TheStreet Search RSS Feed:

Older Americans Advise College Grads to Be Risk Takers

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:20:30 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Travel, don't work for money, make the most of a bad job.

These are some of the life recommendations older Americans have for young Americans. What's the most important piece of advice? Get excited, because life goes by fast.

This month, college graduates will don their sheepskins and accept their diplomas in something of an anxious state. ...

Treating Children Equally in Estate Planning Is a Mistake

Fri, 11 May 2012 10:01:25 EDT

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The most common refrain I hear when assisting clients with estate planning is that they want to treat their children equally. It's a parent's instinctual, default position. However, it can be a flawed position to lead from. In some cases, you might need to treat your children differently when it comes to gifting and estate planning. Notice I said differently but not unequally.

So what are some examples of treating your adult children differently: Not naming all of your children as successor executors Gifting the annual gift exclusion of $13,000 outright to some children while putting it in trust for another child Leaving one child's inheritance outright while leaving another child's inheritance in trust Thinking of your children as equals does not mean you shouldn't treat them differently in estate planning.

In the first example, naming all your children as co-executors may seem like the right thing to do. However, I recommend selecting the child who is most capable and trust worthy of managing the responsibilities of the estate. Naming multiple co-executors is a recipe for disaster with your adult children behaving like school children. The goal should be to name the person most able to handle your estate affairs expeditiously and effectively. In some families that may mean naming a third party such as a trusted family friend, relative, or professional to be your executor. ...

Looking Past the Home Price Question

Sun, 06 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Economists are furiously debating whether home prices are "bouncing along the bottom," ready to rebound, or poised for another dip. Millions of prospective homeowners are eagerly awaiting the conclusion. After all, no one wants to invest in a money loser.

But maybe those buyers are focused on the wrong question. Price is not as important as value, two measures that sound the same but aren't.

That's among the conclusions in a SmartMoney piece by Jack Hough, who uses home price data back to the 19th Century to show that, once inflation is figured in, home prices don't go up at all over the long term. There are spikes, like the one in the last decade, often followed by price collapses. But on average, home prices rise at the inflation rate. In contrast, some other investments, including stocks, rise considerably faster than inflation to produce real profits. ...

10 Forces Conspiring Against Your Savings

Sat, 05 May 2012 10:00:16 EDT

BOSTON (MainStreet) -- Expert after expert, study after study, sing the same chorus: People are just not saving enough for retirement.

BlackRock, like many other financial firms, has stressed the disconnect between what savers do versus what they should be doing and the implications of not saving enough for their golden years. A BlackRock survey found that even though relatively few U.S. workers anticipate having to work during their "retirement," defined-contribution plan sponsors think that's exactly what they will need to do.

More than half of plan sponsors (55%) said most of their participants will have to work either full or part time in retirement. Just 15% of those workers, however, anticipated needing to work. Only 43% of sponsors were confident that workers are saving enough to get the monthly income they need for retirement; by contrast, 67% of participants were confident they are saving enough. ...

What the Jobs Report Actually Means for Borrowers

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:44:23 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Last week's disappointing jobs report has experts scrambling for answers. It looks like hopes for an accelerating economic recovery were a bit premature. Then again, maybe this was just a bump in the road.

What's it all mean for ordinary folk socking money away for retirement, shopping for mortgages - just trying to make sound financial decisions?

The key takeaway: If you're generally happy with your financial setup, it probably doesn't make sense to do anything drastic, at least not until the situation is clearer. While the experts talk Treasuries, we have the scoop for you on what a lackluster jobs report will mean for the average investor this month. ...

10 Ways to Save on Everyday Purchases

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Gas, utilities, clothing and food are all rising in price, making it increasingly harder to save up for non-necessities.

Luckily, there are many ways to save on the things we need in life so we can have extra money for the things we want. Here are 10 great money-saving tips from several savings and financial pros.

Clip coupons for food This might seem like a no-brainer, but many people don't actually clip coupons, or they see coupons but then use them to buy things they don't really need. It's best to clip coupons only for the things you need and to use them with in-store sales and actually track what you're saving. ...

The (James) Bond Market

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:30:00 EDT

BOSTON (MainStreet) -- For decades, audiences have thrilled to the exploits of Bond, James Bond, as the cinematic secret agent used an array of fantastic devices to hunt down megalomaniacs.

One may not have much need to penetrate a supervillain's volcano lair. But you don't have to be with MI-6 or the CIA to be in the spy game. In the 1960s, only James Bond and Her Majesty's Secret Service could afford high-tech spy devices. These days, a 99-cent iPhone app may be all you need to find what you want to know.

Parents, fearing for their children's safety, look to keep tabs on their whereabouts, text messages and Web browsing. Jilted lovers flirt ever closer with anti-stalking laws as they look to confirm their jealous suspicions. Companies are routinely hacked by corporate spies for profit motive and bored kids out for "the lulz." ...

Junk Mail Folders Can't Contain Spam Profits

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:30:00 EDT

BOSTON (MainStreet) -- Looking for cheap handbags, a knockoff Rolex or Canadian Viagra? Perhaps your reputation for honesty has attracted the attention of a wealthy Nigerian who needs your help transferring funds out of the country?

Odds are your email account is brimming with such opportunities. On any given day, as much as 45% to 75% of the world's inbound email is classified as spam, according to various studies. The few, naive folks who fall for spam solicitations are enough to fuel a multimillion-dollar business.

Seriously, does anyone actually respond to these often misspelled solicitations? Is there actually money being made by someone out there? ...

March Madness Is a Suite Deal For Corporate Clients

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EDT

NEW ORLEANS (MainStreet) -- The Final Four is presumably about the NCAA men's basketball championship, but some of the best games in New Orleans are being played on smartphones, in luxury suites and behind the flaps of corporate hospitality tents.

The Final Four is one of little more than a handful of in-demand events routinely circled on the corporate calendar, as regional vice presidents and chief executives all too familiar with the Pareto Principle (80% of sales come from 20% of your clients) try to impress their most valuable vendors. Jacob Turnage, co-founder and vice president of marketing for Atlanta-based organizer of high-end sports hospitality EB Corporate routinely counts the Final Four among the "Big Six" corporate hospitality events that include the Super Bowl, the Masters Tournament, tennis' U.S. Open, the Kentucky Derby and, this year, the Ryder Cup. The action on the court is great, but the NCAA tournament's biggest plays are made in corporate suites and at celebrity meet and greets.

Back in 2003, when the Final Four was last in New Orleans, city native Turnage sold a client from Kellogg's a package so he could entertain one of his top clients, an executive from Kroger. The supermarket bigwig was a Syracuse University alumnus and wanted to see his Orange and star freshman Carmelo Anthony make a run for the national title. ...

Click to view a price quote on K.

Click to research the Food & Beverage industry.

The Big Bucks Behind Spam

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 05:00:00 EDT

5 Reasons Customers Are Turning Against Groupon

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:56:55 EDT

By Diane Bullock NEW YORK (Minyanville) -- Shame on me. I was fooled -- not once, not twice -- but three times by Groupon. Although I consider myself, by and large, a fairly savvy consumer, it turns out I had a steep learning curve when it came to realizing the extent to which I was being taken by the daily deal behemoth.

As it also turns out, I'm not alone in my buyer's remorse. Not by a long shot. Grumbles about Groupon are reverberating throughout the Web. There's even a dedicated Groupon griping Facebook page.

In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority got involved and the Office of Fair Trading (or OFT) launched a formal investigation that recently found Groupon in "widespread" breach of consumer protection regulations. The company's Middle East arm has been so "flooded with complaints," it's changed leadership twice in less than six months. ...

Will Summer Concerts Sing the Blues?

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:00:27 EDT

BOSTON (MainStreet) -- After years of subpar concert ticket sales, the music industry is hoping to sing a happy song and shake off its recessionary blues this summer.

Last year was a little bit better for the music industry on the live performance front. According to Pollstar, a trade magazine that analyzes music industry data, the top 100 concert tours in North America throughout 2011 sold more than 54 million tickets, making $2.3 billion, and sales were 6% higher than the previous year. Apparently, concert tickets are a lagging economic indicator, as sales actually held steady in post-recession 2009 before plunging 15% in 2010, the worst season in 15 years. ...

Click to view a price quote on LYV.

Click to research the Media industry.

'As Seen On TV' Rings the Till For Retailers

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:30:00 EDT

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- "As Seen On TV" is no longer just a catchphrase for the gizmos pitched on late-night commercials. It has become a thriving retail category.

Products once sold by mail as "cash on delivery" are now point-of-sale. Retailers such as Target, CVS and Walgreens are devoting prime real estate to TV-hawked wares, often positioning them by checkout lanes for maximum exposure. Infomercial products are increasingly making the leap from late-night ads to store shelves.

"It's been a long time in the making," says A.J. Khubani, founder and CEO of TeleBrands, explaining that his company first put a product on Wal-Mart shelves nearly 23 years ago. "It really has started to grow at a more rapid pace in recent years." ...

Click to view a price quote on WMT.

Click to research the Retail industry.

10 Things You Should Always Buy in Bulk

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Here's the thing about buying in bulk: If you want to do it, you have to be really committed to it.

You can buy a mega-pack of paper towels at the drugstore on occasion and otherwise just shop normally, but the best bulk deals are to be found at warehouse club stores that require annual membership fees. (Costco and Sam's Club, for instance, will cost you $55 and $50 per year, respectively.)

So if you decide to take the plunge and sign up for the membership, you'll want to take full advantage of the best bulk-buying opportunities these stores have to offer. Here, then, are the things you should always aim to buy in bulk. ...

Praise and Profit: How Religion Pays Off

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:30:00 EDT

BOSTON (MainStreet) -- Ask the devoted and they might say that their religion is priceless. Ledger sheets might say a different story. ...