Fiscal Fool

LFO- Summer Girls

2006-08-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

I don't know if anyone is else is familiar with the comedy song by LFO entitled "Summer Girls" but it could quite possibly be the damn stupidest song ever created. How could a record label sign off on a song that was probably created as a jingle for Abercrombie & Fitch but was so stupid corporate declined it. If you are not familiar with this tragedy it's the boy band song that raps/talks about girls "wearing Abercrombie & Fitch". Everytime I hear it I start out laughing at the lyrics but by the end I want to bash my head through the steering wheel. It must have taken close to 9 minutes to write because any words that rhyme were accepted. For example here is an excerpt from Verse 1:

"Hip Hop Marmalade spic And span,
Met you one summer and it all began"

What the hell does that mean? It sounds like a f*cking ethnic slur.

Exhibit 2:
"When you take a sip you buzz like a hornet
Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets"

A dude who writes like this is cleary incapable of reading Shakespeare and therefore should not be allowed to call him "Billy" or reference him in a song.

Exhibit 3:

"Stayed all summer then went back home,
Macauly Culkin wasn't Home Alone
Fell deep in love,but now we ain't speaking
Michael J Fox was Alex P Keaton"

I kind of want to vomit. Was it really that hard to find a rhyme for "home" and "speaking" that you had to reference decade old TV. Instead he could have used:

--Stayed all summer then went back home,
I am such a loser I am going to die alone
Fell deep in love,but now we ain't speaking
At five years old my life was peaking--

Exhibit 4:
"There was a good man named Paul Revere
I feel much better baby when you're near"

I will almost guarantee he picked up the name Paul Revere from the Beastie Boys song. NOT a history book

Exhibit 5: (My personal favorite)
"Bugaloo shrimp and pogo sticks
My mind takes me back there oh so quick
Let you off the hook like my man Mr. Limpet
Think about that summer and I bug,cause I miss it"

There is no reason to ever use Bugaloo shrimp and pogo sticks in the same sentence. EVER! AND WHO THE F*CK IS MR. LIMPET?

A quick Google search came up with this description for Mr. Limpet:
"Milquetoast Henry Limpet experiences his fondest wish and is transformed into a fish. As a talking fish he assists the US Navy in hunting German submarines during World War II."

Now he is referencing some sick bastard who had a demented fish fetish and ends up becoming one. But, not just any fish, he becomes a talking WWII hero nazi killing fighting fish.

If you are interested in reading the LFO - Summer Girls Farce here is a link.

Free Invisible Statcounter

2006-07-29T15:20:00.000-04:00

For the last few months I have been using a free statcounter service to keep track of my stats and for the most part I am very satisfied. I mostly use it for my other site(shittystories.com) that actually gets traffic but I also use it to my keep track of my few Fiscal Fool hits. Regardless, the last couple weeks I have noticed that the statcounter.com numbers don't match the numbers from my network ad companies. For example, some days I might have 1000 hits on statcounter.com and 800 on Adbrite and Adengage. I have to use these programs due to the fact Google won't let me use Adsense because I have "profanity" in my URL. I have probably seen 50 sites that contain ads with nude girls next to Adsense but my URL is more concerning for them....the worst thing on my site is the word "shit". I am a bitter little man.....Moving forward. I think the issue is that statcounter.com counts when people use the back button to go back to a page they have already viewed as a hit where as Adbrite and Adengage probably do not. As anyone else noticed this trend or have any suggestions?

Purchase Agreement

2006-06-30T10:08:00.000-04:00

So I signed a Purchase Agreement to buy a loft in Midtown Detroit and I kind of want to throw up. I thought I was getting a sweet deal due to the awesome tax abatements I am receiving but the stupid association fees, for the most part, negate any saving. The Purchase Agreement is still contingent on a walk through of the building so that helps me sleep at night. I kind of want to just rent a dilapidated shack some where and live ghetto fabulous for the rest of my life. That way I could still piss away money on stupid things instead of doing boring things like investing in real estate or becoming an adult. I think I'll check into it.

My sister's blog is making more money than me

2006-06-22T12:02:00.000-04:00

How about the fact my sister's blog- A Broad Studying in Ireland - is making more money then mine after about 3 weeks. Granted she has something interesting to talk about and a well defined niche. But, I have been at it for a lot longer and am capable of using complete sentences although I have mostly been concentrating on Shitty Stories lately. Once I am down working for the summer I do intend to get back to work. I can't lose to a girl who spends most of her time trying to find her way home for the pub...I mean work.

GM capping gas prices at $1.99

2006-05-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

GM announced that in California and Florida they will be capping gas prices for consumers who purchase one of their gas-guzzling hogs. People who purchase a new 2006/2007 Tahoe, Suburban, H2, H3, or Yukon will get rebates on their gas prices over $1.99. To receive the rebates they will have to sign up for OnStar but this still seems ridiculous to me. I have very little sympathy for someone having high gasoline bills when:

a. They chose to buy a living room on wheels as a status symbol
b. They paid $40,000 - $50,000 for the vehicle to begin with

Why is GM catering to the rich assholes that are going to drive like idiots, ride my bumper in traffic, and weave in and out of cars in the snow like 4x4 means instant stopping?

Please advise.

Exchange Traded Fund Gains

2006-05-23T13:02:00.000-04:00

I wrote an entry a few days back on starting a portfolio with only $100. MSN has put the portfolio into action and at this point seems to be up about 9.3%. Not bad. Although it would appear they cheated because the article was published sometime last week and there portfolio already has like $250 dollars in it. Regardless it looks like something that I may want to consider.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETF)

2006-05-20T12:10:00.000-04:00

After reading an article a few weeks back about starting to invest with as little as a $100 I started to give some thought to Exchange Traded Funds (ETF). I hit up one of my buddies who is a financial planner and asked for a few ETFs to consider. He came back with a few suggestions and I have been watching them rather closely. The problem I have with ETFs is that they are so boring! I only own a few positions and all of them are high risk - high return stocks. I enjoy watching throughout the week as my stocks go up 10% in a day then drop 12% the next day just to go back up 5% the following. It is a small jolt of excitement in on an otherwise mundane work week. The ETF's just kind of sit there and only move based on credible market elements. I prefer the rollercoaster ride of the news driven, yet to turn a profit, gambler stocks. I am fully aware that this is not a strong basis for anyone's portfolio but I figure that is what my 403B is for, this is to try and score the big one. I have yet to hit anything big that sustained it's growth but I figure by the laws of probability I should hit at least hit one before I die. The laws do say that, right?

How to start Investing with only $100

2006-05-17T14:45:00.000-04:00

I came across an article on MSN that offers a plan to start investing with a $100. The premise is to begin buying Exchange-Traded Funds (ETF) using Sharebuilder as your broker. I have never used Sharebuilder but the fact that they offer $4 trades makes me wonder why I am using E*Trade. The plan lays out five different ETFs and advises you to balance your portfolio between them by purchasing $100 worth of ONE fund per month. The idea of only purchasing one particular fund a month is to lower the comission costs. Start by setting specific allocation percentages for each fund you intend to buy and hold to them by using the new money you invest each month to balance your portfolio. For example if one of the funds took off and now holds a dominate percentage of your portfolio you will want to invest your new money into one of the funds that is furtherst behind your target allocation. It seems weird to invest in the underperforming fund but the author stresses DISCIPINE is the key to solid investing. I am going to try something similar to this idea. We'll see how it goes. Based on my track record I am going to guess poorly.

Stocks poised for a fall

2006-05-15T08:29:00.000-04:00

What a dismal beginning to a week. I walk in Monday morning, grab a coffee and a bagel, sit down at my computer to read the financial news hoping for some kind of breakout day for at least one of my stocks and I find this article ruining the stock trading day before it begins. I'm not really up on this "futures" deal but I think I might hate it. It seems like it could almost be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I came in this morning thinking about buying another position and after reading what the futures predict I am wondering if I should sell everything I own. Do the big boys just do this to cause a sell off and then buy everything up at cheap price?

Estate Sales and eBay

2006-05-12T17:02:00.000-04:00

I mentioned to a coworker today that I might get up early-ish tomorrow and hit up a few estate sales to look for items for the home I intend to buy so I won't have to buy everything after I move in. When I said that she kind of chuckled and told me she wanted to show me something. We went into my office and she proceeded to login into eBay. Apparently this women spends most of her free time either hunting for things to sell on eBay or researching the items she has acquired. The thing I can not get over is the profit margin on some of the items. She must have a magic eye or something because she showed me probably a dozen items, keep in mind she has over 80 listed, that she bought for a few bucks and sold for $30, $50, or even $100. It's not even like they were all precious antiques or something either, some of the items were from outlet stores like dishes and kitchen items. So with that said I am going to every Estate Sale within a hundred miles tomorrow and buying anything and everything. I have no idea what I am doing or what I am looking for but I assure that come tomorrow evening I will have a pile of shit consisting things I don't need and probably can't sell. I am a simple minded idiot.

Stern and CBS Broadcasting near settlement

2006-05-12T11:46:00.000-04:00

Apparently CBS Broadcasting and Howard Stern are near a settlement in the case over Stern's move to Sirius Satelite Radio. I am hoping and praying that after this stupid suit is settle Sirius will finally stop sliding. I think the stock is at like $4.32 right now and is at a new 52 week low. This sucks!

Customer service improving at Ford and the Big 3?

2006-05-09T08:55:00.000-04:00

For as long as I have been alive it has been an obvious, yet hushed secret that the customer service of Big 3 is not actually concerned with serving the customer. It always seemed that they would sh*t on your loyalty for a $3 part. Well, long behold, the times might be changing. A few days ago a friend of mine was driving to work and hit a pothole in his Mercury Sable blowing out one of the front springs. Apparently their had been a recall on the springs due to their propensity to break and puncture tires causing serious accidents. My friend took his car in and instead of fixing the faulty spring they fixed a shield around it to prevent the spring from puncturing the tire. They did nothing to fix the actual defective spring. So when it finally blew he called Ford expressing his discontent. Amazingly after 45 minutes of banter Ford told him they would warranty his springs for 150,000 miles and that he could take his car into any dealership and have it repaired at no cost to him. I am still amazed. Maybe the Big 3 has seen the error of their way and no longer intend to treat the customer as the enemy. I really hope so because I just bought a GMC.

Truth about Credit Card Debt

2006-05-08T09:19:00.000-04:00

As the myth goes Americans, on average, carry around $9,000 of credit card debt. In reality most Americans carry $0 and of the households that do carry over a balance the figure is actually closer to $2,200 according to an article that appeared on MSN today. The article goes on to claim that over a quarter of American households do not even have credit cards and another 31.5% of people paid off their cards. Together that means that over 56% of all American households have ZERO credit card debt.

The article, siting a recent survey of 4522 people, also found that the amount of non-mortagage debt held by Americans is much lower than previously thought. Of the people surveyed 40% had a credit card balance less than $1000 and 15% had a balance over $10,000. Minus mortage debt 48% of all consumers have debt balance less than $5000. A far cry from the idea that on average we all have 9K.

Is it a good time to buy Sirius Satelite Radio

2006-05-07T11:25:00.000-04:00

I already own about 200 shares of Sirius Satelite Radio (SIRI) and I am thinking I should buy more. Sirius released their first quarter earnings last week and although their losses had almost doubled their subscriptions beat expectations. It was the second quarter in a row that Sirius had beat XM in subscriber growth. I am well aware that Sirius has all kinds of costs mostly related to Howard Stern's contract but, for whatever reason, people love the guy and are willing to pay $13 a month to listen to him rant and rave. The kicker for me is that come June Sirius expects to have the capability to listen to the Howard Stern Show via the internet. I have a feeling that the ability to listen to Howard at work on your computer is going to appeal to a ton of people and even persuade some of the people who are on the fence to sign up Sirius. I am also wondering if the crazy amount of traffic to Sirius's website would also create another revenue channel since they could put ads on the website, something they can not do on thier satelite radio stations.

Kentucky Derby Jockeys get Stiffed

2006-05-05T12:40:00.000-04:00

I had no idea how bad jockey's get dumped on. If you watch the movie Seabiscuit it looks as if jockeys spend thier time riding horses, drinking booze, starving themselves, and occasionally boxing. Turns out it is way worse. This article explains the call for reforms and how bad those little guys really have it. Most importantly did anybody see the Simpsons episode with the jockeys? Guess they actually don't live underground in a fiberglass tree, the owners don't pay them enough to buy a shovel.

Websites to help pass the work day

2006-05-04T01:30:00.000-04:00

Work sucks! Here are a couple of websites I visit, outside of pfblogs.org, to pass the workday.

www.break.com - funny videos
www.ebaumsworld.com Famous site with videos and sound boards
www.bored.com - More videos
www.shittystories.com (my site) - True, funny stories about people that couldn't hold it
www.strangereports.com - Online pranks

Exxon CEO has solution to gas prices

2006-05-03T11:32:00.000-04:00

Exxon Mobil CEO claims he has the answer to our gas price problem and it is rather simple. "Use less of our stuff". Clearly this must be something he learned in one of his Ivy League MBA courses because that fact he would tell us to use less of his product or "stuff" seems too easy. There must be some hidden, message that I can not decipher. The article I read claims that there is nothing that the lawmakers can do and, I believe that, but must he patronize us by saying things like "Be efficient with it, don't waste it." Eat shit, oil guy! On the efficient tip, I just spoke with a lady that bought a Toyoya Prius and she claims she gets 55mpg with a high of 59mpg. Not bad. Buy a Prius seems to me like a more beneficial tip than "use less of our stuff".

Vices hurting your finances?

2006-05-02T13:05:00.000-04:00

I read an article today on MSN that for the most part ruined my day. As the Pistons get ready to make a run at the NBA championship and I get ready to make a run at every sports bar in Detroit I stumble upon a study about how vices(read things that make you happy) kill your budget. I really don't care about the cigarette part since I don't smoke but the beer and coffee really hit home. Why would did I read this article? I knew it couldn't be good.

Student loans help sidestep marriage?

2006-05-02T09:59:00.000-04:00

Hindsight is 20/20. I am kicking myself for not taking out more student loans. According to this article on CNN Money having more student loan debts is the key to perpetual youth and happiness. Apparently a large student loan debt can delay adult-type things like buying a home or marriage. If I would have know I could have borrowed money to not work and party in college then after graduation use my debt as an excuse to prolong growing up I would have been all over it. DAMNIT!

Credit Card Tricks

2006-05-01T12:38:00.000-04:00

Article on MSN about stupid credit card tricks that lenders use to screw consumers over. I'll admit when I was in college I got crushed by Discover. I was late on a payment or two and my APR went up to around 23%. I had no idea what was going on until I got a real job and was seated next to a frugal, little dude that paid attention to his finances. Consequently he now owns a condo, a house, and a business and all I own is this stupid blog.

This week's IPOs

2006-05-01T08:19:00.000-04:00

Four IPOs are scheduled to be released this week. Delek U.S. Holdings, DynCorp International, Novacea, and Northstar Neuroscience are all expected to be sold in the $11 - $17 range. The one I am most curious about is DynCorp, keep in mind I know very little about IPOs or DynCorp but, from what I have read they are a private contractor for military services which to me looks pretty promising based on the state of the world. Can a little guy like me get into an IPO using E*Trade or do you have to have a certain amount of assets in your account? If you are interested here is an article with more info.

30% off at Borders

2006-04-28T09:27:00.000-04:00

Printable coupon but I think it is only good for one regular priced item.

Stock Market

2006-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

According to this article on CNN Money there is a saying on Wall Street "sell in May and walk away" in regard to the next six months of the calandar year. Is this for real? Am I really suppose to dump everything because it is spring? If so what the hell do I do with the money? If I put it my checking account I know I will end up pissing it away and end up needing a loan in November to get back into the game. What does everybody else do?

Free gas from the government?

2006-04-27T11:30:00.000-04:00

Senators to push for $100 gas rebate checks. Not sure this is answer to the gas problem but I could certainly use the check.

Earnings Call Today

2006-04-27T08:25:00.000-04:00

Conexant (CNXT) has scheduled their earnings call for 5pm today. I intend to hold onto to my few shares which might be an indication for everyone else to sell theirs shares quickly. We'll see this evening.

Stock Market Game

2006-04-26T15:57:00.000-04:00

I understand that playing the stock market is somewhat of game but I feel as though I am playing one on one against Lebron James. It is amazing that every stock I sell goes up consistently and everything I keep dips until I decide to sell it. I am also aware that I am not a great stock market guru but, surely the probability of me accidentally keeping a good a stock has to be greater than zero. I am going to start posting anytime I sell a stock so you guys can jump on the wagon and make a few bucks.

Salary Inequity Bargaining tools

2006-04-26T11:08:00.000-04:00

The job market is heating up and hiring practices are getting pretty aggressive. People looking for new jobs are getting handsome packages while workers that stuck it out during tough times and pay freezes are left holding the bag. That is bullshit. There's an article on CNN Money that gives some stats and bargaining tools that could help when you go to your boss because the new guy got a signing bonus and your Christmas bonus was a coffee cup.

Click Fraud

2006-04-26T09:51:00.000-04:00

There is an interesting article on fool.com that cites a study by Click Forensics claiming click fraud is drastically overstated. According to the article only 1/8 of all clicks are fraudulent which seems like a high number but when contrasted with the fact that 88% of the clicks are from legitimately interested consumers it is less alarming. Compared with traditional advertising mechanisms such as billboards and print ads that probably miss their targeted audience most of the time it seems like a good investment.

Sirius signs Mark Cuban

2006-04-25T12:16:00.000-04:00

Sirius Satelite Radio - (SIRI) signed my boy Mark Cuban to do a radio talk show. For anyone who doesn't know Mark Cuban is an internet billionaire who made his fortune selling broadcast.com to Yahoo. He now owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and is famous for his courtside/idiotic behavior. He also runs a blog called blog maverick.

Fit and Frugal

2006-04-25T08:44:00.000-04:00

Some good ideas on being Fit and Frugal although if you don't live in Metro Detroit a couple of them are, for the most part, useless. I was unaware about the discounted gym memberships.

The housing bubble has popped?

2006-04-25T08:18:00.000-04:00

An informative article on msn.com claiming that the housing bubble has popped. I do feel for the people that are left holding the bag but for a guy like me looking to buy his first house, with nothing to sell, times could not be better.

What is better 403B or Roth IRA?

2006-04-24T23:40:00.000-04:00

I have been contributing to my 403B for almost a year and a half now. I think it is going well. I have a friend at Merril Lynch that is managing it and getting good returns by my estimation. I guess my concern is whether or not I should be putting the money into an IRA instead since my employer does not match anything. Does a 403B have any advantages over an IRA? Does an IRA have any advantages over a 403B? Is there a straight answer? Someone please advise.

A/C saves gas?

2006-04-24T18:47:00.000-04:00

There's a video on CNN that offers tips on saving gas. If you don't want to watch it, it's really boring, I'll give you the highlights.

1. Driving with your air conditioner on saves gas because today's cars are so aerodynamic that having the windows down is less efficient. This does not apply to traffic. In traffic windows go down, AC goes off.

2. Cruise Control saves gas because you drive at a steady rate.

3. Make sure you have plenty of air in your tires

4. Grade of fuel is irrelevant. Use cheapest grade your owner's guide will allow.

5. Running your car for one minute instead of turning it off does not save gas.

How to spend more money?

2006-04-24T14:21:00.000-04:00

Check out this article on CNN Money. What is wrong with this dude? How can you have trouble spending money? I think I might have spent $3 while I was typing this entry and this guy can't find things to spend money on?

Are ARM's stupid?

2006-04-23T17:30:00.000-04:00

I have a buddy at Rock Financial and he hooked me up with a mortgage, actually two mortgages. I guess the idea is that since I am looking to put as little as possible down and the two loans will eliminate the need to pay PMI. I'm not really worried because I believe him but I am curious if this is a standard practice? I don't intend to live in the house for a real long time, maybe 5-7 years. The first ARM portion of my loan is for 7 years. Does this make sense to anyone?

eBay Gold

2006-04-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

My buddy is friends with an attorney who recently had a client pass away. The client left behind a decent house in a great neighborhood but that is not the treasure. The treasure is the heaps and heaps of rubbish littering the house. For example, when I was over there this weekend the attorney stumbled across a huge stamp collection he estimates is worth $40-$50K, six pounds of gold(she use to make jewelry), maps from WWII complete with Nazi emblems, and thousands of dollars in cash stashed around the house. With that said, I am going to have to cut this entry short.....I'm heading over to my grandpa's house to go through his basement.

Bout of Idiocy: Adding to the Credit Card

2006-04-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

I am weak and pathetic. After using one in Southern Florida I came home and decided I needed to buy a kayak....ASAP. I had never used a kayak before, EVER. I rode one for about 20 minutes on the ocean and decided this could quite possibly be the answer to all of life's problems. I headed to Dick's Sporting Goods, after doing some research, thinking it's only $130, I've lost more playing blackjack at the casino but my research was apparently not thorough. As I made my way to the checkout I noticed there were no paddles. Assuming paddles were a cheap accessory I moseyed over to the paddle section to find that they were about $50 per paddle and I need to two as they inflatable kayak is for two people. When it was all said and done I dropped $220 on a stupid inflatable kayak that is presently sitting on my living room and probably will for the rest of the summer. Shoot me.

Looking for a new job?

2006-04-21T11:06:00.000-04:00

Take a look at the last job in this CNN Money article that apparently was posted on Monster. I think most of the visitors to pfblogs.org are probably qualified.

Day Trading Idea

2006-04-20T13:51:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking about doing some day trading. Nothing crazy or out of hand and just one stock in particular. I own a small amount of Conexant(CNXT) and I swear this damn stock fluctuates almost weekly between $3.00 and $3.80. Every time it goes down it sure enough goes right back up and every time it gets back up it goes right back down. Has anyone ever done anything like this? I was going to use my e*Trade account so the commissions are only like $13. I'm not looking to make a ton of money, for the most part I just think it would be fun to gamble at work. Advice?

Too much money

2006-04-19T15:55:00.000-04:00

I just got back from Palm Beach, Florida this morning after spending the weekend looking at all the crazy money down there and I had an epiphany. I never want to be that rich. Not that it is likely I will ever amass those kinds of fortunes but the fact of the matter is I don't want to. The filthy rich bother me. They are totally oblivious and detached from the rest of the world. They live in these adult fantasy playgrounds and are rude to the people that make these fantasies reality by being at their beckon call. I saw some people being snotty to a couple waitresses and I wanted to punch them in the head. The ironic part is that these rude rich people would surely die if it wasn't for these restaurant people because I am willing to bet most of them could not function a microwave let alone feed themselves for any extended period of time. I am positive that all rich people are not like this but the few that are need to go on Survivor for a few weeks so we can all laugh at them as they wither away to nothing.

E-Filing with IRS

2006-04-18T11:37:00.000-04:00

I just read an article where the IRS was pissing and moaning about people buying software like TurboTax to do their taxes then printing out the return and mailing it in. According to the IRS it cost $2.49 to process a mailed return and $.78 to do it electronically. If the IRS wants people to E-file the answer is simple. Don't charge them a fee. For people that are in no hurry to get their return back, why would they pay the extra money to IRS, who has already taken so much, just to get their check a couple weeks earlier?

Home Price Just Reduced

2006-04-15T12:53:00.000-04:00

I just got a call from my real estate lady and apparently a house that I like a lot has been reduced by $7,500. I was considering making an offer on the house at the old price but I thought I would have all kinds of time since the house has been on the market forever. I told the agent I would love to get in the house again when I get back from Florida on Thursday and she said someone else was considering making an offer early in the week but she would "try to stall them". Just my abysmal luck. I wonder if this just a tactic she is using to get me to make an offer or the real deal? Buying a house is way too hard. I wonder if my parents will let me move back in?

Unitrin Insurance

2006-04-14T18:41:00.000-04:00

Has anyone ever used or, for that matter, heard of Unitrin Insurance? A couple of my buddies use it and they swear that Unitrin is cheaper. Both guys have more than one vehicle where as I will only have insurance on one. I am just curious if they are reputable. Anyone have any experience dealing with them?

Future of Detroit and the Auto Industry

2006-04-14T15:20:00.000-04:00

Another article about the problems plaguing Detroit and the Auto Industry. Sad fact that writers from around the country, along with everyone in Michigan, can identify the issues but the Big Three management with their MBA and stock options can not.

Cost of Living

2006-04-14T10:22:00.000-04:00

There is an interesting tool on CNNMoney.com that compares the cost of living between cities of your choice. I just did a comparison of Detroit and Charleston, SC and it appears that sunshine, warm weather, and a nearby ocean is actually cheaper than perma-gray skies, frigid weather, and a dirty lake. Go figure.

The Best Investment I Ever Made

2006-04-13T20:24:00.000-04:00

About three years ago I dropped three grand to have LASIK eye surgery. According to the commercial I saw this morning, now you can get the surgery for less than half what I paid. Regardless, I do not regret it for second. Having worn contacts for 10 years and now being able to to just jump out of bed without crawling to the table with my contacts is worth almost any price. The surgery itself only took 15 minutes or so but it was a little weird. It entails somone cutting a flap into your cornea, peeling it back, then you staring at a red dot for a couple minutes. It was hard for me because the stupid Doctor kept yelling to stare at the light and, I admit, I was having difficulty but that was because MY CORNEA WAS MISSING! But, if you can get past the 15-20 minutes of akwardness it is pretty much painless and definitely life changing. I highly recommend it.

Tactics for Cheaper Airfare

2006-04-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

I booked a trip to Florida this week and thought I would share some of the tactics I compiled on how to save on flights. You've probably read most of these but even if you pick up one new trick it is probably worth it.

1. Shop on Wednesday. That is when the databases are reloaded with new flights.
2. Look for nearby airports that might be cheaper. For example Newark for NYC or Baltimore for Washington, D.C.
3. Check for seats after midnight or as soon as you can after. People may have reserved but not paid for their flight and the computer would be updated.
4. Sites like www.site59.com have last minutes packages that only go out two weeks. Good deal if you don't have a specific spot in mind.
5. When an airline announces a sale to a specific place there is a pretty good chances other airlines will follow suit, so be on the lookout and call or click around.
6. If you are flying in the US, some of the least expensive flights are available on the smaller airlines which are owned by the major airlines, for instance Delta Express and Metro-Jet.

I found a package for $400 that included airfare and a hotel on the ocean in Southern Florida for three nights. Pretty good, I think. I did it on a Wednesday evening.

Boats are so expensive!

2006-04-13T15:23:00.000-04:00

I just spoke to my father and it looks like it is going to cost us about $2500 to dock the boat this summer and winter on the Detroit River. On top of this expense it will cost another $75 or so to paint the bottom with VC17 paint, as if we ever race anyone, and another few hundred to have the hull wheeled out. Regardless, I'm off to marina to at pick out a good slip. I mean it has been sunny and warm here for 12 hours.....better get the boat in the water!

Real Estate Agents

2006-04-13T12:24:00.000-04:00

I'm going to look at some houses today or tomorrow with a couple of Real Estate agents. I'm debating whether or not I should hire them. They both seem like nice ladies and I would guess they are not crooked but I am still a little leery about inking them because I don't know what to look for in a Real Estate agent. Basically, all I am looking for in a house is a good value. Something that will someday make me some money. I go look at houses with these ladies and they keep saying things like "oh, I see you really like knobby pine" or "so, you don't like shotgun style ranches". LADY, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THOSE THINGS ARE! What am I suppose to be looking for in a Real Estate person?

Grocery store study

2006-04-13T10:35:00.000-04:00

My friend just took a quiz for his MBA class and one of the questions was "what percentage of items purchased at grocery stores are impulse buys". The options were "5%, 35%, 55%, 85%". He chose 35% and was wrong. The answer according to the study his teacher cited was 55%. That is insane to me. How simple are we? Next time I go to the store I'm incorporating a new set of rules so those bastards won't get me.
1. Six kinds of mustard is unneccesary when three will suffice.
2. Four dipping options are not needed for one container of hummos
3. Buying half a dozen items to make a Boboli pizza is stupid when I can buy a Hot & (not) Ready pizza from Little Ceasars for $5.
4. No gum will ever make my teeth whiter

Now it's on.

Another way to clip a few bucks

2006-04-12T21:40:00.000-04:00

I just had my roommate cut my hair. I'm not sure if it was a great idea or not yet. I need to quiz some objective people in the morning. If it works out I could save roughly $30 a month. If it does not I may end up in jail since he convinced everything would be fine. Details to come.

Why stock prices don't go up

2006-04-12T14:47:00.000-04:00

I found this post on Mark Cuban's blog titled, blog maverick. If you watch the guy on TV during NBA basketball games you would think he is a nutjob but, in actuality, he is one smart dude. Beyond the fact that he and some friends created the technology, and later sold, for broadcast.com he also has a keen mind for business. I prefer to listen to his angry rants and recommendations about the stock market then some stiff from Wallstreet. Regardless, he put together this post on the disconnect between CEO's and shareholders and the myths that are the foundation. He might have a firm grasp on all things business but he's definitely wrong if he thinks his Mavericks can hang with the Pistons.

Gas prices may fall as it gets hotter

2006-04-12T12:05:00.000-04:00

There's another article right next to the one I just posted that says prices may actually fall as the weather get's hotter. That is slightly comforting since I just started paying on a loan for a truck.

Why gas prices go up?

2006-04-12T11:56:00.000-04:00

There is a very informative article in USA Today on not only the future of gas prices but the reasons behind them. Now, maybe I am just stupid, and that is a distinct possibilty, but I had no idea why other states paid more or less than where I live or whether or not oil companies are just gorging us.(the article is a little grey on that one). Here's the article if you are interested.

Coffee Price Analysis

2006-04-12T07:51:00.000-04:00

I love Vanilla Hazelnut coffee from Einstein's Bagels, it's my fuel. I rely it on it's fake energy boost so much that I spend most of my workday irritable and fighting with inanimate objects. Unfortunately, it is not a cheap fuel, it may be on par with gasoline. I started buying the packages of beans to make the coffee at my house to save a few bucks but, in reality, I think it may have cost more. For whatever reason, I always seem to accidentally make a little more than I need. My new thought, which I think I might start tomorrow, is to buy one of there plastic cups and do the refill thing for around $1. I figure it is a two-fold solution. One, I get cheaper coffee that I don't have to make. Two, I drink less coffee and don't punch or kick any printers at work. The toaster at home is still going to get it though.

Decreased Comcast cable bill

2006-04-11T19:04:00.000-04:00

My 6 month new customer deal with Comcast recently expired so I decided to called them up and see what they could do for me. I gave them a spiel about how I could switch over to DirectTV and it would only be $40 to receive a similar amount of programming. The lady took about 2.4 seconds to say "please hold on and I will see what I can do" after about 20 seconds she came back and had lowered my price around 10%. I told her I appreciated it and that we really loved the high speed internet but we could not justify spending the extra money. She asked me to please hold again and came back with an even lower price. I think all and all she reduced our price for Internet and Digital cable with HBO in the vicinity of $50. It bothers me that it is so easy for them to lower the price. If that is what the product is worth why are they gorging us?

Bad times good for pawn shops

2006-04-11T13:26:00.000-04:00

Here's an article from Detroit Free Press that pretty much sums up the declining financial state of the area. The fact that people need to take a $5 pawn shop loan for gas doesn't leave me with a real healthy feeling.

Auto Industry looks dismal

2006-04-11T10:51:00.000-04:00

I have a bad feeling about things here in Michigan. The auto industry seems to be standing on one, broken, wobbly leg. Every where you look you hear or see a sign that things are going to turn for the worse. Everyone knows of someone that has been affected negatively. The Big Three are in such big trouble and they seem to think the best way to stay afloat is to spread the problem around among their suppliers. They do things like demand price cuts and make them retroactive so that suppliers are actually cutting them checks. Scary. There was an article on MSN by one of their Senior Market Editors that said GM's decision to sell GMAC could actually be bad for the nation. I haven't read any of this guy's stuff before so I don't if he is the real deal. Here is the article.

Free 32MB USB Drive

2006-04-11T10:11:00.001-04:00

I found this offer on one of the Deal of the Day websites I frequent. I believe it was www.slickdeals.net

Free USB Drive from Audi

Opening Day - Inflation

2006-04-10T08:36:00.000-04:00

Projected prices for 2006/2007 season:

Round of beers - $48
Four hotdogs - $30
Parking - $20
Having a friend who does not drink and is willing to cart four idiots around downtown Detroit for the day - PRICELESS!

Hope everyone else has a wonderful day at work. SUCKERS!

GO TIGERS!

Stupid Purchase of the Week

2006-04-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

Earlier in the week I bought a striped sports jacket. In the store it was looked awesome, that mannequin could not have looked cooler. Distracted by the moxy of the plastic man I bought the stupid coat. I want to clarify that there is nothing wrong with sports jackets. I am just not cool enough to wear them. Most other people can pull it off but I am the kind of person that gets in trouble for wearing Nike's to work and won't go to a restaurant that requires you to put a napkin on your lap. The idea of me purchasing a sports jacket is probably equivalent to a fat guy buying a treadmill after the first of the year. It's just not going to get used. With that said, I am looking to correct this error via eBay. So if anyone is looking for a never worn sports jacket there should be one on eBay real soon.

Worthwhile to payoff off student loans?

2006-04-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

I am debating whether or not to pay off my student loans. I owe about $1800, the remaining amount of the $3000 I borrowed so I could avoid getting a job my senior year. I can't seem to find the interest rate anywhere but I know from my taxes I paid $83 in interest this year. I am thinking that with such a low interest rate and a monthly payment of $50 there is no reason to rush. I can do a lot of other, more exciting things with the $1800. I'm thinking of increasing my monthly payment to $75 or $100 a month instead of dropping the whole $1800. Does that make sense or should I just pay it off? Anyone have any thoughts?

Detroit is #1

2006-04-08T11:26:00.000-04:00

Detroit may have more urban decay than any city in the United States, a thug for a Mayor, and a City Council that is so amazingly stupid and ignorant it should be made into a sitcom. But the fact of the matter is we are still number one!

NBA

1. Pistons .............61-15
2. San Antonio....58-18
3. Dallas...............57-19

NHL
1.Wings...........53-15-8
2. Ottawa .........50-18-8
3. Carolina.......51-20-6
4. Dallas...........50-21-5

AL CENTRAL
1. Tigers .................4-0
2.Cleveland.............3-1
3. Kansas City .........1-2

NFC NORTH
1. Lions...................0-0
2. Chicago...............0-0
3. Green Bay...........0-0
4. Minnesota...........0-0

Beer: Cheap, Premium, Light or Heavy?

2006-04-07T15:11:00.000-04:00

It is quickly approaching Happy Hour so with beer on my mind I thought I would try to generate a discussion about it. What kind of beer do the budget conscious drink? I can see this going two routes. One, the frugal person drinks cheap beer that comes in 30 pack cubes like Busch or Stroh's. I have no problem with those choices. Two, the value conscious person that demands value from their dollar and therefore is willing to drop an extra buck or two for beer's like Guinness and Sam Adams. I have no problem with those choices either.

As far as my personal preferences it depends on the type of evening. If I am going to be drinking for distance, like Monday at the Detroit Tigers Opening Day, I certainly prefer Light beers. I am a rather health conscious person so I have chosen beers that are drinkable and not horrible for you. I used this chart to gauge the health content. My top choices are Molson Light(Men's Health Best Beer a couple years back - not on chart), Coors Light, and Miller Lite. I drank Bud Light for a long time and now for whatever reason I hate it. If I am going to be a grown up and I am drinking with smart people I prefer Bass, Guinness, or perhaps a mixture of both in the form of a Black & Tan.

As far as my views on beer budgets: When it comes to beer, money is no object.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

0% Credit Cards - Free Money

2006-04-07T11:02:00.000-04:00

I went to Europe this summer and financed the whole trip on a 0% credit card. It was perfect. I spent money I did not have and had a year to pay it off while my money sat in the bank earning interest. These 0% offers are such an ideal way to reduce debt yet very few people take advantage of them. After college I transferred my credit card debt to two different 0% cards and by doing so paid them off in a little over a year. That smart dude over at MyMoneyblog.com has an entire section titled "Free Money" so rather than bite off his idea I am just going to post a link. Besides I am way too lazy to read all that fine print.

Free Money

Cutting Costs to Buy a House

2006-04-06T13:57:00.000-04:00

When the idea of buying a house popped in my head I handled it in the same fashion as most things in my life. I blindly leapt into the market searching for houses and working on financing. I called my boy at Rock Financial and got approved for a loan then I started calling Real Estate agents. I got hooked up with a couple of ladies from Century 21 but I think they are way more into then me. Unfortunate for them I still have not signed the contract! As the reality of the situation crept in I realized owning a home would, without a doubt, cramp my life style. Once that set in I started looking for ways to lower my monthly expenses so I could buy a house and still be quasi-stupid with my money. A few things I did:

1. Sold my car to lower my payment. I sold my car for about a $2000 profit and put it down on a used truck. I financed it through GMAC finance at a 5.5% rate, which is not bad I guess, and my payment went from $334 to $263 and my insurance is $300 cheaper.

2. I looked at my Sprint bill and realized those bastards were billing me monthly for a poker game I never played - EVER. I also dropped some other garbage and saved another $15.

3. I also looked at my checking account and realized I could save $5 a month buy turning off paper statements. Since I throw them out anyway that was an easy decision.

4. I looked at my student loan account and also turned off paper delivery and that cut something like 1/4 point of my rate. Not much but it also means I don't have shred those stupid paper statements.

5. I tried to switch my beer to 30 packs of Stroh's but that is not going to work so I moved on.

In my estimation, by checking a few websites, making a phone call or two, and selling my car I am going to save over a $100 a month. Money that can be used for stupider, more foolish pursuits like buying rounds for chicks or losing my ass in blackjack.

Sirius on the move

2006-04-06T10:45:00.000-04:00

Sirius Satelite Radio (SIRI) is on the move this morning. It's up already up 33 cents and is higher everytime I check. What is the deal? I looked around for some news or some type of catalyst but I can't find anything besides an article from Motley Fool but that article is not exactly flattering. Anybody know whats up?

Conexant (CNXT) up 25%

2006-04-05T21:15:00.000-04:00

I own a few shares of Conexant. Nothing crazy but worthwhile for a guy like me who buys stocks just to make the workday more interesting. Shares have risen something like 25% over the last week. If I cash out now I will do pretty well in regard to my return on investment percentage but can it go higher? The last positions I held took off close to immediately after I sold them, as if me selling 200 measly shares is a catalyst to shoot to the moon. It's actually pretty damn irritating. Anyone got any takes on CNXT? Homeboy Jim Cramer says:

"Conexant (CNXT) is benefiting from a strong market for cable modems and should "breach $4 within the next couple weeks," he said."

Do we believe him? Please advise.

Ways to Avoid Impulse Buys

2006-04-05T10:23:00.000-04:00

Impulse buys could quite possibly be my worst financial enemy. I am notorious for buying stupid things that I think might be funny but, after the joke, have no value to anyone in the world. For example, my newest plan is to buy motion sensor alarms and hide them around the house to scare and if I am lucky maybe even have my roommates arrested. My most significant impulse buy might be the sailboat I bought off of a friend of the family. The guy wanted less than a grand for the boat with trailer and boat insurance is pretty cheap so I pulled the trigger. After paying for the boat I realized that I had no way to tow it and even less idea how to sail it. The only way I could go out on it was if my dad went or I wanted to motor around at 0.4 knots.
To avoid similar purchases I have come up with a few safeguards:

1. Always look the cashier in the eye. NEVER LOOK AT THE COUNTER! Those things are placed there for the weak minded. Also, be advised that if you are at a liquor store in the ghetto you may want to stare at the wall, not the cashier.

2. Bring exact dollar amounts into the store, leave the rest in the car. Although this could lead to instances where you go in to get milk and bread and come out with a half pint of milk, a 3 day old sub, a pen that lights up when you write, and a bottle opener keychain.

3. Shop online. This runs the risk of turning into one of those creepy cyber dudes that can't talk to someone without using spell check and fake words like "ur" and "lol".

4. Once a month go to a dollar store and go crazy. Get your fix of noisemakers, dart guns, butcher knives and all other kinds of useless, garbage treasures.

None of these things actually helped me but maybe you will find some value in them.

Enterprise Rental: Trained stalkers

2006-04-04T08:37:00.000-04:00

I went to Enterprise yesterday to talk to a friend of a friend about buying a truck. Unfortunately, he had the day off and I get stuck with some other dude. After talking to the other guy for a few minutes I realized he lied to me three times and I hate him so I gave him a fake phone number. To my amazement I get a call from the guy 20 minutes later! Apparently, he called someone I told him I know to get my phone number. The extent of their sleaziness has no bounds. I get the impression if you trick enough people into buying insurance and swindle enough old people they give you the opportunity to rob people at a higher level. You evolve into not just a used car salesman but one amoral enough to be called an "Enterprise Car Salesman". I think there might be a special place in hell for these people.

I know I am going to end up buying from them regardless because they have the best price and every damn used truck in my area was bought from them anyway but I do make one promise. If they tell me I need Lo-Jack one more time someone is getting punched in the head.

Doubling Down - Uncanny Blackjack Luck

2006-04-02T20:27:00.000-04:00

I went to the casino today to play some blackjack. I probably should have stayed home. I dropped around $120 in approximately five minutes. In my first four hands I had three double down hands. Guess how many I hit? ZERO. Not one damn hand. I hit the ATM and managed to salvage most of money but it still bugs me how quickly I lost that first $120. On the way home I thought of a few things I could have bought instead of going to the casino:

- Eighty Chinese dinner combinations - Kung Pao Chicken
- A pair of Nike's new hideous plastic molded hoop shoes
- 90% of my car insurance
- 45% of my rent
- Three boxes of Rogaine
- Rented 30 movies
- A dozen LSU t-shirts to douse with gasoline and burn
- A new dog to replace my quasi-retarded animal

Addendum: I was sitting up last night thinking about how I had won over 100% of my starting money and continued to play. I think that might be my fault. There has to be some type of formula out there for the right time to walk away and at least switch tables. Like anytime you go up 40% of your starting money you get up, pocket the 40% and switch tables. Is there such a success formula?

Nouveau Tech Society- SCAM

2006-04-02T14:56:00.000-04:00

My roommate just got a letter from a company called Nouveau Tech Society. The letter is actually rather humorous. It proclaimed that it knew things about him and that he was one of the "chosen" few. They were offering ancient secrets to wealth, relationships, and power. To me it sounded a lot like the Stonecutter Episode from the Simpsons. They offered a couple of facts to proove the legitimacy. One was in the delivery, it came first class not third class mail.(although at a discounted rate of $.292 ) Another was that it is just a "personal letter" and that it was free. As with anything that is even slightly intriguing I went to Google.

I found this info on www.abovetopsecret.com. It explains how the scam works.

1/An individual first receives a letter which appears to be an invitation to join them and discover truths and knowledge.The individual is asked to return an answer to this invitation within a certain amount of days and receive free imformation.

2/If a reply is given then the individual will receive a pamphlet.This pamphlet contains little extra imformation than that which was in the original letter but it also contains an order for a book which cost over $130.

3/If the book is bought further letters are received offering more books.We don't know how many more books.

The Novatech Society far from being a secret society are very much involved with e-books and are closely tied to a place called Neo-Tech publishing company and another "front" Novus Tek

So,if you receive this letter from the Novatech Society and you are curious about what exactly it's all about then we can tell you now before you get embroiled in a marketing ploy.

The Novatech Society are trying to sell you books for an inflated price

Conundrum: "Manly" Truck vs. "Practical" Truck

2006-03-31T07:44:00.000-05:00

I went to a car dealership last night that was roughly 50 miles from my house to check out a truck that met just about all of my needs and was a good price. The truck was blue with an extended cab and 2 wheel drive - everything I deem necessary. After a short drive in the truck it was confirmed: Perfect. So why won't I put down a deposit? I haven't put down a deposit because the sons of bitches at the dealership put a red, Crew Cab(4-door) with 4 wheel drive and bigger tires next to the blue one I came to buy. It made the blue one, which is a pretty standard truck, look like it was a first car for a 16 year old girl. The whole way home I was in torment debating about buying a truck that would require me to take a loan for $3500 more but, in all honesty, is way cooler. Now I am entirely confused. Do I buy the lesser truck which is far cheaper but calls into my question my manhood and could perhaps lead to impotency? Or do I buy the bigger, meathead truck that looks great, will pull chicks but costs more and could result in me renting a flat like a college kid till I am 36?
What a conundrum?

Lesson: Shotgirls are dangerous

2006-03-30T18:35:00.000-05:00

I spoke with a friend of mine today about his weekend and he offered me some valuable advice. Shotgirls can be just as lethal as strippers. Apparently, he went to a gentleman's club this weekend and fell victim to the infectious charms of one of the shotgirls. By the end of their 30 minute conversation she had bled him for about 15 shots of alcohol laced sugar water and exactly $45. Ironically enough when he had reached his personal limit of alcohol and likely the states she remembered that "she forgot to say hi to someone at the bar". Poor guy.....really thought he had something there. So the lesson of my friend's meandering is beware of the shot girls. There is a reason they are not on stage - they are the smarts one......relatively speaking.

I hate cars salesmen

2006-03-29T11:42:00.000-05:00

I've been going to car dealerships everyday after work, which I equate to having a daily dentist appointment, trying to get a better price on the particular truck I am going to buy. In my pursuit I have encountered a few types of salesmen and I would like to warn you about their styles:

1. The "typical salesman" - This guy will do everything but drug you to get you to sign the deal. He will berate you with idiotic questions like "what do I have to do get your business?" or "how can I make you comfortable enough to buy today?" You can shut the #$@#$ up let me leave!!! That will help. They also use pathetic tactics like talking to their managers loud enough so that you can hear them. I can almost see the idiot laughing and pointing with his super-scum manger because they think they are pulling one over. The best way to deal with these guys is to tell them you have to piss and run out the backdoor.

2. The moron salesman: This guy almost gets me every time. The guy plays (or is) so dumb that you almost feel bad for him. After hearing him talk you begin to think that if you don't buy a car from his family will starve. These guys are usually nice guys but when it comes to getting you to sign the paper they always slip up with something like 3 syllable word that lets you know it is all an act and they are as sleazy as "typical salesman".

3. The lazy loser: I had a dude actually tell me to come back when I am ready to buy because he did not want to work out a quote for me. When he said that I obviously laughed and began to walk out. As I was leaving he jumped up and said "you forgot my card" as if I was ever coming back to that dealership. He gave me some line of bullshit about buying a car being a "fight" and the fight was him and I against "the banks". I'm not sure what he said after that because I left while he was still talking and as I drove by I think he may still have still yammering. What a loser.

I have learned one thing from these visits. I learned that I am complete idiot and had I picked up the phone and called these dopes they would have fell head over feet to give me the same info that I had to "fight" for 25 minutes to get without having to headbutt him to leave his cube.

Money to Burn - Men's Health

2006-03-28T18:14:00.000-05:00

There's a fairly decent article in Men's Health about personal finance. Don't get me wrong, there is some lame shit in there but there are a couple of things that may be worth reading. The thing I found most thought-provoking is not available online. There was a sidebar that suggested buying a car that costs over 30K. A car that you will be happy driving in 6 years. I'm not sure such a vehicle exists for me but I am quasi-moron and that was all the persuasion I needed to drop a deposit on a Porsche. Thanks Men's Health!

Money to Burn

Buying a new car

2006-03-28T18:04:00.000-05:00

I had every intention of buying a USED car. I sold my car and starting scanning all of the online dealerships looking for a mid-size truck that would lower my monthly payment but not kill me on gas. In the midst of my search it hit me that I am moron. With all of the incentives out there and my family's sad dependence on working in the auto industry I can get a brand new truck for a few grand more than a used. For instance I went looking at a Chevy Colorado, with my GM discount and $3750 in incentives that knocks damn year $6k of the price of the truck. With that said I can get a used Colorado with 30,000 miles for $15K or a new one with 0 miles for around 18K. The GM discount and incentives more than cover the depreciation when I drive off the lot so
I think the decision is easy......the difficult part is finding a lot that still has Colorados.

7 Stocks you "NEED" to know for today

2006-03-27T09:37:00.000-05:00

I love articles like this. It makes it seem like if you had some money to play with you could login to Yahoo, read some articles, and be rich by the weekend. I am interested to find out if stocks that appear in articles with titles like "Stocks to Watch" or a "Hot Stocks" go up and, if they do, if they retain the increase. I am curious to see if the stock is up for the day because of the factors cited in the article or because of the title of the article in which it appears. I'm going to watch these seven stocks today and post their closing price tomorrow.

TradingMarkets.com
TradingMarkets 7 Stocks You Need To Know For Today
Monday March 27, 9:12 am ET
By Brice Wightman

Here are 7 stocks for day traders for Monday:

Luby's (NYSE:LUB - News) reports today after the close; look for $0.16. LUB's Power Rating is 5.

Walgreen (NYSE:WAG - News) reported $0.51, ex-items. The stock is indicated higher. WAG's PowerRating> is 5.

Inco (NYSE:N - News) was upgraded at Citigroup, to Buy from Hold. N's Power Rating is 5.

Sirius (NasdaqNM:SIRI - News) was upgraded at J.P. Morgan, to Neutral from Underweight. SIRI's PowerRating is 4.

Circuit City (NYSE:CC - News) was upgraded at Lehman Bros., to Equalweight from Underweight. CC's PowerRating is 6.

Novavax (NasdaqNM:NVAX - News) was mentioned in Smart Money as a possible bird flu play. NVAX's PowerRating is 6.

Abbott Labs (NYSE:ABT - News) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Prudential. ABT's PowerRating is 6.

TradingMarkets 7 Stocks You Need To Know For Today

Sold a used car via Internet

2006-03-23T09:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I think I sold my car last night. A guy came to see it and left me a $200 deposit so at the very least I made a couple hundred bucks. I am going to clear around two grand on the sale so I am rather pleased. I just talked to the bank that owns my loan and discovered that I can not pay off the balance with my credit card. I was hoping to use my credit card so I could pick up a slew of points and getting something stupid like a toaster or new blender. Too bad.
I used Autotrader as a marketing plan and I have to say I am not real impressed. It cost $45 and I only received three calls that resulted in two visits. I think the fact I ended up selling it was just a matter of luck. If I were to do it all over again I would put in eBay first. Several people have told me that they have used eBay with great success. The idea behind eBay is not so much to sell it via auction but to attract local people. None of the people I spoke had their reserve price met but the auction resulted in a handful of emails after the auction inquiring about the car. Those emails turned into sales. You can list a car on eBay for a tiny fraction of the cost of Autotrader.com. I'm not saying Autotrader is bad necessarily but I am saying that I would go the eBay route first then if that does not workout pop for the Autotrader add.

40% off Coupon for Reebok

2006-03-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

Use this coupon code to get 40% off at Reebok .

Website Promo code: FFMAR40

Round Reciprocation

2006-03-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

I went out with a couple buddies this weekend and did an analysis of Round Reciprocation. By Round Reciprocation, I mean the idea that when I buy a round of beers for four of my buddies I expect a beer in return from each of those guys. I bought the first round so as to have enough time for all my beers to be reciprocated. Of the four dudes I bought beers for only two reciprocated. The annoying part is that later in the night these non-reciprocators went up to the bar and bought one beer for themselves disregarding the code of reciprocation and forcing me to buy my own. I did some math and realized that if I go out and intend to have four beers one night with this crew I am actually paying for three beers to drink two. A pay to drink ratio of 3:2 is no good. Something else to be aware of is the guy that drinks premium beer when you are buying a round but switches to domestic when he is buying the round. People need to be cognizant of stiffs like this because although it seems petty these things add of up over the length of a bar career.

MIndspeed Technolgies - MSPD

2006-03-16T09:46:00.000-05:00

I owned 200 shares of MSPD for about 2 years. The stock did nothing. About 3 or 4 months ago I got pissed and said the hell with it. I sold the shares at $2.13 for a loss of $30 or $40, mostly due to the commisions. Well in typical fashion MSPD is now at $3.74 and climbing. It is absolutely amazing to me. Had I held out a little longer I would be somewhere in the vicinity of 60% profit. My timing is so bad. I was searching articles on www.fool.com , a great site, and found an article in their "Investing Basics" section that was pretty informative. If you're an impatient, chump like me you can skip the first seven steps and read this article.

http://www.fool.com/school/basics/basics08.htm

More Stock Stuff

2006-03-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

I sold Watchguard(WGRD) after their boring earnings call. I sold at $3.95 and by the end of the day it was back up over $4.00. My timing is impeccable. SIRI has been killing me all week. It is somewhere below $4.50 but I still can't sell. I feel they have a great product and also excellent leadership. Hopefully they can get it together. I was considering buying more but my man Jim Cramer said

Sirius: "Man, that stock be swimming in red ink ... I see no catalyst. ... But that doesn't mean you should sell it. It just means Don'tBuyDon'tBuyDon'tBuy."

Cramer's 'Mad Money Lightning Round': Domino's Game

I understand that Cramer is not the authority on all things financial just because he is on TV but, I am sure he knows more than me. Plus with his popularity and ability to comment on every stock in the world it is very easy to find some direction. With that said I am going to hold out a bit and hope for a catalyst to drive this position up.

Watchguard takes off without me

2006-03-14T08:26:00.000-05:00

In typical fashion Watchguard's conference call yesterday did nothing to help the stock price. I've owned this stock for about 18 months now and I see no sign of improvement. Although they have no debt and seem to be in a decent financial situation the stock price seems to go nowhere. I find it strange because at my present job we use a Watchguard firebox and I think it is an excellent product. Unfortunately, I think I may be in the minority. I'm going to wait and see what happens this morning but I think I am out the door on WGRD!

Potential First Round Upsets

2006-03-13T19:54:00.000-05:00

These are the games I see as potential upset games. I'm not saying there are sure things but if you are looking to differentiate your bracket these first round games are possibilities.

Iona over LSU. - Iona is just better and LSU is slumping at the wrong time
NC State over California - Playing in the ACC prepares for the tourney
George Mason over Michigan State- George Mason can lockup people up and I think MSU struggles to score at times

As far as the 8 vs. 9 games - Potentially the best games across the board but can not be categorized as upsets.

I like GW over UNC-Wilmington depending on the health of Pops Mensah-Bonsu.
Bucknell over Arkansas - No real reason just go at hunch
Kentucky over UAB - Too much tradition
Wisconsin over Arizona - Gotta give the nod to Coach Bo Ryan

My dilema

2006-03-13T13:39:00.001-05:00

I am a mid-20's male living in a large metropolitan city. I have been making mid to high $40's salary for the last three years. During that time I lived at home for almost 2 years with nothing but a $334 car payment and the usual small bills like cell phones and gym memberships. The last year or so I have been renting a place with a couple of buddies for $250/month a small portion of my monthly income. YET, I still have not saved much money. In comparison to some of my more money savy friends I feel like a dope. I do have money in my savings, I started a 403B last year, and have some money in my E*Trade brokerage account but I definitely think I should have more. I plan to buy a house in the near future but I am concerned that owning a home will cramp my style and make me a boring, frugal person . My intentions behind starting this blog is obtain some type of financial direction that will allow me to still have fun but also own a home. I figure I'll give it four months and if I don't receive the sought after advice I'll chalk it up as another stupid purchase/investment like my ebay bobblehead business or certifying to become a basketball official.

SIRI

2006-03-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

Today I dumped another $250 into my E*trade Brokerage account to buy 50 more shares of Sirius Satelite Radio (SIRI) bringing my total up to 200. I bought my first 50 shares at $3.10 about 3 or so years ago prior to Howard Stern signing on. With the acquisition of Stern my shares soared to $9.00 and I was addicted like a crackhead. The stock then began to level out and eventually hit $5. At $5 I bought 50 more and the stock went to $7.....like a moron I again did not sell and held the bag down to $6.00. At $6.00 I bought 50 more bringing my total to 150 shares with a dollar cost average of $4.88. So when the stock dropped below my cost average I contacted my buddy at Merril Lynch, who had recently explained to me he would punch me if I bought anything else without consulting him and with his approval I bought 50 more. Based on the charts of my financial past I foresee a downward trend similar to when I compiled 500 shares of Calpine Corporation (CPN) and they went bankrupt. Sorry Howard.

Saint Patrick's Day Parade - addendum

2006-03-13T13:26:00.000-05:00

Today will be a huge test. At this moment I have already split the price of a 30 pack of High Life Lite and anticipate drinking much of my share. With the wide array of beer tents, beads, shiny trinket salespeople, and other scams designed to sucker fun loving parade goers today has the potential to be disastrous. Hopefully I can get through the day without hitting the ATM again. Details to come.

Addendum:
Everything turned out well. There were no ATM visits, no excessive drinking, and no shiny trinket purchases. Although, I did buy a $5 horn but it was not shiny! I gave it to a kid to make myself feel better or maybe it was because her germ covered lips were on it. Regardless, is that a write off or something? Please advise.