There are many magazines that do rankings of the worst jobs in America. These rankings are based on salary, employee happiness, hours worked, and growth prospects. Everyone knows that professions like being a lumberjack are difficult. Today, I wanted to put a different spin on the worst jobs in the United States and detail why these jobs are the worst to have.
Here are the 3 worst jobs to have right now.
Today, I picked up shares of Bank of America (BAC) at $12.50 and added shares of Wells Fargo at $23.50. I am still a big believer in the long term viability of the financial sector.
I have the learned the hard way that just because a stock is cheap does not mean it is a good investment. It can be tough sometimes to distinguish between a value play and a value trap. Value plays are stocks that are trading below their true value and will eventually reach this value. Value traps meanwhile are companies that appear to be trading cheaply but are trading at their current level for good reasons.
Here are 3 stocks that have been cheap for a long long time.
I was reading an interesting article about how states have come up with new ways to raise revenue. States and local governments are trying new methods to plug budget shortfalls. One of these methods is requiring bloggers to apply for a license from their local state in order to host a blog. Philadelphia is the first city to require bloggers to pay for a “business privilege license.”
Warren Buffett used to say that he never invested in technology companies because he doesn’t understand them. That doesn’t mean that his holding company, Berskhire Hathaway doesn’t invest in information technology companies. Recently, Buffett’s company has had an appetite for information services companies. These investments were probably made by Charlie Munger or Lou Simpson.
I was recently thinking about investments that should be available to everyday investors. These investments make perfect sense and could attract billions of dollars into the marketplace. It actually surprises me that none of the large fund companies offer any of these investment products.
Here are 3 investments that fund companies should offer.
One of the major cogs of the three headed monster at Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) is stepping down. Lou Simpson, the Geico portfolio manager, announced his plans to retire today. This is important despite the fact that it has gone largely unnoticed by most major media networks.
It’s that time once again. I have searched the web for the best financial posts. There are some great articles listed below. This week’s roundup is focused on posts that will help you make money and posts that will help you prepare for college.
Happy Reading!
There has been a lot of speculation over who will take over when Warren Buffett steps down. Buffett is the creator, founder, and mastermind behind the success at Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) is the highest valued stock in the stock market with a price of $116,305.00 per share. Buffett has turned early investors into multimillionaires through his shrewd investment moves.
Rumors have Li Lu taking over for the longtime Berkshire chairman when he finally does retire. Lu is a Columbia graduate and chairman of Himalaya Capital Management. Lu has made a number of smart investments including his deployment of capital in BYD Company Limited. Although Lu is a very successful investor, he will be placed in a situation where it will be impossible to duplicate the results of the investing legend.
Here are a few reasons why there will never be another Warren Buffett.
1) The stock market’s days of double digit growth are likely over.
There will always be potential in smaller stocks for double digit gains but the market as a whole will not be as robust as it once was. The 5 largest stakes in the Berkshire portfolio are Coca Cola, Wells Fargo, American Express, Proctor & Gamble, and Kraft Foods. These 5 large cap stocks represent nearly 70% of the entire $48 billion dollar public stock portfolio. These are all great companies but none are expected to grow at a double digit rate. A lot will depend on Buffett’s successor’s ability to make strategic acquisition to Berkshire Holdings. Buffett has a knack for knowing that GEICO and Dairy Queen would be great additions to the company’s holdings.
2.) Buffett’s successor will be managing a multibillion dollar portfolio.
It will be impossible with a portfolio that large to come near the past successes of Warren Buffett. Buffett has been able to generate an average return of 20% annually for over 45 years. In his 2008 annual report Buffett himself stated that “Berkshire’s past record can’t be duplicated or even approached. Our base of assets and earnings is now far too large for us to make outsized gains in the future.” An informed investor actually has a better chance of outperforming Berkshire due to their ability to take advantage of new opportunities and remain nimble in the marketplace.
3) Investors buy shares of Berkshire Hathaway for one reason and one reason only, Warren Buffett.
Everyone wants to own what Buffett owns. The disclosure of his holdings each quarter drives fund managers and investors alike to acquire shares of Buffett’s newest acquisitions. I am convinced that investors trying to mimic the moves of Buffett plays some small part in the rising prices of Buffett’s investments. When Buffett is no longer at the helm, will investors pay up for shares of Berkshire and scramble to acquire the newest Berkshire acquisition?
In a surprising move chipmaker Intel (INTC) agreed to buy security software company McAfee (MFE) today. The big winner here is all of the investors in McAfee who saw the stock shoot up $17 per share. That’s a 57% gain from yesterday’s closing price. McAfee investors are getting a sweetheart of a deal. Another winner is Intel. The company is gaining access to a new area of the technology market. They are getting a solid company with a significant portion of the antivirus software and security protection market.
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