Five Stocks Ready to Gain This Week

This column was originally published on RealMoney on July 29 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.

I'm taking a vacation next week for the first time in more than five years. Unlike my previous forays away from the trading turret, I will not take a laptop with me to track my positions while I pretend to relax. Instead, I'll be working hard at not working.

I am so committed to unplugging that I've closed out all my positions. I'm flat. I could have just opted for protecting existing positions with stops -- play the upside while limiting the downside.

But that wouldn't work because I would still be preoccupied with my portfolio: Did I get stopped out? Should I raise my stop to protect profits? These are the questions that would serve only to increase stress, not relieve it. I plan to return with more energy and a fresh perspective. ...