On Friday I had the opportunity to present an investment strategy I developed over the past few years to a major asset manager interested in learning the intricacies. Among the questions he asked, one that comes up often, is how do I go about finding particular stocks that I think might be of value.

The answer of course is not so simple, because like any other type of discovery they come about in a variety of ways. Sometimes it begins with a story, as it did in December 2008 when I included EZCorp (EZPW) among my 2009 stock picks (and 2010 and 2011). In this case I was pondering what was going to be safe, and perhaps even in growing demand during a year of financial turmoil and high unemployment. The answer was pawn shops and cash-advance stores.

Penny stock investing doesn't have to be a crap shoot on long-shot stocks. Done well, penny stocks can be a great way to diversify your portfolio and really amp up your investment profits. While penny stock investing can be risky, it can also be very rewarding.

I recommend finding bargain penny stocks traded on major exchanges, for no less than $1 a share and with a proven track record. These penny stock investments should show significant earnings growth and strong buying pressure behind shares, increasing the likelihood that these stocks will be on the way up in the very near future.

Penny stock investing doesn't have to involve super risky stocks that can erase your retirement money. Penny stock recommendations also can encapsulate low-priced stocks that are more stable, trading at bargain prices and low valuations. These bargain investments trade for between $1 and $3 -- very cheap compared to traditional equities. Though they are not trading for a few cents like some penny stock recommendations, these stocks are worth the extra share price because they have added stability.

Sirius XM Radio (SIRI) shares opened lower Monday morning, pushing down near the $1 mark. But investors who have been watching this stock for a while know that it can give up a lot more before it shows signs of slowing down. SIRI is up a stunning 70% year to date, even while the broader market is in the red.

In fact, I think there's a tremendous buying opportunity in Sirius stock right now since shares have drawn back about 20% from a their high in the beginning of May.

Doughnut dean Krispy Kreme (KKD) baked up its third-quarter earnings, revealing a net loss of four cents per share. The quarterly earnings reflect provisions for the settlement of litigation and related legal costs, which totaled three cents per share. A year ago, Krispy Kreme lost nine cents per share in the third quarter.

Krispy Kreme's president and CEO noted, "Our results continued to improve year-over-year in the third quarter ... Our improved results are evidence of progress in implementing our strategic initiatives, which have us on a path toward building a growing, profitable business that is sustainable for the long term."

USA Today's Matt Krantz reports that shares of some companies bankrupted by the financial crisis have posted huge gains in recent months: "Lehman and WaMu, for instance, were booted from stock exchanges and filed for bankruptcy protection. Yet on the lightly regulated Pink Sheets markets, this year their stocks are up 500% and 1,050%, respectively."

The problem is that shares of companies like Lehman and WaMu are completely worthless with no prospect for recovery for shareholders. Ownership of the company's assets is no longer held by the common stock -- and with creditors taking losses, there is no chance that shareholders will receive a nickel.

My core investment strategy of trading strong penny stocks (which earned me 197% last year) has clearly benefited from the overall market's strength of the past few days. While I'm looking at these following five names, I'm not rushing into them just yet. Each has a different story to tell:

Ferro Corp. (NYSE: FOE), a struggling industrial materials maker whose stock price has plummeted in the past six months from the $20s to $1, basically doubled to $2 after the company amended its financing agreement -- meaning its lenders gave it some breathing room.