BR

BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS INC. $20 (New York symbol BR; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 139.3 million; Market cap: $2.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; WSSF Rating: Extra Risk) provides communication, processing and other back-office services to the investment industry. By outsourcing these activities to Broadridge, its clients can focus on their main businesses. Its clients include 250 banks, 500 …read more »

Broadridge is unique in the financial sector. For over 40 years, the company has built up its investor-communications business and now dominates this niche industry. Its securities-clearing division makes short-term loans to brokers, which exposes it to some credit risk. But these loans are safer than subprime mortgages or credit-card debt. The company should also continue to profit as more …read more »

FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS $364.55 (Toronto symbol FFH: SI Rating: Average) (416-367- 2612; www.fairfax.ca; Shares outstanding: 16.8 million; Market cap: $6.1 billion) is a financial-services holding company with assets of $27.9 billion. Fairfax engages in insurance, reinsurance and investment management. Prem Watsa is the company’s chairman and founder. Fairfax trades at a high price, but you can buy an odd lot …read more »

BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS $16.60 (New York symbol BR: SI Rating: Extra Risk) (201-714-3000; www.broadridge.com; Shares outstanding: 140.3 million; Market cap: $2.3 billion) has bought Access Data Corp. for an undisclosed amount.

Access Data sells software and related services to financial firms. These include over 40 mutual fund companies that together manage a combined $3 trillion of mutual fund assets.

Adding Access Data …read more »

Green stocks have a lot of conceptual and emotional appeal, but may offer limited investment potential. Investments in environmental or green stocks may need a long time to move from the research or concept stage to profitability in the face of high initial costs and uncertain government subsidies. So they may not be profitable for investors.

It’s hard to set …read more »

A few years ago, many investors valued drug stocks the way they value the top software makers, bidding them up to 30 or more times earnings. However, drug stocks are riskier than investors generally realize.

Because of that, while drug stocks can show fantastic profits, it might be more appropriate to value drug makers the way you value companies that are …read more »

We’ve got four key Successful Investor investing for beginners tips that will help you profit from stock investing with less risk.

No matter how widely or narrowly you cast your information net, some of your investments will disappoint you. But that won’t matter if you apply these three tips. That’s because your near-inevitable gains will overwhelm your all-but-unavoidable losses.

Successful Investor …read more »

Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs, don’t load you up with heavy management fees, nor do they tie you down with heavy redemption charges if you decide to get out before six years have passed. Instead, they give you a lower-cost and more flexible and convenient alternative to mutual funds.
The problem is that ETFs are just as helpful for facilitating smart …read more »

Trading stocks online can look like a great way to build wealth. But it’s fraught with risks, and only really works when stock prices are rising steadily. Investors who see early success in a bull market can face devastating losses when markets retreat.
Today, you often see references to trading stocks online in the media, as if there’s something magical about …read more »

Penny stocks tend to be more speculative, and are engaged in such things as finding mineral deposits that can be mined at a profit, commercializing an unproven technology or launching new software applications.

Because success in these endeavours is so rare, it’s all the more important to look for investment quality in your penny stocks.

It’s hard for any new company to …read more »