Affluenzo? Affluence

I heard of a movie titled Affluenzo, today. But I can't seem to find anything of it, online. My sources told me the film was a film/documentary that would fit well within the theme of this blog.

Does any of the readers know of this movie and where I can find it?



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Thank You Epiphany

I would like to thank Epiphany who has placed 3 text ads on DebtFree4ever.NET this past week.

The sites advertised are:
Accident Claims
Commercial Mortgages
-and-
UK Mortgages

Thoughts and Links

It's been a couple of days since I posted, so I thought I should write something. It has been slow, in that nothing much has been going on this week. Busy week at work again, although it has quited down some there. People are starting to dispel the rumors now and hopefully things will get back to normal again. Although, it is pretty much public knowledge that the stores may be sold, if they can find the "right" buyer.

As I have been reading some of the other personal finance blogs, I see "Get Rich Slowly," is intrigued by something called "Bacon Salt."

In addition, he mentions Warren Buffett. As many of my regular readers know, I am a huge fan of the Oracle of Omaha. It is my dream, that one day I will actually get to meet him. I am sure though, that he has better things to do then to met and encourage a middle aged man, whose dreams and aspirations have gone no where. Despite all my efforts to make them happen. Still though JD makes some good observations from some recent comments from the world's 2nd richest man.

When investing, most people should buy a cheap index fund and dollar-cost average into it.

“I won the ovarian lottery the day I was born and so did all of you. We’re all successful, intelligent, educated. To focus on what you don’t have is a terrible mistake. With the gifts all of us have, if you are unhappy, it’s your own fault.” (Note that Buffett was addressing a group of business school students.)

Why have relatively few people been able to emulate his success? “The reason gets down to temperament. People want to make money fast, but it doesn’t happen that way.”


After see the comments on Buffett, I thought I would see what another billionaire that I look up to was doing. A billionaire, that like Buffett, I would like to meet someday. A man, who was able to buy his first chain of grocery stores with Buffett investing half the money. I am of course talking about Ron Burkle. The man who unsuccessfully tried to buy the LA times and Chicago Tribune. Well, he has now bought a media company. However, it is in China.

It may not be the Los Angeles Times, but, for Ron Burkle, it'll have to do. On Tuesday Burkle's Yucaipa vehicle increased its investment in Xinhua Finance Media, this time pumping cash directly into the Chinese news service.

Billionaire Ron Burkle, a favorite of the New York Post's gossip column Page Six, increased his stake in Xinhua Finance Media (nasdaq: XFML - news - people ) to a total of 12% of the company's outstanding common shares. He paid $30 million for convertible preferred shares; this was in addition to the $27.5 million Yucaipa slapped down for common shares from existing stockholders in September. The conversion price is set at $6.00 per American depository receipt, or $3.00 per common share as each ADS listed on the Nasdaq represents two common shares. The company will also be entitled to one board seat on the Chinese Media company's board.

Xinhua Finance Mediatakes its name from an alliance made eight years ago with the Xinhua News Agency, China's state-run press. It produces financial-focused content for nationwide television as well as a variety of print media outlets. It also has radio stations in Beijing and Shanghai. Xinhua Finance Media also has majority stakes in company that produce outdoor advertising, television and movies.

While I don't know if I would invest in a foreign media company, especially one in a communist country. I do find it interesting that he did. I for one would invest in media companies, banks and retail establishments if I had the money. But those are three areas that I know a little something about and are places I have worked in some capacity since my 1987 graduation from high school, where I was even on the school newspaper.


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VISA IPO

Do you like to loan money to people or organizations that have been sued, so they can pay for that litigation? Well, according to the blog ChrisPerruna.com that is exactly what you will be doing if you buy the forthcoming Visa IPO.

Visa is hoping to break records and raise up to $19 billion from its initial public offering. The only question is whether they can pull it off in this jittery market.

In a filing on Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the San Francisco-based credit-card company said it was planning to offer 406 million shares between $37 and $42 each. Underwriters can offer an extra 40.6 million shares if demand warrants.
- Forbes

When I first heard about this new IPO, this afternoon, the commentators on the radio were surprised that they weren't already publicly traded. The same talk show with Raubin Pierce and Megan Mosaic even jokingly mused if they could buy the Visa stock with their MasterCard (nyse: MA) or Discover.

While American Express (nyse: AXP) has been publicly traded for years, MasterCard only has been traded since 2006.

The filing showed Visa was the biggest of the credit-card companies, however, with MasterCard and American Express trailing it in transactions in 2006.

In 2006 MasterCard, its closest competitor, had 23.4 billion transactions while Visa had 44.0 billion. Based on MasterCard's current market capitalization of $26.0 billion, Visa's market cap would be $48.9 billion.

Monday's announcement comes only months after Bank of America (nyse: BAC) announced it was resurrecting the BankAmericard brand. BankAmericard, launched in 1958, was the precursor of Visa.
- Forbes

Once this IPO actually occurs Discover, will be the only major credit card that is not publicly traded. If you remember Discover's history, they like H & R Block started out as a division of Sears. Unlike Block (which was spun off), Discover was sold to Morgan Stanley, which spun the card issuer off in July 2007.

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*** Image source ChrisPerruna.com

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Lincoln - Kennedy coincidences

1) Lincoln was elected in 1860, Kennedy in 1960, 100 years apart

2) Both men were deeply involved in civil rights for African Americans.

3) Both men were assassinated on a Friday, in the presence of

their wives.

4) Each wife had lost a child while living at the White House.

5) Both men were killed by a bullet that entered the head from behind.

6) Lincoln was killed in Ford's Theater. Kennedy met his death while

riding in a Lincoln convertible made by the Ford Motor Company.

7) Both men were succeeded by vice-presidents named Johnson who were

southern Democrats and former senators.

8) Andrew Johnson was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908,

exactly one hundred years later.

9) The first name of Lincoln's private secretary was John, the last

name of Kennedy's private secretary was Lincoln.

10) John Wilkes Booth was born in 1839 [according to some sources] Lee

Harvey Oswald was born in 1939, one hundred years later.

11) Both assassins were Southerners who held extremist views.

12) Both assassins were murdered before they could be brought to trial.

13) Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and fled to a warehouse. Oswald

shot Kennedy from a warehouse and fled to a theater.

14) LlNCOLN and KENNEDY each has 7 letters.

15) ANDREW JOHNSON and LYNDON JOHNSON each has 13 letters.

16) JOHN WlLKES BOOTH and LEE HARVEY OSWALD each has 15 letters.

17) A Lincoln staffer Miss Kennedy told him not to go to the Theater. A Kennedy

staffer Miss Lincoln, told him not to go to Dallas.



Image source: Fun Time Guide

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And that's my view, what's yours?

McCain Blogette

In yesterday's (Sat. 2/23/08) LA Times, they ran a story about the blog of Senator McCain's daughter. I found the article to be very interesting and even checked out the blog (http://www.mccainblogette.com).

After looking through the site, reading her articles. Viewing her pictures and videos, I have to say if I were younger I would certainly be glad to date the 23-year old Scorpio, who graduated last May from Columbia University with a major in Art History. Who as we all know was born and raised in Phoenix. Her previous job experiences include working at "Saturday Night Live" and "Newsweek", according to her site. A beautiful woman like her at my side would certainly be a boost to my sometimes flat ego.

Meghan McCain posted a photograph this week showing herself leaping through the air on a "sugar high" in Wisconsin, as her dad talked on the phone in the background. And she makes no apologies for leaving policy discussions to others.

"I don't think it's my role," she said, frowning, when asked if she deliberately steers away from the issues. The blog is independent from the campaign and not vetted by campaign staffers. (McCain said that his daughter never asked his permission for her endeavor but that "it seemed to be fine.")

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And that's my view, what's yours?

National Grocers Association Prefer McCain

As a grocer, I found this article, in Supermarket News, to be interesting. While not surprised by the results, but that they even took such a poll.

LAS VEGAS — John McCain is the presidential choice of a plurality of members of the National Grocers Association who attended Tuesday's opening general session of NGA's 26th annual convention here. Voting by hand-held devices, 42% of the audience said they would vote for McCain if the election were being held that day, compared with 32% who said they preferred Mitt Romney; 15% who preferred Barack Obama; 11% for Hillary Clinton; and 9% for Mike Huckabee.

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And that's my view, what's yours?