Every year, right around Christmas, I make a list of 10 stocks that I believe have a good chance to perform much better than the market. Publishing a list of favorites for the coming year is a widespread activity – every pundit has one. But there is a lot of noise associated with these lists. There are additions, deletions, new lists, changes to target prices, and sometimes the disappearance of the pundit from the landscape.
I try to make my lists simple and easy to stick to. After all, what good is a list if the person who published it keeps making changes during the year? Isn’t that cheating?
So I only make one list per year, and it’s always 10 stocks long. I do not change it during the year, with one exception. If a stock on the list gets removed from the market, either through a buyout or a bankruptcy, I will replace it with a new pick.
I will include the old stock in my track record so that everything is fair and square. I believe in transparency and honesty. So without further ado, here are my top stock picks for 2010.
Ticker – Name – Current Price
- VIAB Viacom Cl B 28.65
- GMCR Green Mountain Coffee 27.01
- JWN Nordstroms 37.58
- VFC VF Corp 18.31
- VRSN Verisign 24.24
- DE Deere & Co. 54.09
- BAX Baxter Intl. 58.68
- CRM Salesforce.com 18.44
- INTU Intuit Inc. 30.73
- BWLD Buffalo Wild Wings 40.27
The benchmark, as always, is the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF.
- VTI Total Stk Mkt ETF 51.83