Welcome to the Q1 Update of the''Fourth Annual Personal Finance Bloggers' Stock Picking Contest.

I'm still the guy who doesn't take it seriously. Still nice to meet you.

So far, my “shoot from the hip” picks have done very well. I’m leading the competition with a +35.91% return in only the first 3 months. I don’t know about you, but my gut reaction is that this may not bode well for the final year-end results! :)

Here are my four picks for this year, the original rationale and a refresher of the rules for the competition. The overall rankings and links to the other competitors follows.

Top 2012 Stock Picks

The criteria is to pick four securities in equal dollar amounts listed on a Canadian or American exchange (not including derivatives) to just sit on for the duration of 2012 with no changes allowed. We are to provide updates every quarter and the contest ends on the last trading day of 2012. The initial prices will be based on the closing prices on December 30th, 2011. The final prices are based on the closing prices on the last trading day of 2012.

1. Starbucks @ $46.01 (NASDAQ:SBUX) ' I just had one so it's top of mind right now. NOW: $55.89, +21.47%

2. Apple @ $405.00 (NASDAQ:APPL) ' iPad 3, iPhone 5, and Apple might re-invent the TV this year. I also understand Steve Jobs and Tupac will release a collaborative album in 2012. NOW: $599.55, +48.04%

3. Research in Motion @ $14.50 (NASDAQ:RIMM) ' Perhaps they got beaten up too much, perhaps they get bought out. Then again, perhaps they have further to fall. NOW: $14.70, +1.38%

4. Bank of America @ $5.56 (NYSE:BAC) ' Bit of a contrarian play' and that's about as much thought I put into it. NOW: $9.57, +72.12%

This Doesn't Sound Like You

Regular readers know that I don't normally talk about specific investments. For the first year's contest I initially hesitated since I was worried that some readers might take some of these picks to heart and actually buy them themselves as part of their investment portfolios. However, I decided to participate anyways deciding that I'll just disclaimer the heck out of it. To that end:

This Is Just For Funsies

THIS STOCK PICKING CONTEST IS JUST FOR FUN, IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN GAMBLING. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING THE STOCKS LISTED HERE OR ON ANY OF THE OTHER BLOGGERS' SITES WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING A PROFESSIONAL FINANCIAL ADVISOR. IF YOU BUY THEM ANYWAYS BASED ON THIS POST, YOU MUST RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND BEFORE PLACING THE ORDER AND REPEAT, 'I AM A NUTBAR'.

What The Other Guys Are Picking

Here is a list of links to the other participating members' performance:

WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com +35.91%

Intelligent Speculator +16.37%

Dividend Mantra +13.71%

Wild Investor +11.78%

My Traders Journal +11.17%

Beating The Index +10.87%

Million Dollar Journey +7.84%

The Passive Income Earner +4.77%

Dividend Growth Investor +4.43%

The Financial Blogger +0.10%