I would like to say this tidbit of stock info is only $4 to get the opinion and analysis of several different pros in the stock game. It actually gave me some new concepts when it came to consider the perfect company to invest in and it crosses over into frugality nicely. There were some consistencies with the stocks I have read up on in the review, many of which discusses the principle in which you should be stock.
One of the things it advocates is search for a company that has little to no debt! The say this is calculated is assets minus liabilities for the duration of ten years. This is textbook Oracle of Omaha bidding. Buffett uses this same principal to weed out the companies with overall negative earnings. For a ten year duration is good to measure the company's debt. The best way according to Kiplingers is to "try to access the this record through publicly traded stock". The ones with privately traded stock will be harder to track their debt.
There has to be consistency in how the earnings are reported. If those numbers zig-zag and fluctuate and there is inconsistencies in the debt reports, there is too much volatility in its earnings ratio.
To buy stocks your overall personal portfolio has to be the same to be able to buy the stock. To buy more stock, you need consistant earnings. To do so it is recommended that you live a frugal life style and invest over 10% per month until you have built a small nest egg. Once you get that nest egg, then you can start investing in a more aggressive manner so as long as you do the research. Without doing research on a company's profile, you are no longer investing; you are gambling. Keep that in mind when choosing stocks for your portfolio and Happy New Year.