Liz Hoffmann

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• 7 Questions for Steve Jobs and Big Data

  By Liz Hoffmann - October 3, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, FB, IBM, SWY, KR, WFM

  Suspend reality for a moment and picture "Big Data" as an actual person.  That's right, the ever-expanding, infinitely enlarging, complex mass of rapidly accumulating data has manifested as a walking, talking entity.  Now let's imagine that this entity/person named "Big Data" sits down for a question and answer session with Steve Jobs (before he passed.)  This is my vision for how the discussion would go:
  
  Question 1 more »

• The 3 things James Bond knows about Big Data

  By Liz Hoffmann - September 26, 2012 | Tickers: EMC, GOOG, HPQ, IBM, ORCL, PG, TDC

  I've watched all the James Bond movies and my favorite scenes always involve high-tech spy gadgets.  You probably have some favorites of your own, but I've always loved the Aston Martin DB5 and the Lotus Esprit that can function as a submarine.  I'd also give high marks to the Stun Gas Cigarette and the ski pole that doubles as a gun.  So what does all this have more »

• One, Two, Three Strikes You're Naked

  By Liz Hoffmann - September 12, 2012 | Tickers: AMZN, AAPL, GRPN, NWSA, VCI

  Hans Cristian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes" entertains and cautions with a tale of an Emperor and two con artists.  The scoundrels promise to design a fabulous new suit of clothes for the vain, royal fashionista and proclaim that this special garb will be invisible  to anyone who's unintelligent, incompetent, or unfit to serve.  So when the new suit is finally "finished" and consists of nothing, neither more »

• One Stock I'm Obsessed With

  By Liz Hoffmann - September 10, 2012 | Tickers: GRPN, WMT

  Numerous articles on investing have been written which sing the praises of "boring."   Both Peter Lynch and King Buffett are fans and agree that when evaluating companies and industries boring is attractive, boring is dependable, boring is profitable.  It's the bland picks that you can count on to deliver in both the short-and long-term. Stocks like P&G, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) and Coca-Cola come to mind.   They have a more »

• The Hottest 5 Stocks in Hell

  By Liz Hoffmann - August 27, 2012 | Tickers: CVS, GRPN, MCD, PFE, YUM

  Many of us who studied English literature back in the day were required to read Dante Alighieri's epic poem Divine Comedy.  The poem was written in the 14th century and still has relevance today.  Specifically, it's the Third Circle of Hell from Dante's Inferno that provides the basis for Dante's 4 hot stock picks.  Let me explain and also do my best not to smear the more »

• 7 Top CEOs Working for Pennies

  By Liz Hoffmann - August 23, 2012 | Tickers: AWK, BRK-B, BRK-A, CIT, GOOG, ISRG, MNST, WFM

  These days, we're all on the look out for a great value.  Whether we're buying household goods, travel services, or large-ticket items we want to get the most for our money.  So when it comes to the top CEOs, perhaps we should also consider them in terms of value.  How much is their total compensation and how does that correspond to the leadership that they provide for the more »

• Get Revved Up about this Undervalued Automaker

  By Liz Hoffmann - August 13, 2012 | Tickers: F, GM

  Say "Ford Motor Company" out loud and you'll get a variety of responses.  Car enthusiasts may gush about the 1908 Model T, the iconic Ford Thunderbird, and the '66 Mustang.  Engineers may mention Henry Ford as a pioneer of the assembly-line technique and vertical integration approach.  Or a historian may point out that Ford was one of the few companies to survive the Great Depression, and not participate in more »

• Mark's IPO Dream

  By Liz Hoffmann - August 6, 2012 | Tickers: FB, GNC, SAVE, TLLP

  It's 7 pm PST on 1601 Willow Road in Menlo Park, Calif., and the sun is setting on the corporate headquarters of Facebook.  And in those offices, a young man named Mark who's been working late opens up the windows and lets the warm breeze waft in and caress his face.  It's been a long day for him, and bathed in the amber glow of the setting more »

• Zombie Apocalypse Part II, Facebook Feeding Time

  By Liz Hoffmann - August 2, 2012 | Tickers: FB, GOOG, GRPN, LNKD

  A couple of weeks ago I took a look at Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) because the stock had reached a new low of $7.22 per share (since then share price has slipped even further to $6.35).  Some analysts were and still are in favor of buying it.  However, based on my Zombie Apocalypse or Epic Buying Opportunity analysis, investing in Groupon is analogus to zombie investing.  Zombie investors are more »

• The Birds and the Bees, and the Apples?

  By Liz Hoffmann - July 29, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, FB, GOOG

  The Internet has been abuzz lately with rumors that Apple may acquire a stake in Twitter.  Granted, the discussions between these two newsworthy darlings may have taken place over a year ago, but who cares?  It's still exciting to contemplate the before, the during, and the after-the-fact!  Maybe it's just the unbridled enthusiasm that courses through my veins when it comes to the genius in simplicity that is more »

• A Supermodel Stock with Attractive Fundamentals

  By Liz Hoffmann - July 29, 2012 | Tickers: LTD, MFB, JNY, WRC, VFC

  Victoria's Secret is synonymous with sex appeal and intimate apparel.  Therefore, parent company Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD) is a supermodel stock because it has attained "celebrity status" (definition of a supermodel) with the Victoria's Secret brand.  Certain proof flows from the glossy red lips of supermodel extraordinaire Heidi Klum (do I have your attention now?)  When Heidi smiles her megawatt smile and gushes that "being a Victoria more »

• Can Michael Phelps Resuscitate this Stock?

  By Liz Hoffmann - July 24, 2012 | Tickers: LTD, MFB, JNY, WRC, VFC

  "Swimmers, take your mark."  These are the words that Michael Phelps will hear time and again at the Summer Olympics in London, when he takes his place at the starting blocks.  They are also the very same words that I heard every summer as a kid, when I swam competitively all across the Northeast.  I still swim today and so those words, a Lycra swim cap, goggles and a racing more »

• Zombie Apocalypse or Epic Buying Opportunity?

  By Liz Hoffmann - July 20, 2012 | Tickers: AMZN, GIS, GRPN, KRFT, PG |

  We've all heard the hype about an impending Zombie Apocalypse.  You know, the day when some random nuclear event awakens, animates, and emboldens zombies everywhere. Hungry zombies will roam the countryside in throngs, seeking out that broken-down bus of hapless tourists.  The tourists will be stuck in the middle of the woods, it will be either dawn or twilight, and every single one of them will be immobilized with more »

• Sex, Drugs, and Paper Towels

  By Liz Hoffmann - July 16, 2012 | Tickers: CVS, ESRX, WAG

  Why this drug retailer may be just what the doctor ordered.

• 50 Shades of Red Lipstick

  By Liz Hoffmann - July 12, 2012 | Tickers: AIG, AAPL, BEAM, JNJ, KR

  What do 50 shades of red lipstick have to do with stock picks?  Well, if you're a portfolio manager with a coterie of wealthy female clients, it would be in your best interest to understand exactly why there are 50 shades.  If lipstick were a product for men, there would be one shade and one shade only. And, it would be called "red." But for women, we need at more »

• How Do You Put a Price on Love?

  By Liz Hoffmann - July 6, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, LTD, MSFT, PETM, WFM

  If you love a product, you will most likely buy that product, and your price sensitivity will be inversely proportional to how strong your feelings are.  Add to that a company that is well-run, and it only makes sense that in combination with "love," this stock will outperform its competitors over time.  I am a former marketing person, as well as an undisciplined investor and yet when it comes to more »