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I feel very strongly that everyone should give 10% of their after-tax income to charity. There is no greater investment that an individual can make then to invest in the well-being of others. This gift will give you more return than any monetary investment.

I speak of this practice in my soon-to-be-released book, “The Confident Investor.” My basic advice is that you should save 10% of your income for your retirement, donate 10% to charity, and live on the remaining 80%. If you follow this strategy, you will find that you are living within your means while providing for your long-term financial health and your moral health.

Many people will accomplish this by giving to their local church or synagogue along with donations to common charities such as United Way or March of Dimes. However, you may want to have more options than these standard choices.  To help you with this, I offer these 10 charities for you to consider.

  1. Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
  2. Spondylitis Association of America
  3. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
  4. Environmental Law and Policy Center
  5. Teach for America
  6. Special Operations Warrior Foundation
  7. Homes for Our Troops
  8. The Navy SEAL Foundation
  9. Patient Advocate Foundation
  10. Give Kids the World

I am sure that you have your favorite charity. Please give generously to the cause that motivates you the most. The important thing is to give away to others before you pay your bills.

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Company name Macy’s, Inc.
Stock ticker M
Live stock price [stckqut]M[/stckqut]
P/E compared to competitors Good

MANAGEMENT EXECUTION

Employee productivity Poor
Sales growth Poor
EPS growth Good
P/E growth Good
EBIT growth Good

ANALYSIS

Confident Investor Rating Fair
Target stock price (TWCA growth scenario) $59.69
Target stock price (averages with growth) $69.24
Target stock price (averages with no growth) $49.05
Target stock price (manual assumptions) $47.81

The following company description is from Google Finance: http://www.google.com/finance?q=m

Macy’s, Inc. (Macy’s) is a retail organization operating stores and Internet Websites under two brands (Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s) that sell a range of merchandise, including apparel and accessories (men’s, women’s and children’s), cosmetics, home furnishings and other consumer goods in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. As of January 28, 2012, the Company’s operations were conducted through Macy’s, macys.com, Bloomingdale’s, bloomingdales.com and Bloomingdale’s Outlet. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company opened three new Bloomingdale’s Outlet stores and re-opened one Macy’s store. On February 25, 2011, the Company sold its investment in The Knot, Inc.

 

Confident Investor comments: At this time, I think that a Confident Investor can cautiously invest in this stock as long as the price is correct. Most of the fundamentals of this company are good but there are some concerns.

 

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For the past several weeks, my review of companies has been those on my Watch List. I am now finished with that review and will begin to look at companies that are new (or not previously favorably reviewed). I will review the Watch List again in a series of posts in the future.

It is important to review your investment choices on a regular basis. If you invest in mutual funds, you should review them each February. I suggest Friday because you will receive your end-of-year statements in February so that you can pay taxes. You should look at these long-term investments and decide if it still fits your strategy and that your mix of investments is correct.

For stocks, the review needs to be a bit more frequent. You need to get out of stocks that no longer perform to your satisfaction. If you are not sure how to evaluate the growth rate and performance of your stocks, please consider reading my soon-to-be released book, “The Confident Investor” as it will help you analyze companies to find the Good ones.

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Company name Washington Banking Co
Stock ticker WBCO
Live stock price [stckqut]WBCO[/stckqut]
P/E compared to competitors Good

MANAGEMENT EXECUTION

Employee productivity Poor
Sales growth Fair
EPS growth Good
P/E growth Good
EBIT growth Good

ANALYSIS

Confident Investor Rating Good
Target stock price (TWCA growth scenario) $16.49
Target stock price (averages with growth) $18.7
Target stock price (averages with no growth) $14.91
Target stock price (manual assumptions) $13.99

The following company description is from Google Finance: http://www.google.com/finance?q=wbco

Washington Banking Company is a bank holding company. The Company’s primary business is conducted by its wholly owned subsidiary, Whidbey Island Bank (the Bank). The business of the Bank, which is focused in the northern area of Western Washington, consists primarily of attracting deposits from the general public and originating loans. Whidbey Island Bank conducts a full-service, community, commercial banking business. The Bank also offers nondeposit managed investment products and services, which are not Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured. These programs are provided through the investment advisory companies Elliott Cove Capital Management LLC and DFC Services & DFC Insurance Services. Another nondeposit product offered through the Bank, which is not FDIC insured, is a sweep investment option available through a brokerage account.

 

Confident Investor comments: At this price and at this time, I think that a Confident Investor can confidently invest in this stock.

 

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Company name Volterra Semiconductor Corporation
Stock ticker VLTR
Live stock price [stckqut]VLTR[/stckqut]
P/E compared to competitors Good

MANAGEMENT EXECUTION

Employee productivity Fair
Sales growth Good
EPS growth Good
P/E growth Good
EBIT growth Good

ANALYSIS

Confident Investor Rating Good
Target stock price (TWCA growth scenario) $25.93
Target stock price (averages with growth) $62.49
Target stock price (averages with no growth) $71.8
Target stock price (manual assumptions) $21.36

The following company description is from Google Finance: http://www.google.com/finance?q=vltr

Volterra Semiconductor Corporation (Volterra) designs, develops and markets analog and mixed-signal power management semiconductors for the computing, storage, networking, and consumer markets. Volterra’s products are integrated voltage regulator semiconductors, integrated power protection and distribution semiconductors, and scalable voltage regulator semiconductor chipsets that transform, regulate, deliver, and monitor the power consumed by digital semiconductors. Through its power system architecture and mixed-signal design techniques, it has integrated power, analog, and digital circuits onto single complementary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) semiconductor. The Company sells its products primarily to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), original design manufacturers (ODMs), contract equipment manufacturers (CEMs), and merchant power supply manufacturers, directly through its internal sales force and indirectly through distributors and outsourced suppliers.

 

Confident Investor comments: At this price and at this time, I think that a Confident Investor can confidently invest in this stock.