Your $$$$$

LDK SOLAR CO., LTD (LDK)

aldentevontino — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:56:10 GMT

Well, this is OUT! Say buh-bye to LKD in MY portfolio! (Woops!)

Don't see much future for these guys. Maybe if they get their act together, I might reconsider, but for now, nope.

LDK SOLAR CO., LTD (LDK)

Last Price 7.02 Today's Change -0.12 (-1.68%) Quote Time 10:51 AM Volume 681,284 Open 7.15

Day's Range 7.01 - 7.19 52 wk Range 3.75 - 25.50 Market Cap $0.79 P/E 0.00 EPS -2.72 Div & Yield - - (0.00%) Div Last Date -

Bummer. I had hopes. Later!

What interest rate does your brokerage firm give you?

Montana — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:51:29 GMT

What interest rate does your brokerage firm give you when you park your money between trades. I have heard some of the brokerage money market accounts for parking money are as high as 3.5%.

The Best and the Worst...

aldentevontino — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:53:43 GMT

Here's an idea: Let's see what your best and worst stocks are in your portfolio!

As of this moment, my best is:

Sell	AMERICAN OIL & GAS INC AEZ	2,000	$1.92	$3.06	$0.01	$6,120.00	$2,280.00	59.38%	-

Sell

AEZ

2,000

$1.92

$3.06

$0.01

$6,120.00

$2,280.00

59.38%

While my worst is:

Sell	BEACON POWER CORP BCON	1,000	$0.68	$0.66	-$0.01	$663.60	-$11.50	-1.70%	-

Sell

BCON

1,000

$0.68

$0.66

-$0.01

$663.60

-$11.50

-1.70%

Extended and expanded Home Buyer Tax Credit program

alex42ste — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:02:20 GMT

Nov 6, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Worker, Home Ownership and Business Act of 2009.

"The new law provides a one-time extension of the credit for homes purchased or under contract by April 30, 2010. A credit of up to $8,000 will apply to qualifying first-time buyers, and a smaller credit of up $6,500 will now apply to families that have lived in their homes for at least five years and wish to step up to a new home.

The statute also increases the income eligibility limits for the tax credit from $75,000 to $125,000 for individuals, and from $150,000 to $225,000 for joint filers. The cost of the home cannot exceed $800,000."

Damn, I slipped through the cracks once again, having just bought my new home in Sept. 2008 before all of the "free money from the govt." laws went into effect.

A high price for health reform

InnaD — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:48:12 GMT

The House passage of health-care reform Saturday night should be a moment of celebration. In a country as wealthy as America, no one should have to go without medical care. As in other developed nations, everyone should have access to doctors, to medicine, to preventive services. The House bill would take America a giant step closer to that goal.

Here is the dilemma: The bill also could take America a step closer to bankruptcy. And for progressives in particular -- for those who believe that government has a mission to help the poor and protect the vulnerable -- that prospect should be alarming. If federal debt continues rising on its present path, hastened by a $1 trillion health-care bill, it is the poor and vulnerable who will be most harmed.

President Obama has acknowledged this dilemma and offered three broad answers: Health-care reform should not add to the deficit. It should control health-care costs. And, once reform is passed, the government will get serious about deficit reduction.

Unfortunately, the House bill fails his first test. True, the Congressional Budget Office has said that the bill is paid for. But the CBO is not allowed to count $250 billion in projected Medicare payments to doctors over the next 10 years, because the House -- after first acknowledging that cost in its reform bill -- decreed it had nothing to do with reform because lawmakers didn't want to pay for it.

Nor is the CBO permitted to ask whether Congress will truly cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare programs in coming years, as the House bill assumes. History suggests that legislators will not be deaf to the complaints of seniors and those who treat them when it comes time for the axe to fall.

As Post health reporter Ceci Connolly explained in a front-page story last week, the House bill also does not do much to lower costs. It includes some valuable pilot programs. But it doesn't end the tax break for employer-provided insurance, a break that is both highly regressive and encourages spending. It doesn't allow for much evidence-based medicine that could wring excess treatment out of the system. It doesn't empower an independent commission that could make cost-control decisions that are too hard for Congress. It doesn't target the cost of malpractice litigation and defensive medicine.

if ( show_doubleclick_ad && ( adTemplate & INLINE_ARTICLE_AD ) == INLINE_ARTICLE_AD && inlineAdGraf ) { placeAd('ARTICLE',commercialNode,20,'inline=y;',true) ; }

') ; } // -->

Obama's third answer is welcome, but can he succeed? If he could not or chose not to raise revenue more substantially or reduce entitlement benefits while pleasing the Democratic faithful with universal health care, why would he fare better when he has no goodies left to offer?

The root difficulty is Obama's insistence that the nation can afford a large new social program without raising taxes on anyone who earns less than $250,000 per year.

Under his plan, according to a CBO analysis, the government will be spending 24.5 percent of gross domestic product -- the total value of the national economy -- by 2019 while raising only 19 percent in revenue: a huge, unsustainable gap.

In the kind of fiscal crisis that might ensue, as progressive budget expert Robert Greenstein said recently, "the risk is high that the people with the least political power in this country could bear a disproportionate share of the burden even though, by and large, they're lower on the income scale." The government would spend more and more on interest payments while likely stinting on college scholarships, inner-city schools, and, above all, aid to the poor and near-poor here and abroad.

Expanded access to health care has rightly been a goal for decades. No civilized nation should allow sick people to go untreated. Yet neither should a civilized nation saddle its coming generations with a lower standard of living, a likely effect of U.S. profligacy if unchecked. No civilized nation should leave its government too bankrupt to help the poor.

Is there a way out of this dilemma? Cling to a hope that, as the bill winds through the Senate and conference, Obama puts his clout behind the progressive ideals of thrift and cost containment as well as universal access.

fredhiatt@washpost.com

Year-by-Year Analysis of the Bush Tax Cuts Shows Growing Tilt to the Very Rich

Seti03 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:48:30 GMT

A study released by Citizens for Tax Justice and the Children’s Defense Fund reveals for the first time who stands to benefit from the 2001-enacted Bush tax cuts in each year from 2001 through 2010. Among the key findings:

Over the ten-year period, the richest Americans—the best-off one percent—are slated to receive tax cuts totaling almost half a trillion dollars. The $477 billion in tax breaks the Bush administration has targeted to this elite group will average $342,000 each over the decade.
By 2010, when (and if) the Bush tax reductions are fully in place, an astonishing 52 percent of the total tax cuts will go to the richest one percent—whose average 2010 income will be $1.5 million. Their tax-cut windfall in that year alone will average $85,000 each. Put another way, of the estimated $234 billion in tax cuts scheduled for the year 2010, $121 billion will go just 1.4 million taxpayers.
Although the rich have already received a hefty down payment on their Bush tax cuts—averaging just under $12,000 each this year—80 percent of their windfall is scheduled to come from tax changes that didn't take effect until after 2003, mostly from items that phase in after 2005.
In contrast, the vast majority of taxpayers have already received most of their tax cuts from the 2001 legislation.
- For the four out of five families and individuals making less than $73,000 in 2002, three-quarters of the tax cuts—averaging about $350 this year—are already in place.
- Tax cuts for the 19 percent of taxpayers making between $73,000 and $356,000 in 2002 will grow a little over the next four years as the cuts in the upper tax rates continue to kick in, but then will dwindle thereafter. By 2010, the tax cuts for this group will be no bigger as a share of income than they are now.
As a result, freezing the Bush tax cuts at their 2002 levels would have little or no effect on 99 percent of the taxpayers, whose tax cuts are already mostly or completely “frozen.” Only the best-off one percent of the taxpayers will receive significant additional tax cuts if the rest of the Bush tax program continues to be implemented

Inhofe: Cap-and-Trade Largest Tax Increase in U.S. History

InnaD — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:01:02 GMT

Sen. James Inhofe tells Newsmax that the cap-and-trade bill supported by Democrats would amount to "the largest tax increase in the history of America" — and won't accomplish anything.

The Oklahoma lawmaker also he would be "shocked" if the bill has enough votes to pass the Senate.

The bill, which was passed by the House, requires a 17 percent reduction of greenhouse gases — mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels such as coal — by 2020 compared to 2005 levels, and about an 80 percent reduction by mid-century. It would also allow polluters to buy and sell emission allowances as a way to ease the cost of compliance.

Inhofe is the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which is holding several meetings this week.

Inhofe told Newsmax.TV's Ashley Martella said the meetings are addressing the cap-and-trade bill that "Barbara Boxer and John Kerry are trying to get to the floor of the Senate and get considered at some point.

"Here's the problem they have: The public has drifted away from their side. I can remember when 70 percent of the people in America thought that anthropogenic gas and CO2 were causing global warming. That's not true anymore.

"If people go to my Web site, inhofe.senate.gov, and look it up, [they will see that] I've given many speeches on the Senate floor talking about, documenting, literally hundreds of scientists who are on the other side of this issue and are now saying, wait a minute, this isn't true."

Inhofe said the earth goes through cycles of warming and cooling and the most recent warming period "ended nine years ago, so we've been in another period since that time. Consequently they're losing the [support of] science rapidly.

"As for the economics, people know this would be the largest tax increase in the history of America, and you don't accomplish anything with it."

Inhofe disclosed that he recently asked EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson if the cap-and-trade bill would actually result in a reduction in C02 emissions, and she said it wouldn't.

"The reason it wouldn't is that it doesn't matter what we do in America — if we drive our manufacturing base off to places like China, India and Mexico, places where they don't have any emissions standards or restrictions, then it's going to have the effect of increasing and not deceasing CO2."

Nevertheless, Inhofe added, "there is a level of desperation" in the Democrats' efforts to push through the bill.

Martella asked if manmade greenhouse gas emissions are in fact the biggest culprit in climate change, as supporters of cap-and-trade maintain.

"They're trying to say that, but with every day that goes by, science is no longer their friend," Inhofe said. "We in fact know that is not true.

"Stop and think about this: If we were to have heavy restrictions in the United States, as are called for in the cap-and-trade bill that's offered by John Kerry and Barbara Boxer, that would be a tax increase of between $350 and $400 billion a year.

"That would mean for anyone who is watching or listening to you and me right now, it would cost them about $2,000. I say about because in Oklahoma and Texas it's a lot more than that. It's closer to $3,000.

"Now why would you pass a tax increase that size if it doesn't have any benefits, even if you believe that manmade gases cause global warming? It's totally unreasonable."

Inhofe told Martella that a recent report indicated the U.S. is "the number one provider of what you have to call recoverable assets. Our problem is that we're not developing our own resources...

"Now we know that we have the largest reserves of oil and gas and coal in the world, and yet politically, the Democrats will not allow us to drill. They have a moratorium on drilling offshore. They won't allow us to develop our own resources."

Martella noted that the climate change bill was written by two of the most liberal members of Congress, Boxer and Kerry, and asked if any moderate Democrats would oppose the bill along with the Republicans.

"Absolutely, There's quite a few of them," Inhofe responded.

He said the bill passed the House with 219 votes, "barely a majority," just as a similar bill in the 1990s did. That bill, he pointed out, "didn’t even come close in the Senate.

"In the Senate they'd have to have 60 votes, and quite frankly, right now I'd be shocked if they have 30 votes in favor of this huge tax increase."

That is not only far short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster, it is also short of the 51 votes needed for a majority in the Senate.

Inhofe added: "They don't have the votes, and they're hysterical."

Congress Fears Risk of Economic Relapse

InnaD — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:02:44 GMT

Fear that the economy might fall back into recession is compelling Congress to extend unemployment benefits and incentives for homebuying that lawmakers hope will help sustain growth.

The threat of a relapse in housing has prompted Senate leaders to start negotiating an extension of the first-time homebuyers' tax credit, now set to expire Nov. 30. They hope to attach the measure to legislation extending soon-to-expire unemployment benefits and then pass both by the end of the week.

Economists are telling lawmakers that, with unemployment approaching 10 percent, an extension of benefits for the long-term unemployed would help prevent a collapse in consumer spending. In addition, the housing market is seen as a key ingredient of the economic revival.

"Unemployment and housing conditions could face further deterioration" without further actions by Congress, said Frank Lee, an economic analyst with CreditSights Inc. He said that millions of people who lost jobs in the worst of the economic crisis a year ago are getting close to the end of their 79 weeks of unemployment benefits.

"As unemployment benefits are exhausted, we are concerned that those who remain jobless and own a home will be subject to foreclosure risk," further imperiling the housing market, he said. And already the housing market is showing signs of retreating as builders put off construction plans.

"Double-dip fears are returning," said Richard Berner, chief economist at Morgan Stanley, referring to the possibility of the economy reversing course after a short period of growth.

Stimulus provisions enacted earlier this year induced a surge in auto and housing sales that likely produced robust growth of between 3.5 percent and 4 percent in the summer quarter.

But Mr. Berner said the sudden end of the popular federal programs, including the cash-for-clunkers auto trade-in program as well as the housing tax credit, will cause growth to flop again in the current quarter and be "bumpy" at best next year. Whether the economy pulls through will depend on whether Congress and the Federal Reserve continue to support growth, he said.

A report on Thursday is expected to show the economy surged out of recession in the summer quarter, thanks in large part to a jump in auto production and sales produced by the clunkers program and a rise in homebuilding and home sales inspired by the $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit.

But auto and retail sales cratered last month after the clunkers program expired, and many economists expect the housing market to take a dive just like the auto market's when the housing credit expires. They say the economy would take an even further turn for the worse if Congress does not extend aid to the nearly 4 million unemployed people who have been out of work for six months or more and depend on federal jobless benefits to pay their bills.

Worries about jobs caused an unexpected decline in consumer confidence in a report Tuesday from the Conference Board, with consumers' assessment of current economic conditions falling to its lowest level in 25 years. The report showed that consumers remain shaky, unconvinced about talk of a recovery, and strapped for cash in the wake of the long recession.

The White House has called for an extension of emergency unemployment benefits and the House has passed a bill providing another 13 weeks to people in states with unemployment rates higher than 8.5 percent. A bill offering up to 20 weeks of extra benefits is languishing under a Republican filibuster in the Senate.

Action on the housing credit has been delayed for weeks by concerns among some congressional leaders about its cost. One Senate proposal extending the credit through June and expanding it to all homebuyers would add about $17 billion to the budget deficit. Another would add only marginally to the deficit by extending the credit only for first-time buyers for four months, and then phasing it out over nine months.

Apparently out of concern about costs, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan was ambivalent about the credit when asked last week if it should be extended.

After a meeting with economists last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, said the House would take more action, including possibly extending a measure that helps unemployed people pay for health insurance. She said Democratic leaders also are considering expanding the housing tax credit to anyone who buys a home and maintaining higher loan limits for federally backed mortgages.

Moody's Economy.com, a Pennsylvania forecasting group whose founder, Mark Zandi, met with Ms. Pelosi, advocates an expansion of the housing tax credit to all buyers to prevent home sales from foundering again.

"The summer home-sales season was a welcome success" because of the credit, said Moody's economist Joseph Brusuelas. "Further support is necessary to keep housing from sliding back again."

Adam G. York, economist with Wells Fargo Securities, expects home sales to collapse by December if the credit isn't extended.

Allen Sinai, president of Decision Economics, sees a one in five chance of a "double-dip" recession as huge job losses and the shattered incomes of consumers create the conditions for the "mother of all jobless recoveries."

"Anemic" growth will spawn even more job losses despite Congress' stimulus efforts, he said. But the pressure will be on Congress to act, and its response will be "critical" in determining whether the expansion continues, he said.

Sovereignty Freedom Wealth

MoverShakerTaker — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:26:52 GMT

Great information from this organization as a member.

www.globalinformationnetwork.com requires access code. use 1500356

Affiliation is free, membership requires small investment.

This group has skyrocketed my lifestyle, income, and overall stability.

I no longer participate in the recession.

Feel free to ask questions MattBirdsell@Yahoo.com

Highest Paid Under 40 Execs...

aldentevontino — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:23:32 GMT

Highest Paid Under 40

by Alyssa Abkowitz and Christopher Tkaczyk
Wednesday, October 28, 2009provided by

Which young executives at public companies raked it in -- and how much did they earn?

1. Matt Maddox

CFO & Treasurer
Wynn Resorts (WYNN)

Age: 34
2008 Total compensation*: $17.66 million

The house may always win, but Wynn Resorts' CFO is on a streak: Since joining the company in 2002 to head financial operations at the Wynn Resort in Macau, Maddox rose quickly up the corporate ladder and last year was promoted to CFO of the company.

Now he oversees the entire cash flow of Steve Wynn's casino and hotel empire. And he's become a high roller pay-wise too: With a base salary of $593,590, stock options worth more than $11 million, and stock awards worth more than $5 million, Maddox tops our list of highest-paid public company executives under age 40.

2. James R. Murdoch

Chairman and CEO, Europe and Asia
News Corp. (NWSA)

Age: 36
2008 Total compensation*: $10.15 million

The second son of media titan Rupert Murdoch -- older brother Lachlan left his job at News Corp. in 2005 but still sits on the board -- James is the heir apparent to his father's $33 billion empire (and No. 3 on our 40 Under 40 list).

As the head of the company's publishing, television, and digital interests in Europe and Asia, he oversees News International (publisher of The Times and The Sun in London), SKY Italia, and Star TV, and serves as the non-executive chairman of British SKY Broadcasting.

More from Yahoo! Finance:

• America's Best Young Entrepreneurs

• Best and Worst Commutes in the U.S.

• Highest and Lowest Paying States

Visit the Career & Work Center

3. George L. "Mike" Mikan III

CFO & EVP
UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

Age: 37
2008 Total compensation*: $6.73 million

Since joining the health insurance giant in 1998, Mikan rose through the ranks to oversee the financials of its UnitedHealthcare and UnitedHealth Networks divisions, then was named CFO of the entire company in 2006 following the departure of former CEO William McGuire, who left the company amid a stock options scandal.

Mikan's healthy 2008 compensation includes a base salary of nearly $700,000, options grants of $2.7 million, and non-equity incentive pay of $1.75 million (talk about a public option). Mikan also sits on the board of Best Buy.

4. W. Robert Berkeley, Jr.

EVP & Vice Chairman, Berkley International
W.R. Berkeley (WRB)

Age: 36
2008 Total compensation*: $6.63 million

It's all in the family for Robert Berkley, vice chairman of the $4.7 billion global underwriter of property and casualty insurance, and son of CEO and founder William R. Berkley.

Robert earned $3,868,500 worth of stock awards last year, as well as $1.8 million in non-equity incentive pay. Berkley shareholders did well too: The company, number 490 on the Fortune 500, was a top-performing stock last year with 4.9 percent in total shareholder return, thanks to volatile stock and debt markets.

5. Jonathan Z. Cohen

Vice chairman, Atlas Energy Resources, Atlas Energy Management
Atlas Energy** (ATLS)

Age: 38
2008 Total compensation*: $4.29 million

Another family affair: With its holding company made up of various components -- Atlas Energy Resources, Atlas Pipeline Partners, and Atlas Pipeline Holdings -- the Pennsylvania-based Cohen family has made a profitable business with tax-advantaged investments in the oil and gas industry.

Jonathan Cohen, the son of CEO Edward E. Cohen, earned a hefty $4 million-plus at Atlas last year. That doesn't include his other jobs as CEO of his father's Resource Capital Corp., a separate commercial real estate investment trust based in New York and Philadelphia that trades on the NYSE, as well as hedge fund Castine Partners.

6. Wayne S. Deveydt

CFO & EVP
WellPoint (WLP)

Age: 39
2008 Total compensation*: $4.13 million

He could only compare favorably to his predecessor: Deveydt, who joined WellPoint in 2005, stepped in June 2007 to replace David Colby, WellPoint's disgraced CFO who left the company after lawsuits from former paramours alleged he romanced multiple women and made false promises of money and marriage.

Deveydt had timing on his side, too, stepping in during a period of record earnings at the insurer. Last year he collected a base salary of $648,769, with option and stock awards worth more than $3 million.

7. Christa Davies

CFO & EVP, Global Finance
Aon (AOC)

Age: 38
2008 Total compensation*: $3.84 million

Davies is the highest-paid executive woman on our list; no wonder she's also among our "Ones to Watch."

Before joining insurance brokerage Aon in 2007 as head of global finance, Davies spent more than a decade at Microsoft, where she most recently oversaw financials of its most profitable sector, the platform and services division.

Those jobs are a world away from her college major: Davies studied aerospace engineering at the University of Queensland.

8. Keith A. Meister

Principal Executive Officer & Vice Chairman
Icahn Enterprises (IEP)

Age: 36
2008 Total compensation*: $3.00 million

It can't be easy working for takeover king and activist investor Carl Icahn, so it's not surprising the pay's good.

At Icahn's holding company of diversified interests, Meister oversees gaming and real estate holdings. He's also a senior investment analyst at Icahn's High River Limited Partnership and is a director of the Icahn Fund. Prior to working for the billionaire, Meister co-founded an IT and software venture capital fund and worked in investment banking at Lazard Freres.

Source: Equilar Inc.

See more of the Highest Paid Under 40 executives

my best stock

kentuckychucke — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:42:49 GMT

my best stock, GNW, just went over 600% since purchased...WOO HOOOOOOOO

Stocks to long in the coming Greatest Crash: October 2009

thegreatoctober2009crash — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:44:05 GMT

It’s Coming! It’s Coming! The Great October Crash of 2009 is Coming and you need my free survival guide (PDF e-book) to prepare right away! All you have to do is join my free Group at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Absolutely_Free_in_this_Great_Recession That’s all! Isn’t that so easy? Wouldn't you love to make $100 weekly doing simulated stock trading (no real risk) as the market crashes to unthinkable lengths? Or play other real contests that are free, fun & fabulous in this Great Recession, at least to have a few extra hundred dollars while you’re struggling economically in these turbulent, uncertain economic times since Sept. 2008? Better yet, wouldn’t you like to know which stocks to buy and long beginning today during what will be the Greatest Crash in Stock Market History beating Tulip Mania in Europe, the late 1920s & early 1930s Great Depression, last year’s 2008 Crash/Panic & the 1987 Crash? If not, then this isn’t for you. If so, keep reading. My username is emancipationbeefree2009@yahoo.com and I invite you to join this Yahoo Group full of daily surprises such as superb writings, videos, & audios (FREE) on what is really going on with this turbulent economy, the very best free stock picks by yours truly, how to get hundreds of cable channels for FREE, scores of magazines & newspapers for FREE, join contests that really pay & reward real prizes (trust me, since 1984 I started getting the Contest News Letter that educated me on this...or you can choose to continue be fooled), listen to the very best music on the web FREE, find the 100 Greatest Websites on the web each month as picked by me, and more quality FREEbies you’ll love....from Economics to Entertainment, Politics to Spirituality, Health & Wellness and so much more for did I say FREE? Did you know that I told people on Fool.com to buy SIRI (Sirius Satellite) at 8 cents a share, FNM (Fannie Mae) & FRE (Freddie Mac) at 29 cents a share, & AIG at 0.39 cents a share during the extreme lows of the Sept. 2008 Panic? With a diversified investment of $111 in all of these you would easily have made $777 by selling it during the current Bubble. You do the math! I was laughed at on Fool.com but who’s laughing now? I have so many FREEbies to share with you daily by video, audio, and rich text weekly. I know you want to take advantage of this opportunity of a lifetime, especially during the hard times of the Greatest Recession in U.S. History, don't you?

Oh, by the way, I predicted the 2008 Financial Meltdown a few years before it began. And there's so much more that I want to share with you...like did you know that we've only experienced a tiny portion of what's soon to come economically? The Great October Crash of 2009 is Coming & it will usher in The Greatest Global Financial Meltdown in the History of Mankind. I’m not here to tell it like it is. Unlike the news, I have neither advertisers to appease nor political lions to slay. I’m an independent-minded American!

This Group is your Best Economic Survival Guide! Join now! Join today!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Absolutely_Free_in_this_Great_Recession You're now set to connect with the Web's Coolest Group in the current Great Recession, so drop back often as you wish a.s.a.p. I guarantee that our daily e-news will provide you with unbelievable Freebies and very creative ideas in many categories of your interests. Our exciting e-news will come usually in rich text, but also in video and audio too. I believe that you must stay informed about what is really, truly going on in the new volatile, turbulent economy of today (Sept. 2008 to Present) that is why so many think we are the very best Business & Finance Group as well! Warmest Regards,Moderator (ATJ)Absolutely_Free_in_this_Great_Recession

P.S. -- Those of you who get 30 or more of your e-friends to join this Group within 30 days of becoming a member will get a special bonus prize worth over $100 sent to your email. Those who get 100 or more e-friends to join will get the above prize plus an additional prize worth $300. All I ask is for you to request the gifts via email by sending me all the email addresses or usernames of the people you know who joined within the last 30 days. No other Group on the web would even dare to do this kind promotional! That's why it is so easy to invite your friends right now to join us by emailing, texting, or Private Messaging them to join our Group today!

What is YOUR bottom line?

aldentevontino — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:09:40 GMT

A while ago I had challenged anyone and everyone to share what they have as a bottom line. You know, account details. I'm still a bit curious, not only to see what everyone has, but to see how mine stacks up against you, the pros and the newbies like me!

You don't have to if you don't feel comfortable letting your secrets be known, but then again this is a game after all. Might even help out a newbie who would look and say, "Gee, mine don't look like that! I need to fix it!"

Here is mine, and I have to say I'm rather proud of it, considering I didn't know anything when I started:

Account Details
Cash Balance     $18,241.53
Short Balance     $0.00
Loan Balance     ($.00)
Interest Earned on Cash     $708.00
Interest Charged on Loan     $10.39
Market Value of Long     $78,647.55
Market Value of Short     $0.00
Current Portfolio Value     $96,191.47
Portfolio Value at Month Start     $93,274.50
Restricted Funds     $0.00
Buying Power     $113,735.39
Margin     $0.00
Lifetime Trades Made     627
Contest Trades Made / Remaining     89/4911

Balloon Boy made headlines after Wife Swap

aaronjamessanders — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:01:24 GMT

okay all i know is that this family was on two episodes of wife swap and that there balloon was flying all over colorado.

tell me if you think it was a thing to land on TLC and take Jhon and kate + 8 spot on TLC realty tv. if they are interviwed on dr. phil then oprah will want them on her show then to the doctors then to dr oz then to all the whats wrong with your life ill make it better shows.

just tell me if it was a publictiy stunt.

also whats wrong with the parents not helping the kid when he was getting sick in front of millions of people i think he was faking everything millions of people have witnessed

Anyone else have stocks listed twice in their portfolio view?

grandmamac — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:26:45 GMT

I have three stocks with double entries. I think my totals and rankings are screwed up because of them. Anyone else?

Did anyone else get their Portfolio's wiped out?????

SirFordor — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:19:59 GMT

Logged in this AM and shows a whole 92.00 and I did not have any stock positions open. Had over 103,000 at close yesterday. Hmmmmmmm

Any info would help.

Let's have a new contest .

corky — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:01:29 GMT

Who can lose the most money in one week ! Now their is a contest I can win! And the prize is .............. You get to make others feel better about how much they were down . I think my port is down about 40,000 bucks just this week . can any one beat that ? How much were you down this week .

changing my investing strategy in Real$

indianatrukr — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:41:14 GMT

Since I started investing I have been a "Buy & Hold " investor. I just couldnt understand this take the profits,take the profits,hurryup take the profits.Now I do.As most of my stock investing had been into companies that were generally always going up ,The buy and hold strategy would be valid. A few weeks back "Fast Money" had Regis Philbin on and everyone saw what his main holdings have been for the last 10 years and they aint done nothing. Now I position myself in stock as less than 30% of a diversified portfolio. I personally wouldnt hold a stock more than a month if it wasnt performing especially since I've already done my research and it showed promise. So to "Buy & Hold" it has to have real performance and/or a healthy dividend. or the worst reason "I love the stock" for me to be in stocks now.Options is now my trade of choice.

U may ask tony blair anything- well-

Ferdenanone — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:47:00 GMT

Almost anything Friday the former British Prime minister was at the Chicago Hilton on behalf of Swiss insurer Zurich financial services group,which has nearly 2,700 chicago-area workers. The only protocol issued by the publicist: dont ask him about chicago's efforts 2 land the 2016 Olympic..Blair who left the prime ministers job n 2007, has been retrained by Zurich & JP Morgan Chase n advisory roles.. while n chicago he schmoozedwith a rock star: Bono was here over the weekend doing the U2 concert so they hooked up last night.. Blair also said that they hade a nice conversation about various things we're doing n Africa.. The Tony Blair Foundation: aims 2 promote respect among the WORLD'S religions & look 4 ways they can cooperate on certain projects.. U cant operate n politics or business 2day unless yur religiously literate..."He said it does'nt mean U need2 b religious, but u have 2understand religion"....

Portfolio Resetters Anonymous

wise-picks — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:36:06 GMT

Hi. I'm Wise-picks, and I'm a .... um .... resetter.

That's right, I said it. I'm a resetter. I'm here to encourage other resetters to come forward and admit that they have a problem.Let's talk about it. Maybe it could be healthy. Why hide and wallow in your guilt? You have friends here (at least - 1 so far). Get it off your chest.

Advice

How do people get over 100% in one day?

koolharyy — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:13:26 GMT

I have been looking at some of the leaders and like 3 of them are over 100% how is that possible when they on average are making about 1 trade per day?

Well well its realy a gold rush

Ferdenanone — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:55:05 GMT

Well gold has pushed above the 1,000 mark Tuesday 4 the first time since February as hopes 4 an inproving the economy fed a broder rally in commodities. A weaker dollar also drove prices higher, analysts said.. Gold 4 december delivery rose $3.10, to settle at $999.80 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange... It has risen as high as $1,009.70, the highest since it hit a record of $1,033.90 on March 17th of LAST YEAR.... Gold however did close at under $950 on Augest 17..... Other commodities advanced, with crud oil rising more than 4.5%, to $71.10 a barrel......

Morgan stanley

GCMan — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:40:55 GMT

Morgan Stanley's CEO John Mack is to step down in 2010.

NEW BULL MARKET OR BRINGING THE SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER?

90hondacrxsi — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:50:07 GMT

we have seen the largest rally in a bear market in history with july ending as one of the best months on record.

so what now? the unemployment is still rising company earnings are barely beating the already lowered earnings estimates and most are having trouble hitting revanue estimates....this mostly shows that nobody is buying products and most earnings are coming on cost cutting. sure this still shows many troubling signs to the economy. the market has been rallying on mostly just less bad news and not as bad as we thought scenarios, but how far can the market rise? not to mention the government is interfering in everything from banks to autos to healthcare!

i think on both sides of this "the market has come too far too fast" and "the market still has a lot of room to run with all of the money on the sidelines investors will be buying on every pullback we get"

it just seems too good to be true!

so what are the WSS traders seeing in the months to come? do we run for 10,000 on the dow and 1100 on the s&p----or will we retreat back to revisit the march lows

please post your thoughts.

TODAYS WINNERS AND LOSERS

WSS Admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:19:10 GMT

Gainers

MetroGas S.A. (MGS) shares gained 12% to $1.70 as crude oil touched $71.37 a barrel in earlier trading, despite dipping back down to $69 a barrel in the afternoon following damp Wall Street energy-sector sentiment. See full story on oil prices.

Nice Systems Ltd. (NICE) shares rose 4.1%. The Ra'anana, Israel-based producer of digital recording and archiving solutions definitively agreed to acquire Fortent, the New York-based provider of risk and compliance solutions for financial institutions, for $73.5 million.

Novavax Inc. (NVAX) shares added 10% after the biopharmaceutical company said a Phase II clinical trial on its seasonal influenza virus-like particle vaccine showed the vaccine was "well tolerated" and had positive results against all three types of seasonal flu, including H1N1. The company said in a note it hopes to study the vaccine on the elderly later this year before progressing to Phase III trials next year.

Decliners

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD) shares slumped 66% to $2 after the company said the first pivotal Phase III trial of pimavanserin in patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis, or PDP, did not meet its primary endpoint of antipsychotic efficacy. Biovail Corp. (BVF) is co-developing pimavanserin for neurological and psychiatric indications in the United States and Canada.

American International Group Inc. (AIG) shares lost 21% after Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. downgraded AIG to underperform from market perform. The firm cited valuation for the downgrade and notes that the current price does not reflect the possibility that the common equity is worth zero, according to flyonthewall.com. A subsidiary was also put on ratings watch negative. Read more on Financial Stocks.

CIT Group (CIT) shares fell 16% to $1.47. It said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it will defer an interest payment on 6.1% junior subordinated notes due 2067 scheduled for payment on Sept. 15. CIT said it's able to defer payment because the average four-quarters fixed-charge ratio is less than or equal to 1.10. Read more on Financial Stocks.

Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) shares lost 4.4% following other airline stocks as they swung narrowly lower as crude-oil prices rose. Also, a bimonthly report released Tuesday by the International Air Transport Association, tracking more than 200 airlines, showed the industry lost more than $6 billion in the first six months of the year. See full story on airline stocks.