Investor

Socially responsible investing (SRI) has been around for a
while, but it really caught fire a few years ago -- so much
so that it has arguably

become mainstream. What isn't arguable is that it's an
influential force, part of a larger trend that has pushed
companies from
McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) to
Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) to reduce their
ecological footprints and become better citizens.

The rise of globalized markets has forced everyone to

become a global investor. If you're nervous about putting
your money to work overseas, though, there are several ways
you can ease yourself into international stock markets
without feeling like you're getting in over your head.

"Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism,
mature on optimism, and die on euphoria. The time of maximum
pessimism is the best time to buy, and the time of maximum
optimism is the best time to sell."-- Sir John
Templeton

I've written a lot of stupid things over the years.

My friend Seth Jayson, co-advisor of the Motley Fool Hidden Gems
service, was chatting with me the other day at Fool global
headquarters. We were talking about what is probably the most hated
sector today -- health care, a sector I'm quite familiar with as the
Fool's online editor for biotech and pharmaceuticals. And why is it so
hated?

One of the most important keys to America's economic success has been
its corporate bankruptcy code, which effectively transfers ownership
and control of assets from people who can't make effective economic use
of them to people who can.

It sure is starting looks like this bear market is over, isn't it?

The dollar is doomed.
That was the case Brian Richards and I made not too long ago, and
though we thought we'd be the targets of patriotic vitriol, it turns
out that a lot of you agreed with us. Color us flattered.

Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett is a value investor, right? Everyone knows that!

Well don't tell that to Gerald Martin and John Puthenpurackal of
American University and UNLV. In 2008, the two completed what they call
"the first rigorous examination of Berkshire Hathaway's investment
performance," a paper that analyzed not only the superior investment
performance of Buffett, but also looked at his investing style.

It took him long enough.

At the end of 2004, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway had around $44 billion in cash. Ditto for 2005. And 2006. And, yes, 2007 as well.