Michael Brisky

The Beauty of Investing in Real Estate Through Brookfield Properties

His process usually shows readers his case for buying it, and he then updates when he buys the actual stock. I believe Todd owns BPO now.


On Aug 18 08:54 AM mdpath wrote:

> I don't get it. You write this glowing article about the company
> but having no position in the company diminishes the value of your
> write up.

Rail Traffic, Another 'Reality' Indicator, Is Down

That link didn't work right, but you can find it right on AAR's page.


On Jul 20 01:43 PM Michael Brisky wrote:

> Here's a link to 2008 freight data via the Association of American
> Railroads, for those interested.
>
> www.aar.org/~/media/AAR/Industry%...

Rail Traffic, Another 'Reality' Indicator, Is Down

Here's a link to 2008 freight data via the Association of American Railroads, for those interested.

www.aar.org/~/media/AAR/Industry%...

Another "Reality" Indicator- Rail Traffic Down

I do like to follow these indicators to get a gauge on the economy. But its also important to realize that the stock market isn't reacting to these indicators right now either. So, if you're in the market now, you have to be aware of what the market is going off of (earnings reports, in particular, no matter how bad revenues or year over year earnings are-as long as they "beat" estimates, the stock goes up, etc.) Thanks for the comment.

Book Review: The Gone Fishin' Portfolio by Alexander Green

He includes bonds into the actual Gone Fishin' portfolio itself.

-10% Inflation-Adjusted Bonds
-10% High-Grade Bonds
-10% High-Yield Bonds

He does go into depth on each of these, and I particularly enjoyed his section on high yield bonds (its just a page or two).

Overall, its a pretty basic, but solid portfolio for the average investor. Its important to keep costs low, and Vanguard is the best for that.


On Jul 19 06:04 PM whidbey wrote:

> Did he say anything about a bond portfolio?
>
> Some (maybe me too) are saying the man from Wharton is wrong about
> Stocks for the Long run. My take after looking at the data available
> is that a good case can be made for bonds. Nothing is fool proof
> if a recession coincides with your retirement date.
>
> Thanks, I like your work.

Recession Rule #1: Cash Is King

Although the common trend is "trading up" as technology gets better and cheaper, I'm concerned about the next year or two. I agree Apple has very loyal customers, but I'm wondering about the person on the fence that wanted to "upgrade" to a Mac. Will they justify $1000+ vs half that?

Mac sales did decline 1% last month, but I'd have to see it a little longer before I'd consider it a trend.


On Jan 11 06:28 PM Roger Knights wrote:

> "Nokia’s goal of increasing its market share in 2009 may also be
> assisted by the trend of consumers “trading down” to cheaper mobiles.
>
>
> "This is exactly what I've been talking about. Apple (seekingalpha.com/symbo...)
> to PC, Blackberry (seekingalpha.com/symbo...) to Nokia,
> Macy's (seekingalpha.com/symbo...) to Wal-Mart (seekingalpha.com/symbo...)...
> Not by choice, but necessity."
>
> The actual trend is for basic cell phone consumers to trade up to
> smartphones, and for PC users to trade up to Macs. It's legendary
> that Mac users are loyal to their platform. ("Once you bite, you're
> bitten," is the way I put it.) "Switchers" come from the PC side.
> Macs' share of the microcomputer market has been growing steadily,
> as has been widely reported.

ABB Ltd: A Look at Electricity Infrastructure

Thanks for posting this. I anticipate more of these type of orders to be upcoming.


On Dec 16 05:55 AM Matt_the_Batt wrote:

> good news come around:
>
> news.morningstar.com/n...

Why Did Warren and Hank Invest in Goldman?

I think he made the investment in GS for 2 reasons:

1)Goldman attracts the best talent (he said it himself)

2)He knew the government wouldn't let it fail

ABB Ltd: A Look at Electricity Infrastructure

Thank you for some of your comments. As for the news regarding price fixing allegations, it was bad timing. I had the article written on the 11th, and posted to my blog on the 12th. It takes some time for articles to get posted onto other sites, and in this case it took a couple of days. I'm not an analyst, but an individual investor gathering data and passing it along in hopes to help other investors. I can assure you there are no other motives. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Will Eaton Continue Its Shopping Spree to Keep Up with Earnings?

Nice analysis of Eaton. Interest in the stock has seems to jump a bit due to the Berkshire disclosure. Good point about the fact that it may not even be Buffett buying. I saw an interview with him recently where they asked him about Berkshire selling stakes in BAC, HD, and LOW. He said anytime there are smaller stakes in stocks (which the Eaton stake is), it often isn't him. Quality appears to be there, but they have taken on some added debt, and the exposure to autos is a question mark as well. But, the stock is getting pretty cheap.