Sweet Something Investments

A selection of Valentine gifts that keep on giving

St. Valentine's Day is coming up, and surely you are looking for a creative way to express your adoration for a special someone. How about an imaginative gift that will continue to give for many years ahead?     Instead of a box of candy, consider a few shares of Cadbury Schweppes, the famed British purveyor of chocolates and other sweets? Although Cadbury is a British company, it can be purchased on the New York Stock Exchange as an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) under the symbol CSG for around $61.50 per share.     Instead of a trinket of gold, consider presenting a share or two of Barrick Gold. Despite the nasty surprises in the gold industry in the past few years, Barrick carries a Standard & Poor's quality ranking of A-, and sells for around $22 per share.     The ultimate candy and jewelry stock would be a share (or more if you’re up to it) of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., owner of See's Candy; Borsheim's, the Omaha jewelry store with the most amazing display of sparkling stones; and Helzberg, the eastern and mid-western chain of diamond shops. As a bonus, Berkshire also owns GEICO insurance and good-sized chunks of the Washington Post Co. and Coca-Cola. Your true love would be enormously impressed by this gift, since one A share of Berkshire (Brk.a) currently sells for $64,500 and one B share (Brk.b) for $21,127. Oh well, it’s a thought. ***     If you were thinking of whisking your sweetie away for a romantic weekend — nice destination, nice hotel — consider these alternatives. Shares in Marriott International are selling for $32, and this company’s financial numbers look very sound. Or you could gift wrap some shares of Hawaiian Electric. The stock is trading in the vicinity of $39, and it pays a dividend of 6.2 percent. Just remember that it’s not legal to fly to Honolulu to HE's annual meeting, then write it off as a business expense. (Trust me, I already checked with the IRS.) ***     Instead of going out to a movie on Valentine's Day, prepare a gourmet meal at home, rent a video, then slip a card under the napkin with a stock certificate for the Walt Disney Co. inside. This competitive, blue chip entertainment company is selling at $31 per share. ***     Faithfulness is an important aspect of a relationship, so how about a few shares in a Fidelity Investments mutual fund? Your significant other will think you’re both generous and smart if you offer up shares in Fidelity's Spartan Market Index Fund. Some of the canniest investors are recommending index funds this year. For the past 10 years, the average Standard & Poor's 500 stock index fund returned 18 percent annually, vs. about 16 percent for the average equity fund. Additionally, management fees on index funds are low, there is less turnover, thus lower capital gains taxes, and by choosing a broadly based index such as the S&P 500, you are automatically diversified. For 1998, Fidelity's Spartan Market Index had a return of 28.63 percent. Ordinarily the minimum investment in this fund is $10,000, but for an individual retirement account, the minimum deposit is $500. ***     If you’re feeling a little teddy bearish about the stock market (and would like to keep the cost of your gift in the double digits), consider choosing something for your beloved from this selection of "books for a bear market." The list is lifted from the Global Investor bookshop Website, www.global-investor.com. Most also can be ordered from the Internet bookseller Amazon.com, or be bought by telephone from Books of Wall Street, (800) 253-0900. For scarce or rare books on investing, contact Wall Street Books, P.O. Box 24A06, Los Angeles, Calif., 90024. 1. "The Bear Market Book" by John Rothchild. How to survive and profit in ferocious markets. 2. "At the Crest of a Tidal Wave" by Robert R. Prechter Jr. A forecast for the great bull market. 3. "The Edge of Chaos" by Bernice Cohen. Financial booms, bubbles, crashes and chaos. 4. "The Great Crash of 1929" by John Kenneth Galbraith. The classic study of that disaster. 5. "Manias, Panics and Crashes" by Charles P. Kindleburger. A history of financial crises. 6. "The South Sea Bubble" by John Carswell. Another historic event that helps readers understand the mob mentality regarding investments. 7. "The Art of Selling Short" by Kathryn F. Staley. A definitive handbook of this bear-market strategy. 8. "The Profit of the Plunge — How to Win at Short Selling" by Cawkwell. This book is more difficult to find than most, but perhaps your local bookstore can locate a copy. 9. "Value Investing Made Easy" by Janet Lowe. Instructions on how to build a crash-proof investment portfolio. 10. "Stan Weinstein's Secrets For Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets" by Stan Weinstein. A guide to market timing.     (All the stock recommendations in this column are simply personal favorites of the author. It is important to research all investments thoroughly then make a purchase decision based on your own analysis of the facts.) Janet Lowe is the author of 10 books, including "Bill Gates Speaks: Wisdom from the World's Greatest Entrepreneur" and "Oprah Winfrey Speaks: Wit & Wisdom from the World's Most Influential Voice."

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