Briefly Noted

Stock Strategies
Going Dark: The Harsh Reality of Voluntary Deregistration
A growing number of small companies are "going dark"--voluntarily deregistering with the SEC and delisting their shares. The result is often a falling share price and investors left in the dark about the firm's finances and prospects. What it all means, and what you should do if you are left in the dark with one of your holdings.

Stock Screens
From Peak to Valley: The Stock Strategy Landscape in 2005
It was a rocky start, but the market, as well as most strategies, finally found their footing in 2005, with 43 of the 54 strategies AAII tracks turning in a positive performance for the year. For the second year in a row, the Michael Murphy value-priced technology screen led the way, while the growth-and-value Zweig approach held its long-term standing.

Portfolio Strategies
New From Your Employer: The Roth 401(k) Plan
Starting this month, your employer may start accepting aftertax elective deferrals to your 401(k) or 403(b) plans. How do you choose between making a pretax contribution to a traditional plan or an aftertax contribution to a Roth-style plan? A look at how to approach this decision.

AAII Model Portfolios
Model Shadow Stock Portfolio: All-in-All, A Very Good Year
The AAII Model Shadow Stock Portfolio took a bit of a breather in the last three months, but through November it remains at an impressive 18.8% compared to single-digit returns for the S&P 500 and small-cap index funds.

Hot Links
How to Find Contrarians on the Web
Where you can get advice and educational information about contrarian investing.

Portfolio Strategies
The Real-World Lessons From Investment Theory
Modern Portfolio Theory is the accepted approach to portfolio management today, with its implications embedded in the portfolios of most major mutual fund families and the advice given by well-known investment advisers. But many investors are unfamiliar with the underlying principles. What you need to learn from investment theory, and how to apply it to your real-world investment portfolio.

Departments
Briefly Noted
Current news items of interest to individual investors.

Departments
Letters to the Editor
Member questions and comments on recent AAII Journal articles.