Fairfax vs. Berkshire Hathaway: Here's the one most likely to produce the better returns + MORE Nov 13th

Sam Tanny
AGE: 21
PLACE: Montreal
TFSA TOTAL: $25,415
STRATEGY: Growth and blue-chip stocks

Me and My TFSA
 
Sam Tanny, 21, of Montreal, is a university student in finance. He started saving in his TFSA two years ago but he only started picking stocks for his portfolio last year. It’s now worth $25,415.  “I liked the TFSA because of the tax-free capital gains,” says Sam. “I’m in university right now but am looking for long-term growth.”
In fact, Sam has been working for several years at odd jobs that include assisting at a daycare, working part-time in his dad’s textile company as well as summer work in special care camps. “Plus, I’ve saved all of my gifts of money from relatives so it’s all gone to boost my TFSA,” says Sam.
In fact, his family and relatives have been key to Sam’s stock picks and he’s been able to follow their example. “Everyone in my family does their own stock picking and do their own investing,” says Sam. “My parents are long-term investors and they’ve had TFSAs since they started in 2009…

Financial results for the first quarter since the company emerged from most recent bankruptcy protection to be released in the next few weeks

Watsa and Buffett follow similar steps in stock selection, but differ in what they view as desirable

 
Make sure the stock you pick is running strong on solid earnings. (Flickr)
What are we looking for:
Stocks on the move with stable earnings.
The screen
One of the fallacies often met by retail investors is focusing on ‘hot’ stocks that are trending upwards, and not without good reason. In the Canadian market in particular, momentum investing can often be a successful tactic in obtaining great returns over a long time frame. This said, for the typical retail investor this task proves to be difficult because of the amount of attention needed to keep track of market movements, and the often high turnover that accompanies a momentum style strategy. In addition, momentum investing is often wrought with extreme volatility and requires higher risk tolerances or a longer investing time horizon.
This week, I use Morningstar CPMS to create a strategy that combines technical factors and fundamental stability designed to reduce overall turnover and stay invested in names with stable earnings…

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