| Simon Ramseier |
Besides a couple of index funds, I currently have the following stocks in my deposit at Ameritrade:
Berkshire Hathaway (Class B) - BRKB
Berkshire Hathaway is the company lead by investing guru Warren Buffett.
It invests in a lot of different companies, most of them rather "boring",
such as re-insurance, home construction, furniture stores and so on. Warren
Buffett is a master of buying excellent companies at a low price and then holding
them while they become more and more valuable. He has a very unique approach
to leading the company, and his letters
to the shareholders are an excellent read.
Bought on 2001-1-31 for $2278. More
info at Yahoo! Finance
Cheesecake Factory - CAKE
A restaurant chain featuring upscale casual dining. I love their food, and I
do not seem to be the only one - the wait time for a table was between 60 and
120 minutes every time I have been to one of their restaurants.
Bought on 2005-4-19 for $33.89. More
info at Yahoo! Finance
Northwest Pipe - NWPX
Northwest Pipe is a maker of steel pipes - large diameter pipes used for
water transportation, and small diameter pipes for irrigation and so on. The
company is managed well, and the market is interesting; steel is the material
of choice for long water lines, and during the next years and decades, cities
across the USA will have to replace old water systems worth billions of dollars.
Bought on 2001-4-3 for $14.25. More
info at Yahoo! Finance
Starbucks - SBUX
Who doesn't know this coffee house chain? Grown from a small local company
to a large international chain, and no ending to the growth in view.
Bought on 2000-10-2 for $16.56. More
info at Yahoo! Finance
Trustreet Properties, Preferred A - TSY-A
Trustreet Propierties is a REIT (real estate investment trust). I bought this
when it was US Restaurant Properties, who owned land and rented it to restaurant
companies. After the merger with a competitor, they also engage in real estate
financing. The common stock would be a risky investment, the financial situation
is not too great, but the preferred shares are a bit safer. I bought them because
they pay an annual dividend of $1.93. At the price at which I bought them, this
is a dividend of 11.4% - not bad.
Bought on 2001-3-28 for $16.98. More
info at Yahoo! Finance
More information on other sites: The Motley Fool