Three Former Rogues Fail 'Clean Stocks' Test

Who says good guys finish last? The Clean Stocks portfolio that readers and I started crafting last year has beaten the market hands down.

As of the close on June 17, eight of the 10 stocks in my Clean Stocks portfolio are up since I added them to the list. The average gain for the stocks in the group from the date of the first pick on Aug. 1, 2003, to the June 17 close is 18.5%. The S&P 500 is up 15% in that period.

For 2004 to the close on June 17, a period when I didn't add any new stocks to the list and thus the Clean Stocks portfolio was "fully invested," the stocks returned 8.2% on average. The S&P 500 was up 2% in the same period. ...