Tuesday, September 30, 2014

My Favorite Jim Cramer Book

Anyone who has ever invested has heard of Jim Cramer, the star of the Mad Money TV show on CNBC and the chairman and founder of TheStreet.com (TST). He is also the author of many books, including Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World, Jim Cramer's Getting Back to Even, and his latest book Jim Cramer's Get Rich Carefully.

 However, my favorite is Confessions of a Street Addict. This is a down in the trenches book, which shows what happened as a hedge fund manager, with no holds barred. The book is autobiographical, covering his upbringing, college, stint at Goldman Sachs (GS), then on to become his own money manager.

Jim Cramer talks about a lot of his trades, both good and bad, and he fully discloses how he acted when things went against him. A lot of keyboards thrown! He even writes about the almost failure and success of TheStreet.com.

If you have never read Confessions of a Street Addict and are looking for a great read that you could take with you on a plane or just read at home, I highly recommend that you read it.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of October


  

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

-->
Kimco Realty Corp  KIM 10/1/2014 4.1%
Mack-Cali Realty  CLI 10/1/2014 6.2%
Medtronic, Inc. MDT 10/1/2014 2.0%
Saga Communications, Inc. SGA 10/1/2014 2.2%
Stein Mart, Inc. Com. SMRT 10/1/2014 2.6%
Superior Industries SUP 10/1/2014 4.0%
Sysco Corp SYY 10/1/2014 3.1%
Toronto-Dominion Bank TD 10/1/2014 3.8%
-->
Golden Enterprises, Inc. GLDC 10/2/2014 2.7%
JP Morgan Chase JPM 10/2/2014 2.7%
Pacific Coast Oil Trust ROYT 10/2/2014 15.5%
Steelcase Inc. SCS 10/2/2014 2.6%

 The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.


Warren Buffett: Books By and About Him

Here is a list of books about the top investment trader Warren Buffett, the billionaire head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B). Some are written by this famous investor and some are about him, written by others.

by Buffett

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing. A Book of Practical Counsel  Warren E. Buffett (Collaborator)

The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, Third EditionWarren E. Buffett (Author) Lawrence A. Cunningham (Author, Editor)

Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger, Expanded Third Edition Warren E. Buffett (Foreword)

Los ensayos de Warren Buffett (Spanish Edition) Warren E. Buffett (Author)

Buffett, Icahn, Soros

Becoming Rich: The Wealth-Building Secrets of the World's Master Investors Buffett, Icahn, Soros


about Buffett

Trade Like Warren Buffett

The Warren Buffett Way, Second Edition

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

The Winning Investment Habits of Warren Buffett & George Soros

The New Buffettology: The Proven Techniques for Investing Successfully in Changing Markets That Have Made Warren Buffett the World's Most Famous Investor

Warren Buffett Speaks: Wit and Wisdom from the World's Greatest Investor

The Tao of Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett's Words of Wisdom: Quotations and Interpretations to Help Guide You to Billionaire Wealth and Enlightened Business Management

By Stockerblog.com

Monday, September 29, 2014

Italy PM Visited Tech Execs: Should We Be Looking at Italian Stocks?

Last week, the Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi, visited the top executives at Google (GOOGL), Yahoo (YHOO), and Twitter (TWTR), including Dick Costolo, Marissa Mayer and Larry Page. He also met with the Italian heads of startups.

Comparing the iShares MSCI Italy ETF (EWI) to the S&P 500, you would find that the Italy stocks have underperformed the S&P by over five percentage points. Do you think it is time for Italy to catch up?

Eyeglasses

One of the most famous Italian companies is Luxottica  (LUX), the largest eyeglass manufacturer in the world with more than 80% of the market. The company has even been featured on 60 Minutes a couple times. The stock trades at  33.6 times trailing earnings and 23.8 times forward earnings. Quarterly earnings went up by 11.0% on a 2.1% rise in revenues. The stock pays a yield of  1.3%.

Power

ENI (E), which was lucky enough to get one of the one-letter stock symbols, is in the energy, gas and power, and chemicals industries. The stock has a 12.7 price to earnings ratio and a forward PE of 13.9. Earnings for the latest quarter spiked by 139% on a slight drop in sales. The company pays a fat dividend of 4.7%.

Furniture

A more speculative stock is Natuzzi (NTZ) which make upholstered furniture, both leather and fabric. The stock trades for slightly above two dollars a share. Revenues were down slightly and earnings were negative for the latest quarter.

 For a free list of Italian stocks, which includes the price to earnings ratio and yield, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Ciao!

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written and has no plans to do so in the next 72 hours.

By Stockerblog.com

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Top Selling FREE Real Estate Investing Books

Are you thinking of diversifying out of stocks and buying some real estate? Or maybe you bought your first rental house and need some advice. There are several top books being distributed for free by Amazon on the topic of real estate investing.

These books are all available to read on the Amazon Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle, you  still have the ability to read it for free using the Amazon Kindle App for computers and tablets. Some of these books sell for substantially more in print form. These offerings, where Amazon drops the price temporarily to $0.00 don't last for very long, so if you see any that you have some interest in, you should go ahead and get it. Hopefully, they are still free by the time  you read this article.

BiggerPockets Presents: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing


Real Estate Investing: How to Flip a House as a Real Estate Investor


No BS Real Estate Investing - How I Quit My Job, Got Rich, & Found Freedom Flipping Houses ... And How You Can Too


50 Simple Secrets To Be A Happy Real Estate Investor


The Ultimate Real Estate Investing Blueprint: How to Quit Your Job in 19 Weeks or Less

Real Estate Investing Made Easy










Mexico Now Has the Highest Quality Debt in Latin America: Time to Look at Mexican Stocks

President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico has championed policies to move economic growth forward in this country south of the border, including allowing American investments in Mexico. These pro-business moves have caused an increase in the country's debt rating to A3 and the cost to protect the country's debt has dropped to almost the level of Chile, and the price of credit-default swaps dropped below those of Chile.

The iShares MSCI Mexico Capped Investment ETF (EWW) is only up around 3% for the last twelve months, whereas the S&P 500 is up over 16%. Maybe this is an opportunity for a turnaround. The list of Mexico based stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com show over a couple dozen that trade in the United States, and many of which pay dividends.

America Movil (AMX), the telecom company, trades on the New York Stock Exchange, at 18.2 times trailing earnings and 13.8 times forward earnings. For the latest quarter, the company reported an incredible 32.7% increase in earnings on a 4.0% rise in revenues. The stock pays a yield of 1.6%.


Grupo Televisa (TV) has a great stock ticker. This media company has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 35.4 and a forward PE of 28.5, with earnings rising 21.1% for the latest quarter on a 7.1% boost in revenues. The stock sports a small yield of 0.3%.


The airport company, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (PAC) has a 19.4 PE with a 1.7% yield. Quarterly earnings spiked 24% for the latest quarter with an 11.4% b ump up in revenues.

There are many other Mexico stocks to choose from, which can be found on the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.  Maybe you can make some profits by crossing the border.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above when the article was written and has no plans to do so in the next 72 hours. 

By Stockerblog.com


Friday, September 26, 2014

Health Food Stocks Can Make Your Portfolio Healthier

Do you realize that 34.9% of U.S. adults are obese according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Center for Disease Control and Prevention? That's 78.6 million people! The medical cost of obesity of Americans has been running $147 billion a year. On top of weight gain, the demand for natural food, organic food, and gluten-free food continues to increase. What's an investor to do?

Look for healthy health food stocks of course. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has turned up over a dozen stocks of companies in the health food business, almost all of which generate positive earnings and a few of which pay dividends. Unfortunately, some of these companies are being scooped up, leaving fewer choices for investors.

Annie's (BNNY), which is a producer and distributor of natural and organic food, received a tender offer by General Mills (GIS) for all outstanding shares of the company at $46.00 per share. Annie's Board of Directors has accepted the offer and has recommended that the shareholders accept it.

Let's start with a company that is available to investors. Obviously, the big player in this industry is Whole Foods Market (WFM), the big health food supermarket chain. The stock trades at 25 times trailing earnings and 22 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 6.3% on a 10.4% boost in revenues. The company has $796 million in cash and only $62 million in total debt. Whole Foods pays a decent yield of 1.3%.

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage (NGVC) owns natural and organic grocery and dietary supplement stores. The stock has a trailing E of 31 and a trailing PE of 17. The latest quarterly earnings were up a healthy 16.6% on an 18.4% rise in sales. The stock does not pay a dividend.

United Natural Foods (UNFI) is a distributor of natural and organic foods. It trades at 24 times trailing earnings and 19 times forward earnings.

If you want to see other health food stocks along with their financials, get the free list at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.  Hopefully, some of these stocks will make your portfolio healthier.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written. 

By Stockerblog.com

Top ' Selling ' FREE Investing Books

Looking for more reading material on investing? There are actually plenty of top selling good books that are available for free on Amazon. Actually, they aren't really "top selling" since they are free, but they are to top books being distributed for free.

These books are all available to read on the Amazon Kindle, or if you don't have a Kindle, you can still read it for free on the Amazon Kindle App. Some of these books retail for as much as $18.95 in print form. These sales, where they drop the price temporarily to free, don't last for long, so I would suggest that if you see any that you might like, you should just go ahead and download it. Hopefully, they are still free when you read this article.

925 Ideas to Help You Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire A Millionaire So You Can Leave Your Mark on the World

Ten golden rules of equity investing

Investing: A Beginner's Guide To Investing

The ABCs of Money

Investing: A Beginner's Guide to Investing to Learn Money Management and How to Earn Easy Money

Art of Money Getting Or, Golden Rules for Making Money

Get 'em while they are free. Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Largest Democracy in the World is Not the United States: You Should Consider Investing in this Country

Did you know that the United States is not the largest democracy in the world, based on population? Do you know what country is it? India is a democracy that has roughly four times the population of the US.

India has a new pro-business Prime Minister. Narendra Modi is hoping to increase foreign investment in the country by cutting back on over-regulation and bureaucracy. This could be a strong catalyst for growth in India.

One way to invest in India is through the India Fund (IFN). If you are looking for individual stocks, there are over a dozen Indian stocks that trade in the United States, according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Infosys Ltd. (INFY) is a business and technology consulting company, which has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 19 and a forward price to earnings ratio of 16. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 15% on a 7% rise in revenues. The company pays a yield of 2.3%.

ICICI Bank (IBN) is one of the major banking institutions in India. It trades at 16.4 times trailing earnings and 13.2 times forward earnings. Quarterly earnings were up 3% on an 8% increase in revenues. The stock has a yield of 1.5%.

Other India stocks that pay dividends include Sesa Sterlite Ltd. (SSLT) and 1.0% and Wipro Ltd. (WIT) at 1.4%

Since India is now an extremely influential country in the region and hundreds of millions of its people are moving into the middle class, India deserves a close look as a place for investment opportunities. A resource for finding these opportunities is available through the free list of Indian stocks, which includes information on the PE ratio, the forward PE, the PEG, and the yield, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Monday, September 22, 2014

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of September


  

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.


Republic Services RSG 9/29/14 2.6%
Raytheon Co. RTN 9/29/14 2.5%
Stifel Financial Corp SFB 9/29/14 6.5%
Cisco Systems CSCO 9/30/14 3.0%
Corrections Corp of Amercia CXW 9/30/14 5.7%
Erie Indemnity ERIE 9/30/14 3.3%
Sotherly Hotels Inc  SOHO 9/30/14 3.2%
Domtar Corp UFS 9/30/14 8.1%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
A Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.


Gisele Bünchen Making Money for Herself and the Companies She Represents

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you would notice that I have written about the companies that the famous Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bünchen has been connected with, and the Gisele Bünchen Stock Index. I wrote about it earlier this year, in 2013, in 2012, all the way back to 2007.

Recently, Forbes Magazine published its list of top earning supermodels and Gisele was at the top of the list, far outperforming the two second highest, Doutzen Kroes and Adriana Lima.

Gisele Stock Index Up 105.6%

Based on the stock index created from companies that Gisele has some connection to, the Gisele Stock Index significantly outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 2007. The Gisele Index was up 105.6%, versus 36.9% for the Dow.

The following graph shows the returns for Gisele and the Dow for the last seven years:




Gisele Significantly Beats the Dow Jones Industrial Average

Returns over the years:
Since 2008 Gisele: 90.2%, Dow: 36.6%
Since 2009 Gisele: 139.9%, Dow: 116.0%
Since 2010 Gisele: 109.2%, Dow: 71.6%
Since 2011 Gisele: 62.2%, Dow: 46.9%

The Gisele Stocks

According to the list of Gisele stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, most of the stocks in her index pay dividends. The stocks in the Gisele index include:

Volkswagon (VLKAY) She was the spokesperson for the Volkswagon TV commercials

Ralph Lauren Corp. (RL) Advertising campaign face for Ralph Lauren

Telefonica Brasil (VIV) Celebrity endorsement - largest mobile phone service provider in Brazil and in South America

Procter & Gamble (PG) Celebrity endorsement, increased Pantene's sales in Brazil by 40%

Disney (DIS) Celebrity endorsement - appeared in the 'Year of a Million Dreams' celebration photoshoot

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMUY) Spring 2012 campaign for Givenchy

Free List

For a free list of stocks in the Gisele Stock Index, along with some financial information relating to the price earning ratios and yields, and the connection to Gisele, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Other Celebrity Stock Indexes

Other celebrity stock indexes you may be interested in include the Heidi Klum Stock Index, the Eva Longoria Stock Index, the Angelina Jolie Stock Index, the Jessica Alba Stock Index, the Nicole Kidman Stock Index, and the Supermodels Stock Indices.



Russell James Collector's Edition with Gisele Bundchen photoprint


Assumptions:
The Gisele Index is a price-weighted index, similar to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It includes reinvested dividends.



Disclosure: Author owned DIS at the time the article was written. No celebrity endorsement expressed or implied.


By Stockerblog.com 

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Trivia: What Company had the Stock Symbol OO and why?

Trivia: What Company had the Stock Symbol OO and why?

Quick, without looking it up. Can you guess ?


Stock Market Trivia is a new feature at Stockerblog.com. The question for today is:


What Company had the Stock Symbol OO?


Answer:

Oakley Inc. the sunglasses company. The OO is an emoticon for eyeglasses, which is why the company chose that stock ticker symbol. The company has since been taken over by Luxottica Group. 

If you like investment trivia, more stock market trivia and Wall Street trivia can be found in the book: 

Investing in One Lesson

If you are a novice investor, or maybe you are an experienced but unsuccessful investor, you need to read Investing in One Lesson by Mark Skousen, Ph.D. I have been a subscriber to Skousen's newsletter for many years, and he has an outstanding track record. So he knows what he is talking about.

For those who have never invested before or are just starting to dip their foot into investing, Skousen makes investing easy to understand. He talks about risk and the factors that cause investment losses. He also covers the importance of dividends and diversification.

In  Chapter 10, he breaks down the factors that go into choosing a good investment, and in Chapter 11, he describes the "Golden Seven" stock market categories.

He makes the book interesting with lots of stories and unusual concepts, such as why good news for the economy is often bad news for the stock market.

The book was published in 2007 but is timeless. If you want to get a handle on the stock market and investing, I strongly recommend Investing in One Lesson.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Update on Multilevel Marketing Stocks Including Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway

Did you know that billionaire Warren Buffett, head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A), is in the direct selling and multilevel marketing business, also known as network marketing?  Have you heard of the Kirby vacuum cleaners that are sold door-to-door? The Kirby Company is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. How about the Pampered Chef? It is a multi level marketing company in the kitchen and food products business that's also owned by Berkshire Hathaway. How about World Book, the encyclopedia company sold through networking and door-to-door? Owned by, you guessed it, Berkshire Hathaway.

So if one of the three richest men in the world is in this business in a few very different areas, maybe it is time to take a close look at the multilevel marketing and direct sales companies to see if there are any investing opportunities. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has just posted a list of all the network marketing and direct sales stocks. Interestingly, more than half of them pay dividends. The dividends return the investor's capital faster, and can help reduce volatility of the stock.

The multilevel marketing company, Herbalife Ltd. (HLF), a Los Angeles based company which markets weight management, nutritional supplement, and personal care products,  stock trades at a favorable 9.8 times trailing earnings and 6.2 times forward earnings. Remember, the lower the price to earnings ratio, the better.

Tupperware Brands Corporation (TUP) is an Orlando, Florida based company which markets kitchen products, cosmetics and personal care products. The trailing P/E is 14.1, and forward P/E is 12.1. The stock has a high yield of 3.7%.

Avon Products Inc. (AVP) is a New York based company which markets cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, and toiletry products, and other consumer products. It trades at 13.8 times forward earnings, and provides 1.8% yield to investors.

Nu Skin Enterprises Inc. (NUS) is a Provo, Utah based company which markets personal care products and nutritional supplements. The stock has a trailing  P/E of 7.1, a forward P/E of 9.0, and a solid yield of 2.4%.

USANA Health Sciences Inc. (USNA) is a Salt Lake City based company which markets vitamins, minerals, skin products and personal care products. The stock has a trailing P/E of 13.3, and a forward P/E of 11.3.

Mannatech Inc. (MTEX) is a Texas based company which markets nutritional supplements, skin care products, and weight-management products. The stock trades at 16.2 time earnings.

For a free list of multilevel marketing stocks, which includes financial data, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. It you choose the right ones for your investment portfolio, maybe you can become another billionaire like Warren Buffett.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Friday, September 19, 2014

Electric Utilities Are Promoting Electric Cars: Get Plugged in to These Utility Stocks

The electric car industry has a very, very powerful ally behind it, the electric utility industry. Although electric utility revenues have not been booming, utility companies have been looking at a potentially huge source of income, the sale of electricity to electric car owners at recharging stations.

Sempra Energy (SRE) plans to set up over 5,000 electric-car chargers throughout San Diego at places such as apartment buildings and office complexes. However, consumers are upset about the billing surcharges to pay for the charging stations. Sempra trades at 25 times trailing earnings and 22 times forward earnings.

Quarterly earnings for Sempra rose 9.8% year over year on a 1.0% increase in revenues. The company pays a yield of 2.7% and the payout rate was raised earlier this year from 63 cents per share to 66 cents per share, an increase of 4.7%. Dividend payouts of $648.6 million per year is easily covered by the company's operating cash flow of $1.71 billion.

Portland General Electric (POR) is another electric utility that pays a decent yield, giving investors a payout of 3.5%. Dividends were increased this year by one cent per share. The stock has a trailing rice to earnings ratio of 22.9 and forward PE of 14.7. Revenues rose 5.0% for the latest quarter.

NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) has re-charging stations at various stores in California, Texas and Washington, D.C. The stock yields 1.8% with a forward PE of 18.

For a free list of electric utilities, which includes information on the PE, the forward PE, the PEG, and the yield, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Maybe some of these stocks can charge up your portfolio.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Heidi Klum Stock Index Outperforms

If you have watched any of the America's Got Talent TV show during the last month, you would have noticed the beautiful, intelligent, and well-spoken German American supermodel and businesswoman, Heidi Klum. She is one of the four judges on the show, along with Howie Mandel, Howard Stern, and Melanie "Mel B" Brown. America's Got Talent was the most successful show of this summer.

Klum is ranked as the second highest paid supermodel, after Gisele Bündchen. She has been the celebrity spokesperson for numerous products and companies. One thing that I have discovered after tracking celebrity stock indexes over the last several years, is that very successful actors and supermodels can have a very significant effect on the revenues of companies that the celebrities represent, which in turn, can affect the stock prices of those companies.


I have tracked the Heidi Klum Stock Index from 2007, and her index has outperformed the S&P 500 significantly, rising 104% since 2007 versus 41% for the stock market. She even discussed her index in an interview in 2008, by WowOWow, The Women on the Web.

Some of the stocks in her index are new connections for Klum, and some companies she is no longer connected with but she had a major influence on their products.

Components of the Heidi Klum Stock Index:



  • Mattel (MAT) Heidi Klum Barbie doll
  • McDonald's (MCD) celebrity spokesperson
  • Volkswagen A G (VLKAY) celebrity spokesperson, made a Beetle blush on a TV commercial
  • Target Corp. (TGT) TV commercial can be seen on YouTube
  • Procter Gamble Co. (PG) owner of the Braun shaving products business which she promoted
  • Nike Inc. (NKE) celebrity spokesperson
  • Dannon (DANOY) face of Dannon Light & Fit yogurt
  • H & M, also known as Hennes & Mauritz AB (HNNMY) the Swedish clothing company
  • Comcast (CMCSA) owner of NBC, which runs America's Got Talent on which Heidi Klum is a judge

  • You can see all the stocks in the Heidi Klum Stock Index at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Not only does America have talent, but Heidi Klum has business talent, both for herself and the companies she represents.

    Disclosure: Author owns MCD and MAT.

    By Stockerblog.com

    Tuesday, September 16, 2014

    Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of September


      

    Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

    In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.


    Campus Crest Communities CCG 9/22/14 8.0%
    KAR Auction Services Inc KAR 9/22/14 3.3%
    Cypress Semiconductor CY 9/23/14 4.0%
    Getty Realty Corp  GTY 9/23/14 4.3%
    Portland General Electric POR 9/23/14 3.2%
    Arcos Dorados Holdings ARCO 9/24/14 3.3%
    Aviv REIT, Inc.  AVIV 9/24/14 4.9%
    CyrusOne Inc CONE 9/24/14 3.2%

     The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 
    Dividend definitions:

    Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

    Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

    Monthly Dividend Stock List

    Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

    Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

    Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

    Book now available: Stock Market Trivia
    A Great Gift!

    Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

    Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.


    Let Me Entertain You with High Yield Stocks

    Do you realize that entertainment stocks have grossly underperformed the S&P 500 over the last six months? The PowerShares Dynamic Leisure & Entertainment ETF (PEJ) is down 5% for the last 180 days versus the S&P which is up about 7.5%. From a contrarian standpoint, maybe it is time to look at the entertainment industry.

    One way to reduce risk when investing in this industry is to choose stocks that pay dividends, as this helps to reduce volatility and returns investors' capital faster. The list of high yield entertainment stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has spotlighted about a dozen companies with yields ranging from 1.7% to in excess of 5%.

    As an example, Regal Entertainment Group (RGC) pays investors a yield of 4.3%. This Knoxville, Tennessee company operates multi-screen theaters in 42 states. The stock trades at 23.9 time trailing earnings and 16.0 times forward earnings. Quarterly earnings were down 6.4% versus the same quarter a year ago, on an 8.5% drop in revenues, primarily due to a poor summer for ticket sales.

    Another entertaining high yield stock is Shaw Communications Inc. (SJR), the cable TV company, which is also involved in telecom and programming content services. The stock has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 15.8, and a forward PE of 13.6. The yield is a very favorable 4.1%. Earnings for the latest reported quarter were down 8.4% on a 1.2% rise in revenues.

     Other high yielders include Cinemark Holdings (CNK) at a 3.0% yield and Corus Entertainment Inc. (CJREF) at 4.5%. To see a complete list of these high yield entertainment stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Hopefully your portfolio will be profitable in addition to being entertaining.

    Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

    By Stockerblog.com

    Monday, September 15, 2014

    Get a High Dividend Income from Exotic Investments

    Are you sick and tired of investing in all those blue chip income stocks and those boring oil and gas master limited partnerships? Looking for some exciting investments that still pay a high dividend?

    MLPs

    Well, you have come to the right place. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has identified over half a dozen exotic master limited partnerships, most of which have yields of over 3.5%. A master limited partnership is a partnership that is publicly traded and trades like a stock. Most MLPs invest in oil and gas properties, so the "exotic" category is everything else.

    Amusement Parks

    One example is Cedar Fair (FUN), which generates high income from amusement parks and water parks. Doesn't this company have a great stock ticker symbol? The yield on the investment is 5.3%. The stock, actually the MLP unit, trades at 19.8 times trailing earnings, and 14.63 times forward earnings. For the latest quarter, the company reported a 7.4% drop in earnings year over year on flat revenues. However, it reported a 1% increase in net revenues and record year to date revenues of $939 million.

    Trees

    Another exotic MLP is Pope Resources (POPE) which is in the timber industry. The nice thing about this industry is that the inventory keeps going up in value, unlike most other types of inventory. The stock trades at 13.6 times trailing and 18.8 times forward earnings. The investment provides a decent yield of 3.7%.

    Cemeteries and Fertilizer

    Do you want to invest in cemeteries? How about fertilizer? Or toll roads or fracking sands? You can do it through MLPs, all of which are listed on the free list of exotic master limited partnerships at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Now you know how to spice up your portfolio.

    Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

    By Stockerblog.com

    Sunday, September 14, 2014

    Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy - and What We Can Do About It

    A couple weeks ago, Steve Forbes, the chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, spoke at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. I had the opportunity to hear him speak and talked to him awhile beforehand. (By the way, he told me that he will not be running for U.S. President again.)

    Forbes has also come out with a new book called Money: How the Destruction of the Dollar Threatens the Global Economy – and What We Can Do About It. Forbes has pinpointed the primary cause of the problems with the current economy. The book covers how we got into this mess, how we can get out of it, and what could happen if we don't do anything about it.

    The book is about, what else, money. He talks about the history of money in an interesting and easy to understand way. Probably the most important chapter is Chapter 4, where he discusses how terrible inflation is, even a small rate of inflation.

    In his speech, he even gave an example. He said that when Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told U.S. Senators that she had an annual target inflation rate of 2%, why did not one senator ask the question, for a middle class family that spends $50,000 a year, how does increasing their expenses by $1,000 a year help that family? Forbes does not believe in inflation at all.

    He said that if inflation gets out of control, which it will if something isn't done soon, it will turn into a catastrophe. But he also said that inflation isn't just a financial issue, it is a morality issue.

    Fortunately, there is a solution. It is covered in Chapter 6 (I won't give it away.)

    If you want to understand the debasement of the U.S. dollar and inflation, then I highly recommend that you read Money.

    Interview with the Founder of Rolling Paper Depot: Unique Insight into Startups and the Medical Marijuana Industry

    Stockerblog.com has featured several articles on the medical marijuana industry, such as The Growth of the Medical Marijuana Industry and the Stocks that ParticipateMarijuana Stock Index Up 339% Last Year, and Rolling Papers Stocks: The Forgotten Medical Marijuana Play. This interview, courtesy of StartupAlmanac.com, will give additional insight to this industry and provide extensive information on the key factors that make a startup successful.

    Readers who are interested in learning how a startup became very successful will find this interview fascinating. In a continuation of our series on startups, the following interview was graciously provided by Jarrod Smith of Rolling Paper Depot, a fast growing online company that was started with less than $2,500.



    Why don't we start by briefly describing what the company does? 

    Rolling Paper Depot is an online retailer of rolling papers and smoking accessories for the roll-your-own enthusiast.  We provide a wide selection of products that aren't always available at gas stations or smoke shops.  Our goal is to provide our customers with great prices and excellent customer service. 

    How did you happen to come up with the idea for the business?
    Believe it or not, the business idea literally landed on my desk out of the blue.  I own several e-commerce companies and somehow a catalog for rolling papers landed on my desk.  I thought to myself, "who would buy rolling papers online? Can't you just go to 7-11?"  My naivety of the situation was comical.  I did a good bit of research on the market and was surprised to find that the business is viable.  It is not the biggest company I have, but it is the most fun to work on.  

    Did you get any venture capital to begin with or are you self funded?
    We are completely self-funded.  In fact, I started this company with less than $2500.  Today that would not be possible.  The market is extremely competitive and I suspect "Big Tobacco" will eventually enter the niche because of the ongoing legalization of medical marijuana.  

    This is outside of the scope of the question, but I predict that "Big Tobacco" will migrate from tobacco to medical marijuana. I'm not saying tobacco is going to cease to exist, but in the future it won't be as prevalent as it is today.  I think "Big Tobacco" is actually working to delay federal legalization of marijuana.  Once they find out how to package it and sell it in conjunction with "Big Government", the entire landscape of MMJ will change into something like the beer industry where the Coors and Millers of the world sell the majority of the product and the "boutique" MMJ shops will turn into micro-breweries of sorts.  The best product will be in the small shops, but they won't be able to produce as much or be as competitive on price as the big boys. 

    How long have you been in business and is the company a corporation, an LLC, a partnership, or what?
    The company is a LLC. We have been in business for about 4 1/2 years.  

    The recreational and medical marijuana industry seemed to take off in January after the legalization in Colorado. Did that provide a substantial increase to your sales?
    It's difficult to attribute legalization of marijuana to an increase in our sales because our sales have been growing steadily since we started.  However, I think the "buzz" around legalization has sparked an interest in some products we carry. 

    Any thoughts on what  will happen with the upcoming ballot elections on recreational and medical marijuana?
     The legalization of marijuana isn't an issue that is red or blue.  Nearly three fourths of the people in the US are sick of the battle over marijuana.  Our government is spending tons of money fighting a losing battle.  People are being charged with felonies and going to jail.  Our jails are full and our citizens are struggling to find jobs.  It just doesn't make sense to fight it anymore and the majority of people are fed up.  My thoughts are that the states will continue to legalize marijuana and eventually the federal government will have to give in to the will of the people.  At least, that's how it's supposed to work anyway. 

    How many employees do you have and do you use virtual assistants?
    We have 7 employees and we do not use virtual assistants.  Everything we do is in-house.

    How were you have to get the the top of Google search, and do you consider high ranking a key in being successful?
    I have been doing SEO for nearly 10 years.  I own an internet marketing company also and that helps me stay at the top.  I think being on the first page of Google for keywords in any industry is extremely important to succeed. Most people know a little about SEO, but they fail to see the benefits of social media marketing.  In fact, when I launched my latest e-commerce company in the roller skating niche I didn't focus on keyword rankings at all.  Instead, I focused on a large social media following.  Interestingly enough, that is actually leading to higher keyword rankings because my social followers are linking to my website for me.  The more links I get the better my rankings are.  This technique isn't "cutting edge", but it is definitely the progressive way to market an internet start-up in 2014.  

    Tell us a little about your background.
     I am an entrepreneur at heart.  I built my first business in the 6th grade selling blow-pops at school. I hid it from my parents because I didn't think they would approve. I'm not sure why.  As it turns out, the school didn't particularly appreciate the competition.  My candy was cheaper than the school's candy.  Eventually I got caught and I had to stop selling blow-pops. The principal called me to his office and then called my father to discuss my "business".  They had a good laugh about the entire thing while I sat scared to death of what might happen to me.  My parents were impressed with my work and gave me the obligatory scolding for taking the lunch money of my schoolmates.  Since then I've had a keen eye for business opportunities and I've kept solid ethical standards. 

    I got my first computer in 1994 and I had a dial-up internet connection.  I was not particularly interested in "chatting with someone in Germany", but thankfully my mother forced it on me.  She definitely saw the benefits of being proficient on the computer.  The first part of my experience on the internet was mostly IRC and learning the Linux OS.  As I learned more I did some tech work with Windows machines, but eventually I got a job as a Linux System Administrator.   Though it was unrelated to my duties, that job led me to learn SEO and internet marketing.  I also got my first experience with e-commerce at that job.  Once I learned both the marketing and e-commerce processes, I set off on my own to build my own e-commerce companies.  Rolling Paper Depot is one of those companies.

    I believe my technical background has proven to be extremely beneficial for my businesses. My competitors have to hire out internet marketing and SEO.  They also have to pay programmers and designers to keep up their sites.  These services are expensive and time-consuming.  We are lucky enough to have all of these services in-house.  I have also been able to develop proprietary software and shopping-cart modules that keep me ahead of the competition.  

    What are your plans for the future of the company?
    My plan is to continue to grow the company and increase my market share world-wide.  We have considered licensing our name to shops around the globe to build our market share. I am fairly private about the details of my plans because I believe that I am an innovator and that secrecy allows me to stay ahead of the competition. I like to be first with website features so I'll hold those cards close to my chest for now.  I believe my plans for 2015 will grow the company by 30% or more. 

    What do you consider your biggest challenges as a startup?
     Wow!  Good question.  There are so many challenges these days.  Starting a business and being successful has grown increasingly difficult over the years.  I feel the answer to this question probably changes by the month, but as of today my personal biggest challenge is patience.  I see what this company can be and I see the growth.  I just want it to grow faster.  I want to push my people harder.  I want to see the legalization movement progress quicker.  Unfortunately for me, these things take time and some things shouldn't be forced.  Patience is my challenge. 

    What one piece of advice would you give someone who is just at the beginning stages of developing a startup?

    Predict the future. How can one do this?  I'll share a trick that I have found particularly useful.  You can never go wrong if you build a business based on pending legislation.  When laws change there are often new opportunities.  For example, when the credit reporting laws changed (Fair Credit Reporting Act) there were many start-ups that built a business that helps people clean up their credit based on the new laws. This opportunity did not exist before the change in the laws! These start-ups were wildly successful and the ones that were set-up and ready to service customers immediately after the laws went into effect are the ones that still stand today.  But, to compete in this market today is an act of futility.  One would need massive funding and a huge budget for marketing.  Barring some kind of revolutionary approach to the market, you will have a hard time competing in this niche. 

    Build a business that will service the future needs of people.  It is difficult to start and grow a business in a market that is well-established.  This is especially true if the Wal-Marts of the world are already selling your product or service.  A start-up cannot compete with these huge companies.  However, if you spend your time and energy on a business that is going to be big in the future, your success can be virtually unlimited.  You will have less competition and you can actually set the standard for products and customer service in your niche.  If you time it right, you might end up with a FaceBook or Yelp.  What's the bottom line?  Lead.  Never follow.


    No investment recommendation nor any investment promotion is expressed or implied by either the publisher, the interviewer, the interviewee, or any of the interviewee's companies..