Alan and Phil Robertson of A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” preached at Saddleback Church on Sunday as part of the megachurch’s “Follow Me” series. The Robertsons spoke about the success of their business, their personal lives and how God restored them from their past. …read more
Source: The Christian Post
By Keith Speights, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
It’s the highest-rated show ever for A&E and the second-highest-rated cable show in the nation. Duck Dynasty entertains millions every week with the antics of Louisiana’s Robertson family. The Robertsons run a multimillion-dollar duck call enterprise and are now among the most recognized families in the U.S. Could the secrets of their success lend themselves to an investment strategy for the rest of us? Here are five principles from Duck Dynasty that can help you become a better investor.
1. Focus on what you understand.
There’s no doubt that the Robertson family understands ducks. Avid duck hunter Phil Robertson, the family’s patriarch, founded Duck Commander in the early 1970s to market his proprietary duck calls. Focusing on ducks has certainly paid off.
Investing in what you best understand is a great way to begin buying stocks. As a personal example, I worked for years in the health care technology sector. One of my best stock picks ever was physician software systems vendor Quality Systems . Because of my understanding of the industry, I knew that there was a likelihood that demand would accelerate for technology to help doctors.
Quality Systems benefited from the passage of the HITECH Act in 2009, which gave financial incentives for physicians to purchase electronic medical record systems. Its sales took off — as did the stock. Because I also anticipated that the wave of buying by physicians wouldn’t last forever, I sold my shares after a couple of years. The stock now trades more than 50% lower than its 2011 highs, reflecting changing dynamics in the clinical systems market. Focusing on what I understood resulted in excellent returns.
2. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
Although duck calls made their fortune, the Duck Dynasty family hasn’t been scared to branch out. Willie Robertson, Phil’s son and CEO of the business, made the decision in 2006 to launch Buck Commander. The newer business unit includes marketing deer-hunting videos and selling products for deer hunters.
Likewise, investors shouldn’t limit themselves too much in the stocks they buy. It’s always important, of course, to understand the business and industry, but you don’t need years of working in an industry to learn enough about it to invest.
Trying new things doesn’t always work out, of course. In season one of Duck Dynasty, Willie Robertson thought that he could run a winery. “Mallard Merlot” didn’t pan out too well.
3. Involve family and friends.
Practically everyone in the Robertson family works in the business in some capacity. Employees who aren’t related to the Robertsons are such close friends that they are nearly like family. Involving family and friends in the business (and the cable TV show) has proved to be quite successful.
Some treat investing as a solo effort. However, there are plenty of benefits to be gained from involving family and friends in your investing. Children can learn a lot from understanding why a company is or isn’t a good business in which to invest.
From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/the-duck-dynasty-investment-strategy/
Malaysian police said Saturday that they had detained 79 suspects linked to Filipino intruders in Borneo as they intensify an operation to flush out members of a Filipino Muslim clan who took over a village last month.
The armed clansmen have caused political havoc for Malaysia and the neighboring Philippines by trying to stake a long-dormant royal territorial claim to Malaysia‘s sprawling, resource-rich state of Sabah in Borneo. Most of the Filipinos eluded capture in a coastal Sabah district filled with palm oil plantations and forested hills after Malaysian forces attacked them with airstrikes and mortar fire on Tuesday.
National police chief Ismail Omar said 79 men and women, held without trial under a security law, were being investigated for their links to the gunmen.
He said they were detained outside the conflict zone but didn’t give further details. The detainees are believed to be informants or food suppliers to the gunmen, but it’s unclear if they were Malaysians or Filipino nationals.
Ismail said a Filipino gunman was killed early Saturday after he tried to escape a police cordon, raising the death toll in the conflict to 61.
The clansmen are led by a brother of Jamalul Kiram III, who claims to be the sultan, or hereditary ruler, of the southern, predominantly Muslim province of Sulu in the Philippines. Malaysia‘s government has rejected a call by Kiram for a cease-fire and urged the gunmen to surrender unconditionally.
International rights group Human Rights Watch on Saturday echoed a call by the U.N. chief to ensure the protection of civilians and for humanitarian access to help those affected by the violence.
“The situation on the ground in the conflict zone in Sabah is still quite murky, and the government of Malaysia should provide clear and accurate information on what has occurred,” said Human Rights Watch‘s Asia deputy-director, Phil Robertson.
The New York-based group said it was concerned over the use of a new security law to detain dozens of suspects and urged the government to charge or release them.
Fifty-three gunmen and eight Malaysian policemen have died, mainly in shootouts between security forces and the Filipino group and their suspected allies. The clansmen sneaked into Sabah by sea from the nearby southern Philippines around Feb. 9.