Microsoft Corporation. Wal-Mart Stores. The Home Depot. They, and thousands of ultra-successful companies like them, share a common trait. Not long ago, they were all small, modest, hometown companies - and now, they have all produced astronomical returns to the folks back home who believed in them and invested in them early on.Chances are there's such a company in your own area. And now, for the first time anywhere, noted business writer Richard Maturi shows you how to zero in on these kinds of local and regional success stories-in-the-making, and take profitable advantage of the investment opportunities they afford long before Wall Street jumps on the bandwagon.The Hometown Investor delivers the inside story on how to discover promising homegrown investments with substantial income or capital gains potential; conduct extensive research on intriguing companies that are close to home, and analyze the information; track local initial public offerings (IPOs), and determine their value; take advantage of local knowledge when buying municipal bonds and mutual funds; exploit the special knowledge and insights about local companies and economies to which only a hometown investor has access; and construct a portfolio with a hometown flavor, but reduce your risks and improve returns by savvy diversification. Read Less