Financial Wellness Slips in Q3

Despite making some progress in their financial situations over the past couple of years, employees still aren’t on track and they know it.

The third-quarter Trends in Employee Financial Issues report found that financial wellness has dropped as workers become “more aware of their financial shortcomings.”

Those shortcomings include saving for retirement. More than 40% of employees said they weren’t sure they’d be able to achieve future financial goals, up from 34% in the third quarter of 2012. The economy is troubling them, too. Forty-three percent said they were worried about the effect the economy would have on their financial future.

Overall wellness fell from 5.2, where it held steady for the first half of the year, to 4.9. A score between 3 and 4.9 indicates employees “may be sabotaging” themselves due to poor financial behaviors and lack of basic information. The percentage of workers who say their stress is overwhelming or very high increased to 19% from 13% last year.

Older workers were especially likely to be stressed. Eighty-four percent of workers 45 and older reported some level of stress, the report found. One explanation is that workers in that age bracket may be facing several realities that put significant strain on their finances: paying for education for children, caring for elderly parents, continuing to save for retirement or meeting growing health care expenses.

However, increased stress has led to more engagement for some employees. Almost 40% of workers say they’ve used a retirement calculator, and 90% are contributing to their workplace plan.

“We believe employees are experiencing a reality check about their financial situations,” Liz Davidson, founder and CEO of Financial Finesse, said in a statement. “Obviously the recession and sluggish economy have provided a major wake-up call, but now we’re seeing more employees delving deeper into their finances — in particular, running a retirement plan projection, learning more about investing, how to minimize their taxes, and even key details like the interest rates they are paying on their credit cards.”

Financial Finesse noted that early adopters of workplace financial wellness plans tend to use the services regularly and identified significant improvement. Following the Great Recession, 31% of respondents said they were confident their assets were allocated correctly. When asked more recently, 53% said they were confident. In their first meeting, 44% of employees said they maximize all available federal tax credits and deductions, compared with 63% today; 45% had taken a risk assessment, compared with 64% today; and 41% understood tax implications of their investments and retirement accounts, compared with 57% today.

Although the percentage of workers who know they’re on track to meet their retirement goals didn’t increase by the same degree, there have been improvements. Following the recession just 18% of employees said they were on track. Today, 31% said they knew they would meet their goals. Furthermore, Financial Finesse identified a “second wave” of wellness tool users. The percentage of first-time users has increased steadily from the end of 2011 to the second quarter; it’s holding steady at 90%.

Financial Finesse anticipates seeing a similar increase in stress as employees who take wellness assessments for the first time become aware of where they are falling behind, but noted that a little stress is OK for workers if it leads to behavioral change. “The critical factor is that now that the second wave has this information, they need to make the type of dramatic improvements in behavior that we have seen from the early adopters,” according to the report. “At the same time, the early adopters will have to continue to adapt to an ever-changing financial landscape.”

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Check out Financial Wellness Paves New Career Track for Advisors on ThinkAdvisor.

Amazon’s $1 Item Black Friday Sale

While J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) have run ads in newspapers and online around the country to get shoppers through their doors in a desperate attempt to take market share from one another during what has promises to be a mediocre holiday season, the executives at Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) have posted their Thanksgiving and Black Friday specials online. The huge traffic to Amazon.com and emails to existing customers will be their path to holiday revenue. And, one of the most powerful inducements they have is items priced under $1.

Among these products are one Pack of “Shocking Gum, Funny Shock Gag (Random Color)” for $.97 which is much less than gum bought in a store. For people with nothing to read, for $.99 for Kindle owners, “1st Chance” by Elizabeth Nelson. How can Amazon sell used versions of 1-25 Dot-to-Dots (A Get Ready Book, Ages 4-6) for $.01. Shipping must be extra. Used versions of “Butterfly Notebook” by Sovak also cost only $.01.  Also for children, for free,  “4 Pics 1 Word Puzzle by Epic Pixel”.

Among the other less than $1 deals are those special for people who subscribe to the Amazon Prime service for $79 a year. Perhaps the best deal is for “Betas Season 1″ in HD which is free.

Some people cannot afford an Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPad, but Amazon has a deal for them anyway. For only $.99, “Hard Case Cover for iPod Touch 4″ by One Direction. Maybe next year some of these customers can afford the tablet itself.

Finally, for people who have a stereo but no wires, the “Hosa CMP159 Stereo Breakout, 3.5 mm TRS to Dual 1/4 in TS, 10-Feet” by Hosa.

Why waste gas and go out into the cold to brave thousand of people in malls where parking is scares, when at Amazon, many items are almost free.

 

 

PS4 or Xbox One? It’s a tossup

"PlayStation 4 or Xbox One?"

That question is being asked a lot as Sony and Microsoft have both launched their first new home video game console systems in seven and eight years, respectively.

For some video game enthusiasts, the answer is easy. But for others, not so much.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Both companies want bragging rights – and revenue share – in the latest round of the console wars. Spending on dedicated video game consoles and games in the U.S. is expected to increase from $11.3 billion last year to $13.2 billion in 2014 and, DFC Intelligence estimates, more than $14 billion in 2015.

So far, Nintendo is off to a slow start with its Wii U system. The Wii U launched a year ago and has sold only 3 million units in the U.S. Still, new games such as Super Mario 3D World should make it a popular holiday choice. And Nintendo has dropped the price on a deluxe set to $299 with New Super Mario Bros U and New Super Luigi U included.

http://www.usatoday.com/interactive/3497171/embed

Meanwhile, Sony says it sold more than 1 million PS4s on Nov. 15, the system's debut date. Microsoft announced that its global sales hit the 1 million mark around midday when it launched a week later. "So they were probably pretty comparable," says Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

Installed base: Tie

WELCOME TO THE MACHINES

Sony and Microsoft each have created PC-like gaming powerhouses that can deliver ten times the quality of the graphics on previous systems. And the controllers for the PlayStation and Xbox got makeovers for the better.

Each also has other features that make the new systems worthy centerpieces of the living room. For starters, both play Blu-ray Discs and DVDs; the Xbox One also plays music CDs.

Sony touts that the PlayStation 3 was the device most used to watch Netflix. The PS4 also lets you stream the most popular video apps such as Netflix, just as the Xbox One does. The Xbox One does have exclusive apps from ESPN and the NFL.

The OneGuide on Microsoft's Xbox One incorporates your pay TV programming into a single menu with apps and games.(Photo: Microsoft)

But Microsoft's entertainment strategy with Xbox One goes deeper – which could be a turn-on or detractor. The system's interactive guide can integrate all your offerings — TV, games, apps — in one menu if you connect your pay TV settop box to Xbox One with an HDMI cable.

Using the next generation Kinect sensor, included with each Xbox One, you can control most on-screen choices such as "Watch ESPN" with your voice. And you can set up the system to turn on your TV, settop box, audio/video receiver and Xbox One with the "Xbox On" command.

But Microsoft's broadcast TV integration won't necessarily be a slam dun! k. Many TV lovers have new, expensive settop boxes with multi-tuner DVRs that lose some functionality when connected to Xbox One.

System: A slight nod to Microsoft

IT'S THE GAMES, STUPID

These are game systems, so it's worth looking at which system has the best games at launch and in the pipeline.

Most would say that Microsoft's exclusive Dead Rising 3, created with Capcom, and the beautiful Forza Motorsport 5 racing game gives the Xbox One the edge. But there are many fans of Sony-owned studio Guerrilla Games, which developed the PS4 launch title Killzone Shadow Fall. Retro-shooter Resogun and Knack, a family-friendly platform game are solid releases, too.

A screen shot from the video game 'Killzone Shadow Fall.'(Photo: Sony Computer Entertainment)

But the most popular games for the new systems, at least at the outset, are ones that have already been released for older systems: Call of Duty: Ghosts is the most sought-after game on both new systems, according to a new Nielsen survey. Also on the list: Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, Battlefield 4 and Madden NFL 25. These games do look better on the new systems, but not that much if a consumer wants to wait out the initial buying frenzy.

And certain exclusive games in the works could encourage gamer loyalty to that system. Perhaps the biggest exclusive is Respawn Entertainment's first-person sci-fi multiplayer combat game Titanfall, due March 11 for the Xbox One (and Windows PCs). And Microsoft's own 343 Industries is developing Halo 5 for the Xbox One. And a live-action Halo TV series, executive produced by Steven Spielberg, is in development for Xbox One, too.

As for the PS4, inFamous: Second Son is scheduled for a March 21 release. Another Sony-owned studio, N! aughty Do! g (The Last of Us), has announced that a new Uncharted game is in the works, too.

Games: A draw

THE FINAL ANSWER

So which box prevails? That depends on who is asking.

If you've always played an Xbox or a PlayStation, you are less likely to jump ship.

The biggest factor to woo you from one side to the other, right now, is the Xbox One's media center feature. Hate the idea? Go PS4. Love the concept? Go Xbox One.

Luckily, early adopters can rest assured that — despite reports of a few faulty units of both systems — Microsoft and Sony have built in enough technology that both systems are "a real bargain," says Richard Doherty of The Envisioneering Group.

Both are designed for networked games and can send video to the Ultra HD 4K televisions just hitting the market. That means, Doherty says, "You are getting a few good years of future-proofing under your belt as you buy now."

J.P. Morgan in tentative $13 billion probe deal

Reuters/file 2012 J.P. Morgan Chase's international headquarters in New York. The bank reportedly has agreed to pay $13 billion, the largest such payment of its kinds, to settle federal civil investigations of its mortgage-backed securities business.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. has reached a tentative $13 billion deal with the Justice Department to settle several investigations of its mortgage-backed securities business in what may be the largest single settlement of its kind, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

The general outline of the agreement was struck late Friday in a phone call among Attorney General Eric Holder, Associate Attorney General Tony West and J.P. Morgan's general counsel, Stephen Cutler, according to the newspaper.

The settlement has not been completed and some issues remain to be resolved, including the final wording of the agreement, the Journal said.

The deal not resolve a continuing criminal probe of the J.P. Morgan's (JPM) conduct by federal prosecutors in Sacramento, Calif., the Journal said, citing an unnamed source.

Spokesman at the bank could not be reached Saturday, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.

The deal with the DOJ is one of the many the bank has accepted as it tries to resolve its legal problems.

On Friday, the Journal reported that the bank agreed to pay roughly $4 billion to the Federal Housing Finance Agency to settle claims that it misled Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FMCC)  about the quality of loans sold to them ahead of the 2008 financial crisis.

Separately, J.P. Morgan was earlier this week fined $100 million by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for its role in the "London Whale" trading scandal involving credit default swaps.

Shares of J.P. Morgan edged up 0.2% to close at $54.30 on Friday.

CalPERS’ Investment Beliefs Arouse Skeptics

CalPERS has long been known as a hands-on, activist-oriented pension fund, but its recently minted list of 10 investment beliefs seems to have stirred up some hostility among financial professionals.

Its spokesman calls much of the reaction “uninformed chatter.” After a protracted process, the largest public pension fund in the U.S. said it formally adopted its new beliefs to “provide a basis for strategic management of the investment portfolio, inform organizational priorities and ensure alignment between the Investment Office and CalPERS staff.”

Sounds harmless, right?

Not exactly. The news was greeted by plenty of criticism and even a bit of scorn, as various professionals in the financial field took CalPERS to task for adopting beliefs that were too vague and questioned the very process of determining those beliefs. Critics also said the pension fund was following a course that would move its investments toward an all-passive portfolio and thereby casting financial analysis to the wind.

Keith Paul Bishop, in a blog post on the California Corporate & Securities Law website, was among those with raised eyebrows.

"At a purely analytical level, these beliefs are so general and open-ended that they could be interpreted, like Polycrates’ dream, in a variety of ways," Bishop, a partner in Allen Matkins' corporate and securities practice, wrote.

Matt Levine, a Bloomberg View financial columnist, went so far as to suggest that if CalPERS intended to stop using external active managers (and stop paying their fees), "it’s about the death of public equity markets as a system for allocating capital."

And last but not least, Robert Boslego, managing director of Boslego Risk Services, a consulting firm in Santa Barbara, Calif., blogged that CalPERS' investment principles "have the circular look of a policymakers’ version of a letter of intent about determining an intent that determines policy guidelines."

He also criticized the makeup of the board that came up with the beliefs, referring to it as a "kangaroo committee" because its members are not necessarily financial experts; he singled out one who was "a glazing specialist (as in pottery or glass) in a California school district and questioned why he should have "an apparently equal voice on the dictates of stewardship of $270 billion of assets."

Also read:

California pension payments doubled in 14 years Feeling the pension pain in California Disputing the math in pension obligations

Criticisms aside, the fund’s 10 investment beliefs do, in fact, read more like a series of principles to guide socially responsible investing, including references to such things as “human capital” and directives to “consider the impact of (CalPERS’) actions on future generations” and create “sustainable value.”

In part, that means investments it makes must now consider climate change and natural resource availability, factors that emerge slowly over long time periods, but “could have a material impact on company or portfolio returns.”

The full set of beliefs can be viewed here in detail, but the main principles are as follows:

1. Liabilities must influence the asset structure.

2. A long-time investment horizon is a responsibility and an advantage.

3. CalPERS investment decisions may reflect wider stakeholder views, provided they are consistent with its fiduciary duty to members and beneficiaries.

4. Long-term value creation requires effective management of three forms of capital: financial, physical and human.

5. CalPERS must articulate its investment goals and performance measures and ensure clear accountability for their execution.

6. Strategic asset allocation is the dominant determinant of portfolio risk and return.

7. CalPERS will take risk only where we have a strong belief we will be rewarded for it.

8. Costs matter and need to be effectively managed.

9. Risk to CalPERS is multi-faceted and not fully captured through measures such as volatility or tracking error.

10. Strong processes and teamwork and deep resources are needed to achieve CalPERS goals and objectives.

Offering one of the few in-depth responses to the skeptics, Joe DeAnda, a CalPERS spokesman, told BenefitsPro.com that the principals are “intended … as (a) foundation for everything to do with our investments,” but are not some radical, nebulous plan to override the way business is normally done.

The process to develop the list itself, he said, was not a superficial one imposed by an outside consultant, as one critic suggested, but a lengthy one, driven by CalPERS itself, that sought buy-in from a wide range of stakeholders — not just the people in the CalPERS offices, but the future beneficiaries of the plans and retirees as well.

The idea, he said, was to provide “a continuity of thinking and a philosophy as senior investment staff come on board and leave” and board members, too, change as political appointments or elected offices change. “Having these beliefs will … keep a level of continuity, no matter what personnel changes may happen.”

In addition, said DeAnda, “There (are) no specific deliverables that come out of the adoption of the beliefs; nothing changes about the portfolio, or our operations.”

These principles, which were given preliminary approval in September and should be formally adopted at the October meeting of CalPERS’ investment committee, also were not designed to convert the fund’s entire $265 billion-plus assets to passive management, as some in the industry have suggested.

On that point, DeAnda noted passive management was something CalPERS was already moving toward. “Really the only place where this is a conversation is with the public equities portfolio,” he said, pointing out that that portfolio, which is 50 percent of the fund, is already two-thirds passively managed. “We said we’ll use index tracking strategies where we’re not firmly convinced that active management can add value. (And that’s a belief that’s) already been held.”

Neither are these principals intended to supplant the data-driven process that governs the choice of investments, he said. The principles don’t look at “risk and … performance data; those are things that go on in an ongoing process … that any pension fund, let alone the largest, is doing. (The beliefs aren’t) part of the investment process, and weren’t intended to be.” Instead they were intended to be “a set of principals, philosophical values, in a statement of beliefs,” DeAnda said.

In that sense, CalPERS was breaking ground in coming up with its investment beliefs.

“Very few pension funds — a couple of European funds, and in the U.S. the only other one is, I think, Washington State — may have them, too,” DeAnda said. “But (you’ll be) seeing more and more funds do that, because it’s important to guide the investment office. That’s more groundbreaking, if you will.

“It’s (now) clear where we stand as a fund — what our priorities are and what’s important to us — and that will be set in place.

“There will be no question in the years ahead about what we believe on the investment side.”

And anyone hoping to do business with CalPERS will, no doubt, want to be sure they share in those beliefs.

Take Over, Merger, and Acquisition

Marilyn Cohen, president of Envision Capital Management, discusses TOMA, and the relationship between these companies and their bond holders.

NANCY:  Hello, my guest today is Marilyn Cohen and we’re talking about TOMA.  Marilyn, I saw your YouTube video which was actually wonderful; take-overs, mergers and acquisitions TOMA.  You were talking to bondholders about what happens to them when their company gets taken over.  We’ve had a spade of mergers of acquisitions just recently again and no one talks about the bondholders.

MARILYN:  That’s because nobody cares about us bondholders, Nancy.

NANCY:  I care.

MARILYN:  Well, it depends upon who is taking over the company.  The worst of all possible worlds is when a private equity firm decides that they’re going to take over a company in which you own their corporate bonds.  Private equity puts in just a little teeny bit of equity and then they go out, issue junk bonds of which that bloats up the balance sheet, increased the leverage and if you’re an original bondholder you go wait, my credit quality is going to deteriorate, my credit metrics are going to go to _____ in a hand basket meaning that the amount of coverage that I’m going to have is going to deteriorate and it’s all bad for bondholders.  It really is when private equity comes in.

NANCY:  What’s going to happen with the example of doubt?  Whatever ends up happening with that?  I forgot, ICON I guess is trying to get involved in it now.  What will happen to the bondholders with Dell do you think?

MARILYN:  It’s already happened.  As soon as the announcement was made that Mr. Dell wanted to take over the company, the bonds totally tanked because they didn’t have any protection, any what we call change of control protection in their bond covenants so those bonds went down enormously.  That happens almost all of the time.  If another company takes over your company, usually it’s not as bad because if you have a good quality company or a company of equals, it usually doesn’t mean that they’re going to have to ante up and go out into the junk bond market and have a huge overlay on the bondholders.

NANCY:  Right.

MARILYN:  It’s pretty deleterious to your net wealth, there’s no question about that.

NANCY:  How does the bondholder find out?  What do they look for if they’re thinking about Carl Icahn is interested in Dell, Carl Icahn is interested in Apple; where do they go to find out if they have this change?

MARILYN:  Good question, okay in the prospectus there is a section called covenants.  There is a section under that called change of control.  You can have a company, Clorox is a perfect example in which they have five different bonds let’s say and some of them will have change of control protection and some of them won’t.  I had that exact example happen.  Carl Icahn said he was going to take over.  Clorox are the ones that have change of control protection barely budged.  Those that didn’t went down several points.

NANCY:  Wow.

MARILYN:  You have to roll up your sleeves.

NANCY:  Dig in.

MARILYN:  Dig in and look at what kind of protection you do or don’t have.  Now, will that protect you if you bought a bond at 115 and somebody takes it over at 101?  The answer is no, you’re going to lose that 14 points.  I think the rule of thumb is if you have a company bond, a corporate bond, in which somebody looks like they’re going to take you over and you have a big fat juicy premium profit in it, take the profit and get out.  Pay the tax.  Don’t let taxes be the determining fact for whether or not you’re going to hold them or fold them.

NANCY:  Well, super, good advice.  Thanks, Marilyn.

MARILYN:  Thank you.

NANCY:  Thanks for joining us at the MoneyShow.com video network.

Best Safest Stocks To Own For 2014

Billy and I like to share our foreign country medical experiences with our readers because we believe it gives firsthand insight into what goes on. We have been proponents of medical tourism for more than two decades now, and these personal experiences allow you to hear how the service went, if there were problems encountered, and what the pricing is like.

Hopefully, it gives you a clear idea of what it's like to receive medical care in another country.

Regardless of how good one's health is, most people have had dental work. It's not an unfamiliar circumstance, and of all the categories of medical tourism, this one seems to have the safest image.

The beginning
Since we were going to be in Chapala, Mexico, for several months, we decided to have our teeth cleaned and checked out.

Because this isn't one of my favorite things to do and I have had trouble with my teeth all my life, I can be a bit resistant to actually going to a dentist to begin with. I keep meaning to do it, but, well, there are so many other things I would prefer to do. And the dentist I had been using for cleaning was in a town a few bus stops away -- and the long and short of it is was I never got it together.

Best Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: Fluor Corporation(FLR)

Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management services worldwide. Its Oil & Gas segment offers design, engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services to upstream oil and gas production, downstream refining, chemicals, and petrochemicals industries. This segment also provides consulting services comprising feasibility studies, process assessment, and project finance structuring and studies. The company?s Industrial & Infrastructure segment offers design, engineering, procurement, and construction services to the transportation, wind power, mining and metals, life sciences, manufacturing, commercial and institutional, telecommunications, microelectronics, and healthcare sectors. Its Government segment provides engineering, construction, logistics support, contingency response, management, and operations services to the United States government focusing on the Departme nt of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. The company?s Global Services segment offers operations and maintenance, small capital project engineering and execution, site equipment and tool services, industrial fleet services, plant turnaround services, temporary staffing services, and supply chain solutions. Its Power segment provides engineering, procurement, construction, program management, start-up and commissioning, and operations and maintenance services to the gas fueled, solid fueled, plant betterment, renewables, nuclear, and power services markets. The company also offers unionized management and construction services in the United States and Canada. Fluor Corporation was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Louis Navellier]

  If we look at the sector using Portfolio Grader, we see that many of the big names in the group like Flour (FLR), Granite Construction (GVA) and KBR incorporated (KBR) are rated ��ell.��The anticipated spending for both government and private industry simply hasn�� materialized, and the companies are not seeing revenue or profit growth.

• [By CRWE]

  Fluor Corporation�� (NYSE:FLR) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, David Seaton, and Chief Financial Officer, Biggs Porter, will give a presentation to investors at the Credit Suisse 2012 Engineering & Construction Conference in New York on Thursday, June 7 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Best Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

Top Growth Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras(PBR)

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. primarily engages in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining, trade, and transportation businesses. The company?s Exploration and Production segment involves in the exploration, production, development, and production of oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas in Brazil. This segment supplies its products to the refineries in Brazil, as well as sells surplus petroleum and byproducts in domestic and foreign markets. Its Supply segment engages in the refining, logistics, transportation, and trade of oil and oil products; export of ethanol; and extraction and processing of schist, as well as holds interests in companies of the petrochemical sector in Brazil. The Gas and Energy segment involves in the transportation and trade of natural gas produced in or imported into Brazil; transportation and trade of LNG; and generation and trade of electric power. In addition, the segment has interests in natural gas transportation and d istribution companies; and thermoelectric power stations in Brazil, as well engages in fertilizer business. The Distribution segment distributes oil products, ethanol, and compressed natural gas in Brazil. The International segment involves in the exploration and production of oil and gas, as well as in supplying, gas and energy, and distribution operations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Further, the company involves in biofuel production business. Petroleo Brasileiro was founded in 1953 and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Taylor Muckerman]

  All 1.4 million cars that were sold between January and May have to fuel up somehow, and that is where Brazilian powerhouse Petrobras (NYSE: PBR  ) comes in to the picture. As the largest energy company in the country, Petrobras' gasoline sales would�presumably�follow a similar growth trajectory as auto sales once the retirement of old vehicles is taken into consideration. If the gap between international fuel prices is allowed to be closed ��the recent diesel price hike in March assisted with this ��then revenue from the company's downstream could really take off.

Best Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: Under Armour Inc.(UA)

Under Armour, Inc. develops, markets, and distributes performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth primarily in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers products made from moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics designed to regulate body temperature and enhance performance regardless of weather conditions. The company provides its products in three fit types: compression (tight fitting), fitted (athletic cut), and loose (relaxed) extending across the sporting goods, outdoor, and active lifestyle markets. Its footwear offerings comprise football, baseball, lacrosse, softball, and soccer cleats; slides; performance training footwear; and running footwear. The company also provides baseball batting, football, golf, and running gloves, as well as licenses bags, socks, headwear, custom-molded mouth guards, and eyewear that are designed to be used and worn before, during, and after competition. Under Armour sells its products through retai l stores, as well as directly to consumers through its own retail outlets and specialty stores, Website, and catalogs. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Anh HOANG]

  Under Armour's (NYSE: UA  ) shares went from around $6.20 per share in March 2009 to nearly $80.30 per share at the time of writing. The stock seems quite expensive because it is trading at around 28.20 times its EV/EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. However, the business has kept growing at an impressive rate. One of the main factors driving the business growth is Under Armour's ability to innovate to keep up with fast-changing customer behavior.

• [By Tamara Rutter]

  Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) is taking its game to the next level, with plans to expand its international division. With Under Armour stock up more than 27% on the year, a meaningful push abroad could drive shares even higher from here. Let's take a closer look at where the athletic-apparel stock is trading today, and where it could go in the quarters ahead.

• [By Rich Smith]

  Put in perspective, that's more expensive than a share of sportswear maker Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) , and twice the P/E of Nike (NYSE: NKE  ) . But that's OK. Because according to analyst estimates, Man Utd is likely to grow its profits at the astounding speed of 45% per year over the next four years -- twice as fast as Under Armour, and four times the speed of Nike. If all goes as planned, today's Man Utd share price of $17 and change will be only 26 times the earnings the club makes next year, and only 22 times 2015 earnings.

• [By Steve Symington]

  I've made no secret of my fondness for apparel specialist�Under Armour (NYSE: UA  ) over the past few years.

  In fact, since I opened an outperform�CAPScall�on the stock at a split-adjusted $14.76 per share in January 2010, I've joyously watched it outperform the S&P 500 by more than 240% as of this writing.

Checkpoint Systems (CKP): Is This Anti-Shoplifting Small Cap a Good Retail Bet? XRT & PMR

Small cap Checkpoint Systems, Inc (NYSE: CKP) fights shoplifting or retail theft and other forms of "shrink" that costs retailers over $112 billion worldwide last year (according to a study funded by the company), meaning it might be an interesting stock to take a closer look at and to compare its performance with that of SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: XRT) and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF (NYSEARCA: PMR). Just how bad can shoplifting or shrink be for a retailer? Troubled retailer J.C. Penney Company, Inc (NYSE: JCP) has just reported that shoplifting took a full percentage point off the department store chain's profit margins during the quarter. Moreover and given that tens of millions of Americans are now facing higher health insurance costs thanks to Obamacare (which will likely impact consumer discretionary spending), retailers will need to find ways to shore up their margins and bottom lines by preventing retail theft with solutions from company's like Checkpoint Systems.

What is Checkpoint Systems, Inc?

Small cap Checkpoint Systems calls itself a global leader in merchandise availability solutions for the retail industry as it provides end-to-end solutions enabling retailers to achieve accurate real-time inventory, accelerate the replenishment cycle, prevent out-of-stocks and reduce theft, thus improving merchandise availability and the shopper's experience. Checkpoint Systems operates in every major geographic market and employs 4,700 people worldwide.

For performance benchmarking purposes, the SPDR S&P Retail ETF tracks the performance of the S&P Retail Select Industry Index with 99 holdings while the PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF tracks the performance of the Dynamic Retail Intellidex Index with a more concentrated holding of 30 retail stocks. Its also more lightly traded with a trading volume of around 2,300 shares a day.

What You Need to Know and Be Warned About Checkpoint Systems, Inc

Earlier this month, shares of Checkpoint Systems plunged from the $17 level to the $13 level after reporting earnings that missed expectations. Specifically, Checkpoint Systems reported a 3.3% revenue increase to $174.5 million, gross profit margins of 40.3% verses 40.7% for the same period last year, operating income of $13.7 million verses $3.3 million and vet earnings from continuing operations of $0.18 per diluted share verses a net loss of $0.10 per diluted share. That may sound alright but in the earnings release, the CEO gave a more gloomy guidance:

"The fourth quarter will prove to be a much more difficult operating environment than previously expected due to Federal Government-related projects being delayed, U.S. retailers lowering same-store-sales expectations and lack of improvement in the European economy. As a result, we are reducing our full year guidance to reflect lower revenues, primarily in RFID asset tracking and RMS. We also now expect lower gross profit margins due to an unfavorable mix toward lower-margin hardware installations, delays in realizing all of the anticipated ALS cost savings and further pressure on the European RMS business."

In the earnings call (the transcript is available on Seeking Alpha here), the CEO also outlined a serious of internal missteps beyond lower same-store sales expectations, the sequester and Europe:

"Fourth, 4 incorrect management assumptions, 3 of which I'll characterize as impacting gross profit margins. Now the first one is that, clearly, we were overoptimistic on the timing to realize all of the Project LEAN cost of goods sold savings in the ALS business. Second, we underestimated the proportion of lower-margin new systems installations derived from recent market share gains, which will negatively impact EAS systems gross profit. Third, we incurred unexpected startup costs as we grow the RFID business, and these costs will negatively impact Merchandise Visibility gross profit. And fourth, we underestimated the continuation of foreign exchange translation and transaction losses."

In response, the CEO said they are implementing a series of actions that, over the next year, are intended to improve their forecast accuracy and to get back any predicted operating income shortfall to stay on track to meet 2015 goals with the majority of these actions being centered around process improvement and additional cost reductions.

In other words, Checkpoint Systems should, in theory, be doing great given the results of the 2012-2013 Global Retail Theft Barometer which they helped to fynd but it looks like management may have temporarily fumbled things in the wake of other economic headwinds. Otherwise, it should also be mentioned that according to Yahoo! Finance, Checkpoint Systems has a forward P/E of 16.56 – meaning its neither grossly over or undervalued for new investors.

Share Performance: Checkpoint Systems, Inc

On Wednesday, small cap Checkpoint Systems fell 1.88% to $14.08 (CKP has a 52 week trading range of $8.21 to $18.25 a share) for a market cap $583.41 million plus the stock is up 31.1% since the start of the year and up 26.8% over the past five years. Here is a look at the performance of Checkpoint Systems verses that of retail ETF benchmarks SPDR S&P Retail ETF and PowerShares Dynamic Retail ETF:

As you can see from the above chart, investors would have been better off since 2011 had they invested in one of the retail ETFs rather than Checkpoint Systems.

Finally, here is a look at the latest technical charts for all three investments:

The Bottom Line. Given the global problem with shoplifting, retail theft and other forms of "shrink" faced by retailers, investors might want to at least keep an eye on small cap Checkpoint Systems as it works on correcting "incorrect management assumptions" to get back on track. 

Emerging Stocks Trim Monthly Advance as Sberbank Tumbles

Emerging-market stocks fell, trimming the biggest monthly rally in 20 months, as OAO Sberbank led declines in Russia and Indian lenders retreated on concern the central bank will tighten monetary-policy further.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index dropped 0.3 percent to 999.88, extending its weekly retreat to 1.3 percent. Sberbank slumped 2.9 percent amid bets Russia's biggest lender will need additional capital to pay dividends at the level sought by government. ICICI Bank Ltd. (ICICIBC) decreased 2.4 percent in Mumbai. The Borsa Istanbul National 100 Index fell for a sixth day. South Africa's rand capped the longest slide in almost two months.

Sberbank would need to boost capital to pay 35 percent of income in dividends and lending would slow if such a rule was set, Interfax and RIA Novosti cited Chief Executive Officer Herman Gref as saying. India's central bank will add to last week's surprise rate increase, seven of 10 analysts said in a Bloomberg News survey. Mounting concern that a political impasse over the U.S. federal budget will hurt the world's largest economy also drove emerging-market equities lower.

"Managers are going to try to lock in their gains," Quincy Krosby, a market strategist for Newark, New Jersey-based Prudential Financial Inc., which oversees more than $1 trillion, said by phone. "Particularly in asset classes that are perceived as riskier, including emerging markets."

The benchmark measure for developing nations has rallied 6.3 percent in the quarter. It traded at 10.5 times projected earnings, compared with the valuation of 14 for the MSCI World Index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Emerging ETF

The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index exchange-traded fund slid 1.2 percent to $41.24. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Emerging Markets ETF Volatility Index, a measure of options prices on the fund and expectations of price swings, surged 4.6 percent to 23.44.

Brazil's Ibovespa posted its first weekly decline in September on concern that a U.S. political impasse will curb global demand for riskier assets. OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA, the oil company founded by Eike Batista, extended its plunge for the week to 26 percent.

Russian stocks fell, paring the best monthly gain in almost two years. Sberbank, which has the second-biggest weighting on the Micex Index, posted the biggest decline since June 20. The nation's Finance Ministry is calling for state-run companies to increase payouts to at least 35 percent of profit under international accounting standards from 2016.

Turkish Shares

The Borsa Istanbul National 100 Index capped the longest slide since July 26 as Akbank TAS (AKBNK) and Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS dropped at least 2.9 percent.

Indian stocks declined, with the benchmark index halting a four-week rally, after central bank Governor Raghuram Rajan's comment that inflation is still high. ICICI Bank (IBN) dropped to the lowest level since Sept. 5. The S&P BSE Bankex Index retreated 1.8 percent.

China's stocks capped a third straight monthly advance as gains by drugmakers and technology companies countered losses in companies linked to the Shanghai free-trade zone. Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co. (600196) and Yunnan Baiyao Group Co. led a gauge of health-care stocks to the biggest increase among industry groups. Shanghai International Port (Group) Co. (600018) tumbled for a second day after more than doubling this quarter.

The premium investors demand to own emerging-market debt over U.S. Treasuries rose one basis point, or 0.01 percentage point, to 331 basis points, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The Weekly Takeaway:</b> The cons of alts seem to outweigh the pros "><b>The Weekly Takeaway:</b> The cons of alts seem to outweigh the pros

Each week I read all of the important stories affecting your business and investments. Below is the Weekly Takeaway, curated just for you:

Five key takeaways from the incredibly mediocre August jobs report just released. (Wall Street Journal)

After five long years of economy-related declines, the United States birthrate has finally stabilized. Thank Robin Thicke. (New York Times)

Wealthy investors are constantly being pushed into "alternative" investments, but the cons seem to perpetually outweigh the pros. (Aleph Blog)

Apple's China business has the potential to become gigantic should China Mobile's 700 million users get access to iPhones. (All Things Digital)

There's no longer any such thing as the "typical American household" as traditional nuclear families make up just 19.6% of the total. (Marketing Charts

Stock futures gaining

Major market indexes pointed toward gains in pre-market trading Monday as word spread that BlackBerry has called off a planned sale and is ditching its CEO.

Ahead of the market opening Dow Jones industrial futures were up 0.3%, Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were up 0.3% and Nasdaq futures were up 0.4%.

BLACKBERRY: Buyout falls through, CEO out

Once mighty tech icon BlackBerry will scrap a planned buyout deal with Fairfax that would have valued the company at $4.7 billion, and will instead raise $1 billion in new funds. BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins will also leave the company.

BlackBerry futures were hammered by the news, plunging 18% or more ahead of the market open.

On Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 0.5%. The Standard & Poor's 500 index finished up 0.3% and the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index rallied in the final few minutes of trading and ended up 0.1%.

FRIDAY: Stocks end higher after good news on factory front

The U.S. is due to release its October employment report on Friday, which is likely to show weaker hiring due to the impact of the government shutdown, according to Chris Weston, chief market strategist at IG in Melbourne, Australia.

Crude oil futures were up 0.3% after losing ground on Friday.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index finished down 0.3% at 23,189.62, while China's Shanghai Composite edged up 0.1% at 2,149.63. Japan's stock market was closed for a holiday.

European markets moved higher on hopes that the European Central Bank will cut its key interest rate at a meeting Thursday.

Contributing: Associated Press

How the Kip 25’s Bond Funds Are Weathering the Storm

The recent bond market swoon has left many fund investors reeling. The downturn kicked off in early May, after chairman Ben Bernanke suggested that the Federal Reserve might soon trim its bond-buying program, and continued into early August. From May 2 through August 1 during which the yield on ten-year Treasury bonds surged from 1.63% to 2.71% (and bond prices, which move in the opposite direction, sank), Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond index fell 3.8%.

See Also: Our Special Report on the Kiplinger 25

Other types of bonds lost far more than Treasuries during the selloff, which may not seem dramatic to stock investors but represented a huge move in the normally sedate fixed-income world. Emerging-markets bond funds lost 9.1% (those that home in on local-currency issues lost even more — the Market Vectors Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF (EMLC) lost 10.4% over the period). And funds that invest in so-called inflation-protected bonds lost 6.8%.

The bond funds in the Kiplinger 25 fared better than the overall market, losing 3.1% on average. Below, we run down how all seven did during the slump, along with year-to-date and one-year returns (through August 9), as well as each fund's current 30-day yield.

Osterweis Strategic Income

Symbol: OSTIX

Return during the recent downturn: 0.1%

Year-to-date return: 4.2%

One-year return: 8.1%

Yield: 4.7%

Our two go-anywhere funds held up well. Osterweis Strategic Income was the only bond fund in the Kip 25 to avoid a loss during the dip. Managers Carl Kaufman, Simon Lee, and Bradley Kane (who joined the fund in June) have been loading up on short-term high-yield bonds lately. At the end of June, 78% of the fund's $3.4 billion in assets were invested in short-term junk debt (up from 68% of assets in September 2012), mostly in bonds with maturities of five years or less. That strategy helped insulate the fund from much of the bond market's fury. "When you have a short-dated portfolio, you'll lag in up markets, but you'll hold up better in down markets," says Kaufman.

With the stock market rising for much of the year, the Osterweis managers sold a chunk of their holdings in convertible bonds, which are hybrid investments with attributes of both stocks and bonds. A year ago, the fund had closer to 12% of its assets in converts; in late July, it was about 7%. "Prices rose to a point where they didn't represent great values, so we sold some of those holdings," says Kaufman. One such name: KB Home. The managers bought the convertible bond when it was issued in February 2013 — and then sold it in May. "The stock did okay, so we sold those and made 10% or 11% in a short time," he adds. "That's okay for us."

Metropolitan West Unconstrained Bond

Symbol: MWCRX

Return during the recent downturn: -1.4%

Year-to-date return: 0.9%

One-year return: 5.4%

Yield: 3.0%

The managers of Metropolitan West Unconstrained Bond held down losses by keeping the fund's duration, a measure of interest-rate sensitivity, short. The managers — Tad Rivelle, Laird Landmann and Stephen Kane — did that in part by selling short Treasury bond futures (a bet on higher yields and lower prices). At last report, the fund had 43% of its assets in mortgage-backed securities (residential and commercial) that are not guaranteed by the U.S. government. Those securities tend to be less rate-sensitive than government-backed mortgage bonds.

Unconstrained Bond's average duration is just 1.35 years (the lowest of any of the Kip 25 bond funds). That means that for every percentage-point rise in rates, the fund should lose about 1.35%.

Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade

Symbol: VFSTX

Return during the recent downturn: -1.0%

Year-to-date return: 0.0%

One-year return: 1.5%

Yield: 1.4%

A low duration also helped Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade. The fund focuses on securities with maturities of one to five years. "When you have that unexpected rise in rates that happened so quickly, short-term funds fare well," says manager Greg Nassour. His fund's average duration is 2.25 years. Nassour says he "runs a high-quality fund very conservatively," with a diversified mix of Treasuries (about 12%), investment-grade corporate bonds (about 60%), a smattering of foreign-government debt (8%) and bonds backed by commercial real-estate mortgages or other assets, such as loans or leases (10%).

Looking ahead, Nassour says he thinks the economy is likely to experience tepid, uneven growth. He's partial to corporate bonds because "in a rising-rate environment with no inflation, they usually do well."

Fidelity New Markets Income

Symbol: FNMIX

Return during the recent downturn: -7.8%

Year-to-date return: -6.7%

One-year return: -1.0%

Yield: 5.3%

Emerging-markets bond funds took it on the chin, and Fidelity New Markets Income was no exception. Fear of higher interest rates around the globe put a strain on emerging-markets debt, which was already burdened by concerns about slowing growth (think: China) and local currencies that had been weakening against the dollar.

Manager John Carlson took advantage of the volatility. In that kind of selloff, "people throw out the good with the bad," he says, so he added to his positions in Hungarian and Mexican bonds. Fortunately, Carlson had cash ready to put into play — at the start of the drop, about 10% of the fund's $5.7 billion in assets sat in cash; by July, that stash had been cut to 4%.

Harbor Bond

Symbol: HABDX

Return during the recent downturn: -4.6%

Year-to-date return: -1.9%

One-year return: 0.7%

Yield: 1.4%

Emerging-markets bonds and Treasury inflation-protected securities got the better of Harbor Bond. Managed by bond superstar Bill Gross, Harbor is a near-clone of Pimco Total Return, the largest mutual fund in the U.S. At the end of June, Gross had 11% of Harbor's assets in TIPS (it had been as high as 18% in March). For TIPS investors, it was the worst of two worlds: Interest rates jumped while evidence of inflation was scant.

DoubleLine Total Return

Symbol: DLTNX

Return during the recent downturn: -3.3%

Year-to-date return: -0.4%

One-year return: 2.1%

Yield: 4.1%

Although Treasuries got most of the attention during the downturn, the biggest losers were TIPS, emerging-markets bonds and high-yield corporate debt, says Jeffrey Gundlach, co-manager of DoubleLine Total Return.

Total Return doesn't hold any of those kinds of bonds. Rather, it focuses on mortgage-backed securities. Gundlach and co-manager Philip Barach balance government-agency mortgage-backed securities (47% of the fund's assets), which carry no default risk but a lot of interest-rate risk, with non-agency mortgage-backed bonds (27% of assets), which have little rate risk but a high risk of default. The risks offset each other — and the result is a low-volatility portfolio that tends to hold up well in downturns.

Gundlach and Barach took advantage of the selloff to snap up long-term government-guaranteed mortgage securities yielding 4.5%. Those particular bonds have lots of interest-rate risk, with maturities of 15 years or so, so the fund's average duration has bumped up to 3.5 years from a near-record low of 1.25 years in mid 2012.

Gundlach doesn't expect the economy to strengthen much. And he views the rally in the stock market, which is near all-time highs, as "tough to fuel further." As a result, he says, "bonds represent an interesting opportunity now, even though everyone is afraid of them."

Fidelity Intermediate Municipal Income

Symbol: FLTMX

Return during the recent downturn: -3.5%

Year-to-date return: -2.5%

One-year return: -1.1%

Yield: 2.1%

Fidelity Intermediate Municipal Income, the lone tax-free fund in the Kip 25, held up better than most of its rivals. The average national, medium-maturity municipal bond fund lost 4.5% during the drop. "The fund did well because we were positioned for the rise," says manager Mark Sommer.

Sommer had 3% of the fund's assets ($4.9 billion) in cash in early May. The selloff was "a unique opportunity," he says, to pick up some bonds that he'd been eyeing but that previously had been too pricey to buy. Many of those issues were health-care-related, an area Sommer favors these days. Uncertainty about the effect of the Affordable Care Act on insurance reimbursement levels, he says, has investors wary of the sector. But Sommer is leaning toward municipal bonds issued for hospitals and other health care facilities that have strong, broad market share or are competitive in the services they provide.

He's less enamored with general obligation bonds issued by states and municipalities, which he says trade at rich prices. He doesn't own any GO bonds in Detroit, which recently filed for bankruptcy reorganization. (He does hold Detroit water and sewer debt, but those bonds are insured, he says.)

Money Manager Survey: Where the Pros are Investing Right Now

By Hal M. Bundrick

NEW YORK (MainStreet)--The money pros are going overweight overseas with high holdings of European equities. A record 12% of institutional money managers have above-normal allocations to U.K. equities, and 36% are placing firm bets on eurozone equities, the highest level since May 2007, according to the BofA Merrill Lynch Fund Manager Survey for September.

For the global money managers surveyed, Europe will remain a priority allocation for the coming year as 27% expect to remain overweighted to the region. This represents a rapid reversal from just two months ago, when only 2% expressed a desire to overweight investment allocations to the eurozone.

"Belief in Europe's economy is robust and though eurozone equities have come back strongly, value remains the best on offer in developed world markets," says John Bilton, BofA Merrill Lynch European investment strategist. Investors are still shying away from emerging market equities with 18% of survey respondents remaining underweight in the sector. Some caution remains, as global money runners continue to stash cash. Liquidity has risen to an average of 4.6% of portfolio holdings. Eight out of 10 money managers believe the global economy will experience sub-par growth in the coming 12 months. "Investor cash levels remain high because the fear of bond markets is greater than the appetite in equity markets," says Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research. Sentiment regarding China's economy has turned on a one jiao (dime) as 28% of respondents from Japan, Asia Pacific Rim and global emerging markets now believe China's economy will strengthen in the year ahead. That's in sharp contrast with the 32% forecasting a weakening economy just one month ago - a monthly swing of 60 percentage points. Emerging markets have been hammered recently, to a point where 36% of the panel now says global emerging market equities are the most undervalued - cheapest - of all the regions. This is the strongest undervalued reading since January 2004. The number of investors saying that emerging markets is the region they most want to underweight has fallen to 21% in September from 29% a month ago.

Commodities are slowly dripping back into portfolios as only 16% of the panel is underweight the sector this month, a 10% drop from July. Meanwhile, institutional money managers are still bothered by bonds. The allocation gap between equities and bonds is at its widest since February 2011, and the second-widest in the history of the survey. Fully 68% of investors are underweight bonds, the greatest underweight position recorded since April 2006.

A total of 236 panelists with $689 billion of assets under management participated in the survey.

--Written by Hal M. Bundrick for MainStreet

Top Portfolio Products: Fidelity Launches Short-Duration Bond Funds

New products and changes introduced over the last week include three short-duration bond funds from Fidelity and a new global industrials fund and an online retirement center from T. Rowe Price.

In addition, Mariner Wealth announced the launch of its trust company, and Nasdaq OMX launched 14 new indexes.

Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:

1) Fidelity Adds 3 New Bond Funds

Fidelity Investments announced Tuesday the launch of three new short-duration bond funds: Fidelity Limited Term Bond Fund (FJRLX), Fidelity Conservative Income Municipal Bond Fund (retail class, FCRDX; advisor class, FMNDX) and Fidelity Short Duration High Income Fund (FSAHX).

FJRLX is lead managed by Robert Galusza and co-managed by David Prothro. It seeks to provide a high rate of income and is credit-oriented, investing in sectors such as corporates, commercial mortgage-backed securities, asset backed securities and Government agency mortgages, which typically offer higher yields than Treasuries and Government securities. The fund normally maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity between two and five years.

FCRDX/FMNDX is managed by Doug McGinley. It invests in money-market securities and high-quality investment-grade municipal debt securities with a short duration. The fund normally maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity of one year or less.

FSAHX is managed by Matt Conti and co-managed by Michael Plage. It normally invests in higher-quality below-investment-grade bonds rated BB or B. It also intends to invest in floating-rate loans and investment-grade corporate bonds. The fund normally maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity of three years or less.

2) T. Rowe Price Adds Global Industrials Fund, Online Retirement Center

T. Rowe Price announced Tuesday the launch of its Global Industrials Fund (RPGIX), which seeks long-term capital growth by investing in foreign and U.S. companies within the industrials sector. It will be managed by Peter Bates, and its net expense ratio is estimated to be 1.05%.

RPGIX will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities issued by companies in the industrials sector, at least 40% of its assets in companies outside the U.S. across a minimum of five different countries and in companies of any market capitalization, depending on where the portfolio manager sees the best opportunities. It will invest among the following industries within the sector: aerospace and defense; building products and equipment; automobiles; machinery; construction and engineering; electrical components and equipment; industrial technology; transportation; and manufacturing and industrial conglomerates.

T. Rowe Price Retirement Services also announced the launch of its Online Learning Center for participants in the employer-sponsored retirement plans for which it is recordkeeper. Currently the center offers a series of four educational videos designed to better equip retirement participants with the knowledge they need to plan for the future. Additional videos, including ones focused on financial planning tips for women and the basics of money management, are under development.

Plan sponsors can provide their participants with a link to the center on their benefits websites, or work with the firm to create a targeted campaign to promote the new resource within their organizations. In addition, the center is available on demand and gives participants the ability to learn at their own pace. Its content is optimized for smart devices and tablets, and accessible without having to log in to an account. 3) Mariner Wealth Launches Trust Company

Mariner Wealth Advisors announced Wednesday that it has launched Mariner Trust Co., created as a solution for clients who have requested a higher level of support to solve multigenerational wealth planning challenges.

Robert Swift heads the firm’s trust capabilities as senior vice president of Mariner Trust Co.

NASDAQ OMX Launches 14 New Indexes

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. announced Wednesday that it has added 14 new indexes in the NASDAQ Newfound Index family, which features rules-based, quantitatively enabled investment strategies created by Newfound Research LLC and tracks specific investment strategies through the use of ETFs. The indexes are designed to utilize ETFs to allow for specific outcomes to be achieved as an overlay on a broad market experience.

These initial indexes represent an investment strategy that includes defensive equities, target yields, risk-managed income, and a dynamic market neutral strategy. NASDAQ OMX and Newfound expect the new indexes will be available for licensing and implementation through separately managed accounts and, in some cases, ETFs.

The 14 indexes are: NASDAQ Newfound Global Defensive Equity (NQNFGEQ); NASDAQ Newfound Global Defensive Equity Total Return (NQNFGEQT); NASDAQ Newfound 1% Target Excess Yield (NQNF1YL); NASDAQ Newfound 1% Target Excess Yield Total Return (NQNF1YLT); NASDAQ Newfound 2% Target Excess Yield (NQNF2YL); NASDAQ Newfound 2% Target Excess Yield Total Return (NQNF2YLT); NASDAQ Newfound 3% Target Excess Yield (NQNF3YL); NASDAQ Newfound 3% Target Excess Yield Total Return (NQNF3YLT); NASDAQ Newfound 4% Target Excess Yield (NQNF4YL); NASDAQ Newfound 4% Target Excess Yield Total Return (NQNF4YLT); NASDAQ Newfound Risk Managed Income (NQNFINC); NASDAQ Newfound Risk Managed Income Total Return (NQNFINCT); NASDAQ Newfound US Dynamic Long/Short (NQNFLS); and NASDAQ Newfound US Dynamic Long/Short Total Return (NQNFLST).

Read the Nov. 8 Portfolio Products Roundup at ThinkAdvisor.

Monday Closing Bell: Markets Mixed on Apple, Summers

September 16, 2013: U.S. markets opened higher Monday morning after an announcement on Sunday by Larry Summers that he was withdrawing his name from consideration as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. Summers was seen as more likely to end the Fed's asset purchase program quickly than is Janet Yellen, who is now the betting favorite to be the new Fed chair. U.S. markets closed mixed as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) dragged the tech sector and the Nasdaq Composite down. Longer term, though, Apple might not look so bad.

Asian and European markets closed mostly higer today, while Latin American markets closed mixed.

Tuesday's calendar includes the beginning of the two-day FOMC meeting and the following data releases and events (all times Eastern):

8:30 a.m. – Consumer price index 9:00 a.m. – Treasury international capital (TIC) data 10:00 a.m. – Housing market index 11:30 a.m. – 4- and 52-week bill auctions

Here are the closing bell levels for Monday:

S&P500 1,697.60 (+9.60; +0.257%) DJIA 15,494.78 (+118.72; +0.77%) NASDAQ 3,717.85 (-4.34; -0.12%) 10YR TNOTE 2.880% (+0.0625) Gold $1,317.80 (+9.20; +0.7%) WTI Crude oil $106.59 (-1.62; -1.5%) Euro/Dollar: 1.3335 (-0.0021; -0.15%)

There were no earnings of note today. Adobe Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) reports third quarter earnings after markets close tomorrow and Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) reports third quarter results on Wednesday.

Stocks on the move: Boise Inc. (NYSE: BZ) is up 26% at $12.55 following the company's acquisition by Packaging Corporation of America Inc. (NYSE: PKG) for $12.55 a share ($1.28 billion). Omeros Corp. (NASDAQ: OMER) is up 68.2% at $8.56 following an analyst upgrade. Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (NYSEArca: NAK) is down 33.3% at $1.48 following an announcement from Anglo American plc that it was withdrawing from a massive copper mining project in Alaska.

In all, 233 stocks put up new 52-week highs today, while just 17 stocks posted new lows.

Janet Yellen: Fed still has more help to offer the economy

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) The Federal Reserve helped restart the economy after the recession, but still there's more work to be done, Janet Yellen said in prepared remarks to be delivered in a confirmation hearing Thursday.

"We have made good progress, but we have farther to go to regain the ground lost in the crisis and the recession," reads the statement.

President Obama nominated Yellen, who currently serves as vice-chair on the Federal Reserve Board, to succeed Ben Bernanke as head of the central bank.

Bernanke's second term ends January 31, and despite protests from a few Tea Party members, Yellen is largely expected to be confirmed for the position before then. Her hearing before the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled for 10 a.m. Eastern, Thursday.

Her remarks don't get into specifics about the Fed's current bond-buying program, but merely stress her commitment to "supporting the recovery," adding more openness and transparency to the Fed's communications, and promoting financial stability.

The Federal Reserve has been trying to stimulate the economy since December 2008. That's when it slashed short-term interest rates to near zero and launched its first bond-buying spree, in an attempt to lower long-term rates as well.

Five years later, the Fed is engaged in its third round of bond-buying, in which it purchases $85 billion each month in Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities.

Yellen faces a daunting task if she's confirmed to serve as the next Federal Reserve chair: How to wean the economy off Fed stimulus at the right time.

Liberal economists argue that if the Fed stops its stimulus too soon, job growth may continue at a painfully slow pace. The economy may still be too fragile to build momentum on its own.

Conservatives argue, however, that the Fed ha! s already done enough. Much of the Fed's $3 trillion in stimulus over the last five years is still sitting idle in bank reserves, and if that money ever floods into the broader economy, they say inflation could take off rapidly.

Yellen tends to side with the liberals and in Fed circles, she's known as inflation "dove." Her main goal, expressed in numerous speeches, is to get Americans back to work, and in her view, the Fed still has tools to improve the unemployment rate from its current level of 7.3%.

"Unemployment is down from a peak of 10%, but at 7.3% in October, it is still too high, reflecting a labor market and economy performing far short of their potential," she said in her prepared remarks.

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014

With automakers starting to make realistic predictions about when they can deliver self-driving cars, many motorists may not realize that to a large extent, such cars are here already.

Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Acura are among automakers that have started fielding vehicles that allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel. The cars stay on the road using a combination of radar and camera systems that track lane lines on the pavement. Most have alarms that remind drivers to put their hands back on after a few seconds. But not all: Infiniti's Q50 sedan can steer itself for miles without a finger on the wheel.

These come in addition to already available adaptive cruise control that adjusts to traffic speed, and collision prevention and mitigation systems that can slow or stop the vehicles. Some now can look beyond the car immediately ahead.

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Terra Nova Royalty Corporation(TTT)

Terra Nova Royalty Corporation operates as a mineral royalty company in Canada. It owns a royalty stream on the Wabush iron ore mine located in Labrador Newfoundland. The company was formerly known as KHD Humboldt Wedag International Ltd. and changed its name in March 2010 to Terra Nova Royalty Corporation as a result of spin off of KHD Humboldt Wedag International Ltd. Terra Nova Royalty Corporation is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Donald van Deventer]

  Long-duration Treasury Exchange-Traded Funds: (TLH), , (IEF), (DTYL), (DLBL), (ILTB), (TENZ), (ITE), (TLO), (EDV), (VGIT), (VGLT), (TMF), (TYD), (LBND), (UBT), (UST), (TMV), (TYO), (DSTJ), (DSXJ), (SBND), (PST), (DTYS), (DLBS), (TBF), (TTT), (TYNS), (TYBS), (TBX).

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Swiber Holdings Limited (AK3.SI)

Swiber Holdings Limited provides integrated construction and support services to the offshore oil and gas industry in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Its offshore construction services include project management and engineering; procurement services; platform construction; transportation and installation of fixed offshore platforms and subsea pipelines; floating production systems; subsea field commissioning; FPSO, FSO, and CALM Buoy; and mooring installation services. The company also offers offshore marine services, such as marine transportation; offshore marine support vessels chartering; diving support vessels; shipyard facilities; ship repair and maintenance services; shipbuilding services; conceptualization and feasibility study; mooring systems design; basic and detailed engineering; start up and commissioning; and operations and maintenance services. In addition, it provides offshore subsea services comprising commercial saturation and air diving services; un derwater inspection, repair, and maintenance (IRM) of existing offshore oil and gas field structures; subsea barge support diving and remotely operated vehicle services; and subsea solutions from diving support vessels, as well as construction and IRM based projects. Further, the company offers offshore development services, including offshore wind farm engineering, transportation, and installation services; and wave energy, ocean tide energy, and ocean thermal energy convertor engineering and installation services. Additionally, it provides drilling services; and builds ships, tankers, and other ocean-going vessels. As of March 26, 2012, the company operated a fleet of 53 vessels comprising 41 offshore vessels and 12 construction vessels. Swiber Holdings Limited was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Singapore.

Top 5 Stocks To Watch For 2014: Interpump(IP.MI)

Interpump Group SpA, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets high-pressure plunger pumps, high pressure systems, power takeoffs, hydraulic pumps, hydraulic cylinders, and other hydraulic products. The company?s Hydraulic sector produces and sells power take-offs, which are designed to transmit drive from an industrial vehicle engine or transmission to power a range of ancillary services through hydraulic components. This sector also offers hydraulic components comprising spool valves and controls; hydraulic cylinders; and pumps that are used in various applications, including lifting tipping bodies, moving truck-mounted cranes, and operating mixer truck drums. Its Industrial sector provides high and very high-pressure pumps and pumping systems used in a range of industrial sectors for the conveyance of fluids. These pumps are used in various industrial applications, including car wash installations, forced lubrication systems for machine tools, and invers e osmosis systems for water desalination plants; and used for cleaning surfaces, ships, various types of pipes, and for removing machining burr, cutting and removing cement, asphalt, and paint coatings from stone, cement and metal surfaces, as well as used for cutting solid materials. This sector is also involved in the operations of drawing, shearing, and pressing sheet metal, as well as the manufacture and sale of cleaning machinery. The company has operations in Italy, rest of Europe, North America, the Pacific Area, and internationally. Interpump Group SpA is based in S. Ilario d'Enza, Italy.

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation(PGC)

Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation operates as the holding company for Peapack-Gladstone Bank that provides financial, trust, and investment services to individuals and small businesses in New Jersey. The company?s deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market and interest-bearing checking accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. Its loan portfolio comprises residential and construction mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and other second mortgage loans, as well as commercial loans, including working capital lines of credit, term loans for fixed asset acquisitions, commercial mortgages, and other forms of asset-based financing. The company also provides foreign and domestic travelers? checks, cashier?s checks, wire transfers, Internet banking, and automated teller machine services. In addition, it offers personal investment management, personal trust administration, estate settlement, income tax, custodial, a nd other financial planning services. Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation provides its services through 23 full-service banking offices, including 10 branches in Somerset County, 6 in Morris County, 4 in Hunterdon County, 1 in Middlesex County, and 2 in Union County. The company was founded in 1921 and is based in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Since that prediction, Honeywell's begun to branch out in unexpected ways, as it's now working with utilities such as PG&E (NASDAQ: PGC  ) to provide residential energy-management platforms. The "smart grid" is growing in fits and starts, but it's one of the more optimistic corners of tomorrow's economy, so it's good for Honeywell investors to see the company dipping a toe in these waters.

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Copper Ridge Explorations Inc.(KRX.V)

Redtail Metals Corp. engages in identifying, acquiring, and developing copper, lead, and zinc mineral deposits in the Yukon, Canada. It principally focuses on the Clear Lake massive sulphide zinc-lead-silver project located in the Yukon and the Babine porphyry copper-gold project in British Columbia. The company was formerly known as Copper Ridge Explorations Inc. and changed its name to Redtail Metals Corp. on May 30, 2011. Redtail Metals Corp. was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Canadian Solar Inc.(CSIQ)

Canadian Solar Inc. engages in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of solar power products in Canada and internationally. The company offers solar cell and solar module products that convert sunlight into electricity for various uses. Its products include a range of standard solar modules for use in a range of residential, commercial, and industrial solar power generation systems. The company also designs and produces specialty solar modules and products consisting of customized modules that its customers incorporate into their products, such as solar-powered bus stop lighting; and specialty products, such as portable solar home systems and solar-powered car battery chargers. In addition, it sells solar system kits, a package consisting of solar modules produced by it and third party supplied components, such as inverters, racking system, and other accessories, as well as implements solar power development projects. The company sells its products under the Canad ian Solar brand name. Canadian Solar Inc. offers its standard solar modules through a direct sales force and sales agents primarily to distributors, system integrators, and original equipment manufacturer customers, as well as to solar projects; and specialty solar modules and products to the automotive, telecommunications, and light-emitting diode lighting sectors. The company was founded in 2001 and is based in Kitchener, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  In China, Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ  ) is doing a better job transitioning to Japan and project development than most, and it would be a much better pick than most. But still, there are risks, and this Fool's choice is to stick with high-quality U.S. companies for which you don't have to depend on government banks for survival.�

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Datalink Corporation(DTLK)

Datalink Corporation data center solutions and services to mid and large-size companies in the United States. It engages in assessing, designing, deploying, and supporting infrastructures, such as servers, storage, and networks; and reselling hardware and software from original equipment manufacturers. The company?s portfolio of solutions and services comprise consolidation and virtualization services; data storage and protection services, including local and remote backup, disaster recovery, archive, and compliance services; advanced network infrastructure services that includes assessment, design, and deployment of network infrastructures; and business continuity and disaster recovery solutions. It also offers a suite of practice-specific consulting, analysis, design, implementation, management, and support services. Datalink Corporation was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Alhambra Resources Ltd. (ALH.V)

Alhambra Resources Ltd., through its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration for, and development of mineral properties, primarily gold. It holds a 100% working interest in the 2.4 million acre Uzboy Project located in north central Kazakhstan. The company is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Green Rock Energy Ltd (GRK.AX)

Green Rock Energy Limited engages in the exploration and development of geothermal, and oil and gas resources in Australia and Europe. The company holds 15% interest in exploration permit EP417 in the Canning basin, a conventional and unconventional gas project located in Western Australia, as well as 40% interest through a farm-in agreement for the Seven Lakes Special Prospecting Area for exploring unconventional hydrocarbons in the Fitzroy Trough in the Canning basin; and 20% interest in the Backreef Area of the Canning basin. It also has 100% interests in 11 exploration licenses covering an area of approximately 5,038 square kilometers for developing geothermal power in the Great Artesian basin in South Australia; and 50% in a geothermal power joint venture located in Hungary, Europe. The company is based in West Perth, Australia.

Top 10 High Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Tesla Exploration Ltd (TXL.TO)

Tesla Exploration Ltd., a geophysical services company, provides specialized seismic services to the oil and gas exploration industry primarily in North America, Europe, and Africa. It offers three component (3C) technologies for full wave seismic recording services. The 3C technology helps its clients acquire shear wave seismic data in addition to the pressure wave data captured and processed for seismic imaging. The company also provides geophysical services, including survey design and management; seismic data acquisition; seismic data processing and reprocessing; seismic data interpretation; in-seam seismic data acquisition, processing, and interpretation; coal bed methane and gob gas assessments; borehole geophysics, processing, and interpretation; and site investigation geophysics, acquisition, processing, and interpretation. In addition, it offers survey services, which comprise geophysical survey services; precision navigation and survey service support; and data p rocessing, interpretation, and analysis of geological and archaeological resources, as well as involved in the rental of acquisition equipment. The company provides its services to oil and gas exploration and production companies, and marine construction contractors, as well as to the mining industry and engineering firms for environmental applications and mining applications. Tesla Exploration Ltd. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Traders in a Selling Mood Before Holiday Weekend

Everything from stocks to gold to oil is moving lower today as a potential conflict between the U.S. and Syria looks increasingly imminent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  ) is down 0.11% as of 3:15 p.m. EDT, and the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC  ) is down 0.19%, while gold and oil are both down 1.1%. The only real economic report for the day was the University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index for August, which was 82.1 down from 85.1 a month ago but up from an initial estimate of 80. Sentiment can bounce around from month to month, so a slight decline isn't anything to get worked up about.  

I don't think a small conflict in Syria will have a detrimental long-term effect on stock markets or even oil, but for today, traders have little reason to be buyers. John Kerry condemned the Syrian regime's "indiscriminate and inconceivable horror of chemical weapons," continuing the saber-rattling from Washington. That has everyone a little bit on edge, putting a damper on the markets.

One big mover on the Dow today is Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) , which has fallen 0.7%. There was initial euphoria over the prospect of Verizon buying out the 45% stake in Verizon Wireless owned by Vodafone (NASDAQ: VOD  ) , but that has worn off over the past two days. The prospect of a $130 billion buyout is daunting, especially when you consider that Verizon might have to take on $60 billion of debt in the process.

The other worry is that borrowing costs will rise along with Verizon's debt load. Estimates put Verizon's debt after the deal at about $112 billion, which might force rating agencies to downgrade the company's debt from "A-" to "BBB+." A lower rating and higher debt would be a double whammy for Verizon. 

I still think it's a good deal for both companies, but Verizon has a lot more at stake taking on $60 billion of debt to buy Verizon Wireless, and the appetite for that risk has waned, pushing shares lower.

Verizon's advantage is that it's the one company with the technology to make the most of smartphones and tablets that are now so prevalent. Our analysts took a deep dive into the company's opportunity and what sets Verizon apart in a free report that can be accessed by clicking here. It's a story you don't want to miss out on. 

Unique Advisor Site Targets Ultra-Affluent

High-end wealth management firm Aspiriant got a facelift this week with the launch of a new website that stands apart from the density and verbosity more typical of the advisory website genre.

Most striking, perhaps, is not what is present on the site but rather what is missing.

“We weren’t trying to provide too much information," Aspiriant’s director of business development Cammie Doder told ThinkAdvisor in a phone interview from her San Francisco office. "We love overdelivering to clients, and we had to pull back.” 

Doder, who oversaw the site’s rollout — a process that started more than a year ago with what she calls a “brand audit” — says that restraint meant dispensing with the overly analytical approach that is a staple of financial advisor websites.

“What really gives our clients comfort is tying the analytics with the emotional side of wealth management,” she says.

The seven-city elite firm, whose average client has $8 million under management, sought to communicate that with a generous sprinkling of illustrations — such as the tender embrace of a woman and her dog that is meant to convey a client experience whose thoughtfulness and meticulousness stems from an overarching quality of caring.

The splash of color those illustrations offer are all the more noticeable because they appear against a backdrop that is mostly white.

“Seeing a lot of white space is intentional,” Doder says. “Our industry usually offers overwhelming amounts of information. It’s really hard to digest so much information if [you’re a prospect] new to this industry or space.”

In a bid to sync a prospect’s day-to-day reality with the world of wealth management, Aspiriant’s site employs simple, conversational English and yet delivers a message that evinces financial sophistication.

For example, on a page titled “why we’re unusual,” the site lists five key points using muscular verb and noun phrasing that is light on slippery adjectives; (two bullet points: “Aspiriant is built to: eliminate conflicts of interest; maximize transparency, intimacy and continuity”).

Then, rather than drone on, the text concludes with an invitation to prospective clients:

“There’s a lot more to say about this unconventional vision. Some of it we’ll address on this site. But most of it is stuff we should talk about in person, if the basic idea of what we’re doing sounds like what you’re looking for.”

That’s a trope found elsewhere on the site where language such as “there is so much more to say” suggests the idea that some important areas should really be addressed face-to-face.

The site is interspersed with an abundance of links, conveying a cavernous depth that compliments its unintimidating sparseness.  The language is personable — “[Clients] like the way we combine intellectual ferocity with genuine humor, warmth and affection” — and occasionally humorous: “[When your financial plan is in place], you’re going to feel an incredible pressure release. Food will taste better, the sky will look bluer.”

Another key strategic decision was showing just two links on the opening page: “The Client Experience” and “Everything Else.”

The idea, says Doder, was to present the firm in a way that is meaningful to its users — to convey what it all entails for them.

“Everything from the illustration we chose to the caption about caring to [the five elements] we highlighted show we don’t just create a plan but we carry the plan through with you; that we have a fabulous investment team;…our ownership model; our commitment to be being independent;…the continuity in client relationships. It was about communicating in a way so that people truly understand what it is we do,” Doder says.

Besides the client experience, the “everything else” includes “why we’re unusual,” “our exceptional people,” “what exactly we do,” “offices coast-to-coast;” “news & intel” and “start a dialogue.”

The registered investment advisory firm, whose staff of 120 including about 75 client service people oversee some $7 billion in assets, formed a large team including CEO Rob Francais, Doder and representatives of the firm’s principals, advisors and asset managers to audit Aspiriant’s brand. With the communications strategy in place, actual work on the site began in the second quarter.

Doder, whose job it is to introduce prospective clients to the firm — “so that client service people can spend their time serving clients and not work on business development” — says the site is a crucial way for prospects to gain their first impression of Aspiriant.

She says that referrals from family and friends are the most common source of prospective new clients and that the website gives early insight into what “world-class asset management,” along with the firm’s wealth planning and family office offerings, look like.

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Check out 10 Tech Trends That’ll Rattle the Advisory Industry on ThinkAdvisor.

Cablevision Systems Corporation Shares Rise on Q3 Earnings Beat; Dividend Maintained (CVC)

Regional cable TV and Internet provider Cablevision Systems Corporation (CVC) on Friday announced better-than-expected third quarter earnings results, reversing a year-ago loss.

Cablevision’s Q3 Earnings in Brief
- Net income totaled $294.6 million, or $1.10 per share, reversing last year’s loss of $3.79 million, or -1 penny per share.
- Revenue rose 1.8% from last year to $1.57 billion.
- Analysts expected much lower earnings of just 11 cents per share, on matching revenue.

Latest Dividend Reiterated; Yield Surpasses Peers
In its earnings release, Cablevision announced it would continue its dividend payout of 15 cents per share. The latest dividend will be paid on Dec. 13 with an ex-dividend date of Nov. 20. The company has not raised its dividend payout since May of 2011.

Despite the lack of dividend raise, CVC’s dividend yield of 3.84% compares favorably with other stocks in its industry. Time Warner Cable (TWC) offers a yield of 2.2%, while Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) yields just 1.65%. The average dividend yield for S&P 500 companies is around 2.5%, so Cablevision’s yield is well above both its industry average as well as the wider market average. Still, its lofty yield has come more as a result of poor price performance, rather than dividend increases.

Shares Rise, but Still Tail Indexes
Cablevision shares rose more than 2% in early trading on Friday, but the company’s stock performance has lagged the wider markets for quite some time. Year-to-date, CVC has gained about 6%, compared with a 24% gain in the benchmark S&P 500 index. The stock was trading around the $38 level as recently as early 2011, so its dividend yield has risen significantly as its stock price plunged to around $16.