Sales of traditional cigarettes are falling even faster than expected. That trend is reassuring tobacco companies like Altria of the importance of their investments in e-cigarettes and other smokeless alternatives. Jennifer Maloney writes for The Wall Street Journal: Altria CEO Howard Willard on Thursday offered new projections on U.S. cigarette industry volumes, saying cigarette sales would continue to decline at a faster clip than they have in the past as smokers switch to e-cigarettes. He also said his company’s recent $12.8 billion investment in vaping startup Juul Labs Inc. would allow … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2019
The Surest Way to Win in Equities
When it comes to your investments, you must develop a plan that is more than just reliance on rising stock prices. Share prices can remain depressed for agonizingly long periods of time. A decade or more of no return with a regular retirement draw, can quickly decimate a life-time worth of savings. Regular dividend payments offer a refreshing stream of income to help you navigate long dry spells in the stock market. If you haven’t yet been convinced of the power of dividends, read what I wrote back in April of 1992 below: Dividends Are Key to Your Stock Investing Success Now what about … [Read more...]
Underfunded Pensions and a Devil’s Bargain
In Pontiac, Michigan, pensions for public employees have been underfunded for years, and the city is going to raise taxes to help fund pension payments. This same predicament is playing out across America, with pensions in many states and cities woefully underfunded, and with pension boards who overestimate returns to paper over the problem. Like many pensions, those in Pontiac are restricted on the proportion of assets that may be invested in equities compared to fixed income and other securities. The current limit is 40% of assets may be invested in equities. These limits are in place … [Read more...]
India Targets E-Commerce Giants with new Rules
Amazon and Walmart (owner of Flipkart) are India's two largest e-commerce companies. New ownership rules coming into effect in India are about to hammer their businesses. Bloomberg's Saritha Rai reports: Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. suffered a blow in India, the next frontier of e-commerce, when the government rejected requests to defer a deadline requiring online retailers to comply with tighter new rules starting on Friday. That means Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart, India’s two largest online retailers who dominate the market, won’t be able to sell the products of companies in … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Looking for Tax Freedom? Here’s Where to Find It
With tax season here, it's helpful to examine your own tax situation and understand the alternatives. Read this post I wrote on July 5, 2018 for guidance. As Americans near retirement, they are always looking for ways to maximize their savings. At the top of the list of options is avoiding punitive taxation at all levels. There isn't much most people can do about federal taxes (other than vote), but Americans are gifted with a choice of 50 states and a handful of territories from which to choose where to live. I have been encouraging Americans to explore their options when it comes to … [Read more...]
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