Facebook is about to release its earnings report, and Wall Street is buzzing with expectations. Many experts believe Facebook needs to give investors another boost of optimism following their last revelation which proved that mobile advertising is in fact a real business.
Yahoo! Finance reports:
Sometimes, good advice can make all the difference. It can help a person make one right decision that will impact the future of their career and change their financial life forever. In honor of the holidays, the Wall Street Journal asked several experts to share the best advice they ever received, or gave.
Morningstar chief executive Joe Mansueto said:
“An investor should think like a business owner, not a renter. Most businesspeople don’t get up in the morning and ask whether they should sell their business that day. If they own a pizza shop, they don’t think about whether what they really should own is a shoe store instead. They show patience and persistence and try to understand their underlying business better so they can earn the greatest return for the longest period of time.”
“So investors are in many ways misled by stock-market volatility”, he continued. “The values of the underlying businesses just don’t change as quickly as stock prices do. You really don’t have to watch those changes hawklike day after day.
It is in a lot of people’s interests to get you to do something. Advisers and brokers earn commissions, fund companies want you to bring your assets to them. There are a lot of forces at work in the investment industry to get people to move, and there’s not really a countervailing force to encourage you to do nothing. But you should.”
BillGuard, a personal finance startup aimed at helping users save money and protect their finances, recently announced that it will be updating its iPhone app. The update is intended to help users defend against fraudulent charges on their credit cards, as well as to become more proactive with their money. The updates will also help users by updating them about available discounts.
Tech Crunch explains that “by connecting their accounts to its big data platform, the company provided a way for its users to track and dispute fraudulent charges or billing errors on their credit and debit cards. Soon after it moved to tackle the problem of so-called “gray charges”- that is, monthly or yearly subscription charges that users either unknowingly signed up for or signed up for and forgot about.”
In other words, the company has provided users with a reactive approach to personal finance. Now they are hoping to help users make money proactively with its two new app features ‘Spend Analytics’ and ‘Smart Savings’.
“Our core mission is to use data to save people money,” BillGuard CEO Yaron Samid said. “We’re really good at saving people from the bad stuff, and now we want to find the good stuff… The app is like the perfect accountant running in the background and trying to find ways to save money.”
Starting college is an exciting and overwhelming time, and financial talks are often pushed to the sidelines in the face of packing, meeting new friends, getting used to a new campus and adjusting to a college curriculum. However, managing finances as a college freshman can be more difficult than all of the above, so setting aside some time to discuss is essential.
The Courier of Montgomery County offers 5 topics to cover in the conversation:
1. You’re spending real money. ” Understanding where tuition and other funds are coming from may inspire your child to spend more carefully,” the article explains. “Clarify that loans will have to be repaid with interest and while scholarships, grants and gifts may seem like ‘free money,’ there are expectations that they’ll be used responsibly.”
2. Budgeting for surprise costs. “Freshmen encounter many unexpected expenses like club fees, transportation costs and social dues. Tracking these – as well as any regular bills and necessary purchases – can help your child be more prepared in the future. Budgeting is essential, especially since students don’t typically have a significant source of income. Warn your son or daughter to avoid wasteful spending habits such as buying expensive lattes or disregarding ATM fees.”
3. Using credit is OK, if you do it right. “Though it may worry you to see a credit card in your child’s wallet, having knowledge about the importance of good credit and the role it plays in the future purchase of a home or vehicle can help young adults establish financial independence.”
4. Don’t try to keep up with your roommate. “No matter where your child attends college, there will be students who can afford – or who choose – to spend frivolously. Encourage your son or daughter to be conscious of their spending habits regardless of your family’s financial situation. If your child decides to splurge on a spring break trip or expensive night downtown, stress the importance of careful saving and budgeting well ahead of time to avoid ensuing debt.”
5. “We’ll help, but we expect you to be accountable.”
Amazon.com Inc.’s shares rose to a record high over the weekend as domestic growth expands and regional profits increase. International growth has been slow but has not had a significant impact on the retailer’s record.
According to Wells Fargo analyst Matt Nemer, “their biggest market looks really healthy.”
Amazon has been spending billions of dollars on new expansion efforts in international markets as it breaks into the technology industry by offering gadgets like tablets and cloud computing services to large corporations and governments. Though the spending has taken a toll on earnings, investors have shown confidence in Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and his development plans.
Amazon revealed that its sales in North America have jumped 30% to $9.5 billion in the second quarter while operating profit in the region climbed from $344 million to $409 million. Chief Financial Officer Tom Szkutak explained that “sales of apparel and consumable are growing very strongly and this is helping bring shoppers to Amazon’s website more frequently.”
Reuters explains that Amazon’s cloud business, Amazon Web Services, “was among the fastest growing part of the company. Amazon includes results from this unit in its ‘other’ segment for reporting purposes and revenue from this area jumped 61 percent to $892 million in the second quarter.”
Toys “R” Us, Inc., one of the largest toy stores in the world, recently released its financial report for the first quarter.
Toys “R” Us Interim Chief Executive Officer Antonio Urcelay explained: “Similar to other retailers, our soft sales in the first quarter we partially impacted by the ongoing challenges of the global economic environment and the prolonged cool weather conditions around the world. Additionally, the continued weakness in the electronics and entertainment category negatively affected revenues.
“As we look forward to the remainder of the year, we are confident in our overall strategy and are committed to investing in initiatives that focus on providing exemplary service to our customers, enhancing our omnichannel capabilities to maximize sales through all channels, expanding our global reach, including throughout China and Southeast Asia, and deepening our assortment of differentiated products.”