Ongoing case of CNO

                                                       
                                                    
Conseco Inc. (CNO) is an insurance company which has
a number of susidiaries.  I have two policies through
one of those subsidiaries.  Both the company and the
companies within it are barely investment grade, but
after descending into the $2-$3 trading range/ and   
after--from various sources--I learned more about it,
I began watching it through AOL Finance.  Somewhere  
along the way from October 1 into November, CNO hit  
a low of $1.31 and also during that time/ insiders  
were buying shares, especially the CEO.  November
20, 2008, a market down day with CNO closing at 
$1.78; and November 28, 2008, a market up day with
CNO closing at $3.38/ were two such days.  After  
the 11/28/2008, the stock moved into a new trading
range above $2.50 and below $3.90, and I believe it   
was during that time that CNO shifted to the state
of Pennsylvania a group of policies that had lost
their profitability.  Then in December a dividend
hike payable on 01/09/09 to stock holders of record
12/31/08 was announced.  Comparatively, that hike
was an appreciable one.  Accordingly, CNO closed 
at $5.18 on 12/31/08.  Friday, January 2, 2009,
was a strong market upday with the DOW closing    
above 9000, but CNO closed at $4.71 as there was
no longer a reason for it to go higher.  Will see
tomorrow if it falls back into the $2.50-to-$3.90
range.  One of the policies I have I bought when
I was yet in Gainesville, Florida.  That was in   
March of 2005.  As of last month Florida made it
known it is considering banning CNO from selling
policies in that state unless the company shows
it has the wherewithal to honor them.  And yet in
spite of the bad news, Morningstar and others had
rated CNO a buy, and so it was.  Had one purchased
shares at or near $2 after 11/20/08 and sold them
at or near $5 on 12/31/08--and this is only a minor
picture of what can happen, but be aware that risk
is a given when it comes to trading or investing,
and that there are many conditions anyone who is in
the market should attend.  Trading and investing   
are both a science and an art, and each participant
ought to know his or her comfort zone and do what
is necessary to protect himself or herself from
catastrophic loss.                                 
                                                 
                                                  
                                                  
                                                  
                                                 
mr00002