Retail investors who think they’re missing out on the big money because they don’t have a million bucks to get into a hedge fund should consider themselves lucky. Hedge funds had their best year in a decade in 2009 — and yet they couldn’t even beat the broader market.
Continue reading Retail Investors Rejoice: Even ETFs Beat Hedge Funds in 2009
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/01/07/retail-investors-rejoice-even-etfs-beat-hedge-funds-in-2009/
Source: http://consumerist.com/2012/05/text-message-read-receipts—-stress-incarnate-or-peace-of-mind.html
What the solution to Europe’s debt crisis has to do with a bar on the coast of Spain.
A new rule is supposed to ban banks from making speculative bets. But JPMorgan’s $2 billion trading loss illustrates the challenge of putting the rule into effect.
The generally accepted recommendation for retirees is to reduce risk and buy fixed income investments such as bonds. A common suggestion is to have the percentage of fixed income assets equal to your age. What is often overlooked is the risk of inflation eroding purchasing power. One way to beat inflation is to focus on…
Source: http://www.boomerandecho.com/beat-inflation-with-rising-dividends/
Filed under: Economy, Investing, Market News
The Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise interest rates until mid-2012 in light of new unemployment figures, which signal a slow economic recovery, Reuters reported.
November’s unemployment rate rose to 9.8% from 9.6% in October while the U.S. private sector added just 50,000 jobs — about a third of what analysts had forecast — the U.S. Labor Department announced Friday. Additionally, the underemployment rate, which includes both the unemployed and those working part time who are seeking full-time jobs, remained at a 17%, and the number of people out of work for at least six months increased to 6.3 million, the Labor Department said.
On the Chicago Board of Trade, short-term interest-rate futures traders aren’t pricing in increases in the target interest rate for overnight lending between banks until May 2012, according to Reuters. Traders, who previously indicated that they thought the Federal government would curtail its plan to buy $600 billion in bonds to spur the economy, had been pricing in an interest-rate hike at about December 2011 before this latest jobs report.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/12/03/traders-dont-expect-fed-to-raise-interest-rate-in-2011/
Filed under: Economy, Investing
Violence in Libya stifled demand for U.S. 10-year bonds Wednesday, pushing prices down 22 cents per $100 invested.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which moves in the opposite direction of price, rose to 3.49% Wednesday from 3.46% Tuesday after falling from 3.62% a week ago.
The declining bond prices come amid widespread violence between military forces and anti-government protesters in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Nearly 300 people have been killed in the uprising so far, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch.
The tensions in Libya caused investors to shy away from stocks, as well as the Treasurys, while oil prices briefly exceeded $100 a barrel on the news.
Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) lost 107 points, or 0.9%, to close at 12,106 Wednesday. The blue-chip index was had declined as m 149 points in midday trading before paring its loss.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/02/23/libyan-violence-stifles-demand-for-bonds-as-well-as-stocks/
Filed under: Investing, Investing Basics
While there’s no place like home, the U.S. stock market’s recent gyrations have many investors ready to look overseas for better returns. But while more experienced individuals might be ready to jump into emerging markets, many rookie investors are timidly sitting on the sidelines, wondering: Should they or shouldn’t they?
Here’s what you need to know make investing in emerging markets a little less scary.
Study Up
Start with a history lesson. Learn what you can about the regions of the world that have done well over the past five years, and see what experts are saying about their prospects going forward. Find out about what industries are doing well in these regions. Of course, that’s just the beginning.
Brush up on your current events and watch the headlines. Emerging market investments are known for their volatility, and in less stable regions, local politics can have an out-sized effect on returns. However, while you want to know what’s happening, you don’t want to “chase the news, particularly the good news,” says Adrian Cronje, chief investment officer at Balentine.
For example, Brazil is raising its primary fiscal surplus target to 3.4% due to higher than expected revenues. “Yes, Brazil is actually running a surplus: Its government spends less than it takes in through taxes,” says Charles Sizemore, editor of the Sizemore Investment Letter. “Meanwhile, Portugal is having a difficult time balancing the books. The country just announced the biggest budget cuts in 50 years, along with a string of new taxes on capital gains and business profits.”
Although inflation is starting to pop up again in some countries, emerging markets as a whole are enjoying price stability previously only dreamed of, says Sizemore.
Emerging markets are likely to produce much stronger growth than developed markets over the next several decades, says Ron Weiner, president of RDM Financial Group. They currently trade at attractive historical valuation levels (going back to 1990 based on MSCI data), and their consumers and governments are not burdened by the high debt levels of developed countries. According to research from Goldman Sachs, GDP in the BRIC nations alone — Brazil, Russia, India and China — could represent 50% of global GDP by 2050, he says.
It’s important to remember that the idea of “emerging markets” covers a wide range of nations, each of which may behave very differently from an economic perspective, despite a growing trend of globalization, says Heiner Skaliks, portfolio manager of Strategic Latin American Fund (SLATX). Last year, the Peruvian market had returns of close to 70%, while Brazil had returns of 6% and Russia had returns of approximately 21% (in U.S. dollar denominated terms). Since the beginning of the year, these markets have had losses of 13%, 21% and 4% respectively, but in the last 30 months averaged gains of 58%, 129% and 44% respectively, says Skaliks.
Don’t Bet the Farm on One Emerging Horse
“It is important to remember that just like any other investment, it is impossible to predict the growth of any country,” says Mark Matson, CEO of Matson Money. “Be cautious and don’t concentrate all of your assets in one area.”
Likewise, don’t concentrate all your money in one asset class: Foreign markets offer more than just stocks. Emerging market bonds (including local currency denominated, inflation indexed, and also corporate securities) are an asset class growing in size and — if handled correctly — can help you diversify your portfolio, points out Cronje.
Both emerging market stocks and bonds are risky asset classes, but they’re becoming less volatile as investors increasingly come to see the relatively stronger macroeconomic conditions in emerging market countries — less debt, better demographic trends, more policy options available — as positives amid these in troubled times for the developed world, says Cronje.
Then too, certain emerging stock and bond indexes are quite concentrated in a small number of countries, says Cronje. Be sure you know what you’re getting.
What to Watch Out For
Weiner of RDM Financial says he worries about three things: “A continued rise in inflation that causes central banks to have to increase interest rates more aggressively; a substantial slowdown in the global economy that hurts emerging market experts; and an increase in investor risk aversion that causes money to come out of emerging markets.”
Though it’s a warning that applies in developed markets too these days, be wary of political risks. For example, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently announced plans to nationalize the country’s gold industry. These things happen in politically unstable countries, says Sizemore.
Beware of export-focused countries, he cautions. Given that the United States and Europe are weak right now, you don’t want to invest in emerging market companies that primarily export to them. You want companies that sell to a healthy domestic middle class, says Sizemore.
Realize too, that the opaque accounting practices common in less well-regulated nations mean the possibility of less-than-useful information on the balance sheet, says John Graves, a principal with The Renaissance Group. Weaker legal protection can cause liquidity to dry up quickly in a company, a market or a region. “Funds or ETFs are not immune to these problems,” says Graves.
How to Play the Game
How much you should bet overseas depends partly on your age, and partly on your ability to sleep well at night with your money in an asset that class that can be highly volatile, says Weiner. However, having between 10% and 15% of the equity portion of your portfolio in emerging markets probably makes sense in the current environment — with the caveat that you should look at this part of your portfolio strictly as a long-term bet, says Weiner. “We believe that emerging market debt denominated in local currency could be as much as 10% of a fixed income portfolio.”
Whether you’re picking individual stocks or investing through a mutual fund, keep track of the sectors you’re investing in. Some sectors, like energy and mining, are driven more by global factors and less by local ones. “For example, if you want to invest in, say, the rise of the Chilean or Peruvian middle-class consumer, you don’t want to load up on copper miners, which make up a large part of both countries’ stock markets,” says Sizemore. “You’re wanting exposure to the new middle class and its spending, not to the volatile price of a particular metal.”
And that middle class will grow rapidly. “The World Bank projects that 800 million ‘middle income’ consumers will join the world economy by 2030, with developing markets accounting for 93% of the global middle class by 2030,” says Weiner.
“Avoid currency speculation as a newcomer, you will be eaten alive,” warns The Renaissance Group’s Graves. Instead, he recommends sovereign bonds as a good place to start, purchased through an exchange trade fund. ETFs are also an inexpensive alternative to global funds which, at more than 1.5% for annual expenses, “can be quite dear to own,” he notes.
Cronje says currency appreciation will be an important part of returns from emerging market exposure in the future. “Emerging market local currency bonds are therefore an important opportunity to consider.”
Sizemore is big on emerging market mutual funds and ETFs with a consumer focus. He recommends the Emerging Global Shares Dow Jones Emerging Market Consumer Titans Index Fund ETF (ECON).
You can create a short list of foreign stocks at finviz.com, advises Graves. “Use a stop-loss on any purchase, either here or overseas,” says Graves.
You can also focus on multinational U.S. and global companies that sell goods and services to emerging markets.
Mirror the Pros?
If you’re not sure of your own abilities to swim successfully in emerging markets, you might want a lifeguard of sorts looking out for you.
Covestor, an asset management firm and registered investment adviser, offers a wide selection of emerging market models managed by experts. “Replicating the trades of a seasoned emerging markets investor through Covestor or another mirrored investing firm is a good way for people to gain experience investing in emerging markets,” says Kalen Holliday, a spokeswoman for Covestor.
Being globally diversified is essential to any healthy long-term oriented portfolio, and investing in emerging markets is a great move in that direction, says Matson.
“Start small, give yourself a long time horizon and be protective of your risk,” suggests Graves. “Allow many small errors, look for the good opportunity: Dividends are key.”
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/07/what-rookie-investors-should-know-about-emerging-markets/
Filed under: Investing, Currency
Aided by a number of developments, the Swiss franc has been the second-best performing major currency over the past six months, reports Bloomberg. Since March 29, the currency has outpaced the dollar and the euro by 8.9% and 7.8%, respectively.
First, growing fears about the risk of default by some European nations and the negative impact that could have on the eurozone economy — and its common currency — sent many investors scurrying to invest in what has long been seen as Europe’s safe haven currency.
The Swiss franc has also been bolstered by the purchases of those who fear that renewed weakness in the U.S. economy and the likelihood of more monetary accommodation by the Federal Reserve will eventually lead to inflation that will drive down the value of the dollar.
Moreover, efforts by Eastern European governments to unwind low-interest franc-denominated mortgages taken on by citizens in those countries — which have suddenly become more costly in local currency terms — are exacerbating the squeeze, according to Bloomberg.
The Smart Money Is Betting Against the Franc
The key question, of course, is will the trend continue? While there’s no guarantee that the franc won’t keep strengthening, various technical and sentiment indicators, as well as some fundamental developments, suggest the Swiss currency is due for at least a short-term correction.
To begin with, the franc is at a level relative to the dollar that has been a major barrier to further strength in the Swiss currency. At the same time, the F/X rate and the trend of its 14-day RSI (Relative Strength Index), a measure of momentum, are diverging somewhat, a development that has often marked short- and medium-term turning points.
In addition, the smart money is making sizable bets against the Swiss currency. Based on data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, commercial traders — defined by the CFTC as those firms that are engaged in business activities hedged by the use of the futures or option markets — have their biggest short positions in the franc since December 2009, notes DailyFX.
Bullish sentiment towards the franc has also reached contrarian extremes. According to market blog Trader’s Narrative, the Daily Sentiment Index reading for the Swiss unit has reached 95% (out of 100%), while a recent Financial Times report, Resurgent Swiss Franc Seems Unstoppable, was notable for its paucity of bearish perspectives.
To top it off, fundamental conditions are not as supportive as some might believe. In recent weeks, the Swiss National Bank has softened its previously hawkish stance (over inflation concerns), while the strength seen in the currency so far will likely weigh on the nation’s exports, undermining growth overall and, ultimately, demand for the Swiss currency.
Right now, the Swiss franc might seem like the one investment you can’t do without: That’s often the time when savvy investors start thinking otherwise.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/29/swiss-franc-safe-haven-is-due-for-a-decline/
If you haven’t traveled internationally before, you might be operating under the assumption that using your credit card is no different than using it at Wal-Mart. Unfortunately this isn’t the case; using your credit card in another country can lead to high fees for currency conversion or even a frozen account if your card issuer suspects fraud.
When I recently found out that my sister was planning a winter trip to Africa I took it as my brotherly duty to find the best credit card for her. As luck would have it, Jim from Blueprint for Financial Prosperity, is also traveling abroad soon, and he took an in depth look at the currency conversion fees for popular credit cards in order to find the best credit card to use internationally.
There are three fees that go into determining the total cost of any international transaction, which can add up to 8% to a purchase price. These fees include a foreign currency conversion fee, a network fee and a dynamic currency conversion fee. The majority of cards charge at least one of these fees for any international purchase, even if a bill is paid in full before the end of the billing cycle.
Continue reading Finding the best credit card for traveling abroad
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2008/10/23/finding-the-best-credit-card-for-traveling-abroad/
If you have chosen to retire in the friendly state of Louisiana, you might be wondering which city would be best for your needs and desires. And if you haven’t chosen to live here, perhaps we can talk you into it. Regardless of your situation, here are four great Louisiana cities that you might want to consider when making your retirement plans.
Chances are, this city is new to you, too. This city is great for retirees who desire small town life, especially when you consider that just over two thousand people live there. You’ll find the residents to be happy and friendly, and they show great pride in their “little town.” They love new people and will welcome retirees with open arms. So if a quiet existence is part of your retirement plan, it would be hard to do better than Brusly, Louisiana.
Source: http://firstsecurityfinancialshow.com/blog/bid/116980/Retire-Here-Louisiana
A former employee describes what life was like inside a giant mortgage lender back in 2006. It’s not pretty.
Filed under: Investing
By Lawrence Meyers, InvestorPlace Contributor
Depending on how you view things, we either are in heaps of trouble economically or about to emerge from a terrible recession. Personally, I think it’s the former. I always like to have a few trades on my watch list to take advantage of possible crises, as uncertainty creates opportunity. So in looking ahead for 2012, I’m looking to exploit other people’s woes like the good capitalist I am.
Here are three bets I’d be pretty comfortable researching in greater detail and possibly pull the trigger on:
Bill Gross, of the famed PIMCO funds, has been a bond guy all his life, and he went bearish on bonds earlier this year. Hell froze over. You can see this either as capitulation or an ominous warning. I am very wary of municipal bonds. Our own country’s debt crisis has reached all the way down to municipalities.
When it was revealed that the bond insurers did not have nearly the capital necessary to make payouts on defaulted collateralized debt obligations during the mortgage crisis, I lost all faith in bond insurers. To me, there is an equivalent risk and higher reward with preferred stocks. By purchasing a basket in an ETF such as iShares S&P Preferred Stock Index Fund (NYSE:PFF), you give yourself a 7% yield with minimal volatility. Get out if interest rates rise significantly, though.
Underfollowed and under-read fund manager Robert Rodriguez is a genius. He thinks we’re headed for more recession next year, and Congress has been inept in its handling of fiscal policy. I agree. He hates bonds right now, except for very short-duration bonds, and so do I. Prices are near a double-top. I think bond prices will get hit next year, so I might short the iShares Barclays 20+ Treasury Bond Fund (NYSE:TLT).
Going hand-in-hand with our economic crisis has been the decline of the dollar. That trend will continue. That means you can short the dollar via PowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bearish (NYSE:UDN).
The real question at hand is this: Why the heck is the market doing so well in the face of really bad economic times? If you read my recent series on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, you know about several Dow stocks that would make for good long-term additions to a portfolio. That is the key to understanding investment in the market going forward – careful individual stock picking. Go with large-caps in general, and only go with small-caps that are directly benefiting from the situation. As for other systemic shocks that might or might not happen, have your trigger finger ready for these possibilities.
I expect some trigger event to knock the market down 20%. Perhaps it will come from Europe. Or, if Obamacare is upheld by the Supreme Court, expect the market to correct significantly. It will be a sign that overreaching regulation and legislation is acceptable to the High Court, and that’s bad for business. However, if it is overturned, then go long Health Care SPDR (NYSE:XLV). Likewise, should Obama be re-elected, the market will react badly. So look at ProShares Short S&P 500 (NYSE:SH). If Obama is kicked out and the GOP takes over Congress, I expect a market surge, so you could go long the market with SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:SPY).
Stay far away from financials. There might be another big shock coming to the system. I am wary of Bank of America‘s (NYSE:BAC) stability, and certain sources tell me that the bad behavior of bond insurers, reinsurers and investment banks hasn’t changed a bit. If you want to make an aggressive bet on this arena, double-short financials via ProShares UltraShort Financials (NYSE:SKF).
Finally, if you really want to bet against improvement in the global economic situation, believe Obama will be re-elected, that Europe will crater, that commodity prices will once again skyrocket, and that the dollar will crash, then you can short the market big-time via ProShares UltraPro Short S&P 500 Index Fund (NASDAQ:SPXU) and ProShares UltraPro Short Nasdaq 100 ETF (NASDAQ:SQQQ). These babies give you 3x leverage on your short bet.
Of course, all of these are highly speculative plays based on highly speculative crises of 2012. As always, do your own research and, for Heaven’s sake, use stop-losses.
Lawrence Meyers does not hold a position in any securities mentioned but may have a position in several stocks the ETFs own. Check out InvestorPlace.com’s other looks back at 2011 and ahead to 2012 here.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/12/12/how-to-profit-from-the-biggest-potential-crises-of-2012/
So life has been very busy these last 2 weeks. Obviously, I have not had time to post. But I figured I would at least give you an update on life and the blog. Since we last talked I have made significant advances in my life. If any of you have read My Bucket List you [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MyCanadianFinances/~3/KRbtV0t7hyM/
Filed under: Energy, Consumer Ally
Are you ready for the smart electricity revolution?
On July 20, 2006, California’s Public Utilities Commission approved a proposal by Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG) to begin phasing out conventional electricity meters (those big gray boxes on the side of your house, with the dials that spin around) and replace them with “smart” meters.
Relaying data on electricity usage wirelessly and in real time, the devices should in theory help utilities such as PG&E charge consumers more when they use electricity at times of greatest demand. This would, for example, encourage users to dial back the A/C on hot summer days.
Conversely, consumers would get a break on their bills for smart electricity usage. You could pay lower rates for doing your dishes and drying your laundry overnight, and for charging your plug-in electric car at nonpeak hours as well.
It’s all part of a $29 billion, nationwide plan to make electricity usage smarter, by helping to build the “smart grid.”
And it’s failing because of greed. Specifically, the greed of electric utility companies such as PG&E.
It’s axiomatic that corporations don’t do anything unless they see a profit in it — or at least a savings.
Heads, Utility Companies Win
PG&E and utilities such as Central Maine Power and Central Vermont Public Service (CV) tout smart meters as a way to save their customers money. But what these companies are really interested in is saving themselves money.
As “public utilities,” these companies are charged with making sure electricity users can flip a switch and turn on a light bulb any hour the day, or night. Of course, night’s not so much of a problem. The real issue for these companies is daytime, and specifically, hot summer daytimes, when everyone’s cranking up the air conditioners.
The utilities have to build coal, gas, and nuclear power plants or purchase energy on the market, in numbers sufficient to ensure there’s enough power for everyone during such peak periods. At night, these plants often are underutilized as power demands dwindle.
Every hour a power plant sits idle is money wasted in their view. Hence, there’s a real incentive for the utilities to finds ways to use their plants more efficiently, and save money by building fewer of them.
Smart meters, and the incentives they offer consumers to spread out electricity usage across the 24 hours, offer utilities a great way to do this. Because the devices are wireless, they also save utilities labor costs, by eliminating the need to send out neighborhood meter-readers to jot down the readings and prepare the bills.
Given all this, you’d think utilities would do all they could to sweeten the deal for consumers, and encourage adoption of smart meters, right? Actually, no.
Tails, Customers Lose
As it turns out, what the utilities are doing instead is trying to have their cake and eat it, too. As reported by Bloomberg, utilities in several states are asking regulators for permission to pass along the cost of buying the new equipment to consumers. They also want to charge for its installation.
Adding insult to injury, even consumers who balk at this tactic may not be able to avoid higher fees.
In Vermont and elsewhere, utilities plan to tack on a monthly fee to the bills of electric customers who opt out of the smart meter technology — to cover the cost of manually reading their old meters. (A cost that, one presumes, is already covered quite well in the rates utilities charge for electricity.) In California, some utilities want to charge $75 upfront, plus an additional $10 a month, to keep an old-style meter.
Meanwhile, consumers who have agreed to install the devices already complain that the promised savings aren’t materializing. Try as they might to switch electricity consumption to odd hours of the day, their bills are actually going up. Some consumers argue the meters are in fact overcharging them for the electricity they use.
All this makes one wonder: Are utilities really as smart as their meters? By rationalizing energy usage, and lowering the cost of building power plants, these devices have the potential to save money for utilities and consumers alike. It’s in the utilities’ interests to share the wealth — not hog all the savings for themselves.
Motley Fool contributor Rich Smith holds no position in any company mentioned. He does hold the position, however, that many electric utilities are acting like they’re dumber than a fifth-grader.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/05/15/electric-utilities-smart-grid-greed/
Filed under: Energy, Autos, Credit Cards
Feel like you’re getting gouged at the gas pump amid rising prices? You actually are if you’re using a debit card.
Despite the passage of the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank legislation last year, gas stations have yet to pass along more than $1 billion in debit card transaction fee savings to consumers, according to a survey released Monday by the Electronic Payments Coalition.
When the Durbin Amendment was under consideration, retailers stressed the need to cap debit card transaction fees to a flat rate of approximately $0.24, rather than allow it to be based on 1.15% of the total transaction, says Trish Wexler, a spokeswoman for the coalition.
“Consumers were used in Washington to get this legislation passed,” Wexler said. “There’s no evidence they’ve passed on these savings to consumers. They haven’t been able to show they are lowering prices or offering discounts to people who use debit cards.”
Indeed. Ever drive into a gas station expecting to pay the low price per gallon advertised on its sign, only to find that deal is only good if you pay in cash?
Ideally, gas stations should list three separate prices per gallon based on the grade: one price for a cash payment, one for a debit transaction, and another if a credit card is used, says Wexler.
To see what the Electronic Payments Coalition thinks consumers should pay at the pump when using a debit card, see their calculator to punch in the price at your local gas station and the size of your gas tank.
Turns out the cost savings, in some cases, could be a wash if you use cash. And that may be the least painful route to take, given that using your debit card takes the money from the same account from which the cash could be pulled.
Motley Fool contributor Dawn Kawamoto does not own stock in any of the companies listed. She is, however, heavily invested in using fossil fuel to run her megamonster gas-guzzler minivan.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/04/17/gas-stations-are-hosing-debit-card-users-at-the-pump/
In the last few years I’ve had half a dozen different contract jobs ranging from corporate tax work (ugh) to budgeting (twice!) to winding down companies (love it) to bankruptcy work (fascinating but sad) to financial statement work (high pressure).
Most people don’t want to do contract work because it involves a fair amount of uncertainty [...]
Source: http://singlemomrichmom.com/how-to-get-freelance-contract-work/
So is over-spending. But I won’t get into that here.
I had a question from a reader asking what my Myers Briggs type is – and it’s INTJ.
Despite the rarity of that personality type (aren’t we all such special snowflakes though?), there’s been some anecdotal surveys that determined that INTJ’s are overly represented amongst the early [...]
Source: http://singlemomrichmom.com/over-saving-is-inefficient/
I travel quite often throughout Eastern and Central Canada. I spend on average 4-6 months a year away from home. Sometimes more depending on the given year. This has given me critical knowledge when it comes to saving money while traveling. Hopefully these tips will help you save money traveling as well. These are some tips I [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MyCanadianFinances/~3/RNxJXTruBYY/
Leisure travel is expected to increase this summer, but Americans remain conscious of costs, according to industry surveys that show the vast majority of Americans plan to take some sort of vacation this summer.
The season is expected to start with a notable pickup in travel over the Memorial Day weekend. More than 30 percent of participants in a recent Deloitte survey say they plan on leisure travel over the three-day weekend, compared to 24 percent who say they took a trip over Memorial Day weekend last year.
“As consumers appear to feel more confident about the economy and the job market, we could see a steady uptick year-over-year in leisure travel during the summer months,” said Adam Weissenberg, vice chairman of Deloitte LLP, in a statement released earlier this week. The online poll of 1,000 consumers was conducted by Deloitte in mid-April. “However,” said Weissenberg, travelers also understand the value of the dollar in this economy and may expect more from travel and hospitality companies.”
Value-conscious consumers will be seeking added amenities, such as complimentary breakfast, free wireless access and free parking, reports Deloitte. Travelers will also attempt to circumvent airline fees by using carry-on luggage more often.
About 71 percent of Americans engaged in leisure travel in 2011, well below the peak of 78 percent reached in 2007, according to the April 2012 quarterly report by the U.S. Travel Association, but the association’s April Travel Sentiment Index has risen to 93.5, a year-over-year increase of nearly 10 points. The statistic “bodes well” for domestic travel in the next six months, said the association, noting that measures of “interest in travel” are at a four-year high and “personal finances available for travel” are at a five-year high.
Americans expressed the need to get away from their daily routines, but think about work while they’re traveling, according to the third annual Vacation Attitude Survey released last week by Springhill Suites. More than half the men and 41 percent of the women say they will check work email during their trip – despite the fact that respondents were most likely to identify their bosses and coworkers as the person they most needed a break from.
Affordability appears to remain an issue for leisure travel plans, according to a Millionaire Corner survey conducted in April. Few Millionaires (14 percent) said they have postponed or scaled back on leisure travel over the past two years. In contrast, well over half (57 percent) of Americans with less than $100,000 to invest said financial concerns have prompted them to put off or cut back on leisure travel.
Source: http://www.millionairecorner.com/article/leisure-travel-expected-increase-summer
Filed under: Technology, Saving Money, Shopping
Comparison shopping is an art to some and an obsession to others. But getting the best price in one way can come at a cost in others — in the gas you burn while driving to reach that great sale, for example, or the time it may take you to travel from one grocery store to the next to cherry-pick each one’s weekly sale items, or the hours spent scouring the Internet for bargains.
NetPlenish, a startup based in Ventura, Calif., aims to help you minimize those hidden costs.
Its app sorts through the various merchants selling the items you want, and bundles them together to get you the best overall deal. It even compares combinations of items to determine whether you’ll save more with shipping costs by buying primarily from one merchant, or whether you’ll spend the least by using a wider variety of retailers.
And of course, it’s all mobile.
Though services like Soap.com, Amazon’s Fresh, and Alice.com all serve a similar purpose — providing one-stop shops for household staples — NetPlenish distinguishes itself through its mobile app, its price comparison capabilities and its simplified checkout. (A complicated, time-consuming checkout process is one of our biggest peeves about online shopping).
Smaller Purchases, Bigger Savings
People have always been willing to put in the effort to score deals on bigger purchases, like cars and travel, and the Web gave them plenty of tools for that. Kayak.com, for example, tracks multiple sites to get customers the best airfares. But incremental savings can add up quickly on everyday purchases — trouble is, most folks don’t have the patience to look.
“People usually use price comparison for a television but not for diapers,” said Dave Compton, CEO and founder of NetPlenish. “If you wanted to do this for everyday items, you’d have to get a big ol’ honkin’ spreadsheet.”
Shopping even without deal searching is a time suck. According to NetPlenish, the average consumer spends 45 minutes nearly twice a week on errands. Compton — still haunted by the memory of trying to go shopping with his toddler daughter in tow — wants to harness the power of the Internet to get the whole shopping experience down from 45 minutes to 45 seconds.
A More Powerful Algorithm
At the heart of NetPlenish is its ShopGenius algorithm, which scours vendors’ prices to find the best deals for multiple items on a user’s shopping list. ShopGenius then lets merchants compete to provide the best overall price, including shipping, sales tax and the lowest possible product price.
“NetPlenish solves a big problem that consumers face every day, which is a single store may not have the best price repeatedly for items you need to buy over and over, like toothpaste, toilet paper, diapers and dog food,” Compton said. “With NetPlenish, your items come from a different merchant each delivery, based on who has the lowest price at the time of your purchase.”
The app, for both iPhones and Androids, is fairly simple to use: Users can add items to their shopping list manually or by scanning bar codes. After that, they can simply tap the items they need replenished, and they’ll receive the products directly from among the more than 20 merchants NetPlenish works with, including Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Drugstore.com and Sephora.
Though you may still pay, say, $15 for shipping after saving $15 by optimizing your deals, NetPlenish views the time saved as a net-positive. And with its painless method for adding regularly purchased items to your shopping list, it turns shopping into practically a wave of the hand.
No Checkout Checkout
Still, the biggest selling point for NetPlenish may be its ease of check-out. The final step of shopping on an e-commerce site — especially when using a mobile device — can be painful: too many hoops to jump through, too many steps, too many numbers to enter and anti-spam codes to type. In fact, anywhere from 25% to 55% of online shopping carts get abandoned before the purchases are completed, in large part because consumers lose patience.
That fact meshes with another recently reported piece of data: 58% of online shoppers said they’d rather safely store their account information once, in a single place that can be easily accessed no matter where they’re shopping online, according to a MasterCard survey conducted by Harris Interactive.
That’s why NetPlenish created what it bills as a mobile commerce first: “No Checkout Checkout,” which eliminates the hassle of having to fill out order forms on a tiny phone screen. Shoppers just click one button to order products from NetPlenish’s roster of merchants.
Shoppers abandon their online carts, Compton said, because e-commerce has never truly mimicked real commerce.
“You and I go to Safeway — we get our change, lickity split,” Compton said. “E-commerce, you’re mired down with two to three pages of checkout. That’s why people drop off. The ‘No Checkout Checkout’ is important: It’s hard for me to type. You want me to go through five pages with a fat thumb?”
The Wave of the Future?
Last year, 7 % — or $202 billion — of U.S. retail sales were conducted online, according to research firm Forrester, and mobile purchasing is on the rise: In the first quarter of 2011, 13% of U.S. online adults used a smartphone to make a purchase; mobile commerce is expected to grow at 39% a year over the next five years, reaching $31 billion by 2016.
Sellers are adapting: Some 57% of online retailers have developed a mobile commerce strategy, and 48% already have a mobile-optimized site. And 56 of the top 100 retailers in the U.S. have developed Android, iPad, or iPhone m-commerce apps.
Talking about the choices available via NetPlenish, Dave McClure, founding partner at 500 Startups and a NetPlenish investor, noted: “This is a $50 billion bricks-and-mortar market, yet only 5% of these products are currently being sold online.”
As e-commerce and m-commerce grow, retailers will either shift their strategies to adapt, or close stores and shrink, a la Best Buy’s recent announcement that it would shutter 50 locations. Apps like NetPlenish, with its one-stop shopping and seamless checkout, could accelerate the shopping revolution.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/05/17/bargain-shopping-simplified-is-this-app-the-answer/
Filed under: Investing, college finance
I’ll admit it right off the bat: I’m an investment idiot. Business culture and the financial universe vex me, and I’d likely struggle to tell you the difference between a hedge fund and a garden hedge.
But pop culture? That I get better than most. And as a result I guessed, for instance. that “Clash of the Titans” would top the box office last weekend — mostly as a salve for the “Avatar” hangover effect — despite scads of awful reviews. Big whoop, right? I certainly didn’t expect anyone to hand me a check for my motion picture prescience.
As of this week, though, all signs indicate that I’ll soon find a new website willing to do just that.
Continue reading Trading futures in film blockbusters? Students can bet on it
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/04/18/trading-futures-in-film-blockbusters-students-can-bet-on-it/
I borrow the title from a phrase used by our friend Preet, during a discussion panel on the National a few weeks ago. Preet was pointing out that the “alleged housing bubble” and high housing prices can be a major friction point in relationships, and can end up destroying those relationships, however, given the price [...]
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In a recent story that appeared in The Financial Post (See Big debt the downside of loading up on real estate), a tax accountant noted that a much larger proportion of his clientele own rental properties these days compared to a decade ago. It is a trend that I’m noticing in my circle of friends [...]
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If you haven’t traveled internationally before, you might be operating under the assumption that using your credit card is no different than using it at Wal-Mart. Unfortunately this isn’t the case; using your credit card in another country can lead to high fees for currency conversion or even a frozen account if your card issuer suspects fraud.
When I recently found out that my sister was planning a winter trip to Africa I took it as my brotherly duty to find the best credit card for her. As luck would have it, Jim from Blueprint for Financial Prosperity, is also traveling abroad soon, and he took an in depth look at the currency conversion fees for popular credit cards in order to find the best credit card to use internationally.
There are three fees that go into determining the total cost of any international transaction, which can add up to 8% to a purchase price. These fees include a foreign currency conversion fee, a network fee and a dynamic currency conversion fee. The majority of cards charge at least one of these fees for any international purchase, even if a bill is paid in full before the end of the billing cycle.
Continue reading Finding the best credit card for traveling abroad
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2008/10/23/finding-the-best-credit-card-for-traveling-abroad/
Filed under: Investing
Another one bites the dust.
For weeks, Chesapeake Energy (CHK) CEO Aubrey McClendon has hogged the spotlight of investor ire and newspaper criticism, thanks to his self-interested and shady purchases of ownership stakes in his own company’s oil wells. Considering that this is the same man who, in 2008, made leveraged bets on the stock, and was forced to liquidate most of his Chesapeake shares when hit with margin calls from his broker, you’d think this would cement McClendon’s reputation as the dumbest CEO in the world.
Not so. Turns out, there’s a new villain in town, and his name is Robert Stiller, (now ex-) chairman and founder of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR).
Here We Go Again
Just as with McClendon and Chesapeake four years ago, Stiller’s downfall owed to a combination of factors: Heavy purchases of his own company’s stock on margin, a subsequent decline in the stock’s value, and a resulting margin call by the bankers that made it necessary for Stiller to sell his shares to cover his debts.
On Monday, these margin calls forced Stiller to liquidate 5 million shares of Green Mountain — about $123 million worth of stock. This cost Stiller nearly half his 10% stake in the company. And on Tuesday, it also cost him his job.
You see, like most companies, Green Mountain has a policy forbidding stock sales except within certain predetermined periods, timed to comply with SEC regulations against insider trading. When Stiller’s losses triggered a margin call, and the sale of stock to cover it outside of the usual trading window, he fell afoul of these rules. For this infraction, Green Mountain’s board took away Stiller’s chairmanship, although he will remain on the board.
What’s It Mean to Me?
If you’re a Green Mountain Coffee shareholder, you already know what these events mean. Your stock’s down roughly 50% over the past week.
But what if you avoided Green Mountain?
In that case, take the opportunity to learn from these CEOs’ mistakes. Neither McClendon nor Stiller ever intended to face a margin call. They made leveraged bets on their companies, bets they thought would pay off — and since they controlled the companies, who would know better than them?
Answer: Not you. Don’t trade on margin. It might not cost you your job, but it can still cost you big.
Motley Fool contributor Rich Smith holds no position in any company mentioned. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Chesapeake Energy. Other Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended creating a lurking gator position in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/05/10/margin-calls-green-mountain-ceo-investing-mistakes/
Filed under: Investing, Currency
Aided by a number of developments, the Swiss franc has been the second-best performing major currency over the past six months, reports Bloomberg. Since March 29, the currency has outpaced the dollar and the euro by 8.9% and 7.8%, respectively.
First, growing fears about the risk of default by some European nations and the negative impact that could have on the eurozone economy — and its common currency — sent many investors scurrying to invest in what has long been seen as Europe’s safe haven currency.
The Swiss franc has also been bolstered by the purchases of those who fear that renewed weakness in the U.S. economy and the likelihood of more monetary accommodation by the Federal Reserve will eventually lead to inflation that will drive down the value of the dollar.
Moreover, efforts by Eastern European governments to unwind low-interest franc-denominated mortgages taken on by citizens in those countries — which have suddenly become more costly in local currency terms — are exacerbating the squeeze, according to Bloomberg.
The Smart Money Is Betting Against the Franc
The key question, of course, is will the trend continue? While there’s no guarantee that the franc won’t keep strengthening, various technical and sentiment indicators, as well as some fundamental developments, suggest the Swiss currency is due for at least a short-term correction.
To begin with, the franc is at a level relative to the dollar that has been a major barrier to further strength in the Swiss currency. At the same time, the F/X rate and the trend of its 14-day RSI (Relative Strength Index), a measure of momentum, are diverging somewhat, a development that has often marked short- and medium-term turning points.
In addition, the smart money is making sizable bets against the Swiss currency. Based on data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, commercial traders — defined by the CFTC as those firms that are engaged in business activities hedged by the use of the futures or option markets — have their biggest short positions in the franc since December 2009, notes DailyFX.
Bullish sentiment towards the franc has also reached contrarian extremes. According to market blog Trader’s Narrative, the Daily Sentiment Index reading for the Swiss unit has reached 95% (out of 100%), while a recent Financial Times report, Resurgent Swiss Franc Seems Unstoppable, was notable for its paucity of bearish perspectives.
To top it off, fundamental conditions are not as supportive as some might believe. In recent weeks, the Swiss National Bank has softened its previously hawkish stance (over inflation concerns), while the strength seen in the currency so far will likely weigh on the nation’s exports, undermining growth overall and, ultimately, demand for the Swiss currency.
Right now, the Swiss franc might seem like the one investment you can’t do without: That’s often the time when savvy investors start thinking otherwise.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/29/swiss-franc-safe-haven-is-due-for-a-decline/
It started off as a rainy Sunday yesterday so it seemed like the perfect time to curl up with Gail Vax Oxlade’s Til Debt Do Us Part, a cup of coffee and my change.
I rolled happily until I came to the pennies. I have to say I am sad about the government’s decision to stop making the penny and phase it out of circulation. I completely understand that it makes no sense to make a 1 cent coin that costs 1.5 cents to make. What can I say? I’m nostalgic.
They say that prices will be rounded off so if something costs me $1.42, they will round it down to $1.40 and if something costs $1.46 it will be rounded up to $1.50. It’s supposed to even out that way. My innate curiousity is going to have me keep track mentally of purchases I make now. I wonder how many are naturally going to fall in the ’round UP category’ ?? And who gets the extra rounded up money??? The store?? I didn’t hear that part in the news release.
Anyhoo, it makes me sad. I hate those ‘end of the era’ moments.
My rolled change came to $50 bringing my snowflake jar to $75 for the month of March. I think that is the lowest snowflake monthly I have had since I started keeping track. While I don’t begrudge that $75, it certainly does speak volumes about how the month went in terms of money.
If I can get there, this money is going to the bank today to go down on my vehicle loan. Every bit counts!
Source: http://shakingthemoneytree.blogspot.com/2012/04/march-change.html
We hate to do this, but we need to be brutally honest here. Sorry, but it’s for your own good. The fact is, you’re not getting any younger. There are a number of things you can do to make yourself feel younger, but when it’s all said and done, you’re going to keep aging.
Yes, believe it or not, it’s absolutely true. Last year, 79% of fund managers did not beat the S&P, the worst result in 15 years. These are the experts, the ones who wear flashy clothes and drive even flashier cars as proof that they know what they’re doing. So if they don’t have a chance, what kind of chance do you have at creating a solid financial foundation as you prepare for your retirement?
Source: http://firstsecurityfinancialshow.com/blog/bid/141653/79-of-Fund-Managers-Didn-t-Beat-the-S-P
Filed under: Economy, Investing, Credit, Currency
The European debt crisis is back in the headlines, and the news is not good. Portugal’s prime minister resigned after his austerity plan for the beleaguered nation were rejected by opposition parties in parliament, and Germany’s leadership is waffling on funding the huge bailouts needed by debt-burdened countries such as Ireland and Greece, reflecting the deep ambiguity of German voters weary of bailing out their weaker neighbors. Despite the brave talk of a few months ago, it now seems all but inevitable that Portugal will also need a gigantic bailout of at least 70 billion euros, or $99 billion.
Ratings agencies have downgraded Portugal’s debt, and investors have responded by pushing the yield on its bonds to more than 8%, roughly 4.5% higher than the yield on German bonds. Yields on Ireland’s debt exceed 10%, reflecting the perceived risk of default or renegotiation.
With Europe at risk of stumbling as a result of its austerity measures and the costs of bailouts, investors need to rethink investments in eurozone economies and the euro itself.
Eurozone growth is already anemic: France managed a meager 0.3% gain in the fourth quarter of 2010, and 1.5% for all of 2010, while the U.S. economy expanded 3.1% in late 2010.
The bailouts are not small potatoes. The temporary rescue fund, known as the European Financial Stability Facility, is currently set at 250 billion euros ($353.6 billion) , and European Union officials want to expand it to 440 billion euros ($622.3 billion). The wealthier nations of Europe have already loaned 177 billion euros ($250.3 billion) to bail out Greece and Ireland, and the high yields on those nations bonds and credit default swaps — insurance against default — show that investors continue to see a high risk of default.
Spain Also at Risk
While Spain’s economy expanded at a modest 0.9% pace last year, its debt situation remains precarious enough that ratings agency Moody’s recently downgraded its bonds. The basic problems of Spain will be familiar to Americans: A property bubble drove residential real estate prices to unrealistic heights, and lenders made loans based on those sky-high valuations. Once home prices retreated, banks were left with large quantities of defaults on land and houses.
Analysts are now suggesting Spanish banks will need at least 50 billion euros in additional capital ($70.7 billion) to cover these mounting losses.
As if these losses weren’t troubling enough, rising interest rates threaten to further undermine Spain’s homeowners. The European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet recently said that the ECB’s key interest rate could rise from 1% as early as April. Fully 97% of Spain’s home loans are variable-rate: Their payments will rise when interest rates click higher.
Despite an unemployment rate around 20% and its recent debt downgrades, mainstream analysts see Spain as an unlikely candidate for a costly bailout. But Spain is burdened with the costs of bailing out its own banks, and other analysts are not so sanguine, citing a lack of information on the quality of assets held by the banks. In other words, some fear Spanish banks are overstating the value of their real estate holdings to hide the full extent of their losses.
Structural Flaws in the European Union Papered Over
While there is plenty of chatter about bailouts, austerity measures and heavy debt loads, few analysts are speaking to the potentially fatal weakness built into the European Union and its single currency, the euro, a flaw that is now painfully obvious.
While the European Union consolidated power over the shared currency and trade, it left control over trade deficits and budget deficits entirely in the hands of the member states. Lip service was paid to fiscal responsibility via caps on deficit spending, but in the real world, there were no meaningful controls limiting private or state credit expansion, or on sovereign borrowing and spending.
In effect, the importing nations within the union (Ireland, Greece, Portugal and to a degree, Spain and Italy) were given the solid credit ratings and expansive credit limits of their exporting cousins such as Germany, The Netherlands and France. To make a real-world analogy, it’s as if a spendthrift younger brother was handed a no-limit credit card with a low interest rate, backed by a guarantee from a sober, cash-rich and credit-averse older sibling.
For awhile, it was highly profitable for the big European and international banks to expand lending to these eager new borrowers. This led to over-consumption by the importing nations and handsome profits for big Eurozone banks. And while the real estate and credit bubble lasted, the citizens of the bubble economies enjoyed the consumerist dream of borrow and spend today, and pay the debts tomorrow.
Tomorrow has arrived, but the foundation of the banks’ assets — the market value of housing — has eroded to the point that both banks and homeowners face insolvency. The heightened risk of default, both by banks and the governments trying to bail them out, has caused interest rates in the debt-burdened countries to rise. Faced with rising costs of servicing their debts, and spending cuts to bring deficits under control, the citizens of the states such as Portugal are rebelling against austerity measures. On the other side, taxpayers and voters in fiscally sound member states such as Finland and Germany are rebelling about being saddled with the costs of bailing out their weaker neighbors.
This structural imbalance will not be easily addressed, but until it’s fixed, the E.U. and the euro, are at risk of a great political and fiscal fracturing.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/27/why-the-european-debt-crisis-is-far-from-over/
The generally accepted recommendation for retirees is to reduce risk and buy fixed income investments such as bonds. A common suggestion is to have the percentage of fixed income assets equal to your age. What is often overlooked is the risk of inflation eroding purchasing power. One way to beat inflation is to focus on…
Source: http://www.boomerandecho.com/beat-inflation-with-rising-dividends/
Filed under: Energy, Consumer Ally
Are you ready for the smart electricity revolution?
On July 20, 2006, California’s Public Utilities Commission approved a proposal by Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG) to begin phasing out conventional electricity meters (those big gray boxes on the side of your house, with the dials that spin around) and replace them with “smart” meters.
Relaying data on electricity usage wirelessly and in real time, the devices should in theory help utilities such as PG&E charge consumers more when they use electricity at times of greatest demand. This would, for example, encourage users to dial back the A/C on hot summer days.
Conversely, consumers would get a break on their bills for smart electricity usage. You could pay lower rates for doing your dishes and drying your laundry overnight, and for charging your plug-in electric car at nonpeak hours as well.
It’s all part of a $29 billion, nationwide plan to make electricity usage smarter, by helping to build the “smart grid.”
And it’s failing because of greed. Specifically, the greed of electric utility companies such as PG&E.
It’s axiomatic that corporations don’t do anything unless they see a profit in it — or at least a savings.
Heads, Utility Companies Win
PG&E and utilities such as Central Maine Power and Central Vermont Public Service (CV) tout smart meters as a way to save their customers money. But what these companies are really interested in is saving themselves money.
As “public utilities,” these companies are charged with making sure electricity users can flip a switch and turn on a light bulb any hour the day, or night. Of course, night’s not so much of a problem. The real issue for these companies is daytime, and specifically, hot summer daytimes, when everyone’s cranking up the air conditioners.
The utilities have to build coal, gas, and nuclear power plants or purchase energy on the market, in numbers sufficient to ensure there’s enough power for everyone during such peak periods. At night, these plants often are underutilized as power demands dwindle.
Every hour a power plant sits idle is money wasted in their view. Hence, there’s a real incentive for the utilities to finds ways to use their plants more efficiently, and save money by building fewer of them.
Smart meters, and the incentives they offer consumers to spread out electricity usage across the 24 hours, offer utilities a great way to do this. Because the devices are wireless, they also save utilities labor costs, by eliminating the need to send out neighborhood meter-readers to jot down the readings and prepare the bills.
Given all this, you’d think utilities would do all they could to sweeten the deal for consumers, and encourage adoption of smart meters, right? Actually, no.
Tails, Customers Lose
As it turns out, what the utilities are doing instead is trying to have their cake and eat it, too. As reported by Bloomberg, utilities in several states are asking regulators for permission to pass along the cost of buying the new equipment to consumers. They also want to charge for its installation.
Adding insult to injury, even consumers who balk at this tactic may not be able to avoid higher fees.
In Vermont and elsewhere, utilities plan to tack on a monthly fee to the bills of electric customers who opt out of the smart meter technology — to cover the cost of manually reading their old meters. (A cost that, one presumes, is already covered quite well in the rates utilities charge for electricity.) In California, some utilities want to charge $75 upfront, plus an additional $10 a month, to keep an old-style meter.
Meanwhile, consumers who have agreed to install the devices already complain that the promised savings aren’t materializing. Try as they might to switch electricity consumption to odd hours of the day, their bills are actually going up. Some consumers argue the meters are in fact overcharging them for the electricity they use.
All this makes one wonder: Are utilities really as smart as their meters? By rationalizing energy usage, and lowering the cost of building power plants, these devices have the potential to save money for utilities and consumers alike. It’s in the utilities’ interests to share the wealth — not hog all the savings for themselves.
Motley Fool contributor Rich Smith holds no position in any company mentioned. He does hold the position, however, that many electric utilities are acting like they’re dumber than a fifth-grader.
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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/05/15/electric-utilities-smart-grid-greed/
What a dreadfully lazy day for me. Seriously. We did our Easter supper last night to allow the married kids a chance to get to the ‘other family’ today for another Easter supper.
Here goes my Sunday Night Chit Chat, brought to you by Carla.
What am I Reading?
I just finished this book for school. It was……….weird LOL
Watching?
I was watching the gold medal game of Men’s World Curling. Yeah Canada!! Now I am watching a Bones rerun.
Listening to?
I am listening to my cat, who is currently watching a squirrel video on my Iphone. He’s addicted LOL
Cooking/Baking?
Nada. Ate like piggies yesterday at mom’s.
Happy you accomplished this week?
I am happy I was able to send off DS1 for his trip….financially and emotionally. Big step for mama 
Looking forward to next week?
I am looking forward to playing big time catch up for home and work. and walks. lots and lots of walks.
Thankful for today?
I am thankful for my family. We had 23 of us at mom and dad’s yesterday, including the three grandbabies, not including the 7 dogs. It’s ridiculous. Where is the cat love??? Even though several were not able to make it home, it was a bulging house. The food was plentiful. Ham, turkey, stuffing, homemade cabbage rolls and perogies, home made buns and pies and all the extras. mmmmm mmmmmmmmmm good. I am glad for the chance to see my family and for DS2 to be able to hang out with his cousins. As the youngest, he often feels shafted because the rest are older. I completely understand, being in the same position. Sister2 hosted the after gathering and DS2 went out with them and played games and laughed til almost 3 in the morning. Thankfully, one of my nephews brought him home.
Source: http://shakingthemoneytree.blogspot.com/2012/04/sunday-night-chit-chat_08.html
We talk to a guy who started out as an upstanding businessman, and went on to commit bank fraud involving millions of dollars.
Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/04/17/150815268/why-people-do-bad-things?ft=1&f=127413671
Just another socalfitnessforum.com Sites site
