Professionally I am an architect, trained at USC and licensed in four states. I tend to be very analytical but disdain the analysts. My work by necessity is comprehensive and detailed. Part artist, part scientist and I have always been very interested in research; I enjoy the chase. Architecture lead me to real estate, our primary holdings, and from that to stocks and other investments as I sought higher returns on cash for what has developed into two investment companies. In Wall Street vernacular, I am the Chief Investment Strategist.

When I am not ranting and raving about something, my posts are more of a personal adventure I am sharing with our readers than they are a business report you might read elsewhere. The 2%/49%/49% portfolio mix alluded to above has served me well in multiple portfolios, last year doing about 29% internal rate of return (IRR). This year I am not on track to repeat that performance, although I am slightly ahead of the indices. Sometimes I probably share too much information and some people may think it is self serving to tout my own picks. I have thought about this and concluded there are not enough people reading my posts to affect the market, although I have learned I am attracting a small following of investors and some from name companies. I choose to think it is most important to eat my own cooking and not suggest to others they consider something I wouldn't do.

The cash is held in a Money Market Fund earning a little over 5% interest and used as a collector of the stock dividends until I determine what to do with it. The following are the three funds (dividends and gains reinvested) that we hold counter balancing our stocks. The Vanguard Health Care Fund would have been used instead of the Utilities Index except that it is closed to new investors at the moment. I do own it in other accounts. For those who do not feel comfortable with 2% or less cash as I do, you should consider the Utilities Index (which beats the DJIA all the time) the same as cash. It pays a high dividend, and is not very volatile. There is no point in having more than three funds, after that you basically own the market. That would not be bad, but your choices have less impact.

• Total International Stock Index Fund (15%)
• Total Stock Market Index Fund (65%)
• Utilities Index Fund (20%)

I tend to limit the number of stocks, and this portfolio will have no more than a dozen. The most important thing about this group is that they were puchased at what I believe to be bargain prices. Like real estate, you make your money on the buy.

Those of you who are new to Bloggingstocks.com can check out my other stories and read Chasing Value or Serious Money to find more potential opportunities and verify my track record as well.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the vice president for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. Check out his other posts for BloggingStocks here.