CNBC Portfolio Challenge, My Best Week

Regular readers of my blog will know that approximately two months ago, in a burst of creative energy, I wrote a Handbook for Contestants in CNBC's Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge. Many interesting doors opened as a results of this Handbook, including five appearances on CNBC's "How To Win" program, plus numerous guest blogs on CNBC's "Million Dollar Buzz Blog."

One of my goals, in this process, has been to become the living demonstration of the principles about which I had been writing -- by actually becoming (at least) a finalist in the contest itself. As of this point in time, I cannot say that this has happened. I can only report, as the picture above shows, that one of my portfolios in the contest has gained 112.98% this past week.

Those of you familiar with this contest will know that each week a winner is chosen whose portfolio has appreciated the most during the week. This is the eighth week, so seven previous weekly winners have been chosen. To date, the greatest weekly gain has been about 93% -- or nearly 20% less than my portfolio has appreciated this week. So, whether or not I am selected as the weekly winner, I am very happy with this result. I believe it clearly shows that the principles about which I have been writing are capable of producing real-world results. And, I am looking forward to continued application of these principles in my own future trading and investing.

There are now well over a million portfolios entered into this year's CNBC Portfolio Challenge. So the odds of my becoming the weekly winner are extremely small. Furthermore, I have every reason to think that other people have done at least as well. My name has not shown up on the "leaderboard" for the week. And, of greater significance, I posted all of my stock picks -- in advance -- on CNBC's "Million Dollar Buzz Blog." (I was one of three invited "guest bloggers" there.) Anyone could have simply read my blogs and made the very same trading choices.

If I am selected as the weekly winner, I will receive a $10,000 prize and will be eligibe to compete in the "finals" to receive the $1 million prize (actually an annuity, not cash). And, of course, that will be very nice. But, even if -- after doing so well this week -- I fail to become the declared weekly winner I am very happy to have had this opportunity to study the market so carefully.

My strategy for the contest has been to pick a different stock every day of the week. The specific details of how I have done this are published in my guest blogs on CNBC.com (part of the "Million Dollar Buzz Blog") and in my Handbook for Contestants.

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