The Patriotic Investor: 8 Stocks to Lift the USA

Corporate earnings are lousy, the market is having its worst start to a new year in history and Americans are losing their homes at an alarming rate. The 44th president of the United States needs to restore confidence right quick.

But is there anything investors can do to give the nation their own nudge in the right direction — and maybe help their portfolios too? The mantra heard so often in recent weeks is how consumers need to get spending again. You could argue the same holds true for many investors.

This being 2009, war bonds aren’t really an option for putting your money behind the country. So instead, we pulled together a list of investments that let you show a vote of confidence in the American future.

Fortunately, confidence overall is already improving and should only get better after the inauguration, says Keith McCullough, chief executive and chief investment officer at Research Edge, a real-time investment research firm in New Haven, Conn.

"The market is still 10% off its bottom and stocks are the leading indicator for confidence, or the lack thereof," McCullough says. "I think everything sets up for Obama to start making people feel better on Tuesday. Or at least better than they've felt in a long time."

This Patriotic Portfolio doesn't necessarily represent the best trades, cheapest stocks or most promising buy-and-hold positions. Rather, it serves as something of a proxy for some of the U.S.’s biggest ideals (and worst impulses). As these holdings go, so goes the nation.