All Articles Tagged "stocks"
Make Money, Money: President Obama Gives Us a Lesson in Investing
Image: AP Photo/Alex Menendez
Business Insider recently took at look at the financial history of Michelle and Barack Obama to explain just how they went from being middle class to multi-millionaires. As Senator, Obama was pulling in $80,287 plus another $32,144 from the University of Chicago Law School where he taught as a lecturer. Add to that Michelle’s salary from the University of Chicago Hospitals, where she was an administrator. (According to FactCheck.org, Michelle went from earning $121,910 in 2004 as an executive director at the hospital to making $316,962 in 2005 as a vice president.)
But the couple began raking in serious dough from three investment assets in 2004 the article says. First was the Illinois State Senate Pension Fund, worth between $50,000 and $100,000. Then there were investments in funds with investment management company Vanguard, through which had investments in the Vanguard Wellington Fund (worth between $100,000 and $200,000) and $50,000 to $100,000 invested in the Vanguard Wellesley Fund. Obama’s book deal for The Audacity of Hope, about his famous 2004 Democratic National Convention speech, pushed him into the millionaire bracket.
If the Obamas could invest before they had millions, so can any woman with money smarts.
When many women consider investing, they think you need lots of money to get started. Not so, says small business consultant and “worry-free living” consultant Princess Clark-Wendel, president of Princess Clark Consulting Inc. But don’t jump into investing blind.
Before you invest any cash, do your research about stocks, bonds and mutual funds. And, figure out an investment strategy with a professional money manager, financial consultant or broker. “Find a financial advisor to help you find products that will meet your financial goals,” says Clark-Wendel.
Clark-Wendel sent over three top tips via email.
1. Set financial goals. Spend some time thinking about what you what your money to do for you. Do you need to pay for your kid’s college education? Are you saving for retirement?
2. Know your time horizon. When will you need the money?
3. Know your financial tolerance for risk. A large gain could result in a large lost. Could you stomach it?
Call us when you’re rich!
Beginning To Invest? Finance Experts Layout Pivotal Principles
By Makula Dunbar
Money matters such as earning and spending are easy concepts that those most far removed from finance careers understand. Though, in the middle ground – where organizing money, planning, strategizing and saving comes into play, many shy away. Coincidently, it is the combination of these practices – investing especially – that separates the wealthy from those who struggle at some point financially.
For African American women, understanding, most importantly jumping on the bandwagon – and taking the first steps toward investing – is a major contributor of living comfortably in the future. Simply put, investments can be any account, savings plan or fund set up to generate future wealth and stability.
Budgeting and Preparing to Invest
“I think the first piece of investing is saving an emergency fund. Somewhere between three to six months of your regular expenses,” says Janet Stanzak, a certified financial planner at Financial Empowerment. “It’s a cushion to have when things come up. Beyond that investment is a retirement plan.”
When Harrine Freeman landed a job just after graduating, an individual retirement account (IRA) was the last thing that she was considering. By the time she was a senior in college, she had overused 13 credit cards and garnered $19,000 in debt.
“I didn’t know who to go to or where to turn. I decided that I wanted pay off my debt, but it was a struggle because the creditors didn’t want to accept the payment I was providing,” said Freeman, now a financial counselor and founder of H.E. Freeman Enterprises.
“They sent the check back and I’d send it right back. Through my persistence they saw that I truly wanted to pay the debt back and after five months they decided to work with me. I put myself on a strict budget and I was able to pay it off in four years.”
Minimizing her expenses to just rent, debt and groceries, Freeman eliminated shopping, eating out and all other fun from her activities.
If You Bought $5700 Worth of Apple Stock in 1997, You Would Have Over $300K Today
(NY Times) — Let us pretend for a moment that the year is 1997 and you’re in the market for a new laptop computer. You want the top-of-the-line product at the time, so you opt for the newly released Apple Computer PowerBook G3 250 laptop. This revolutionary piece of technology, which comes with a 250-megahertz processor and a whopping 5 gigabytes of storage, will set you back $5,700. If you held onto that laptop until today you would probably be able to sell it on eBay for about $50.
Now imagine that instead of buying the Apple PowerBook in 1997, you decided to spend $5,700 on Apple stock. You would have done a little better. Indeed, today your Apple stock would be worth $330,563. Probably makes you think twice buying about that laptop.
Is It a Good Time To Sell Your Apple Stock?
With AAPL’s chairman and CEO Steve Jobs announcing his decision to take yet another leave of absence from the company, the latest buzz that this has lead to in a number of business and financial circles is pretty obvious. Investors are worried about the AAPL stock quotes taking a hit with Steve Jobs’ recent announcement and are trying to decide whether it is a good time to sell their APPL stocks.
Apple held up well and consolidated its market position when he took a leave of absence citing health problems earlier. Besides, AAPL stock quotes are not likely to show a drop considering the fact that the company has a number of innovative and unique projects for products that are in the pipeline. AAPL stock prices soared through the roof in the fourth quarter of 2010 and their products like iPhones, iPads and iTouches worked wonders for their business. AAPL is renowned for its commitment to perfection, high quality, innovation and dedication. Their advanced and revolutionary products have enabled them to carve a niche for themselves in the market.
From December 19th, 2010 to January 19th, 2010, the APPL stock quote rose by amazing 5.7% and close at $338.84 on the final day. This rise in the AAPL stock price clearly indicates that the market is not as badly affected by Jobs’ health as we thought it would be. Financial analysts are predicting that AAPL quotes could potentially reach $550 in the next twelve months. So, it is highly recommended (as clearly indicated by the figures mentioned above) that you hold onto your AAPL stock.
Why Women Beat Men When It Comes to Investing
(Daily Finance) — When it comes to famous investors, lots of names come to mind, such as Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch and of course, Benjamin Graham. Yet plenty of studies show that while the most famous investors are men, women generally outperform men when it comes to generating significant returns. So why aren’t there more famous women investors? Hilary Kramer, editor of GameChangerStocks.com, says it’s because women don’t invest as much. “Women should be investing in stocks,” says Kramer, “because women make better investors.”
50 Cent Makes $10 Million Tweeting Stock Advice
(Crave) — Let nobody ever tell you that there’s no power in social networking. 50 cent has a created a new way of investment consulting. He’s cornered the rap game, made millions as a spokesperson for Vitamin Water and has devoted himself to success in acting, but none of that stands up to making $10 million in two days. Warren Buffett who? After 50 Cent unveiled a new brand of headphones bearing his name last week, the rapper used Twitter to tell his 3.8 million followers to buy stock in the marketing company – a business he partly owns.
Did 50 Cent Break the Law When He Pumped His Penny Stock on Twitter?
(Gawker) — Probably not. But it’s fun to think about! The rapper/headphone entrepreneur told his 3.8 million Twitter acolytes to buy stock in a company called H&H over the weekend, causing a buying surge that earned him $5.2 million. H&H is basically a worthless penny stock; the company imports the “Sleek by 50″ headphones that 50 Cent endorses. He owns 7.5 million shares in H&H and warrants for 22.5 million more, according to ProPublica, so his paper wealth skyrocketed after his promotional Twitter posts—”HNHI is the stock symbol … they are no joke get in now”—caused the stock to triple in value. That sounds a lot like an old fashioned “pump and dump” scheme. Except there’s no evidence that 50 Cent ever actually dumped the shares, which have since sunk back down to their worthless base price. Better luck next time, 50.
Stock Set for Gains Ahead of GDP
(CNN Money) — U.S. stock futures edged up Friday as investors awaited the government’s revised reading on second-quarter economic growth, and the key speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on the economic outlook and monetary policy.
Next Question: Is Deflation On Its Way?
(Smart Money) – GOOD MORNING. Stocks in Asia closed mostly lower today, European shares are mixed, and U.S. futures are pointing to a higher open. After Tuesday’s trading session, which left stocks at their lowest level for the year, Wall Street today will focus on whether it can regain any of the losses. The S&P 500 Index has edged back down to its November 2009 level and the Dow Jones Industrial average is more than 12% lower from its 52-week peak of 11,309. The concern now is that the market isn’t necessarily enduring a correction off its 2009 highs but that it instead might be signaling the beginning of another recession. The market drop is likely a result of weak U.S. economic data, including waning consumer confidence and relatively static new job growth. At this point, the question for the stock market and the U.S. economy is whether they’ve reached a standstill and if so, then what’s next.
Next Question: Is Deflation On Its Way?
(Smart Money) – GOOD MORNING. Stocks in Asia closed mostly lower today, European shares are mixed, and U.S. futures are pointing to a higher open. After Tuesday’s trading session, which left stocks at their lowest level for the year, Wall Street today will focus on whether it can regain any of the losses. The S&P 500 Index has edged back down to its November 2009 level and the Dow Jones Industrial average is more than 12% lower from its 52-week peak of 11,309. The concern now is that the market isn’t necessarily enduring a correction off its 2009 highs but that it instead might be signaling the beginning of another recession. The market drop is likely a result of weak U.S. economic data, including waning consumer confidence and relatively static new job growth. At this point, the question for the stock market and the U.S. economy is whether they’ve reached a standstill and if so, then what’s next.
