I have a few shares of AT&T (T)... namely 30,000 shares of it... So it's a stock that while I consider it in that "steady eddy" bandwidth... because I don't expect them to suddenly spurt up --- I also don't think they'll drop much either. They pay a solid dividend... that's above 5% and that cushions downside risk.
I do however always keep up with "trends" -- and this is not only fun - but increases my awareness of what and why I'm invested in something. It takes some time - but I love it so no biggie.
I find this article about Apple - and about the cell phone industry which T is a member of very "interesting". As consumers - sometimes we just don't SEE what's happening competitively in an industry. But this article - while about Apple - sheds some really good light on cell phones in general. And particularly about how they're sold etc. What's good for one company might just affect another one negatively or vice versa. In this case -- NOT subsidizing cell phones might hurt Apple - but in the long run might be good for AT&T and Verizon (VZ) etc. Or it might be revenue neutral. Who knows.
I just thought it interesting.
http://www.fool.com/investing/genera...idies-att.aspx