In the spirit of today's All-Star Game, our own all-star analysts offer a glimpse at their best-performing stocks over the past few years.
Best start
The first stock I bought on my own was software company Broderbund. My reasoning, in retrospect, was incredibly naive and simplistic. I knew that Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? was a popular TV show, and I heard that Broderbund put out the computer game on which it was based. That's it. Fortunately, the stock did well for me, spurring my desire to learn more about investing.
Best blue chip
The best blue-chip company in my portfolio is Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKa) (NYSE:BRKb). I love it for many reasons, but perhaps the biggest is that it's run by Warren Buffett, whom I trust and admire enormously. It's also compelling because it encompasses so many things. Berkshire owns entire companies such as See's Candies, Dairy Queen, GEICO, NetJets, Fruit of the Loom, Benjamin Moore, Clayton Homes, and Shaw Industries. It also holds large stock stakes in companies such as Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), American Express (NYSE:AXP), Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), and Washington Post (NYSE:WPO).
Best mutual fund
It's hard for me to pick my best mutual fund, partly because I've only recently begun investing in actively managed funds in earnest. Previously, I'd been happy with my stake in an S&P 500 index fund, which I still hold. But the fund which has me most excited today is the Vanguard Emerging Markets Index Fund (FUND:VEIEX). It gives me what I can't easily give myself: exposure to dynamic, growing economies around the world, such as those in South Korea, Brazil, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico, and India.
Best turnaround
My best turnaround hasn't happened yet. I hope it will turn out to be Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), as I've been a shareholder, first of America Online, then AOL Time Warner, and now just Time Warner, for more than a decade. As I detailed in I Turned $3,000 into $210,000, it has done very well for me -- but it's still down roughly 80% from its all-time high. Since I still hold many shares, I'd like to see this company get its act (and stock price) together.
If you're looking for solid, outperforming companies that represent the best that the business world has to offer, look no further. Pick up a copy of 10 Monster Stocks -- our annual review of the very best blue-chip stocks.
Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian owns shares of Time Warner, Berkshire Hathaway, Coca-Cola, and the Vanguard Emerging Markets Index Fund. Time Warner is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick, while Coca-Cola is a Motley Fool Inside Value selection. The Motley Fool has an ironclad disclosure policy .
