We get a lot of calls and emails asking if we will offer Facebook stock when they have their IPO.  The answer is a resounding YES, Duh!  The Facebook IPO is expected to be the biggest IPO EVER and we’d be crazy not to offer their stock once they go public IF they issue paper stock certificates.  To give you a feel, the Google IPO several years ago raised about $1.7B.  The Facebook IPO is expected to be in the $10B range, over 5 times larger.
The Wall Street Journal just reported that Facebook may file for their IPO as early as next week.  This means that they are just starting the process and the actual IPO would likely occur some time in the second quarter.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the IPO:

• When exactly will it be?
• What will the IPO price be?
• Will individual investors be able to participate in the IPO or will they have to buy shares post IPO?
• Will Facebook offer paper certificates or will they only allow electronic registration?  (this is of special interest to us).

There will be all sorts of hype as the IPO approaches and we’ll be right on top of it.

If you are interested in keeping up with the IPO including information about how you might be able to buy a framed share of Facebook stock from us after the IPO (assuming they offer paper stock certificates), sign up for our  Facebook IPO updates and we’ll add you to our list.

It’s a double mat – green and gold, both white core and both archival quality to preserve your stock certificate.

See how the new mats look in our various colors of Green Bay Packer stock frames.

Note that we are taking orders now but they will start shipping in next week.

As many of you probably know, Packers stock sales were so high, the Packers added another 30,000 shares to the 250,000 share offering and extended sales through February.  Odds are that they will sell out before then.

Good luck to the Packers….the Giants looked pretty good this weekend so it should be a real battle.

Ok, Packer fans, you got your stock certificate, now what?

Don’t even think about tucking it away in a drawer or in your safety deposit box!  Your stock certificate should be proudly displayed so everyone can see it.

Obviously it belongs in a frame and hung on the wall.  The challenge?  The stock certificate is 8 x 12 inches.  That’s a common shape for stock certificates but not for anything else so good luck finding a mat and/or frame to fit.

Well as luck would have it, we happen to have mats custom cut to fit the any 8×12 stock certificate, including Green Bay Packers stock.  The mats fit any 11×14 frame or you can pick from our 6 frame colors and get it from us too.  After paying $250 for your stock, you might think about $10 more for a laser engraved plaque that finishes off the whole package.  You get 3 lines of 35 characters each to capture something clever.

Use this link for Green Bay Packers frames and mats.

The reason we aren’t sure is because Green Bay Packers stock ain’t your typical stock.   Yes, buyers will get the actual stock certificate, be invited to shareholder meetings, and qualify to buy merchandise only available to shareholders on packers.com.  BUT Packers stock cannot be bought by businesses, cannot be sold (except back to the Packers at nominal price), and cannot be transferred (except within your immediate family).

Green Bay Packers Stock Given To Obama

After seeing all the things that one can’t do, I was all set to say that I’m not touching this with a ten foot pole.   Then after a little more thought, I changed my mind at least in terms of whether I would buy it for myself.  I started to think about its collectible value and the novelty of actually owning part of a sports dynasty.  Guess what the Packers gave President Obama back in August when they visited the White House?  Yep, a share of Green Bay Packers stock (see image at right).  If its good enough for the Pres, a Chicago Bear fan no less, its good enough for me.

Packers Stock Certificate

Anyone notice what older shares of Packers stock is going for on Ebay or Scripophily.com?  It’s pricey.   I’d love to have a framed share hanging on my wall as a conversation piece.  It’s not that I’m a die hard Packer fan -  it’s just cool.  I can only imagine how a real cheese-head would feel.  For me, just like with my old baseball and football cards, I’d never be able to part with my Packer stock no matter how much collectors were willing to pay!  Well, maybe I would if it went totally crazy, but I’d have a tough time.  I still have my Boston Celtics stock that is worth a bundle.

I also think back to all the Merrill Lynch Advisors who were buying Merrill Lynch stock certificates from us before they merged into Bank of America.  They were craving the certificate before it went away forever, not as an investment, but because it was a piece of history that they would never be able to get again.  The same is true for Pixar before they merged into Disney, Playboy stock before Hefner took them private, and most recently Apple stock before they stopped issuing certificates in 2009.

In fact, all of the stock certificates that we offer at GiveAshare.com will become collectibles at some point as the whole industry moves toward electronic registration and away from paper stock certificates.   As each one goes electronic, we try to buy some for our own personal collection but am always kicking myself for not getting more.  It doesn’t help that in most cases where a company is going totally electronic, there is no warning – it just happens.

So I will be part of the crowd buying Packers stock at packers.com on the 6th more as a collector than as an owner of a business that offers stock gifts.  For those die-hard Packer fans that want a piece of the action, I will see you there.  If we can figure a way to offer Green Bay Packers stock here, we will do it!  Stay tuned.

We just added AirTran stock (NYSE: AAI) to our stock list but just for a limited time…

AirTran is merging into Southwest Airlines  in a deal expected to close in Q2.  We added AirTran so that employees can buy a registered share before it goes away.

In addition, we have found that this can be a very popular gift/keepsake to give employees or clients to commemorate their hard work and dedication.

So if you want to buy AirTran stock, you better hurry!

No, I’m not talking about Chinese food.

A while back, we added Madison Square Garden stock (NYSE ticker MSG) to our  list because New York was in the running to get LeBron.  Well, that didn’t pan out too well!  But today, MSG stock is getting a lot of attention. Yep, Carmelo Anthony is going to the Big Apple and fans are pumped.  Ticket prices have soared since the announcement but MSG stock (up 50% over the last 12 months)  is up only slightly today.

Carmelo joins Amar’e Stoudemire who has single-handedly turned the Knicks around this season.  Should be fun to watch the two of them together but as Steve Kerr said during the All-Star game this weekend, it remains to be seen how these two will work together.

Anyway, this should make for some good photos in the Madison Square Garden Annual Reports and make this stock more fun to watch.

We’re pumped!

We just announced our new partnership with Monetta Financial Services (see the press release), well known for their family of mutual funds.

Their Young Investor Fund (YIF) has a creative twist that caught our eye.  It is a no-load mutual fund designed to get kids involved in the investment process with an innovative portfolio structure and a financial literacy component.

The fund is the brain-child of Robert Bacarella, President, Founder and Director.  We have discovered that he is a very creative guy with a passion for teaching kids about money management.  That is why we mesh so well.

Monetta clients will get some exposure to GiveAshare.com to see if they want to take advantage of the powerful learning that comes with owning one share of stock or our Shareholder Kit.   GiveAshare.com customers that are interested in taking the next step for their kids will have the Monetta YIF available to consider.

Over time we will go into more detail about some of the things that are available at  Monetta YIF to help kids learn so stay tuned.

In the meantime, let me put in my obligatory disclaimers that we are not a broker, we cannot give investment advice, and this is not an offer or recommendation to invest in the Monetta Young Investor Fund.

Every time I’m at the grocery store, I see a dodo at a Coinstar machine cashing in their change.  Don’t they realize that they are paying 9.8%!

It reminds me of  the days when my kids would have happily accepted TWO one dollar bills in exchange for their ONE five dollar bill.

At a time when savings accounts at banks are paying .2% interest, giving up 9.8% is outrageous!  Makes me want to put my name and phone number on the machine with a note saying, call me, I’d be happy to drive to your house, give you cash for your coins and only charge you 6%, and by the way, I have some swamp land in Florida you might be interested in.

I understand that you are paying for convenience  but this seems ridiculously high.  I was heartened recently when the machine gives you an option of not paying a fee if you take your proceeds in the form of a gift card for one of their retail partners.  That makes sense IF you shop there anyway and you remember to use the card but Coinstar and their retailer know that a high percentage of the cards will never be used.

As I was doing a little research for this blog, I had to laugh when I came across a web page that showed how you can fool a Coinstar machine and cash in your dough without paying a fee.  I assume the author felt the same way I do about the fees but he has taken it farther than I would.

One other interesting tid bid that I found….Coinstar Inc.  also does the Redbox DVD rental machines that you see inside and outside of stores.  Very clever ideas that have made the stock perform well until a week ago when the stock fell 27% in one day after they announced some disappointing earnings.

Like I mentioned right up front, if you are an avid Coinstar user,  please accept my apologies and please consider reading our I’m A Shareholder KIT to improve your financial literacy.

P.S.  Hit the image on the right for an unforgettable deal on swampland……just kidding.

News Flash!  It’s official, Hef is taking Playboy private.

On January 10, 2011, Playboy announced that they have accepted Hugh Hefner’s offer to buy the company and take it private.  The deal is expected to close sometime in the first quarter.

Maybe Hef’s recent engagement has something to do with it.  Many say that his new found monogamous relationship opens up the possibility for a new reality TV show.  Something based on his upcoming wedding – all the planning, the celebs, the emotions, all the way through to the ceremony – definitely some must see TV.  Maybe Hef sees this as having big potential so wants it all for himself.  Ok, probably a stretch given that he already owned 70% of the company.

We at GiveAashare.com hate to see Playboy stock go.  It’s been a customer favorite especially for Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, and for groomsmen gifts.  I hate to say it but the only thing that can keep this from happening is for Hef to drop dead before it is consummated (pun intended).

Last chance to buy Playboy stock before it goes private.

Hef's new bride

As reported by thestreet.com,  Hugh Hefner is getting a lot closer to taking Playboy private.   Get one share of Playboy stock while you still can.

P.S.  Hugh just got engaged – maybe he is going to give his new bride the company as a wedding present.  See Us magazine article.