The Future is in Plastic

As I scanned the Magic Formula stock screener for a stock I'd want to hold indefinitely, one company stood out: Visa (V). It's not a credit card company, but a global financial network that allows credit, debit, and prepaid cards to work. What I like about Visa:

• Name brand recognition and reputation
• International growth
• Low debt
• Stock buy-backs
• Increasing dividends

A few other stocks I considered and rejected:

Microsoft (MSFT): a little too much debt, a little too much competition from others. Their Mickey Mouse Word and Excel 2007 don't endear them to me, either. I use different word processing and spreadsheet software that I downloaded legally for free. It kind of reminds me of what Internet Explorer did to Netscape.

Altria (MO): Revenue has been going down for years. Maybe word has gotten out that cigarettes are unhealthy; maybe the taxes are too high; maybe they've been banned in too many places; maybe the recession has made a lot of people kick the habit. I'm not going to make it my problem.

Full House Resorts (FLL): They're going $30 million into debt to buy another casino. If it doesn't work out, the company will have a hard time absorbing that loss. Someone once said that change and profits usually don't go together. But good luck to them!