5 Things I Wish I'd Done in College

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Most of us could easily fill a book with the coulda/shouldas in our lives. And, for the most part, it's not a good use of time to dwell on those shadows of the past.

But I recently received an email from a college sophomore asking for advice. After I finished wondering how far down the list he had to go before deciding to email me with that question, I started pondering what I wish I'd done in my college days.

1. Buy more stocks
I did buy a few stocks while I was in college -- and, sigh, AOL/Time Warner was on that list right before it upended. But I wish I'd purchased more. 

That's not because I assume I'd be rich and retired now if I had. Instead, it's because I've found that having money on the line goes a long way to stimulate learning. It doesn't have to be a lot of money -- just a couple of shares, depending on the stock -- but having something at risk has always driven me to do more work than I might otherwise.

This may simply not be an option for some college students. In that case, there are great mock portfolios that can be built online -- with The Motley Fool's CAPS system at the top of my list. There's no money on the line in that case, but pride and bragging rights aren't a bad alternative. (Find me on CAPS.)

2. Read more of the good stuff
Sure, I did plenty of reading in college. Unfortunately, most of it was along the lines of how to better build an econometric model, optimize economic relationships between fictitious countries, or separate debits from credits.

It wasn't until later that I was introduced to the "good stuff." To me, that header includes the following:

Warren Buffett's letters to Berkshire Hathaway  (NYSE: BRK-A  ) (NYSE: BRK-B  ) shareholders (they're available for free here) Ben Graham's The Intelligent Investor Peter Lynch's One Up on Wall Street Seth Klarman's Margin of Safety Jim Collins' Good to Great Howard Marks' The Most Important Thing (if it had been published when I was still in school)

This is far from a complete list -- and if I were to add to it, I'd add more business books as opposed to investing books -- but my 2013 self would have benefited if my college self had made it through that list.

3. Run with the right crowd
You can find a lot of different types of people in college. Admittedly, I spent a little too much time trying to figure out which people were the "cool" ones. A decade later, I'm wearing a bow tie and spending my days talking about bank stocks. So much for cool.

Were I to do it over again, I would definitely seek out my university's investment club -- or, at least, some other students that like to geek out over stock talk. One of the core strengths of The Motley Fool is the community that has sprung up around it. Whether that's the discussion boards, CAPS blogs, or the ongoing conversations David Hanson and I have with listeners of Where the Money Is (we're on Twitter @TMFFinancials), Foolish investors are constantly exchanging views.

I wouldn't know nearly as much about investing as I do today if it weren't for the other investors I've interacted with -- whether that's meant them sharing their ideas or challenging mine. I'm sure I'd be in an even better place today if I'd found that sort of community in college.

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4. Don't fear the SEC
All publicly held companies have to file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose what's going on with the business. These filings can be seriously intimidating. Bank of America's (NYSE: BAC  ) most recent annual filing, for instance, is nearly 300 pages and includes sections that are positively impenetrable for the uninitiated. 

However, there are sections of the filings that are generally much easier to parse. Three of my favorites in the 10-K annual filing are the business section, the risk factors section, and management's discussion and analysis. Those sections are even relatively digestible in Bank of America's filing.

There are also some companies that strive to make their filings easy to follow and have an obvious desire to make sure investors understand their business. Specialty insurer Markel  (NYSE: MKL  ) is a superb example of that. While I wouldn't say that an insurance newbie will sail through Markel's filings, the writing and explanations are about as accessible as one could hope for from a fairly complex business.

What's even better for the broke college students out there is that the SEC has all of these filings up on its website for free.

5. Start a business
Of all the things I've learned about investing, the most important has been that to be a great investor, it's essential to really understand business. Not margin ratios. Not valuation metrics. Not the capital asset pricing model. Business.

Reading lots of SEC filings and books about business can help build that understanding, but there isn't a better way to learn than to start a business yourself. And who knows? You just might end up the next Mark Zuckerberg.

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This week, 21 Commercial Banking stocks are improving their overall ratings on Portfolio Grader. Each of these stocks is rated an “A” (“strong buy”) or “B” overall (“buy”).

Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ:) is bumping up its rating from a C (“hold”) to a B (“buy”) this week. Pinnacle Financial Partners is a holding company for Pinnacle National Bank. In Portfolio Grader’s specific subcategory of Earnings Revisions, PNFP also gets an A. .

This week, Taylor Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:) is showing good progress as the company’s rating jumps from a B (“buy”) last week to an A (“strong buy”). Taylor Capital Group is a bank holding company for Cole Taylor Bank. .

This is a strong week for BSB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:). The company’s rating climbs to B from the previous week’s C. BSB Bancorp operates as a bank holding company. .

BNC Bancorp (NASDAQ:) improves from a C to a B rating this week. BNC Bancorp offers products and services to individuals and small- to medium-sized local businesses. .

This week, Wells Fargo & Company’s (NYSE:) ratings are up from a C last week to a B. Wells Fargo provides financial services in mainly wholesale banking, mortgage banking, consumer finance, equipment leasing, agricultural finance and commercial finance. .

PacWest Bancorp (NASDAQ:) shows solid improvement this week. The company’s rating rises from a C to a B. PacWest Bancorp is the holding company for Pacific Western Bank. The stock price has risen 11% over the past month, better than the 1.3% decrease the Nasdaq has seen over the same period of time. .

U.S. Bancorp’s (NYSE:) ratings are looking better this week, moving up to a B from last week’s C. U.S. Bancorp provides banking and financial services. .

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ:) is seeing ratings go up from a C last week to a B this week. Huntington Bancshares is a multi-state bank holding company. .

Independent Bank Corp.’s (NASDAQ:) ratings are looking better this week, moving up to a B from last week’s C. Independent Bank is the holding company for Rockland Trust. .

This week, First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:) pushes up from a C to a B rating. First Financial Bankshares is a multi-bank holding company. .

Pacific Continental Corporation (NASDAQ:) boosts its rating from a B to an A this week. Pacific Continental Bank is a bank holding company that provides commercial banking, financing, and mortgage lending in parts of Washington state and Oregon. .

This is a strong week for First Community Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:). The company’s rating climbs to B from the previous week’s C. First Community Bancshares is the holding company for First Community Bank. .

Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation (NASDAQ:) gets a higher grade this week, advancing from a C last week to a B. Bryn Mawr Bank offers a full range of personal and business banking services. .

Banco de Chile Sponsored ADR (NYSE:) shows solid improvement this week. The company’s rating rises from a C to a B. NonactiveBanco de Chile provides a wide customer base of individuals and corporations with general banking services. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.3%. .

BOK Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:) earns a B this week, jumping up from last week’s grade of C. BOK Financial provides a range of financial services to commercial and industrial customers, other financial institutions, and consumers in the United States. .

Glacier Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:) improves from a C to a B rating this week. Glacier Bancorp is a regional multi-bank holding company providing commercial financial services to individuals and corporations. .

This week, Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:) ratings are up from a C last week to a B. Washington Trust offers a range of financial services to individuals and businesses, including wealth management. .

The rating of First Connecticut Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:) moves up this week, rising from a C to a B. First Connecticut Bancorp operates as the holding company for Farmington Bank that provides consumer and commercial banking services to businesses, individuals, and governments in central Connecticut. .

This is a strong week for First Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:). The company’s rating climbs to A from the previous week’s B. South Carolina Bank and Trust is a bank holding company that provides retail and commercial banking, mortgage lending, consumer finance loans, and trust and investment services. .

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:) is seeing ratings go up from a C last week to a B this week. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is a global financial institution that serves clients through CIBC retail markets and wholesale banking. The stock’s dividend yield is 3.6%. .

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The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE:) boosts its rating from a C to a B this week. Bank of Nova Scotia offers various personal, commercial, corporate, and investment banking services in Canada and internationally. The current dividend yield is 2.4%. .

Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here.

Canada Stocks Advance on U.S. Confidence, Jobless Data

Canadian stocks rose, after falling the most in two months yesterday, amid an unexpected increase in U.S. consumer confidence and a decline in U.S. jobless claims.

Novagold Resources Inc. jumped 7.9 percent, pacing gains among raw-materials producers. Canadian Oil Sands Ltd. and Lightstream Resources Ltd., both oil exploration companies, dropped at least 1.4 percent amid a report showing U.S. crude stockpiles continued to increase. Trinidad Drilling Ltd. fell 5.3 percent after reporting its plan to raise C$150 million ($142 million) through a stock sale.

The Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index (SPTSX) gained 12.29 points, or 0.1 percent, to 13,362.06 at 4 p.m. in Toronto. The benchmark equity gauge is little changed for the month, and up 7.5 percent so far in 2013. Trading volume today was 21 percent below the 30-day average.

"Any sort of data that points to consumers being more willing to spend is a positive for the markets," Jeff Young, chief investment officer at NexGen Financial Corp., said in a phone interview. The Toronto-based firm manages about C$950 million. "If the consumer is more confident and starts to spend more, that translates into higher revenues for companies."

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of U.S. consumer sentiment in November unexpectedly rose to 75.1 from 73.2 a month earlier. Fewer Americans than projected filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the labor market is showing resilience.

Railroads Gain

Seven of 10 industries in the S&P/TSX advanced, led higher by raw-materials producers. The group added 0.8 percent, halting a five-day losing streak. Novagold Resources surged 7.9 percent to C$2.45, it's biggest increase since Oct. 17, and Detour Gold Corp. rose 4 percent to C$3.63.

Iamgold Corp. added 2.1 percent to C$4.41, rebounding from a 4.2 percent slide yesterday. The company said it will build a 5-megawatt solar farm in Suriname to minimize energy costs. The project will cost as much $14 million and start producing energy in the third quarter of next year, Toronto-based Iamgold said.

Industrial stocks added 0.6 percent, as Air Canada rose 1.9 percent to C$7, its highest since June 2008. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. added 1 percent to C$161.18 and Canadian National Railway Co. climbed 1 percent to C$118.61.

Energy companies retreated for a third day, as the price of oil fell to the lowest level in almost six months after government data showed U.S. crude stockpiles climbed for a 10th week. Oil is Canada's biggest export, while the U.S. is its largest trading partner.

Oil Slump

Canadian Oil Sands fell 1.6 percent to C$19.81, while Lightstream Resources dropped 1.4 percent to C$5.41.

Trinidad Drilling fell 5.3 percent to C$9.92. The company plans to sell 15 million shares at C$10 each and use the proceeds to finance capital expenses and for general corporate purposes.

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (FM) lost 3.4 percent to C$17.28 for its eighth retreat in nine sessions. The company said today it "strongly disputed" a claim by noteholders that a default has occurred on bonds issued by Inmet Mining Corp., a company it bought this year.

Slower growth in consumer debt and a cooler housing market will allow the Bank of Canada to wait until early 2015 to raise interest rates as it waits for a pick-up in exports, the International Monetary Fund said.

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz last month abandoned his bias to raise interest rates and issued a monetary policy report that said a forecast increase in exports and business investment had been delayed. Canada's inflation was an annual 0.7 percent in October, Statistics Canada said Nov. 22, below the bottom of the central bank's target band.

Policy makers "should remain focused on sustaining growth until the rotation to exports and business investment gains firmer momentum, while assuring that the gradual unwinding of domestic imbalances continues and that the fiscal position is maintained on a sustainable trajectory," the IMF said today.

5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Short-sellers hate being caught short a stock that reports a blowout quarter. When this happens, we often see a tradable short squeeze develop as the bears rush to cover their positions to avoid big losses. Even the best short-sellers know that it's never a great idea to stay short once a bullish earnings report sparks a big short-covering rally.

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This is why I scan the market for heavily shorted stocks that are about to report earnings. You only need to find a few of these stocks in a year to help enhance your portfolio returns -- the gains become so outsized in such a short time frame that your profits add up quickly.

That said, let's not forget that stocks are heavily shorted for a reason, so you have to use trading discipline and sound money management when playing earnings short-squeeze candidates. It's important that you don't go betting the farm on these plays and that you manage your risk accordingly. Sometimes the best play is to wait for the stock to break out following the report before you jump in to profit off a short squeeze. This way, you're letting the trend emerge after the market has digested all of the news.

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Of course, sometimes the stock is going to be in such high demand that you risk missing a lot of the move by waiting. That's why it can be worth betting prior to the report -- but only if the stock is acting technically very bullish and you have a very strong conviction that it is going to rip higher. Just remember that even when you have that conviction and have done your due diligence, the stock can still get hammered if The Street doesn't like the numbers or guidance.

If you do decide to bet ahead of a quarter, then you might want to use options to limit your capital exposure. Heavily shorted stocks are usually the names that make the biggest post-earnings moves and have the most volatility. I personally prefer to wait until all the earnings-related news is out for a heavily shorted stock and then jump in and trade the prevailing trend.

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With that in mind, here's a look at several stocks that could experience big short squeezes when they report earnings this week.

Infoblox

My first earnings short-squeeze play is automated network controller player Infoblox (BLOX), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Infoblox to report revenue of $63.50 million on earnings of 9 cents per share.

Just recently, Needhamanalyst Alex Henderson raised his price target on shares of Infoblox to $49 from $47 ahead of the quarter, saying he expects the company to post another 20%-plus quarterly sales gain when it reports. "We expect Infoblox to report another strong quarter, with strong revenue growth, firm gross margins and expanding operating margins," Henderson wrote in a research report.

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The current short interest as a percentage of the float Infoblox is stands at 4.3%. That means that out of the 47.38 million shares in the tradable float, 1.89 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 8.5%, or by about 148,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a bullish quarter, then shares of BLOX could rip sharply higher post-earnings as the bears rush to cover some of their short positions.

From a technical perspective, BLOX is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has just started to trend back above its 50-day moving average of $43.17 a share. That move is quickly pushing shares of BLOX within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're bullish on BLOX, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $46.30 to its all-time high at $48.97 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 786,755 shares. If that breakout hits, then BLOX will set up to enter new all-time-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $55 to $60 a share.

I would simply avoid BLOX or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below a key near-term support level at $39.81 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then BLOX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $37.26 to $34 a share. Any high-volume move below those levels will then put its 200-day moving average at $30.99 into range for shares of BLOX.

Golar LNG

Another potential earnings short-squeeze trade idea is Golar LNG (GLNG), a midstream liquefied natural gas company engaged in the transportation, regasification and liquefaction, and trading of LNG. Golar LNG is set to release its numbers on Wednesday before the market open. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect the company to report revenue $16.87 million on earnings of 8 cents per share.

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The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Golar LNG is pretty high at 10.8%. That means that out of the 79.62 million shares in the tradable float, 4.60 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 10.3%, or by about 429,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a bullish quarter, then shares of GLNG could surge sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts jump to cover some of their trades.

From a technical perspective, GLNG is currently trending below its 50-day moving average and just above its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock has been downtrending for the last few weeks, with shares moving lower from its high of $40.37 to its intraday low of $36.21 a share. During that move, shares of GLNG have been consistently making lower highs and lower lows, which is bearish technical price action.

If you're in the bull camp on GLNG, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above its 50-day moving average of $37.52 a share to more near-term resistance at $38 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 559,383 shares. If that breakout hits, then GLNG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its 52-week high at $41.55 a share. Any high-volume move above that level will then give GLNG a chance to tag $45 a share post-earnings.

I would simply avoid GLNG or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below its 200-day moving average at $35.62 a share to more near-term support at $34 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then GLNG will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $32 to $30 a share.

TiVo

One potential earnings short-squeeze candidate is developer and provider of DVR set-top boxes Tivo (TIVO), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Tivo to report revenue of $81.33 million on earnings of 6 cents per share.

This company reported a profit last quarter, after registering two straight quarters of losses.

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The current short interest as a percentage of the float for TiVo is notable at 5.1%. That means that out of the 118.13 million shares in the tradable float, 6.01 million shares are sold short by the bears. If this company can deliver the earnings news the bulls are looking for, then shares of TIVO could rip sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts jump to cover some of their positions.

From a technical perspective, TIVO is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been trending sideways for the last month, with shares moving between $13 on the downside and $14.25 on the upside. Any high-volume move above the upper-end of its range post-earnings could trigger a big breakout trade for shares of TIVO.

If you're bullish on TIVO, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $13.72 to $13.91 a share, and then once it clears its 52-week high at $14.25 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 2.81 million shares. If that breakout hits, then TIVO will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $17 to $20 a share.

I would avoid TIVO or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at $13 to its 50-day moving average of $12.96 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then TIVO will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at its 200-day moving average of $12.11 to $11 a share.

Tilly's

Another earnings short-squeeze prospect is specialty retailer of West Coast apparel, footwear and accessories Tilly's (TLYS), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Tilly's to report revenue of $132.59 million on earnings of 21 cents per share.

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The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Tilly's is notable a 3.2%. That means that out of the 10.28 million shares in the tradable float, 324,000 shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 2.3%, or by about 7,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a strong quarter, then shares of TLYS could rip sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts rush to cover some of their bets.

From a technical perspective, TLYS is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last three months, with shares soaring higher from its low of $12.44 to its recent high of $15.80 a share. During that uptrend, shares of TLYS have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of TLYS within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're bullish on TLYS, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $15.67 to $15.80 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 49,179 shares. If that breakout hits, then TLYS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at its 52-week high at $17.35 a share to its all-time high at $19.57 a share.

I would simply avoid TLYS or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below its 200-day moving average of $14.68 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then TLYS will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at $14 to $13.50 a share. Any high-volume move below those levels will then put its next major support level at $12.44 into range for shares of TLYS.

Analog Devices

My final earnings short-squeeze play is semiconductor player Analog Devices (ADI), which is set to release numbers on Tuesday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Analog Devices to report revenue of $688.46 million on earnings of 58 cents per share.

This company has been profitable over the last eight quarters, but it has seen net income drop over the past four quarters by an average of 2% year over year. The worst quarter was the first quarter, which saw a 6% drop in net income.

The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Analog Devices stands at 1.7%. That means that out of the 307.38 million shares in the tradable float, 5.18 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 1.9%, or by about 95,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a strong quarter, then shares of ADI could easily spike sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts rush to cover some of their positions.

From a technical perspective, ADI is currently trending above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, which is bullish. This stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months, with shares moving higher from its low of $45.28 to its recent high of $50.79 a share. During that uptrend, shares of ADI have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of ADI within range of triggering a big breakout trade post-earnings.

If you're in the bull camp on ADI, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above its 52-week high at $50.79 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 1.74 million shares. If that breakout hits, then ADI will set up to enter new 52-week high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $55 to $60 a share.

I would avoid ADI or look for short-biased trades if after earnings it fails to trigger that breakout and then drops back below some key near-term support levels at $48.80 a share to its 50-day moving average of $48.22 a share with high volume. If we get that move, then ADI will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major support levels at its 200-day moving average of $46.34 to $45 a share. Any high-volume move below those levels will then put $43.50 to $41 into range for shares of ADI.

To see more potential earnings short squeeze plays, check out the Earnings Short Squeeze Plays portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

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Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

Skill-vs.-Luck Investing Has Risky Effects

NEW YORK (TheStreet) --TheStreet.com alum Barry Ritholtz recently shared a post from investment manager Bob Seawright that explored the difference between skill and luck when to comes to investing. Seawright invoked something called the Wyatt Earp effect where Earp famously survived countless gunfights and while history looks back at Earp as having been very skilled, luck also had to play a very large role.

Seawright continues that Bill Miller's streak of beating the S&P 500 for 15 years in a row as he managed the Legg Mason Value Trust (LMVRX) was by Miller's own account "an accident of the calendar."

Understanding the difference between skill and luck is crucial. When a long, lucky streak is confused with skill it can lead to overconfidence which can then lead to increased risk taking. In managing the Legg Mason Value Trust Miller took big risks despite the above quote attributed to him by Seawright.

He had very large positions financial stocks including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac going into the financial crisis which he did not sell causing his fund to fare far worse with a 73% drop compared to the S&P 500's 56% decline. Overconfidence is a behavior that repeats in stock market history. One recent anecdotal example came during the internet bubble and subsequent tech wreck. As high-flying internet stocks rose, legions of day trading shops were opened around the country so that newly minted traders could quit their regular jobs and easily click their way to wealth as internet stocks kept growing to the sky. What many thought was easily acquired day trading skill turned out to be luck that soon went bad ultimately leading the first 50% decline of the preceding decade. Recent signs of similar overconfidence could include 3D printing stocks. Like the internet, 3D printing is likely to be life changing. Going into mid-November 3D Systems (DDD)was up 120% and ExOne (XONE) was up 120% from its IPO in February. Both stocks were hit very hard last week; DDD was down 9% and XONE was down 14%. XONE is down 25% from its high this summer but that did not dissuade Voxeljet (VJET)from its IPO one month ago. After rocketing to a 106% gain in just 18 trading days, it then fell 47% from its high last week.

After a few months of "skillful" trading, luck may have run out on the group... at least for the time being.

The conclusion drawn by Seawright is the need focus on process in order to achieve investment success to which I would add the word discipline. When you can truly accept the role luck plays in investing it then becomes much easier to focus on process and when you know you have a process that can lead to long-term investment success it makes it easier to remain disciplined to your chosen process.

By remaining disciplined you will create your own luck.

This is especially true in 2013 as the year winds down to an end. If you adhere to some sort of investment strategy other than indexing then you have likely lagged behind the S&P 500's 27% gain. Just as Bill Miller realized he would not beat the market every year, neither can anyone else. If your investment strategy has lagged behind the S&P 500 index you might be tempted to switch to indexing because of how well it did this year. Doing so would be an undisciplined disregarding of process. Through most of the last decade no one wanted to touch indexing with a ten-foot pole as the S&P 500 endured a volatile round trip to nowhere; from March 10, 2000 to May 9, 2007 the index was unchanged. Indexing was no worse back then as today, it just so happens that indexing has beaten most other strategies this year after lagging so many strategies before. Giving up on a strategy because of impatience once is likely to be repeated in the future which results in repeatedly chasing what was hot last year which will inhibit investment success. If your equity portfolio is up 10 or 20%, your process is not broken, 2013 just one of those years where your process wasn't the best performer and that is ok because no process can be the best performer every year. No positions

Fed Balance Sheet Getting Closer and Closer to $4 Trillion

The U.S. Federal Reserve is supposedly independent of the government, even if running the Fed is a Presidential appointment and requires backing of Congress. It also pays profits back to the government. The problem is the Federal Reserve is becoming not just larger than most central banks but larger than most governments themselves. What we just cannot ignore is that the Federal Reserve’s data from this week shows that its balance sheet is nearing $4 trillion.

If you think that this does not matter, it certainly should because it is as if another financial super-power has been created since the recession. Germany’s 2012 GDP on a purchasing power parity basis was $3.25 trillion and that is the 6th largest GDP in the world if you actually count the European Union. Japan’s 2012 GDP was $4.7 trillion. It is hard to compare an asset base to a nation’s GDP but it should help as a reference. If that is not good enough, it is almost as if another Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) combined have been created into one giant asset base.

Top 10 Cheap Stocks To Invest In Right Now

The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet grew the week ending October 16 by another $54.9 billion, and that was after a prior weekly gain of $11.3 billion. Some $45.6 billion of that was in mortgage-backed securities followed by $8.3 billion in Treasuries.

The total end game is that the balance sheet is now $3.814 trillion. With the $85 billion in monthly new bond buying and with the rollover money being reinvested it is as though then entire system has magically more than created the GDP of Germany to buy securities. We should now hit the $4 trillion market just a few days short of or just after the start of 2014.

24/7 Wall St. keeps bringing this up, and for some reason it keeps falling on deaf ears. To make matters worse, if and when the Fed decides to start unloading these it will create much more supply of debt on the market and that will drive down prices and the value of the balance sheet. That larger supply on the market will have to compete with weekly treasury Auctions.

What if the Federal Reserve never sells a single Treasury or MBS? Is there an end game that the Federal Reserve will just transfer these assets back to the government? Or would it transfer assets back to the member banks? We have had a hard time even finding what the legality any potential transfers is and there certainly is no precedent.

As the Fed keeps sucking up all of this paper, it allows Americans to do things like keep buying up stocks, real estate, junk bonds and other risk-based assets without driving up rates. Many investors have been concerned about the ramifications of when the balance sheet growth (asset buying) stops, but we rarely hear about the real figures involved.

At some point someone of importance is likely to call Uncle and this will suddenly matter. America has become an expert of waiting until something reaches what the media deems as the next crisis and only then coming together to fix the situation. It may take a reading of $4 trillion for that to happen. Maybe even $5 trillion.

Consider this closely for the years ahead: Ben Bernanke is leaving Janet Yellen in charge of the largest base of assets that have ever been delegated to any central banker in history.

Yahoo, Intel shares slip as earnings digested

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Shares of Yahoo Inc. and Intel Corp. swung to a loss, after both traded with healthy gains at first, in the extended session Tuesday as investors pored over earnings reports from both companies.

Yahoo (YHOO)  shares traded erratically, at one point up as much as 5% and at another point slipping to a slight loss. Most recently, they were down 0.3% at $33.25 on heavy volume.

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The Web portal reported adjusted earnings of 34 cents a share on revenue of $1.08 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected earnings of 33 cents a share on revenue of $1.08 billion. Also, Yahoo said it entered an agreement with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to reduce the maximum number of shares it has to sell if Alibaba files for an initial public offering. Follow Yahoo's earnings call on our Earnings Wall.

Intel Corp. (INTC)  shares, which had been up nearly 3% after the earnings report first came out, fell 0.8% to $23.20 in recent heavy trading after the chip maker topped Wall Street estimates on flat earnings for the third quarter. Intel's forecast likely weighed on the stock after hours, implying slim, if any, growth in the December quarter.

CSX Corp. (CSX)  shares rose 1.1% to $26.39 on moderate volume after the railroad operator reported third-quarter earnings of 46 cents a share on revenue of $3 billion. Analysts expected 42 cents a share on revenue of $2.95 billion.

10 Best Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now

Abbott Labs' second-quarter earnings beat Wall Street's projections, as the company continues to perform well in its post-branded pharmaceuticals life. However, Abbott's medical device business couldn't keep up its more successful segments, even as the company has made progress in key areas such as drug-eluting stents, while advancing into emerging markets.Overall, device sales fell 1.6% year-over-year for the quarter.

Abbott's made a few recent acquisitions to beef up this business, and the company's stellar Xience stent remains atop the industry. Are Abbott's plans for the future enough to turn around this division's slumping sales, however? Below, Motley Fool contributor Dan Carroll tells you what you need to know about Abbott's device business, and how this segment will impact this well-diversified company -- and your portfolio -- in the future.

Abbott's diversity and international edge have made this stock one of health care's safest and most reliable picks in the past. Abbott's a key reminder that investing for the long-term is the most sure-fire way to maximize your financial future. The Motley Fool's special free report, "3 Stocks That Will Help You Retire Rich," names specific investment opportunities that could help you build long-term wealth, and help you retire well. The Fool also outlines critical wealth-building strategies that every investor should know.�Click here�to keep reading.

10 Best Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now: Fluor Corporation(FLR)

Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management services worldwide. Its Oil & Gas segment offers design, engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services to upstream oil and gas production, downstream refining, chemicals, and petrochemicals industries. This segment also provides consulting services comprising feasibility studies, process assessment, and project finance structuring and studies. The company?s Industrial & Infrastructure segment offers design, engineering, procurement, and construction services to the transportation, wind power, mining and metals, life sciences, manufacturing, commercial and institutional, telecommunications, microelectronics, and healthcare sectors. Its Government segment provides engineering, construction, logistics support, contingency response, management, and operations services to the United States government focusing on the Departme nt of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. The company?s Global Services segment offers operations and maintenance, small capital project engineering and execution, site equipment and tool services, industrial fleet services, plant turnaround services, temporary staffing services, and supply chain solutions. Its Power segment provides engineering, procurement, construction, program management, start-up and commissioning, and operations and maintenance services to the gas fueled, solid fueled, plant betterment, renewables, nuclear, and power services markets. The company also offers unionized management and construction services in the United States and Canada. Fluor Corporation was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  South America has become an unsettled region to mine in. Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM  ) had its Peruvian Conga project brought to a short stop over environmental concerns, while Vale (NYSE: VALE  ) recently abandoned an Argentinean project because of the country's policies.�Costs for Pascua-Lama have ballooned over the past decade and now stand at about $8.5 billion, putting it at risk of becoming an albatross around the miner's neck even before the court decision. Barrick even resorted to bringing in engineering specialist Fluor (NYSE: FLR  ) to expand the scope of its project management before the court order.

10 Best Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras(PBR)

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. primarily engages in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining, trade, and transportation businesses. The company?s Exploration and Production segment involves in the exploration, production, development, and production of oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas in Brazil. This segment supplies its products to the refineries in Brazil, as well as sells surplus petroleum and byproducts in domestic and foreign markets. Its Supply segment engages in the refining, logistics, transportation, and trade of oil and oil products; export of ethanol; and extraction and processing of schist, as well as holds interests in companies of the petrochemical sector in Brazil. The Gas and Energy segment involves in the transportation and trade of natural gas produced in or imported into Brazil; transportation and trade of LNG; and generation and trade of electric power. In addition, the segment has interests in natural gas transportation and d istribution companies; and thermoelectric power stations in Brazil, as well engages in fertilizer business. The Distribution segment distributes oil products, ethanol, and compressed natural gas in Brazil. The International segment involves in the exploration and production of oil and gas, as well as in supplying, gas and energy, and distribution operations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Further, the company involves in biofuel production business. Petroleo Brasileiro was founded in 1953 and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sarfaraz A. Khan]

  The Brazilian energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro S.A (PBR), more commonly known as Petrobras, has been eyeing a turnaround but so far, it has fallen short of expectations. It managed to deliver a decent performance in its last quarter, but its ADR has fallen by 21.45% this year. The company is controlled by the Brazilian government through its 63% voting power. Petrobras has struggled with profitability because the business has been used as a tool to curb inflation. The company is eyeing an uptake in production in H2-2013, but I believe that, for now, investors should avoid this stock.

Best Heal Care Companies To Watch For 2014: Under Armour Inc.(UA)

Under Armour, Inc. develops, markets, and distributes performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth primarily in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers products made from moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics designed to regulate body temperature and enhance performance regardless of weather conditions. The company provides its products in three fit types: compression (tight fitting), fitted (athletic cut), and loose (relaxed) extending across the sporting goods, outdoor, and active lifestyle markets. Its footwear offerings comprise football, baseball, lacrosse, softball, and soccer cleats; slides; performance training footwear; and running footwear. The company also provides baseball batting, football, golf, and running gloves, as well as licenses bags, socks, headwear, custom-molded mouth guards, and eyewear that are designed to be used and worn before, during, and after competition. Under Armour sells its products through retai l stores, as well as directly to consumers through its own retail outlets and specialty stores, Website, and catalogs. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Steve Symington]

  If you ever wondered how long�Under Armour� (NYSE: UA  ) would be able to maintain its current torrid pace of growth, the company's founding CEO Kevin Plank wants you to know they're only just getting started.

10 Best Safest Stocks To Buy Right Now: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

2 Tech Stocks Spiking on Big Volume

DELAFIELD, Wis. (Stockpickr) -- Professional traders running mutual funds and hedge funds don't just look at a stock's price moves; they also track big changes in volume activity. Often when above-average volume moves into an equity, it precedes a large spike in volatility.

>>5 Stocks Insiders Love Right Now

Major moves in volume can signal unusual activity, such as insider buying or selling -- or buying or selling by "superinvestors."

Unusual volume can also be a major signal that hedge funds and momentum traders are piling into a stock ahead of a catalyst. These types of traders like to get in well before a large spike, so it's always a smart move to monitor unusual volume. That said, remember to combine trend and price action with unusual volume. Put them all together to help you decipher the next big trend for any stock.

>>5 Toxic Stocks to Sell Before It's Too Late

With that in mind, let's take a look at several stocks rising on unusual volume today.

Aspen Technology

Aspen Technology (AZPN) supplies process optimization software, which allows manufacturers to implement best practices for optimizing their engineering, manufacturing and supply chains. This stock closed up 1.4% at $37.64 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 637,000

Three-Month Average Volume: 410,726

Volume % Change: 59%

>>5 Stocks Set to Soar on Bullish Earnings

From a technical perspective, AZPN spiked modestly higher here right off some near-term support at $37 with above-average volume. This stock has been trending sideways and consolidating for the last month, with shares moving between $36 on the downside and $39.02 on the upside. This spike higher on Wednesday is now starting to push shares of AZPN within range of triggering a breakout trade above the upper-end of its recent range. That breakout will hit if AZPN manages to take out some key overhead resistance levels at $38.42 to its 52-week high at $39.02 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AZPN as long as it's trending above support at $37 or at $36 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that's near or above 410,726 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AZPN will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $45 to $47.

Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks (JNPR) designs, develops and sells products and services that provide network infrastructure for networking requirements of service providers, enterprises, governments and research and public sector organizations worldwide. This stock closed up 2.5% to $19.90 in Wednesday's trading session.

Wednesday's Volume: 12.24 million

Three-Month Average Volume: 6.01 million

Volume % Change: 109%
P/>>>5 Big Stocks to Trade Big Gains

From a technical perspective, JNPR spiked modestly higher here right off its 200-day moving average of $19.52 with above-average volume. This stock has been uptrending for the last month, with shares moving higher from its low of $18.36 to its recent high of $20.11. During that move, shares of JNPR have been making mostly higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of JNPR within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit if JNPR manages to take out Wednesday's high of $20.01 to more near-term resistance at $20.11 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in JNPR as long as it's trending above its 200-day at $19.52 or above $19 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 6.01 million shares. If that breakout hits soon, then JNPR will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $22 to its 52-week high at $22.98. Any high-volume move above those levels will then give JNPR a chance to tag $24 to $25.

To see more stocks rising on unusual volume, check out the Stocks Rising on Unusual Volume portfolio on Stockpickr.

-- Written by Roberto Pedone in Delafield, Wis.

RELATED LINKS:

>>Profit From 5 Trades Warren Buffett Made

>>5 Rocket Stocks for Another Week of New Highs

>>5 Stocks Poised for Breakouts

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Delafield, Wis., is an independent trader who focuses on technical analysis for small- and large-cap stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. Roberto studied international business at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany. His work has appeared on financial outlets including

CNBC.com and Forbes.com. You can follow Pedone on Twitter at www.twitter.com/zerosum24 or @zerosum24.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014

For a company that trades largely on the basis of being a defensive stock with strong margins, 3M's (NYSE:MMM) repeated margin weakness in the second quarter is starting to become a cause for concern. Moreover, while 3M's growth doesn't look too bad compared to many of its peers, the relative comps are likely to get less favorable and 3M isn't really built to produce growth spurts. Much as I like and respect this company, the shares too look overpriced today and I'm considering selling my own shares.

Not A Very Good Quarter By Most Measures
3M gets a lot of credit for its strong margins, its defensive characteristics, and its strong global footprint. All of that may be true on balance, but it's hard to say that performance isn't eroding.

Revenue was up 3% this quarter, or a little more than 2% on an organic basis, with about three-quarters of that growth fueled by volume gains. Three of the five business units reported organic growth (with Industrial and Consumer at 3% and Health Care at 6%), while Safety/Graphics and Electronics/Energy both declined 2%.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: Powell Industries Inc.(POWL)

Powell Industries, Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and servicing of custom engineered-to-order equipment and systems for the management and control of electrical energy and other critical processes in transportation, environmental, energy, industrial, and utility industries. The company operates in two segments, Electrical Power Products and Process Control Systems. The Electrical Power Products segment offers electrical power distribution and control systems that are used to distribute, monitor, and control the flow of electrical energy, as well as to provide protection to motors, transformers, and other electrically-powered equipment. It offers power control room substation packages, traditional and arc-resistant distribution switchgear, medium-voltage circuit breakers, offshore generator and control modules, monitoring and control communications systems, motor control centers, and bus duct systems directly to end-users or to engineering, procuremen t, and construction firms. This segment serves oil and gas producers, oil and gas pipelines, refineries, petrochemical plants, electrical power generators, public and private utilities, co-generation facilities, mining/metals operations, pulp and paper plants, transportation authorities, governmental agencies, and other industrial customers. The Process Control Systems provides technology solutions, including instrumentation, computer controls, and communications and data management systems to control and manage critical processes and facilities; and technical services to deliver these systems. This segment sells its products and services directly to end-users in transportation, environmental, and energy sectors. The company has operations in Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, Africa, North America, South America, and Central America. Powell Industries, Inc. was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: Glacier Bancorp Inc. (GBCI)

Glacier Bancorp, Inc., a multi-bank holding company, provides commercial banking services in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Washington. It offers transaction and savings deposits; real estate, commercial, agriculture, and consumer loans; mortgage origination services; and retail brokerage services to individuals, small to medium-sized businesses, community organizations, and public entities. The company�s deposit products include non-interest bearing demand accounts, interest bearing checking accounts, regular statement savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, fixed rate certificates of deposit, negotiated-rate jumbo certificates, individual retirement accounts, and reciprocal deposits. Its loan products comprise construction and permanent loans on residential real estate; consumer land and lot acquisition loans; unimproved land and land development loans; residential builder guidance lines comprising pre-sold and spec-home construction, and lot acqu isition loans; commercial real estate loans to purchase, construct, and finance commercial real estate properties; commercial and industrial loans; consumer loans secured by real estate, automobiles, and other assets; second mortgage and home equity loans; and agriculture loans. The company operates 106 locations, including 97 branches. Glacier Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Kalispell, Montana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  Glacier Bancorp (NASDAQ: GBCI  ) is reaching into its vault for more cash to return to shareholders. The company this week declared its latest dividend, which is to be $0.15 per share paid on July 18 to shareholders of record as of July 9.

Top Gold Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Superior Energy Services Inc.(SPN)

Superior Energy Services, Inc. provides specialized oilfield services and equipments to serve the production and drilling-related needs of oil and gas companies. It operates through three segments: Subsea and Well Enhancement; Drilling Products and Services; and Marine. The Subsea and Well Enhancement segment provides integrated subsea and engineering services, coiled tubing, electric line, pumping and stimulation, gas lift, well control, hydraulic workover and snubbing, recompletion, stimulation and sand control equipment and services, well evaluation, offshore oil and gas tank, vessel cleaning, decommissioning, plug and abandonment, and mechanical wireline services. This segment also manufactures and sells drilling rig instrumentation equipments; and involves in the production and sale of oil and gas from its properties in the Gulf of Mexico. The Drilling Products and Services segment manufactures, sells, and rents equipments for use with offshore and onshore oil and gas well drilling, completion, production, and workover activities. This segment?s products and services include pressure control equipment, drill pipe and landing strings, connecting iron, handling tools, stabilizers, drill collars, and on-site accommodations. The Marine segment owns and operates a fleet of liftboats in the Gulf of Mexico. The company operates 25 rental liftboats with leg lengths ranging from 145 feet to 265 feet. Superior Energy Services, Inc. sells its products and services in Latin America, North America, North Sea and Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, and the Asia Pacific region. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Sterne Agee said in July research that operators with Bakken-formation leverage, including Oasis, Superior Energy Services�(SPN),�Whiting Petroleum (WLL) and QEP Resources (QEP),�“have improved their communication with Wall Street and appropriately managed expectations for the impact that flooding in North Dakota could have on second-quarter earnings.” �See Barron’s Investor’s Soapbox PM�for�July 17, subscription required.)

• [By David Smith]

  Superior Energy Services (NYSE: SPN  )
  The largest of the three "smaller" oil-field services companies for this discussion carries an approximately $4.4 billion market cap. The Houston-based company has been accorded a rating of 1.6 by the analysts, with no single rating below a buy. (All three of the companies discussed here are headquartered in Houston. But that's a coincidence, not a requirement.)

• [By Sara Murphy]

  Basic Energy Services (NYSE: BAS  ) derived more than a quarter of 2012 revenues from its fluid services unit. Its operations rely heavily on the legacy model of hauling water. Superior Energy Services (NYSE: SPN  ) counts on its traditional fluid services offerings for about 20% of revenues.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: Northeast Bancorp(NBN)

Northeast Bancorp operates as a bank holding company for Northeast Bank that provides a range of financial services to individuals and companies in western and south-central Maine, and southeastern New Hampshire. It offers various deposit products, including demand deposits and escrow accounts, NOW accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and brokered time deposits. The company?s lending activities comprise origination and purchase of mortgages for the purpose of financing or refinancing one-to-four family residential properties. The company also provides various commercial real estate loans; commercial business loans, such as term loans, lines of credit, and equipment and receivables financing; commercial and residential loans; and construction loans. In addition, it offers consumer loans secured by automobiles, recreational vehicles, boats, as well as provides second mortgages, home improvement and mobile home loans, and personal and d eposit account collateralized loans. Further, the company offers property and casualty insurance products to personal and commercial customers; and investment brokerage services, which include investment and financial planning products and services. As of June 30, 2011, it operated 10 banking offices, 1 financial center, 3 loan production offices, and 10 insurance offices in western and south-central Maine, and southeastern New Hampshire. The company was founded in 1872 and is headquartered in Lewiston, Maine.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: SilverCrest Mines Inc (SVL.V)

SilverCrest Mines Inc. (SilverCrest) is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Mexico and Central America. The Company�� principal focus is the development and operation of the Santa Elena Project, which property consists of seven mineral concessions totaling 2,726.54 hectares, portions of which include the producing Santa Elena gold and silver mine located northeast of Hermosillo, Sonora State, Mexico. It operates in three segments: the mine operations at Santa Elena, Mexico; mine exploration and evaluation projects at La Joya and Cruz de Mayo, Mexico, and Corporate. The Company is also focused on exploring and developing its La Joya Property located in Durango, Mexico, which contains a discovered polymetallic deposit. The Company�� other mineral properties include the Cruz de Mayo Project (Mexico), the La Joya Property (Mexico), the Silver Angel Project (Mexico) and the El Zapote Project (El Salvador).

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd (FRFHF.PK)

Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) is a financial services holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, is principally engaged in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance and the associated investment management. The Company�� segments consist of Insurance, Reinsurance, Insurance and Reinsurance Other, Runoff, and Corporate and Other. On December 22, 2011, the Company completed the acquisition of 75% interests in Sporting Life Inc. On August 16, 2011, the Company acquired William Ashley China Corporation. On March 24, 2011, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfax completed the acquisition of The Pacific Insurance Berhad. On February 9, 2011, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Fairfax completed the acquisition of First Mercury Financial Corporation. In October 2012, its RiverStone runoff subsidiary acquired all the outstanding shares of Brit Insurance Limited.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Jordon]

  There's talk that Prem Watsa, head of Fairfax Financial Holdings (FRFHF.PK), could possibly be involved in a privatization bid for the company. Consider:

• [By Infinity Group]

  With 515 million shares outstanding, this equates to 33% of all shares being shorted. It should also be noted that Prem Watsa's Fairfax Financial Holdings (FRFHF.PK) is holding 51.8 million BlackBerry shares. Prem Watsa stated at the annual FairFax shareholders meeting that Fairfax is holding a long position with BlackBerry and anticipates shareholder value increasing over the next 2-3 years. The cost basis for FairFax financial holdings is approximately $17 per BlackBerry share.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: Diversinet Corp (DIV.V)

Diversinet Corp. provides mobile-optimized secure application products, solutions, and services to healthcare organizations to power care coordination through mobility. The company provides MobiSecure Communicator, a software suite that enables healthcare organizations to deploy HIPAA compliant mHealth applications on mobile devices; MobiSecure Gateway SDK that provides the security and mobile provisioning functionality necessary to allow developers to meet the stringent healthcare regulatory requirements for offering secure mHealth solutions; and consulting and support services, including product integration, customized engineering support, and training. Its MobiSecure Communicator suite includes MobiSecure mClient, a downloadable software application that retrieves personal information from the Publishing Manager server and stores the personal information on a mobile device or PC for offline use; MobiSecure Publishing Manager, a server-based software component that hosts and manages stored personal information; and MobiSecure mClient SDK & Publishing Manager API, which allows customers and third-party developers to build mobile applications. The company�s MobiSecure Communicator suite also comprises MobiSecure SMS Manager, which enables two-way communication between customer Internet applications and mobile users for mobile devices without data plans; MobiSecure mText that runs on a user�s mobile device and communicates with backend Internet applications via the mobile network operator�s SMS infrastructure; and MobiSecure Clinical Communicator Web Portal, which enables clinicians to communicate with patients via mobile devices, tablets, and desktops. It markets its solutions directly and through a network of resellers and agents to healthcare companies, application developers, and solution providers in the United States, Canada, and Asia. Diversinet Corp., formerly known as The Instant Publisher Inc., was founded in 1993 and is headquart ered in Toronto, Canada.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: Seaboard Corporation(SEB)

Seaboard Corporation operates as a diversified agribusiness and transportation company worldwide. Its Pork division engages in hog production and pork processing; and the production and sale of fresh and frozen pork products, such as lunchmeat, ham, bacon, sausage, loins, tenderloins, and ribs, as well as further processed pork products, including raw and pre-cooked bacon to further processors, foodservice operators, grocery stores, distributors, and retail outlets under the Prairie Fresh and Daily's brand names. This division also produces and sells biodiesel from pork and other animal fats to third parties. The company?s Commodity Trading and Milling division sources, transports, and markets wheat, corn, soybean meal, rice, and other commodities, as well as operates flour, feed, and maize milling businesses. Its Marine division provides containerized cargo shipping service to 26 countries between the United States, the Caribbean Basin, and central and South America; and operates a terminal at the Port of Miami, an off-dock warehouse for cargo consolidation and temporary storage, and a cargo terminal at the Port of Houston for temporary storage of bagged grains, resins, and other cargo. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 10 owned and approximately 29 chartered vessels; and dry, refrigerated, and specialized containers and other related equipment. The company?s Sugar division produces and refines sugar cane, produces alcohol, and purchases and resells sugar to retailers, soft drink manufacturers, and food manufacturers in Argentina. Its Power division operates as an independent power producer in the Dominican Republic operating 2 floating barges with a system of diesel engines with combined capacity of approximately 112 megawatts of electricity. Seaboard Corporation also purchases and processes jalapeno peppers in the United States. The company was founded in 1928 and is based in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Seaboard Corporation is a subsidiary of Seaboard Flour LLC.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  Not necessarily. There are some big obscure stocks. The example everyone who knows obscure stocks will give you is Seaboard (SEB). This is a company with a $3 billion market cap. But it�� also a company that has been run the way obscure companies are run.

• [By Norm Rothery]

  I happened upon Seaboard Corp. (SEB) a few years ago, when I was looking for stocks that buy back their shares. It's not the most aggressive re-purchaser in the market, but it has reduced its share count by 20% since the turn of the century.

• [By Holly LaFon] ard is also an older company founded more than 90 years ago and has focused on grain and agriculturally derived products. In the last 10 years its stock has appreciated 543%, and on Monday one share costs $1,955. It has never split its stock.

  Seaboard is still a growing company. In the last ten years it increased revenue per share at an average rate of 12.5%, EBITDA at 9.8%, and book value at 18.2%. It also has a low P/E of 6.8, its lowest since about 2007.

  Berkshire Hathaway-A (BRK.A)

  Berkshire Hathaway is the multinational conglomerate founded by Warren Buffett and is the eighth largest company in the world. They are the highest priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange, partially due to never splitting their stock or paying a dividend. Rather, they reinvest corporate earnings to continue growth.

  In the last 10 years, Berkshire Hathaway stock has increased 67%. On Monday, one share of BRK.A cost $122,115.

  Berkshire management has grown book value at an annual rate of 20.3% for the last 44 years. Growth has been continuing in recent history. In the last 10 years, revenue per share increased at a rate of 11.4%, EBITDA at 7.5% and free cash flow at 3.3%. Its P/E is 17.1.

  These stocks are not necessarily expensive or not expensive based on how much one share costs but are subject to the same valuation as lower-priced companies. To create your own screener to find the exact stocks you are interested in, try GuruFocus��do-it-all screener here.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: Tellabs Inc.(TLAB)

Tellabs, Inc. designs, develops, and supports telecommunications networking products for communication service providers in the United States and internationally. Its products and services enable customers to deliver wireless and wireline voice, data, and video services to business and residential customers. The company operates through three segments: Broadband, Transport, and Services. The Broadband segment provides access products that enable service providers to deliver bundled voice, video, and high-speed Internet/data services over copper or fiber networks; managed access products, which deliver wireless and business services primarily outside of North America; and data products, including packet-switched products that enable wireless and wireline carriers to deliver mobile voice and Internet services, and wireline business services to their customers. The Transport segment enables service providers to manage network bandwidth by adding capacity needed; and wireline and wireless providers to support metro networks, mobile services, and business services for enterprises, as well as triple-play voice, video, and data services for residential consumers. The Services segment delivers deployment, training, support, and professional services, which support various phases of the network, such as planning, building, and operating. Tellabs, Inc. serves primarily communication services providers, including local exchange carriers; wireline and wireless service providers; multiple system operators; competitive service providers; distributors; original equipment manufacturers; system integrators; and government agencies. The company sells its products and services through its direct sales and sales support personnel, value-added resellers, independent sales representatives, distributors, and public and private network providers. Tellabs, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Naperville, Illinois.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  The biggest new holdings are Seagate Technology�and Warner Chilcott. Other new holdings of interest include Tellabs (NASDAQ: TLAB  ) and Windstream (NASDAQ: WIN  ) . Tellabs offers a satisfying dividend yield of 3.7%, but the networking equipment maker has been facing some headwinds, such as the death of its CEO and the recent departure of its CFO. Its performance has been spotty, besting estimates in its fourth quarter but disappointing them in the recent first quarter.

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  Thursday
  Tellabs (NASDAQ: TLAB  ) checks in on Thursday. The provider of mobile backhaul, packet optical, and services solutions to communications services lost its CEO to colon cancer last year. It has also lost its mojo. Wall Street sees Tellabs merely breaking even in 2013 on a 14% decline in revenue.

• [By SA Pro Top Ideas]

  Stock Movers and Great Calls
  Alpha-Rich long and short ideas regularly move stocks and identify stocks that are about to move. Some notable recent calls subscribers had early access to:

  Saidal Mohmand argued Wednesday that Tellabs (TLAB) was a strong assets play on the verge of a turnaround. The stock is +5.9% since. Read article » On June 13, Stephen Lin said that Ellie Mae's (ELLI) dominant position could mean 45% upside. Shares are +30.7% since. Read article »

  To Come Today
  Don't forget to check your SA Pro dashboard later today for the latest Alpha-Rich ideas, including a REIT with strong management and many catalysts. Any thoughts to share on the latest Alpha-Rich ideas? Leave a comment here. Have a great weekend.
  
  SA Pro Editors
  …............
  
  The SA Pro team is Eli Hoffmann (Editor in Chief), Rachael Granby (Editorial Product Manager), Daniel Shvartsman, Samir Patel, Michael McDonald, and Jeffrey Fischer (Senior Pro Editors). You can reach us at pro-editors@seekingalpha.com.

10 Best Heal Care Stocks For 2014: Omega Healthcare Investors Inc.(OHI)

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States. The company invests in healthcare facilities, principally long-term healthcare facilities in the United States. It provides lease or mortgage financing to qualified operators of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), as well as to assisted living facilities (ALFs), independent living facilities (ILFs), and rehabilitation and acute care facilities. As of March 31, 2011, the company?s portfolio of real estate investments consisted of 400 healthcare facilities, including 370 SNFs, 10 ALFs, 5 specialty facilities, fixed rate mortgages on 13 SNFs, and 2 SNFs that are held-for-sale located in 35 states. Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. has been qualified as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal corporate income taxes if it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. The company was founded in 1992 and is bas ed in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Cameron Swinehart]

  I recently took profits in a few positions including Microsoft (MSFT), The Sherwin-Williams Company (SHW), Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI) and Wells Fargo (WFC). From my perspective, the economic outlook doesn't support continued investment in those companies. A softening U.S economy and high debt levels will push investors into safe havens and real assets.

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Healthcare facilities REIT Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI) raised its quarterly dividend 2% to 48 cents per share, payable Nov. 15 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 31.
  OHI Dividend Yield: 5.81%

• [By Eric Volkman]

  For the fourth quarter in a row, Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI  ) has elected to raise its dividend slightly. The company declared a payout of $0.47 per share, to be paid on August 15 to stockholders of record as of July 31.�That amount is $0.01, or 2%, higher than the previous distribution of $0.46 paid in mid-May. That dividend was also a raise of $0.01 from its predecessor, which, in turn, was higher than the previous quarter's disbursement by the same amount.

PetSmart Boosts Dividend, Announces Stock Buyback (PETM)

On Thursday, PetSmart (PETM) announced that it will be raising its dividend 18.2% and that it has authorized a $535 million stock repurchase plan.

The Phoenix, AZ-based company raised its quarterly dividend from 16.5 cents to 19.5 cents, which is an annualized payout of 78 cents. The dividend is payable on November 15 to all shareholders on record as of November 1. The ex-dividend date is October 30.

In addition to its dividend boost, PetSmart also announced a $535 million share buyback plan that will start on October 1, 2013 and expire on January 31, 2015.

PETM shares were up 56 cents, or .76%, at market close on Thursday. The company’s stock is up nearly 7% YTD.

Schorsh's RCAP completes First Allied deal

RCAP Holdings LLC said on Wednesday that it had completed its previously announced acquisition of First Allied Holdings Inc.

RCAP Holdings is managed by Nicholas Schorsch, a noted manager of nontraded real estate investment trusts, and his team; it is the holding company for Realty Capital Securities LLC, the leading wholesale broker-dealer for nontraded REITs.

Realty Capital Securities over the past few years has emerged as a powerhouse in raising money for nontraded REITs and other illiquid alternative investments. In August, the firm raised $895.9 million in equity through independent broker-dealers that sell Realty Capital's lineup of products. For the year, Realty Capital has raised $6.1 billion.

The terms of the deal for First Allied, which was first announced in June, have not been disclosed.

RCAP Holdings' purchase of First Allied was its first foray into buying a broker-dealer that sold Realty Capital products. While RCAP has not announced another broker-dealer acquisition, this month, the company hired veteran independent-broker-dealer executive and dealmaker Larry Roth to become chief executive of Realty Capital Securities. Mr. Roth most recently was the CEO of Advisor Group, one of the largest independent-broker-dealer networks in the country.

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First Allied has 1,500 affiliated registered reps and advisers who oversee $32 billion in client assets. In a press release, RCAP said it will give First Allied autonomy.

“First Allied and its subsidiaries will continue to operate autonomously under their current management structure and respective brands as part of the RCAP Holdings family of companies,” the company said in a statement.

Shares of Apple Rise on New Guidance (AAPL)

Shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) soared on Monday morning following an update to the company’s revenue guidance.

On Friday, Apple launched both its iPhone 5s and its iPhone 5c. Over the weekend, the company sold 9 million iPhones, while some analysts expected to only see around 5 million iPhones sold.

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Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer reported that he now expects to see revenue on the higher end of the previously estimated range of $34 billion to $37 billion. Analysts expect to see revenue of $36.11 billion.

Margins are expected to be between 36% and 37%.

Apple shares were up $29.14, or 6.23%, during pre-market trading Monday. The stock is down 12% YTD.

Malls compete to lure holiday shoppers with fre…

Suppose the local mall offered to valet-park your car for free — and give you a free cup of Caribou Coffee — just for shopping there this holiday.

This seriously competitive, seasonal lure is what Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., will be offering at specific times on certain weekdays between Nov. 18 and Dec. 24. During this short shopping season — with six fewer shopping days than usual between Thanksgiving and Christmas — malls will do just about anything to attract shoppers.

Every major shopping mall must try to "distinguish its position as a destination" for holiday shoppers, and few things work better than free gifts and services, says Steven Keith Platt, director of Platt Retail Institute, which consults retailers.

Among this season's mall "gifts" to shoppers:

• Ice show. Free holiday performances, with a back-flipping Santa Claus, are expected to attract thousands to the Galleria Dallas. They take place Saturday afternoons between Thanksgiving and Christmas and star Canadian ice skating champ Kurt Browning.

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• Trolley rides. Both Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, Calif., and Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Calif., offer shoppers free rides on red trolley trams to and from their parked cars.

• Strollers and wheelchairs. South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., offers free strollers and wheelchairs — with refundable deposit.

• Bottled water. The beverage is available at the Fashion Island concierge desk during most of the holiday season.

• Coat and bag check. The free service is offered at Exton Square Mall in Exton, Pa.

• Gift wrap. Aventura Mall in Aventura, Fla., offers free gift wrap on MasterCard purchases of $200 or more on up to three gifts.

• Free Wi-Fi. At least 113 shopping malls nationally offer free Wi-Fi this holiday season. It is particularly popular ! at malls in California, Florida, New York and Ohio.

• Foreign language assistance. The service is available via the concierge desk at South Coast Plaza.

Then, there's social media. You can tweet Mall of America's newly bolstered tech center about where to park, where to eat or who has best deals.

"Most people make three trips to the mall over the holiday season," says Maureen Bausch, executive vice president of business development at the mall. "When someone has the potential to come to your mall three times, you incentivize them to do so."

As for all of those valet attendants who will park some Mall of America shopper cars for free this holiday: Should they be tipped?

"I hope they would," responds Bausch. "It is the holiday season."

Can nothing stop the ‘Teflon Bull’ market?

NEW YORK — The Teflon bull market keeps charging to record highs. Nothing, it seems, can stop it.

This year alone the stock market has survived the recent brush with a U.S. debt default. It has also survived a government shutdown. Tax hikes. Government spending cuts. The threat of war. Terror at the Boston Marathon. A spike in interest rates. Plunging Apple shares. Stock exchange glitches. Fears of a less-friendly Federal Reserve. And a narrow escape from going over the "fiscal cliff."

Nothing bad seems to stick. On Thursday, bolstered by an 11th-hour deal in Congress to avert the nation's first-ever default, the Standard & Poor's 500 index soared to a new all-time closing high of 1733.15, eclipsing its mid-September record. That extends the bull's gain to 156.2% since it began in March 2009 and 21.5% this year alone.

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To say the U.S. market has been resilient would be an understatement, says Chris Bouffard, chief investment officer at The Mutual Fund Store. "One by one, all of these worries have gradually been pushed aside," he says.

There are still risks. The debt deal is temporary. Political dysfunction could roil markets again when the new deadlines hit in early 2014. The economy also suffered "unnecessary damage" during the crisis, says President Obama, although the "full scope" is still unclear.

ECONOMIC DAMAGE: Shutdown cost billions in wages, shopping and more

ASK MATT: Is S&P 500 a good place to start investing?

Any hit to the economy

could have a negative spillover on corporate profitability, a key driver of stock prices.

But even though there's always a chance of things going wrong and the market going down, that doesn't mean long-term investors shouldn't "stay the course," says Bouffard.

For one, the hit to the economy and confidence all but assures that one of the bullish underpinnings of th! e 4-year old bull — the Fed's easy-money policies — will remain in place even longer. The Fed is now less likely to start dialing back on its market-friendly bond purchases this year, possibly pushing that back to 2014.

"It means the liquidity playbook remains viable and risk assets like stocks will continue to have a tailwind," says Bouffard.

The chances of a sharp spike in bond yields, another threat to stocks, have also been reduced due to the hit to the economy caused by the nation's debt fight, the belief that the Fed will remain sidelined, and little confidence in Congress actually coming up with a grand bargain to solve the nation's fiscal woes anytime soon, says George Goncalves, head of interest rate strategy at Nomura.

Still, the slow-growth U.S. economy will continue to chug along with help from improving economies in places like Europe, Japan and China, says Bouffard. "The global story," he says, "is getting better."

Market Ready For Fed, Not Quite Ready For Syria

The market is ready for Fed tapering, but not ready for surprises coming down the pike from the ongoing strife in Syria.

"The market has Fed tapering priced in and barring any unforeseen circumstances, when the Fed does ease up on its asset purchases there should be very little impact on the markets," says Marc Tommasi, managing director at Manning & Napier Manning & Napier in Rochester, NY.

California hedge fund manager Joel Smolen at Axion Capital told me in an email last week that he is less worried about the Fed, and more worried about Syria.

According to a survey of close to 800 global investors conducted by Barclays Barclays Capital, 64% of respondents believe tapering will start this week and almost all of them expect it to occur before the end of the year.

More than 50% of investors expect little reaction in the Treasury markets if tapering
starts this week, suggesting that it is largely priced in.

Investors now perceive the removal of Fed stimulus will start earlier. 45% expect the Fed to finish their openended QE3 program in the second quarter of 2014, while most respondents in their June survey thought it would happen in the fourth quarter of next year or even later.

Investors have also brought forward their expectation for the first Fed hike. However, only 25% see a hike in March 2015 or
earlier. This contrasts with rates markets' pricing a 50% chance of a first hike in the target fed funds rate in December 2014. Respondents have also upgraded their modal expectation for 10 year Treasury yields to 3-3.25% from 2-2.25% in March.  In the first, almost all investors believed Treausry yields on the 10 year would be below 2.5% by end-2013 and almost
none do now.

Syria is clearly the biggest unknown in the global market at the moment. The good thing is that investors are starting to believe they have a handle on it.

"As long as we stay on the diplomatic path, the dollar should strengthen. But I think the Syria crisis is settling down," said Vlad Signorelli, head of global research of boutique investment firm Brettonwoods Research.

Last Monday, Charlie Rose interviewed Bashar Assad.  Then, Assad said that at least 15% of the opposition to his government is Al Qaeda or coming from Al Qaeda like groups. Rose brushed that off, saying it was just a small percentage and that the rest were legit. What viewers would be loathe to forget however is that it just took 19 guys from Al Qaeda to blow up the World Trade Center 12 years ago, Signorelli pointed out.

Assad insinuated he was not responsible for a chemical weapons attack in August that led Washington to beat the war drums.

The bad: President Bashar al-Assad of Syria . Despite civil unrest for nearly two years, the Syrian strong man is still standing. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The market has largely been discounting Syria since, thanks largely to the Aug. 29 decistion by the British government to oppose a military solution, and a very public plan made by Vladimir Putin to go after Assad's chemical weapons cache before firing missiles into the country.

"I would be short oil at this point," said Signorelli.

For now, the biggest threat from Syria is President Barack Obama giving up on the Putin Plan. He said he was ready for action "in case the diplomatic plan fails".  Until then, it is unlikely that the  U.S. will launch strikes. But if diplomacy does fail, as has been the recent case of U.S. imbroglios in the Middle East, then gold and oil prices would spike up and markets would sell off. Emerging markets would be particularly hard hit as investors tend to sell riskiest assets first.

According to Barclays, when asked what the biggest risk to global equities was over the next three months, 35% said the Fed surprisingly increasing interest rates.

In second place is Syria, with 20% saying the market is not ready for a worsening civil war, especially if it leads to military intervention or spills across borders into Israel.

 

Thanks to political unrest in Syria, the ancient city of Damascus is now the least livable city, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Ten Least Livable Cities

The Best Credit Cards for Your Holiday Shopping

Alamy The holiday shopping season is upon us, and that means you're probably about to spend a whole lot of money: According to the National Retail Federation, the average American will spend about $738 on gifts, decorations and other holiday purchases. And, actually, that's down 2 percent from last year, so perhaps we're all trying to be a hair more frugal. But another way to save on those holiday outlays can be to pick the right card when you get to the checkout counter. So which one should you use? If you're planning on carrying a balance into 2014, the answer is obvious: Whichever card has the lowest rate. But if you're planning on paying off your purchases in full and APRs aren't a concern, then you'll need to consider what ancillary benefits you can get by choosing one card over another. The Rewards Carousel The biggest consideration here is what sort of cash-back rewards you can get out of your card. Usually, you get only 1 percent back, which is a drop in the shopping bucket. But many cards have 5 percent bonus categories that rotate on a quarterly basis. And the good news is that credit-card issuers tend to pick bonus categories for the fourth quarter that line up nicely with where you're likely to spend money for the holidays. Take the Chase (JPM) Freedom card, for instance: This quarter, you can get 5 percent cash-back at Amazon.com (AMZN) and department stores including J.C. Penney (JCP), Sears (SHLD) and Nordstrom. The bad news is that some of the retailers with the lowest prices, including Target (TGT), Walmart (WMT) and warehouse-club stores, are excluded from the deal. Still, if you drop $300 between Macy's and Amazon this holiday season, you're getting back $15 just by using your Freedom card. If you intend to do most of your shopping online, your best bet might be the Discover (DFS) It card, which provides 5 percent cash-back on all online purchases through the end of the year. "As people do more holiday spending online, this is a great benefit," says Ben Woolsey of CreditCards.com. "It's only for the first $1,500 of spending, but most people are spending less than that." Finally, there's the American Express (AXP) Blue Cash Preferred card. It, too, offers bonus cash-back at department stores -- but it's only 3 percent, not the 5 percent you get from the Chase Freedom. And unlike Chase Freedom, it has a $75 annual fee. But the department store cash-back is year-round, so you can still take advantage of it in January if you didn't like any of the clothes you got for Christmas. Plus, that cash-back category isn't capped at $1,500 like most rotating-category cards, so it's a good option for big spenders. Purchase Protection (and Other Big Benefits) ​Plus, that $75 fee also pays for some other benefits that could make it a great option for holiday shopping. American Express cards offer a variety of insurance options on your big gift purchases. "AmEx cards have an extended warranty, which covers up to a year's additional warranty [on your purchase]," says Erik Larson of NextAdvisor, which reviews credit cards and other service. Larson notes that American Express cards also have return protection, meaning that if the store won't take your purchase back, you have up to 90 days to "return" it to American Express and get up to $300 refunded. And there's also purchase protection, which will cover up to $1,000 in damage or theft to your product within 90 days of purchase. So if you're buying a pricier gift like a laptop or TV, you may want to use an American Express card in case anything goes awry. American Express isn't alone in offering such added insurance: MasterCard (MA) credit cards and Visa (V) Signature cards offer similar benefits. And if you buy something with your Citi (C) card and then find it at least $25 cheaper within the next 60 days, the Citi Price Rewind program will refund you the difference. Bonus Rewards Portals If 5 percent cash-back isn't good enough for you, some issuers will give you an extra perk if you do your online shopping via their websites. Take Discover's ShopDiscover program. When you shop through the site, you'll get a cash-back bonus of 5 to 20 percent, and select retailers are increasing their bonuses for the holiday season; Nordstrom and Sears, for instance, are each offering an extra 10 percent bonus, and that's on top of the 5 percent cash-back you're getting for shopping online with the Discover It card. That means that a $500 purchase at Nordstrom made through the ShopDiscover platform will net you $75 in cash-back. That's huge. Discover isn't alone in offering this sort of program -- Chase lets you earn extra rewards when you shop through its Ultimate Rewards portal, netting you a total of 15 percent cash-back at Kohl's, for instance. Before you buy anything online, check to see if your own credit card issuer has any sort of bonus rewards portal that could allow you to drastically increase your cash-back. "If your card has one of these online malls, it might be a good idea to check, because they do have a lot of popular stores," says Larson. A final word of advice: If these sorts of perks sound good to you, and you think you've got a good enough credit score to qualify, you may want to put in an application now. Black Friday is three weeks away, and it could very well take that long for you to get approved and find your card in the mail. You don't want to miss out on the sweet rewards because you took too long to get the right credit card in your wallet.

Have you ever left a store or restaurant without looking at your receipt, only later to find a bogus charge? In most cases, the errors are innocent enough -- maybe the harried waitress at the local drive-thru accidentally tacked on an extra soft drink. Even looking back at own our receipts, we sometimes can't recognize the products we purchased, and we'd never know that there was a glitch unless we were paying close attention.