Happy Hour: Facebook ($FB) IPO Reminders & Drinking Game
I’m officially done with the Facebook IPO. With CNBC becoming the “All Facebook, All Day” network today, I’ve had enough. So in that vein, I’ll pass along the last few useless useful tidbits of information I have come across this week.
Facebook IPO Drinking Game
This is probably the coolest thing to come out this week. Something that finally got back to the college roots of Facebook and I secretly believe is the product of the last Facebook Hackathon. The Facebook IPO drinking game. You might want to wait before the stock opens to get started.
Opening Bell on Facebook
If you do get into the Facebook action, I wish you luck in your financial endeavors. If you got in on the IPO congratulations, you’re one of the few and should be set for a first day profit, if you sell. For the not so lucky, the scheduled open is set for 11 a.m. eastern time. I would plan on Facebook opening at that time, but don’t be surprised if it’s fashionably late.
Limit Orders, Please
If you plan on buying or selling Facebook in the open market today, here’s a few things you should know: Read more…
Happy Hour: Zuckerberg, Butt Dialing, & JPM
Welcome to the value edition of Happy Hour! Sit back, relax and enjoy some of the more interesting things I’ve come across this week.
Zuckerberg
The Facebook IPO is about a week away. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out. I’ll be sitting on the sidelines, watching to see how much people will overpay for the stock. If you’re planning to buy Facebook, take the time to read The Maturation of the Billionaire Boy-Man about Mark Zuckerberg. Remember, he’ll have a 57% controlling interest in the company, stockholders are just along for the ride.
Butt Dialing 911
The biggest misuse of the 911 emergency number is from your butt. At least it is in New York, where the city dealt with 3.9 million butt dials in 2010. A study showed that butt calls, not to be confused with booty calls, amounted to 38% of all 911 calls. That’s an average of about 10,700 per day. The good news, 911 booty calls were down to 7%. Read more…
Happy Hour: Booze Will Save The Post Office & $50K To Happiness
Welcome to Happy Hour, where I offer up some of the more interesting and informative things I’ve come across this week. Sit back, relax and enjoy the weekend!
Shipping Beer And Wine Via USPS
New legislation was recently passed in the Senate to help the financially strapped Post Office. The legislation includes several things like a 5 day delivery week, restructuring health benefit payments, provide retirement incentives to many employees, and most important, allow shipping of wine and beer by the postal service. Imagine, a 103 year old law has prevented the Post Office’s profitability and we’re only finding out about this now. If it we’re only true.
$50,000 To Happiness
Who says happiness can’t be measured in dollars. Read more…
Happy Hour: The Fed Translation & NFL Draft
Welcome to the end of the week and Happy Hour! Sit back, relax and enjoy a few things that I’ve read this past week.
The Fed Statement Translation
The Fed released its monthly statement this week without any major surprises. Jack Hough wrote a tongue in cheek translation of it, The Fed in 57 Words, which can give you a gist of the economy at the moment. Basically, unemployment is too high, people are spending more because gas prices are too high, and Europe is still screwed up. Tell me something I didn’t know.
NFL Draft
I have to say the NFL Draft is the ultimate tease for all the football fans out there, myself included. Somehow the fate of your team suddenly boils down to a draft pick. As if a single player will instantly propel your team to Superbowl greatness. Then watch as the analysts and fans scrutinize and criticize each pick. For most of these players, we won’t see an immediate impact, if any, for several years. Yet, I find myself watching anyways, with everyone else. Read more…
Happy Hour: Waiting For The Shoe To Drop?
It’s the end of the week and another edition of Happy Hour. Sit back, relax and browse some of the great topics I came across this week!
Waiting For The Shoe To Drop?
With the glass half empty media mindset on the market and economy of late, it certainly seems like we’re waiting for the shoe to drop. With the impressive first quarter run up, it’s very reminiscent of last year, just without the impending European collapse.
Last year at this time we were seeing good first quarter earnings. Then the European debt crisis and the US debt ceiling hit the news, putting fear back into the markets.
Once again we’re seeing good first quarter earnings. So, we’re holding our breath waiting for a repeat of fear entering the markets. But it’s not happening. The fact is things are good. The US economy has been the little train that could, slowly chugging itself up the mountain. The economic indicators point to a continued slow recovery. Read more…
Carnival Of Money Pros: Tax Rush Edition
Welcome to the Carnival of Money Pros: Tax Rush Edition! If you have your returns filed already, good for you. The procrastinators have until Tuesday to get those returns in or file an extension.
Here’s a couple nuggets of info while you rush to get those returns in on time. The current U.S. tax code is now 3.8 million words long and there have been about 4,428 changes to the code in just the last 10 years. It’s a good thing we remember it all.
The good news is a few people in Washington want to simplify the tax code. I’m hoping simplify is just a nice word for a total gutting, slash and burn, shock and awe transformation.
But until that happens, we at least have some reading to do, thanks to the Carnival of Money Pros! Read more…
Happy Hour: Springfield, Oregon & Project Glass Parodies
It’s Happy Hour and a perfect time to take a break before you file your tax return. So sit back, relax and enjoy some recommended reading before you have to rush off to meet the deadline.
Springfield, Oregon?
The cat is out of the bag. The truth is out in the open. It only took 23 years to finally reveal what most people stopped caring about years ago. Matt Groening finally came clean about the true location of Springfield in The Simpsons in an interview with Smithsonian magazine. My life is now one step closer to complete.
Project Glass Parody
Last week, I mentioned Google’s new Project Glass. Since it’s release there have been a bunch of funny Youtube parodies that have since been released. I still think the glasses are cool, but the videos are funnier. Read more…
