Invest Like a Woman
Erin is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
I've read in many sources that the Oracle himself, Warren Buffett, "invests like a woman." I've found more than a few books suggesting that the smartest investing techniques include investing with your heart or gut, just like a woman would. So I stopped and asked myself, as a woman, what does my gut tell me to do?
My gut says to go invest in the companies whose products and services I use the most. Let's take a quick inventory of what I am using right this very minute, and then look up the stocks.
Dr Pepper Ten - a product of the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. (NYSE: DPS). A nice, stable stock from the third largest sodamaker in North America. If you like the new Dr Pepper Ten as much as I do, you too would see the benefit in investing here!
Philips TV - A product of Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) of the Netherlands is a diversified Health and Well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. One quick look at the downward trend of their stock over the past year, and my gut says no.
Samsung phone - Samsung Electronics' original shares are traded in the Korean exchange market. GDR commons are listed in London market and GDR preferred are listed in Luxembourg markets. I hate my phone so much that you couldn't convince me to put my money in this company, even if they did sell more smartphones than Apple. If my phone is indicative of their products, I don't want to encourage them. I'd rather invest in Apple.
Amazon - one quick look under the Christmas tree and I can see several boxes from Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). I'll wait a few more days to see if I was alone in using the shopping behemoth to do my Christmas shopping, but my gut says I want to continue seeing Amazon provide their great services for a long time to come!
Google - who are we kidding? I've used Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) several times while writing this piece. They've been trending up for a few months now. And quite frankly, considering how many times a day hour I use them, it is only good manners that I should give something back to them and invest!
3M - from my perch I can see several different 3M (NYSE: MMM) products, from dust remover to duct tape to Post-It Notes, I owe much of my daily success to this company. Check out "The American Icon That's Poised for Growth" (and consult your own desktop), and you'll see I'm not alone!
My gut says to go with what I know, and to invest in companies that I use regularly. What products do you use? Do you invest in them?
Erin McBride does not own stock in any of the mentioned companies.
Erin McBride is a writer, dreamer, and blogger. From finance to politics to dating, she has an opinion on everything. You can check out her latest political rants at http://SwingStateVoter.blogspot.com or join her on twitter at Twitter.com/swingstatevoter.
