This week was cut short, so I had to drop an exciting, brilliantly written post on the Federal Reserve. I know right, thrilling. Okay, maybe not. So hopefully, thanks to earnings season, some mail I got, Mountain Dew, and a guru controversy will give me a fairly strong finish for the week.
Earnings Season
Earnings Season kicked off this week with companies beginning to report 4th quarter earnings. If you own stocks, now is the time to check what you own, listen to the conference call, and read the earnings report. If you’re invested for the long term, remember that earnings season offers just a very short term glimpse of a company. Stay focused on the long term fundamentals, not on the comparison to analyst’s estimates.
Netflix Lawsuit
This is for all you Netflix subscribers out there. Apparently there is a class action lawsuit against Netflix and a settlement with Walmart. How does this affect you? Good question, I’m no lawyer but the gist from the mailer I got was supposedly the two companies conspired to keep each other out of certain dvd businesses, eliminating each other as competitors and keeping prices high. If you ever subscribed to Netflix in the past 6 years or so, check it out.
The Science of Dew
If you think finding a mouse in your soda can is disturbing, PepsiCo came forward trying to explain why there is absolutely no possibility that a man found mouse remains in a can of Mountain Dew. The fact that the company went on record to explain why, might be more disturbing. I see sciencey, fun stuff with Mountain Dew coming to a classroom near you.
#DenySuzeCard
The twitter-verse went wild this week thanks to a new prepaid debit card by none other than Suze Orman herself. The guru wants you to buy her debit card and pay $3/month to use it plus any extra fees along the way. Of course Suze’s been hitting the talk shows and late night news programs plugging the greatness of the new venture. Seems like a waste of money to me, but maybe I don’t understand the concept of paying a fee so I can spend money. Isn’t that what Bank of America tried to do.
Last Call
I’m not a Suze Orman fan. I’m sure she has provided some quality advice from time to time. But I know that some people may follow her without question, whether the advice is beneficial or not. The point is nobody, including me, knows your financial situation better than you. A bit of advice I often got from my parents comes to mind, “Sometimes you have to use your noggin”. Noggin means brain for those not fluent in parent speak, it’s also the filtered version. Here’s a few people that had something to say about the news:
- PT offers up what Suze Orman should be doing and breaks down why. Much better options than her prepaid card and covering the credit reporting project in depth.
- MoneyCone disproves of the 9 benefits of Suze’s card, providing a rebuttal to each supposed benefit.
- Felix Salmon at Rueters liked the card at first, thought about it, and now not so much. Pointing out an interview she did, stating that Suze is pushing the banked to become unbanked, prepaid card users just to avoid the big banks.