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Jason Hall

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  • Boone Pickens Just Cashed Chesapeake Out of Clean Energy Fuels: What Should You Do?

    By Jason Hall - June 18, 2013 | Tickers: CHK, CLNE, UPL, WPRT

    Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) has been decreasing it's ownership stake in Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE) for a few months as it looks to get its own house in order. Last week, Clean Energy co-founder, board member, and outspoken proponent of domestic energy T Boone Pickens picked up a $60 million promissory note from Chesapeake for its remaining Clean Energy shares, that will increase his stake in the company more »

  • A Regular Fool's Retirement Portfolio: Retail

    By Jason Hall - June 18, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, COST, SBUX, WFM

    Changes in the retail landscape are creating powerful opportunities for investors. And as someone who's still years from retirement, I'm looking to capitalize on these trends. The companies below are all part of my retirement portfolio, and could be great investments for you, too. 

    The future of retail

    Consumer behaviors have shifted over the past decades. We have learned that the internet is a great place to do more »

  • A Regular Fool's Retirement Portfolio: Better for You Foods

    By Jason Hall - June 18, 2013 | Tickers: CMG, HAIN, SODA, WFM

    When I left my former career in January to work full-time as a writer, including the writing I do here as a Blogger for the Motley Fool, I also rolled over a 401K. This is the fourth in a series of posts that document the companies that I am investing in, and I'm asking readers to follow along as I invest in some of the world's best companies more »

  • A Regular Fool's Retirement Portfolio: The Energy Future

    By Jason Hall - June 17, 2013 | Tickers: CLNE, SCTY, TSLA, UPL, WPRT

    I'm in the middle of rolling over a 401k from my former career, and I'm asking readers to follow along as I invest in some of the world's best companies. Go here to see my portfolio in action, and click on my profile to the right to see other posts about this topic. Will you learn more from my successes, or my failures? Only time will answer more »

  • A Regular Fool's Retirement Portfolio: Finance Stocks

    By Jason Hall - June 12, 2013 | Tickers: AIG, BAC, BRK-B, BOFI, WFC

    When I left my former career in January to work full-time as a writer, including the writing I do here as a Blogger for the Motley Fool, I also rolled over my 401K. Today, I'm starting a series of posts that document the companies that I am investing in, and giving each of you a chance to follow along on this journey. Will you learn from my successes, or more »

  • Are You Reaching for the Brass Ring, or Hanging Over a Cliff?

    By Jason Hall - June 7, 2013 | Tickers: BRK-B, BRK-A, RSP, SPY | Editor's Choice

    Chances are you've heard the phrase "grab the brass ring" before. It comes from the late 19th century, where carousel riders would try to grab rings hung outside the carousel, earning prizes if they grabbed a brass one; hence the phrase, now in popular lexicon as reaching for a goal.

    But like any stretch, there was risk, and while the literal action involved little by way of real risk more »

  • The "False Recovery" Theory: Not So Fast

    By Jason Hall - June 5, 2013 | Tickers: KBH, MTH, PHM, TOL, TREX | Editor's Choice

    Heidi Moore of the Guardian recently described the recovery of the US economy as "false." Much of her premise is based on the rising prices of housing, especially the more recent jumps that are close to levels seen during the bubble, and how she sees them as artificial. From her article:

    So pry between the boards of the housing recovery and the termites start crawling out. Here, you'll find more »

  • Is it Too Late, or Can Panera Still Make You Some Dough?

    By Jason Hall - June 5, 2013 | Tickers: BWLD, CMG, DRI, PNRA | Editor's Choice

    Back in September, I suggested that Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA) was a great long-term investment, and how my wife helped open my eyes to the potential of its particular brand of "fast casual" dining.  While I've always liked Panera, I just didn't really see the upside potential as an investor.  Since the market has been on a pretty strong run in the nearly nine months that have passed more »

  • The Housing Recovery: Don't Be Afraid

    By Jason Hall - June 4, 2013 | Tickers: F, HD, LOW, TREX

    In Peter Lynch's classic book, One Up On Wall Street, he talks about a class of investments he calls "Turnarounds." For the most part, a true Lynch Turnaround has been well-established in its business, and that business has somehow lost its way, sending the stock to the trash heap and investors fleeing in droves.  And while Trex (NYSE: TREX) isn't really a classic Turnaround, there are plenty of more »

  • Microsoft Just Beat Apple to the Living Room: Does it Mean Anything?

    By Jason Hall - May 26, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, GOOG, MSFT

    It's no secret that Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has failed to make a dent in mobile computing while PC sales have sharply declined. While Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) have seen huge growth in the secular shift in how we use computers, Microsoft's single-digit share of the tablet and smartphone market is increasingly making the company less and less relevant in our more connected lives. And for more »

  • When a Good Quarter Isn't Really Good, But It Doesn't Matter Anyway

    By Jason Hall - May 23, 2013 | Tickers: CLNE, RDS-B, RDS-A, TA, WPRT | Editor's Choice

    As we emerge from earnings season, I've taken some time to review a few of my favorite companies and come to terms with where things stand. That's led me to take a hard look at the part of my portfolio that's dedicated to the expansion of natural gas as a transportation fuel. There are a handful of companies that are early in the game:

    Don't let more »

  • When a Bad Quarter Doesn't Really Matter

    By Jason Hall - May 23, 2013 | Tickers: CLNE, CMI, RDS-B, RDS-A, WPRT

    As we emerge from earnings season, I've taken some time to review a few of my favorite companies and come to terms with where things stand.  That's led me to take a hard look at the part of my portfolio that's dedicated to the expansion of natural gas as a transportation fuel. There are a handful of companies that are early in the game.

    Last quarter really more »

  • The New Bubble: Elon Musk?

    By Jason Hall - May 15, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, SCTY, TSLA | Editor's Choice

    I've done very well by Elon Musk, at least in the past few months. But is it coming to an end, and all the recent profits are just the product of a short squeeze?

    Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Solar City (NASDAQ: SCTY) both have prominent places in my portfolio, and unless you've been living under a rock this month, you know how that's worked out for me more »

  • Whole Foods Is Expensive! It's Worth Every Penny

    By Jason Hall - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: HAIN, SWY, SVU, KR, WFM

    After announcing another blowout quarter on May 7, shares of Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) jumped more than 10% the following day, trading as high as $103 per share on the news:

    • Total sales were up 13%; Same-store sales were up an astounding 6.9%
    • Operating Margin was a record- 7.5%
    • Earnings per share (EPS) increased 19%

    Simply put, the company is firing on all cylinders.  But by just more »

  • Sell in May and Go Away: Debunked

    By Jason Hall - May 8, 2013 | Tickers: BRK-B, CMG, RSP, SPY, WFM

    My wife and I are in the market for a new home.  We've been saving for several years, including investing in stocks.  I have started selling shares in order to free up cash for a down-payment. It's been strange, selling shares of companies that I love, and would happily hold for many more years. 

    But it's also a reminder of why we invest in stocks: There isn more »

  • HOG Part II: Pig Rising?

    By Jason Hall - May 7, 2013 | Tickers: BAMXF, HOG, HMC, PII

    This past January, I posted a hard look at one of the quintessential American Brands, Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG), and came to the conclusion that I wanted to see more from the fabled motorcycle maker and cultural icon before making a long-term call.  The plain fact is that Harley has had a tough ride the past few years, nearly going bankrupt during the Great Recession.  It's legacy business model was more »

  • Will Westport Innovations and Clean Energy Fuels' Big Plans Go up in Blue Flames?

    By Jason Hall - May 6, 2013 | Tickers: CLNE, CMI, WPRT

    Famed billionaire oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens recently wrote an op-ed for the Omaha World-Herald, and there are a couple of key points that sums up in large, what Clean Energy Fuels' (NASDAQ: CLNE) - which Pickens helped found and sits on the board of - opportunity is:

    "As to our heavy-duty vehicles — 18-wheelers, trash and refuse trucks, municipal buses and the like — there are more than 8.5 million of those more »

  • The Only Reason You Need to Own Apple Forever

    By Jason Hall - May 3, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, GE, IBM | Editor's Choice

    Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has spent more time in the financial news over the past few years than probably any company on the planet.  And when one considers that it essentially makes and sells only a half-dozen different things, the weekly product-to-article ratio may be the highest in history. And while these articles have run the gamut of subjects, as investors, we have to filter out the "noise," and focus on more »

  • Apple Still Has a Cash Hoard "Problem," and That's Great News

    By Jason Hall - May 3, 2013 | Tickers: AAPL, XOM, GOOG, MSFT | Editor's Choice

    "What will Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) do with its massive cash hoard?"

    This is probably the most reported-upon single aspect of any public company in history.  Millions of words have been written and spoken about this topic: And while they have ranged into the outlandish, like Apple buying Intel, or one of the other several hundred S&P 500 components that the company has enough cash to buy, typically the two more »

  • Betting on the Future of the Retail Experience

    By Jason Hall - April 16, 2013 | Tickers: AMZN, AAPL, SODA, TSLA, WFM

    Every so often, life gives us an opportunity that we can either choose to ignore, or reach out and grab.  That opportunity for me came this year, in the form of walking away from a comfortable job that paid well, I was very good at, and offered a lot of security.

    I walked away without a second thought to do what I am passionate about: write about finance and investing more »

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