David Bolden is President of Emerald Financial Group:

How do you invest?

My preference has always been the stocks market, whether it be stocks or mutual funds. The main criteria has always been - do I admire the management running the company in the case of a stock I want to invest in, or the money manager in the case of mutual fund.

Do you do your own investing?

Yes

What was the best (most successful) investment you ever made?

Tithing, it's doing the right thing and it always results in higher returns

What was the worst (least successful) investment you ever made?

The least successful investments always seem to happen when you let your heart rule your head. The one I most remember was Research in Motion; the makers of the blueberry flip type pagers/personal digital assistants. I loved the technology and bought the stock at around $9 Canadian when it was still a small company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. I sold the stock just before it listed on the US exchange because I became impatient. The stock ended up going to $156 in little less than a year. It's now back at $11.

What is was the longest investment you ever made?

The continued reinvestment in our business, over the last ten years.

What was the shortest investment you ever made?

Before the WorldCom accounting scandal came to light, I bought and sold the company's stock in two days after they announced they had received crucial bank financing. It was purely opportunistic, as it was clear that the operating environment for the company had not improved and investors were reacting solely to the short term "good news" other than the facts.

Most memorable investing moment?

I have many memorable moments, but they all tend to centre around the good feelings I get when I know our firm's investment advice has helped someone achieve an important milestone in their life such as paying off their mortgage, or having enough investment income to support their lifestyle during retirement.

Biggest missed opportunity?

Not consistently investing in the stock of mutual fund companies during the bull market of 1990 as it was clear their share price would dramatically increase given the historical surge of investment activity by the average individual, which saw more money go into stock mutual funds than perhaps any other time in history.

What would you never invest in?

Those that knowingly market clearly harmful products such as tobacco companies, or those who give lip-service to the concept of equal opportunity employment.