Category: Finance

  • Passive Income – April 2008

    Tragically when my bank cut my interest rate again last month, it was not an April Fools joke, now the rate is 3.01%… for shame.

    • Interest: $36.22
    • Dividends: $10.04
    • Credit Card Rewards: $18.37
    • AdSense: $11.78
    • Text Ads: $25.00
    • Misc website income: $15
    • Surveys: $12.00

    That’s a total of $128.41, so I made just slightly over the $100 a month target.

    (more…)

  • Apple Q2 Earnings Preview

    Remember kids, tomorrow Apple is set to release its Q2 earnings after market close. While their earnings should be impressive and likely beat the market expectations of $1.11 per share, it’s the Q3 guidance people will really be focused on. As we’ve seen in the past an overly conservative outlook can destroy investor confidence in a hurry (see Apples Q2 outlook as reported with their Q1 earnings), almost as much as missing a quarters projected EPS.

    With the economy in a slow down Apple’s pricey computers and accessories may not be as likely to move, which is a point thats been raised over and over by analysts. It should be noted that some believe that Apple’s high prices make it recession proof, purely from the standpoint that they can drop the price per computer by $300 and still make a handsome profit. Apple dropping their prices… Yeah, that’s likely to happen (please pay attention to the dripping sarcasm there).

    However, the impending launch of the 3G iPhone coupled with the expanding availability of the iPhone in other countries should do nicely for offsetting any slow down in computer sales. Although since investors tend to act like a bunch of girls, they may see a decrease in computer sales as bad news and run scared.

    Let’s try and focus on Apple as a whole, not just their computer division… Mm’kay? After all, they did drop the Computers from the name, remember?

    In the interest of full disclosure, I own shares in Apple Inc. so I might be biased, yeah, maybe a little.

    p.s. Remind me to sell when Apple hits $200

  • Blockbuster Hearts Circuit City

    In a move that no one expected, or can even understand, Blockbuster has offered a cash buyout of Circuit City… Wait… What?!

    Zac Bissonnette of BloggingStocks puts it quite well:

    This deal would be the absolute epitome of “two drunken sailors trying to hold each other up.” Both of these companies have experienced precipitous declines in recent years, reporting losses as industry changes and more nimble competitors take their market share.

    Blockbuster is said to be offering a cash buyout between $6 and $8 a share. Shares of Circuit City are currently up 28.46%, or $1.11 to $5.01. Shares in Blockbuster are down 13.74%, or $0.43 to $2.70

    Now I don’t mind Blockbuster, but I hate Circuit City.

    In other news, Google announced its plans to acquire Payless Shoes, citing the pivotal shift in market strategy Blockbuster is forging with its attempted acquisition of Circuit City as the driving factor behind the deal.

  • Economic Stimulus Payment Schedule

    Now that you’ve figured out how much money you’re getting back from the Economic Stimulus Rebate, you might be wondering when exactly you’ll be getting that fat check from the feds. Wonder no more! The answer is after the jump.

    (more…)

  • Calculate Your Economic Stimulus Rebate

    By now I’m sure you’ve received your letter from the IRS stating that you may be entitled to some free money. If you’re not sure how much you’ll be getting back, use the calculator below to figure it out.