In the 1960s, my brother's father-in-law, a stockbroker, received some shares of Mohawk Data Sci... Analysis: Pfizer, Chubb are

Years later, he opened the box and found that the value of his shares had soared. He used the windfall to pay off the mortgage on the house owned by my brother and his wife.

As an investment technique, I don't recommend buying shares and forgetting about them, even though the results are sometimes pleasant. Still, I get occasional requests from readers for a list of stocks you can buy and leave alone for 10 years.

From a few dozen candidates, I used judgment to pick my 10 stocks. I tried to strike a balance among industries, and between large companies and medium-sized ones.

Pfizer Inc. (PFE), based in New York, heads my list. Its stock price has been hurt by controversies over drug side effects, public pressure to reduce pharmaceutical prices, and increasing competition from generic products.

Because of these woes, you can buy Pfizer for only 13 times earnings. The company has had 17 percent annual growth in profit the past five years, and offers a dividend yield of more than 3 percent.

Next is Chubb Corp. (CB), a property-and-casualty insurance company based in Warren, N.J. Chubb is more profitable than many of its competitors because it is good at picking niches. Some of its specialties include insurance for business, yachts and professional liability. Chubb shares go for 12 times earnings.

In financial services, I also recommend Bank of America Corp. (BAC), the second-largest U.S. bank. It affords shareholders a comfortable 4.5 percent dividend yield, sells for 11 times earnings, and has a management team I respect.

Loyal readers won't be surprised to learn that I like quite a few energy stocks. Worldwide demand for energy is likely to grow, and oil and gas will be increasingly hard to find.

Two energy stocks that I own for clients are Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) of Oklahoma City, and Apache Corp. (APA) of Houston. Devon, an oil and natural-gas producer, has had annual earnings growth of 32 percent the past five years. Apache has reported 30 percent annual growth in the same period. Both stocks seem like bargains at 9 times earnings.

Ingersoll-Rand Co. (IR) of Hamilton, Bermuda, makes Bobcat machines and Thermo King refrigerated trucks, among other items. It has had a more than 18 percent return on equity the past two years, and operating-profit margins exceeding 10 percent the past three years. The stock sells for 13 times earnings.

U.S. Steel Corp. (X), based in Pittsburgh, is the largest U.S. steelmaker by sales. Once the biggest company in the U.S., today it is just a mid-sized stock. Although steelmakers in other countries can produce more cheaply than American firms can, I believe the U.S. will still have an active steel industry 10 years hence.

It looks like the steel industry will consolidate, often a sign of future profits for investors. At 8 times earnings, U.S. Steel seems very cheap, and I believe it will reward patient holders. I own the shares personally and for some clients.

Now for some fun. Brunswick Corp. (BC), of Lake Forest, Ill., makes boats, fishing gear, bowling equipment and other recreational items. It sold $5.9 billion of its products in 2005, up from $3.4 billion four years earlier.

Brunswick is in a growth area that isn't considered glamorous. Also, investors always get nervous about boat sales whenever the economy sneezes. Therefore, the stock is often cheap — as it is now, at 12 times earnings. I own it for some clients.

Women's clothes will always be in demand, and Liz Claiborne Inc. (LIZ) is less subject to fads than most clothing makers, as it caters to young career women.

In the past five years, Liz Claiborne has increased sales and earnings at an annual clip of more than 10 percent. It's realistic to hope for that growth rate to be sustained. The stock sells for 12 times earnings, and I own it for a few clients.

I'll wrap up the list with Timken Co. (TKR) of Canton, Ohio, a maker of roller bearings. What could be less glamorous? And yet, Timken stock has risen in 13 of the past 15 years. The company's sales in 2005, $5.2 billion, more than doubled those of 2001 — partly because of acquisitions.

Last year, Timken had a sparkling return on equity of almost 19 percent. The stock has tumbled 14 percent this year on lower- than-expected quarterly earnings, and now fetches only 11 times earnings.

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