Michael Robinson

• Visit Taipan Publishing Group
• Visit Taipan Daily

Michael serves as editor to BreakAway Investor profiling major defense and new technology companies that offer sound, safe investment opportunities for readers.

A Pulitzer Prize nominee and published author, Michael Robinson is a 30-year media veteran who has written for some of the nation’s more prestigious publications, including the Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Examiner, The New York Times, National Real Estate Investor, and The Wall Street Journal.

The author of the book Overdrawn: The Bailout of American Savings, Michael was instrumental in uncovering a scandal at Bank of America that led to the dismissal of two executive vice presidents.

Get to Know Michael Robinson

What is a hot sector for 2009? The federal Information Technology industry should do well in 2009. In the 12 years I have covered this sector I like to joke that being a federal IT supplier is like having a license to print money Now, it’s true — the government is borrowing heavily for the Obama stimulus package that target such federal IT areas as health care and Cyber Security. The federal government continues to let attrition remove IT workers, and they are being replaced with contractors. Because the federal government doesn’t break contracts, these firms have stable cash flow, and most have substantially backlogs of funded orders.

What is one thing an investor should consider when picking a stock? In picking a stock look for cash flow. Ideally, the equity in question would have support in the form of strong cash flow and would also pay a dividend. If the stock doesn’t pay a dividend then the company should have strong cash flow or lots of cash on hand. I would avoid almost any stock with a large debt coming due this year or next.

What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time, I like to play blues guitar, write songs and sail. The city of Oakland has one of the cheaper sailing clubs in the country. So, we get out a few times a year. I used to race J24s on San Francisco Bay. My other hobby is organizing my family videos and photos. Finally, when the economy is strong my wife and I like checking out the great restaurants in the Bay Area.

What profession other than yours would you like to try? I’d say Jimmy Buffet has the ideal life: sails the islands, plays his music on tour and writes books in his “spare time.” That sounds pretty idyllic to me.