Investing in 2014 is likelier to be trickier than 2013 when stocks went straight up, so shopping for a few "must have" investments could be key to performance.
CNBC asked several investors and analysts what made their shopping lists.
On the stocks front, United Continental Airlines tops the list for Douglas C. Lane and Associates Portfolio Manager Sarat Sethi. Sethi, whose firm's fund beat the S&P 500 over the last 10 years net of fees, says he likes the stock's valuation and sees continued growth in profits and improvement in the company's balance sheet. United Airlines has been an out-performer so far this year, up almost 24 percent.