DOLLARS & SENSE : COMPANY SPOTLIGHT.Name: Vertel Corp. HQ: 21300 Victory Blvd. Suite 1200, Woodland Hills. Business: Develops telecommunications network management software. Rivals include ISR Global, DSET and internal software development units at major telecom companies. Annual revenue: $18.4 million, down 0.6 percent. Annual loss: $3.3 million, a 30 percent improvement from an operating loss on continuing operations of $4.7 million. Ticker symbol: VRTL. Friday close: $2.875. Web site: www.vertel.com Company contact: Sandy Christopher, director of marketing communications, (818) 227-5735. Investor Spotlight Name: Jerome Fried. Residence: Tarzana. Occupation: Full-time investor. Age: 27. How he got started: As the son of a banker, Fried grew up watching business shows and was used to seeing ticker tape Ticker Tape A computerized device that relays financial information to investors around the world, including the stock symbol, the latest price, and volume on securities as they are traded.Notes: Before computers, the quotations on a ticker tape were stamped on a thin piece of paper. See also: Fighting the Tape, Print, Runoff on TV. He got his first stock at 11, a certificate from The Walt Disney Co. After college, he went to work for the venerable Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley, first as a runner and ending up as a floor broker Floor broker Member of an exchange who is an employee of a member firm and executes orders, as agent, on the floor. But he left New York to be close to his family in Los Angeles. A year ago, he began full-time trading out of his home. His philosophy is to work smart rather than hard: Find the best way to make the most money with the least effort. As a short-term trader who follows technical charts, he says, he makes money in seven out of 10 trades. To pay his living expenses, he sells covered call options - contracts to buy a stock that he owns. Most of the time, the options expire and Fried gets to keep the money. Best stock: Workflow International (WORK). He bought it at $5 a share and sold some at $15. It closed at $15.375 on Friday. Worst stock: Vivus (VVUS). He bought it for $5 a share and it's now under $3. It closed at $3.0625 on Friday. Investment philosophy: ``I go for broke because I'm young and I can afford to lose some money right now. I have time to make it back so I risk it all.'' CAPTION(S): photo, chart Photo: (color) Jerome Fried Chart: Price per share |
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