Beginning investors need to understand one thing before wading through all of the investment strategies 2014 has to offer: There's no one right answer. Some people can meet their financial goals by simply putting their cash into boring dividend stocks, while others like the excitement of up-and-coming growth stocks.
Motley Fool contributor Brian Stoffel has one idea for beginning investors to consider that came to him from reviewing the performance of his real-life portfolio. All of his best investments shared one common -- and somewhat unusual -- characteristic. He has since doubled down on this characteristic when looking for new places to invest. To find out what that characteristic is, and what companies share it, watch the following video.