Please forgive me. This summer's amazing resurgence of Human Genome Sciences
I was talking on the phone with an old pal. We were plotting our early retirements. A few months before, this same guy had tipped me to a brazen local scientist who claimed he could crack the human genome. There was an IPO. I bought in and forgot all about it.
What the heck is going on here?
You may recall that the genome story was hot that winter, but this was nuts. By Christmas, my genome stock was doubling every week. Turns out, some Fool named David Gardner had bought it for his Rule Breaker portfolio.
Rule Breaker? I'll never forget the day I heard those two words. In December 1999, I had no idea what they meant or who this David Gardner was, but these Fools were moving the market.
If you're a regular here, you may have heard that Rule Breaker investing is back in style. But it's probably not what you think. It's certainly not what I thought it was when I heard those two words on the phone.
For one thing, it's not all tech
Sure, there was some tech in the original Rule Breaker portfolio. Gardner made his legend by telling his readers to buy AOL at a split-adjusted $0.46 in 1994. Another well-timed play on Lucent, now called Alcatel-Lucent
Those were great calls, to be sure, but Rule Breakers was never all about tech. ExxonMobil was in David's original portfolio. So was AT&T
So, what exactly made Starbucks a Rule Breaker? There was no second fiddle, according to David. Where was the Pepsi to Starbucks' Coke? That's what made Starbucks a Rule Breaker. If you bought Starbucks along with David in 1998 -- I wish I had -- you're one, too.
So just what makes a Rule Breaker investor?
To find out, I caught up with David and asked him. His reply? "It's an investor who can embrace the contrary nature of paying up for great growth stocks." This is important.
After all, great growth companies rarely look "cheap" to value-oriented investors -- witness software company Adobe Systems, a 10-bagger many times over. Like David says, you had to pay up for a company like Adobe, even in the early '90s, but on balance, it was worth the gamble. Should you take his word for it?
I would. When David shuttered his real-money Rule Breakers portfolio, he'd managed a 20.1% annualized return. That was in mid-2003, after a bear market much like this one. Compare that with 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 7.3% for the Nasdaq over the same period. That's the kind of performance that made legends of Peter Lynch and Bill Miller, and rightfully so.
Aggressive growth investing is not for everyone
Riding the growth tiger can get scary. David's subscribers learned that firsthand when the genome stocks blew up in 2000, and more recently with Under Armour
Then again, if I've learned anything from following the work of David Gardner and his team, it's that the best stock stories, the ones we brag about after a few at the pub, are Rule Breakers.
The trick, of course, is spotting them early on and having the guts to stare down the naysayers and buy when you do. It certainly helps to get your information from someone you can trust -- someone who does the legwork (not like my old pal on the phone).
Go straight to the source
Here's what I'd suggest: Accept a 30-day free trial of David Gardner's Motley Fool Rule Breakers newsletter. Poke around the website and see what David and his team of analysts are digging up now. (You can even read and download all the issues and see every active and sold pick.)
There's no pressure to subscribe if you don't like it -- though a lot of folks do. Of course, I can't guarantee that it will make you rich, but I can promise you'll learn a lot, have a blast, and get some great stock ideas.
And your trial is absolutely free, which is nice in these tough times. If you're a Rule Breaker who's not ready to give up on stocks for the long term and want to learn more about taking a no-obligation free trial, click here.
Already subscribe to Rule Breakers? Log in at the top of this page.
This article was originally published Dec. 16, 2004. It has been updated.
Fool writer Paul Elliott doesn't own any of the stocks named here. Under Armour is a Motley Fool Hidden Gems and Rule Breakers selection. Starbucks and FedEx are Stock Advisor recommendations. Starbucks is also an Inside Value choice. The Motley Fool owns shares of Under Armour and Starbucks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
