All About Investing

Ever thought about getting into investing? I have, but it seems too confusing for me! But here's an article of the greatest and how they did it. Read on!

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The World's Greatest Investors by Dyan Machan and Reshma Kapadia

If the stock markets were a public beach, the red "high hazard" flags might still be flying over the lifeguard's chair. Or at the very least, a strong yellow. The summer has been calmer than the spring, but not by much, not with the foundering euro and stubborn unemployment at home offering daily reminders that global economic waters are still choppy. And the stock market remains as riptide-prone as ever. According to Schaeffer's Investment Research, the Dow is on pace to register 90 days this year with swings of 100 points or more—more than twice as many as in any of the three years before the crash. As fund managers keep warning, many of last year's top-performing stocks were risky or near-death companies that now are struggling once again. Small wonder that many mainstream investors remain anxiously on shore—collectively, Americans hold $9.4 trillion in cash, 27 percent more than in 2007.



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Credit Card Rates Are Increasing

I have a credit card, and like most of you, probably don't pay it off completely every month. I'm one of those guys who justs pays off the interest, and while that's always been a bad idea, it might just get worse. Read on!

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Credit-Card Rates Climb by Ruth Simon

Levels Hit Nine-Year High as New Rules Limiting Penalty Fees Help Fuel Rise

Interest rates continue to tumble for the U.S. Treasury, companies and home buyers alike. But for a large portion of 381 million U.S. credit-card accounts, borrowing rates have been moving only one way: up.

And average rates are likely to climb further in the near future.

New credit-card rules that took effect Sunday limit banks' ability to charge penalty fees. They come on top of rule changes earlier this year restricting issuers' ability to adjust rates on the fly. Issuers responded by pushing card rates to their highest level in nine years.

In the second quarter, the average interest rate on existing cards reached 14.7%, up from 13.1% a year earlier, according to research firm Synovate, a unit of Aegis Group PLC. That was the highest level since 2001.

Those figures look especially stark when measuring the gap between the prime rate—the benchmark against which card rates are set—and average credit-card rates. The current difference of 11.45 percentage points is the largest in at least 22 years, Synovate estimates.

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Money Saver: Rent College Textbooks Online!

Check my site weekly for money savers like this!

Go to Chegg.com to rent textbooks cheap! Stop buying textbooks! You only use them for a quarter anyway, and if you're like me, you probably don't even read them!

Order from Chegg now using the limited-time code for a special discount!

Code: CC125611

How Did Bill Gates Do It?

Don't we all want to be the next Bill Gates? Being in college, I surely want to drop out with some crazy idea that makes billions. Sadly, not everyone is nearly fortunate as Bill Gates. I mean, he is the richest man on earth. Read on!

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Microsoft: By The Numbers by Eric Fontinelle

Microsoft Corporation is one of the biggest corporate success stories in American history. From its humble beginnings in Bill Gates' Harvard dorm room, in only 35 years the company grew to become one of the biggest companies in the world.

The Numbers
1975: The year Microsoft was founded. The company was initially formed as the partnership Micro-soft, which operated for over five years until the firm was incorporated in 1981.

Aug. 12, 1981: Microsoft releases its first personal computer running its operating system, MS-DOS 1.0.

4,000: The number of lines of code in MSDOS 1.0--Microsoft's first operating system.

50 million: The number of lines of code estimated to be in Microsoft Vista.

Aug. 1, 1989: The first incarnation of Microsoft Office is released.

9 cents: the March 13, 1986, Microsoft IPO price, as adjusted for stock splits.

10,000: The estimated number of Microsoft employees that became millionaires as a result of their stock ownership in the firm.

88,180: The number of employees as of April 2010.

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Are You Middle Class?

I've always been a part of an upper-middle class family, and thankful for that, but given the recent circumstances America is facing, everyone has been effected, even me. My family is now what is considered "middle class". Read on!

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6 Signs That You've Made It To Middle Class By James E. McWhinney

Not so long ago, most people viewed the hallmarks of success as something along the lines of a house, a white picket fence, two weeks vacation, two children and the ability to send those kids to college. Today, the middle class is a vanishing breed according to nearly every survey and statistic on the topic. Its disappearance is of such grave concern to the fabric of American society that the U.S. government launched a task force to explore the issue. Despite all of the attention to the subject, defining "middle class" remains a challenge, as everyone wants to be in the middle regardless of their income. Instead of focusing on the dollars, let's take a look at the lifestyle benchmarks that define middle class status.

Have You Made it to the Middle?
A wide variety of numbers have been thrown around in an effort to define the middle. People earning 20% of the average income and people earning 80% all claim to be part of the middle class. More than a few millionaires make the claim too. While there is no official financial standard, the middle class as defined by the government task force is characterized in terms of six financial aspirations, which we can view as benchmarks.

Home Ownership
Home ownership remains the American dream. The step up from renting to owning signifies prosperity and achievement. With median home prices ranges differing by so much in different cities across the United States, the ability to achieve this goal varies significantly by geographical location. Someone earning an income in the 50% range in Detroit may not be able to afford even a small house in Los Angeles.
Automobile Ownership
Owning an automobile provides freedom of movement and the luxury of avoiding the limited schedules and cramped quarters offered by mass transportation options such as buses and subways. Here again, the cost of cars varying widely, as does the kind of automobile required. For one driver, a used Hyundai will do the trick. For another, a new BMW signifies the achievement of this goal.

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Texas is the "Best State" for Business in 2010

Being in college, I need to major in something, right? Yup! My major is related to business. So what matters next? Where am I, or better yet, where should I get a job? Read on!

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Texas By The Numbers by CNBC

Texas powers past the tough times on the strength of its economy -- top-ranked in our Economy category four years in a row. The Texas economy is the 15th largest in the world, according to government figures; larger, for example, than all the Scandinavian nations combined.

The Lone Star State is home to 64 Fortune 500 companies, more than any other state, in a wide variety of industries. So while the state's last win in 2008 came with oil at a record $145 a barrel -- a natural tailwind for the largest industry in Texas -- the state managed to do even better this year despite the fact that oil is trading at roughly half that price.

Texas has also managed to avoid the worst of the real estate crisis, according to reporter Ashanti Blaize of KXAS-TV. "While in other major cities we've seen condo high-rise projects either slowed or come to a screeching halt, in Dallas we've seen an influx of some of those projects," says Blake.

However, that economic strength has a side effect. Rising commercial rents and high wages hurt the state in the all-important Cost-of-Doing-Business category, where it comes in at number 30.

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Dealing With College Text Books

If you all didn't know, I'm a college student! Paying for college is tough (I'm a charity case remember!), and Forbes setup a nice guide for dealing with those expensive, godawful textbooks! Read on!


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Students, Get More Bang For Your Textbook Dollars by Reyna Gobel

When you go to your university bookstore, your eyes bulge out when you see the whopping $120 price tag on your textbook--and that's for a used book. With these prices, how do you keep your textbook expenses from approaching the cost of tuition? Read on to find out.

Compare Prices
Your school bookstore isn't the only place to buy textbooks. Look online and on student-posted fliers. Often, fliers line the halls in the building where your class is going to be held, and there are dozens of online venues across the Internet where individuals can sell their textbooks person-to-person. Compare prices to those offered at the campus bookstore.

Buy E-Books
Many textbooks are available in a downloadable format for less money. Search for your book's edition online, and check the syllabus for your courses for online options.

Use Older Editions
While the current edition may sell for $100, last semester's edition now sells for $65. Ask your professor if older editions can still be used. Often, only a few changes were made from one edition to another, and if the professor doesn't assign homework involving questions that are only available in the newer edition, you are home free--and a little richer.

Sell Your Old Textbooks
You may recoup much of your textbook money by selling your old textbooks online or directly to another student taking the course in a subsequent semester. This is because you cut out the middleman--the bookstore. For instance, if the bookstore is selling a used book for $75 and you sell it for $55, the buyer saves $20, which, incidentally, may be what the bookstore would have paid you for your used textbook.

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What is a Charity Case?

Charity case
(n) A person who never has any money and/or is constantly broke. Yet, this person never has any problem with always asking you to lend him/her some cash. The biggest problem they have is paying you back on time, if ever.

These people are the object of both pity and utter disdain by many.

"You can kiss that $20 you let Ed borrow goodbye. He's a real charity case."

from Urban Dictionary