Stocking Up on Sin: How to Crush the Market with Vice-Based Investing

There's an old saying: the only way to win at gambling is to own a casino. Most of us can't afford one, but put your money in casino stocks instead of slot machines and you can enjoy some real winnings. Gambling and other "vice" stocks—in companies that manufacture or market tobacco, alcohol, sex or weapons—have done well in recent years.

That's the point of Waxler's book. As the author puts it: "Sin never goes out of style." Of course, making money on sinful stocks doesn't sit well with everyone. If you prefer politically correct funds, notes Waxler, "you're only reading this book for sermon fodder." But be warned: she may convert you. Her so-called SINdex, composed of 69 vice stocks, climbed nearly 42 percent in five years. At the least, investing in sinful stocks might make you feel better about the money you lose on your next Vegas visit.—MSNBC/Newsweek, April 19, 2004