5 Investing Criteria I've Used to Beat the Market

With thousands of stocks to pick from and a multitude of financial metrics one can use to judge companies' performance and growth potential, how can investors be sure they are making the best possible decisions?

Under conditions of complexity, not only are checklists a help, they are required for success. -- Atul Gawande, surgeon and author of The Checklist Manifesto

Over a year ago, I decided to take Gawande's advice and created a detailed checklist of the attributes I wanted in my stocks. Since I started using this checklist in my decision-making, my portfolio's returns have improved -- considerably. Is this just a coincidence? I don't think so.

Source Fool.com