The 50 Best Stocks for Canadians, 2002 Edition

Albert Y.S. Chu, B.A., M.A., M.Div., is a pastor in Edmonton, Alberta.

With the recent increase in the number of discount brokerages
accompanied by lower trading fees and self-managed RRSPs, many investors
are now forsaking traditional managed brokerages and investing for
themselves. In these guides, Lori Bamber and Gene Walden highlight 50
core holdings they believe should belong in a low-risk, long-term equity
portfolio. The 50 Best Stocks for Canadians outlines 50 North American
blue chip stocks. The 50 Best Small Cap Stocks highlights the
corporations included in the S&P/TSE Canadian Small Cap Index.

Both books adequately cover in their introductions the basics of
investing such as asset allocation and diversification, how to research
companies, how to find information on other investment resources, and
what trends may affect the broader stock market. The authors then list
the top 50 stocks they believe to be good investments, basing their
choices on comprehensive research and subjective analysis. The stocks
are categorized by sector: consumer and health care, energy and natural
resources, financial services, industrials and conglomerates, and
technology and communications. For each of the 50 stocks, the authors
provide information about the company, challenges and opportunities the
company faces, and past financial highlights. Each company is also given
one to five stars for each of the following performance measures: total
return, share price growth, revenue growth, and EPS growth. The amount
of information included for each company is sufficient, albeit brief.
And though the books’ covers state “2002 Edition,” the latest
financial information provided is from 2000.