I mean it when I say that. While plastic silverware is fine for picnics and parties, it is totally inappropriate in a surgeon's hand with an open brain in front of him. Not only are plastic forks built incorrectly to perform delicate surgery, their cheap construction may actually cause further injury to the patient. I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't want someone prodding around inside my head with one of those things! Ok, I'm joking. The truth of the matter is that you already knew that plastic forks were not meant to be used for brain surgery....

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Right now there doesn't seem to be any "gold fever". Very few are out looking to strike it rich in this sector. Way back when at Sutter's Mill in California the discovery of gold was accidental. One of Sutter's employees picked up a shiny stone out of the stream and suddenly the fever caught everyone. Gold fever is one of the most catching and dangerous "diseases" that has afflicted man since the beginning of time. Many have died or gone broke chasing this elusive element. We are about to see it happen again....

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The debate rages all over Eastern and Central Europe, in countries in transition as well as in Western Europe. It raged in Britain during the 80s: Is privatization really the robbery in disguise of state assets by a select few, cronies of the political regime? Margaret Thatcher was accuse of it - and so was the Agency of Transformation in the Republic of Macedonia. At what price should the companies owned by the State have been sold? This question is not as simple and straight forward as it sounds....

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You must take the time once a month to review your investment portfolio. It won't take long - less than one hour, maybe 15 minutes. I don't believe the average working person or business owner should own anything but mutual funds because these are the easiest to buy and evaluate. However, if you do own some stocks the first thing to ask yourself is if each issue is selling for more than you paid for it. If it isn't you must realize this is not where you want to have your money so the best course of action is to sell it NOW and put those funds into some other stock or fund that is going up....

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One of the great truisms of Wall Street is "Don't fight the Fed". For the long term investors this has resulted in greater profits. When the Federal Reserve Board hikes interest rates look out and when the do it 3 times in a row it is called "3 jumps and a stumble". We have just gone through the stumble and it has been costly. When you go back in history you will find that the stock market has almost always gone down substantially after the Fed has jumped interest rates 3 time in a row. As of this writing the Fed has lowered rates twice and we are looking for a third cut very soon....

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The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) is not operating successfully. True, some of the parameters which we use to measure the success of a stock exchange have lately improved in the MSE. For instance, the monthly money volume has increased together with the number of transactions. But this is a far cry from success. Who is to blame? Is the current management of the MSE incompetent? I do not think so. Actually, I think the MSE has an excellent management team, doing their best to incorporate new trading techniques and to list new firms....

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Even if you don't own any of their stock or any stock at all you will want to read this. What Enron corporate officers did with their accounting firm is nothing new. It has been going on for years, but recently has become more egregious. Hiding facts from stockholders by showing Annual Reports with tiny footnotes has been happening for years. Even experienced accountants have trouble understanding what various financial statements mean. What chance does the little investor have? And that is the whole idea....

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Refuse is a serious issue in any society, about as serious as cleaning the water and air, even more so to some degree, especially if you study your history with regards to the plague. This is why it is considered one of the better long-term hold stocks to have in one's portfolio. Today people are living much longer generally due to cleaner living environments, proper trash disposal, sewer treatment plants and a relatively clean civilization. When building owners cut costs to keep their investments you have a considerable risk when you lengthen the time between trash intervals, even worse when the garbage companies cut corners or in one case an Environmental Company which is Canadian Based allowed untreated chemicals into where they should not be....

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The trash business in its efforts to cook their books trying to keep pace may find itself in some trouble. The efficiency per Garbage Truck unit numbers was growing exponentially at a time when consolidation has slowed as there is a decreasing number of worthy deals to make for a good value, Ah ha Warren Buffet's favorite remarks are here too. Not because we read all his essays but because in this regard and subject matter he is correct. Wayne Hiezenga in his expansion efforts battled the mob based trash companies, mom and pop shops and the interference from regulators and government being used and manipulated by the said competition in an effort to keep the norm without innovating, lowering costs for consumers or even attempting to better themselves....

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1. Do not spread your money too thin. My friend has a little over $200,000 invested in the stock market through 27 different Mutual funds. In my opinion, 27 Mutual funds is 27 too many collecting load fees, management fees, commission fees, operating and advertising fees. Diversity is important, but just as important is over-diversification. Also, in my opinion, $200,000 should not be put into more than 12 stocks, let alone 27 different Mutual funds. 2. Do not pay commission fees to purchase a stock....

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Disclaimer:Please note that I do not necessarily purchase, own, or partake of any of the securities or other financial instruments mentioned in this article. I also do not take any responsibility for any actions resulting from any actions taken by anyone who reads this article. You are responsible for your own finances - no one else. Do your yown due diligence when researching financial matters. The SMP (Stock Market Plus) Stock Valuation Model is founded on the idea that in any market, on average, an investor will beat the market by purchasing undervalued securities at bargain prices....

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