INVESTING FEBRUARY 19, 2012 Retro Investing—Look Back to Get Ahead By TOM LAURICELLA Break out the poodle skirts and crank up the Perry Como. It’s often said that investors these days are navigating uncharted territory. The world’s major economies are swamped by massive amounts of debt, the Federal Reserve has essentially locked interest rates at zero and the outlook for corporate profits is increasingly cloudy. Many investors are paralyzed by this environment, which is unlike anything they have seen in their adult lives. As a result, they’re hunkering down in cash and super-safe government bonds. However, as is often the case, investors can look to the past and find potential…