Instead of investing in real estate and companies that make stuff and have a dull old strategy for making money the answer is clear: when the opportunity comes, invest in nothing because nothing is the future. Lehman Brothers has been around for a century and a half making huge profits, and today it’s nothing but FAIL. Same goes for newly sold Merrill Lynch. But fear not: I will provide you here with my expert Fall 2008 list that will pull us right out of economic depression and immerse us deeply in the bushy-tailed future:

Twitter
People are addicted to Twitter. You know I am. And addicts will do anything to get a fix. Sure, as of yet it has no way of making money, so investing in it will be faith based. But you believe in Jesus don’t you? The old economy has collapsed and the new economy is the only hope. Even Jack Layton is on Twitter, warming the cockles of my Canadian heart and proving how we, as a nation, are on the cutting edge.

Cuil
Well, not just failed search engine Cuil. What I suggest is to invest in any company that was started by a former Google employee. A great example of that is Cuil. Those Google folks have the midas touch even after they part ways with the mother of the new economy. Despite horrible reviews across the board, Cuil has been valued at $200 million. And it doesn’t even work!

Yammer
The winner of Techcrunch50 this year, Yammer is basically a Twitter for your company. Why you couldn’t just make a Twitter account and make it private, only adding people in your company isn’t clear to me—but if it beat out forty-nine other startups and is blessed by socialnet news darling Techcrunch, it must be a winner.

The method for identifying investment-worthy new-economy companies is simple. Ask yourself: What does it make? How much money has it made? If the answer to both questions is nothing then you’ve picked yourself a winner.

Happy investing! We’re gonna be rich rich rich.