Debauch Your Way to Wealth

If there's a group of people who know more about debauchery, I haven't met 'em. Have you folks seen those Girls Gone Wild videos? Heavens to Betsy... I mean, I've only seen the ads, of course, but there's enough there to convince me that the weekend behavior of today's college kids makes yesteryear's Animal House antics look like a church supper.

So props to a well-organized group of college students who have stepped away from the keg and tap to analyze this behavior and model an appropriate stock portfolio based on the results. Behold the glory that is the College Debauchery Index.

It contains names you'd expect, including bev-meisters Coke (NYSE: KO) and Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD), smoke-hawkers Altria (NYSE: MO), taco-tossing Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), and Kraft (NYSE: KFT), maker of munchie-killing mac and cheese. But don't think these students are all about pleasing the flesh.

The portfolio also includes nuts-and-bolts suppliers like Procter & Gamble and Staples, plus computer giants Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) and Microsoft -- sorry, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), no nod for you. It also includes gadget dealer Best Buy and the dread beast itself, the company that helps grease the wheels of college debauchery: The Student Loan Corp.

Buying what you know is always a decent place to start your investing career. And in this case, it's paid off well. The Debauchery Index has appreciated a hefty 28% since February of last year. That's more than double the S&P 500's gain.

So debauch if you must, but keep an eye on what's in your shopping cart when you stock up for that road trip. And if you can double the S&P 500 every year, you'll be able to retire before those college clothes stop fitting.

For related Foolishness:

• Today's big names were scary Rule Breakers not so long ago.
• If you're of a different mind, maybe you should pull a Costanza instead.
• Another good idea: Buy when Wall Street won't.

Seth Jayson wishes he'd debauched a bit less -- or a lot more -- back when he was in college. At the time of publication, he had positions in no firm mentioned. View his stock holdings and Fool profile here. Fool rules are here.