money managers

Ask the people who invest billions for a living to name their favorite picks for 2012 and you'll get a smorgasbord worthy of a holiday party: Brazilian stocks, U.S. junk bonds, and government debt from Colombia. Ask them what they dislike and they'll name one of the top-performing investments this year: U.S. government bonds.

Wall Street is littered with so-called hot and smart investors who flamed-out during economic downturns or market crashes. But Marketocracy says its investment management teams are different -- with stock picks that have demonstrated proven, long-term staying prowess.

Apparently undeterred by the second-most significant crash in the history of the U.S. stock market, the majority of institutional investors and financial advisors plan to increase their use of alternative investments despite their poor performance during last year's financial meltdown. A recent...