"We discriminate among investments primarily by their relative valuation metrics; we buy only those stocks we find undervalued relative to their own trading history, their peers or that of the market in general," says value investor John Buckingham.

The editor of The Prudent Speculator explains, "Two such buys are Marathon Oil (MRO) and Tsakos Energy Navigation (TNP).

"Both stocks could be chosen as part of the foundation of a portfolio for new investors or for those seeking to diversify their holdings.

"Given the fact that Canada is looking pretty stable and smart these days, I thought it was time to feature a Canadian stock," suggests Glenn Rogers.

The contributing editor to Internet Wealth Builder explains, "Below, we look at Teck Resources (TCK), a highly diversified resource business based in Vancouver. With Teck you get good copper exposure plus coal and zinc as well as oil sands.

"This is a pretty good time to be in the natural resources business particularly if you are seen as a reliable and politically neutral trading partner such as Canada.

David Fried has developed an industry-leading reputation by focusing on companies buying back their shares. Here, his Buyback Letter looks at EnCana Corp. (NYSE: ECA).

"Canadian oil producer EnCana is among the largest holders of oil and gas resource lands in onshore North America, has an extensive drilling inventory with some 40,000 well locations, strong production and reserves growth, and robust project returns. It is focused on natural gas and in-situ oil sands.

"As the dangers of global warming have become more apparent, major energy companies are attempting to capture carbon dioxide and lock it away where it won't trap more heat. Industry leader EnCana has embarked on a pilot project to improve recovery rates from mature oil wells by using carbon dioxide.

"EnCana buys carbon dioxide produced by a power plant and ships it via pipeline to its Weyburn field in southern Saskatchewan. EnCana injects the gas into its oil field, where it reduces the viscosity of the oil, allowing the company to increase its recovery from the field.