Five Keys to Improving Your Performance

How did you do in 2005?

By the numbers, my portfolio had a good year. My picks were up 33% for 2005 vs. a 0% return for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and 4% for the Nasdaq Composite.

But numbers aren't the only way to measure a portfolio's performance.

The other ways to measure performance are far more squishy and subjective, but I think they're just as important for anyone who wants to make a consistent profit -- in good years and bad years -- in the stock market. ...