It’s hard to play this market. There are concerns about first quarter earnings, the length of the market boom (since March 2009, it’s been straight-up) and a bunch of “experts” — e.g. Mohamed A. El-Erian — are telling us to go to cash.
There’s no joy (or profit) is trying to predict. And I wouldn’t listen to any of it.
Stay the course. Play the stuff that’s working.
I made some changes to my fav stocks on the right. I feel comfortable with this list.
I’m convinced that the market’s preference for dividend payers will continue, though the “Themes” stocks will continue to play out long-term. I need to update this chart. For now, it has some ideas. Click here.
Google has hit a bump, or something.
And now Europe is after them for antitrust violations. The EU noted: “The Commission will assess if, by entering into anticompetitive agreements and/or by abusing a possible dominant position, Google has illegally hindered the development and market access of rival mobile operating systems, mobile communication applications and services in the European Economic Area (EEA).” In addition to the antitrust suit, the EU also announced an investigation into Google’s Android platform.
Europe is basically anti-success. It’s the reason so many European entrepreneurs come here to start their businesses.
Meantime, this EU nonsense will cast a pall over Google’s stock. Maybe it’s time to dump Google? (I should have done so yesterday.)
Today is April 15, tax day. If you need to file an extension, pay them more than you think you’ll owe (to avoid penalties), file in form 4868, which you can get here and send them a check and the form. And get your letter certified. Just in case.
It could be worse. It used to be only death and taxes, Now, there’s also shipping and handling.
Old but fun Southern story:
A guy walks into a bar in Alabama and orders a white wine.
All the hillbillies sitting around the bar look up, expecting to see some pitiful Yankee from the north.
The bartender says, “You ain’t from around here, are ya?”
The guy says, “No, I’m from Canada .”
The bartender says, “What do you do in Canada ?”
The guy says, “I’m a taxidermist.”
The bartender says, “A taxidermist? What in tarnation is a taxidermist? Do you collect taxes? Do you drive a taxi?”
“No, a taxidermist doesn’t collect taxes or drive a taxi. I mount animals.”
The bartender grins and hollers, “It’s okay boys. He’s one of us.”
The most brilliant gadget. I have a TV set in my office and one in my office reading room. I can’t connect them by cable because I don’t want to mess with drilling into walls. But I can connect them wirelessly — with this $220 Nyrius ARIES Home HDMI Digital Wireless Transmitter & Receiver. The Nyrius connects to my cable box’s HDMI output on one end and my TV’s HDMI input on the other. It takes three minutes to hook up. No software. No programming. Works to about 100 feet. Brilliant.
Buy it here.
Stuff not to buy:
+ You don’t need to get navigation in your car. WAZE on your iPhone does a far better, faster and easier job than any car navigation system.
+ Canon’s new G7X has a three times bigger image processor than my much loved Canon G16. But the G7X is $200 more expensive. Unless you’re making huge prints, you won’t notice a difference in image quality. I prefer the G16 — see column on right.
I took this picture of granddaughter Sophie with the G16, with a little help from Adobe Photoshop.
Wrong bills to be careful of. Latest new Yorker:
My electricity bills are on Auto Pay to my Visa. One bill — from NYSEG — just tripled, though no one has been in the house for three months and everything is shut off. Utilities — electric, landline and cell phone companies — have the worst billing systems in the world. They’re always wrong. A phone call will always secure you a reduction. Check. Check. Check.
Harry Newton who increasingly loves his new iPhone 6. I am totally convinced that it makes better telephone calls. They’re louder. They sound better. I bought my iPhone 6 for $749 directly from Apple. It’s totally unlocked. It will work on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile or any GSM carrier overseas. I got Verizon to reduce my cell phone bill by $30 a month. Hint: When your two-year contract runs out and/or you buy an unlocked phone directly from Apple, make sure your cell phone provider reduces your monthly bill. There’s the rub. Though your two-year contract is over and you’ve paid off your phone, you’re still being charged for it — unless you call. I think this is dishonest. What do I know?
Harry,
Let’s start a group to back Gov. CHris Christie’s call to put Social Security out of the reach of wealthy retirees. If you earn $80k per year you do not need Social Security. I’m so sick of the wealthy in this country not paying taxes and reaping benefits because they are rich. The rich don’t pay taxes. They have high paid lawyers figuring out strategies to avoid taxes. Soak the rich.
I will buy Christie’s SS “wisdom” right after buying his bridge and buying his medicinal marijuana.
so, you don’t think social security investors shouldn’t receive a return on their investment?
crap, i messed it up.
so, you don’t think social security investors should receive a return on their investment?