MIllion Dollar Investment Ideas for 2008

How would you invest $10,000 in the coming year?

From the crystal ball of new and returning experts comes advice for $10,000 in 2008:

•Sheldon Jacobs, editor of The No-Load Investor, Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y.:

"I'd stick with the winners and do the same thing I did last year. Split the $10,000 between T. Rowe Price New Era Fund, and PowerShares FTSE RAFI US 1000.

•Richard Cripps, senior managing director of EquityCompass Strategies for Stifel Nicolaus, Baltimore:

"My stock selection for the $10,000 is stock of Men's Wearhouse, which has benefited from the consolidating men's apparel sector."

•Elaine Garzarelli, president of Garzarelli Research, New York:

"Put 25 percent in iShares Dow Jones Transportation Average, 25 percent in Financial Select Sector SPDR, 25 percent in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index and 25 percent in Consumer Discretionary SPDR ."

•Don Phillips, managing director of Morningstar Inc., Chicago:

"Put the $10,000 in Selected American Shares D. This fund is low-cost and efficient, and its managers have a lot of their own money in it."

•Richard Yamarone, chief economist for Argus Research Corp., New York:

"My first choice would be to invest the money in commodities, meaning everything from energy to copper, corn and wheat. For those interested in stocks and not commodities futures, I suggest consumer-related stocks such as restaurants. Spread the money between Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. , Burger King Corp. and Cheesecake Factory Inc."

•Hugh Johnson, chairman, Johnson Illington Advisors LLC, Albany, N.Y.:

Put $5,000 in the stock market and $5,000 in the bond market. For stocks, use either a good, actively managed mutual fund or an index fund mirroring the S&P 500, S&P 1500 or Russell 3000. For bonds, use a fixed-income ETF mirroring a five- to seven-year Treasury."

•Mark Johannessen, president-elect, Financial Planning Association, and managing director, Harris SBSB, McLean, Va.:

"Max out your 401(k) contribution, pay off credit-card debt and preserve money for future need. If that's done, buy $3,000 of an intermediate-term, high-quality corporate or municipal bond. Buy $3,000 of a large-cap growth ETF or mutual fund."

•Curt Weil, certified financial planner, Lasecke Weil Wealth Advisory Group LLC, Palo Alto, Calif.:

"I'd put a third of my dough in the iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors ETF. I'd put another one-third in ­iShares S&P MidCap 400 Growth Index ETF. The remaining one-third goes overseas to Driehaus International Discovery, a no-load fund targeting small- to mid-cap growth stocks."

Thx to STLtoday