Any investor who's ever based a decision on a "rational consumer" model had best take a look in the mirror and dunk his or her head in a bucket of ice water. A lot of people in suits are myopic and parochial worrywarts who for some reason think that a bunch of ivory tower economists writing "AA+" on a piece of paper has something to do with how many light bulbs and shampoo bottles real people buy.

I for one won't go in for these sorts of knee-jerk shenanigans.

A good way to assess a company's viability as a long term investment is to look at how they manage their own investments, and a readily accessible window is that company's 5500 filings. It's a long way from hiring to retirement, and when a company has secure pension dollars, you know they're in it for the long haul.

Skip over defined contribution plans like 401(k)s: a company can't be responsible for its employees bad decisions. Look for master trusts and defined benefit plans.

Take Johnson and Johnson's Pension and Savings Plan Master Trust (Plan 015) – their rate of return in 2009 outperformed the S&P 500 by almost 15 percent. These are people who know how to handle their own money. They're a solid buy.

And with this latest roller coaster ride, you know the company behind Pepcid AC is going to do well.