Plugged in Finance

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-12-01T23:16:00.001-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 12/2

1. According to Ilian Mihov, a professor of Economics at the INSEAD business school, Italy will have to refinance what percentage of its total debt in 2012.

ANSWER: 20%

2. What major government official told a news conference on Thursday that the United Kingdom is preparing itself for a wide range of European financial crises?

ANSWER: Bank of England Governor Mervyn King

3. According to a new report, how many days delinquent is the average housing loan in foreclosure?

Answer: 631 days

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-11-29T23:12:00.000-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/30

1. How many United States cities are included in CNBC.com’s The World’s Best Places to Live 2011?

ANSWER: None

2. UK mortgage approvals rose more than expected in October although the overall picture for lending remained depressed. Mortgage approvals in October were:

ANSWER: the highest since Dec 2009

3. Since September, how many billion dollars worth of Hong Kong listings have been shelved because of volatile markets, according to the story Hong Kong IPO Rush Is a Sign of Bearishness: Strategist

Answer: more than $ 4 billion

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-11-28T23:39:00.000-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/29

1. Research conducted by financial services recruitment firm Astbury Marsden showed City workers were expecting what average bonus this year?

ANSWER: £19,920

2. Morgan Stanley has cut global growth forecasts for 2012 once again, nearly three and a half months after cutting them in august. What is the firm's new forecast?

ANSWER: 3.5%

3. Which of the following is NOT one of three things to watch in Europe this week, according to PIMCO’s Mohamed El-Erian?

Answer: Stock market performances

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-11-27T22:50:00.000-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/28

1. In the story " Investors Short HK Property Stocks On China Slowdown" analysts expect property prices in Hong Kong to fall by how much next year?

Answer: 10-15%

2. The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee member Ben Broadbent said there is a risk of recession in the UK in what period?

Answer: in the fourth quarter

3. According to the CEO of DBS Bank, Piyush Gupta, how large are the bank's savings deposits in Singapore dollar terms?

Answer: S$80 billion

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-11-22T23:17:00.000-05:00

CNBC Bonus Bucks Answers for 11/23

1. Independent think-tank Reform said the UK needs how many years of austerity to resolve its debt problems?

ANSWER: at least 10

2. Mr Yen, or Eisuke Sakakibara, expects the Japanese authorities to intervene in the forex market once again when the yen reaches what level against the dollar?

ANSWER: 75

3. In a recent interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, trader Kevin Ferry of Cronus Futures Management compared long-term interest rates to a:

Answer: “Hot, sexy girl”

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-11-20T23:07:00.001-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/20

1. Occupy London Stock Exchange demonstrators announced on Friday they had “repossessed” a building belonging to an investment bank. Which bank owns the building the activists gained access to?

ANSWER: UBS

2. Consumers in Hong Kong and mainland China will make up what percentage of global luxury sales by 2020, according to CLSA Asia Pacific Markets' research.

ANSWER: 44%

3. According to a DuPont report for 2011, what is the most popular color for new car buyers in North America?

Answer: White/pearl

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-11-17T22:39:00.000-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/18

1. On Wednesday, the Bank of England predicted that inflation would fall to what level in two year's time?

ANSWER: 1.3 percent

2. Despite the U.S. consumer confidence at recession levels, Smead Capital Management believes its time to buy shares of consumer discretionary stocks. Which ones does it suggest?

ANSWER: Walgreen, Starbucks, Nordstrom

3. According to Hiring For Attitude, one of CNBC.com’s best books for the holidays, what percentage of newly hired employees fail within 18 months?

Answer: 46 Percent

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-11-17T02:04:00.001-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/17

1. According to Darren Rovell’s calculations, how much of their own money did NBA players put on the line with their announced intention to disband their union?

ANSWER: $3.3 billion

2. According to chartist Daryl Guppy, the upside for Nymex oil over the next few weeks is capped at?

ANSWER: $110-115

3. According to CNBC.com's guest writer Shaun Rein, which luxury brand is getting too popular for its own good in China?

Answer: Louis Vuitton

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks

2011-11-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/16

1. UBS Wealth Management expects a fall of how many barrels in global crude oil consumption next year?

ANSWER: 500,000

2. Which 2011 member of Congress has an estimated minimum net worth of $44.21?

ANSWER: Rep. Vern Buchanan (R.-Fla.)

3. UK Chancellor George Osborne and other ministers are drawing up plans for a big increase in infrastructure spending in the country. How much money will be involved for the projects?

Answer: $80 billion

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-13T23:14:00.000-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/14

1. Interest rates from the Bank of England are at a historic low, and on Thursday, November 10th the BoE decided to keep them there. Where do rates stand?

ANSWER: 0.5 percent

2. Selling your house on the Internet isn’t easy and trying to sell it without photos of the front of the house or the interior makes it even more difficult. What three-time presidential candidate forgot to include these photos on their official home website?

ANSWER: Ron Paul

3. According to CNBC.com’s rankings based on the World Bank’s “Ease of Doing Business” study, what is the “worst” country for business?

Answer: Venezuela

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-11T01:27:00.001-05:00

CNBC Bonus Bucks Answers for 11/11.

1. While questioning former News Corp executive James Murdoch in UK parliament on Thursday, Labour MP Tom Watson compared James, the son of Rupert Murdoch, to what?

ANSWER: a "mafia boss"

2. According to the author of a book about the history of MTV, the cable channel’s relationship with the record labels passed through these four distinct phases:

ANSWER: Disdain, resentment, dependence, indignation

3. The stock market of which emerging economy is the worst performer of the year, but still holds long-term promise, according to CNBC's guest writer Michael Yoshikami of YCMNET Advisors.

Answer: India

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-10T06:01:00.001-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/10

1. Greg Dove of the National Flea Market Association, noted that the flea market industry has estimated annual sales of how much?

ANSWER: $30 Billion

2. What is the Dow's target for January according to chartist Daryl Guppy?

ANSWER: 12,600

3. With companies in the S&P 500 stock index reporting record profits, why aren’t stock prices also hitting record highs, according to Fast Money’s Karen Finerman

Answer: “The expectation is that earnings may decline if Europe can’t get out of its own way.”

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-08T22:19:00.000-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/9

1. Where is CNBC’s Republican Presidential Debate being held?

ANSWER: Oakland University, Rochester, MI

2. British parliamentarians this week took the unusual step of interviewing a revenue and customs lawyer under oath over an alleged "sweetheart" tax deal with what U.S. bank?

ANSWER: Goldman Sachs

3. China's clampdown on bank lending has been a boon for banks outside China, according to Standard & Poor's Equity Research. Which Asian bank stock did the firm recently upgrade?

Answer: DBS

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-08T05:03:00.001-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/8

1. There has been mounting talk that the troubles in Greece will cause the Euro zone to break up. According JP Morgan Asset Management will this happen?

B. No

2. What US retailer said on Monday that it is scrapping plans for a chain of European superstores, and announced that it is buying out its British partner in a mobile phone initiative?

A. Best Buy

3. What luxurious holiday gift comes with a price tag of $5,000?

A. Johnnie Walker Private Scotch Tasting

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-07T04:09:00.000-05:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/7

1. Mining company Anglo American agreed on Friday to buy a majority stake in what other miner?

ANSWER: De Beers

2. Out of the world's 50 largest economies, which is the worst place to do business in?

ANSWER: Venezuela

3. In a live interview on CNBC, how did Ken Langone describe the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators in downtown Manhattan?

Answer: "Babies in adults' bodies"

Veteran's Day Promotions for Active Duty and Military Veterans: 25 Free Things on Veteran's Day and Veteran's Day Weekend

2011-11-05T11:17:00.001-04:00

From free food to free entry to our Nation's parks, here's a summary of freebies for Active Duty Military and our Nation's Veteran's this Veteran's Day Weekend.

1. Applebee’s – free meal, Friday, Nov. 11. Last year, Applebee’s served 1,024,000 million free meals to military veterans and active servicemembers. Applebee’s is again offering a free meal to military veterans and active-duty service members on Veteran’s Day, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. There will be 7 entrées to choose from. Military ID or proof of service required. Find locations here.

2. Chili’s – free meal, Friday, Nov. 11. Chili’s is offering all military veterans past and present their choice of one of 6 meals. This offer is available during business hours on November 11, 2011 at participating Chili’s in the U.S. only. Dine-in from limited menu only; beverages and gratuity not included. Veterans and active duty military simply show proof of military service. Visit their website to find locations.

3. Golden Corral – Free meal, Monday Nov. 14. The 10th annual Golden Corral Military Appreciation dinner will be held on Monday, November 14, 2011 from 5 pm to 9 pm in all Golden Corral Restaurants nationwide. The free “thank you” dinner is available to any person who has ever served in the United States Military. If you are a veteran, retired, currently serving, in the National Guard or Reserves, you are invited to participate in Golden Corral’s Military Appreciation Monday dinner. For more information visit there site. Special thanks to Golden Corral: To date, Golden Corral restaurants have provided over 2.5 million free meals and contributed over $4.3 million to the Disabled American Veterans organization.

4. Hooters – Free Meal, Friday, Nov. 11. Hooter’s is serving up a free meal to military veterans all day on Veterans Day. Offer good for all veterans and active duty military personnel. Choose one of the new specialty items on the Hooter’s menu. Offer valid at participating Hooters only; open to all active duty and military veterans with valid military ID or proof of military service. Drink purchase required. For more information, visit their site.

5. Krispy Kreme – Free doughnut. Available only at participating Krispy Kreme stores. Offer available to all active-duty, retirees & veterans on Friday November 11th. Be sure to call ahead to verify your local Krispy Kreme is participating.

6. McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants – free lunch or dinner, Sunday Nov 13th. McCormick & Schmick’s is celebrating their 13th annual Veteran’s Appreciation Event on Sunday, November 13th. Veterans will be able to choose a complimentary lunch or dinner entrée. Veterans must provide proof of military service. Be sure to contact your local McCormick & Schmick’s as this is valid at participating restaurants only. Also, Space is limited and reservations are highly recommended. For more information visit here.

7. Outback Steakhouse – A week of Free Bloomin’ Onions and Cokes Monday Nov. 7 – Friday Nov. 11. Outback Steakhouse is honoring America’s military veterans by offering active duty military and veterans a free Bloomin’ Onion and a Coca-Cola product during the week leading up to Veteran’s Day. This offer is available to Military Personnel who have one of the following forms of identifications: U.S Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), DD form 214 Veterans Organization Card (i.e., American Legion and VFW), Photograph in Uniform, Wearing Uniform. For more information, visit here. The Outback understands commitment. For the past two years, The Outback, with the help of their patrons, has donated $2 Million to Operation Homefront, a non-profit organization providing everyday and emergency support for active troops, wounded warriors and their families.

8. Subway – Free Six Inch Sub. Select Subway locations offer a FREE six inch sub to military veterans on Veteran’s Day. However, Subway restaurants are franchises, so this offer may not be available everywhere. Please call ahead.

9. Texas Roadhouse – free meal, Friday, Nov. 11. Offer varies by location; our local Texas Roadhouse is offering a free meal from opening until 4pm. Other locations may vary in offer, hours, or availability. Call ahead to your local restaurant for more information.

10. T.G.I. Friday’s – Buy one get one free Nov 11-14. At participating locations for anyone with an old or current military ID. November 11-14.

11. Uno Chicago Grill, Friday, Nov. 11. Uno’s is offering a free entree or individual pizza with a purchase of an entree or pizza of equal or greater value. Offer good for all military for veterans and active duty military. ID or proof of service required: Show up in uniform (if your service permits), provide military ID, show a picture of yourself in uniform, or have other ID showing proof of service.

12. Home Depot and Lowes Coupon Updates. Home Depot and Lowes 10% Military Discount Available Everyday.

Home Depot: The Home Depot(R) is offering all active duty personnel, reservists, retired military, veterans and their families a 10 percent discount off their purchases in honor of Veteran’s Day. The offer is valid on purchases of up to $2,000 for a maximum of $200 and is available at The Home Depot stores, The Home Depot Design Center locations, Yardbirds and EXPO Design Center(R) locations. The 10% discount is available everyday for active duty and retirees, but not all veterans. Home Depot makes this offer available to all veterans on most military holidays. You can also find Home Depot discounts online.

Lowes: Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will offer all active, reserve, honorably discharged, retired military personnel and their immediate family members a 10 percent discount on in-store U.S. purchases made during the Veterans Day holiday. The discount is available Nov. 7 – Nov. 11. The discount is available on in-stock and special order purchases up to $5,000. To qualify, individuals must present a valid military ID or other proof of service. Excluded from the discount are sales via Lowes.com, previous sales, and purchases of services or gift cards. Like Home Depot, Lowes offers this discount daily to active duty military members, but not to veterans. However, they extend the offer to military veterans on military holidays.

13. Anheuser-Busch Parks. Anheuser-Busch Parks offers Active Duty Service Members free admission for them and up to 3 dependents to any of their parks once a year. Throughout 2011, members of the military and as many as three direct dependents may enter SeaWorld, Busch Gardens or Sesame Place parks with a single-day complimentary admission. The Here’s to the Heroes program is only available to Any active duty, activated or drilling reservist, or National Guardsman. Eligible parks include: Adventure Island, Busch Gardens (Tampa Bay or Williamsburg), SeaWorld (Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio), Sesame Place, and Water Country USA. Not valid at Discovery Cove and Aquatica. Christmas Town at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va. is not included as part of this program. For more information and to register, visit: Free admission summary, and ticket application.

14. Colonial Williamsburg Free Admission. Colonial Williamsburg offers free weekend-long admission tickets to active-duty military, reservists, retirees, veterans, and their immediate dependents from Friday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 13th. The complimentary ticket incudes admission to Colonial Williamsburg exhibition sites, art museums, and most daytime programs, as well as free parking and use of the shuttle bus system. Tickets are only available at on-site ticket sales locations. Tickets are also available to families of deployed servicemembers. Tickets available on the following dates: Nov. 11-13.

15. Historic Jamestowne – Free Admission. The National Park Service commemorates Veterans Day with Fee Free days at Historic Jamestowne November 11-13. Free admission for everyone. See events calendar.

16. Knotts Berry Farm Military Tribute Days – Free Admission. Knott’s Berry Farm has an annual Military Tribute event in which they offer military members past and present by offering free park admission. This year the Military Tribute Days run from November 1 – 24 November (Thanksgiving Day). Veterans or current serving military personnel plus one guest get in FREE with proper ID presented at Knott’s turnstile (DD214, Veterans Administration Hospital ID or Active Military Service ID). Purchase up to six additional tickets for just $17 each. More info.

17. Fee Free Day at National Parks. To honor America’s service men and women, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that areas managed by the National Park Service would not charge entrance fees for Veteran’s Day weekend – November 11-13, 2011. Over 100 national Parks will be participating in this event.

18. San Jacinto Monument and Museum (La Porte, TX). November 7-13: Free admission to the theatre, Observation Floor, and (on November 12-13) the special exhibit to all veterans and their families. More info here.

19. Bed and Breakfast for Vets In the third year of the program, B&Bs for Vets has organized over 485 (and counting) participating Bed and Breakfasts and Inns across the US and Canada which will be offering veterans a free night’s stay on November 10th, the night before Veterans Day. This offer is available to both active duty military members and veterans with ID, but space is limited. Each Inn and B&B has at least one room available for this promotion and reservations must be made directly through the participating Inns and B&Bs. For more information visit B&Bs for Vets.

20. Sam’s Club® locations nationwide will distribute 36,000 Hugo® canes free of charge on November 9th, 10th, 11th, 2011 to U.S. military veterans in need of mobility assistance. Limited quantities available, while supplies last. Sam’s Club® Membership is not required, but proof of military service may be required. For more information, visit HugoSalutes.com.

21. Here are some additional Veteran’s Day Discounts. In all cases, be sure to provide proper ID or proof of service. In addition, some of these stores are franchises, so verify participation before assuming the discount is in place.

Free Car wash. Thousands of car washes around the country are offering vets a free car wash on Veterans Day. Find a list at Grace for Veterans, which helped veterans receive 101,537 FREE Washes on Veterans Day in 2010.

Amazon.com – Discount “Veterans Day Honor” MP3 album download. This downloadable album includes 12 songs as performed by the military bands and ensembles of the U.S. Armed Forces. Visit Amazon on Veteran’s Day to download the album.

Netflix – One Month Free Trial.

Sport Clips – FREE haircut to active-duty military & veterans. Offer only available at select locations. Please call to verify local participation.

Tim Hortons – all US locations are offering a free donut to all veterans (check out the Star Spangled donut!).

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-04T00:12:00.000-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/4

1. Which of the following is NOT one of the “10 Biggest Mistakes Made by Small Business Owners?”

ANSWER: Relying too much on friends and family

2. According to Matthew Kidman, Author of Bulls, Bears & A Croupier, the Dow Jones Industrial Index will reach what level in 20 years?

ANSWER: 100,000

3. BT, the UK telecom giant that reported quarterly financial results on Thursday, has seen its shares rise more than 100 percent since it began a turnaround. When did it begin that turnaround?

Answer: April 2009

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-03T00:21:00.000-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/3

A UK court ruled on Wednesday that what prominent figure should be extradited out of the country for questioning overseas?

D. Julian Assange

According to Chartist Daryl Guppy, shares of Japanese camera maker Olympus are expected to fall by how much more?

C. 20%

What was Robert Zoellick’s top position during his time at Goldman Sachs?

B. International Vice-Chairman

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-02T10:59:00.000-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/2

1. In a live interview on CNBC, Fifth Third Bancorp CEO Kevin Kabat said the bank increased its third quarter earnings through:

Answer: “Loan growth, expansion of the margin”

2. How much did UK gross domestic product grow in the third quarter, according to a report from the Office for National Statistics released this week?

Answer: 0.5 percent

3. Inflation in China is still running high but latest manufacturing data shows slowing growth. What do analysts at HSBC and RBC say should be China’s monetary stance?

Answer: Targeted Easing

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-11-01T00:07:00.001-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 11/1

1. According to the Bank of England, how many mortgage approvals took place in the United Kingdom in September?

A. 50,967

2. What is the net worth of Asia-Pacific's richest family, the Ambanis, founders of India's Reliance Industries.

C. $37.6 billion

3. Why does Uwe Parpart think Japan's strength as an industrial society is fading on the international stage?

D. Over regulation

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-31T11:02:00.000-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/31

1. What European head of state last week told UK prime minister David Cameron that he was "sick of you criticizing us and telling us what to do"?

ANSWER: Nicolas Sarkozy

2. What wealthy Southeast Asian family has a majority stake in Wilmar International, the world’s largest publicly-listed palm oil company?

ANSWER: Kuok Family

3. How many Tweets per second were sent when Beyonce revealed her “baby bump” on August 28?

Answer: 8,868

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-24T00:37:00.002-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/24

1. Concerns have recently come to a head about the effectiveness of UK consumer product regulation, following a series of fires determined to have been caused by what kind of appliances?

ANSWER: Freezers

2. The Royal Bank of Scotland expects Asian stocks to fall by how much over the next three months?

ANSWER: 15-20%

3. How many Tweets per second were sent when Beyonce revealed her “baby bump” on August 28?

ANSWER: 8,868

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-20T23:37:00.000-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/21

1. The Marco Polo Pure China Fund is down by how much year-to-date?

ANSWER: 25%

2. What did the unofficial U.S. “misery index” do for September?

ANSWER: Rose to 13.0, highest since 1983

3. Miner Anglo American said on Thursday that its third-quarter copper production dropped by 9 percent. Where is Anglo American's flagship Los Bronces copper mine?

Answer: Chile

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-19T23:53:00.001-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/20

1. Which of Rupert Murdoch's four children once ran a television production company called Shine that was acquired by Murdoch's News Corp. in April?

ANSWER: Elisabeth

2. According to CNBC.com’s table of earnings surprises, how did Abbott Laboratories’ most recently reported earnings per share number compare to the consensus estimate?

ANSWER: EPS was one cent above the estimate

3. Which publicly listed company has the world's largest workforce?

Answer: Wal-Mart

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-19T00:59:00.000-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/19

1. China's economy is expected to grow at what rate in 2012, according to the China Market Research Group?

ANSWER: 8.5%

2. Which college dropout went on to create on of the largest social networking websites with an estimated worth of $100 billion?

ANSWER: Mark Zuckerberg

3. According to a CNBC.com analysis, compensation for financial sector CEOs is what percentage of the companies’ earnings before taxes?

Answer: 0.21%

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-17T23:51:00.002-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/18

1. How did real estate agent Bret Parsons characterize the decor of actor Nicolas Cage's foreclosed mansion in Bel Air, California?

ANSWER: "Frat house bordello"

2. What word did analyst Anthony DiClemente use on CNBC to describe Google's cash hoard?

ANSWER: "Astonishing"

3. The Ernst & Young ITEM Club, which bases its quarterly growth report on finance ministry models, cut its forecast for the UK gross domestic product increase. What is the ITEM Club's new prediction for UK growth for this year?

Answer: 0.9% growth

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-17T10:58:00.000-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/17

1. The seventh most emptiest US City is:

ANSWER: Dayton, OH

2. The domestic gross of the remake of Conan The Barbarian was:

ANSWER: 21.3 million

3. Property prices in Beijing fell by how much in August, according to Daiwa Capital Markets.

ANSWER: 2.3%

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-13T23:51:00.000-04:00

Bonus Bucks Answers 10/14

1. In the third quarter of this year there were 284 Initial Public Offerings. The Asia Pacific region accounted for what percentage of these IPOs according to Ernst & Young?

ANSWER: 57%

2. The UK trade deficit for August, which analysts expected to swell to 8.8 billion pounds, ended up contracting instead. What did it fall to?

ANSWER: 7.768 billion pounds

3. For what company is Anna Anisimova the “daughter heir-apparent?

Answer: Coalco International

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-12T23:31:00.001-04:00

Bonus Bucks Answers 10/13.

1. In CNBC.com’s Scenes from the ‘Occupy’ Protests slideshow, what is written immediately below the “We Occupy Boston” sign?

ANSWER: “End Corporate Greed”

2. The number of unemployed in Britain jumped on Wednesday. When did the jobless rate, now at 8.1 percent, last high such highs?

ANSWER: October 1996

3. Which country in Asia Pacific is expected to cut interest rates when its central bank meets next, according to AMP Capital Investors.

ANSWER: Australia

CNBC BONUS BUCKS TRIVIA ANSWERS

2011-10-12T00:48:00.002-04:00

Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers:

1. According to NFLShop.com, what was the third best-selling NFL jersey between April 1 and September 30, 2011?

ANSWER: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

2. How much did Huijin - a unit of China's sovereign wealth fund - spend on buying shares of the 'Big Four' Chinese banks, according to an analyst at Mizuho Securities Asia.

ANSWER: $31 Million

3. The Bank of England has said it will buy UK government bonds or gilts again. But which assets will the Bank of England not buy?

ANSWER: Corporate Bonds

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-10T22:32:00.000-04:00

Bonus Bucks Answers 10/11.

1. Which are the world's top three most polluted countries?

ANSWER: Mongolia, Boatswana, Pakistan

2. What is Aviva's exposure to Spanish government debt?

ANSWER: 300 million pounds

3. Siemens' Peter Solmssen tells CNBC his company has _______ job openings in America that his company is having trouble filling.

ANSWER: 3000

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-10T08:55:00.000-04:00

Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers for 10/10:

1. Which economist believes the United States is now in a "modern-day depression?"

C. David Rosenberg at Gluskin Sheff

2. Household spending accounts for what portion of the UK economy?

C. Two-thirds

3. Which tech executive or entrepreneur said Steve Jobs had spent time offering him advice and knowledge "even though he was not at all well?"

D. Larry Page

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-05T23:09:00.002-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/6

1. This week UK Finance Minister George Osborne tacitly admitted that a British program designed to get banks to lend to small businesses wasn't working satisfactorily, and that further measures would be necessary. What is the name of that program?

ANSWER. Project Merlin

2. What is the pollution level in the world’s 4th most polluted country?

ANSWER: 145 ug/m3

3. Which 3 resources stocks did James Chirnside, the CIO of Asia Pacific Asset Management recommend on CNBC on Tuesday?

ANSWER: BHP, Fortescue and Vale

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-05T12:18:00.001-04:00

Bonus bucks trivia answers for 10/5

1. According to UBS, if Greece were to default, the U.S. were to experience weak growth (but not a recession) and China were to avoid a hard landing, how much would stocks in Asia ex-Japan fall by?
A. 18%

2. How does Phillip Carter describe his "Texas Cash Cow Investments" business?
D. "Instead of doing cattle, we’re doing houses."

3. According to the World Federation of Exchanges, what percentage of the trading that takes place in London involves shares of companies that are based outside of the United Kingdom?
C. 14 percent

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-03T21:50:00.002-04:00

Bonus bucks answers for 10/4:

1. An economic advisor at Arbuthnot Banking Group predicted on Friday that the United Kingdom will see further monetary stimulus from the government by what time frame?

ANSWER: End of November 2011

2. Which of the following is not cited as a post-March drag on stocks in CNBC.com’s Investor Winterizing special report.

ANSWER: S&P’s downgrade of U.S. credit rating

3. Which investment bank said September's asian equity selloff was caused largely by long-term investors than by short-term investors or hot money outflows?

ANSWER: RBS

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-10-02T22:44:00.001-04:00

Bonus bucks trivia answers for 10/3

1. Australians are expected to splurge A$7.88 billion on pet care services and products in the 2011-2012 financial year. How much are they spending on food per year, according to market research firm IBIS?

B. A$ 2.8 billion

2. London Metal Exchange is being courted as a possible acquisition target, according to its CEO, Martin Abbott. Which major financial institution now owns a 9.5 percent stake in the exchange?

A. Goldman Sachs

3. According to CNBC.com’s Best Places to Work on Wall Street, who is the “king” of Wall Street?

A. Jamie Dimon

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-09-29T23:39:00.002-04:00

Bonus bucks trivia answers for 9/30

1. In the opinion of Morgan Stanley’s Adam Parker, how likely is a “global synchronous recession where deflation becomes more visible?”

B. 10 percent chance of occurring

2. What reason did Ashraf Laidi give for the euro to drop to 1.29 vs the dollar?

A. Interest rate differentials

3. Which UK political leader this week said that the country's economy needs to reward small businesses rather than "predators who are just interested in the fast buck"?

B. Ed Miliband

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-09-29T14:47:00.001-04:00

Bonus bucks trivia answers for Sep 29th.

1. A World War II-era British merchant vessel recently found wrecked off the coast of Ireland looks likely to contain the largest haul of shipwrecked precious metal in history. What is the metal?

C. Silver

2. Standard and Poor’s warned on CNBC on Tuesday (9/27/2011) that Chinese property firms could face a severe liquidity crunch if sales drop by what percentage?

D. 30%

3. What is the top office pet peeve for workers around the world?

B. People not taking ownership for their actions

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-09-27T21:55:00.002-04:00

Bonus bucks trivia answers for 9/28.

1. What reason did economist Enzio Von Pfeil give for China's central bank to begin easing monetary policy?

B. Social Unrest

2. What Scandinavian country announced a domestic, $4.75 billion stimulus package on Sept. 20?

B. Sweden

3. How many columns are visible along the front facade of former New York Mets star Lenny Dykstra's foreclosed home in Thousand Oaks, California?

C. 6

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-09-27T03:26:00.000-04:00

Bonus bucks trivia answers for 9/27

1. How much did Singapore spend to host the just concluded F1 grand prix?

D. None of the above

2. Switzerland recently set a limit for the Swiss franc's appreciation against the euro. What was that limit, of francs to euros?

A. 1.20

3. According to the CNBC Explains video on hedge funds, most of them are set up as:

B. Limited Partnership

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-09-26T18:41:00.001-04:00

1. Singapore hopes to become a major cruise center in Asia. How many cruise passengers passed through the city-state last year:

D. 1 Million

2. What nation’s finance minister warned on Sept. 16 that a collapse of the euro could lead to war?

D. Poland

3. On September 20’s “Mad Money,” why does Jim Cramer think it’s a good time to buy technology stocks?

C. “Positive seasonality”

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-09-23T09:58:00.002-04:00

9/23

1. According to Daryl Guppy's post on Tuesday gold prices are likely to retest what level?

C. 1,920

2. The F8 Facebook Developers Conference 2011, took place in:

B. San Francisco, CA

3. The top institutional holder of Apple Inc stock is:

D. Fidelity

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-09-21T22:40:00.003-04:00

9/22

1. What is the 8th most popular city for business?

B. Madrid

2. What is the 31st most safest bank in the world in 2011?

C. Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Turin, Italy

3. In CNBC.com’s “Top 10 Green Cars 2011,” how is the Lexus CT 200h described?

B. “Sporty, little premium hatchback”

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge - Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers

2011-09-21T08:36:00.003-04:00

Bonus Bucks Trivia Answers for 9/21:

1. Which of the following is NOT true of the 'Death Shirt' that's included in October's John Wayne Auction?

C. It has a red stain from fake blood.

2. What is the third most dangerous job of 2011?

D. Pilots and flight engineers.

3. The world's largest, second-largest and third-largest auto markets respectively for 2011 are:

A. China, US, Japan

When This Market Technician Talks, I Always Listen

2011-08-17T14:07:00.000-04:00

Louise Yamada... I could be thumbing through a magazine or setting my fantasy baseball roster, when Louise Yamada comes on TV, I stop what I'm doing and listen. She's a wealth of knowledge.

I like this particular video of hers.

The bottom line is that the breakdown in the relationship between the dollar, oil and gold is disconcerting for investors because it demonstrates market confusion.

Notice how the recent equities correction didn't affect gold prices like it usually would?

I haven't bought gold, but i'm considering buying the Power Shares DB precious metals ETF (DBP) if it has some consolidation in the near term.

Thumbs Down Rating on Lending Club's Move to Ban Unique Lender Questions

2011-05-01T22:58:00.000-04:00

Until recently, I have grown to be a fan of Lending Club... So much so that I was also contemplating setting up a self directed IRA with the company. However, Lending Club's recent move to ban unique borrower questions has me a little uneasy parting with my money.

Take for instance people that ask for a loan to move but make no comments about their job prospect in their new location. You would think it would be pertinent to ask about their employment. Instead, Lending Club does not currently allow the lender to ask a question on this point. Instead, you have to rely on the credit history based on "past" employment.

I seriously wonder if other lenders have grown reluctant like me to lend money to borrowers on the site unless the borrower clearly communicates their situation.

US Inflation Rate 9.6% Using Alternate Calculation Method

2011-04-12T20:45:00.002-04:00

Thought this would be interesting to you. Using methods employed when Fed Chairman Paul Volker was appointed in 1979, US's annual inflation rate would be 9.6% for this past February. Article.

Valentine's Day Ideas From "The Digerati Life" and "My Good Cents."

2011-02-13T15:26:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of recommended Valentine's Day related articles from those in my blogroll.

The Digerati Life. "Best Cheap Dates Ideas for Valentine's Day Romantics."

My Good Cents. "Valentines Day: Free Redbox Rental."

Have a great Valentine's Day!

Up 65% in Last 10 Months in my Soft Commodities Investment. Will Likely Rotate into McDonalds as Grain Prices Peak.

2011-02-06T18:32:00.000-05:00

I bought into the iPath Grains (JJG) ETF on April 5th of last year at $34.18 / share. On Friday, shares traded at $56.20. This is a gain of 64.4% over the 10 months. Of course these gains are only on paper.

I spent part of the afternoon contemplating what I would do with my money as I scaled out of this ETF. I spent some time comparing charts of JJG against a few stocks and happened upon an interesting comparison against McDonalds (MCD). See chart JJG vs. MCD. Looking from 12/8/10 til present and you'll see that the two stocks are moving inversely to each other.

So, unless we have a good stock market correction, my current plan is to ride out JJG for a few more bucks and to start scaling out of JJG between $61 and $71.

I suspect JJG should hit this gate of $61 - $71 within the next couple of months prior to crops being planted. As I scale out, I am planning on moving my funds into McDonalds. I don't think that McDonalds is going to run up like a rocket ship; however, I feel that McDonalds should trounce the S&P 500 after grains and other commodities (e.g. COW) peak and start trending lower. Plus, McDonalds 3.3% yield should provide a level of safety in our current lofty market levels.

My Net Annual Return on Lending Club Account Up from 7.7% in 2009 to 9.5% in 2010

2011-01-09T11:57:00.000-05:00

I have been originating (peer-2-peer) loans at Lending Club since Dec 2008. Since starting, I have issued 153 loans, of which:

15 loans fully paid off
0 loans late, default or charged off

In 2009, I made a net 7.7% return on my investment (after fees and note sales). During 2009, I only had one losing month where I had a monthly annualized return of -5.24%.

In 2010, I made a net 9.5%. My worst month had a monthly annualized return of 0.89%.

Lending Club says my account has a net annualized return of 12.72% and total interest earned of $325.54. Each of these are way off my actual return. My net earnings are actually some $80.25 less than what Lending Club advertises. The problem with Lending Club is that it doesn't fully factor in all fees and losses incurred in the sale of notes.

Overall, with exception to Lending Club not having "net earnings" and "net annual yield" displayed on it's account dashboard, I am very satisfied with Lending Club.

I attribute my greater success in 2010 to increasing my risk tolerance in notes that i'm willing to fund. In 2009, I was already selling almost all notes before they hit 16 days late. So, I was willing to do a few more note sales in order to balance out any extra incurred risk.

My note filter is:

Funding progress: 10% or more
Max loan amount: $25k
Interest rate: Excludes A and B rated notes
Months since last delinquency: 24 months or more
Max debt-to-income: 20%
Min length of employment: 2
Inquiries in the last 6 months: 3 max

In addition to this, I am reluctant to fund notes where the monthly income is less than 1/3 of total revolving credit balance. I exceed this sometimes when I believe that the individual is truly going to use the money for debt consolidation.

Frustrated With Cable TV Customer Service: How I Turned Their Refusal to Credit my Account Into a Yes

2010-11-30T20:11:00.001-05:00

Ok, i'm a busy man. So, when I experienced a 30% loss of cable TV channels it would go to reason that I wouldn't call the cable company immediately. Three days later I spent nearly 1/2 hour on the phone resolving my account issues.

I reset my cable box and regained the lost channels while I continued to wait to speak to a customer service representative. I explained to the rep that I had an interruption in service for three days and that I just fixed the problem. However, I still requested at least a one day credit to my account. The call center rep stated that he could not credit my account since I waited so long to report the problem.

I then stated how I had been busy and that I was asking for at least a one day credit not three days. I told him how long I waited before I got to speak to a person and cited the wait as the reason I didn't jump at the opportunity to call in when I had better things to do. The rep stuck to his guns. Meanwhile, I stated that I was interested in writing a letter to the company CEO and asked whether a case # was assigned. If not, I asked how I could reference my phone call. He said there was no case #. I then asked for his ID#.

I was very frustrated when I got off the phone. In my line of work, I have ghost written correspondence for very senior people. I was about to start writing a letter that probably would have taken me 30 minutes or more to perfect.

I then took another path and spent 15 more minutes with the same company's customer service to get a second opinion.

When I got a new rep on the phone, I asked the customer service rep to read the notes attached to my account. I then explained what my issue was and that I would like a credit for at least one day. If that couldn't be done, I asked for the rep to provide me the appropriate information for submitting a complaint.

The representative then gave me a three day credit. Honestly, I think the rep would have given me a three day credit before I ever asked for her assistance in submitting a complaint.

The company I speak of above is Cox Communications.... So, when you're at your wits end with a customer service rep and things aren't going your way:

1.) Ask for a case # or customer service rep ID #
2.) Wrap up your conversation in a manner where you're reasonably confident the rep will write notes on the account... Don't hang up mid call.
3.) Call back and get a 2nd opinion with another representative.
4.) If that doesn't work, then ask the representative on how to submit a complaint.
5.) If that rep is ignorant and can't provide verifiable information, do the research and write a letter to the CEO of the company. Keep the letter to one page and stick to the facts... I suspect you will more often than not get a positive outcome. You see, the CEO's front office knows that if you take the time to write a well thought out letter, there's a reasonable chance that you have a legitimate complaint and you may end up as a lost customer if not handled properly.

Bought New Lexus at $527 Below Invoice

2010-05-10T01:24:00.001-04:00

Yipee! We got a 2010 Lexus ES350. It's a replacement for my 1998 Acura.

I've been driving my Acura 2.3CL for 144k miles now. The Acura only broke down once at about the 110k mile mark (overheated due to bad thermostat). Our other car was bought in 2007 used and now has 90k miles on it. We're almost to the point where its impractical to take our high mileage cars on cross country road trips. We have been waiting since 2008 to buy and decided to buy now and take advantage of my ability to buy in Washington State tax free. Basically, military personnel residing in Washington State can buy a car tax free if they are within 3 months of transfer out of state and are not a Washington resident. Well, it certainly is nice to avoid paying their 9.6% sales tax.

So, how did I get this deal? Well, first off, I didn't bring my spouse (smart & dumb move). Before dropping her off at the airport, I asked her what she would like. She knows that I was primarily looking at cars at the $25k price point as a replacement for my car (Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Ford). However, she said "I would like a BMW, Mercedes or Lexus." I said, how about Infiniti or Acura. She said no. She said she wanted a sedan, but would also be willing to take a Lexus RX SUV. I asked her what color. She said Silver, any color interior. As an alternate she would take a white car with tan interior. In prior conversations we also agreed on paying up to $35k for a new car.

I promptly went to my favorite dealer (Acura). Test drove a used 2006 Acura RL. It had 59k miles and wasn't certified pre-owned (CPO). Nice car for about $24k, but I would want CPO. I told the dealer that i'm all over the map on what I wanted and that I needed my wife with me before making the purchase.

I then test drove the Mercedes C300 Sport 4Matic. The Mercedes was nice and sporty. Much better than the one I test drove around 2002. The 2010 Mercedes C-Class is also an IIHS top safety pick. I told the sales rep that I needed my wife with me before making the final decision and left.

I then went to BMW. Their cars were all a bit more expensive and not as safe as Acura, Lexus or Mercedes (crash test wise). Heck, half of the BMWs I looked at didn't even report their crash test ratings on their window stickers like others. I left and went to Lexus.

Upon arrival, I spoke with the dealer about the Lexus RX and RX hybrid. They didn't have any entry level RX or RX hybrids. Then we discussed the ES series. They had some nearly entry level models. I asked for one in Silver and they had me test drive one with an MSRP of $38,220. I liked the test drive but said I wanted to wait until my wife returned from travel and had the option of being involved. However, I did double speak and say that I would be willing to talk numbers.

I sat down with the sales rep and he asked for some credit information. I said that I didn't want to do a credit pull and that if that was necessary I would wait until my wife was back in town.

The sales manager walked over and made conversation. He offered me the car at one price. I was silent for about 10 seconds (thinking). Before speaking, he shaved off $500. I was momentarily quiet and insisted that I wanted my wife present. At the very end he asked at what price he could get a sale. I asked to use the Internet and pulled up Truecar.com. I forgot to plug in the dealer installed LoJack, but plugged in all other options. Truecar then provided the dealer "true cost," invoice and what would be a "great price" based on historical sales (without LoJack). I said if you can met this Truecar "best price" i'll buy. He came back and offered me my price plus $100. He then stated off the cuff how much I would expect to spend in fees. He advertised $140 in additional dealer fees (he was off by $48). When added altogether, the price was at about $35,300. I stated that at the start of the day I was really only in the mindset of spending up to $30k (Acuras on my mind). He gave me a moment and I walked out to the car. I thought, if I could get the car for $34k then it would be worth buying now. I walked back in and said I would be willing to buy for $34k.

The sales manager offered with another Lexus that was identical but without LoJack. This car's MSRP was $37,435. He offered it to me for $33,885 plus what ended up as $188 in sales fees. I asked to test drive the different car. The counter offered car actually had cleaner paint and fewer miles (5 total miles). I test drove and then went to the back room with the Ninja Super Sales Lady. She tried to sell me everything under the sun in dealer mark up items (warranty, paint protective film, leather treatment, light treatments, glass treatments, LoJack, etc.). I didn't buy any. In the end I paid:

$33,885 (agreed price)

+ $29 title, license fees.

+ $9 lien fee

+ $150 document prep fee

Total: $34,073 financed at 1.9% for 60 months... Before leaving I also got a full tank (~$36 value).

Factoring free gas, my adjusted price was $34,037.

Truecar.com reports this car at a Truecost of $33,897 and a dealer invoice of $34,600.

My final adjusted price was $140 over "truecost" and $563 below invoice.

Can you get the same price? I hope so, but you should understand that I also had a slight advantage.

(1.) The dealer threw in an unadvertised $1000 in Toyota Loyalty credit.

(2.) The dealer threw in an unadvertised $750 military appreciation credit.

(3.) The dealer reduced his price several times due to my excuse of needing the wife there.

So, what did the wife think? Well, she wasn't completely satisfied. She is a bit concerned about now having two Silver Lexus ES cars (2010 and 2004 ES). Ha, Ha, Ha.

In the end, we got what I thought was a good price. Even though I got my wife what she asked for, she still has a little leverage on me whenever we decide to replace our 2004 Lexus 50-60k miles from now. She states "If I was there, we would have never got a Silver Lexus... We now have two Silver Lexus ES cars!!!" Even though she asked for a Silver BMW, Lexus or Mercedes this morning, i'm going to keep my mouth shut and simply say yes dear and no dear. Also the house will be nearly spotless when she returns from travel.

While the dealer made $140 over "truecost," he/she is still getting paid the factory military and loyalty concessions. That said, the only car that I'm seeing now going below "truecost" are left over 2010 Hyundai Sonatas.

Anybody else had luck getting a car under "truecost?"

Net worth down $14.8k on investment property accounting adjustment

2010-05-01T12:25:00.001-04:00

I adjusted our household net worth down $14.8k this month. The decision to do so was based on the realization that it is impractical to carry my investment properties without a built in adjustment for the capital gains tax we'll have to pay on each of them whenever we sell them. Yes, we could do a 1031 exchange and forgo the taxes; however, that assumes that at the time of sale real estate is the best investment decision and a great buy is sitting there ready for purchase.

Now Cash Only - Closed Three Credit Cards in Last 50 Days Due to Fraudulent Activity (Two Citibank Cards and One Discover Card)

2010-04-11T14:04:00.000-04:00

Regrettably, I have become a PRO at handling fraudulent activity on my Citibank and Discover cards. I have two rebate cards between these companies giving 2% and 5% cash back, respectively. Nowadays, our household has transitioned to cash only at three stores.

Starting in February, I had to close and reissue a credit card due to fraudulent activity for the first time in my life. It was my Citibank card which had some unusual activity out of Paris, France. I was out about $400. I called Citibank and learned that I had to fill out an affidavit confirming that the cards were in my possession and that the activity was not mine. I also included a transaction history printout with all fraudulent activity clearly marked. The fraudulent activity was credited back to my account four days later.

I learned that the affidavit form is mailed to you in a non-descript envelope. Make sure you sift through all of your junk mail during a fraudulent claim period so that you don't experience any unnecessary delays. Also, you can get the affidavit form even faster if you contact Citibank's Security department directly. The Citibank Security department can email you the affidavit form. Once complete, the affidavit form can be either faxed or mailed back. I faxed my affidavit back and enjoyed a quicker processing time.

If you move around as much as me, you may not give serious consideration to keeping your contact information current on all your accounts. I could have caught the fraudulent activity about 24-48 hrs sooner had the Credit Card company been able to contact me directly with their concerns.

I started using my Discover Card while waiting for a new Citibank Card to be issued. I didn't change of my credit card usage. Then, my Discover Card was hit with fraudulent activity about 35 days later. This fraudulent activity was in the amount of $180 at a Wal-Mart in Nashville, TN. This time, I caught the fraudulent activity within the first 24 hrs. Discover Card didn't require an affidavit and credited the fraudulent charge with just a phone call.

While it was disconcerting, I wasn't about to go to cash only just yet... Unfortunately, 15 days later I was hit for about $160 in fraudulent activity out of Spain on my new Citibank Card. With all of this fraudulent activity, I was able to discern a common thread across all three accounts. Each account had been used at facilities co-located withing a shopping center. I initially thought that one location was skimming and cloning my credit card information. It turns out that it wasn't a single store. It was in fact the credit card clearing house. So, next time you get hit for fraudulent activity on a credit card, understand that the problem can be bigger than credit card skimming at just one store.

A Recommended Strategy to Those Who Are New to Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs)

2010-04-03T18:19:00.002-04:00

I entered 2010 with 21 DRIPs. I bought many of my DRIPs in late 2007 and early 2008 because I was getting a discount on the broker fees due to a one time annual subscription to Direct Investing's "Money Paper." I originally felt that it was smart to get a large number of DRIPs because it would give me something to do (following the many stocks) and establishing more DRIPs would allow me to max out the broker fee discount I was getting.

I ended up buying stocks that included Manitowoc and Alcoa. Since buying these stocks, I have had little interest in carrying some of them and have recently sold Manitowoc (article that convinced me to sell) and downsized to 20 DRIPs.

Nowadays, I believe that DRIP portfolios are best suited to a small number of holdings that can be easily followed and are somewhat predictable. So, what is predictable? Very little. But, one may consider stocks with long standing track records as somewhat predictable. A good group of stocks matching this are the "Dividend Aristocrats." Dividend Aristocrats are those stocks that have established track records of increasing dividends every year for at least 25 years.

My current mood on DRIPs is to restrict any subsequent purchases to those companies that meet the following starting criteria.

* One of Fortune's Most Admired Companies,

* A Dividend Aristocrat,

* No or low fee for dividend reinvestment / ongoing monthly purchases.

Then, and only then will I start my subsequent analysis. You might say, this is pretty arbitrary. You leave out a lot of great possible investments. My answer is why buy and hold a stock for 10+ years unless it is well admired? Why buy a DRIP if it's not cheap for ongoing periodic investments? Why hold something indefinitely for the sake of future dividend income if the company doesn't hold long-term dividend growth as a principle goal?

Companies that meet these criteria:

3M Co (MMM)

Exxon Mobil (XOM)

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)

Lowe's (LOW)

PepsiCo (PEP)

Wal-Mart (WMT)

* The six stock hyperlinks above send you to the "Transfer Agent" that manages each company's DRIP. Common transfer agents are Computershare, BNYMellon, Wells Fargo.

I own DRIPs in MMM, XOM, JNJ, LOW and WMT plus too many others that I wasted my time buying. I'd be happier had I restricted my DRIP portfolio to something smaller and more closely resembling this list of six.

Prior Plugged in Finance articles on DRIPs.

For Those That Are Interested in Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs).

2010-03-28T14:52:00.005-04:00

I have been investing via Dividend Reinvestment Plans since 1999 when I started with Exxon. I have grown to favor DRIPs over most other investments. I like DRIPs because after paying an initial fee, you can make reoccurring investments for free or at much lower costs than most discount brokers. Minimum reoccurring investments typically range between $25 and $100 per month. Additionally, you frequently have the option of having dividends reinvested for free. Some companies charge a fee for dividend reinvestment; however, you can just as easily avoid the fee by having these dividends direct deposited to your bank account.

The first thing to understand about DRIPs is that your shares will be held by a "transfer agent." My two favorite transfer agents are Computershare and BNYMellon. If you're interested in starting a DRIP, I recommend you go directly to their sites and see if any of the stocks on your watch list can be purchased directly through them for initial setup.

A few examples of stocks that can be purchased directly through these transfer agents are:

Purchased directly through Computershare:

* Exxon Mobil (XOM)

* Lowe's Company (LOW)

* Pfizer (PFE)

* Wal-Mart (WMT)

Purchased directly through BNY Mellon:

* Conoco Phillips (COP)

* Health Care REIT (HCN)

* Limited Brands (LTD)

* Pepsico (PEP)

* The Bank of New York Mellon (BK)

* The McGraw-Hill Companies (MHP)

Another popular transfer agent is Wells Fargo.

Many transfer agents require you to have an initial share before enrolling. When this is the case, I prefer to use Directinvesting's site to establish my first share. Direct Investing will coordinate the initial stock purchase and administrative setup with the stock's transfer agent.

Starting DRIPs can be a little time consuming because it will take you some time to find those DRIPs that are low fee or no fee. Additionally, it will take you some time to find the cheapest means of starting a DRIP. Basically, expect to spend $10-$30 to start a DRIP.

My favorite DRIPs that I hold are (Stock - Transfer Agent):

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - Computershare

Wal-Mart (WMT) - Computershare

Exxon Mobil (XOM) - Computershare

Lowes (LOW) - Computershare

3M (MMM) - Wells Fargo

RPM (RPM) - Wells Fargo

Aflac (AFL) - Aflac

Southern Company (SO) - Southern Company

Dow Chemical (Dow) - BNY Mellon

McGraw Hill (MHP) - BNY Mellon

Each of the above DRIPs have no or low cost methods of reoccurring investment.

I went a little overboard and bought a lot of DRIPs. The following are DRIPs that also offer no or low cost reoccurring investment. I continue to hold these and will only buy more if their earnings improve (Stock - Transfer Agent).

Alcoa (AA) - Computershare

Illinois Tool Works (ITW) - Computershare

Manitowoc (MTW) - Computershare

Baker Hughes (BHI) - BNY Mellon

Harris Corp (HRS) - BNY Mellon

Limited (LTD) - BNY Mellon

Manpower (MAN) - BNY Mellon

Sherwin Williams (SHW) - BNY Mellon

Cummins (CMI) - Wells Fargo

Pentair (PNR) - Wells Fargo

Graco (GGG) - Wells Fargo

Overall, I hold about $15,962 in DRIPs that have a net dividend yield of 2.7%. This gives me a current annual dividend of $431.56. I intend to continue to grow this portfolio until it reaches a level that will offer significant dividend income in retirement (at least $4000/yr). Right now, I'm investing about $300 per month and will ratchet this reoccurring investment up periodically as our household income increases and as we pay off our investment properties.

Get a Free Pastry at Starbucks

2010-03-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

Read this for Coupon.

Buy a Starbucks drink this Tuesday, March 23rd before 1030 AM and get a free pastry.

Starbucks Promo Coupon. Look at bottom left of page for coupon.

Debt From These Companies Recently Traded at Lower Yields Than Comparable US Treasuries... Ominous Sign for US Debt Rating

2010-03-21T21:03:00.000-04:00

Came across a Bloomberg article today that reports that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Proctor & Gamble (PG), Abbott Labs (ABT), Royal Bank of Canada (RY) and Lowe's (LOW) all had their debt recently trading at lower yields than comparable US Treasuries.

Moody's predicts that the U.S. will spend more money this year as a percentage of revenues to service its AAA rated debt... More so than all other top rated countries except for the UK.

What's Your Number? Mine is Apparently $2.3 Million. Determine Your Number in Two Minutes.

2010-03-20T00:05:00.000-04:00

I saw an interesting commercial by ING tonight while watching a program on Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.

The ING commercial has a guy carrying his number (amount he needs for retirement) while talking to a neighborhood guy whose number was a GAZILLION. The point was that not everybody knows what they are going to need in retirement to meet their life style expectations. The commercial goes on to announce a simple ING website that you can use to determine your number.

The site is INGYOURNUMBER. I went to the site and in less than two minutes it gave my "number" as $2,311,839. This number was based on my desire to have $58,000 a year in household income that will last from the age of 51 until 90. This $58k was in addition to the pension I expect to receive from the Navy, assuming I only get only one more promotion.

Previously, I had the expectation for my number to be somewhere between $1.7 and $2 million. So, $2.3 million is not much of a surprise. My number will drop to something closer to $1.7 million if I get two more promotions and retire as an O-6 (Navy Captain = Colonel other services).

Link to INGYOURNUMBER.

Best Article I Have Found on Unintended Acceleration

2010-03-15T21:37:00.002-04:00

Came across a great Bloomberg article on unintended acceleration.

Bottom line:

(1.) Fifty-nine of 110 fatalities attributed to sudden acceleration in NHTSA records occurred in vehicles sold my manufacturers other than Toyota.

(2.) Toyota (51) followed by Ford (20) and Chrysler (12) have the most fatalities attributed to unintended acceleration.

(3.) All Toyota models worldwide will be equipped with advanced brake-override systems starting in 2011.

(4.) NHTSA records show 17 Camry, 7 Avalon, 5 Lexus ES330, 5 Highlander and 3 Sienna fatalities blamed on unintended acceleration.

Bloomberg article.

A separate NHTSA article states the following steps should be taken if you encounter unintended acceleration (be careful with the option discussing turning the engine off... This can result in a loss of power steering. I would be concerned about having steering wheel lock up during a drastic turn):

* Brake firmly and steadily - do not pump the brake pedal
* Shift the transmission into Neutral (for vehicles with automatic transmissions and the sport option, familiarize yourself with where neutral is - the diagram may be misleading)
* Steer to a safe location
* Shut the engine off (for vehicles with keyless ignition, familarize yourself with how to turn the vehicle off when it is moving - this may be a different action than turning the vehicle off when it is stationary).
* Call your dealer or repair shop to pick up the vehicle. Do not drive it.

One Year In Review With Lending Club (Peer-to-Peer Lending)

2010-03-13T21:22:00.004-05:00

I started using Lending Club in November 2008 and collected my first interest payments the following month.

So far, I have invested $1617.67 into Lending Club and have another $675 ready for deposit whenever I find loans I like.

Lending Club has consistently stated that my "Net Annualized Return" has been in the 10 to 12 percent range with my current "Net Annualized Return" listed at 12.15%.

These numbers have been overly optimistic since Lending Club's formula fails to include transaction fees and losses in traded loans.

Accounting for these factors my monthly annualized returns have been:

Dec 2008: 8.99%

Jan 2009: 9.35%

Feb 2009: 8.76%

Mar 2009: 8.39%

Apr 2009: 8.33%

May 2009: 7.78%

Jun 2009: -5.24%

Jul 2009: 11.26%

Aug 2009: 9.66%

Sep 2009: 10.04%

Oct 2009: 9.81%

Nov 2009: 9.36%

Dec 2009: 5.89%

Jan 2010: 11.88%

Feb 2010: 9.90%

My compounded monthly returns netted me 7.7% in 2009.

My 2009 returns were most affected by my first delinquent loan. I held onto this loan and sold it when it was between 2 and 4 weeks late. I eventually unloaded it but at a 32% discount to face value.

My monthly "annualized returns" are a bit lumpy due to fluctuations in my loan portfolio and the periodic loan trades I make. I don't like carrying any delinquent loans on my books and have only kept performing loans.

My principal lending criteria is not to loan to anybody with a total debt greater than 3x their monthly income. I make $25 loans. This small lending amount takes more time but it ensures more people can qualify to purchase the loan if I ever have to sell it in a hurry.

Additionally, I look at loans for the quality of an applicant's occupation vs. my own opinion on the corresponding industry. I am positive on the outlook for Federal civil service and healthcare jobs and have focused a significant amount of my loans on applicants in these two areas.

I'm seriously considering establishing a self directed ROTH with Lending Club, but I am waiting until I grow my non-IRA account to the no fee minimum (currently $10k).

Rare Political Post: A Senator Is Made Out To Be An Oddball For Insisting That A Bill Is Paid For Before He Votes On It.

2010-03-01T20:56:00.005-05:00

Kentucky Republican Senator Jim Bunning:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Superbowl Sunday Pizza Deals / Coupons

2010-02-07T12:54:00.000-05:00

One of the first ideas for scoring a deal on pizza is a quick search through your junk mail for VALPAK or other direct marketing. Read on if you don't have anything good in your junk mail.

Papa John's will charge $10 for all large pizzas and $11.99 for an extra-large pizza with four toppings. Pizza Hut is selling any pizza for $10.

Here's some links which may also be of use as you look to score a deal:

VALPAK. You'll have to type your zip code, choose pizza/restaurant.

Dominos Pizza. Enter zip code to get local deals. Retailmenot coupons.

Papajohn's. Click on menu & specials, then enter your location. Also, retailmenot's Papajohn's coupons.

Pizzahut. Also, retailmenot's coupons.

List of 99 restaurants offering free pizza delivery today (sorted by state).

Brutal Month for Net Worth... Down 6% ($27.3k)... Plus Other Updates

2010-02-01T01:24:00.002-05:00

January was a brutal month for our household net worth. My spreadsheets go back as far as August 2008. Since then, this is the first month we booked a loss.

During January, two of our investment properties dropped significantly in value per Zillow.com. Additionally, we booked expenses for:

(1.) Body work for one of our cars
(2.) Bought our first flat screen TV
(3.) Made annual insurance payment on investment property
(4.) Rent

Our investments in the stock market also dropped in value, but by a small amount relative to the total $27.3k decrease. Unless the stock market tanks, our Net Worth should increase to where it was last month in 3-4 months.

On a positive note, we paid off the mortgage on one of our three investment properties this past December. We bought the house in 2005 for $86.8k.

Our next major purchase will be a new/used car to replace our '98 Acura with 141k miles. This summer we will be able to buy our next car TAX FREE. I'm looking forward to this upcoming purchase since our household operates two high mileage cars (wife's car has 86k miles) and want a low mileage car for road trips.

TMZ says Tiger's Wife Caused Accident

2009-11-29T01:33:00.001-05:00

I know this is not personal finance related. But, pulled this article from one of my favorite fantasy sports websites (Rotoworld).

TMZ.com is reporting that Tiger Woods' wife, Elin Nordegren, caused his SUV accident when she distracted him by hitting the vehicle with a golf club as he was driving away after an argument regarding another woman.

TMZ says that Elin confronted him after seeing a report about him seeing another woman and then went after him and the SUV when he bolted from the house around 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning. Oh, the drama. TMZ has become a fairly reliable source about these kind of reports, but we'll have to see what the police say after interviewing him over the weekend." (TMZ)

IIHS Announcement of "Top Safety Picks" is Out to Lunch

2009-11-19T20:34:00.005-05:00

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced this week its "top safety picks" amongst 2010 autos. IIHS performs an invaluable task in identifying cars that are safe for consumers. You can read their list of selectees here. Motortrend also has a good pictorial .

What I cannot accept though is IIHS' use of the word "top" in its selection. "Top" in no way describes the selectees. 52 cars were tested and 27 were selected as "Top Safety Picks." This huge number of selectees yields a fifty-two percent selection rate. Hey IIHS: Let me recommend you call your selectess "Top Half Safety Picks." If that doesn't sound good it's because it's not.

You hardly ever hear college-bound students brag about scoring a 21 on their ACT because this is the average.

I suspect you rarely hear somebody brag about having an IQ of 100 because this is the average IQ score.

General Electric has always prescribed to a philosophy that if it can't be either number one or two in an industry, it has no business of being in it.

IIHS: Do us all a favor and award the "top safety picks" to those that are truly top in safety. We the consumer should not be considered dumb. Unemployment rates are at all time highs and many 401ks have been reduced to 201ks. Consumers value the money in their car budget. Do us the favor of restricting your "top safety picks" to the top two of each car segment. Those that don't finish in the top two of their category but meet minimum criteria can be given a "Pass." Those that fail to meet minimum criteria can be referred to as a "Fail." It's that simple. If you want to have a larger listing, you can also rank the tested cars from best to worst regardless of generic "pass" or "fail" score.

Keep up the great work IIHS, but remember you can do a better job.

Veterans Dine For Free at Applebee's This Veterans Day (Wed, 11 NOV)

2009-10-23T00:52:00.000-04:00

In recognition of your service to our country, all veterans and military service members are invited to eat free at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar Restaurants this Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009.

As you may recall, Applebee's launched a pilot program last year on Veterans Day offering free entrees to military service members and Veterans. Because the response was so overwhelmingly positive, Applebee's is extending the invitation throughout the country this Year.

All U.S. Veterans and military service members with proof of current or former military service will eat free at all Applebee's nationwide on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009.
Proof of service includes:

* U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card,
* U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card,
* Current Leave and Earnings Statement,
* Veterans Organization Card,
* Photograph in uniform
* Or wearing uniform.

For additional details, visit: www.applebees.com/vetsday or contact your local Applebees.

IRS Announces 2010 Pension and 401K Plan Limits Remain Unchanged

2009-10-15T19:43:00.000-04:00

Donna Cheswick reports that pension and 401k contribution limits will remain unchanged in 2010.

I'm surprised. I thought that deflation would cause these limits to adjust about $500 lower.

Here's her article.

What Morningstar and Yahoo Finance Say About The No/Low Cost Dividend Reinvestment Plans I'm Actively Investing In (BHI, JNJ, MHP, WMT, XOM)

2009-10-12T00:04:00.000-04:00

I'm actively buying in five dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPS). I like DRIPS because you have the opportunity of buying stocks for the long haul and significantly undercut transaction costs that you would otherwise experience at discount brokers.

I'm cautious on the overall stock market since we are due for an economic hangover when all of the stimulus spending dries up. That said, I'm willing to pick and choose from various stocks. I'm investing small monthly amounts in the following DRIPs:

Baker Hughes (BHI)
* No Economic Moat
* B Stewardship Grade
* Three Star Morningstar Rating
* 1.34% dividend yield
* 8.24% earnings yield
* 12.14 P/E ratio
* 10.21% Profit margin
* 10.01% Return on Assets
* 16.76% Return on Equity
* Zero Investing Fee (Periodic Non-Reoccurring Investments)
* Zero Dividend Reinvestment Fee
* Zero Auto-Invest Fee
* Drip Prospectus

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
* Wide Economic Moat
* C Stewardship Grade
* Five Star Morningstar Rating
* 3.08% dividend yield
* 7.37% earnings yield
* 13.57 P/E ratio
* 20.76% Profit margin
* 11.49% Return on Assets
* 27.49% Return on Equity
* Zero Investing Fee (Periodic Non-Reoccurring Investments)
* Zero Dividend Reinvestment Fee
* $1 Auto-Invest Fee
* Drip Prospectus

McGraw Hill (MHP)
* Wide Economic Moat
* C Stewardship Grade
* Under Review for Morningstar Rating
* 3.28% dividend yield
* 8.56% earnings yield
* 11.68 P/E ratio
* 12.06% Profit margin
* 13.21% Return on Assets
* 50.5% Return on Equity
* Zero Investing Fee (Periodic Non-Reoccurring Investments)
* Zero Dividend Reinvestment Fee
* Zero Auto-Invest Fee
* Drip Prospectus

Wal-Mart (WMT)
* Wide Economic Moat
* B Stewardship Grade
* Four Star Morningstar Rating
* 2.11% dividend yield
* 6.76% earnings yield
* 14.79 P/E ratio
* 3.32% Profit margin
* 8.61% Return on Assets
* 19.89% Return on Equity
* $1 to 5+10cents/share to Investing Fee (Periodic Non-Reoccurring Investments)
* Zero Dividend Reinvestment Fee
* $1 + 10cent/share Auto-Invest Fee... Charged $1.2 on my $200 monthly investment
* Drip Prospectus

Exxon Mobil (XOM)
* Wide Economic Moat
* B Stewardship Grade
* Five Star Morningstar Rating
* 2.37% dividend yield
* 8.99% earnings yield
* 11.12 P/E ratio
* 8.98% Profit margin
* 10.86% Return on Assets
* 26.92% Return on Equity
* Zero Investing Fee
* Zero Dividend Reinvestment Fee
* Zero Auto-Invest Fee
* Drip Prospectus

I generally like the above DRIPS because all of them but WMT have options for investing for zero fees once you have your first share set up. I'm investing in WMT because I believe in their long-lasting competitive advantage over all other retailers. I'm willing to pay the modest $1.2 on my $200 monthly investments with WMT because I know that once I have a large enough position established, all dividend reinvestment is free.

Deadbeat Banks? Here's a List of Banks Who Have Failed to Make Their August TARP Dividend Payment

2009-10-11T00:18:00.000-04:00

Don't have access to the list of banks on the FDIC watch list? We'll here's another list of banks with going financial concerns. TheStreet.com has published this list of 33 banks that have failed to make their required August TARP dividend payment to the U.S. Government.

List.

Reference (Yahoo post)

Retirement Relocation: Consider All Taxes When Figuring Out Savings

2009-10-04T14:14:00.000-04:00

I found an excellent article from the Orlando Sentinel written by Ms. Mary Beth Franklin. I will summarize.

States without income tax:
(1.) Alaska
(2.) Florida
(3.) Nevada
(4.) South Dakota
(5.) Texas
(6.) Washington
(7.) Wyoming
(8.) New Hampshire (tax only dividend and interest income beyond certain limits).
(9.) Tennessee (tax only dividend and interest income beyond certain limits

States that exclude federal, military and in-state government pensions from taxes:
(1.) Alabama
(2.) Hawaii
(3.) Illinois
(4.) Kansas (taxes public pensions from other states).
(5.) Louisiana
(6.) Massachusetts
(7.) Michigan
(8.) Mississippi (exempt all retirement income, including IRA and 401(k) distributions).
(9.) New York
(10.) Pennsylvania (exempt all retirement income, including IRA and 401(k) distributions).

States tough on retirees:
(1.) California (9.55 percent tax on income less than $1 million).
(2.) Rhode Island (9.9 percent income tax).
(3.) Vermont (9.5 percent income tax).

Do not tax Social Security Benefits:
(1.) Alabama
(2.) Arizona
(3.) Arkansas
(4.) California
(5.) Delaware
(6.) District of Columbia
(7.) Georgia
(8.) Hawaii
(9.) Idaho
(10.) Illinois
(11.) Indiana
(12.) Kentucky
(13.) Louisiana
(14.) Maine
(15.) Maryland
(16.) Massachusetts
(17.) Michigan
(18.) Mississippi
(19.) New Jersey
(20.) New York
(21.) North Carolina
(22.) Ohio
(23.) Oklahoma
(24.) Oregon
(25.) Pennsylvania
(26.) South Carolina
(27.) Virginia
(28.) Wisconsin

States without a sales tax:
(1.) Alaska
(2.) Delaware
(3.) Montana
(4.) New Hampshire
(5.) Oregon

States with notable sales tax amounts:
(1.) California (8.25 percent)
(2.) Indiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Tennessee (7 percent).

States that do not allow municipalities to levy local sales taxes:
(1.) Connecticut
(2.) Kentucky
(3.) Maine

States with lowest property taxes (from lowest to highest):
(1.) Louisiana
(2.) Alabama
(3.) West Virginia
(4.) Mississippi
(5.) Arkansas

States with the highest property taxes (from highest to lowest):
(1.) New Jersey
(2.) New Hampshire
(3.) Connecticut
(4.) New York
(5.) Rhode Island

In my own opinion it's best to focus on states without pension/retirement income taxes and relatively low property taxes.

8 Ways Car Dealers Make Money Off of You

2009-10-01T22:20:00.000-04:00

Mr and Mrs Plugged in Finance will likely be buying a new or used car between this December and next Spring. The newer car will be purchased to replace our 1998 Acura CL. I typically do car research at:

Edmunds Daily
Intellichoice
Yahoo Cars
SaferCar
IIHS

Tonight, I came across a great article with a title similar to that of this post. In summary, car dealers make money off of you in the following ways:

(1.) Mark-up
(2.) Hold back and advertising
(3.) Undervaluing a trade-in
(4.) 4 Pack
(5.) Customer service fee
(6.) Bump-stickers
(7.) Service contract
(8.) Holding points of rate

Click here for the full article.

Prosper Peer-to-Peer Lending Getting With the Program

2009-09-28T16:31:00.001-04:00

I haven't made a loan at Prosper since Oct 2008. Since 2006, I have entered into nearly $5000 in loans. Many of them risky. My net gain/loss has been ($38.35) at Prosper. I still have 32 active loans at Prosper and I suspect that before it's all over i'll eeck out a few dollars in gains.

I have been reinvesting my blog's earnings at Lending Club in $25 loans and have had nice returns (~9%). Initially, I hated the Lending Club interface (as compared with Prosper.com). However, I have grown use to Lending Club. I particularly like the fact that you can bid a minimum of $25 on loans. The time spent searching for loans hardly justifies minimum $25 bids unless you approach it from a hobby perspective.

I had almost written off Prosper until I got the below email announcing they have switched to $25 minimum initial investments and have a new risk rating system. Now, I will at least reconsider reinvesting my existing Prosper loan distributions (in safer loans this time).

All of us at Prosper would like to thank you for investing through our marketplace. We are eager to have you come back to Prosper to invest in your fellow Americans once more.

As you may have heard, we're now offering several additions to our marketplace, like an Improved Risk Rating System. We've also lowered our minimum bid to $25, so you can better diversify by bidding on more loans.

Since our relaunch we have seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of listings. In fact the average credit score of listings in the marketplace has improved to 700 in the first month since re-launch. And 16% of the listings have a Prosper Rating of AA to B.

These tough economic times require a new approach to investing and Prosper provides you with the transparency and best-in-class rating system you deserve.

Please consider coming back to lend on Prosper – you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are helping your fellow Americans get the loan they need.

Regards,
Prosper

Getting a Free Breakfast (You Can Too)

2009-09-23T19:44:00.000-04:00

Just went to a few websites and got several free cereal samples.

* Kashi Honey Sunshine Cereal. Got to free sample form.
* Fiber One Cereal. Go to free sample form.
* Total Blueberry Pomegranate. Go to free sample form.

IRS Lowering 401K Maximum Contribution Limits in 2010?

2009-09-07T15:21:00.000-04:00

One of the common pillars of retirement advice is to "save more." Some people who have watched their 401Ks slide into the realm of 201K are seriously considering investing more in an effort to catch up. If you're in this group, you might be in for a rude awakening in 2010.

The IRS determines 401K maximum contribution limits based on a formula using 3rd quarter consumer price index for all urban consumers (CPI-U). In the recent past, the CPI-U has pushed higher each and every time the IRS did their calculations. However, in Oct 2009 the 3rd quarter CPI-U value may very well be lower than in 2008. Since March 2009, the CPI-U has come in lower than its corresponding 2008 value. What does this mean for 401K maximum contributions? Well, it means they could go lower. Initial thoughts are that 401K maximum contributions could be about $500 lower in 2010.

Here's an Associated Press article that talks about it more.

New Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Features

2009-09-05T18:01:00.000-04:00

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) upgrades were included in the "Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act" legislation as riders.

Four key planned features were addressed:

(1.) Roth 401(k) option. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board states that it could have the ROTH option ready in one to two years. Most recently, I have read mid-2011 on some sites for ROTH-TSP implementation.

(2.) Automatic enrollment of new federal civilian employees. Contributions would go directly to the G-Fund. Employees would have 90 days to opt out and receive a full refund. The bill left it up to DoD as to whether or not military personnel will be automatically enrolled. DoD has stated that they will automatically enroll personnel in TSP once the ROTH-TSP option is implemented.

(3.) Survivor benefit that would let spouses of deceased TSP participants maintain accounts.

(4.) Mutual fund option that would let participants invest TSP funds in select private sector mutual funds. The Army Times reported that:

It's far from certain that the TSP board will follow through and offer a mutual fund option. Executive Director Gregory Long has described the board's attitude toward mutual funds as "agnostic," though he added that such an option in the TSP could be a "proving ground" for different investment options and could dissuade lawmakers or third-party groups from trying to add new funds to the plan.

You might also be interested to know that TSP now has a feature called the Personal Investment Performance (PIP) number. Your PIP truly reflects your own TSP return.

"The Personal Investment Performance (PIP) number is a combined rate of return earned on all of the funds you held in your TSP account during the year covered by the annual statement. Your personal performance is based on the performance of your investments and on the timing and amount of your purchases (e.g., contributions) and redemptions (e.g., loans and withdrawals) as well as the effect of any interfund transfers. Therefore, your personal performance may differ substantially from the performance of the investments themselves. The TSP uses the Modified Dietz method to calculate Personal Investment Performance. The Modified Dietz method weights individual cash flows by the amount of time that those cash flows are held in the portfolio. This method of calculation is widely used by financial analysts and investment managers to measure the time-weighted returns of investment portfolios." Source: Alamo Gordon News, 6 AUG 2009

Eighteen Free Entries in Texaco Performance Game: Win a Camaro, Free Gas For Year, $5 Gas Card

2009-08-31T09:57:00.000-04:00

Today is the last day of the Texaco Performance give away. I have 18 unused contest codes that I will not be able to use (site limits you to one per day). Feel free to use my left over codes. Contest ends tonight at 1159 PM CST. Contest open to 18 yr olds and over who are legal residents of: AL, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, LA, MS, NC, NM, NV, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, WA, WV and WY. Good luck!

(1.) VXP6DHJF
(2.) GBMSW56C
(3.) X65QKWPT
(4.) HJL3QD5F
(5.) PC7XNV2S
(6.) K9Q75ZJC
(7.) G9JBS84P
(8.) JHFKC62N
(9.) Q64NJ7DV
(10.) QLMWR9J6
(11.) CK57QG43
(12.) G9QC8F73
(13.) PSL7J4R5
(14.) XGMZ9W63
(15.) 9SR6WQ7F
(16.) 3VDQ8HPK
(17.) 4MC8PQTB
(18.) 4FCP2DMH

Lending Club Peer-2-Peer Lending Update (Up 9%)

2009-08-30T15:30:00.004-04:00

I have been using Lending Club since November 2008. Back then, I decided to use the site as an exclusive reinvestment point for my Plugged in Finance website earnings. Since then, I have invested 80% of my site's earnings across 48 loans. Each investment is for the minimum amount of $25. It's a time intensive, yet rewarding hobby.

I embarked on this hobby principally because I knew I could do a better job than what I did at Prosper.com. At Prosper, I loaned over $5000 out and as of this weekend have a net loss of $45. Initially, I was very successful at Prosper. At first, I had a 78 loan portfolio with zero delinquents. I eventually got very cocky and took on way to much risk. I transitioned the average interest rate on my portfolio from 17.5% to 21.5%. Bad move.

Today, I'm far more conservative at Lending Club. I am only lending to those:

* In the military
* In Federal or state civil service
* In health care
* Frequently only those that have been in their job for a minimum of 3 years.
* With less than 20% debt-to-income
* Zero delinquencies last two years
* Loan request no more than three times documented gross income

My loan portfolio stats are:
Total Loans (48): $1052.12
Charged Off (0): $0
In Funding (2): $50
Issued & Current (44): $1002.12
Late 16 - 30 days (0): $0
Late 31 - 120 days (0): $0
Fully Paid (2): $0
Default (0): $0

Weighted Average Rate: 11.84%
Expected Monthly Payments: $36.21
Accrued Interest: $6.37
Payments to Date: $183.73
Principal: $148.46
Interest: $35.27
Late Fees Received: $0

Loan Distro:

Lending Club states that my weighted average rate is 11.84% and my net annualized return is 11.94%. But, the nasty little secret is that Lending Club's formula for determining account returns does not factor in sold loans. Why not? I have no clue. When you factor in that I sold two of my loans at a loss, my net annualized return is closer to 9%. My goal was for a net return of 8.4% or better. So, I'm happy with the results to date.

I sold two of my loans that were in the 16-30 day late category. I sold one of the loans for a $7 loss and the other loan for a $3 loss. The first loan continued to deteriorate. The second loan ended up returning to a current status before I could cancel my sale.

Finished Paying Off 401K Loan Ahead of Schedule

2009-08-23T18:08:00.000-04:00

In Apr 2006 we took out $26k at 4.5% from my 401K for the down payment on our primary residence. We added this to the $17.8k we had and put 20% down to avoid paying private mortgage insurance (PMI). The remaining balance was financed with a 15 yr fixed at 5%.

The 401K loan was actually taken out from my military Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Interest paid is redeposited back into my TSP account. I always like using TSP loans whenever I'm buying a house or need emergency funds. The interest is getting paid back to you and my military job is quite secure. Anybody using a 401K loan in a secure job since 2000 has fared fine since the stock market has done poorly and you would have paid the interest to yourself.

Ten months ago I targeted a payoff date of Sep 2009 for this TSP loan. My wife and I were happy when we were able to cut a check for $7900 this month and pay the loan off ahead of time. This puts my TSP balance at $52.7k. I'm fine with having only $52.7k in my TSP since this is a back-up to my military pension which should be a minimum $40k a year if I get no more promotions and stay in another 81 months. I actually intend to stay in much longer (15 more years) if I get promoted to O-5 (Commander), equal to Lieutenant Colonel in Army & Air Force.

We still have one more TSP loan with a balance of $23.5k. This last loan was taken with an interest rate of 2.75% payable over 5 years. We needed this for $23k in exterior repairs at one of our investment properties. We currently plan on letting this loan run close to the full 5 years. In the mean time, we will funnel most of our spare cash to paying off all three of our investment properties.

Ten months ago we also set a goal of paying off our least expensive investment property in March of 2010. We bought the property for $86.8k in January 2005. It currently appraises for $140.5k and we owe $19.7k left on it.

Net Worth Up 9.13% Over Last 12 Months

2009-08-17T22:02:00.004-04:00

One year ago today I started to keep a monthly log of our net worth. In the past, I would overwrite monthly updates.

Here's a graphical representation of our month over month gains in net worth. Click to enlarge graph.

Just Made My First Stock Options Trade Ever: Made 21.25% Gain in Starbucks

2009-08-11T20:54:00.002-04:00

I bought 3 call options (equivalent to 300 shares) in Starbucks with a Jan 2010 strike price of $15 for $4 a share in Apr 2008. The stock was trading at around $14.50 when I bought the call options. I just sold the call options (yesterday) at $4.85 a share for a 21.25% gain.

You can make or lose money quickly in options. I remember that within the first 30 days I was up over 20%. Unfortunately, I never cashed out early and held the options for a lot of ups and downs.

Had I bought the call options in March of this year I would be up far more. That's ok. At least now I'm developing some initial confidence in options trading.

Three Year Best Buy Laptop Warranty Already Paid for Itself (Despite Geek Squad's Initial Diagnosis)

2009-08-02T14:56:00.000-04:00

I picked up my fixed laptop yesterday. I had gone without it for just over three weeks. My track record with laptops has been pretty bad. I have spent $4.8k across three laptops since 2004. I'm on my third laptop as we speak and have learned not to buy the $2k laptops any more. Instead, i'm using a $400 HP with a three year warranty that cost almost as much as the laptop. =(

Three weeks ago I was having problems with doing a successful system recovery using the original factory recovery disks. I attempted a system recovery two times because I had too much malware on my computer and the free AVG adaware program wasn't keeping my system clean.

When I dropped off my laptop, I was surprised to hear that the Best Buy warranty does not cover software problems. A software problem would have to be fixed at owners expense, regardless of the existing warranty.

I acknowledged this and turned my laptop over. All the while, I was expecting Geek Squad to discover that my laptop had "software issues." A few days later Geek Squad told me that they were unable to find any hardware issues with my computer and that I had the option to ship it anyways to their depot repair facility for a second opinion. Glad I did. Had I not done so, I would have been forced to deal with a perceived "software problem" on my own.

Best Buy's depot repair facility fixed my computer at no cost to me. The repair ticket cited the replacement of a "palm rest" at a total cost of $347.22 (covered by warranty). I'm not convinced that my "palm rest" was broken, but I'm happy nonetheless to recieve the laptop back in working condition.

I have had good luck w/ warranties dating back to 2004. Besides this repair, I have spilled soda on my other computers twice and had them fixed despite warranty limitations on liquid spill repairs.

Plugged in Finance

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