OMG!?!?! i have found common ground with Jag!
i am a fund junky. i love them. i always recommend funds, unless the objective is purely income, of course - then a nice ladder of corporate and muni's enters the picture.
i make the agreement with all of my clients that i will never recommend a stock until they have at least $100K in funds. after that i still recommend funds but if the client insists they want individual equities i insist that they buy 5 companies at a time and i stick with the blue chips. most clients dabble then settle back into the funds feeling that they got it out of their system. i personally don't own any stock, because i don't feel the need. i'm not looking for lightning in a bottle - i am satisfied with consistant conservative growth. my favorite fund companies aren't exciting, but they are consistant.
we better quit this conversation though, i see tw is on. he'll jump in to point out that i am a self serving whore for selling mutual funds to my clients. as he has pointed out - "mutual funds never outperform the S&P"
afterthought - -- Jag i thought you worked on the analysis side. that is why i said you are used to looking at M's and B's. i wasn't referring to your personal portfolio, although i wish you luck in getting there.