As we move into the summer months, I expect a "changing of the guard." Investors will sit back and reappraise the business outlook. What they'll discover, I think, is that while conditions have improved somewhat, we've still got a long, potholed road ahead of us.

Ever-eager Wall Street is anticipating a brisker revival on Main Street than seems likely to occur, in 2009, anyway. Remember, the Federal Reserve's "stress tests" assume that the nation's 19 largest banks alone could lose another $599 billion by the end of 2010. According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, U.S. banks have written off only about half the losses they'll eventually have to swallow on sour loans and other bum assets.

These horrific numbers suggest that, regardless of any Washington arm-twisting, bankers will uphold fairly strict lending standards for some time to come. Consumers, for their part, will tend to scrimp on frills until the job picture brightens considerably and debt burdens ease. Skinflint bankers and frugal shoppers hardly make a recipe for an economic boom.

Once these realities sink in, traders will take profits on the stocks that have screamed skyward in recent weeks.

But where will they park the money?

My guess is that they'll rotate into safer, steadier companies whose share prices haven't climbed as far yet — like the three stocks below.

These stocks not only offer excellent value for the long term, but they're also ideally poised to deliver market-beating profits over the balance of this year.

Here are three blue chip stocks I advise you to buy now: