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Money Panel

By FRED W. WRIGHT JR.
Published November 12, 2006

How did you get started in investing?

I bought certificates of deposit for my individual retirement accounts years ago, in the early '80s. From there, I went to a thrifty plan with UPS, and it's grown since then.

What is your best investment?

UPS stock. I was fortunate to own it before it became public.

What is your worst investment?

Isn't it everyone's? Lucent Technologies.

What have you learned about investing that you think all investors should know?

There's no such thing as a sure bet.

How would you describe your approach to investing?

I'd say moderately aggressive.

What do you find the most difficult about investing?

The abundance of information and being able to glean through the information to extract the nuggets that you're looking for.

How are you invested?

I might have 60 percent in index funds, probably 30 percent in stocks and the remainder in bonds.

Have you have made changes in your investments in the past year?

Quite a few. I've recently gone into growth and income. I've been buying stocks that pay a relatively high dividend. The ones that have appreciated and thus have lowered dividends - I sell those and look for others.

Do you think now is a good time to invest?

Any time is a good time to invest. It's a question of what you invest in.

What is your goal for investing?

To be able to retire comfortably within the next three to five years.

What is your biggest money concern?

To be able to fund retirement comfortably.

Where do you get your investment tips?

I read the newspaper. I go online: MSN.com, the Wachovia Web site, Zacks.com.

[Last modified November 11, 2006, 23:53:43]