Archive for April, 2009
Home Sweet Home
My hometown of Detroit has been all over the news recently. Thankfully, it’s been for something other than the transgressions of our former mayor.
The rest of the country (and world, it seems) has realized that Detroit has incredibly cheap real estate, and plenty of it. Investors – some from as far as away as the U.K. – are buying up lots of houses (for as little as $10,000) to fix up and rent out.
While it might be tempting to buy an investment property for only $10,000, there are at least three reasons to be cautious:
• In comparison to other parts of the country, real estate taxes in depressed areas are high and could get worse. A shrinking population means a smaller tax base, so everyone left has to cough up more money.
• Take your rehab bill and double it. Not because of cost overruns but because your upgrades will walk out the door at night. Theft is a major problem.
• Don’t count on getting government-assisted renters. The easy days of the government sending you the rent check are long gone. According to a friend of mine who has a few rental properties in Detroit, the number of landlords looking for Section 8 renters far outstrips the supply.
With that being said, I believe investing in Detroit is worth considering… as long as you do your homework first. Where else can you buy a house for less than a new car and generate cash flow every month?
[Ed. Note: Whether you're interested in real estate, the stock market, or other investment opportunities, you can get Christian Hill's take in Investor's Daily Edge, Early to Rise's sister publication. Sign up for free right here.
Buying and renting out real estate is just one investment you can profit from in 2009. This June, 9 financial experts will show you exactly how you can make a fortune in today's market. Find out how you can get their top recommendations for making 2009 the best year ever for your portfolio right here.]
It’s Time to Invest in Oil Again!
I told my readers to short oil when it was at $120 per barrel on April 23, 2008. I was a little early to the party, but oil did drop below $33 a barrel in December of 2008. Now, I think oil has bottomed and is about to head higher.
Here are just a few reasons why I think the time has come to consider investing in oil again:
• There are many potential geopolitical flashpoints around the world that could flare up at any moment and disrupt oil supply.
• Americans have forgotten about past high gas prices and are back to buying SUVs and forgoing the carpool.
• Crude oil prices held up in the face of the recent 12-year lows in the stock market. This is very bullish for oil.
• Most of the world’s cheap oil has already been discovered, and oil exploration companies are drilling in places that are harder to reach. This adds to their costs and results in higher oil prices.
• Soon we could see demand increase to a level that will start to exceed supply. Demand will grow in the years ahead as India and China continue to modernize.
While oil inventories are high right now, they may start to decline toward the end of the year. I suggest you start looking at investing in oil over the next few months and use big down days as buying opportunities.
If you invest in oil, keep an eye on the economy. If the current slowdown gets worse and lasts longer than expected, it could have a negative effect on oil prices. Currently, my technical indicators are pointing to higher oil prices in the near term.
[Ed. Note: Ted Peroulakis has over 14 years of experience in the financial industry and is a top options trader and financial analyst. You can read more of Ted's advice on the most profitable investments in Investor's Daily Edge. Sign up for free here.
Oil isn't the only investment you can profit from in 2009. This June, 9 investment experts will show you exactly how you can make a fortune in today's market. Find out how you can get their top recommendations for making 2009 the best year ever for your portfolio right here.]
Silver Spoonerisms
In honor of April Fool’s Day, let’s look once again at the lighter side of language.
You’ve surely heard, or perhaps even committed, a spoonerism – the exchange, often accidental, of the initial letters or sounds of two words, which results in a surprising and funny new meaning. For instance, one might intend to say “It’s time to leave the house” but inadvertently say “It’s time to heave the louse.”
Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by spoonerisms. In 1991, Dell published Cruel and Unusual Puns, my book on the subject. I still occasionally write articles about the genre for fellow logophiles.
The word spoonerism derives from William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), a clergyman and a scholar and official at Oxford University. He supposedly uttered these blunders constantly. Scolding a student: “You have hissed all my mystery lectures. You have tasted two worms.”
Only a handful of genuine spoonerisms are attributed to Dr. Spooner, and even those have been disputed. Mischievous students invented most of his alleged bloopers, yet the myth that Spooner said them persists to this day.
Spoonerisms continue to be crafted deliberately for humorous purposes. Consider the following specimens. If any stump you, remember the principle of reversing the initial letters of two of the words.
• Unadoptable section of the animal shelter: Nixed mutts.
• First lesson for Starbucks’ baristas: Heed the foamless!
• Why celebrities usually tolerate autograph seekers: A good fan is hard to mind.
• Alert for Australian soldiers: But mate – there’s war!
• What it’s called nowadays when teenage girls know so much that their beleaguered dads can’t keep up: The well-aware daughter gap.
• That bittersweet feeling on returning from summer vacation: One sighs; it’s fall.
• Homer Simpson’s reaction when he belatedly heard about Chamberlain’s 1938 appeasement of Hitler: Better the Neville you… d’oh!
Is all this just silly fun, without practical value? No! The study of spoonerisms and other speech errors gives us a “window into the mind,” say neurologists, psychologists, and linguists who do research in human behavior. It yields important clues about how the mind works; how language is acquired, structured, and retrieved; and how language disabilities such as dyslexia might be treated or cured.
My hunch is that you’ll now be on the alert whenever you encounter tips of the slung. Er, I mean, “slips of the tongue”!
[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]
They Don’t Call It a “Killer Recession” for Nothing
It’s not surprising that the economy is wreaking havoc on Americans’ health. Nearly 30 percent of Americans are losing sleep because of it. And – according to the findings of a landmark Gallup poll – Americans’ stress levels soared in 2008 and continue to rise in 2009.
But one recession-related health risk isn’t so obvious…
More and more Americans are turning to a tried-and-true stress reliever for comfort: Candy.
Auto manufacturers and insurance companies may be struggling. But candy companies are thriving. Cadbury’s profits rose 30 percent in 2008. Nestle’s increased by nearly 11 percent. And Hershey’s profits surged by 8.5 percent in the last quarter of 2008.
Sure, indulging in sugary foods may make you feel better temporarily. But in the long run, it’s going to ruin your health.
According to organic chemist and nutrition expert Shane Ellison, “If left unchecked, an addiction to sweets spikes blood sugar and the fat-storing hormone insulin, disrupts satiety (causing you to overeat), and gives rise to age-accelerating molecules known as AGEs (advanced glycation end products). AGEs are responsible for causing wrinkles and age-related blindness, as well as premature heart attacks and stroke.”
Eventually, too much sugar can result in horrifying health problems, including insulin resistance, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
If you’re turning to sweets to feel better, Shane recommends that you try confections made with safe sweeteners like erythritol, stevia, agave, xylitol, and luo han guo. They are all healthy and practically indistinguishable from sugar. Or stick to dark chocolate, which is high in antioxidants and has a host of other health benefits.
Shane Ellison (www.thepeopleschemist.com) is an author, organic chemist, an internationally recognized authority on therapeutic nutrition, and the founder of The AM-PM Fat Loss Discovery package. Click here to learn more.
You can find dozens of healthy eating strategies plus delicious recipes for meals that can help you feel better and live longer. And that’s not all… (read on here)]