Y'know, I agree with this for the most part - credit card debt is BAD - but ... when times are bad, the smart money buys. The key assumption is that you MUST have money, of course.

Besides the general economy, there are two other factors:

1) SCHIP is coming. If we assume that it is 40 cents a cigar, then that's $10 on a box of 25. I don't know if there will be a floor tax (tax levied on existing stocks), but if you smoke $2 cigars, that's quite a hit.

2) Cuba has been hit HARD by the hurricanes. The tobacco wasn't planted, but many curing barns have been lost. This means prices will naturally rise in a couple of years solely due to the upcoming lost crop. If that is further combined with the suspension of the embargo, then CC's will go through the roof. Unfortunately, it is only boxes that remain sealed that will be worth sitting on for investment purposes.

YMMV