financial investment information

Top Lithium Battery Plays

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:45:00 +0000

Lithium is used in more than 60% of mobile phones. It is also the leading treatment for bipolar disorders due to the counteraction of both depression and mania. As a matter if fact, in areas where the water contained large amounts of lithium, there were significantly lower suicide rates. Lithium also has a lot of other uses including rocket propellants, red fireworks, and high temperature grease.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has just updated its list of over 20 stocks involved in the lithium industry, from the mining companies to the producers of lithium ion batteries. The stocks range from microcaps to large corporations that pay dividends.

As an example, FMC Corp. (FMC) has a division based in Argentina called FMC Lithium, which owns the Salar de Hombre Muerto mine, containing 850,000 tons of reserves at up to 70 meters of depth. FMC trades at 13.5 times forward earnings, and pays a small yield of 0.7%.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera (SQM), also known as Chemical & Mining Co. of Chile Inc., is the largest lithium producer in the world. This New York Stock Exchange traded company, which has a market cap of almost $13.9 billion, has a forward price to earnings ratio of 27 and a yield of 1.0%.

Advanced Battery Technologies, Inc. (ABAT) is one of the few battery manufacturers generating a profit. The company, which makes rechargeable polymer lithium-ion batteries, has a PE of 6.5.

Another alternative is to invest in the new Exchange Traded Fund called Global X Lithium ETF (LIT), which is designed to track the Solactive Global Lithium Index. This ETF is up 23.5% for the last three months.

To see a list of over 20 lithium companies which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WSNN.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Incoming search terms:

fmc and bernie madoff

High Yield Utilities that can Benefit from Lower Fossil Fuel Prices

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:28:00 +0000

According to the U. S. Energy Information Administration, fossil fuels supply about 70 percent of the country’s requirements for electricity generation. Currently the dominant fossil fuels used by the industry are coal, petroleum, and natural gas.

Many investors feel that the price of oil has peaked for now and is in a downtrend. Some analysts believe that due to the glut of natural gas and the recent major gas finds, that the price of gas will remain low for a while. The price of coal is much lower than it was in 2008. If this trend continues, investors could benefit from investing in utility stocks that use oil, gas, and/or coal as a major fuel source of electrical generation, since the cost savings for these companies should pass through to the bottom line. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are around 30 electric utilities with yields above 4%. Many of these companies use fossil fuels as a significant source of fuel to generate electricity.

For example, Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (PNW) has one of the heaviest exposures, with approximately 31% of its electric energy coming from natural gas and oil. About 38% comes from coal and 27% from nuclear. This Phoenix, Arizona based electric utility trades at 14 times earnings and provides a generous yield of 5%. Earnings for the quarter ending September 30 were up 25%. The company reports its latest earnings February 18.

OGE Energy Corp. (OGE) has 38% of its energy coming from natural gas, with 60% from coal. The company serves the south central United States. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 15 and a yield of 3.3%. Earnings for the quarter ending September 30 were up 19%. The company reports its latest earnings February 17.

Westar Energy Inc. (WR) generates about 7% of its energy from natural gas, with 78% from coal and 14% from nuclear. This utility, which serves Kansas, has a PE of 13.8 and a yield of 4.8%.

If you like utility stocks, you can find a free Excel database of utility stocks, which you can download, update and sort, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Incoming search terms:

high yield utilities

What Google Searchers Think About the Stock Market and Wall Street

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:20:00 +0000

When you type in a search in Google (GOOG), a drop down menu with a list of the most commonly searched terms with your keywords appears.

Here is what searchers now think about the stock market:

Here is what searchers are now thinking about Wall Street:

Best Idea

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:15:53 +0000

The enjoyment will not replace everything you want.Need to remember what a unique offering that you can never get from anywhere else but here with your body with all the ideas that interesting. This information can you find here. The concepts are very professional with how good our work, we guarantee the quality and integrity in our products to you, because we are one of the products are highly professional and qualified in the adult world of spectacle, and we must be solutions at the forefront in this field professionally and in our great products will help you properly. Our products are great with this all your problems about video quality, you must all problem is resolved and the information here can definitely help all the problems. with seeking information from the review in Viewing this website and the development of information technology is increasingly developed world, particularly in the search for your problem the best solution, there are many kinds of videos to choose with all the fantastic products, all of these can be found here and you enjoy with your partner, or change the way we communicate with the advent of the internet is growing at an increasingly advanced. This site also provides professional color quality in these site.

The sexual pleasure gives that people know exactly what to do with the look you want in site threesome video and The video in porn is the greatest pleasure and will not come before you to watch and enjoy this site And step toward a new world of sex. The information contained in this sex video is a great example of something that you can only get from what you are looking, Especially if you watch this video to make you in site pornographic videos Provides professional color sex in Video quality is the best sex like this video and pleasure will not replace him, need to remember what a unique offering, that you will never be able to get from anywhere else but here.The fantasy of sex in the best site. All this can be fun and unique both in the comfort of your own home or in a good hotel room with your friends Solution sex videos will definitely make you more satisfied in sex. Sex videos can get more than you want and you are looking for sex in site here, This website and we introduce a sex video By adding a touch of sexy in a sort of guarantee that he will not see the parts of the machine for you and your substitute for sexual gratification and make you become someone who is ideal in a great fantasy.

Incoming search terms:

fncez

Weekend Reading: Dividends, Investing, Emergency Funds and Other PF Musings

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:04:00 +0000

A Globe and Mail article earlier this week stated most index investors who want exposure to a basket of U.S. stocks look no further than an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500. But should they be betting on the Dow Jones industrial average instead? Over the last 10 years the Dow has risen 7.3%, the S&P 500 has fallen 4.7%.

The article goes on to say, the Dow tends to do better in down markets based on its large blue-chip components, providing a softer cushion when things get rough (and they will again eventually). This makes the Dow index or direct stock holdingsof the index somewhat of a defensive, secure play,arguably giving it anedge over the broader market.On the other hand, the S&P 500 is composed of the largest 500 U.S. companies, which tends to do better when markets are rosy. This makes the case for theS&P 500 being the best choice (over the Dow holdings) sinceit will doa better job of doing what an index is supposed to do.

Confused which one is the better long-term choice?

Dont worry. Youre like tens of thousands of other investors. In my opinion, there is really no rightanswer althoughindexing does tend to be the “winner” for most investors who are seeking market returns.If you want to know more about what I’m writing about,check out Canadian Couch Potato and Dans recent posts. Over the last week hes added another few chapters to a constructive index investing and/or dividend investing debate. More so than other blogs, this one got my attention and I was a vested participant in whole dialogue. If you want to know more what Im talking about, check him out. If youre a DIY investor (indexer of dividend investor) youll be glad you did.

Beyond the Debunking Dividend Myths series to date, I found a host of other quality blogposts this week. Great articles gang. To readers of my financial journey, check them out:

101 Centavos wrote about his stock holdings.

Andrew Hallam told folks about the merits of writing, say, then telling someone about your goals to really make them happen.

Beating The Index informed us why high oil prices are good.Echo told us that you cant plan for everything but you can have a few emergency essentials for your personal finance plan.

Larry MacDonald wondered if all tax brackets could be better off avoiding RRSPs? Check out his post and the comments that follow.

Boomer from Boomer & Echo asked who are you calling an antique?

For those that like beating upthe merits of RRSPs,Canadian Capitalist had a comeback,why RRSPs have some advantages over the TFSAs.

Big Cajun Man from Canadian Personal Finance Blog told us that gas prices have fuelled inflation of late.

Dividend Growth Investor called Procter & Gamble the greatest (dividend) stock ever.

Matt from Dividend Monk provided another epic dividend stock analysis, reviewing Covidien.

DIY Investor asked what is GDP?

Financial Uproar started his series about mortgages. Read post # 1 of many to follow, about the application process.

Mike from Money Smarts Blog wrote a detailed review of TD Waterhouse Discount Brokerage. Thanks again Mike for including my comments!

Invest It Wisely asked if emergency savings are necessary. I think they are.

Susan Brunner asked if dividend investing is dead? I dont think so Susan!

Michael James on Money wrote about his miraculous 0% return over the last 17 years. Honest.

Dividend Ninja shared his homemade recipe for baking a potato, ninja style.

The Loonie Bin reminded us that CNR, a dividend stalwart, keeps on chugging along.

Passive Income Earner continued his series reviewing Canadian bank stocks. This time, it was Bank of Nova Scotia.

Young & Thrifty is a big fan of Vietnamese food. Read about her restaurant and food review here.

Million Dollar Journey is giving Derek Foster’s latest book away.

Have a great, safe weekend!
My Own Advisor

Coles Notes version of our retirement plan

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Coles Notes: Student guides to literature, published in Canada. The Coles bookstore first published Coles Notes in 1948. The first title published was on the French novella Colomba by Prosper Mrime.

Ive written a little bit about my investment strategies in the past and for many months now, Ive kept two main ones posted on my site. These strategies, dividend investing and indexing, keep me focused however our retirement is more than a two-pronged approach. It seeks to strike a balance amongst four key components you’ll read about below.

Just like reading the nuts and bolts about Hamlet in Coles Notes, this post is an overview of our retirement plan.

Part A RRSPs

Ever since I read David Chiltons The Wealthy Barber coupled with my Dads voice saying pay yourself first son, I have. Over my entire professional career, Ive always contributed to RRSPs. Some years were much leaner than others but I always did it. So has my wife. 2011 will be no exception. We feel RRSPs will be a major piece in our retirement puzzle. While we have never had the kind of income to maximize our RRSPs, we do try and optimize them – contribute enough each year to our plans to avoid paying any additional income tax. (We already pay enough tax). To ensure we dont lag market performance, were invested in the market with ETFs:

o Our iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index Fund (XIU) provides us with the relative performance of the S&P/TSX 60 Index, comprised of the 60 largest (by market capitalization) Canadian stocks listed on the TSX.
o Our iShares Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index Fund (XDV) provides us with the relative performance of the Dow Jones Canada Select Dividend Index; 30 of the highest yielding, dividend-paying companies in Canada using dividend growth, yield and average payout ratio as criteria.
o Our iShares DEX Universe Bond Index Fund (XBB) provides us with the relative performance of the DEX Universe Bond Index; a broadly diversified set of investment-grade Government of Canada, provincial, corporate and municipal bonds issued domestically its basically our one-stop shop for the bond market.

In my RRSP, I’ve also got a few U.S. dividend-paying stocks for some international exposure but the majority of our savings are in ETFs.

Many fellow bloggers, such as Canadian Couch Potato, Canadian Capitalist, Michael James on Money, Andrew Hallam and DIY Investor, to name a few are strong advocates of index investing and if youve read any of their blogs for any period of time, youll understand why. Index investing just makes sense. Our goal over the next 15 years is to steadily increase our ETF units to provide us with a moderate nest egg to compliment the rest of our retirement plan below.

Part B - Dividend Income

Investing in stocks that continually pay dividends or better still, consistently pay and increase their dividends year after year can have a dramatic effect over time not only does this provide investors with a steady passive income stream but also an increasing passive income stream. Simply put, under this strategy, our money is always working for us so we wont have to. With every passing month, were moving another step closer to our 15-year dividend income goal of $30,000 per year. Aggressive? Yes, very. Unrealistic? I dont think so. Watch for my next few dividend income updates to find out why I think we’re on pace, slowly but surely

Part C Defined Pensions

When I started my job at my current employer, I was offered a choice for my pension plan defined contribution (DC) or defined benefit (DB). I chose DB since under this structure my pension would resemble a percentage (up to 60% if I wanted to work another 25 years) to the amount Im earning now. When my wife started her job she was offered the same choice and chose instead the DC plan (based on advice from her Investors Group Financial Advisor). Note: never take advice from Investors Group…just my opinion…

Anyhow, with my defined benefit approach, I know in advance how much pension I will have when I retire. My wifes pension on the other hand is a little less of a benefit since she is forced to invest in mutual funds our company has chosen and is fully dependent upon the performance of those products. Luckily, we have some indexed products to choose from. While the benefits of a DB plan outweigh those of a DC plan, a DC plan by no means is the end of the world. Overall, we’re fortunate to have pension plans. Knowing this, we’re going to work these accounts to our utmost advantage. Employer willing, our plan is to continue contributing to each both plans to have about 25 years each of vested retirement benefits when we call it a career.

Part D TFSAs

Investing in stocks or ETFs that continually pay dividends is one thing, having those securities sheltered from tax forever is something spectacular. At least we can all credit our federal government by doing one thing right over the last few years – establishing Tax Free Savings Accounts! While there remains some fine print to be aware of, TFSAs have many upsides:

o You can open a discount brokerage TFSA to hold stocks or ETFs.
o The funds in the TFSA can be grown and withdrawn tax-free.
o You can contribute to a spousal TFSA and they can withdraw from it tax-free (for income splitting purposes).

Before the government decides to take these accounts away or change them significantly, our goal over the next 15 years is to continue using TFSAs to build tax-free income, using ETFs and REITs for now, but probably Canadian dividend-paying stocks down the line. I’ll let you know what and why I buy, when I buy it.

So, there you have it, four parts that when combined will form our retirement plan. Ive left out income from government benefits such as Old Age Security (OAS), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Guaranteed Income Supply (GIS) since while I believe OAS will always exist, CCP might not and I dont think my wife and I will qualify for GIS. The latter is a good thing since that means everything has gone according to plan.

As the saying goes, I guess time will tell, won’t it?

What do you think about our retirement plan?
Got some feedback or comments to share?

I hope so, I welcome it.
Cheers!

Incoming search terms:

coles notes on wealthy barber

The History of Ford: The Company that Didn’t Take Taxpayer Bailouts

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 05:36:00 +0000

An interesting history of the original Ford (F) automobile. I found the last part of the video most interesting, the Model T driving through snow, sand, and water. Remember, this was the company that didn’t take taxpayer bailouts, unlike General Motors (GM) and Chrysler.

Disclosure: I own Ford stock and I drive a Ford.

Egypt Stocks: A Contrarian Play?

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 04:06:00 +0000

It is hard to miss the news about the anti-government protests in Egypt. Looters are roaming neighborhoods in Cairo and the death toll from the demonstrations is now above 100. The military has even blocked tourists from seeing the pyramids. Now the Obama administration has threatened to cut foreign aid to the country because of the crackdown on protesters.

So the big question is, is there a contrarian turn-around play here? The Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF (EGPT) is down over 20% during the last twelve months. Investing in this ETF is probably the simplest way to invest in Egyptian companies. The stocks in its portfolio contain many of the following.

Commercial International Bank (CIBEY.PK) is a bank holding company in Egypt with over 70 branches. The stock trades at 14.2 times earnings and six times sales. Earnings for the quarter ending September 30 were up 52% on a 38% increase in revenues.

EFG Hermes GDR (EFGZF.PK) is in the business of investment banking, private equity, asset management and investment brokerage, and the manage two funds, the Jordan Hi-Tech Venture Fund Limited, which invests in the information technology sector in Jordan, and the Middle East Technology Fund. This $1.9 billion market cap fund trades at 5.2 times sales.

Orascom Construction GDR (ORSDF.PK) is in the business of manufacturing and marketing building materials, and in construction contracting, operating in 20 countries. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 18 and a price sales ratio of 1.7. Earnings for the latest quarter were u over 22%.

Orascom Telecom SAE (ORSTF.PK) is an international mobile communications operating in Algeria, Pakistan, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. The stock has a PE ratio of 3.9 and a PS ratio of 0.77.

If you like international stocks, you should check out the free downloadable Excel stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which includes such countries as France, Brazil, Canada, Japan, India, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

The Dreaded Stairs

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:02:00 +0000

This short video has nothing to do with the stock market or investments. But you should enjoy it if you like music and you like exercise.

Incoming search terms:

the dreaded stairs cost

Organized cashflow with dividends

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:32:00 +0000

If youre a dividend investor or an owner of any securities (like ETFs) that pay you regular dividends or distributions, youre already aware of the financial security they provide:

regardless of what Mr. Market does or does not do on any given day, week or month youre getting paid to be an owner.

There is another benefit of being owner which I think is often overlooked, once you have a few stocks or securities in your portfolio you have organized cashflow. Dividend companies typically pay their dividends every quarter but not all companies payout on the same day or in the same month. Same goes for ETFs, not all Exchange-Traded Funds payout at the same time and like many Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) many ETFs provide monthly distributions.

What am I getting at?

As I work towards my passive income goals as part of my retirement plan, by owning companies and securities that pay me to be an owner Ive inherently created some organized cashflow. Check out our dividend-payment calendar by month for 2011:

Thanks goes to Million Dollar Journey who inspired me to write about this post and how organized cashflow is a nice by-product of a comprehensive financial plan.

What about you, ever thought about your (retirement) portfolio this way?
Do you already have organized cashflow?

Cheers,

My Own Advisor