Think you know about investing? Take the quiz on CNBC's website at:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/33537477?question=1
I scored semi-pro on my first try. Had a perfect score on my second try. It's informative and fun if you're interested in stocks and investing.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
All U.S. Citizens Should Read This Speech!
Mr. David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital gave this speech to the Value Investing Congress on October 19th. "Liquor Before Beer...In The Clear." You can read the text of his speech at:
http://blogs.reuters.com/rolfe-winkler/files/2009/10/einhorn-vic-2009-speech.pdf
I have never read a more accurate profile of the nations current situation and what got us here. Every U.S. citizen should read this speech!
http://blogs.reuters.com/rolfe-winkler/files/2009/10/einhorn-vic-2009-speech.pdf
I have never read a more accurate profile of the nations current situation and what got us here. Every U.S. citizen should read this speech!
Increasing Stake in Encore Energy Partners
I decided to up my stake in Encore Energy Partners LP (ENP). With their current price at $18.73 and a dividend of $2.05, their current dividend yield stands at 10.94%. With earnings per share of $5.43, they have sufficient earnings to continue current payouts and provide for possible future increases. When you add in a price to earnings of just 3.4 and the tax advantages on earnings from limited partnerships, I think it will work out great for increasing cash flow while controlling tax liabilities.
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Encore Energy Partners principal activity is to acquire, exploit and develop oil and natural gas properties and to acquire, own and operate related assets. Its assets consist primarily of producing and non-producing oil and natural gas properties in the Elk Basin of Wyoming and Montana and the Permian Basin of West Texas. It operates in the United States.
To learn more, you can visit their website at: http://www.encoreenp.com/
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Encore Energy Partners principal activity is to acquire, exploit and develop oil and natural gas properties and to acquire, own and operate related assets. Its assets consist primarily of producing and non-producing oil and natural gas properties in the Elk Basin of Wyoming and Montana and the Permian Basin of West Texas. It operates in the United States.
To learn more, you can visit their website at: http://www.encoreenp.com/
Obama Slipping in The Polls
Just read an article on aol news about Obama's approval ratings slipping in a recent CNN poll. While the overall article, which you can read here:
http://news.aol.com/article/obamas-poll-numbers-take-a-hit/730460?icid=mainmaindl1link3http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fobamas-poll-numbers-take-a-hit%2F730460
was positive, the reader opinion poll included in the article tells a very different story.
At the time I read the article, the number of people who disapproved of Obama stood at 74% out of a total of 613,532 respondents. An additional poll showed that 51% disagreed with the president on health care and 42% disapproved of his administrations handling of the economy, this out of 589,782 responses. So while CNN's poll may claim a strong showing of support, I think it would be unwise to ignore aol's reader poll suggesting otherwise. Polls for the most part are not very scientific and often just plain wrong, but it's hard to ignore these kind of numbers.
In my opinion, everything I'm seeing so far is pointing to a repeat of the Carter administration, where very little is actually accomplished and good luck getting a second term.
http://news.aol.com/article/obamas-poll-numbers-take-a-hit/730460?icid=mainmaindl1link3http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fobamas-poll-numbers-take-a-hit%2F730460
was positive, the reader opinion poll included in the article tells a very different story.
At the time I read the article, the number of people who disapproved of Obama stood at 74% out of a total of 613,532 respondents. An additional poll showed that 51% disagreed with the president on health care and 42% disapproved of his administrations handling of the economy, this out of 589,782 responses. So while CNN's poll may claim a strong showing of support, I think it would be unwise to ignore aol's reader poll suggesting otherwise. Polls for the most part are not very scientific and often just plain wrong, but it's hard to ignore these kind of numbers.
In my opinion, everything I'm seeing so far is pointing to a repeat of the Carter administration, where very little is actually accomplished and good luck getting a second term.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A 100%+ Return On Investment
With the stock market being so uncertain of late and me being without a job, I've been looking for options in the event that I may not find a job before my unemployment runs out or if I'm forced to take a lower paying job. Since I know it's most likely that I will find a job with less pay than I'm used to, I've been trying to think of some way to supplement my income aside from my usual investments.
I did a little research and found that I could purchase a professional steam carpet cleaning machine for around $500. I have cleaned carpets in the past both on the job and as a favor to friends and family members. So this would not be a new thing for me, however I would own the machine instead of renting it.
Going by the number of carpets I usually clean in the spring of each year, it would be no problem at all for me to average at least 3 jobs per month. My average net per job, after expenses, is usually around $50. If I did 3 jobs per month and cleared $150 total, I would make $1,800 per year. Not a life changing amount, but it would fund my IRA or would pay a couple of my bills per month.
Knowing that I may not always do 3 jobs per month, I re-figured the return on investment if I averaged less than 2 jobs per month. If I only manage to do 20 jobs per year and clear $50 per job, I would still make $1,000 total. With an initial investment of $500, that works out to a 100% return on investment for the first year. If I continued to do 20 jobs per year after the first year, I would make a 200% return on my initial investment each year. If you figure the life of the machine will be at least 10 years, my $500 investment would grow to a whopping $10,000! Still not a life changing amount, but it's nothing to sneeze at either. With just a little extra effort I could easily earn as much as $20 to $30 thousand over the same 10 years.
I did a little research and found that I could purchase a professional steam carpet cleaning machine for around $500. I have cleaned carpets in the past both on the job and as a favor to friends and family members. So this would not be a new thing for me, however I would own the machine instead of renting it.
Going by the number of carpets I usually clean in the spring of each year, it would be no problem at all for me to average at least 3 jobs per month. My average net per job, after expenses, is usually around $50. If I did 3 jobs per month and cleared $150 total, I would make $1,800 per year. Not a life changing amount, but it would fund my IRA or would pay a couple of my bills per month.
Knowing that I may not always do 3 jobs per month, I re-figured the return on investment if I averaged less than 2 jobs per month. If I only manage to do 20 jobs per year and clear $50 per job, I would still make $1,000 total. With an initial investment of $500, that works out to a 100% return on investment for the first year. If I continued to do 20 jobs per year after the first year, I would make a 200% return on my initial investment each year. If you figure the life of the machine will be at least 10 years, my $500 investment would grow to a whopping $10,000! Still not a life changing amount, but it's nothing to sneeze at either. With just a little extra effort I could easily earn as much as $20 to $30 thousand over the same 10 years.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Making Money Online
Everybody wants to know how to make money online. If you've tried Ebay, maybe you made some or maybe you made a lot, but it doesn't always work out for everybody. It didn't work out for me. I made a little money, but it never really took off.
Then there are the multi-level marketing options. While I stop short of calling them scams, I've never made any money off any of them, and don't know anyone who has. O.K., so I've mentioned some things that didn't really work out for me, so what has?
1. SendEarnings.com is a paid email/survey/shopping program (see link bottom right of page).
2. Infolinks.com--For online publishers/bloggers. In-Text Advertising targeted for your readers. Easy to install.
3. Affiliate marketing--As an example, see the Amazon ads on this blog. You earn a percentage for sales generated from your site. There are many different types of affiliate marketing programs available. I chose Amazon because I trust them.
4. MyPoints.com--Shopping rewards program. You don't earn cash, but you earn credits for reading emails and shopping which you can cash in for gift cards with a wide variety of stores and restaurants. This is one of my favorites, I always go through them before buying anything on line. I've received 8 gift cards which I've used myself or given as gifts for Christmas and Birthdays and donated points to some of my favorite charities. It's a great program.
5. DollarSurveys.net--They pay you for taking surveys. I like this one because they pay you every week, as long as you've completed a qualifying survey. Not like the other paid surveys I've tried, where you never seem to earn enough to collect. They pay directly to your PayPal account.
These are a few things that are working for me. I don't expend a lot of effort on any of them and I'm definitely not getting rich off them, but I do make a little extra money from each. Whatever money I do earn goes directly to my investment accounts, so it's put to work earning even more.
If any of my readers have suggestions for more ways to earn, feel free to email me.
Then there are the multi-level marketing options. While I stop short of calling them scams, I've never made any money off any of them, and don't know anyone who has. O.K., so I've mentioned some things that didn't really work out for me, so what has?
1. SendEarnings.com is a paid email/survey/shopping program (see link bottom right of page).
2. Infolinks.com--For online publishers/bloggers. In-Text Advertising targeted for your readers. Easy to install.
3. Affiliate marketing--As an example, see the Amazon ads on this blog. You earn a percentage for sales generated from your site. There are many different types of affiliate marketing programs available. I chose Amazon because I trust them.
4. MyPoints.com--Shopping rewards program. You don't earn cash, but you earn credits for reading emails and shopping which you can cash in for gift cards with a wide variety of stores and restaurants. This is one of my favorites, I always go through them before buying anything on line. I've received 8 gift cards which I've used myself or given as gifts for Christmas and Birthdays and donated points to some of my favorite charities. It's a great program.
5. DollarSurveys.net--They pay you for taking surveys. I like this one because they pay you every week, as long as you've completed a qualifying survey. Not like the other paid surveys I've tried, where you never seem to earn enough to collect. They pay directly to your PayPal account.
These are a few things that are working for me. I don't expend a lot of effort on any of them and I'm definitely not getting rich off them, but I do make a little extra money from each. Whatever money I do earn goes directly to my investment accounts, so it's put to work earning even more.
If any of my readers have suggestions for more ways to earn, feel free to email me.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
It's All About Earnings
About half the Dow 30 and a quarter of the S&P 500 report in the week ahead. Analysts expect the majority of these companies to continue to beat expectations. Of the 61 S&P companies that reported so far, 79 percent have reported better than expected earnings. The Dow gained 1.3 percent for the week, ending at 9,995, just shy of the 10,000 mile marker it reached on Wednesday. The S&P 500 scored a 1.5 percent gain, ending the week at 1,087. The dollar lost about 1 percent against the euro and the same against a basket of currencies.
Stocks declined Friday as disappointing results from Bank of America and General Electric eclipsed strong results from big techs. After two straight finishes above 10,000, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 67.03, or 0.7 percent, finishing at 9,995.91. Still, for the week, the blue-chip index gained more than 100 points, or 1.3 percent. This is the second straight week the Dow is up — it's gained more than 5 percent in that time. Shares of both GE and Bank of America lost more than 4 percent.
Pfizer, which reports Tuesday, expects higher earnings on slightly lower revenue, while Merck (MRK: 33.22, -0.09, -0.27%), which reports Thursday, is likely to post profit and revenue increases. Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY: 34.42, -0.09, -0.26%), reporting Wednesday, is expected to return to the black after last year's results were hurt by legal settlements. Economists predict small increases in September building permits and housing starts from the previous month, continuing the general trend since spring. That report is due Tuesday, a day after the National Association of Home Builders releases its October housing market index, which reflects builders' confidence in the market. Next Friday, the National Association of Realtors reports on September existing-home sales, which are forecast to grow 5.5% from a month earlier. Sales dropped in August after rising since April.
The government will issue the September Producer Price Index, which measures wholesale inflation, on Tuesday. Predictions are for a 0.1% rise, after a bigger-than-expected 1.7% increase in August. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book, which provides information about economic activity in various regions. The nonprofit Conference Board's September index of leading indicators is out Thursday.
(I currently own shares of Merck and Pfizer so I'm hoping for good news from both.)
Stocks declined Friday as disappointing results from Bank of America and General Electric eclipsed strong results from big techs. After two straight finishes above 10,000, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 67.03, or 0.7 percent, finishing at 9,995.91. Still, for the week, the blue-chip index gained more than 100 points, or 1.3 percent. This is the second straight week the Dow is up — it's gained more than 5 percent in that time. Shares of both GE and Bank of America lost more than 4 percent.
Pfizer, which reports Tuesday, expects higher earnings on slightly lower revenue, while Merck (MRK: 33.22, -0.09, -0.27%), which reports Thursday, is likely to post profit and revenue increases. Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY: 34.42, -0.09, -0.26%), reporting Wednesday, is expected to return to the black after last year's results were hurt by legal settlements. Economists predict small increases in September building permits and housing starts from the previous month, continuing the general trend since spring. That report is due Tuesday, a day after the National Association of Home Builders releases its October housing market index, which reflects builders' confidence in the market. Next Friday, the National Association of Realtors reports on September existing-home sales, which are forecast to grow 5.5% from a month earlier. Sales dropped in August after rising since April.
The government will issue the September Producer Price Index, which measures wholesale inflation, on Tuesday. Predictions are for a 0.1% rise, after a bigger-than-expected 1.7% increase in August. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book, which provides information about economic activity in various regions. The nonprofit Conference Board's September index of leading indicators is out Thursday.
(I currently own shares of Merck and Pfizer so I'm hoping for good news from both.)
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