I met Mr. Miller at the race track on Friday. Mr. Miller is easy to spot in the racing crowd...an octogenarian in a three-piece suit pushing an aluminum walker. Every Friday afternoon, his daughter pulls the walker from the rear hatch of her Range Rover and deposits her father onto the wide promenade, about a city block from the main turnstiles. He patiently pushes the walker under the broad reach of a precise row of live oaks, past manicured drifts of crimson azaleas, until he arrives at the entrance.

I was not meeting Mr. Miller to egotistically bring some sunshine to this old man, a philosophical soul who had long before learned how to find his own sunshine. His child-like smile was completely engaging, as it probably was thirty years earlier when he was feared as a merciless corporate attorney. Nowadays he daily girds himself in the same uniform of

As a silver investor, I do the happy dance when one of my favorite miners announces a big jump in proven reserves due to an official geological resource evaluation. A positive NI 43-101 report, as it is known in the industry, consistently provides an impetus for appreciation of the stock as more ounces are "discovered" in the mine area.

This is especially true in the case of exploratory companies that do not produce silver, but expect to lure a buyout with the promise of rich resources that others can extract. However, investors would scatter like rats from a sinking ship if the proven reserves of an exploratory silver miner actually dropped, even though not a single ounce was produced. This is the situation that could develop industry-wide after an expected flood of reserve revaluations this year. This article will explain why the math is about to turn negative, possibly tolling

TETRA Technologies, Inc. (TTI), a technology-based oil well services company, has been exhibiting indications that a takeover of the company may be in the works. A bid for TTI would be a windfall for shareholders, and this article presents the case for a potential buyout, based on recent technical clues in the stock's behavior. We also believe there are fundamental and operational reasons that TTI is a prime buyout candidate.

TETRA Technologies' Desirable Operations

TTI operates in five divisions, and some of these may be attractive to a potential buyer, and some may be candidates for resale after a buyout.

Fluids Division. This division derives revenue from calcium chloride sales and fluids management to oil and gas and other sectors, both for shale plays and offshore operations of its customers. TTI operates its own plant in Arkansas to produce the calcium chloride, which enables it to be cost

One investment sector that should be a no-brainer for the next decade is healthcare for the baby-boomer generation. Additionally, the worldwide obesity epidemic has opened opportunities for companies addressing that problem. However, as reimbursements are under the microscope, some investors have been tentative about bidding up healthcare stocks. In particular, medical device stocks have been laggards, as concerted efforts to reign in healthcare costs for these products would pressure revenue, margins and cash flow.

Companies in the medical device and equipment sector invest enormous amounts in research and development, and they generally require a marketing network to get their inventions off the ground. Years of planning and investment can finally turn around negative returns and yield good profits for the long term. This article features two such enterprises that are at that important inflection point, but have been obscured by the current negativity towards this group and other short-term obstacles.

Investors in Sandstorm Gold (SAND), the aggressive gold-streaming company, have been in shock over the precipitous drop in the share price over the past 30 days. In that time period, the price of gold has dropped 6%, but SAND has lost 30% of its value. This is in addition to a 20% plunge from its high of $15 only last fall.

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On February 19, 2013, Sandstorm Gold announced its full year 2012 results and conducted a conference call. Shareholders were not soothed, as the stock fell 8% on five times the normal trading volume that day alone. This article is to explain our view on the reasons for the recent weakness in this stock, and if this is an omen of worse things to come or a great buying opportunity.

For those not familiar with Sandstorm Gold, it became a public company in 2010, and

In the latest wave of yearly predictions, most analysts are touting industrial stocks for 2013. One reason is because this group has under-performed in the bull market of the past few years, and values are relatively attractive. Another is that industrial companies generally reflect the cyclical nature of the overall economy, which seems to be improving. Most economists expect further US and global recovery in 2013, with double-dip recession fears fading in the rear view mirror.

Of course, now that industrials have entered the spotlight, the obvious plays have been bid up. The following chart of the NASDAQ Industrial segment indicates the relatively flat return over the past two years until the dawn of 2013. The recent 17% rise is more than double that of the market in general in the past two months.

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This article will look at an industrial stock that has not participated in

Financial advisors warn us against falling in love with our investments. That is easy to say, but most investments are based upon some enticing attributes that encourage passionate expectations. The decision to buy a stock is usually followed by jubilation that we were able to capture such a gem, but all too frequently that thrill does not last. If too many times the honeymoon with your new stock has ended prematurely, maybe the companies in this article can put the romance back in your investing.

As an analyst, I fall easy for companies with high growth, big dividends or sexy businesses, only to discover after hours of investigation that the company has a dark side. Those short-lived affairs are frustrating, but not as heartbreaking as the unexpected disappointments from a company after the investment is consummated.

Perhaps the most egregious of these surprises is when a company reports great revenue

There are dangers in predicting the direction of financial markets. The majority of the analyst forecasts we have reviewed indicate that the bull will continue the stampede in 2013. Few of these seem to account for what we consider to be some of the major influences over the markets in 2011 and 2012, which will undoubtedly come into play this year also. This article is to flesh out our expectations for 2013, and we will provide a few investments that are aligned with that outlook at the conclusion.

The Market Timer's Hall of Fame is an empty room

In August 1982, I published an investment newsletter, Stock Action, and I called, almost to the exact day, the generational bottom to the DJIA at 800. I was too young to know the danger of contrarian predictions, and that lucky call was partly made for the wrong reasons. I have since

Now that we investors are embarking on a new year, it is a good time to review the performance of stocks that we featured in an article on Seeking Alpha last year. We updated our dividend stock selections in an article last July, and we consolidated the best of those into one portfolio going forward. This article is to update our followers on the status of those "best-of-the-best" dividend stocks.

The most innovative and efficient company ever must surely be the ACME Company from Loony Tunes fame. After all, Wile E. Coyote could order unique products such as a jet-propelled pogo stick or dehydrated boulders, and the goods would be delivered almost instantaneously in some desolate corner of the world. The R & D department of ACME must have been the greatest think tank the world has known, and the delivery department worked miracles. More than a hundred "game changing" products were introduced by Acme during its cartoon monopoly. Here is the catalog of the wacky products offered by the ACME Company.

In its niche, the modern version of this fabled enterprise is Acme United Corp. (ACU). This enterprise has been in operation since 1867, manufacturing and marketing a variety of cutting-edge instruments; that is, cutting edges such as scissors, industrial cutters, knives, saws, medical instruments

My mom could not abide show-offs. As a boy, I imagined how great it would be to "leap tall buildings in a single bound" during the introduction of the Superman episode on our little black-and-white television. My mom contended that Clark Kent should be my role model. She favored substance over show, and she thought that the Superman alter ego was the epitome of a "mild-mannered" everyman who humbly disguised his exceptional powers with an old suit and rimmed glasses.

Superior Uniform Group (SGC) is a mundane enough moniker to cause most analysts to turn the page in favor of a bio-something or leading-edge tech stock. In this case, first impressions are deceiving. It is true that this micro-cap uniform manufacturer completes in a mature industry, but this unassuming front does not hint at the special situation that could make this a portfolio superhero.

The stock has been

While the political parties both can make the case that their presidential candidate will be better for the economy, not all companies will benefit equally from the final verdict. If Mitt Romney becomes the next president, we think that some stocks will be losers and others winners, but if we had to pick only one using the election angle it would be EDAC Technologies Corporation (EDAC).

Although we are cynical after the bad-tasting campaign baloney being served by both parties, we will try to be apolitical about the investment rationale for this pick. However, in making this case, we will need to reiterate some of the campaign positions, even though they may be controversial.

EDAC Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides design, manufacturing, and services for tooling, fixtures, molds, jet engine components, and machine spindles in the aerospace and industrial markets. In the buildup to the election, much has

A quiet surge in small retail shops is improving the outlook for real estate investment trusts (REITs) that have exposure to that market. I receive a lot of letters from analysts, and there are a few that I actually take seriously. I was perusing the T. Rowe Price letter to investors in their Real Asset Portfolio, a mutual fund of REITS, energy and metal stocks. One comment in particular caught my eye:

Local strip shopping centers also fared well as occupancy gains were achieved within the "small shop" category, which suggested that the economic recovery was broadening beyond national tenants. This was reflected in small-shop occupancy gains for Regency Centers (REG).

This should have come as no surprise to me as I have noted in my travels that seedy strip malls are being renovated and attracting more upscale tenants. Mom and Pop sandwich shops, insurance agents, beauty spas

In 1969, I was a teenage undergrad at Cox School of Business on the Southern Methodist University campus. In Entrepreneurship 101, we had a guest speaker, the legendary restaurateur, Norman Brinker. At the time, he was not legendary, but the young owner of a diner called Brink's, located on the hip-hot apartment row in Dallas.

Mr. Brinker later became the founder of several restaurant chains that were acquired by NYSE companies, and he is the founder of Brinker International (EAT), anchored by Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy brands. Among the wisdom that Brinker shared with the class of young entrepreneurs was that restaurant success started with knowing your market and offering delicious food. I latched on to Brinker's shooting star early, and EAT is now making all-time highs as its stock has lost no luster in 35 years.

We recently rebalanced portfolios, and found that we

Just because an enterprise is in the business of producing products that help society in general does not necessarily mean that it can meet free market investment criteria. Consider three investment pure plays in the "socially responsible" segment:

---Imagine the cost advantage that a manufacturer could gain by substantially reducing the need for platinum, palladium and rare elements in its catalytic converters, while more efficiently controlling pollution.

---How big is the market for software and systems that can dramatically improve learning of challenged students and the teaching efficiency of underperforming schools?

---The market dominance should be overwhelming for a company with technology to manufacture solar collector components that make previous processes obsolete, facilitating U.S. energy independence.

Although these companies have developed genuine technological advances in their niches, they are struggling with historically low prices and muted investor interest. Each one of these enterprises is greatly dependent on

We have arrived at the midpoint of 2012, and it is an appropriate time to reevaluate the stocks that have been featured in our articles during the first six months. This article will focus on our precious metal investments, and we will determine if they deserve to stay in the portfolio. We will also reevaluate our projections for the metals market and if those should be modified.

This is the second installment in this series of three portfolio updates. The first update evaluated our High-dividend Portfoilio, and our next article in this series will update our Growth Stock Portfolio.

The general performance of the Precious Metals Portfolio mirrors the performance of the metals, although some stocks outshine others. We need to determine how many of the losses are the effect of the general market and how many are attributable to the stocks themselves. The table below lists the precious

Every few months I take a road trip from my base in Dallas to our little spread in northern New Mexico. I have made this trip dozens of times, but the trip last week was different. I noticed on the way to New Mexico that I was passing long caravans of trucks. It appeared to me that the truck transportation industry is busier than I can remember -- perhaps a good sign for trucking-related stocks.

On the monotonous stretch of West Texas interstate, we play road games. My "better half" wrote down the names on the trucks we passed from Tucumcari, N.M., until the GPS told me to exit in Amarillo to Famous Dave's Barbeque (DAVE) for some "hands on" research into a portfolio holding. In that 112-mile stretch, we noted 47 different trucking companies and several carriers with multiple rigs on the highway. When I got back to Big

I never liked Energy Royalty Trusts. I am a Texan, and I have seen the best oil properties reserved for the insiders, and all the marginal ones lumped into royalty trusts for public consumption. However, the older I get the more I recognize that I can learn new things, and maybe it is time to revisit the benefits of these high-yielding investments in a low-interest-rate environment.

The recent decline in the price of oil has made some of these trusts 30% cheaper, with 10%+ yields, possibly creating opportunities for contrarian investors. This article compares the pros and cons of royalty trusts, and we will look at some publicly traded investments with big income distributions.

Royalty Trusts (RTs) generally invest in energy sector assets. Royalty trusts generate income from the production and sale of natural resources such as coal, oil, and natural gas. Unlike the relatively steady pipeline-operation cash flows