By Rick Glaze

OK, let’s really talk investing this week. My mother was an extraordinary investor. I remember the time she walked into the house and announced she had invested in a new pair of shoes. These were not regular run-of-the-mill shoes. No, because they could be used for both work and evening. Not only that, the high-quality craftsmanship would provide many years of wear.

She feverishly took them out of the box, slipped them on her feet and modeled them for us. I had to admit, they looked good. These shoes were a good investment, I thought. My dad carefully looked up and asked, “Do they pay dividends?” You see, my dad was one of those boring practical people who thought investments should advance your monetary standing. Obviously, he was old fashioned.

A couple of years ago, I found myself folding under severe teenager pressure to shop for a widescreen TV. The sales pitch was constant, varied and creative. “We are so busy with homework, when we can take a break, it will be more relaxing to have a big screen.” And my personal favorite, “Everybody else has one.” Now that the big screen is in place, I must admit it was a good investment. I found that for best viewing, you need to get back from the screen a little bit, so I moved the recliner out the back door to the back fence. It’s only about 40 feet and the wireless telephone works great back there.

My next investment is going to be a new cell phone that gets digital TV reception. The screen is smaller than the remote control of my big screen behemoth and the audio sounds like a ringtone, but I can wear it on my belt and when it rains, I can come back into the house. I really think it will be a good investment, don’t you think, mom?

Rick Glaze is the president of Glaze Capital Management of Los Altos and is a registered representative of and offers securities through First Allied Securities Inc. For more information, call 934-0920.