Ryan Cole

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Ryan Cole began running inside elite power circles in college. During his time at the University of Pennsylvania, Ryan was discussing economic theory with tomorrow’s leaders in the ivy-lined halls of Wharton -- and establishing connections he could call on for years to come.

But he was just getting started -- from there, Ryan decided to strengthen his international contacts. He spent five years in Japan, learning the language and the ways of Asian business. He even spent a year in Thailand learning about developing economies from the inside.

After more than half a decade abroad, Ryan brought his newfound global perspective back to the States -- covering and analyzing finance and business for some of the most prestigious outlets.

He is now close, personal friends with numerous people in high places -- from hedge fund analysts to tech-world whizzes to bio-med pioneers.

During the 2008 crash, when the rest of the world was losing its shirt, Ryan doubled his income. When everyone else was begging for employment, Ryan was turning down sweetheart job offers, preferring to keep his connections -- and wealth-building skills -- to himself.

By staying under the radar, Ryan was able to build upon and strengthen his connections in the world of small caps -- where he saw the greatest potential for profit coming out of the great crash. Small caps almost always lead the way in recoveries.

It wasn’t easy -- but we convinced Ryan that he could keep true to his small-cap ideals while preaching to our select audience at Small Cap Insider. Today, he brings his Four Eye System to bear on uncovering the biggest stories in future headlines -- the mid to mega caps of tomorrow, the small caps of today.

Get to Know Ryan Cole:

What is a hot sector for 2012?

Fracking is no longer a “someday” dream -- it’s happening right now. It helped turned the United States into a net exporter of refined petroleum in 2011 -- something barely anyone in the financial media noticed. However, fracking is an environmentally costly process, and the political rhetoric and regulatory red tape both promise to add up exponentially in 2012.

That’s why I’m looking at a number of energy service companies to really take off this year -- companies that can help fracking clean up its dirty bits, and satisfy the political outcry in Washington. Solve even a small slice of the environmental impact problem, and your company is going to make a lot of investors very rich.

What is one thing an investor should consider when picking a stock?

Future performance.

Not only is the stock market a forward-looking beast… and not only will prices fluctuate more on future expectations than past earnings… but too many investors get bogged down extending past performance forward.

Don’t. Take each stock as a new babe -- and project from there. Who cares what the company did last year -- I’m more concerned with what it will do next year. Some recent examples of companies that got passed by -- after being market darlings -- are RIMM, Garmin and Netflix. To name only a few out of hundreds. Don’t get caught looking backward.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I vary by season. I’ve always been an avid traveler -- taking three months off to backpack in Europe in college, spending the summer after graduation road tripping around America, and living in Asia for six years. The more traveling, the better.

In the winter, I like to include skiing in my travel. During the summer, I’m practicing water sports. And sometimes, I combine the two -- right now, I’m training to swim a race across the Chesapeake Bay in a few months.

What job would you be doing if you weren't editor and analyst extraordinaire?

This will sound like a cop-out, but it’s true -- I’m in my favorite profession.

Oh, there are things I also enjoy -- I wish I’d spent a few more seasons as a snowmobile guide in Vail, for instance. A number of times I’ve toyed with the notion of joining the diplomatic corps, serving and representing my country abroad (with a few wonderful travel perks to boot).

But when I was 3, I wanted to do three things -- sell cars (like my dad), play shortstop for the Orioles (like every toddler living in Baltimore) and write.