This post is part of a special annual report -- Top Stock Picks '09 -- in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked 75 leading newsletter advisors to select their favorite investment for the new year.

As his top pick for 2009, Jim Lowell -- in his Fidelity Investor newsletter -- opts for a pair of funds that together offer broad market coverage: Fidelity Focused (FTQGX) and Fidelity Low-Priced (FLPSX).

The advisor explains, ""These two fund picks reflect a balanced mix of both offense and defense -- using two managers with decidedly different approaches and investment styles.

"At Fidelity Investor we always 'Buy the manager, not the fund!' Our proprietary manager rankings consistently list Stephen DuFour -- manager at Fidelity Focused Stock -- as a top ranked stock picker (based on his ability to persistently lose less in the downdrafts and consistently outperform on the upside).

"And while losing significantly less than the S&P 500 was 2008's benchmark for success, 2009 is shaping up to be a more balanced trade sheet where I think gains will likely win out.

"DuFour normally invests in 30 to 80 stocks at any one time. His stock picks hold no allegiance to either a simple style box or a singular capitalization range.

For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"Fidelity China Region (NASDAQ: FHKCX) is my top speculative idea for 2008," says Jim Lowell, mutual fund expert and editor of The Fidelity Investor.

"With regard to China Region, caution will likely always remain my buy word. But, for the first time since this fund's inception back in 1995, this fund is beginning to exhibit characteristics of both the region (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia that account for 55% of its assets) and China (which now accounts for over 30% of the names in the portfolio -- a year ago that weighting was 6%; in March of this year it was 7%).

"New manager, Wilson Wong, who took the helm in June of this year, is finally enabling this fund to both live up to its name and differentiate itself from Fidelity's and other Asia-focused funds. That's plus one in my book.

This post is part of our Money Face-Offs feature. Let us know who you think comes out ahead in this head-to-head match-up, and check out our other Money Face-Off posts.

If you're into no-cost investing, you've probably heard the name John Bogle before. The founder of the world's most populated mutual fund company, Vanguard Group, Inc., is completely synonymous with the premise of low- to no-cost investing. To the average joe, that means index funds that track whatever index suits your investment tolerance and pocketbook. Bogle has been a fierce critic of the mutual fund industry (along with me), which charges huge sales loads for minimal performance metrics if you were to average out the thousands of them.

Bogle loves to posit this: Who's getting rich from mutual funds? Those who manage them, but hardly anyone else. Bogle continues to burn the active mutual fund industry on the basis of costs alone. He's probably the largest proponent of investor performance there is, even though he is no longer at the helm of Vanguard. Suggested reading for starters: Bogle on Mutual Funds. There are many other fine selections as well.