We've asked each of our bloggers to introduce themselves and talk a little about why they love the market and what positions they call their own. We encourage our bloggers to own common stock and abide by a common code of conduct.

Who are you, and why are you passionate about stocks?
My name is David Kretzmann and I live in Nevada City, CA.

I enjoy investing in stocks because I feel they are the best choice for long-term investors. For each stock in which I invest, I have a minimum of a seven-year time frame placed with that stock, because I believe that is the time you should let a stock "run." I have always liked the idea that you can actually invest in your favorite companies, whether it be Starbucks, Whole Foods, or Palm. It is a fun way to see your money grow.

What was the first stock you owned?
I first starting investing in stocks last July when I was 12 years old, starting by investing in a total of nine different companies (which was a mistake, because I didn't do nearly as much research as I should have). Some of those companies included Palm, 7-Eleven, Netflix, and Electronic Arts. All of the stocks I invested in were recommended by either David or Tom Gardner of The Motley Fool from their various newsletters.

What was your worst investment ever?
I haven't had that terrible of an investment yet, because I've only sold a stock twice (AT&T and Cutter & Buck), and you don't lose any money on an investment until you've sold. So, I haven't had any disappointing investments yet. Only if in seven years I see one of my investments is down, will I consider it not-so-good investment.

Continue reading About the stock bloggers: David Kretzmann

About the stock bloggers: David Kretzmann originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Jul 2006 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Can't help but follow-up to 10 Reasons I think Google is going down since it caused the most controversy and highest response of any blogs I have written to date. I definitely touched a nerve somewhere. The commentary is running 60/40 negative (not all publishable) but with no response or insight on either side relative to my actual arguments. I have never owned Google, Inc. (GOOG) and would have disclosed to readers had I shorted the stock. That could be a disaster even if it does go down because you would need substantial resources for what would most assuredly be a wild ride.

Some readers discussed additional reasons GOOG is likely to go down in value, but not one refuted any of my "10 reasons". If anybody has something concrete to add to the discussion that would be most valuable and is a good use of the blog site. My blog  was stimulated by two things; people often ask me what I think about GOOG as an investment and I have actually considered investing myself. I have always come to the conclusion that I had better places to risk my capital so I thought I would share this view.

Some of the comments I received lend credence to the concern that many of Google's investors are impulse buyers and will run out on the stock, lead by emotion, not rational thinking. There is a lot of hoping and praying in Google's current market value.

More GOOG - uninformative comments originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 22 Jun 2006 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.