3 Stocks To Buy And 1 To Avoid

The total revenue for the first quarter was $26.4 billion. This was 3.76% below the $27.4 earnings from the first quarter of 2011. The company appears to be making headway in a difficult economy. The bank has nearly a zero interest rate to borrow from the Fed Window and lend money to for gross profits.

Marty Whitman's core emphasis was on finding value and studying the balance sheet. Microsoft Corporation has the ideal balance sheet for a retiree. The balance sheet provides in broad outline $60 billion to deal with the changing innovation environment.

I would 100% recommend Microsoft as a portfolio position due to their business model, great brand name, and growth opportunities in the e-book industry and cloud computing. Microsoft has the balance sheet to weather difficult economic time and come out a winner. Levered companies, just as Citigroup, are less likely to come out of the at once major economic downturn. I would argue that the 'too big to fail' idea ends at some point.

The internet has made information "commoditized" for all investors. Long term investors are best served via investing in quality companies and enjoying the dividends and capital appreciation. Information does have value, nevertheless not the "get rich quick" type of investing. Investing is not easy or every investor would sell at the top and buy at the bottom.