February 22, 2012

Wall Street Plays a Risky Game, Again

Wall Street Plays a Risky Game, Again

Filed under: Investing, Streetwise

Wall StreetA month and a half into the new year, all’s well on the stock markets. Through the end of last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) had:

  • 19 “up” days.
  • Only 14 “down” days.
  • Overall posted a 6% positive return for the year.

Taking note of the Dow’s progress, The Wall Street Journal recently called its performance “eerie … calm … too quiet.” Indeed, if things keep going at this rate, we’re on track for the stock markets to gain more than 50% this year. Dow 18,000, anyone?

Wall Street Plays a Risky Game, Again originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-21T15:20:00Z.

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Coffee Costs: 5 Ways to Save Money on K-Cups

Coffee Costs: 5 Ways to Save Money on K-Cups

Filed under: Starbucks, Target Corp, Amazon.com, Saving Money, Food & Drink

Keurig's K-CupsThe convenience of single-cup coffeemakers is undeniable — the sheer simplicity of popping a pod into a brewer that dishes out premium brew in a minute or two. There’s no mess. There’s no old coffee going bad.

It’s no wonder more and more java sippers are tossing out their coffee pots for single-serve machines.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) shipped a whopping 4.2 million Keurig brewers through its partners during the holiday quarter. Revenue more than doubled to $1.16 billion as…

Coffee Costs: 5 Ways to Save Money on K-Cups originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-18T07:00:00Z.

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Money and Power: The Richest and Poorest U.S. Presidents

Money and Power: The Richest and Poorest U.S. Presidents

Filed under: People, Features

JFK The Richest and Poorest U.S. Presidents Any way you look at it, being a former U.S. president is a nice gig: Between speaking fees, memoir advances, and a hefty pension (currently $199,700 per year), the job pays pretty well. Add in the fact that it follows a four- to eight-year run in a high-profile position that features a $400,000 salary and covers most expenses, and you’re looking at a formula for long-term solvency.

Not surprisingly, America’s presidents have generally been a wealthy lot: Of the 44 of them, only nine weren’t…

Money and Power: The Richest and Poorest U.S. Presidents originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-17T13:15:00Z.

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Boosts Its Budget, Oversight Duties

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Boosts Its Budget, Oversight Duties

Filed under: Consumer Ally, Personal Finance

CFPBRichard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, announced in congressional testimony Wednesday that his agency plans to spend $448 million next year, a 26% increase from its 2012 budget of $356 million. Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that the CFPB has proposed a draft rule which would allow it to supervise large debt collectors and credit reporting companies, two sectors of the financial industry that have heretofore been mostly ignored by the federal government.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Boosts Its Budget, Oversight Duties originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-16T15:10:00Z.

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How State Taxes Put a Bigger Pinch on the Poor

How State Taxes Put a Bigger Pinch on the Poor

Filed under: Taxes

Poor taxesOver the last few months, as Republican presidential candidates have unveiled a stream of plans to cut taxes, they’ve consistently focused their rhetoric on a very narrow spectrum of our tax burden — income tax as a percentage of income — to suggest that the poorest Americans get a free ride at the expense of the wealthiest.

But, as a recent study points out, income tax is only part of the equation, and when all the other taxes we pay are factored in — especially our punishing state taxes…

How State Taxes Put a Bigger Pinch on the Poor originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-13T06:00:00Z.

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Newlyweds, Don’t Let the IRS Spoil Your Honeymoon

Newlyweds, Don’t Let the IRS Spoil Your Honeymoon

Filed under: Taxes

MarriageGetting married should be one of the happiest events of your life. But even if everything goes perfectly on your special day, the IRS may spoil the party — or give you a late and unwelcome wedding present.

That’s because getting hitched means big changes on your taxes, not the least of which is having to decide whether you and your new spouse want to file jointly or separately, which can have a big impact on the tax rates you’ll pay as well as which deductions and credits you’re entitled to.

Newlyweds, Don’t Let the IRS Spoil Your Honeymoon originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-02-10T06:30:00Z.

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Why Does Wall Street Hate AutoNation?

Why Does Wall Street Hate AutoNation?

Filed under: Company News, Investing

Auto Nation“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” is a mantra that’s alive and well on Wall Street. Analysts prefer to cover stocks where their sentiment is bullish. Google (GOOG), for example, is a market darling. A full 34 of the 38 major firms with published analysis on the search giant give it a “buy” or “strong buy” rating. This series looks at the few stocks where Wall Street is generally bearish on a company’s prospects.

We have always had a fascination with cars in this…

Why Does Wall Street Hate AutoNation? originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-01-25T06:30:00Z.

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Today’s Retirement Myth: A Million Dollars Is Enough

Today’s Retirement Myth: A Million Dollars Is Enough

Filed under: Retirement

Million dollarsA million dollars is nothing to sneeze at. It’s a lot of money, but is it enough to retire on? Or is it way too much?

It’s a lot easier to plan for a concrete end goal. That’s probably how the million-dollar benchmark for retirement savings got so popular. It’s a memorable number — and an assumption that does indeed serve a lot of people’s financial plans well.

Assumptions can be dangerous, though. So before you spend the next 10 or 30 years over- or under-saving, take a little time to…

Today’s Retirement Myth: A Million Dollars Is Enough originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-01-15T08:00:00Z.

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The 5 Dow Stocks Every Dividend Lover Should Own

The 5 Dow Stocks Every Dividend Lover Should Own

Filed under: Investing, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola Company, AT&T, McDonald’s, Stock Picks, Procter & Gamble

AT&TMillions of investors have discovered how profitable dividend stocks can be. But you don’t have to work hard to find great companies for your dividend portfolio.

Later on in this article, I’ll give you the names of five stocks in the Dow Jones Industrials (^DJI) that I think you need to own if you’re a true dividend investor. But first, I want to explain why your first instinct about finding the best dividend stocks is wrong — and the better way to think about long-term dividend investing.

The 5 Dow Stocks Every Dividend Lover Should Own originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-01-14T07:00:00Z.

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Why Wendy’s Will Never Be Great Again

Why Wendy’s Will Never Be Great Again

Filed under: Investing, Stocks in the News, Food

Wendy'sThese should be exciting times for Wendy’s (WEN):

  • The company spun off its Arby’s sibling last year, freeing it to focus on its flagship burger-flipping chain.
  • In September, for the first time in its 42-year history, Wendy’s reformulated its signature sandwich.
  • Just last month, the fast-food giant reentered the Japanese market,
  • And, it’s hoping to give the breakfast market another crack soon.

However, pull up a stock quote and you’ll find that a single share of Wendy’s fetches…

Why Wendy’s Will Never Be Great Again originally appeared on DailyFinance.com on 2012-01-12T07:00:00Z.

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