For Teachers: Lessons on Investing in What You Know

The Stock Market Game Week in Review: Feb. 11-15

Like butter on an English muffin, the credit crisis is seeping into every nook and cranny of our financial system -- last week it was frozen-up student loans. Consequently, fear continues to loom large on Wall Street with no foreseeable optimism in sight. But at some point the hand wringing has got to end and investments must be made, but they should never be made will-nilly --- credit crisis or no.

An article posted Thursday, Feb. 14 by Priya Ganapati of TheStreet.com reminded us of the mantra coined by legendary investor Peter Lynch: Buy what you know.

Peter Lynch used to run the Fidelity Magellan Fund (FMAGX Quote), which is one of the largest and best known mutual funds in the United States. His simple yet brilliant investment philosophy centered on noticing what is around you everyday. What clothes do you wear? Who do you bank with? What kind of car do you drive? What kind of toys do your kids want? When you answer those kinds of questions, you can compile a list of stocks to research and evaluate. That's "buy what you know," which brings us back to Ganapati's article. ...