Taipan Publishing Group

Zach Scheidt is editor of Taipan's New Growth Investor and Taipan's Velocity Trader, and collaborator on Taipan Daily with editor Justice Litle. As a retired hedge fund manager, Zach brings to Taipan Publishing Group nearly a decade of experience in the alternative-investment arena.

Zach holds a unique and dynamic perspective when it comes to analyzing up-and-comers involved in secondary offerings and capital transactions. His market expertise focuses on the "bottom-up" from new issues and secondary offerings to highly liquid companies still in their early years.

His extensive background in constructing and maintaining various investment programs includes serving as an analyst, portfolio manager and consultant to other asset managers. Zach holds a MBA from Georgia State University and resides in a suburb of Atlanta with his wife and six children.

Get to Know Zach Scheidt

What is a hot sector for 2009? One hot sector, no pun intended, is the solar energy sector, which will provide some great opportunities. Investors will have to be careful, as not all solar manufacturers are created equal. Select companies with strong supply agreements, adequate capital to expand and solvent customers will do very well in 2009.

What is one thing an investor should consider when picking a stock? This year the thing to pay attention to is leverage (or debt). If a company funds its growth plan by taking out huge loans, it could get in trouble pretty quickly. During bull markets this isn't as much of a problem. But in 2009, it's important to look carefully at a company's cash, debt and asset levels.

What do you like to do in your free time? Could you repeat the question? Free time? Remember, I'm a father of six! But seriously, I like to run (usually about 15 to 20 miles a week), and play basketball when I have time. I'm also a bit of an aviation buff and enjoy looking at old WWII-era planes.

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? I'd like to spend a week as a window washer on a high-rise building. Being that high up would be a huge rush. Or maybe I would be a bush pilot, flying a "real" prop plane into and out of remote airstrips. I love adventure, but I'm pretty happy with the adventurous markets right now.