Adding some PEP

If you look at a 50-year chart, Altria (the old Philip Morris) is the No. 1 stock on the NYSE as Marlboro has steadily gained market share. But some of the other recession-proof consumer products companies aren't bad either. It's a good way to get rich slow -- if we could all live to be 200, it would be a slam dunk to buy these.
My favorite in recent years has been Pepsico, PEP. It's really misnamed -- Frito Lay produces more of the profits. And recently Gatorade has been their fastest growing brand. Selling at just under 20 times earnings, with a 2.0 percent yield, it's not cheap. But management seems to understand that colas is a declining business and new products. including healthy ones from the Quaker Oats family, are key. And the beta, 0.16, is nice and low.