Last Sunday, 6.26.11, I visited the Mono Lake / Mammoth Mountain area. I’ve posted some of the photos taken during the drive on Fickr. Take a minute or two and check them out. The area you’re seeing is on the far east side of California around where highway 120 meets highway 395. The elevation ranges from nearly 10,000 – 7,000 feet. The eastern side of the Sierra’s is made up mostly of high elevation desert.
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Economists predict that American households will have to contribute an average of $1,398 per year to fulfill pension promises, according to a new study…READ MORE My Take: If the graph below and the information in the linked article are correct, then we’re most likely going to have some serious adjustments in the country sooner than later. Assuming pension problems create some serious problems for State governments, expect a period of time short or extended where
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A day after Google launched its answer to Facebook, News Corp sold MySpace, the social networking site displaced by Facebook, for $35 million – $545 million less than it purchased it for in 2005…READ MORE. My Take: One of the main lessons to learn from the downfall of MySpace is that which seems certain online, is often not certain. Myspace for a number of years was king of the social media world. Who would have
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Sometimes swinging for the fences isn’t the best idea. It would be nice to get rich quick over night, but the reality is the odds are heavily stacked against you. For a moment, let’s think about the long-term; 10 or 20 years. Over that time period you want to grow your portfolio’s value and create a foundation that is going to reap larger rewards in the future. Often times some of the best investing ideas
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A couple weeks ago I wrote about the significance of the dividend growth rate for long-term investors. Since that time I’ve given more thought to the subject. It should not be forgotten that companies that are able to consistently raise their dividend distribution are demonstrating, through tangible actions, that their company is a success. One area that new and experienced investors worry about is earnings. First, investors worry about positive earnings because we all want
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When I was an undergrad I remember the college I went to had an “American Dream” lecture series. The business department brought in various speakers each semester to discuss some type of business venture they were involved in. It was an event that engaged both the community and student body. One semester the speaker was an owner of a petroleum distribution company. The lecture was interesting, but what sticks with me most was his discussion
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Earlier this week I wrote a blog about the growing need for online security. Now it is time to explore a few companies that provide solutions to an ever more dangerous online world. Though this is a tech heavy realm, you may be surprised that you can find a dividend paying company in this online security category. Intersections, Inc. (INTX) is a company that has its focus set on curtailing identify theft. Just a few
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Whether it’s television, radio, newspapers or a magazine, you likely come into contact with some form of mainstream investment commentator on a regular basis. In our present day Jim Cramer of CNBC is the most well known investment commentator. He has a nightly show and writes for his website, www.TheStreet.com. Since Cramer is the biggest dot on the radar screen, I’ll use him to convey my point regarding how to use mainstream commentary to come
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The quest for specific types of energy sources can cause one country or company to be at an advantage over another country. Mexico is a country that over the past decade, and into the foreseeable future, is planning to expand its reliance on natural gas. For energy companies in the U.S. this need poses an opportunity. Where a need exists an investment opportunity is born. For over the past decade Mexico has substantially increased its
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Over the past week the largest publicly traded Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) company changed hands (95% of the company at least, market cap = $6.7mil). This big news has caused a renewed push for ProElite (PELE.PK) to reinstate its operations as a MMA promotion with the goal of becoming the #2 MMA promotion in the U.S. behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The details of this transaction are not the subjected of this blog. What I
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