Economic Folk | Business News, Real Estate and Stock Market: February 2011

Your Weekly ScamWatch

??????Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for:

Discount appliances ?- Two people who advertised discount high-end appliances on the Internet but failed to ship them after receiving payment have been convicted of fraud and money-laundering charges. Darin Jerome French and Jennifer Lynn French were accused of stealing $1.5 million from customers of their business, Look What We Got, in 2003 and 2004. The pair advertised kitchen appliances made by Sub-Zero, Viking and Wolf on EBay at greatly discounted prices but did not ship the products. They are scheduled to be sentenced May 23 at the federal courthouse in Reno.

Global warming ?- The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued seven people who allegedly promoted the stock of a sham company that they said would sell products to fight global warming but provided no such services. The seven defendants allegedly made more than $7 million in profits when shares of C02 Tech increased in 2007. The lawsuit accused the defendants of falsely claiming that they had relationships with business partners, including Boeing Co. The lawsuit accused the defendants of operating a ?pump-and-dump? scheme in which false news is released to raise a stock's price so they can sell it at a profit.

Wheelchair scheme ?- The officer manager of a Los Angeles medical supply business has pleaded guilty to conspiring with her former church pastor to defraud Medicare of more than $6 million by falsely billing the government for high-end wheelchairs that patients did not want. Darawn Shadene Vasquez, 26, pleaded guilty Feb. 18 to conspiring with her former pastor, Christopher Iruke, to commit fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 3. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Mortgage fraud ?- Four people who fraudulently induced banks into making $55 million in residential loans by submitting false statements about borrowers? income and employment have been sentenced to prison terms. Ivan Gil, Laneka Chatton, Jonathan J. Garcia and Maria Echeverria were sentenced Feb. 18 at the federal courthouse in San Diego to between 12 and 18 months in prison for their part in the scheme.

-- Stuart Pfeifer

Full story at http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/MoneyCompany/~3/xXEzNwJDbSg/your-weekly-scamwatch-1.html

Goodyear tires Goodyear Tire and Rubber (GT) finally remounted major, psychological resistance at $10, pushing all the way to $15.35 this winter, before pulling back slightly. I first discussed the stock here on May 5, 2009, at a price of $13.30, and I obviously still like the shares.

Assuming the price of oil doesn't rise to the price of a preferred Bulova watch, the U.S. economic expansion will continue, and that demand, along with the global market, will generate at least adequate tire demand in the immediate years ahead.

Continue reading Is Goodyear Undervalued?

Is Goodyear Undervalued? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Week in Preview: Unemployment Rate, Retail Earnings, Bernanke Testimony

Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts, AutoZone Inc (AZO), Economic Data, Federal Reserve

earnings expectations This week we turn the calendar page, and that change brings with it a raft of economic data. Scheduled for release on Monday are pending home sales and personal income numbers for January, as well as the Chicago PMI and car and truck sales data for February.

On Tuesday, look for the ISM Manufacturing Index for February and construction spending numbers for January. That's followed on Wednesday by the week's first employment data: the Challenger Job-Cuts announcement and the ADP employment report for February. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will deliver his semiannual monetary policy testimony before Congress on both days.

Continue reading Week in Preview: Unemployment Rate, Retail Earnings, Bernanke Testimony

Week in Preview: Unemployment Rate, Retail Earnings, Bernanke Testimony originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chasing Value: Time to Sell E*Trade?

Filed under: Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW), TD AmeriTrade Holding (AMTD), Chasing Value[TM], Stocks to Sell, E*TRADE (ETFC)

Two weeks ago I decided to sell my shares of E*Trade (ETFC) after concluding it did not fit my investment criteria. It was one of my successful picks for 2010 and I made money having sold puts establishing a base price of $13.50. It closed Friday February 25 at $15.89.

I might not have chosen to post about this except for news that Ken Griffin's hedge fund Citadel Investment Group plans to sell much of its stake in E*Trade Financial. The largest shareholder selling out is news. Citadel will still hold valuable warrants, giving it the option of taking a very large position again, but for now there seems to be a change of heart for them as well.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Time to Sell E*Trade?

Chasing Value: Time to Sell E*Trade? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Renting Your Home a Wise Investment?

62% of Americans still see the economy as a path leading to nowhere, a figure unchanged from last year at this time, according to results from the Fannie Mae Q4 2010 National Housing Survey. But there is a glimmer of hope in the housing market mess: renters.

In what might be the new lucky break for homeowners looking to shake the house they can't sell for a hit in this market, attitudes towards renting are changing. Once viewed as a temporary state of housing until enough money could be stockpiled for home ownership, more and more renters report having no intention to become homeowners one day.

While the majority of Americans still believe that owning a home makes more financial sense than renting, 28 percent believe that renting makes more sense, up eight points from January 2010, according to the survey. Current renters also reported being more likely to say they will always rent, representing is a five point upward shift compared to January 2010. Never mind the fact they expect that rental prices will increase by an average of 2.8 percent over the next year, and are ready to absorb the price hike.

For homeowners looking to enter the rental property market, this new batch of consumers could be the next wave of investment potential. Renters who are willing and able to find a rental home for the duration means steady income and lowered turnover and marketing costs for a homeowner turned landlord. How do you determine if you should rent or sell your home?

This is one decision with many factors to consider, like your current income stream, mortgage terms, monthly payments and location. But, when all those magical factors align, it can be a good way to ride out the housing market, and put a little extra money into your income stream. Here are four costs to consider when weighing the costs associated with transforming your home into a rental property.

1. Property management: (Generally 10% of the rental price)

2. Tax Deductions: Mortgage interest, property taxes and expenses related to the operation and rental of your home can all be deducted.

3. Depreciation: Calculated by the purchase price of house (but not the land) divided by 27.5 each year, and the cost of repairs. If expenses exceed the rental income, you can deduct up to $25,000 of the loss against other kinds of income.

4. Lowered Insurance: By not occupying your home, you can downgrade the homeowners insurance to rental-property insurance. Generally, this is 20% less than the cost of a homeowners’ policy.

There are also the intangible costs: the general stress and hassle that comes with dealing with tenants, and more importantly, how bad it can get when they are bad! This handy calculator on Forbes.com can help in the initial consideration process.

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