just enough to show you how we beat the odds by scoring market-thumping results in back-to-back years. If just one of the three secrets I'm sharing hits home for you, I'll have succeeded.
I'll also prove my humbling ways by singling out sheepish confessions along the way.
1. Every Warren Buffett needs a Charlie Munger
It may seem out of place for a growth-oriented service to invoke the Benjamin Graham-coached value investing brilliance of Berkshire Hathaway
Investors need like-minded investors to bounce off ideas. There's nearly a half-dozen analysts in David's Rule Breakers team. We may have our individual areas of specialty, but we're all passionate about growth investing. We meet weekly, with at least one monthly session devoted entirely to discussing new stock ideas and the picks already residing on our scorecard.
My first humbling confession is that I have brought up plenty of duds during our monthly stock talk chats. I was bullish on American Public Education
Thankfully, the rest of the analyst team was able to poke enough holes into these theories to nix these nominations, while still opening the door to some of my better-performing suggestions that became official recommendations.
Don't get me wrong. Individual investors can -- and have -- beat the market on their own. However, it can only help to have some incremental perspective. Whether it ultimately results in validation or serves up a devil's advocate that you may have missed, there is strength in numbers if you're leaning on sharp investors.
There's a good chance you don't have that kind of team around the house or even by the water cooler. Your spouse, parents, or co-workers may think that cash flow is a plumbing problem or that a P/E ratio is a gym class metric. It's OK. We live in a virtual age, and online discussion boards -- including the dedicated forum for Motley Fool Rule Breakers subscribers as well as the free community hub at Fool.com -- are there to cash in on the wisdom of crowds.
2. Knowing when to sell -- or not to sell -- is as important as when to buy
It's time for a sheepish confession.
Nine months ago, I was having my doubts about Baidu
David and the rest of the team talked me off the ledge. There was nothing wrong with Baidu fundamentally. The valuation concerns were real, but nothing that a few market-thumping quarters couldn't tackle. Baidu remains an active pick, and its 1,097% return since being originally singled out is one of the many reasons why the newsletter has made the cut on Brimelow's list for two years running.
Investors spend so much time on deciding what stocks to buy -- and when to buy them -- that they often miss the significance of when to sell -- and when not to sell. Obviously, this is yet another example where having a team to lean on paid off.
3. The uglier the industry, the sweeter the disruption
Some of the bigger winners for the Rule Breakers team have come from upstarts that are shaking up stagnant industries.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
Folks had been brewing coffee at home for generations, but Green Mountain's Keurig single-cup system was delivering premium brews in a hassle-free platform. Chipotle rose to greatness as existing quick-service burrito rollers Baja Fresh and La Salsa were being unloaded by fast-food giants. However, the "food with integrity" hook, simple yet tasty menu, and lightning-quick assembly lines kept comps rising at Chipotle even during the recession.
My only sheepish confession here is that I didn't recommend these stocks sooner. I owned a Keurig machine for well over a year before bringing up the stock behind the indispensable appliance.
Roll up those sleeves and dive in with me
Can we turn heads by making Brimelow's list three years in a row? Our strategy remains sound, and the opportunities should only intensify as the global economy improves.
You're invited to get an early jump in 2011 by investing alongside us as part of the growing Motley Fool Rule Breakers community. Even if you decide that it's not for you, don't forget the three secrets to the service's success:
- Find your own Munger.
- Spend more time on your sell decisions.
- The prettiest stocks are often kicking up a fuss in the ugliest of industries.
If you want to see what the Rule Breakers team is up to these days, check out a free report on how a disruptive technology is making Bill Gates -- and other established tech giants -- lose more than just sleep.
