Pool

this post will be very tough to navigate! you've been warned. :)

Teen Ink - not bad :)
http://www.teenink.com/Current/TeenInkSample.pdf

angel investorAn investor who provides financial backing for small startups or entrepreneurs. Angel investors are usually found among an entrepreneur’s family and friends. The capital they provide can be a one-time injection of seed money or ongoing support to carry the company through difficult times.

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/angelinvestor.asp#ixzz1wZsHLO5z

Investopedia explains 'Angel Investor'

Angel investors give more favorable terms than other lenders, as they are usually investing in the person rather than the viability of the business. They are focused on helping the business succeed, rather than reaping a huge profit from their investment. Angel investors are essentially the exact opposite of a venture capitalist.

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/angelinvestor.asp#ixzz1wZsJKjY2

5 Steps of a Bubble


http://www.investopedia.com/slide-show/5-steps-of-a-bubble#axzz1wYyzjVJz

Bubble Characteristics

A basic characteristic of a bubble is the suspension of disbelief by most participants during the "bubble phase." There is a failure to recognize that regular market participants and other forms of traders are engaged in a speculative exercise that is not supported by previous valuation techniques. Also, bubbles are usually identified only in retrospect, after the bubble has burst. Economist Hyman Minsky identified five stages in a typical credit cycle – displacement, boom, euphoria, profit taking and panic. Although there are various interpretations of the cycle, the general pattern of bubble activity remains fairly consistent. 

1. Displacement

A displacement occurs when investors get enamored by a new paradigm, such as an innovative new technology or interest rates that are historically low. A classic example of displacement is the decline in the federal funds rate from 6.5% in May, 2000, to 1% in June, 2003. Over this three-year period, the interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell by 2.5 percentage points to a historic lows of 5.21%, sowing the seeds for the housing bubble.

2. Boom

Prices rise slowly at first, following a displacement, but then gain momentum as more and more participants enter the market, setting the stage for the boom phase. During this phase, the asset in question attracts widespread media coverage. Fear of missing out on what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity spurs more speculation, drawing an increasing number of participants into the fold.

3. Euphoria

During this phase, caution is thrown to the wind, as asset prices skyrocket. The "greater fool" theory plays out everywhere. Valuations reach extreme levels during this phase. For example, at the peak of the Japanese real estate bubble in 1989, land in Tokyo sold for as much as $139,000 per square foot, or more than 350-times the value of Manhattan property. After the bubble burst, real estate lost approximately 80% of its inflated value, while stock prices declined by 70%. Similarly, at the height of the internet bubble in March, 2000, the combined value of all technology stocks on the Nasdaq was higher than the GDP of most nations.

4. Profit Taking

By this time, the smart money – heeding the warning signs – is generally selling out positions and taking profits. But estimating the exact time when a bubble is due to collapse can be a difficult exercise and extremely hazardous to one's financial health because, as John Maynard Keynes put it, "the markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent." Note that it only takes a relatively minor event to prick a bubble, but once it is pricked, the bubble cannot "inflate" again.

5. Panic

In the panic stage, asset prices reverse course and descend as rapidly as they had ascended. Investors and speculators, faced with margin calls and plunging values of their holdings, now want to liquidate them at any price. As supply overwhelms demand, asset prices slide sharply. One of the most vivid examples of global panic in financial markets occurred in October 2008, weeks after Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy and Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG almost collapsed. The S&P 500 plunged almost 17% that month, its ninth-worst monthly performance. In that single month, global equity markets lost a staggering $9.3 trillion of 22% of their combined market capitalization.

FaceBook stuff
http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0412/Did-Facebook-Overpay-For-Instagram.aspx#axzz1wYyzjVJz

Investopedia.com

6 ways to save on insurance

shop around, go direct, raise your deductible, use a single insurer, avoid claims, pay for insurance less often Insurers usually offer the option to pay a monthly premium to cover insurance, but they usually charge extra for the convenience. Paying every six months or annually can be slightly less expensive, and though it requires discipline to save up each month to make the payments, it can save you money in the long run.

Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/slide-show/6-ways-to-save-money-on-insurance#ixzz1wZrsI6Rz


gowns and stuff cheap
http://www.graduationsource.com

the world's best new universities
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/05/31/the-worlds-best-new-universities/

Tim Cook: Apple is doubling down on Siri
http://allthingsd.com/20120529/tim-cook-apple-is-doubling-down-on-siri/

Best valued colleges biggest bang for your buck
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-01-07-best-value-colleges_N.htm



note to self: Bill Gates is spreading insidious misconduct by his wish to depopulate the world to reduce CO2 emissions which also has an underlying cause of injustice; greed.

2. The Universal Principle of Risk Management: Pooling and the Hedging of Risks

NY Times Blog

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/a-parting-glance-horst-faas/

"Someday Entrepreneur"

"But it’s important to confront the monster under the bed—it’s not as hard as you might think, and you certainly don’t have to have an MBA to do it. Pick a small business magazine like Inc. or Fast Companyand invest $15 to get a subscription. Peruse it each month, but feel free to read only what’s interesting to you. You’ll soon see how un-mysterious business can be. From behind-the-scenes business profiles to questions about how to handle particular challenges, you’ll begin to learn a lot about the experience of entrepreneurship.

As you start talking to people, expanding your reading list, and thinking more and more about the what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, you’ll soon see that it’s not as big and scary as you might think. And that 'someday' will inch a little bit closer to today."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/03/07/4-to-dos-for-the-someday-entrepreneur/

20 Stellar Ripoffs According to Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/12/twenty-rip-offs-2011_2.html

Many Mutual Funds 
The Ripoff: Thousands of actively managed mutual funds (which employ stock pickers who try to beat the market rather than simply match its overall returns) charge fees of 1% or higher. Yet consider that less than 40% of actively managed funds that invest in large companies outperform the S&P 500 Index. Assuming an investment of $10,000 per year for 40 years, and an average annual return of 7%, a fund with a 1.5% annual fee compared to one with a 0.25% load will cost an extra $580,000. That's a yacht or a summer house.

How to Avoid It: There are plenty of mutual funds, index funds and exchange-traded funds that can be had for fees of 0.25% or less.

Extra Frequent Flier Miles 
The Rip-Off: Airlines routinely claim to be sold out of tickets that require fewer frequent flier miles, only to then sell you more miles to make up the difference. American Airlines (AMR - news - people ) charges $57.50 plus tax to buy 1,000 extra miles. Give a friend 10,001 to 15,000 miles and you'll fork over $150. Want to cancel a ticket bought with miles? That's another $150 to reinstate those miles. "Everyone in the industry knows that these programs are come-ons for consumers," says Charlie Leocha, director of the Consumer Travel Alliance. "But consumers have swallowed them hook, line and sinker."

How to Avoid It: Book ahead, travel in off periods and choose programs that include multiple airlines.

Face Cleansers Does slathering your face with fish eggs make much difference? "Ingredients such as gold or caviar do not have any proven benefit and are just used to drive up the cost," says Dr. Patricia K. Farris, a dermatologist at Old Metairie Dermatology in Louisiana. "I tell patients 'more money gets you more glitz, but not necessarily a better product.'"


How to Avoid It: Dr. Farris recommends Cetaphil: A 16-ounce bottle costs just $11.49 at CVS.

The Rip-Off: With more than 1.4 million registered nonprofit organizations in the country, how do you know which ones will make the most effective use of your dollars? Check out how much of a charity's total expenses go directly to the charitable purpose as opposed to management, overhead and fundraising. The American Institute of Philanthropy, a nonprofit charity watchdog, recommends that at least 60% of donations go to program services.

How to Avoid It: Review a charity's most recent IRS Form 990 for total revenues and expenses. Guidestar.com and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance offer a wealth of free information about charities, as does your state's regulator of charities. (For more, check out "Ten Tips to Avoid Charity Rip-Offs" and Forbes' annual ranking of The 200 Largest U.S. Charities.)

Banking Fees 
The Rip-Off: Banks are giving away less and less for free these days. If you don't carry a minimum balance or don't have a direct-deposit arrangement, you'll get hit with a fee. Take checking accounts: According to a study by Bankrate ( RATE- news - people ) in December 2010, 35% of checking accounts carried a monthly service fee or a minimum balance requirement, up from 24% in 2009. ATM fees are rising too: The average all-in cost of using a non-network ATM was $3.74 in 2010, up from $3.54 in 2009.

How to Avoid It: Hunt for a no-frills online bank that doesn't have to maintain hundreds or even thousands of branches. And when you withdraw cash, take out enough to last you awhile.

Not Trading In Your Car at the End of Its Lease

Turning your car over to the dealer is easy enough, but it could cost you. The value of a car at the end of its lease is predetermined based on mileage projections. Say you sign a three-year lease at 1,000 miles per month, the value of the car at the end of that lease is based on 36,000 miles. But if you rack up fewer miles you'll be losing out on the difference between the real value and the projected value of the car by turning it in. Instead, research the real value of the car (try Kbb.com or NADAguides.com) and find a dealer who will buy the vehicle from the leasing company and apply the credit to your new lease or purchase.

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Not Searching for Coupons Online

Websites like Retailmenot.com, Coupons.com, Dealspl.us and Couponcabin.com offer coupon codes for thousands of stores. Just plug in the code during your online checkout. Retailmenot.com recently featured a coupon code that reduced the price of aDell ( DELL - news - people ) XPS 15 laptop with an Intel (INTC - news - people ) Core i7 processor to $1,059 from $1,414. Big money for a small amount of effort.

Not Donating the Stuff You Don’t Use to Charity

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Everyone knows charitable gifts are tax deductible (and make you feel warm on the inside). The truly lazy will also be happy to know that some charitable organizations make free house calls to pick up your unwanted stuff. For a list, visit DonationTown.org.

Not Reading Your Credit Card Statements

That niggling $7 monthly toll for a subscription you tried once and never used again is so small that you rarely notice it on your credit card statement. "The terrible part is that they are an insidious expense that often automatically hits our credit card bills with little visibility," says Ken Calhoon, managing partner of Calhoon Consulting, a management consultancy in Palo Alto, Calif. "Regularly checking your statement [and cancelling the subscriptions] is easy money."

Not Making Your Own Coffee

From your $6 can of coffee you can make at least 25 full cups--five weeks’ worth of commutable caffeine. In a year, you’ll spend $60 on coffee (not including milk and sugar). The alternative--paying $2.50 a day at Dunkin Donuts (or more at Starbucks)--slurps up $625 for the year. Brew your own (preferably by setting the timer at night so you wake up to that fragrant, comforting smell) and you’ll save enough for a plane ticket to warmer climes and a few rum drinks.

Not Choosing the Best Rate on Your Savings Account

Many Americans are content to keep their money in traditional brick-and-mortar banks. Put less charitably, they're too lazy to root around for a better interest rate offered by online institutions. The best annual percentage rate you'll get at a traditional bank is about 0.1%, while Internet banks can easily offer a 1.15% APY. May not sound like much, but it all adds up. On a $100,000 principal, compounded monthly for five years, the higher interest rate yields an additional $5,414. A quick search for a good rate at an FDIC-insured bank plus the few clicks to set up an account can take under 30 minutes.

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Not Opening a Retirement Fund (As Soon As Possible)

Twenty-somethings aren't necessarily in touch with their own mortality. Take a hint: Old age comes quick, and you'll need a serious retirement stash if you want to ride it out in any kind of style. Setting up a 401(k) account--one that automatically draws a certain percentage from each pay check--doesn’t take much effort and could have a dramatic financial impact. If a 40-year-old starts saving $5,000 annually at 6% interest per year (a conservative assumption based on historical returns for the stock market), he would have $291,000 at age 65; if that same person started saving that much 15 years earlier, at 25, he would have amassed $821,000, three times as much.

Not Sending in Rebate Offers

Department and electronics stores often advertise goods at post-rebate prices, assuming most customers will be too lazy to mail in the rebate, which could save them up to 10% on big-ticket items such as dishwashers, refrigerators and computers. At Staples ( SPLS - news - people ), a $650 laptop fromHewlett-Packard ( HPQ - news - people ) carries a $50 rebate. Don't let them get away with this. Filling out and mailing the rebate takes all of 15 minutes. Says Tod Marks, senior project editor at Consumer Reports: "Anyone who walks away from rebates is giving money away."

Not Paying Attention to 0% Financing Deadlines

Many stores offer no-money-down financing for a length of time. Great deal, right? Only if you remember (or bother) to pay in full by the end of the no-interest grace period. Fall short and the often very steep interest rate that kicks in applies not to the remainder of the debt, but the entire original purchase price. Example: Electronics retailer P.C. Richard & Son sells a $3,100 television with 0% financing for 24 months. Say you've paid $3,000 at the 24-month mark; one day later, you will owe an additional $1,029--the $100 you hadn't paid yet, plus the $930 in interest (30% of the entire $3,100).

fun reads:

Overconfident CEOs Are Better Innovators

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/04/10/overconfident-ceos-are-better-innovators/

Why Siri Is a Google Killer

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2011/10/28/why-siri-is-a-google-killer/