Newly retired NBA player Kobe Bryant is moving from scoring baskets to scoring deals with his new career title: venture capitalist. [More]
investing
Minnesota Brewpub Grants Free Beer For Life With $1,000 Investment
By 5.30.14
What if you could pay only $1,000 and be guaranteed a freshly-poured beer whenever you felt like it? That’s not a feasible deal for most of us, but for early investors in one Minnesota brew pub, that dream has come true. [More]
My $17 Is Stuck With Sharebuilder Forever Thanks To Stupid Fees
By 7.18.12 — Updated: 7.1.13
Chip wanted to take the money in his Sharebuilder account elsewhere. He had rolled over a 401(k), but not a very big one. Whether he didn’t have it long or the one security in it had lost value, he didn’t say, but the balance is only $17. The thing is, he needs to add another $73 in order to move the account anywhere. Sharebuilder’s fees to move your account to another institution are $75 per account (he has multiple accounts) and $15 per security. He asked whether the $75, at least, could be waived in the case of an account with such a tiny balance. They said no. [More]
Tips To Help New Investors Get Started
By 2.22.12
If you’ve just started investing, you’re bound to make a few mistakes as you find your footing. While there’s no guaranteed formula for success, there are ways to put yourself in the best position possible to start off strong and stick around for the long haul. [More]
Obsessing Over Debt Can Stop You From Getting Rich
By 12.23.11
The credo preached by just about every personal finance writer is that debt is an enemy that must be eradicated before you can think about building wealth. But there’s a reason many rich people have no problem with taking on more debt to finance new ventures. Those who think big and take manageable risks tend to be the biggest winners. [More]
Goldman Sachs Loses Money For First Time Since Financial Crisis Began
By 10.20.11
For the first time since the advent of the financial meltdown, and for only the second time since 1999 when it became a publicly traded company, Goldman Sachs has — Gasp! Horror! Shock! — lost some money. [More]
Stocks Tumble On Renewed Fears Of Greek Default
By 9.12.11
US markets fell 200 points on news that Greece could be on the precipice of defaulting on its debt. Wait, haven’t they been talking about that all summer? Yes, but this comes after the Germans, key players in resolving the crisis, are now publicly saying that Greece may default in a messy way. [More]
Bank Of America CEO's Pep-Talk Email To Workers
By 8.9.11
Bank of America’s CEO Brian Moynihan posted an email to the company’s intranet telling the rank and file to keep their chins up amidst their sinking stock price and news that they would be sued by AIG for selling crap mortgages. [More]
Stocks Up After Days Of Bleeding
By 8.9.11
After swooning on Monday following S&P’s downgrade of US bonds, stocks posted gains on Tuesday as investors saw the over-reaction as a buying opportunity. Now investors look to see what the Federal Reserve policy board might say after their meeting later today. [More]
Stock Market Drops Most Since 2008
By 8.8.11
The stock market continued diving on Monday, with the Dow falling 5.6% and the S&P down 6.7%, the biggest sell-off since December 2008. [More]
If You Want To Lose Money, Sell Your Stocks Now
By 8.8.11
The plunges in the past week in the stock market are gut-wrenching but those who panic and sell off right now are going to be kicking themselves later, says legendary economist and former director of The Vanguard Group Burton Malkiel. The most you should do is rebalance your portfolio. [More]
Stocks Rally On Positive Jobs Report, Then Fizzle
By 8.5.11
Markets opened on an upswing Friday as the labor report came in at 117,000 jobs added for July, higher than the predicted 85,000. The unemployment rate even ticked downwards to 9.1% from 9.2% in June. But the rally quickly evaporated as concerns about the growing European debt crisis and how government spending cuts might stymie economic growth took precedence. [More]
Stocks Fall On Global Economy Fears
By 8.4.11
Global stocks fell broadly Thursday afternoon amid worsening concerns about a global economic cooling and a European debt crisis. Each of the three major US indexes were down, deleting all the gains they had made so far this year. [More]
Dumping 2nd Mortgage Through Bankruptcy Is No Cake Walk
By 5.10.11
For anyone considering getting rid of their second mortgage in the manner described in yesterday’s post, bear in mind that it is by no means a painless process. One of our readers is a staff attorney for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee, and he writes in with more details about what this process entails. [More]
Homeowners Exploiting Bankruptcy Loophole To Dump 2nd Mortgages
By 5.9.11
Some homeowners are taking advantage of a little-known loophole in the bankruptcy law to get rid of their second mortgage and also avoid the pain of foreclosure, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Here’s how it works: [More]
Bin Laden's Death Greeted By Falling Oil Prices, Market Gains
By 5.2.11
Looks like the death of Osama Bin Laden this Sunday took some “fear factor” out of markets, which greeted the news favorably. Pressure at the pump could be relieved a bit with oil falling 0.7% to $113.23. Gains were seen across several markets, with the Dow Jones up .5%, the S&P up 5 points and the Nasdaq moving forward 7 points. However the surge could evaporate easily, even by end of day, as the euphoria wears off. And if Bin Laden’s death leads to retaliatory attacks, you can be sure those gains will be erased, and then some. [More]
Make Interest Work For You Instead Of Against You
By 2.2.11
Interest, which us cool cats call “juice,” is always flowing. It pours into the lives of those who know how to find it, while draining resources from those who buy stuff with money they don’t have. It’s much easier to build wealth when the juice is flowing toward you rather than away, but the trick is discovering just how to make that happen. [More]
Banks To Start Paying Dividends For First Time In 3 Years
By 1.14.11
After a 3-year hiatus, banks, plumped up by big profits thanks to a dizzying array of federal aid programs, are ready to stay paying dividends again to investors. Before they can be restored, the government will conduct a round of secret “stress tests” to evaluate the banks’ financial health. If all goes well, individual investors who had seen their dividends slashed to pennies, could start once again supping from the income stream. [More]
