The day of reckoning, according to the Maya calendar, is some time in December 2012. And if Hollywood is to be believed (own up, those of you who watched that disaster epic 2012), the only survivors will be those who can cough up $1 billion to escape on a modern-day Ark. This is where we come in-a personal finance magazine that might scoff at conspiracy theorists and doomsday mongering, but is perfectly willing to tell you if you can afford to pay for a berth on an Ark. Chances are that the world will still be ticking along in 2020, but planning to make $1 billion is still a good idea. You may not be able to make a billion dollars in two years, but you might be able to afford a Mercedes Maybach in 15 years, if that's your goal.
Most of us have more modest ambitions, generally involving putting away enough money to fund a comfortable and, preferably, early retirement. In this magazine, the go-to section for those wanting to know how they can meet their financial goals has always been the Portfolio Doctor. Now, we have decided to revamp the section. Regulars might be taken aback at the new look, but there's a reason for this. We are trying to make the section relevant to all, instead of just a few. This is work in progress because, though we are satisfied with the result, we know that you might want something entirely different. We hope you will write in to tell us what you'd like to see in this section.
For those of you who simply want to know which stocks to buy this year, our cover story takes you through a list of good buys and the reasons for picking them up. Experts, as always, advocate cautious optimism, saying that the stock market is a tricky beast that revels in doing the exact opposite of what is predicted. Which is why we've also included a section for those who want to be able to sleep easy despite investing in the market. Remember, it might be a new year and a year closer to apocalypse, but the fundamentals of good investing remain unchanged. If your fundamentals are strong, you can be sure of good returns.
