Everyone has heard about the numerous types of weight loss surgeries available for the seriously obese, and if you find yourself considering such a drastic solution to your weight problem, the whopping $20,000 cost may cause you to reconsider. Even those with the best insurance usually end up spending some money out of pocket, but if you don't have insurance at all, or your insurance refuses the cover the surgery, don't allow the high cost of the surgery to deter you, because as the old saying goes, "where there's a will there's a way."

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Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:10 AM | Permalink

Republic Services Inc. (NYSE: RSG), currently trading at $33.15 at Friday's closing bell, is in demand. As the waste industry moves to consolidate, three of the top players are jockeying for the dominating position. The current industry leader, Waste Management (NYSE: WMI) originally announced $ 34/ share bid for Republic Services on July 11th, and more recently raised that offer to $37/ share. Republic Services has rejected both bids saying that the company is worth substantially more than that as an independent entity. Waste Management made its initial offer as a response to the merger, announced June 23rd, between Republic Services and Allied Waste Industries (NYSE: AW). The merger would combine the 2nd and 3rd largest solid waste services companies in a bid to rival the current dominance of Waste Management.

Continue reading "Waste Services Industry Consolidation Attempts" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:52 AM | Permalink

For some people, the prospect of buying a life insurance policy that pays out upon their death is too close a look at their own mortality. Yet, at the same time, none of us want to leave our families financially insecure when we die. That's why it's critical to have sufficient life insurance. How much life insurance should you have? Below are some questions to consider.

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Posted by Emma - Editor at 7:57 AM | Permalink

At first glance, asset correlation may seem like a complex topic. However, it is important to understand the concept and how it affects your portfolio. By combining assets with low correlation, you can potentially improve portfolio returns while reducing risk.

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Posted by Nickie - Editor at 7:37 AM | Permalink

After initially announcing job cuts of 6350 employees in July, Wachovia (NYSE: WB) this week said that as many as 6950 employees may now be out of work. That doesn’t include recent announcements of the departure of CFO Thomas J. Wurtz, and Chief Risk Officer Don Truslow. Wachovia is expecting the job cuts to cost as much as $650 million as it restructures it workforce. Recent days have seen the announcement of a class action lawsuit from shareholders, regulatory investigations, and increases in the amount estimated losses originally announced just a few weeks ago. Wachovia stock closed Monday at $18.21 per share off from its 52 week highs of more than $50.

Continue reading "Wachovia Worsens but Still Survives" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 8:06 AM | Permalink

Saving enough by age 65 to ensure that you can maintain your standard of living through a long retirement has become increasingly difficult. Consider just this one fact. Current retirees receive close to 70% of their retirement income from Social Security and defined-benefit pension plans, while today's workers will probably only receive one-third of their retirement income from those sources (Source: Ibbotson Associates, 2007).

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Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:43 AM | Permalink

The ailing housing market is driving widening losses at Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM). According to their latest earnings report, released on August 8th, Fannie Mae showed a net loss of $2.3 billion for the second quarter alone. This comes on top of a $2.2 billion loss reported for the first quarter of this year. This time the loss was primarily driven by higher than expected mortgage defaults and foreclosures. Fannie Mae reports that based on their mortgage portfolio performance in July, they expect things to get worse going forward. Loss reserves were increased by $3.7 billion in the quarter with more cash expected to be reserved against losses in Q3.

Continue reading "Fannie Mae – The Next Six Months are Key" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:26 AM | Permalink

The stock market volatility of the past few years has taught some valuable lessons about the stock market. In essence, the stock market tends to revert to the mean. Avoid strategies designed to “get rich quick” in the stock market, and diversify, diversify, diversify.

Continue reading "Stock Market Lessons From the Past" »

Posted by Nickie - Editor at 7:29 AM | Permalink

It should come as no surprise in this economy that US auto sales are down dramatically. General Motors (GM) last week posted a $15.5 billion loss for the most recent quarter. Fully $9.2 billion of this loss was related to one-time expenses as the company wrote down assets, dealt with restructuring costs and expenses related to ailing Delphi. For the balance of the loss, General Motors cited plummeting SUV prices and poor sales overall along with corresponding declines in its financing operations as the primary contributors to the loss. July 2008’s sales for General Motors fell more than 27 percent compared to the same month a year ago. This compares to Ford’s 15 percent year on year sales decline for July.

Continue reading "General Motors Sales and Stock Price Continue to Decline" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 8:57 AM | Permalink

Chevron (NYSE: CVX) announced its second quarter earnings on August 1st. Although Chevron didn’t match Exxon’s $1500 per second for the quarter, they did earn over $760 for each second of the second quarter. Chevron reported net income of $6 billion up 11% from the same quarter a year ago. That translates to earnings of $2.90/ share diluted, a shortfall from analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.03. Strong oil prices were the biggest contributor to the gain. Natural gas prices were also a strong contributor.

Chevron also reported in their August 1st press release that their refining operations were hurt by the high cost of crude as the price of gasoline did not keep pace with the rising cost of oil. As a result Chevron reported a loss of $734 million in its refining operations.

Continue reading "Chevron's Q2 Earnings" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:00 AM | Permalink

If you’re tired of paying high telephone bills each month and are looking for a low cost option, there is a new, cutting-edge type of telephone service: Magic Jack. Magic Jack is a small device that easily plugs into a USB port on your computer. After plugging the device into your USB port, all you have to do is plug in the telephone of your choice, and you’ll hear a dial tone, enabling you to start making phone calls. Of course, you have to have broadband internet service on your computer in order for Magic Jack to work. In order to start enjoying your new telephone service with Magic Jack, all you have to do is pay the $39.95 initial charge, plus shipping and handling, and then make one $19.95 payment each year. With Magic Jack, you get many popular phone features absolutely free. Call Id, voicemail, three-way calling, call waiting, directory assistance, and free long distance throughout the U.S and Canada.

Continue reading "Magic Jack: Quality Phone Service for Less Than $20/Year" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:17 AM | Permalink

Washington Mutual, sponsor of the WaMu Online Savings Account, raised their interest rate today to 3.75% APY. This new rate makes WaMu the highest of the 15 different online accounts that ManagingMoney.com tracks.

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Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:56 AM | Permalink

If you think you’ll never own the home of your dreams because of the costs involved, then perhaps you should reconsider. Most people who would like to become homeowners never consider purchasing a mobile home for whatever reason. What these people don’t realize is that they’re missing out on possibly living in a beautiful home for substantially less than a regular house. Most people associate mobile homes with run-down trailers in parks with many low-income individuals. Now while these types of homes that are in serious need of repair and updating do exist, these are not the only types of mobile homes are available. Believe it or not, there are some mobile homes that are as large as 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, and come with central air, Jacuzzi tubs, game rooms, and many other luxury amenities.

Continue reading "Mobile Homes: Buying a Dream Home for Less" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:00 AM | Permalink

If you have properties to rent out and are having trouble finding tenants, there are several things that you can do to increase the odds of keeping all of your units occupied, which will in turn equal more income for you. Many property owners have a difficult time keeping their units occupied and generating income, but you don’t have to be one of them. By practicing a few simple tactics, you can drive more attention to your available units than you ever have in the past.

Continue reading "How To Greatly Increase Your Chances of Keeping Your Rental Units Occupied" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:05 AM | Permalink

With prices for just about everything soaring, people are searching for any way possible to save money. Aside from using coupons and looking for sales to shop for needed items in order to save on your grocery bill, or limiting where you drive in order to save money on gas, there is another expense that you can choose to focus on: your home phone. Since mobile phones are so popular, and many come with unlimited talk plans for at or under $100 a month, many are opting to forego their home phones and rely on their cell phones exclusively. Others, however, don’t like to be without a home phone for whatever reason, and many resort to Voip (voice over internet phone).

Continue reading "VOIP: Money-saver or Waste of Money?" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 9:19 AM | Permalink

Everyone needs a savings account in order to put away money to use for emergencies, special occasions, and for the future. Unfortunately, many people don’t have bank accounts because they feel they either don’t need one or can’t afford to save any extra money because of their current income. Not only do you need a savings account, but no matter how much—or how little you make, you have the ability to save more than you may think. Even a mere $5 or $10 placed into a savings account each time you receive a paycheck can add up quicker than you ever thought possible. Most likely you won’t even notice $10 missing from your paycheck, as it’s easy to spend this amount on fast food or other miscellaneous items, which makes it a lot smarter to save the money rather than spend it on fast foods.

Continue reading "Bank of America's "Keep the Change" Program" »

Posted by Mike - Editor at 7:30 AM | Permalink