ThomasGoodwin.com

Before I begin dishing out investment advice I think it is prudent that I disclose my current investments. Please keep in mind that my investment strategies and my specific choices for investment may not be suitable for other people and everyone should consider their own risk tolerances as well as match their investments with the goals that they have in mind for those investments, like whether those investments are for a long-term goal like retirement or an upcoming event such as a child that will be attending college within the next 5 years or so. Your timeframe and your risk tolerance will certainly affect your investment decisions.

My investments are primarily through my 401(k) retirement account. Although my company does not provide any matching whatsoever (rather, they have a fully funded pension), I find the 401(k) to be a convenient investment vehicle in that I can have my retirement savings taken directly out of my paycheck. Once again, this may or may not be something you should consider. If your company does not match your contributions and you do not like the investment options open to you, perhaps you should consider an IRA - you can choose between a traditional IRA or a ROTH IRA. We will discuss those at a later date.

For now, I present to you my investments in summary so you will know in the future that when I recommend something that I feel is a good investment, I won’t be saying it just to line my own pockets.

Here is a summary of my investments in my 401(k) account.

You might be thinking, “that’s fantastic, Thomas, thanks for the breakdown of what you invest in… but how have your investments performed since you began investing in the above mentioned account?!” Well, I have been contributing to my account since November 2003 (when I started working at my current employer).

This document shows my return on investment from 12/31/03 to 7/9/07 in my 401(k).

The only other investment that I have outside my 401(k) is some common stock that I have accumulated in ONE particular company. I own a few shares in Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF). While I am not reporting my exact number of shares to you, as of this date the market value of this common stock is less than the total value of my 401(k). You will NEVER hear my opinion - buy, sell, or hold - on this company and I will not mention it in any of my articles or post about it in my blog. That being said, since I don’t intend to follow the stock publicly in my blog, I will no longer update you on my holding of the stock - how many shares, if any, that I own or even whether I am taking a position long or short on the stock.

I will soon begin posting updates on individual stocks that I like and welcome your input as I undertake this new chapter in my blog and website. Please let me know if you have any specific stocks that you are interested in reading more about; or likewise if there are any particular industries that you have an interest in or want to learn more about how they operate. As always, I welcome your comments and feedback…