Five Investments to Consider for Memorial Day

Memorial Day is one of those holidays where maybe 10% of the celebrants actually remember what the day is for, while the other 90% mindlessly enjoy the cookouts, alcohol, car races, and three-day weekend. Given the number of irreligious people who celebrate Christmas, or the number of non-witches who celebrate Halloween, maybe those numbers are not out of whack with normal expectations. Perhaps it is good to remember the sacrifices, have a moment of silence or prayer, contemplate what it means to be a good person and an American...and then enjoy the friends and family you've chosen to spend your holiday time with. It is in that spirit that we offer five stocks to consider for Memorial Day. Baseball Dick's Sporting Goods DKS can quickly outfit you for the weekend ball game, your kids for Little League, or your summertime portfolio. With a market cap of nearly $5 billion, the sporting goods giant could be primed to barbecue the competition this holiday. Coca Cola Coca Cola KO has to appear on any list celebrating America, primarily because it is everywhere. There are some places where one orders a soft drink with the generic term “coke”, prompting the server to ask you to clarify. McDonalds Is there any company that tells the story of America better than McDonald's MCD? The food is terrible for you, their marketing is everywhere, and they're blamed for the demise of everything from public health to the general environment. They're spread across the globe like an empire and virtually every local population would be better off if they simply buggered off. But the stock? Maybe you're lovin' it. Gold Ron Paul would sure be on board with this sentiment. The Republican Congressman, who is also running for president in 2012, is a huge fan of returning the US Dollar to the gold standard. Considering the instability in world markets lately, with nations defaulting and getting bailed out, gold has been a popular play this year. SPDR Gold Trust GLD and ProShares Ultra Gold UGL are two ETFs that offer investors a chance to cash in on gold's rise. The USD A strong America needs a strong dollar, or so the saying goes. Investing in any foreign exchange market is risky by nature. However, the USD has long been considered a safe haven currency. As the world's most accepted currency, the USD will almost always do well, other than the times when America is really down and other economies are up. If you're good at following news and predicting trends, pairing the dollar with top currencies like the Euro, the British pound, or the Chinese Yuan could allow you to make money off world events. The nice thing about these investments is they offer you the opportunity to easily play either side of the equation.