I used to work for this company, so I got a lot of stock through various means at good prices. Plus, it helped to be able to see things on the inside. I still think this stock has a lot of room to run if Dimon can do what he did at Bank One. It takes a lot to get a giant up and going, but I think JPM is on the way.

Diversified health care play and good dividend. I like that I can pair their pharma with the consumer staples to get some security for my health care bet.

Another very well run company with a great brand. I'm a runner and it's easy to see how good a job Nike does with their gear and how they're able t give athletes (in various sports) what they want and at the same time adjust what it is that we want.

Because I'm not clever or hard-working enough to pick out the small cap winners on my own, but I wanted small cap exposure. I'm a big believer in indexing (though you can't tell that by this portfolio). Yet.

I wanted international exposure as well and Honda is a very well run company with some diversification into other types of motors. I like that they are diversified into more than just automobiles by building other types of motors. Honda is also far ahead of the game in the hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles.

Another highly-visible well-run company. High barriers to entry and the synergies with Kinkos are still being worked out. Further diversification into transportation.

I wanted to get into more international stocks, but this time I thought it would be worth getting some help. Dodge & Cox has the right philosophy of buy & hold and value for me.

Their stable of alcohol brands is fantastic and it should be more recession-proof than other stocks. Also more international exposure, though in the case of most of my international picks, they really are global companies. And the brands Diageo has are outstanding. There is still a lot of emerging market growth potential.