Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg have been enduring heightened scrutiny ever since the Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed the social media network's failures to protect user privacy. Since then, a cascade of bad news has hit the company, and according to a new ranking by Interbrand, that may be affecting its brand value. The Wall Street Journal's Nat Ives writes: Facebook fell out of the top 10 in Interbrand’s annual Best Global Brands report, dropping to 14th place from ninth as the estimated value of its brand declined 12% to $39.9 billion. Interbrand, part of Omnicom … [Read more...]
Do You Have the Tools to Carry Out Your Investment Plan?
I regularly meet investors who are going it alone. They are overwhelmed with choices and have little or no investment planning experience. Back in December of 1986, I told investors that they need a game plan and the tools to carry it out. I wrote: “’It was an overcast day.’…Everything on the beach came to a halt…When he passed out 40 Redsand volleyballs,…’it looked like it had rained radioactive bowling balls.’” These graphic quotes from Bruce Anderson’s recent “Shoptalk” column in Sports Illustrated describe the beach scene at Manhattan Beach, California when Olympic volleyball star … [Read more...]
Boston Pulls $248 Million from Fisher Investments
The city of Boston's pension board will join Philadelphia and the state of Michigan in divesting from Fisher Investments reports Bloomberg's Janet Lorin, writing: “Boston will not invest in companies led by people who treat women like commodities,” Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement Wednesday. “Reports of Ken Fisher’s comments and poor judgment are incredibly disturbing.” The city’s pension board will pull $248 million. Fisher Investments is seeing a growing backlash since the firm’s founder made offensive comments about women, spoke of genitalia and then failed to immediately … [Read more...]
Doing Business with Fidelity (Not Schwab)
Yesterday Schwab reported third-quarter earnings. During the three months ending Sep. 30, the e-broker made 70 cents a share up from 64 cents a year earlier while revenue increased $132 million to $2.71 billion. Guess where the money was made? “For Schwab, net interest revenue made up 60% of overall revenue during the September quarter,” reports the WSJ. Do you know what net interest revenue is? It’s when Schwab lends your cash out, keeping the profit for itself. “Schwab and other e-brokers make a significant portion of their profits by sweeping cash daily from customers’ brokerage … [Read more...]
Are Low Interest Rates Amplifying Market Shocks?
New research from the IMF suggests that forcing investors to search for yield in riskier assets by targeting extremely low-interest rates is amplifying shocks in markets. Chris Giles reports for the Financial Times: Persistently low interest rates are encouraging investors to take dangerous risks in a quest to maintain their financial returns, the IMF said on Wednesday, raising concerns that even the current lacklustre performance of the global economy may not be sustainable. Policymakers should urgently seek to extend banking regulations introduced after the financial crisis to other … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Our Cabin on Kodiak, Alaska
I’ve been working with Dr. Lee for 16-years. He was only 53 when he became a client. Even back then he was the millionaire next door. But for about two weeks of every month, he doesn’t have any neighbors. That is unless you happen to have a cabin on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Even then you probably won’t see each other. Overlooking the water, his cabin is a fly cast away from world-class King Salmon fishing. He loves to fish. He also loves to share his knowledge and to keep learning. Before he retired he would sharpen his professional axe teaching university students about oral … [Read more...]
Four Ways to Win the Investment Horse Race
In 1993, Julie Krone became the first, and still only, female jockey to win the Belmont Stakes. As Julie, riding Colonial Affair, rounded the first turn, they sat in sixth place. A horse named Antrim Road had dashed out way ahead, taking a big risk with a fast pace. As the horses came into the far corner, Cherokee Run took the lead, and still, Julie and Colonial Affair remained in sixth place. Then as they turned for home, Julie’s patience paid off. The five horses ahead of her had risked it all and gotten tired. Julie had conserved energy and came on strong in the end to win. Finishing … [Read more...]
Breaking News: Fidelity’s $0 Commissions Done the Right Way
Well, it’s not exactly breaking news that Fidelity has said it will offer free online trading. What is worth noting is they will not be making money off of your cash by lending it out as was explained here: You may have seen that Charles Schwab has reduced its commissions to $0. But when you dig a little deeper you realize there’s a catch. As it turns out it’s free but Schwab gets to use your cash, lend it out, and pocket-the interest you could have made. “Schwab doesn’t use money-market funds or short-term Treasury funds, which could earn nearly 2% at recent rates,” explains Jason … [Read more...]
Do Wealthy Americans Pay Their Fair Share in Taxes?
The 1% of Americans with the highest incomes pay an average federal tax rate of 33%. Meanwhile, the bottom 20% of households pay an average of 2%. In fact, once transfer payments are factored in, the bottom 20% of households pay -70% in taxes, earning $49 for ever $1 they pay in federal taxation. Bloomberg's Michael R. Strain reports: Contrary to the narrative that seems to be forming on the political left, the U.S. federal tax code is very progressive. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the lowest-income 20% of households have an average federal tax rate of about 2%. … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Sweet Home Alabama
Whether you like golf, music, food, or all of the above, there are plenty of reasons to visit Alabama. Not least of which is Alabama's third-lowest cost of living in the United States! Here are some of my favorite destinations in Alabama. Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Muscle Shoals Lucy Buffett's Lulu's Lucy Buffett is the sister of Jimmy Buffett. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama - 7/2/1977 - Oakland Coliseum Stadium (Official) Originally posted on Your Survival Guy. … [Read more...]
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