As you've glanced through long lists of recent articles here at Fool.com, have you ever wondered which ones have grabbed the attention of the most readers? Well, I've wondered that myself, so I did a little digging. Here's a list of 10 of our most-read recent articles.
"5 Stock Tips You Meet in Heaven" by Rick Aristotle Munarriz
Rick introduces this piece saying, "I can't save your soul, but if my aim is true I may be able to save your portfolio." Among the insights he offers is that when a stock you admire has plunged, it may be a good time to look closer at it, not look away: "If you liked Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) at $30 back in April, how can you not love it at $20 today?"
"How to Buy Low and Sell High" by Chuck Saletta
Sure, we all know that we should buy low and sell high, but how exactly should you go about it? (I know I've bought high and sold low more often than I'd like.) Chuck focuses on the importance of having an idea of a company's intrinsic value and not getting caught up in what looks like "the next big thing." He explains:
As sexy as the marketing pitch may be, the next big thing often falls flat on its face. After all, look what happened to Baidu.com (NASDAQ:BIDU) since its highly publicized IPO. The company's stock has fallen since going public, despite being initially proclaimed as China's answer to Google.
"When Greed Is Good" by Todd Wenning
Todd discusses patience, among other things, examining mistakes he's made and some successes that other investors have had. Sharing an example of selling too early, he writes:
In January 2005, I had been doing some research on SanDisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) and realized that a dominant name in an emerging industry -- in this case, flash memory -- was undervalued relative to its peer group. Even better, I calculated it to be a $60 stock. So I picked up some shares at $24.75. But over the next few months, the stock just sat there. Sat there! Had my research been wrong? Finally, SanDisk jumped to $32.25 after a good second-quarter earnings report, and I decided to pocket my 30% return before the stock returned to the $20s. That's been the most painful 30% gain of my life. By early January 2006, SanDisk surged to a high of $79.80, and I had to swallow a 190-percentage-point opportunity loss.
Ouch.
"Who's Buying Now?" by Tim Beyers
Tim regularly presents lists of companies where insiders have been scooping up shares, a sign that often suggests that the stock is worth considering. After all, if a bigwig who works there is willing to plunk his or her own money into the stock, maybe we should think about it, too. This article looks at Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE:AMD), down 6% over the past year, and Secure Computing (NASDAQ:SCUR), down 57%, among others.
"Too Good to Be True" by Bill Barker
Bill examines the value of small-cap stocks in this article, explaining:
Finding the right small-cap value stocks is worth the effort. Over time, value does defeat growth, and small caps do outperform large caps. While constant rebalancing within a theoretical framework enhances the outperformance, such rebalancing isn't necessary to improve your results. Buying to hold in a small-cap value framework will still get you better returns.
"The Case Against Small Caps" by Paul Elliott
Of course, not everyone loves small-cap stocks. How's this for a compelling introduction to an article: "It took me nearly 19 years to grasp what you're about to read in the next few minutes." Read what else Paul says and you'll learn just how much he dislikes small caps.
"Get Naked" by Dayana Yochim
Dayana gets tough, saying, "America, you need a money makeover. This isn't news to you, but apparently our 'good cop' routine hasn't worked so far. It's time for some tough love." She shares some shocking facts, such as, "Three-fourths of workers age 55 to 64 have less than $56,000 saved for retirement." And, "20% of credit cards are maxed out." Then she offers a valuable pep talk to get you moving in the direction of fiscal responsibility. Be brave -- hear her out.
"Meet the World's Worst Investor" by David Gardner
I clicked onto this article eager to learn who the worst investor is, and was surprised to see David pointing the finger at himself! He's the lead advisor for Motley Fool Rule Breakers, and he explains, "Our scorecard has gotten hammered over the past four months, giving up most of our gains of the past year." This isn't necessarily bad news, though -- especially if you're looking to buy now. David writes:
But you're not investing over the past year. You're investing over the next year, and the years to come. . I see a couple dozen companies in our Rule Breakers service now that represent compelling buys at today's prices. One solidly profitable technology company is off 42% since May 1, while a biotech company, 25% off its April highs, has the same deep pipeline for cancer drugs that it had at the beginning of the summer. Both of these companies are leaders in their fields but are in early enough stages that they don't have household name recognition.
"3 Smart Moves" by Shannon Zimmerman
The Champion Funds newletter advisor recommends, among other things, looking at large-cap growth stocks, explaining that they represent "one of the market's most unloved areas. Among the various categories that fund researcher Morningstar tracks, for example, few have fared worse than 'large-growth' over the last five years. And it follows, of course, that there are bargains aplenty to be had at the level of individual equities, too." Some companies Shannon mentions include UnitedHealth, Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM), and Best Buy (NYSE:BBY), trading "with price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios that clock in below those of industry peers and at prices more than 20% below their respective 52-week highs."
"My Best Stock Ideas" by Bill Mann
Read this article to learn how Bill evaluates the stocks in his universe, aiming to rank them in order of attractiveness.
Keep reading
These are just a few of our most popular articles. If you'd like to review even more articles, bookmark this page.
Here's to a happier portfolio!
Netflix
, Best Buy, and United Health are Stock Advisor recommendations. UnitedHealthis also an Inside Value selection. Take the newsletter that best fits your investing style for a 30-day free trial.
Longtime Fool contributor SelenaMaranjianowns shares of Netflix.For more about Selena, viewher bio and her profile. You might also be interested in these books she has written or co-written:The Motley Fool Money GuideandThe Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens. The Motley Fool is Fools writing for Fools.
