There is a company that has long been one of the top holdings in the mutual funds of legendary asset manager Ron Baron. I wondered why Mr. Baron has, for so long, put so much faith in this entity. I did some research and discovered the answer was literally encapsulated… Read More

Gold prices continued to hit historic highs Wednesday, approaching $1,240 an ounce after closing at a record high Tuesday. The yellow metal is hitting new peaks as investors grow worrisome over the European debt crisis and the $1 trillion rescue package meant to help Greece and other… Read More

How many times have you walked through the aisles of your local grocery store and mindlessly grabbed items off the shelf that are staples of your home? Things like spaghetti sauce, dish soap, shampoo, paper towels… the little necessities life requires. How many times have you plucked… Read More

The ramifications of the credit crisis in the insurance industry are still being determined as regulators throughout the globe are scrambling to settle on the appropriate capital levels and financial cushions these firms must satisfy to stave off a future calamity. But despite the worries, conditions are quickly returning to… Read More

The saying goes something like this: “I have two words for you, ‘real estate‘.” These days, a lot of people may feel that those are actually dirty words. However, there are many different kinds of real estate, and one kind that never goes out of fashion. It’s… Read More

If you simply looked at the -20% drop in shares of Leapfrog (NYSE: LF) this morning, you’d think that the educational toy maker had lost its way. Yes, the company’s quarterly sales and profit results trailed forecasts, but they still represented a sharp improvement from year-ago results. Considering many investors had written this company off as a goner just 18 months ago when sales were in freefall and operating losses were seemingly open-ended, +42% year-over-year sales growth in the first quarter has to be considered a victory. Read More

If you simply looked at the -20% drop in shares of Leapfrog (NYSE: LF) this morning, you’d think that the educational toy maker had lost its way. Yes, the company’s quarterly sales and profit results trailed forecasts, but they still represented a sharp improvement from year-ago results. Considering many investors had written this company off as a goner just 18 months ago when sales were in freefall and operating losses were seemingly open-ended, +42% year-over-year sales growth in the first quarter has to be considered a victory. Of course, some of the shareholder base exiting the stock this morning jumped in when Leapfrog posted scorching results last quarter, which is the company’s seasonally most important period. But make no mistake, management has helped fuel a remarkable turnaround by maintaining investments in R&D that are now paying off. Rivals such as Mattel (NYSE: MAT) and Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) have had a number of years now to try and dethrone Leapfrog and its various “edutaining” platforms (the nexus of entertainment and education). Now that Leapfrog looks healthier – and not… Read More

The plot thickens. Investors have even more to chew on regarding Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) as possible criminal charges hit the rumor mill, and the Oracle of Omaha expresses his unabashed support. Shares fell about -20% after the Securities and Exchange Commission… Read More

This year’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) annual meeting in Omaha provided CEO Warren Buffett to tackle really one main topic — The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS). Buffett, always the teacher, explained the transaction at issue, analyzed what Goldman did and what it should have done (which… Read More

Very early Saturday morning I’ll leave my farm in North Central Kansas and drive to Omaha for a sit-down with Warren Buffett at the Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) annual meeting. With his longtime partner and vice chairman Charlie Munger, Buffett will speak without notes and answer every question until the… Read More

We all like to stock our portfolio with some high-growth/high-potential names along with some more conservative investments to sleep well at night. With the stock market now approaching the 14-month point of a remarkable bull run, it may be time to add another conservative… Read More