Solar Powered Mass Transit

Solar Transportation Technologies Inc., is developing a solar powered transportation system that will reduce greenhouse gases, air pollution, and oil consumption. In addition it will make travel faster, safer, and more secure without costing tax payers one cent more than they currently spend on transportation. FreedomTransit merges individual, privately owned, electric cars with a highly [...]

Source: http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/press/solar-powered-mass-transit/

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Try These Philadelphia Cream Cheese Recipes - Free eCookbook

If you enjoy eating I think you will love this new, free, eCookbook. It includes a huge variety of recipes for appetizers, side dishes, entrees and desserts.

So what is the common ingredient in these recipes? It is Philadelphia Cream Cheese. YUM!

Here’s a quick peek at a few of the many recipes that are in this book.

Salmon Cakes with Dill Sauce

Philly Island Shrimp made with Wonton Wrappers

Zucchini Potato Latkes

zucchini potato latkes

Creamy Pesto Chicken

Creamy Lemon Squares

Basil Fried Green Tomato Crostini

Fiesta Cheese Fondue

Pizza Buns

Cheese and Onion Bread Pudding

Sweet Paprika Chicken with Creamy Sauce

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Cream Cheese on an Arugula-Walnut Salad

Peanut Butter Pie

Deep-fried Mini Cheesecakes

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

cheesecake brownies

Blueberry Crumble Pizza

Click here to download your free copy of this eCookbook.

Enjoy!

 

Source: http://tacklingourdebt.com/2012/05/31/try-these-philadelphia-cream-cheese-recipes-free-ecookbook/

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Tales of usury

Did you know that usury was actually illegal at one point? My son is charging interest… to his coworkers… like a payday loan.  That’s better than anything I could make in the market. According to wikipedia, back in the day (and we’re talking another century): Moneylending during this period was largely a matter of private loans advanced to [...]

Source: http://singlemomrichmom.com/tales-of-usury/

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Expose on the Journal: The Business of Poverty

As more companies view low-income Americans as opportunities for profit, the "poverty business" is booming. Bill Moyers Journal and EXPOSE: AMERICA'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS follow a team of BUSINESSWEEK reporters as they track new corporate practices that some say exploit the working poor.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bmjvodcast/~3/dOvLMbdNtZo/profile.html

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Lincoln's Legend and Legacy Part 3

Assassinated on Good Friday, Abraham Lincoln was transformed from man to martyr and myth. In this special performance edition of Bill Moyers Journal acclaimed actor Sam Waterston and historian Harold Holzer explore Lincoln's legacy and legend in the poetry and prose by great American writers across the decades who have wrestled to define the true Lincoln through the lens of their own times.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bmjvodcast/~3/21ZfCHm2grY/profile3.html

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What Rookie Investors Should Know About Emerging Markets

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While there's no place like home, the U.S. stock market's recent gyrations have many investors ready to look overseas for better returns. But while more experienced individuals might be ready to jump into emerging markets, many rookie investors are timidly sitting on the sidelines, wondering: Should they or shouldn't they?

Here's what you need to know make investing in emerging markets a little less scary.

Study Up

Start with a history lesson. Learn what you can about the regions of the world that have done well over the past five years, and see what experts are saying about their prospects going forward. Find out about what industries are doing well in these regions. Of course, that's just the beginning.

Brush up on your current events and watch the headlines. Emerging market investments are known for their volatility, and in less stable regions, local politics can have an out-sized effect on returns. However, while you want to know what's happening, you don't want to "chase the news, particularly the good news," says Adrian Cronje, chief investment officer at Balentine.

For example, Brazil is raising its primary fiscal surplus target to 3.4% due to higher than expected revenues. "Yes, Brazil is actually running a surplus: Its government spends less than it takes in through taxes," says Charles Sizemore, editor of the Sizemore Investment Letter. "Meanwhile, Portugal is having a difficult time balancing the books. The country just announced the biggest budget cuts in 50 years, along with a string of new taxes on capital gains and business profits."

Although inflation is starting to pop up again in some countries, emerging markets as a whole are enjoying price stability previously only dreamed of, says Sizemore.

Emerging markets are likely to produce much stronger growth than developed markets over the next several decades, says Ron Weiner, president of RDM Financial Group. They currently trade at attractive historical valuation levels (going back to 1990 based on MSCI data), and their consumers and governments are not burdened by the high debt levels of developed countries. According to research from Goldman Sachs, GDP in the BRIC nations alone -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- could represent 50% of global GDP by 2050, he says.

It's important to remember that the idea of "emerging markets" covers a wide range of nations, each of which may behave very differently from an economic perspective, despite a growing trend of globalization, says Heiner Skaliks, portfolio manager of Strategic Latin American Fund (SLATX). Last year, the Peruvian market had returns of close to 70%, while Brazil had returns of 6% and Russia had returns of approximately 21% (in U.S. dollar denominated terms). Since the beginning of the year, these markets have had losses of 13%, 21% and 4% respectively, but in the last 30 months averaged gains of 58%, 129% and 44% respectively, says Skaliks.

Don't Bet the Farm on One Emerging Horse

"It is important to remember that just like any other investment, it is impossible to predict the growth of any country," says Mark Matson, CEO of Matson Money. "Be cautious and don't concentrate all of your assets in one area."

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Likewise, don't concentrate all your money in one asset class: Foreign markets offer more than just stocks. Emerging market bonds (including local currency denominated, inflation indexed, and also corporate securities) are an asset class growing in size and -- if handled correctly -- can help you diversify your portfolio, points out Cronje.

Both emerging market stocks and bonds are risky asset classes, but they're becoming less volatile as investors increasingly come to see the relatively stronger macroeconomic conditions in emerging market countries -- less debt, better demographic trends, more policy options available -- as positives amid these in troubled times for the developed world, says Cronje.

Then too, certain emerging stock and bond indexes are quite concentrated in a small number of countries, says Cronje. Be sure you know what you're getting.

What to Watch Out For

Weiner of RDM Financial says he worries about three things: "A continued rise in inflation that causes central banks to have to increase interest rates more aggressively; a substantial slowdown in the global economy that hurts emerging market experts; and an increase in investor risk aversion that causes money to come out of emerging markets."

Though it's a warning that applies in developed markets too these days, be wary of political risks. For example, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently announced plans to nationalize the country's gold industry. These things happen in politically unstable countries, says Sizemore.

Beware of export-focused countries, he cautions. Given that the United States and Europe are weak right now, you don't want to invest in emerging market companies that primarily export to them. You want companies that sell to a healthy domestic middle class, says Sizemore.

Realize too, that the opaque accounting practices common in less well-regulated nations mean the possibility of less-than-useful information on the balance sheet, says John Graves, a principal with The Renaissance Group. Weaker legal protection can cause liquidity to dry up quickly in a company, a market or a region. "Funds or ETFs are not immune to these problems," says Graves.

How to Play the Game

How much you should bet overseas depends partly on your age, and partly on your ability to sleep well at night with your money in an asset that class that can be highly volatile, says Weiner. However, having between 10% and 15% of the equity portion of your portfolio in emerging markets probably makes sense in the current environment -- with the caveat that you should look at this part of your portfolio strictly as a long-term bet, says Weiner. "We believe that emerging market debt denominated in local currency could be as much as 10% of a fixed income portfolio."

Whether you're picking individual stocks or investing through a mutual fund, keep track of the sectors you're investing in. Some sectors, like energy and mining, are driven more by global factors and less by local ones. "For example, if you want to invest in, say, the rise of the Chilean or Peruvian middle-class consumer, you don't want to load up on copper miners, which make up a large part of both countries' stock markets," says Sizemore. "You're wanting exposure to the new middle class and its spending, not to the volatile price of a particular metal."

And that middle class will grow rapidly. "The World Bank projects that 800 million 'middle income' consumers will join the world economy by 2030, with developing markets accounting for 93% of the global middle class by 2030," says Weiner.

"Avoid currency speculation as a newcomer, you will be eaten alive," warns The Renaissance Group's Graves. Instead, he recommends sovereign bonds as a good place to start, purchased through an exchange trade fund. ETFs are also an inexpensive alternative to global funds which, at more than 1.5% for annual expenses, "can be quite dear to own," he notes.

Cronje says currency appreciation will be an important part of returns from emerging market exposure in the future. "Emerging market local currency bonds are therefore an important opportunity to consider."

Sizemore is big on emerging market mutual funds and ETFs with a consumer focus. He recommends the Emerging Global Shares Dow Jones Emerging Market Consumer Titans Index Fund ETF (ECON).

You can create a short list of foreign stocks at finviz.com, advises Graves. "Use a stop-loss on any purchase, either here or overseas," says Graves.

You can also focus on multinational U.S. and global companies that sell goods and services to emerging markets.

Mirror the Pros?

If you're not sure of your own abilities to swim successfully in emerging markets, you might want a lifeguard of sorts looking out for you.

Covestor, an asset management firm and registered investment adviser, offers a wide selection of emerging market models managed by experts. "Replicating the trades of a seasoned emerging markets investor through Covestor or another mirrored investing firm is a good way for people to gain experience investing in emerging markets," says Kalen Holliday, a spokeswoman for Covestor.

Being globally diversified is essential to any healthy long-term oriented portfolio, and investing in emerging markets is a great move in that direction, says Matson.

"Start small, give yourself a long time horizon and be protective of your risk," suggests Graves. "Allow many small errors, look for the good opportunity: Dividends are key."

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Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/09/07/what-rookie-investors-should-know-about-emerging-markets/

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Risk-Adverse Investors Sell Stock Mutual Funds

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Investors withdrew nearly $8 billion from U.S. stock mutual funds in June, according to Strategic Insight, a New York City mutual fund research and consulting group, which reports that assets held in U.S. stock mutual funds have declined by more than 15 percent since the beginning of the year.

“For many fund shareholders, risk aversion will persist as a theme in the face of volatility,” Avi Nachman, director of research for Strategic Insight, said in a statement. “Gains in the stock market have not emboldened investors, who worry about the ever-present risk of future losses.”

Stock mutual funds have experience four consecutive months of outflows, according to Strategic Insight, despite recent gains in the S&P 500 index, which rose 4.1 percent in June.  In the face of market uncertainty and volatility, Main Street investors are unlikely to assume significant risk, according to a survey conducted by Millionaire Corner in June.

Total stock and bond mutual fund investment was $13 billion in June, representing the smallest investment in long-term mutual funds since December, according to Strategic Insight. Investment in bond funds rose more than 15 percent, with taxable bond funds increasing roughly 11 percent to more than $2.3 trillion and investment in tax-free bonds rising by more than 4 percent to $634 billion. International stock funds rose by 5.4 percent to nearly $1.6 trillion. The data excludes exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, and mutual funds linked to variable annuity products.

“When we look at the first half of 2012, we see much of what should be expected in the second half,” Nachmany said. “Given the Federal Reserve’s current commitment to low interest rates and the lack of positive surprises in U.S. economic figures, we anticipate investors will continue to favor the relatively lower risk of bond funds over equity funds in coming months.”

Meanwhile ETFs enjoyed solid growth in June, taking in $16 billion, according to a separate Strategic Insights study, which notes that an increase of $75 billion in assets for the first half of 2012 puts U.S. ETFs on pace for their sixth consecutive year of $100 billion-plus inflows.  Millionaire Corner research shows that ETFs have the most appeal among wealthy investors.

U.S. ETN and ETF assets stood at $1.18 trillion at the end of June, up from $1.06 trillion at year end, according to Strategic Insights. ETF investors show the most preference for large-cap blend, intermediate-term bond, large-cap growth, long-term bond and diversified emerging market funds.

Source: http://www.millionairecorner.com/article/risk-adverse-investors-sell-stock-mutual-funds

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