tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199439162009-02-21T08:53:06.672-05:00Jeremynoreply@blogger.comBlogger86125This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1144687856866576652006-04-10T11:18:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:01.473-05:00

I made a quick stop at the Silk Market in Beijing to pick up some gifts for colleagues back at the office (Pashmina shawls for $2.25). The Silk Market - formerly Silk Alley comprised of small shacks creating little alleys of knock offs - is in a shiny new building where you can buy pearls, clothing, silk items, electronics, and more. With a little bargaining, shoppers are picking up North Face

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1144685774635817222006-04-10T10:44:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:08.076-05:00

Air pollution has been a major problem for China for many years. A decade ago the problem was people burning coal in their homes. Today, in most large cities the residents use electricity instead of coal and they use it not only for cooking and heating, but to power their TV, stereo, PC, appliances, and more. As a result, the coal burning has simply shifted to from millions of households to large

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1144683311617850492006-04-10T10:15:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:09.416-05:00

For much of the past decade, China has been the world's manufacturer due in part to a large supply of very cheap labor. As the demand for Chinese labor has grown, however, the supply has not. In many of China's major manufacturing centers there are persistent labor shortages. According to the New York Times, "shortages at hundreds of Chinese factors have led experts to conclude that the economy

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1144681726075787142006-04-10T10:02:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:04.766-05:00

Over the past few years there has been a lot of newsprint and political spin about the rise of the Chinese economy. By anyone's accounting, China's GDP has been growing rapidly and the standard of living, as measured by financial values, has increased markedly for urban residents in Eastern China. However, there are some clouds on the horizon...China's explosive growth has been fueled in large

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1144680764962495442006-04-10T09:40:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:03.830-05:00

Welcome to the 17th Carnival of Investing, direct from China. The Carnival presents an opportunity for bloggers to share their best recent posts on investing. If you’re interested in contributing a post to the next carnival, you can use the form at Blog Carnival or Conservative Cat.Let me also welcome you to A Financial Revolution. The posts on this site discuss saving, investing, and spending

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1143942214921445922006-04-01T20:43:00.000-05:002006-05-08T10:14:30.283-05:00

For those of you that weren't able to take advantage of the free USB drive from Microsoft, LPL Financial Services is offering a free USB drive that contains a study showing why they're the number one independent broker/dealer. All you have to do for the drive is call (1) 866-523-8218 and ask for a free copy of the "Moss Adams study" and other information on a free memory stick.I haven't tried

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1143866111096520522006-03-31T23:28:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:51.210-05:00

Have you ever played one of those claw games? You know the ones - you stick your dollar in the slot and get a dose of frustration as you navigate the little claw to your prize only to find the claw is too weak to actually hold the prize all the way to the chute. Well, this kid wasn't having any of that. Devin, a 3-year old Minnesota boy, climbed through the chute to his own personal playbox.

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1143865013430184092006-03-31T23:04:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:53.313-05:00

I learned last night that my China business trip has been extended an extra week (I usually only stay 2 to 3 days on a normal China trip.) Since I'll be there for two weeks, I thought I would try something a little different... I will report on my experiences in China. Stay tuned for the first report on Tuesday.On a different note, I've had several spam commenters over the last month or so.

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1143817769071724192006-03-31T09:43:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:53.853-05:00

In my last post I listed seven credit card trends. To follow up, here are seven benefits of credit cards (courtesy of TMF):Convenience - no need to carry around large sums of cash for those big purchases.Budgeting - each month you receive an itemized list of your expenditures.Boosting creditworthiness - building a good credit history makes you more attractive to lenders when it comes time to buy/

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1142737407343891462006-03-18T21:50:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:58.760-05:00

MoneyCentral has a recent article about seven credit card trends that could cost you. The trends include:Interest rates will rise (there's a no brainer)Low-rate offers will include more conditions or "traps"Companies will offer some good deals, but end/modify the deals quicklyFees will growCredit card companies will continue to consolidate and, over time, reduce competitionMicropayments are the

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1142690295190198682006-03-18T08:19:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:57.600-05:00

It's time to confess... I made a mistake last year. I tried a small experiment with the dogs of the Dow - investing in the six highest-yielding stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and selling after one year. Historically, this approach bests the performance of the Dow by about 50%. The results for my holding period were not stellar - about a 0.5% gain after commissions.My mistake, however,

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141707149299048352006-03-16T00:47:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:57.946-05:00

The McKinsey Quarterly recently included a web-only article on ten trends for the coming years. I thought it would be worth reviewing these trends and looking to see if it yields any areas for possible investment.Trend 1: Economic activity will shift to new regions of the globe as Asia continues to grow.Investment ideas: Consumer companies with a strong presence in Asia and global REITs.Trend 2.

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1142454618010779832006-03-15T15:24:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:59.790-05:00

I was going through my email and noticed a sale announcement for Investment Advisor. They are having an online warehouse sale on finance and investing books. The shipping isn't great ($4 for the first item and $1.79 for each additional item), but some of the books are priced as low as $0.89.I have read and can recommend the following titles:10808: Smart Money Decisions ($1.14)84366: The

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1142436011950363612006-03-15T10:14:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:58.903-05:00

Last weekend, I rented a car from Alamo. As usual, I requested an economy car - typically a Geo Metro-sized car. I am certainly not a frequent car renter, but of the past 7 to 9 rentals in which I requested an economy car, I have never received one. Why? Well, I don't believe they even own (m)any economy cars. When I get to the rental counter, the discussion usually goes something like this:Agent

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1142122538362311362006-03-11T18:55:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:56.320-05:00

While we're on the topic of real estate, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer had an interesting article about a potential boom in foreclosures. According to the article, over the last two years, many borrowers have taken advantage of adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) with super-low teaser rates (2.5% or less.) Because some lenders were offering no- to little-money-down loans and some real estate

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1142121291917750752006-03-11T18:50:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:51.580-05:00

The NY Times had a very interesting article about investors buying houses over the Internet sight unseen and (surprise, surprise) getting burned. The article describes the case of two investors who bought three houses in Buffalo, NY for a total of $13,000. The investors believed the seller's statement that the houses needed only minor repairs (really?) You can probably guess that those statements

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1142111608740724702006-03-11T15:41:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:52.690-05:00

Over the last few months I've seen numerous magazines and newspapers claiming that the U.S. real estate bubble is beginning to burst. At a minimum, the air is leaking out. U.S. homes are staying on the market longer and buyers are starting to regain their common sense.So what does this mean for real estate investment trusts? In January, I posted that REITs offer diversification because their

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141742164715194982006-03-07T08:28:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:51.440-05:00

As I was exiting the Metro station this morning, I received a copy of the Financial Times with a note that the newspaper is providing free access at FT.com from March 5 to 11. The newspaper's business articles are usually top notch and it's a good place to find investing ideas. An extra feature: unlike the paper version, the background of the web site is white, not pink.

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141702421106692552006-03-06T22:06:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:50.690-05:00

First, Old Niu beats me to the punch with his posts about spin offs. Now the Washington Post got ahead of me on comparing tax preparation software.The article compares three popular tax packages: TaxCut, TurboTax, and TaxAct. Each of the packages provided different results - TaxCut calculated a return of $600, TurboTax: $588, and TaxAct: $175. So which package does the journalist recommend?

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141700790230072222006-03-06T21:59:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:19:52.286-05:00

The Insurance Information Institute is offering free software to help you develop an inventory of your possessions. Using the software, you can organize your possessions by room and attach photos and electronic copies of receipts. I haven't personally used this software, but it looks simple to use and has all the important features. If you've used the software, please post a comment sharing your

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141699893798266132006-03-06T21:09:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:50.056-05:00

The carnivals are up again! Canadian Capitalist hosts the Carnival of Personal Finance. I recommend Old Niu's post about investing in spin off transactions. The funny thing is, I was planning to write a post on that tonight! Old Niu, thanks for saving me some time (and organizing my thoughts so coherently .)PFAdvice hosts the Carnival of Investing. Check out Stocks for Me's discussion about Home

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141533613513116392006-03-04T22:50:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:51.786-05:00

Last week, the Washington Post reported that government officials are seeing a new IRS-themed email scam each week. Most of the scams involve an email advising that the recipient is under investigation or due a refund. The emails contain links that direct the recipient to a phony, IRS-look-a-like web site that asks for personal data.Five Cent Nickel dissected one of these scam emails several

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141400799645319382006-03-03T08:39:00.000-05:002006-05-15T16:57:02.776-05:00

There is a continual debate among bloggers and personal finance sites asking whether it's better to hold individual stocks or trust mutual fund managers with our money (see funds vs. stocks.) Often, those recommending mutual funds argue that funds have experienced money managers, proprietary research, and access to company insiders - things many of us lack - so it would be foolish to think that

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141391091189883752006-03-03T07:44:00.000-05:002006-05-20T05:20:52.873-05:00

A Financial Revolution has joined the PFBlogs.Org network. PFBlogs is an aggregator with a deep bench of over 240 excellent personal finance and investing blogs. The site includes a search feature so you can check out which blogs have been talking about Joel Greenblatt's "magic formula".I encourage you to check them out. They're a great resource for readers interested in personal finance and

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19943916.post-1141387222550434552006-03-03T06:19:00.000-05:002006-06-05T16:39:38.906-05:00

Last night I finished Joel Greenblatt's new book, The Little Book That Beats the Market. It's a well-written, easy-to-understand, funny and short book that promotes a "magic formula" which has beat the market by a wide margin over the last 17 years. The simple formula identifies businesses that are well-run (high return on capital) and selling at a bargain (high earnings yield). According to the

Jeremynoreply@blogger.com3