Trying to think up a last minute gift for that investment-minded loved one this year? There’s no shortage of books out there on the subject of stocks/bonds/etc. but there are some that are definitely worth reading. Consider one of these 4:

1. A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Ninth Edition
   Written by Princeton’s Burton Malkiel, A Random Walk Down Wall Street is a staple for anyone who’s interested in getting started in the investing world. Accessible to novice and experienced investors, it’s an entertaining and enlightening read.
2. Stocks for the Long Run, 4th Edition: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns And Long Term Investment Strategies
   Author Jeremy Siegel offers his thoughts on long-term stock picking in this evergreen investment book.
3. Security Analysis: The Classic 1951 Edition
   Widely thought of as the Bible for investors, Security Analysis is probably the best-known investing book among professionals and a great reference, but let’s face it… it’s a pretty cryptic read.
4. The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing
   For the investing-newbie, this book serves as a solid primer, but also delves into the heavier stuff.

Happy Holidays!

While the ushering in of the New Year may have you thinking about how you want to take that cruise this year or lose the 20 or so pounds that Grandma’s special cheesecake added to your midsection during Christmas dinner, don’t think that those good old New Year’s resolutions don’t carry over into your investments as well.

With the beating 2008 has served up for most investors, 2009 seems like a great time to accomplish a few of those things you wanted to do for your investments – it’s like getting rid of your portfolio’s spare tire. What should you tackle next year?

Here are five of the most popular New Years resolutions for 2009, with an investing twist that could help you wind up a little bit wealthier by 2010…

1. Trim the Fat

It’s not just a resolution your significant other has been pestering you about – and jogging isn’t the cure – when it comes to trimming the fat for your portfolio, your money’s on the line!

It’s a very good idea to re-evaluate the stocks and funds in your portfolio on a regular basis. Even if you’re a student of the buy-and-hold school, taking another look at what you own is still a prudent idea from time to time.

When you review your portfolio, take a look at the attributes that made a stock look good for you in the first place, and see if they still hold – is that company’s new product still a winner? Are any of the portfolio managers you’ve invested with named Madoff? Don’t be afraid to re-do your due dilligence.

Trimming the fat also means taking a look at how you’re investing, not just what you’re investing in. Knowing whether your portfolio is properly allocated is a great example… after all, there are other asset classes out there. Is it time to “think outside the stocks”?

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Is there such a thing as recession-proof?

Now that we’re in the midst of recession and approaching 2009 with breakneck speed, there’s no way to draw readers more surely than for investing publications to tout the merits of their “recession-proof” picks.

“Recession-proof stocks: Consumers may be skittish in this weak economy but they haven’t completely closed their wallets. Here’s which companies will benefit,” reads a headline on CNN Money.

“9 Recession Proof Stocks,” promises the Motley Fool to its readers. I’ll admit it – I too have become an investment writer who has thrown about the words “recession proof” to describe a stock I’ve liked this year… but those days have passed.

The truth is (and I’m sorry to say it) that the recession-proof investment is a myth.

What stocks have analysts been bandying about with recession-proof claims? CNN Money’s Paul La Monica talked about Apple (AAPL), Toyota (TM), and – are you ready for this one – Coach (COH) in an April article. Since then, the best performer of the three has been Toyota, only down 36%… not even the browbeaten S&P 500 has fallen so hard.

At the Fool, Joe Magyer took a more conservative approach, talking up the virtues of ampersand-riddled consumer non-cyclicals like Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Proctor & Gable (PG). Still, both companies are eating red ink since his article went to print.

What gives? If the best minds in the investment world can’t pick out recession-proof plays, what chance is there for the rest of us?

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