I have purchased stock in three companies over the last couple of weeks. After doing some reading online and in print, reviewing lots of financial statements, and applying a variety of criteria, I think I’ve worked out the beginnings of a solid strategy and found some good picks. I’m considered a “value investor”, which is the opposite of a day trader. Warren Buffett, the most successful investor ever, falls into this camp. Rather than trying to chase the market, pick the perfect times to buy and sell, and flips stocks for a quick buck, I’m buying companies I believe in and planning to hold them for years, letting the incredible power of compound growth work for me. I’ve had a lot of fun studying the craft of investing. I found some good websites in the process: investopedia.com and fool.com. I’m using Fidelity as my broker. They aren’t the cheapest in terms of commissions, but they’re not too bad and offer some great research tools. I bought stock in RPC Inc (RES), an oil and gas services company, American Oriental Bioengineering (AOB), a China-based company that makes drugs and health products for the exploding Chinese market, and Honda Motor Company (HMC). All of these had reasonable or very low debt, strong growth prospects, high profit margins, plenty of cash, positive cash flow, and some other strengths that make them good candidates for the long haul. IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER – I am not recommending that you buy these stocks, only telling you what I’ve done in the hopes that it will pique your own interest. =) Soon I hope to start working on some hobby-oriented webpages for andybox.com, such as investing, wine, and photography. Stay tuned!