Friday, July 30, 2010

personal finance budgeting


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Least Shocking <b>News</b> of the Day: Amy Fisher to Star in Quartet of <b>...</b>

This is shocking but true: Amy Fisher is officially a porn star. She has four adult movies in the works, starting with The Making of Amy Fisher: Porn Star.

AMD tops Nvidia in graphics chip shipments | Nanotech - The <b>...</b>

AMD passed Nvidia in graphics chip shipments in the second quarter, according to a marketing research firm. Read this blog post by Brooke Crothers on Nanotech - The Circuits Blog.

2010 Midterms: Latest <b>News</b> on the Hot Races

2010 Midterms: Latest News on the Hot Races. 11 hours ago. 0 Comments Say Something ». Print Text Size. Bruce Drake. Contributing Editor. Author Bio » � Contact Author » � Subscribe : California Power of Environmental Issues a Wild Card ...



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Least Shocking <b>News</b> of the Day: Amy Fisher to Star in Quartet of <b>...</b>

This is shocking but true: Amy Fisher is officially a porn star. She has four adult movies in the works, starting with The Making of Amy Fisher: Porn Star.

AMD tops Nvidia in graphics chip shipments | Nanotech - The <b>...</b>

AMD passed Nvidia in graphics chip shipments in the second quarter, according to a marketing research firm. Read this blog post by Brooke Crothers on Nanotech - The Circuits Blog.

2010 Midterms: Latest <b>News</b> on the Hot Races

2010 Midterms: Latest News on the Hot Races. 11 hours ago. 0 Comments Say Something ». Print Text Size. Bruce Drake. Contributing Editor. Author Bio » � Contact Author » � Subscribe : California Power of Environmental Issues a Wild Card ...


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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

foreclosure





If you received a foreclosure notice this year, you're not alone. According to tracking firm RealtyTrac, 1.6 million properties received a foreclosure filing -- defined as default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions -- during the first half of 2010. The good news: that number is down 5% from the previous six months. The bad? It's up 8% from the first half of last year. And RealtyTrac doesn't see any relief coming, as a "massive number of distressed properties and underwater loans continues to sit just below the surface."



While June's total of 313,841 properties with foreclosure filings marked a 3% decrease over the previous month, the news wasn't exactly good for the housing market (not to mention the owners of those 313,841 properties).



“The second quarter was a tale of two trends,” said James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “The pace of properties entering foreclosure slowed as lenders pre-empted or delayed foreclosure proceedings on delinquent properties with more aggressive short sale and loan modification initiatives. ...

“The midyear numbers put us on pace to exceed 3 million properties with foreclosure filings by the end of the year, and more than 1 million bank repossessions. The roller coaster pattern of foreclosure activity over the past 12 months demonstrates that while the foreclosure problem is being managed on the surface, a massive number of distressed properties and underwater loans continues to sit just below the surface, threatening the fragile stability of the housing market."



The top foreclosure locations: Nevada, Arizona and Florida, with California, Utah and Georgia just behind.



1.65 Million Properties Receive Foreclosure Filings in First Half of 2010













Foreclosure Mediation Programs Succeed Across The Country — Will Pawlenty Give Minnesota’s A Chance?


Today, across the country, mortgage mediation programs aimed at helping struggling homeowners stay in their homes are getting underway. Programs are launching in Maryland, as well as Florida’s 6th and 10th judicial circuits — encompassing Pasco, Pinellas, Hardee, Highlands, and Polk counties — while Cook County, Illinois is beginning a huge round of outreach for its burgeoning program.


In all, “the number of jurisdictions with foreclosure mediation programs is nearly double the number a year ago, with jurisdictions in 21 states now offering foreclosure mediation or negotiation programs.” Not on this list, however, is Minnesota, where Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) saw fit to veto a program last year.


The Minnesota state senate recently passed the bill again, sending it to the state House, so Pawlenty could very well get a second shot soon. And there’s simply no reason for him to oppose the program, as mediation — during which a bank meets face-to-face with a borrower, often in the presence of a judge and housing advocates, to try and forge a mortgage modification or other arrangement that prevents a foreclosure — is one of the most successful methods of helping struggling borrowers stay in their homes.


Connecticut’s mediation program, for instance, has kept 60 percent of its borrowers out of foreclosure. Philadelphia’s success rate is also 60 percent, while Nevada claims an 85 percent success rate:



About 80 percent of homeowners at risk of losing their homes don’t engage in any efforts to negotiate with their lender. And those who do so on their own often run into a bureaucratic mess, including hours on hold, lost records, and customer service representatives who know nothing about the borrower’s situation. Mediation helps to ensure that situations like that don’t happen.


“These new protections empower our fellow Marylanders, putting them on a more equal footing with mortgage companies that too often can’t be bothered to pick up the phone before beginning a foreclosure proceeding against a Maryland family,” said Governor Martin O’Malley (D). And lest Pawlenty think this is a purely partisan issue, it has also won the praise of Gov. Jodi Rell (R-CT). “Clearly, mediation is an effective tool homeowners can use to ward off foreclosure,” she said. “This program is a beacon of hope for hard-pressed homeowners and a real alternative for lenders.”


In mediation, there’s no requirement for a lender to accommodate a borrower, but it’s often the case that preventing a foreclosure is in the best financial interest of both the borrower and the lender. As CAP’s Andrew Jakabovics and Alon Cohen wrote, “the simple act of participating in mediation consistently yields solutions short of foreclosure that are acceptable to both sides.” Hopefully, should the Minnesota legislature do the right thing and create a program, Pawlenty will allow it to stand.





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Analyst: Nintendo 3DS to revolutionize industry | The Digital Home <b>...</b>

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter predicts in an investor note that the 3D portable-gaming device will justify game price tags of $29, vs. today's blended average of $25. Read this blog post by Don Reisinger on The Digital Home.

iPhone 4 hitting 17 more countries on Friday | Apple - CNET <b>News</b>

The newest flavor of Apple's smartphone will arrive in additional markets July 30, including Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, and Singapore--but not South Korea. Read this blog post by Lance Whitney on Apple.

Football Spy transfer <b>news</b> video: The latest on moves for Sol <b>...</b>

Sol Campbell, Javier Mascherano, Mario Balotelli and Manuel Almunia feature on today's Football Spy Show.



Foreclosure protest at San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank by Steve Rhodes


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Analyst: Nintendo 3DS to revolutionize industry | The Digital Home <b>...</b>

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter predicts in an investor note that the 3D portable-gaming device will justify game price tags of $29, vs. today's blended average of $25. Read this blog post by Don Reisinger on The Digital Home.

iPhone 4 hitting 17 more countries on Friday | Apple - CNET <b>News</b>

The newest flavor of Apple's smartphone will arrive in additional markets July 30, including Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, and Singapore--but not South Korea. Read this blog post by Lance Whitney on Apple.

Football Spy transfer <b>news</b> video: The latest on moves for Sol <b>...</b>

Sol Campbell, Javier Mascherano, Mario Balotelli and Manuel Almunia feature on today's Football Spy Show.


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Foreclosure protest at San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank by Steve Rhodes


Monday, July 26, 2010

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<b>News</b> Roundup: Gabriel Macht Joins USA Network Pilot, &#39;Glee&#39; Casts <b>...</b>

Gabriel Macht, known to many for his role in 'The Spirit,' is getting a very 'Legal' state of mind. Macht has joined the cast of USA.

Mimicking Apple an imperative for PC makers | Nanotech - The <b>...</b>

PC makers are imitating Apple as fast as they can--and for good reason. Read this blog post by Brooke Crothers on Nanotech - The Circuits Blog.

Housing markets: Hooray for bad <b>news</b> | The Economist

Hooray for bad news. Jul 26th 2010, 19:56 by R.A. | WASHINGTON. STRANGELY enough, many news outlets have reported todays figure on new home sales for the month of June in a positive fashion. Bloomberg, for instance, noted: ...



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Sunday, July 25, 2010

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Latest Tamil Movie <b>News</b> – Review | The Ustur

The exclusive column for movie review is updated every weekend with critic's analysis of the latest movies that hit the screens. At times, the reviews are done.

Fit to Post – Yahoo! Philippines <b>News</b> » Blog Archive Comedian <b>...</b>

Philippines News » Blog Archive Comedian By shyboyz32 Comedian and popular TV personality Redford White on Sunday succumbed to complications from his bout with lung cancer. He was 54. Redford passed away at his home at 6:47 a.m. Sunday, ...

Arcane Brilliance: <b>News</b> and notes from Cataclysm beta build 12604

Totem Talk: Back to basics � Know Your Lore: The Eternals part three -- the Titans � Arcane Brilliance: News and notes from Cataclysm beta build 12604 � Shifting Perspectives: Recreating balance druids in Cataclysm ...


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Thursday, July 22, 2010

personal finance blog

As you’ll read tomorrow (or Monday), I’ve entered a new phase in my life. After years of hard work and long hours building this blog (time that I’ve enjoyed), I’ve been shifting things around so that I have more free time. As a result, I’m going to have more time to devote to creating quality blog posts, instead of rushing around at the last minute looking for something to write about.


Because of this, it’s time yet again to take requests. I do this about once a year, and it’s a great way to get a feel for what GRS readers are interested in. I’d be grateful if you’d take the time to leave a comment below with topic suggestions or article requests. It doesn’t matter if we’ve covered the subject in the past. If you’d like me (or one of the other GRS staff) to write about it, let me know.


Have there been too many articles about credit cards? Too few articles about credit cards? Would you like to know more about individual savings accounts? Do you like the articles about the psychology of spending? Would it be helpful to have somebody come in to explain insurance concepts in plain English? Should I try to persuade my wife to share more of her recipes now and then? Let me know what you’d like to read about!


While you’re all providing feedback about the site, here are a few recent articles of note:


Over at The Simple Dollar, Trent and his readers had a thoughtful discussion about the obligations of wealth. “I think there is some inherent distrust of the rich in the mainstream of American society,” Trent writes as he describes how a wealthy person can keep from alienating his friends. There’s so much to say about this topic; I’m tempted to write an entire article about it.


GRS reader Steven writes a blog called Hundred Goals, which is about achieving your goals while managing your finances. After Sierra’s post this morning about travel, he dropped me a line to let me know that he has a recent article about how to have a great vacation.


Speaking of vacation, my pal Jason over at No Credit Needed spent time compiling day-use fees and free days for state parks across the United States. Handy page to bookmark!


And here’s more travel! At The Art of Non-Conformity, my good friend Chris Guillebeau has posted a beginner’s guide to travel hacking. I’ve been asking him to share this info for a long time; now I’ve got to take responsibility to use the knowledge he’s shared.


Finally, I’ve been giving a lot of interviews lately. I’m much more comfortable with these than I used to be. (They used to scare me to death!) Some examples:



  • Colleen from The Frisky interviewed me about how to save money even when you’re living paycheck to paycheck. This is a tough quandary, something I’m asked about a lot.


  • In an interview with BeFrugal, I discuss frugality, happiness, and conscious spending. (Note: “the ballot” should be “the balance” — I must have mumbled.)


  • Jeff Rose at Good Financial Cents also interviewed me. This interview is very much about the process of writing a book, which may or may not interest you.


  • I also spoke with Beverly Harzog from Card Ratings. We chatted about credit cards, of course, but also about other aspects of personal finance.


  • Finally, USA Weekend has a short piece on how to give your 401(k) a midyear check, for which author Richard Eisenberg interviewed me back in May. This is a perfect example of how much work goes into even a small newspaper article. Eisenberg spent 20-30 minutes on the phone with me, and I’m sure he did the same with the other folks he quotes. Plus, I’ll bet he spent a lot of time writing. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 4-6 hours in this small piece.


Okay, one last thing before I go. Tim pointed me to a two-year-old New York Times series about the debt trap, which includes an interactive infographic showing average household debt loads over the past century.


That’s enough links for today. Please do leave a comment with topic requests or other feedback. Meanwhile, it’s time for me to go do some yardwork…










J.D.’s equation is correct, but it’s only part of the story. cash flow is in fact income minus expenses like the article states. However, cash flow does not correlate directly to wealth. You would naively think that wealth is the integral of cash flow with respect to time. It isn’t.


Suppose you earn $50,000. You immediately spend this money on building supplies and build a house with it. Your net cash flow is $0, but you now have a house that’s worth more than what you paid for it. You’ve got a property with a value of, say, $60,000. This is investment. Certainly you needed some cash flow to start the investing process, but cash flow itself is not wealth. Also, you now have the ability to generate $60,000 new dollars in positive cash flow by selling the house you built, in which case you can invest in something new.


The average American household income is about $3,000/month, after taxes. If you spend *all* of that on living expenses, you will never save your $50,000 to build your house. If you manage to cut your living expenses by half, you can now save your $50k in about three years. However, if instead you were able to double your income, you could save your $50k in half that time. If you take this even further and double your income again (to $12k/month) you could save you $50k in only 6 months. However, if instead you cut your living expenses by half a second time (to $750/month) it would still take you 22 months to save $50k.


You quickly hit a point of diminishing returns with cutting expenses, where each additional percent cut from your budget buys you less and less. The opposite is true for increasing your income. There is absolutely no way to save $50k in less than 16 months on $3,000/month. However, if you’re making enough money, there’s no limit to how fast you can do it.


Here’s one more example that’s not so extreme:


Set a goal to save $250,000. Pretend you want to buy a house in cash.

Start off with the same $3,000/month salary.

Start with the same $3,000/month living expenses.


Scenario 1: Your living expenses never change, but each year, you manage to increase your income 7% over the previous year. This seems feasible, it’s not a “get rich quick” scheme, you can probably find some way to improve your performance in whatever business you’re in by about this much.


You save your $250,000 in a bit over 12 years. At the end of the 12 years, you make about $120k/year. This is definitely a good salary, but it’s not ridiculously, infeasibly high.


Scenario 2:

You keep the same salary every year, but cut your expenses by 7%.


You save your $250k in 17 years, which is significantly longer. You’re also living on $920/month at the end of this, which is probably infeasible in real life. You just can’t keep cutting and cutting and cutting to this degree.


Scenario 3:

You combine both 1 and 2, both increasing your income by 7% every year, and cutting expenses the same amount. You’d think this would make a huge difference, right?


You’ll save your $250k in 10 years. This is definitely an improvement over either one of the other scenarios, but it’s not nearly the same sort of improvement you see if you solely increase income instead of solely decreasing spending. It also requires you to live on $1500/month at the end, which is certainly a lot more feasible that $920, but you still may think that’s a bit low.


This whole calculation ignores inflation (meaning, your 7% raise per year is probably more like 10% in absolute terms). It also means that at the end, when I say you’re living on $920/month, that’s $920 dollars at 2010 value, not 2027 value.


This is essentially the same concept that J.D. likes to call ‘the power of compound interest’, except applied in a slightly different way.


One other note on this example: selling your ’stuff’ makes almost no difference here. Even assuming you had $10k worth of stuff to get rid of at the beginning of this, it only buys you a few extra months in any of these scenarios. This is because a single, one-time influx of $10k is small in a scenario that takes 10-17 years to play out. At the end of these scenarios, you’re saving in the ballpark of $2000-$5000 every month. The extra $10k just isn’t that big of a deal any more. Selling ’stuff’ can help you reduce debts and stop paying interest to other parties if you can do it all at once, but it really doesn’t help you build long-term savings very well.


I know the site is called “get rich slowly”, but I like to think that is meant to convey an idea of perseverance and the fact that “get rick quick” schemes don’t work. It’s not meant to imply you should go artificially slower than you have to, just because.


In short: ask for a raise every year, even if you don’t always get it. Don’t be afraid to take a job at a competing company if they’ll offer you a better salary (assuming the job is otherwise similar). You don’t need to start your own company to make a few more percent every year. Just be valuable in your industry, show that to your employers, and don’t be afraid to ask for raises.




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Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media, SEO and Marketing | Small <b>...</b>

Small business in the Internet age is still about marketing. In this case much of that marketing takes place online. The tools you will use include social media.

Rachel Maddow&#39;s Mega-Takedown Of Fox <b>News</b>&#39; &#39;Scare White People <b>...</b>

Watch Rachel Maddow document the history of the "scare white people" tactic among politicians, and more recently, Fox News.

The Rise of Private <b>News</b> : CJR

The big question for these organizations is the inverse of the one troubling the mass news outlets in a digital world: their concern isn't to find a model that allows their influential newsrooms to keep humming along; it is to achieve ...



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Rachel Maddow&#39;s Mega-Takedown Of Fox <b>News</b>&#39; &#39;Scare White People <b>...</b>

Watch Rachel Maddow document the history of the "scare white people" tactic among politicians, and more recently, Fox News.

The Rise of Private <b>News</b> : CJR

The big question for these organizations is the inverse of the one troubling the mass news outlets in a digital world: their concern isn't to find a model that allows their influential newsrooms to keep humming along; it is to achieve ...


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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

personal finance budgets


Forget the coupon clipping. A straightforward, realistic budget is the best deal you'll ever find.



Why is a budget the best deal? Because, just like your childhood puppy your budget will always be there for you, no expiration dates, no fine print to yank away the savings after you've already been whipped into a furry of consumerism. If you care for your budget it will take care of you so that "saving" isn't just not unnecessarily spending an extra $5 at the grocery store this week; but actually saving money in a high yield savings account. Another great thing about a budget is that, again like your puppy, it will take you back even if you screw up.



Think outside the sale. For years I chased after deals and discounts like they were the oxygen keeping me alive. It didn't matter if I needed an item or not -- if there was a sticker advertising 60, 70, 80 or 90% off a gadget, I wanted to buy it. How could I pass up the savings?



It wasn't until recently that I realized a budget is the best deal you can find. After taking a few minutes to look at how to put together a budget I realized that it takes less time to set up and follow a budget than it does to look for deals every day of the week.



Thanks to great free personal finance management (PFM) tools from sites such as like Mint.com, Rudder and others you can easily create a budget and track how well you are following it each day. These tools will even send you a notification when you go outside of your budget so you aren't shocked at the end of the month. If you don't already have a successful budget don't start creating one yet. First go read these tips for setting realistic budget.



Advice on Budgeting

  • Reverse Budget - A savings first solution from FiveCentNickel

  • Budgeting basics - a Budget primer from Consumerism Commentary including suggestions on how to get started.


My personal favorite and current method of budgeting isn't so much a budget as it is smart spending. Ramit Sethi explains the model in his book I Will Teach You to Be Rich, calling it, "Conscious Spending." Instead of focusing on the minutia Sethi concedes that it is in fact OK to, "Spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don't."



A budget may be the best deal, but that doesn't mean you need to give up on coupon clipping and bargain hunting; just make these tools that support your plan instead of the main focus. If you plan for your purchases, by saving up at SmartyPig or setting a goal in Rudder, you can still go looking for a deal on your next purchase and pay in cash. Trust me, there's something really incredible about paying in cash for the new camera that you've researched and found the best deal on.Thanks to great free personal finance management (PFM) tools from sites such as like Mint.com, Rudder and others you can easily create a budget and track how well you are following it each day. These tools will even send you a notification when you go outside of your budget so you aren't shocked at the end of the month. If you don't already have a successful budget don't start creating one yet. First go read these tips for setting realistic budget.



Advice on Budgeting

  • Reverse Budget - A savings first solution from FiveCentNickel

  • Budgeting basics - a Budget primer from Consumerism Commentary including suggestions on how to get started.


My personal favorite and current method of budgeting isn't so much a budget as it is smart spending. Ramit Sethi explains the model in his book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, calling it, "conscious spending." Instead of focusing on the minutia Sethi concedes that it is in fact wise to "spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don't."



A budget may be the best deal, but that doesn't mean you need to give up on coupon clipping and bargain hunting; just make these tools that support your plan instead of the main focus. If you plan for your purchases, by saving up at SmartyPig or setting a goal in Rudder, you can still go looking for a deal on your next purchase and pay in cash. Trust me, there's something really incredible about paying in cash for the new camera that you've researched and found the best deal on.
Mint.com is arguably one of the most popular personal finance management tools out there. For all that it has done well, up until this week, it hasn't been the best place to track financial goals. Now, with the introduction of Mint Goals you can link all of your financial goals with the accounts that you have connected to Mint to better track your progress.



Mint Goals improves on the Planning section, which Mint users had until now used for goal-setting. The new Mint Goals section provides users with eight goal areas which can be tailored to the individual so that the goal is realistic and achievable. These eight goals include getting out of debt, saving for an emergency, saving for retirement, buying a home, buying a car, saving for college, taking a trip and improving your home; you can also set a custom goal.



Mint Goals Video from the Wall Street Journal:









When you create a goal Mint will ask you a few questions to find out when you want to achieve it and suggest a monthly contribution to this account. If you have Mint connected to all of your accounts the service can use the data it already has to automate some of the planning process. For example, if you are setting up an emergency fund, Mint knows about how much you spend a month so it is easy to figure out how much you need to cover three months' worth of living expenses. If you are working to pay down debt, and have your credit cards linked, you'll get a look at what you owe and a pay-down plan based on that amount.



After you choose the amount you want to save, Mint allows you to link the goal to a specific account, add a new account or suggests an account to open that fits the goal's purpose. When I was setting up an emergency fund goal, Mint shared several high yield savings accounts.



If your goal is getting out of debt, Mint may suggest that you get a loan through a partner like Lending Club, a peer to peer lender that offers personal loans at rates more than 50% lower than the average credit card APR. The suggested accounts are not all encompassing and you should still take a few steps to find the best bank or account for you.



In addition to budgeting for your day-to-day expenses, setting a goal for purchases and events such as buying a new HDTV, a house or taking a vacation is an important step to getting out of debt and staying out. If you need help after setting up your goals, Mint provides a checklist of to-do items and advice. You can also come back to WalletPop to learn more about all topics personal finance.



What do you think about the new Mint Goals?
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Small business in the Internet age is still about marketing. In this case much of that marketing takes place online. The tools you will use include social media.

Fujifilm unveils F300EXR compact superzoom with Hybrid autofocus <b>...</b>

Fujifilm unveils F300EXR compact superzoom with Hybrid autofocus system: Fujifilm has unveiled the FinePix F300EXR which debuts a new Hybrid autofocus system that the company claims is as fast as that on DSLRs.

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

personal finance manager





Seven secrets of coupon pros [Consumer Reports] "Nancy Niemeyer, an IT project manager from Seattle, says she feeds her family of four for about $10 a week."

5 cheap places to retire in the US [MSN Money] "An expert offers his top picks, taking costs, culture and access to medical care into consideration."

How 5 money blunders ding your credit [Smart Spending] "FICO calls them 'damage points,' and, boy, can they pull down your credit score."

10 Things Funeral Directors Won't Tell You [Smart Money] "The best defense? Shop around, or have someone who is up to it do it for you."

7 Lessons the World Cup Offers on the Stock Market [Wall Street Journal] "Here are seven lessons that 'the beautiful game' can teach you about the money game."

— FREE MONEY FINANCE






Last August there was much criticism over the fact that President Obama agreed to give Brazilian Owned Oil Company Petrobras up to $10 Billion Dollars to look for Oil off the Brazil Coast.  At the time it was especially disturbing because the Administration objected to the US Drilling off its own coast, which would have worked toward keeping the price of oil low and help wean us off foreign oil.



Today it is even more disconcerting, Obama's drilling moratorium may have been blocked by a judge today, but Secretary of Interior Salazar intends to announce a new one tomorrow.   And the longer this "moratorium" lasts, the more likely we are to see the Oil Rigs in the gulf move down to Brazil where they are planning to drill for oil in seas twice as deep as the Deepwater Horizon site.



Why would the POTUS pay for a foreign country to drill for oil but object to his own country taking advantage of his own country's resources? And worse why would he fund the oil drilling of another country for it to "steal away" drilling resources from the Gulf sites? Payback.



Last August Ed Morrissey at Hot Air discovered that "coincidentally" just a few days before the announcement of the US Oil Exploration Aid, George Soros the presidential puppet-master, set himself up to make a lot more money from Brazilian Oil Exploration:

His New York-based hedge-fund firm, Soros Fund Management LLC, sold 22 million U.S.-listed common shares of Petrobras, as the Brazilian oil company is known, according to a filing today with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Soros bought 5.8 million of the company’s U.S.-traded preferred shares.



Soros is taking advantage of the spread between the two types of U.S.-listed Petrobras shares, said Luis Maizel, president of LM Capital Group LLC, which manages about $4 billion. The common shares were 21 percent more expensive than preferred today, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. …



Petrobras preferred shares have also a 10 percent additional dividend, said William Landers, a senior portfolio manager for Latin America at Blackrock Inc.



“Given that there will most likely never be a change in control in the company, I see no reason to pay a higher price for the common shares.” Brazil’s government controls Petrobras and has a majority stake of voting shares.
NICE!  Making money on the spread, and putting himself in a position to make more money from higher dividends just before all the big bucks "donation" from President Obama. Soros must be master of the deal or Obama is the master of the quid quo pro.



According to Front Page Magazine, this Petrobras deal was put in place by the President as a nice way to say thank you to Mr Soros.



Now it’s time for Soros to collect on his investment. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the Obama administration has committed up to $10 billion to Brazil’s state-owned oil company Petrobras to finance oil exploration off of Brazil’s coast.



Yet Obama historically has opposed expanded oil drilling. This was not only a strategic decision, aimed at pleasing the environmental Left, but also a personal choice, since Obama sincerely believes that drilling is deeply destructive to the natural environment. Thus, as a Senator, Obama voted against permitting the U.S. to drill for oil and natural gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the grounds that it would be a crime to despoil such “beautiful real estate.” Similarly, during last year’s presidential campaign, he warned of the “environmental consequences” of oil drilling, and insisted that “we cannot drill our way out of the problem.”



But apparently George Soros can. The president has elected to help another nation with the same type of drilling that he opposes so vehemently for this country, and the reason seems to be Soros’s $811-millon investment in Petrobras. The company just happens to be the largest holding in Soros’s investment fund. Soros’s connection to the company is no secret; he has been investing in Petrobras since 2007. A profitable venture, Petrobras has estimated recoverable reserves for the so-called Tupi oil field of between 5 and 8 billion barrels. With his billion-dollar loan, Obama has taken patronage politics to striking new level.
The Petrobras loan may be a windfall for Soros and Brazil, but it is a bad deal for the US. The administration is prepared to lend up to $10 billion to a foreign company to drill off its coast, when it could bring in $1.7 trillion in government revenue, as well as create thousands of new jobs, by allowing drilling off the coast of the United States.



....The oil deal stinks for other reasons, as well. For instance, there is the rank hypocrisy of Soros – an enthusiastic proponent of global warming theory and environmental liberalism – investing in the fossil fuels whose use he otherwise condemns – and doing so in part with the aid of taxpayer funds. For years, Soros has urged the adoption of a global carbon tax that would punish companies that contribute to global warming. But that didn’t prevent him from plowing money into Petrobras.



The cozy Soros-Obama alliance goes beyond favorable oil deals. It’s also playing a role in the health care debate. Huge demonstrations dedicated to enacting Obama’s universal health care are largely a Soros-financed operation. When tens of thousands of people rallied in the nation’s capital in support of Obama’s health care plan, the demonstrations were organized by Health Care for America Now! (HCAN), a new national grassroots movement of more than 1,000 organizations in 46 states encompassing 30 million people dedicated to winning health reform now.



The “grassroots” organization appears to be more like a gang of interconnected ultra-liberal pressure groups. Among the 21 members of its steering committee are such Soros-funded groups as ACORN, MoveOn.org, and the Center for American Progress (CAP), headed by Clinton former chief of staff John Podesta, who also has been a key adviser to Obama. Soros’s charity, the Open Society Institute, in 2007 gave CAP $1.75 million and approved added grants of $1.25 million.



Obama’s collusion with Soros and his agenda-driven squadrons is an unfortunate turn from an administration that entered office promising unprecedented transparency in the White House. Soros certainly did his share for Obama. Now, with his backing for a billion-dollar oil loan to a Brazilian company, the president has proven more generous to Soros than to the American voters who put him in office.
 There is that Old Saying, Payback's a bitch. Obama's ten billion dollar gift to Petrobras along with the drilling moratorium designed to give the Brazil-based company partially owned by his good friend George Soros, proves that sometimes payback is not a bitch, its a wallet fatten-er.



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Ace Money v 3.10.1:

Ace Money personal finance software helps people quickly and easily manage multiple accounts of different types, such as, savings, credit cards, loans, debt accounts. It has about 100 predefined spending categories, such as food, rent, clothing, donations etc, with which you can set up budget limits for every category and track the difference between actual and budget values.

One can even track currency and stock values as they change on line, and track where their money goes with the aid of reports and pie charts. If your bank supports on line banking, download and import its information in QIF and OFX formats. You can also export your accounts and reports to HTML, Text and CSV formats and generate statements or perform complex statistical analysis in Excel. If you are worried about your privacy and security, rest easy, with Ace Money you can password protect your files.

Ace Money has a browser like feel to it with a top tool bar that has buttons like 'Back', 'Forward', 'Home', along with program specific buttons like 'Accounts', 'Portfolio' and 'Reports'. When you need to set up your account, go to 'Accounts | Add new...' , and input the account details, such as name, bank name, account number, starting balance and currency.

Dabble in the stock market? Then, click on 'Portfolio' window—with 'Stocks', and add 'New Investment', next locate the symbol of your stock on line. Make use of the various data sources - Google Finance and set the name, currency and price history using the 'Update' and 'Download' buttons.

For instance, if you have shares in 'Microsoft', input 'MS' for the symbol and click 'Download'—the name and price history will be automatically displayed and next time, just click update to get the latest stock prices. Add a 'New Transaction' for actions like buy, sell, dividend, re-invest, add and remove shares, set the number of shares, price, commission and total.

Track your gains daily with the 'Download prices' button and watch your shares as they ride the stock roller coaster. 'Banks' has a predefined list of banks, if your bank does not feature on the list, click 'New Bank' to input your bank. The user can also edit the details of any predefined bank.

With 'Payees' one can add all third party transactions, such as restaurants and stores. Just like banks, you can add, edit, delete and merge these payees. Similarly, 'Categories' lets you add, edit, delete and merge instances. You can create budget reports using bank, payee and category filters. Any bills or transactions that you record will be categorized with respect to account, payee, bank and category.

With 'Schedule' you can set bills or deposits on a periodic or non-periodic basis by specifying frequency, date, bill type, account name and type, payee, category and amount. 'Calendar' lets you view your outgoings and inflows in a month. Generate 'Reports' in predefined formats such as cash flow, last 30 day transactions, by criteria, category and sub category, payee and budget reports filtered by category. Some handy tools include calculators for loan, savings and mortgages, which compute the amount to be paid, depending on the loan amount, period of time, and the rate of interest.

A Small Tip

To change the default currency from US Dollars to Euro go to 'Tools | International Settings' and choose 'Euro from the 'Default Currency' drop down list Backup your data frequently, from 'Tools | Backup' and set up a weekly or monthly frequency for your backup drive or file.


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Breaking <b>News</b>: Lindsey Graham Thinks You Are Stupid | RedState

Oh, and he's voting for Elena Kagan for Supreme Court (can you believe it? No way...) Apparently, in defending Graham's earth-shattering announcement that.

Daily <b>News</b> Moving Downtown

The New York Daily News has signed a lease for new space in lower Manhattan and will leave its 450 W. 33rd St. headquarters for 4 New York Plaza next year, the paper's owner, Mort Zuckerman, announced Monday.

Tropical Trouble? « FOX <b>News</b> Weather Blog

Good morning all! Just read that New York is about to have its hottest July on record, and I can.


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Monday, July 19, 2010

personal finance programs



Job opportunities?  What job opportunities.  You have one of the highest, if not the highest, unemployment rates in America. 



Look, it doesn't matter how beautiful a place might be, politics and culture can ruin it.



I've lived in Fresno and Monterey California.  Fresno isn't much, but Monterey was nice.  I've traveled and visited just about every place between San Diego to Oreville and I've panned for gold along the 49er highway.  I've visited every major park.  I've hiked it, I've camped it, sailed it, and I've swimmed it. 



California is truely a beautiful place, but it's politics and culture remind me of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  The silly, job-killing, anti-business, social experiementation sort of cr*p that goes on there borders on the inane--or more accurately the insane.



California is perhaps the most intolerant state I've lived in--and I attended the University of Alabama when Governor Wallace stood in the door--but I had no problems with black students living in my dorm (I'm not from Alabama).  As far as I was concerned, they were just students trying to make a better life for themselves like me.



On the other hand, Conservatives in California are considered lower than pond scum.  See if students will allow a conservative to speak at Berkely or other liberal bastions without protests and interruptions--fat chance.  Despite professing a love of freedom of speech and diversity, most Californians find conservative speech and philosophy repugnant.  They do not want to hear an opposing argument.



For those of you who are not familiar with how intolerant Californian are please visit www.zombietime.com.  I can confirm that the lunatics on display pictured in those protests are in fact typical of liberal protesters. 



Did I mention that the politics there are about as corrupt as it gets?  I'll concede that Boston (lived there) is worse as a city and Illinois is worse as a state, but California is in the bottom 2.5 percent.



Can you name me another state that is 16 billion dollars in debt and wants to spend tax dollars on electronic license plates to advertise while your car is stopped at a red light.  Simultaneously, California is begging the federal government (i.e., everyone else in America) to bail them out?  Never mind that I may not agree with the product or the political position being advertised on the license plate, it will be making the state money.  These people are freaking nuts.



There is something in the water in California that somehow turns an otherwise wonderful place into a toxic political landfill.



Lest you think I've lived a protected life, I've lived in 13 states. I've visited all of the states.  I've lived in Canada.  I've lived in El Salvador (2 years) at the height of the civil war there.  I've lived in Vietnam for a year as a Marine platoon commander.  I've lived in Okinawa and mainland Japan.  And I've traveled extensively around the world in both the military and for business and pleasure.



While California is at the top of my list of beautiful places, it's at the bottom of my list for places to live.  There is more to quality of life than landscape.  Actually, I would prefer to go back to El Salvador than live in California.



When I returned from Vietnam in 1969, I landed in San Francisco on my way to my new assignment.  In those days, we were required to wear our uniforms.  All I wanted to do was to have a drink at the Top of the Mark where my parents once enjoyed a special occasion and my first decent dinner in over a year.  The reception I received from those ever so tolerant San Franciscans was in the form of a constant stream of expletives and intimidation.  My first night back in the US, I got into two fights in which I got my ass kicked being out numbered both times.  I never did get the drink or the dinner.



Right, welcome back for serving your country in a war that the politicians started.  Not much has changed.  They still loath the military while enjoying the freedoms the military guarantees them.



I do not support giving a single tax dollar to California to bail them out of the mess they made for themselves.  You screwed California up--you fix it yourself.



And to answer the rest of your question, while the culture, art, topography, climate, and sports may not be to your liking, I think Alaska and Hawaii (I've lived in both states) beats California hands down.  Alaska is breathtakingly beautiful if unforgiving.  Hawaii has better weather, beaches, sailing, swiming, topography, sports, and despite the fact that Hawaii is a left leaning state, the people are friendlier as well.  Actually, Florida is much better place to live too (born there).



Finally, I survived a major earthquake in El Salvador in October 1986.  It was a horrific event that I will never forget.  Thousands died.  My wife and I were lucky.  Even if California were perfect in every other respect, I would not live in an earthquake zone.  Unless you've survied a major earthquake, you don't know what it's like.



I'm now retired in Florida and enjoying my glass of wine each afternoon watching the sun set in the now oil clogged Gulf of Mexico.  It's still better than California. 




I sought government assistance ONE time.  I mean actively go and get it, had a lawyer and everything and I got it. 



It was the TOUGHEST decision I ever made because I hated, I mean HATED the idea of relying on governmental help because I was raised to be independent but I had to do it.  I had to do it because I made a mistake unwittingly years ago (follies of youth) and I had to pay the piper as it were because it caught up with me and it was a bit of an act of desperation and had very little choice.  (bankruptcy)



I was taught not to look to the government for more than the execution of righteous laws, including and especially the Constitution, and its military defense of the country.   So this was little more than a handout from the government and because it bothered me so much, I actually went to therapy for a short while.  Things are fine now, as I said, this was years ago.



Because of the way I was brought up, and the way I am, I don't see how people can seek government help without trying other avenues first?  And I mean really trying.  Yeah, there are some legit cases, but then you know there are the loafers out there too, and this business of the unemployment benefits has been abused in recent times, especially since it has been certified that the Obeyme administration truly is anti-business and places to work at don't want to hire people in that kind of climate.  So you got two big problems here, the people taking advantage of a situation and the current government taking advantage of a situation and NEITHER one benefits in the end....except the government has tighter control.



So what are people to do?  The options are getting more and more limited these days.



-Jon



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You were planning to apply to an MBA program in finance. But after last April, in the wake of the collapse of Bear Stearns, you started having second thoughts. By September, you decided to put off applying for at least a year, and after Congress began assailing "greedy bankers" every other day, and John Stewart publicly embarrassed Jim Cramer, you dismissed the idea entirely.

Well, that's understandable, but it may be a bit short-sighted. There are a few good reasons to consider applying now:

Reason Number One: Regardless of the popular opinion of investment banking right now, finance is still an extremely useful and indeed critical field. Sure, the days of sky-high salaries and bonuses in investment banking may be rapidly receding, but investment banking is still an integral part of the global financial system. Investment bankers provide capital for firms through the issuances and sale of securities, and handle mergers and acquisitions. When the recession ends, investment banks (and countries) will still need investment bankers.

Moreover, finance itself is not limited to investment banking. You can apply your finance skills to most industries: apply for jobs in the finance departments of consumer products firms, health-care organizations, or even government agencies. If you have overseas experience, consider taking a job abroad. Many foreign firms are seeking workers with knowledge of both the U.S. market and their own. And an MBA program, coupled with the financial skills you will acquire can be a good launching pad for you to start your own business. Bear markets present all kinds of interesting opportunities; an MBA program may position you well to take advantage of them.

Reason Number Two: MBA applicants, and finance applicants in particular, are notoriously competitive. If your peers are also having cold feet, that reduces your competition for admissions. It also potentially reduces your competition for scholarships, and as MBA programs themselves can be quite expensive (an Ivy League degree can easily leave you saddled with six figure student loans), you need to avail yourself of as many potential funding opportunities as possible (particularly if you are footing the bill yourself).

Reason Number Three: Last, but not least, you actually like finance. Employment considerations should not be your sole reason for pursuing or not pursuing a particular degree, just as you should not pursue a degree strictly because you are interested in a field (unless you are already fabulously wealthy). Make sure though that you know what you are getting yourself into. Understand that an interest in personal finance is not the same as having the interest, drive, and abilities to have a successful career in finance. Network with people in the industry, and obtain finance internships to get a better sense of the day-to-day.

If you seriously want to pursue a career in finance, give seriously reconsider pursuing an MBA in the field. A good MBA in finance will provide you with both the solid technical foundation and the professional network necessary to have a successful career.

Sources

Graham Bowley and Louise Story, Crisis Reshaping Wall St. As Stars Begin to Scatter, The New York Times


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US Economy Recovering Faster Than Europe and Japan, IMF Says

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Robin Hood 702 Strikes Again « Liveshots

On a blistering hot Friday morning in Las Vegas, Nevada, an unusual crew strolls out the VIP.

Bob Schieffer Defends Himself Against Fox <b>News</b> On New Black <b>...</b>

CBS News' Bob Schieffer defended himself against Fox News Sunday on CNN's "Reliable Sources." Schieffer, who interviewed Attorney General Eric Holder last weekend on "Face the Nation," came under fire from Fox News' Megyn Kelly for not ...


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Friday, July 16, 2010

personal finance and budgeting


What a fantastic basic concept.

Hitler lost the second world war because he attacked Russia too soon. udervise ve vood all be speeking Deutsch now.


We employed the alternative massively effective budgetting tool.


Be a self employed Engineer for 15 years with take home pay of £50K a year and spend it all (and more besides, because ‘I want one of those NOW’) because ‘my jobs safe’.


Watch as the banks destroy the worlds finances.


Suddenly realise that over 90% of British industry is ultimately owned by Japanese investment banks, who suddenly have no money to fulfill their legal obligations to complete legislation driven improvment projects.


Watch as my £50K a year take home falls to ZERO.


Start a brand new business with Kleeneze (sorry not available in the USA) Which although it’s building really well is , after all, a business and needs time.


Suddenly HAVE to live on £18K a year GROSS.


Best Motivation for re-inventing your budget that anyone can have LOL.


We used to spend about £1,000 a month on groceries, now we spend around £300 a month, AND we eat more healthily.


Fortunately the finance on my car ended a month after our income disappeared saving us £375 a month.


We’ve sold my wifes’ car (THAT hurt) it was a really nice car, but it was costing us £489 a month in finance.


We’ve moved to a cheaper house saving us £400 a month in rent.


We’ve cancelled everything that wasn’t absolutely essential - including SKY and the TV license (It’s true, you don’t die if you turn the telly off!)


We still have creditors who we’re negotiating reduced payments and frozen interest with, but basically we are starting again from scratch.

We won’t fall into the credit trap again

Certainly not in the next six years or more ‘cos no-one in their right mind will give us credit now anyway!!


The one thing that keeps coming back to me though is


WHY aren’t our schools teaching kids how to budget? It’s a thousand times more important than even the basics.


Who cares if you can’t spell budgit if you can make one and stick to it.


It CAN’T be one of the things that are left to parents because nobody ever taught us!


Back to subject,

Your article is brilliant and if it helps one person (which I’m sure it already has) to get out or stay out of debt then you’ve done a service to humanity.


Keep it up &

we’ll see you

OVER the top




What a fantastic basic concept.

Hitler lost the second world war because he attacked Russia too soon. udervise ve vood all be speeking Deutsch now.


We employed the alternative massively effective budgetting tool.


Be a self employed Engineer for 15 years with take home pay of £50K a year and spend it all (and more besides, because ‘I want one of those NOW’) because ‘my jobs safe’.


Watch as the banks destroy the worlds finances.


Suddenly realise that over 90% of British industry is ultimately owned by Japanese investment banks, who suddenly have no money to fulfill their legal obligations to complete legislation driven improvment projects.


Watch as my £50K a year take home falls to ZERO.


Start a brand new business with Kleeneze (sorry not available in the USA) Which although it’s building really well is , after all, a business and needs time.


Suddenly HAVE to live on £18K a year GROSS.


Best Motivation for re-inventing your budget that anyone can have LOL.


We used to spend about £1,000 a month on groceries, now we spend around £300 a month, AND we eat more healthily.


Fortunately the finance on my car ended a month after our income disappeared saving us £375 a month.


We’ve sold my wifes’ car (THAT hurt) it was a really nice car, but it was costing us £489 a month in finance.


We’ve moved to a cheaper house saving us £400 a month in rent.


We’ve cancelled everything that wasn’t absolutely essential - including SKY and the TV license (It’s true, you don’t die if you turn the telly off!)


We still have creditors who we’re negotiating reduced payments and frozen interest with, but basically we are starting again from scratch.

We won’t fall into the credit trap again

Certainly not in the next six years or more ‘cos no-one in their right mind will give us credit now anyway!!


The one thing that keeps coming back to me though is


WHY aren’t our schools teaching kids how to budget? It’s a thousand times more important than even the basics.


Who cares if you can’t spell budgit if you can make one and stick to it.


It CAN’T be one of the things that are left to parents because nobody ever taught us!


Back to subject,

Your article is brilliant and if it helps one person (which I’m sure it already has) to get out or stay out of debt then you’ve done a service to humanity.


Keep it up &

we’ll see you

OVER the top




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Stabroek <b>News</b> - Deal signed in Shanghai for Amaila

Good News but: 1) strange that the Minister went to Parliament to give info.! I mean, as he said, the Pres. is in China. So one figure this was a staged reporting exercise OR, Norway demanded this report to PArliament ...

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: July 15, 2010 (Audio)

TWITTER: @GreenNewsReport The 'GNR' is also now available on your cell phone via Stitcher Radio's mobile app!

Report: Java and MySQL doing fine under Oracle | Software <b>...</b>

OpenSolaris may be having a hard time at Oracle, but months after Oracle's acquisition of Sun Microsystems, Java and MySQL are still viewed positively by users. Read this blog post by Dave Rosenberg on Software, Interrupted.



Free Money Finance dispenses some great advice on how to make more money now by QuizzleTown







Free Money Finance dispenses some great advice on how to make more money now by QuizzleTown






























Thursday, July 15, 2010

foreclosure investing



Hard to say who the worst member of Congress is. But there are few short lists that would exclude narrow-minded and extremist Minnesota religious fanatic Michele Bachmann. However, today isn't about Bachmann. You want Bachmann, you go to DumpBachmann; no one does it better. At the time of the 2008 election, Bachmann was just as odious as she is today. Blue America didn't get involved in that race though because her opponent simply seemed... "better than Bachmann." That standard is too low for us.


And today we're going to meet state Senator Tarryl Clark (below in the comments section), a hard working leader with a proven track record who would be a great candidate whether she were running against Michele Bachmann, or just some garden variety Republican.


People say this suburban/exurban district mostly north of the Twin Cities is too red for a Democrat. But that isn't true. Bush won it in 2004 with 57% and 4 years later McCain took 53% but, the district has also voted to elect Amy Klobuchar to the Senate-- and against Mark Kennedy, the kook who represented the district before Bachmann. And in the 15th senatorial district near St Cloud, the part Tarryl represents-- and which was a GOP bastion before she came along-- the vote totals in that 2006 race were very interesting. Because she knows what it means to work hard and work smart, and with a very committed Wellstone-style of campaigning, Tarryl outpolled everyone on the ballot:


Clark 15581 (56.30%)

Klobuchar 14980 (53.45%)

Pawlenty 14307 (51.1%)

Wetterling 13082 (46.81%)

Bachmann 12542 (44.88%)


MN-06 has the most devastating unemployment rate in Minnesota and the worst foreclosure crisis in the state. But Bachmann has neither understood nor been sympathetic to her constituents finding themselves in a jam because of the vicissitudes of an economy buffeted by disastrous conservative ideological experimentation. She has not only not contributed to finding solutions to these very real problems, she has tried to capitalize of politicizing them.


Tarryl's reaction, as a state legislator, has been the exact opposite. Instead of running around the country and ranting and raving at tea parties, she proven herself an effective leader for the people she represents, working to secure the funds to upgrade the facilities at Saint Cloud State University, working to ensure Central Minnesota’s nursing homes are paid fairly, working to establish a special law enforcement unit to fight gang activities in Central Minnesota.


Tarryl’s been a champion for issues including early childhood and higher education, health care, serving veterans, protecting Minnesotans from predatory lenders, and investing in the local communities that make America strong. Because of that her colleagues elected her to serve as the Senate’s Assistant Majority Leader. Bachmann's colleagues have recognized her as a clown and have tasked her with going on Fox to stir up divisiveness and animosities.


Tarryl’s record of results on reducing unemployment:


• Created 22,000 jobs with last session’s bonding bill


• Helped small businesses add new jobs with Angel Investor Tax Credits


• Authored the Central Minnesota Bioscience Initiative to bring jobs in the biotech industry into the 6th district


• Authored economic development bill that improved workforce development (job training) and expanded the Small Business Growth Acceleration Program, and entrepreneur and small business development grants.


Tarryl’s record of results on reducing foreclosure:


• Authored legislation to protect seniors from predatory lenders and reverse mortgages


• Helped families in keep their homes with the MN Subprime Borrowers Relief Act


• Authored legislation to reduce the burden of property taxes on middle class families


Tarryl is the newest member of the Blue America family. If you can volunteer for her campaign, there's a sign up form here and if you can help the campaign financially, she's on the Blue America endorsed candidates list.




Hard to say who the worst member of Congress is. But there are few short lists that would exclude narrow-minded and extremist Minnesota religious fanatic Michele Bachmann. However, today isn't about Bachmann. You want Bachmann, you go to DumpBachmann; no one does it better. At the time of the 2008 election, Bachmann was just as odious as she is today. Blue America didn't get involved in that race though because her opponent simply seemed... "better than Bachmann." That standard is too low for us.


And today we're going to meet state Senator Tarryl Clark (below in the comments section), a hard working leader with a proven track record who would be a great candidate whether she were running against Michele Bachmann, or just some garden variety Republican.


People say this suburban/exurban district mostly north of the Twin Cities is too red for a Democrat. But that isn't true. Bush won it in 2004 with 57% and 4 years later McCain took 53% but, the district has also voted to elect Amy Klobuchar to the Senate-- and against Mark Kennedy, the kook who represented the district before Bachmann. And in the 15th senatorial district near St Cloud, the part Tarryl represents-- and which was a GOP bastion before she came along-- the vote totals in that 2006 race were very interesting. Because she knows what it means to work hard and work smart, and with a very committed Wellstone-style of campaigning, Tarryl outpolled everyone on the ballot:


Clark 15581 (56.30%)

Klobuchar 14980 (53.45%)

Pawlenty 14307 (51.1%)

Wetterling 13082 (46.81%)

Bachmann 12542 (44.88%)


MN-06 has the most devastating unemployment rate in Minnesota and the worst foreclosure crisis in the state. But Bachmann has neither understood nor been sympathetic to her constituents finding themselves in a jam because of the vicissitudes of an economy buffeted by disastrous conservative ideological experimentation. She has not only not contributed to finding solutions to these very real problems, she has tried to capitalize of politicizing them.


Tarryl's reaction, as a state legislator, has been the exact opposite. Instead of running around the country and ranting and raving at tea parties, she proven herself an effective leader for the people she represents, working to secure the funds to upgrade the facilities at Saint Cloud State University, working to ensure Central Minnesota’s nursing homes are paid fairly, working to establish a special law enforcement unit to fight gang activities in Central Minnesota.


Tarryl’s been a champion for issues including early childhood and higher education, health care, serving veterans, protecting Minnesotans from predatory lenders, and investing in the local communities that make America strong. Because of that her colleagues elected her to serve as the Senate’s Assistant Majority Leader. Bachmann's colleagues have recognized her as a clown and have tasked her with going on Fox to stir up divisiveness and animosities.


Tarryl’s record of results on reducing unemployment:


• Created 22,000 jobs with last session’s bonding bill


• Helped small businesses add new jobs with Angel Investor Tax Credits


• Authored the Central Minnesota Bioscience Initiative to bring jobs in the biotech industry into the 6th district


• Authored economic development bill that improved workforce development (job training) and expanded the Small Business Growth Acceleration Program, and entrepreneur and small business development grants.


Tarryl’s record of results on reducing foreclosure:


• Authored legislation to protect seniors from predatory lenders and reverse mortgages


• Helped families in keep their homes with the MN Subprime Borrowers Relief Act


• Authored legislation to reduce the burden of property taxes on middle class families


Tarryl is the newest member of the Blue America family. If you can volunteer for her campaign, there's a sign up form here and if you can help the campaign financially, she's on the Blue America endorsed candidates list.




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EMMYS: PBS, &#39;60 Minutes&#39; Dominate <b>News</b> and Docu Emmy Noms; Jailed <b>...</b>

PBS once again leads the News and Documentary Emmy nominations announced today with 37 noms, followed by CBS with 31 noms, including 16 for venerable newsmagazine 60 Minutes, the most nominated program by a mile; HBO (20); ...

Bungie.net : Bungie Weekly Update: 07.09.10 : 7/9/2010 2:53 PM PDT

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Washington Post buys personalised <b>news</b> site iCurrent | Media <b>...</b>

The Washington Post Co (NYSE: WPO) has made a small acquisition, buying up personalised news site iCurrent, we have confirmed. By Joseph Tartakoff.




























Friday, July 9, 2010

Buying Investments Online



Roundup, deals, VC


RevenueLoan Pushes New Funding Model, Tippr Expands in Group Buying, Microsoft and Google Lure Startups, & More Seattle-Area Deals News




Gregory T. Huang 6/8/10

OK, things have started to pick up in terms of deals news around the Northwest. This week was headlined by the activities of a trio of well-known characters in the Seattle tech scene.


—Xconomy had an exclusive in-depth interview with entrepreneur Andy Sack about his new company, RevenueLoan, which has raised $6 million from Voyager Capital, Summit Capital, and Founder’s Co-op. The idea is to make “revenue-based” investments in mostly tech startups. That means instead of taking an equity stake in a company, RevenueLoan will get paid a percentage of the company’s future revenues up to a certain multiplier of its investment (typically 3-5x). I first wrote about this investment model, and how it could shake up the VC ecosystem, last fall.


—Seattle-based BigDoor Media, the Internet startup run by Keith Smith and Jeff Malek, raised $5 million in Series B funding led by Boulder, CO-based Foundry Group. BigDoor has developed a software platform that lets Web publishers add videogame-like mechanics to their sites—things like reward points, leader boards, and virtual goods and currencies—with the goal of boosting traffic and revenues. It’s all part of an increasing trend towards “gamification” of the Web, as led by companies like Zynga and Foursquare.


—Seattle-based Tippr.com, the online group-buying site led by Martin Tobias, acquired Chitown Deals, based in Chicago, for an undisclosed amount. Tippr is now active in 10 cities around the U.S. including Chicago, the hometown of deal-of-the-day giant Groupon. Tippr rolled out its website in February, after acquiring the patent portfolio of Mercata, a former dot-com backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital.


—Not exactly deals per se, but it’s interesting to note that Microsoft and Google are appealing to tech startups and developers in new ways. Bing Maps is providing a software development kit for startups to build location-based applications on top of its maps. Meanwhile, the Google Apps Marketplace added another Seattle-area company’s software to its list of offerings. Napera Networks, which makes network management and security software for businesses, earned that distincition from Google.



Gregory T. Huang is Xconomy's National IT Editor and the Editor of Xconomy Boston. You can e-mail him at gthuang@xconomy.com, call 206-624-2249, or follow him at twitter.com/gthuang.





Roundup, deals, VC


RevenueLoan Pushes New Funding Model, Tippr Expands in Group Buying, Microsoft and Google Lure Startups, & More Seattle-Area Deals News




Gregory T. Huang 6/8/10

OK, things have started to pick up in terms of deals news around the Northwest. This week was headlined by the activities of a trio of well-known characters in the Seattle tech scene.


—Xconomy had an exclusive in-depth interview with entrepreneur Andy Sack about his new company, RevenueLoan, which has raised $6 million from Voyager Capital, Summit Capital, and Founder’s Co-op. The idea is to make “revenue-based” investments in mostly tech startups. That means instead of taking an equity stake in a company, RevenueLoan will get paid a percentage of the company’s future revenues up to a certain multiplier of its investment (typically 3-5x). I first wrote about this investment model, and how it could shake up the VC ecosystem, last fall.


—Seattle-based BigDoor Media, the Internet startup run by Keith Smith and Jeff Malek, raised $5 million in Series B funding led by Boulder, CO-based Foundry Group. BigDoor has developed a software platform that lets Web publishers add videogame-like mechanics to their sites—things like reward points, leader boards, and virtual goods and currencies—with the goal of boosting traffic and revenues. It’s all part of an increasing trend towards “gamification” of the Web, as led by companies like Zynga and Foursquare.


—Seattle-based Tippr.com, the online group-buying site led by Martin Tobias, acquired Chitown Deals, based in Chicago, for an undisclosed amount. Tippr is now active in 10 cities around the U.S. including Chicago, the hometown of deal-of-the-day giant Groupon. Tippr rolled out its website in February, after acquiring the patent portfolio of Mercata, a former dot-com backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital.


—Not exactly deals per se, but it’s interesting to note that Microsoft and Google are appealing to tech startups and developers in new ways. Bing Maps is providing a software development kit for startups to build location-based applications on top of its maps. Meanwhile, the Google Apps Marketplace added another Seattle-area company’s software to its list of offerings. Napera Networks, which makes network management and security software for businesses, earned that distincition from Google.



Gregory T. Huang is Xconomy's National IT Editor and the Editor of Xconomy Boston. You can e-mail him at gthuang@xconomy.com, call 206-624-2249, or follow him at twitter.com/gthuang.




Mike Fuljenz Mike Fuljenz

galaxy by Kasarn Designs


























Friday, July 2, 2010

foreclosure listings


From a report emailed to me over the weekend:



At the core of the foreclosure-prevention strategy is ignoring delinquencies. The percentage of older delinquent loans not yet in foreclosure is startling: 60% have at least 12 missed payments, and 35% have at least 18 missed payments. Add to this that three-fourths of delinquent loans are not in foreclosure, and we see that hidden losses well exceed those in the open.


Uh, they're not being "ignored" - this is systemic and intentional fraud.


Remember, these loans are either being held by someone or securitized into some sort of package.  When you have a loan that has no chance of "curing" (to cure a loan with 12 missed payments the borrower would have to come up with the 12 payments to bring it current!) that loan should be carried at its recovery value - that is, the value of the collateral that can be seized and sold, LESS the cost of eviction, remediation and resale.


Does anyone recall all the entries I've written about getting competent legal and accounting (tax) advice before proceeding with any sort of action regarding walking away, short sales or foreclosure?  This same report says:



Many homeowners would be better off going into foreclosure, than doing a short sale. Short sales are fraught with potential legal, credit, and complicated tax issues. For example, someone who refinanced could owe capital gains taxes, which are not forgiven under federal and California temporary debt relief acts. In the foreclosure route, borrowers can live in their house mortgage-free for at least one year, maybe two years. Both short sales and foreclosures are reported as “account not paid in full”, and are equally damaging to a credit score. An exception exists if short sellers can negotiate better terms with their lender on recourse liens. The other possible advantage to a short sale is the ability to get a mortgage again in 2 years (Fannie, Freddie), rather than having to wait 3-5 years after a foreclosure.


Homeowners pursue short sales, unaware of the problems they are creating for themselves. Their agents never warned them of deficiencies, ruined credit, taxes due on forgiven debt, or legal consequences. Agents made flowery promises to get listings, and now the lawsuits are starting.


No, really?  You mean that people in the real estate business are less than truthful with their clients?  That would never, ever happen with licensed professionals, right?


Then there's this, which I also have written about:



Another gray area is junior lien holders asking buyers for additional payments. As the market improved, juniors were no longer content with $3k thrown to them from the senior. They now want 10% of the junior note. They argue the additional payment is legal practice because the payment is made to escrow and appears on the HUD-1. However, they are actually hoping the senior lien holder does not read the HUD-1. The California Association of REALTORS® position is that all payments made by the buyer or agent in the purchase of a short sale must be part of the written short sale agreement signed by the senior lien holder. Concealing payments from seniors is loan fraud, and omitting these payments from the HUD-1 closing statement may violate RESPA. Some seniors reinstate their security interests because of the fraud. It’s surprising that the biggest banks are responding, when pressed on the fraud of their request, “just do it if you want the deal done”.


Right.  Big banks saying "just do it"?  Why would they do that?  Is it so they can re-instate their security interests?  No, nobody would ever do anything that hoses the consumer, would they?  Naw.....



Few people understand that the bank that gave them their mortgage turned around and sold it into a mortgage bond, and the “bank” on their mortgage statement is actually a servicer.


Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that.


As I've been working on (and writing on) for a long time, and as a few attorneys are now starting to understand, the entirety of this process was corrupted and is rife with outright fraud from top to bottom.


Let's go through a (partial) list of the problems:




  • From a report emailed to me over the weekend:



    At the core of the foreclosure-prevention strategy is ignoring delinquencies. The percentage of older delinquent loans not yet in foreclosure is startling: 60% have at least 12 missed payments, and 35% have at least 18 missed payments. Add to this that three-fourths of delinquent loans are not in foreclosure, and we see that hidden losses well exceed those in the open.


    Uh, they're not being "ignored" - this is systemic and intentional fraud.


    Remember, these loans are either being held by someone or securitized into some sort of package.  When you have a loan that has no chance of "curing" (to cure a loan with 12 missed payments the borrower would have to come up with the 12 payments to bring it current!) that loan should be carried at its recovery value - that is, the value of the collateral that can be seized and sold, LESS the cost of eviction, remediation and resale.


    Does anyone recall all the entries I've written about getting competent legal and accounting (tax) advice before proceeding with any sort of action regarding walking away, short sales or foreclosure?  This same report says:



    Many homeowners would be better off going into foreclosure, than doing a short sale. Short sales are fraught with potential legal, credit, and complicated tax issues. For example, someone who refinanced could owe capital gains taxes, which are not forgiven under federal and California temporary debt relief acts. In the foreclosure route, borrowers can live in their house mortgage-free for at least one year, maybe two years. Both short sales and foreclosures are reported as “account not paid in full”, and are equally damaging to a credit score. An exception exists if short sellers can negotiate better terms with their lender on recourse liens. The other possible advantage to a short sale is the ability to get a mortgage again in 2 years (Fannie, Freddie), rather than having to wait 3-5 years after a foreclosure.


    Homeowners pursue short sales, unaware of the problems they are creating for themselves. Their agents never warned them of deficiencies, ruined credit, taxes due on forgiven debt, or legal consequences. Agents made flowery promises to get listings, and now the lawsuits are starting.


    No, really?  You mean that people in the real estate business are less than truthful with their clients?  That would never, ever happen with licensed professionals, right?


    Then there's this, which I also have written about:



    Another gray area is junior lien holders asking buyers for additional payments. As the market improved, juniors were no longer content with $3k thrown to them from the senior. They now want 10% of the junior note. They argue the additional payment is legal practice because the payment is made to escrow and appears on the HUD-1. However, they are actually hoping the senior lien holder does not read the HUD-1. The California Association of REALTORS® position is that all payments made by the buyer or agent in the purchase of a short sale must be part of the written short sale agreement signed by the senior lien holder. Concealing payments from seniors is loan fraud, and omitting these payments from the HUD-1 closing statement may violate RESPA. Some seniors reinstate their security interests because of the fraud. It’s surprising that the biggest banks are responding, when pressed on the fraud of their request, “just do it if you want the deal done”.


    Right.  Big banks saying "just do it"?  Why would they do that?  Is it so they can re-instate their security interests?  No, nobody would ever do anything that hoses the consumer, would they?  Naw.....



    Few people understand that the bank that gave them their mortgage turned around and sold it into a mortgage bond, and the “bank” on their mortgage statement is actually a servicer.


    Actually, it's a bit more complicated than that.


    As I've been working on (and writing on) for a long time, and as a few attorneys are now starting to understand, the entirety of this process was corrupted and is rife with outright fraud from top to bottom.


    Let's go through a (partial) list of the problems: