GM Executive Named as Target Corporation’s Chief Information Security Officer (TGT, GM)

On Tuesday afternoon, Target (TGT) announced that it has hired on Brad Maiorano, a General Motors (GM) executive, to be the retailer’s chief information security officer – a newly created position.

Target detailed in December that the company had suffered a huge data breach, which resulted in 40 million credit card numbers and 70 million pieces of other customer information being stolen. The breach brought intense scrutiny to Target, and resulted in a number of executives leaving the company, including its CEO, Gregg Steinhafel.

Maiorano will start at Target on June 16, and most recently served as the chief information security and information technology risk officer at GM.

Target’s executive VP and CIO, Brad DeRodes, had the following comments on Maiorano’s hiring and new position: "Having led this critical function at two of the country's largest companies, Brad is widely recognized as one of the nation's top leaders in the complex, evolving areas of information security and risk. As an organization, we have made a commitment to our guests and our team that Target will be a retail leader in information security and protection. We believe Brad is the right person to lead that charge."

Target stock ended the day down 74 cents, or 1.28%

TGT Dividend Snapshot

As of Market Close on June 10, 2014

Click here to see the complete history of TGT dividends.

Independent broker-dealer a magnet for brokers from troubled firms

Kevin Carreno, IAA Financial's part-owner and general counsel (Photo by Timothy Healy)

At a time when regulators are keeping a close eye on brokers that move from one problem firm to another, IAA Financial may attract attention.

Of the 37 Finra-registered brokers at the firm, 31 have been with at least one brokerage firm that had been expelled by regulators, according to an analysis of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. registration records.

On average, each of the 31 brokers had worked at three defunct firms. Six brokers, meanwhile, had worked at five or more firms that were expelled from the industry by Finra.

Several IAA Financial brokers came from broker-dealers such as John Thomas Financial Inc. or EKN Financial Services Inc., both of which were kicked out of the securities industry after incurring multiple customer complaints and accusations of fraud.

Other brokers joined IAA Financial after leaving GunnAllen Financial Inc., which had around 400 brokers at the time it was shut down by Finra in 2010 for not meeting capital requirements.

GunnAllen also had 30 so-called disclosure events on its own BrokerCheck record and one of its brokers, Frank Bluestein, was accused of participating in a $74 million Ponzi scheme.

Being associated with an expelled firm is not itself a ground for sanction. But over the past year, Finra has been increasing its focus on brokers affiliated with firms shut down for regulatory violations.

This year, the industry's self-regulator formed a six-member team to focus on what it calls “high-risk” brokers.

Finra spokeswoman Nancy Condon declined to comment on IAA Financial.

But in an e-mail, she wrote: “Finra is sensitive to the potential risks posed by brokers who formerly worked at one or more firms that have been expelled by Finra.”

“Finra keeps close tabs on this small but potentially high-risk group of registered persons — and the firms that hire them — using a combination of methods, including sophisticated data-mining analytics and near-real-time analysis of incoming tips, complaints and ongoing field examinations,” she added.

Jamie Mongiovi, director of communications for the Office of Financial Regulation in Florida, where IAA Financial is based, said the state hasn't taken any action against the firm and is not investigating it.

DEFENDS HIRING

IAA Financial's general counsel, Kevin Carreno, defends the company's hiring practices.

Some of the brokers in question may have worked briefly at their previous firms and may have left them even before they were shut down or expelled, he said.

Those ! brokers, Mr. Carreno said, should not be penalized for working at firms at which they had no decision-making authority.

“If these people shouldn't be working in the industry, don't you think Finra has the authority to take that action right now?” he added.

Mr. Carreno declined to comment on whether IAA Financial is the subject of any pending Finra investigations.

Of the 37 brokers at IAA Financial, 20 — or around 54% — had at least one disclosure event on their public BrokerCheck record. That compares with an industry average of about 12%, according to Finra.

Disclosure events include, but are not limited to, customer complaints with more than $5,000 in alleged damages, arrests, bankruptcies or liens.

On average, the 20 IAA Financial brokers with disclosure events have between two and three events.

To be sure, not all disclosure events are found to have merit or wind up in award against the broker.

Moreover, many brokers may be subject of a customer complaint against a firm, although they may not have been named directly by the investor. That must still be reported on their record, according to Finra rules.

Mr. Carreno downplayed the significance of certain disclosure events.

“They're impossible to remove and in some cases there's just no basis,” he said.

A number of the IAA Financial brokers have moved around among several expelled firms before landing at IAA Financial.

The firm's chief executive, David Weinberger, for example, has been with five expelled firms over his 17-year career, including most

2014 Started Off Great for House Flippers, but It Won't End Well

Olivier Le Queinec/Shutterstock It's starting to happen again. A buoyant real estate market is starting to birth many of the sights that we saw before the last bubble popped. Late night-infomercials pitching real estate as an investment -- "with little or no money down" -- are hitting the air. Flipping properties is hot again -- and some budding opportunists could get badly burned. What Goes Around ... More and more people are buying houses with the intention of sprucing them up and reselling them at sizable markups a few months later. Why not? Residential real estate prices have been consistently moving higher, especially in the markets that tumbled the most during the financial collapse. Mortgage rates remain reasonable. The economy's improving. What could go wrong? Housing data analytics specialist RealtyTrac reported on Thursday that home flippers made a 30 percent gross return on their short-term purchases through the first three months of this year. That's impressive, and it's going to tempt more casual market observers into the fold. However, the easy money has already been made, and it's going to be a lot more difficult to turn a quick profit on properties in the future. Let's go over five things to watch out for in this now-flawed pursuit for easy cash. 5 Reasons You Might Want to Skip the Flip 1. A 30 percent gross return is not a net return. RealtyTrac's data shows that flippers paid an average of $183,276 on a property investment, selling the house for an average of $238,850 a few months later. That sounds neat, but keep in mind that this doesn't mean pocketing a profit of $55,574. Flippers spend an average of nearly $5,000 to improve the properties they buy to make them more marketable -- about 3.34 percent of the purchase. But the bigger bargains are usually in sorry shape, making them more costly to spruce up. And in depending on where you live, the average price tag gets much higher: As RealtyTrac reports, in Atlanta the median amount spent on improving a flip was $18,250; in San Francisco, it was $13,900. Let's also not forget real estate brokerage commissions that can eat as much as 6 percent of a sale. 2. Carrying costs can be a killer. Anyone who has owned a home can tell you that it's not always a bargain. Utilities may not be as expensive for a vacant home, but taxes and insurance costs accrue between the purchase and the eventual sale. 3. Homebuilders are developing again. One factor helping the housing market's recovery is that real estate developers were forced to the sidelines during the early stages. Folks weren't buying houses, so they had no reason to build more. That has changed lately. Higher prices and rising demand have breathed new life into the construction business. That spike in new supply means flippers aren't just competing against existing properties. Deals may still be there for buyers of distressed properties, but the increased supply will make it harder to sell later. 4. Mortgage rates won't stay low forever. The Federal Reserve kept interest rates low during the long recessionary stretch and its aftermath, but now that the economy's showing genuine signs of life, we're seeing rates inch higher. Mortgage rates have actually been sliding a bit in recent weeks, but they're still almost a full percentage point above where they were during last year's record lows. Higher mortgage rates means fewer people who qualify to borrow the money to buy the homes that flippers are selling. As for investors, higher interest rates give more of an advantage to folks paying all cash for properties to flip. It's not easy to have all that money tied up in a property that may or may not sell a couple of months later. 5. Prices won't keep rising. The combination of the last two points -- more new homes going up and higher mortgage rates -- make it highly unlikely that prices will continue to increase at a rate that makes flipping as profitable as it has been recently. It was fun while it lasted, but it's time for home flippers to find a new way to get rich. More from Rick Aristotle Munarriz
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Wealthy Russians aren't buying U.S. homes anymore

  Russians react to ruble collapse NEW YORK (CNNMoney) With the price of oil tanking and the ruble getting pummeled, high-end real estate brokers in Manhattan, Miami and other major cities have been losing some of their best customers.

Deep-pocketed Russian buyers have been disappearing since last spring when international sanctions were imposed on Russia.

Over the past few years, Russian buyers have been responsible for some of the flashiest purchases in New York, according to Gabby Warshawer, research director for CityRealty, a website specializing in New York City sales.

Among them: the record breaking $88 million purchase of a Central Park West condo by Ekaterina Rybolovlev, the daughter of billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev; composer, Igor Krutoy's $48 million purchase of a duplex in the Plaza Hotel and the $38 million purchase of an apartment in Time Warner Center by businessman, Andrei Vavilov.

"This year, we haven't seen any of those chart-topping sales," said Warshawer.

Russian buyers were driving the ultra-high-end market in Florida as well, according to Danny Hertzberg, a Coldwell Banker agent with The Jills Group in Miami Beach.

The most expensive sale in Miami's history was a home that sold for $47 million in 2012 to an unidentified Russian buyer. But even that paled in comparison to the $95 million sale of Donald Trump's Palm Beach palace in 2010 to Dmitry Rybolovlev, the father of Ekaterina, the woman who bought that $88 million condo on Central Park West.

Donald Trump's Maison de l'Amitie in Palm Beach, Fla. sold to Dmitry Rybolovlev in a record-breaking deal.

Last spring, however, all of those deep-pocketed Russians seemed to disappear, said Hertzberg.

"It felt like it changed almost overnight," he said.

The big drop off occurred right after the Russian government tightened its currency restrictions, making it difficult for Russian nationals to move large sums of money out of the country. It's now even getting to be a challenge for some to transfer the small amounts of cash they need to pay real esta! te taxes and maintenance costs, Hertzberg said.

It's difficult to know just how much of an impact the pullout of Russian buyers will have on markets like New York, said Warshawer. Not only do fair housing laws make it almost impossible to accurately track a buyer's nationality, but the buyer's identity may also be concealed since many of the most expensive properties get bought and sold through middle men and limited liability companies.

However, New York appraiser Jonathan Miller, of Miller Samuel, isn't too concerned.

"I kept hearing about Russians dominating New York's high-end market but they never really did," he said. "They just had the highest profiles."

But Hertzberg notes, the Russian buyers play another role, too. Like many other foreign clients, they were much more bullish on the U.S. real estate market during the housing bust than Americans were.

"Russians were willing to go well beyond what others would pay for trophy properties," said Hertzberg.

He thinks the rich Russian buyers will come back quickly if they can find a way to extract their wealth from the mother country.

"I hear from some Russian clients that the decline of the ruble has made them even more eager to buy here," he said.

Why We're Watching McDonald's and LKQ

In this video from Wednesday's edition of Investor Beat, host Chris Hill and Motley Fool analysts Matt Koppenheffer and Mike Olsen dig into the biggest investing stories from the market today.

In this segment, Mike talks about LKQ (NASDAQ: LKQ  ) , and why the largest operator of junkyards has turned its scale into an incredibly well-run business, and Matt takes a look into McDonald's (NYSE: MCD  ) , which reports earnings tomorrow. After a rough period for McDonald's as the competitive landscape shifts toward fast-casual dining options such as Panera and Chipotle, Matt will be looking for signs in the earnings report that the strategy at McDonald's to adapt and shift its business focuses is coming to fruition.

The retail landscape is shifting so dramatically, who should investors bet on?
To learn about two retailers with especially good prospects, take a look at The Motley Fool's special free report: "The Death of Wal-Mart: The Real Cash Kings Changing the Face of Retail." In it, you'll see how these two cash kings are able to consistently outperform and how they're planning to ride the waves of retail's changing tide. You can access it by clicking here.

Advisers plan to focus on efficiency, but can I suggest another goal?

Financial advisers are looking toward 2014 as the year to make their businesses run like well-oiled machines.

At industry events and cocktail parties, they sound determined to find ways of making their firms more efficient.

They're talking about plans to examine workflows and create systematic processes that offer a repeatable client experience. Many also are looking at whether being part of an advisory team would be more cost-effective, and are considering mergers.

“Advisers are saying they want to make sure that they're more efficient instead of just pursuing growth for growth's sake,” said John Anderson, head of practice management for SEI Advisor Network, which recently polled 800 financial advisers.

Having benefited the past few years from stock market growth — the S&P 500 is up 30% so far in 2013 — advisers are skeptical about it's continuing and are looking at other ways to shore up their practices. Most already face shrinking profit margins due to increases in the cost of personnel, compliance and technology, Mr. Anderson said.

The Financial Planning Association recognizes advisers' keen interest in cost savings and making the best use of their time. Next year, it will issue a series of practice management reports, and the first will focus on time management, according to Valerie Porter, the FPA's director of practitioner services.

I agree advisers should be focusing on these core business practices … however, there's more to the story.

Advisers should also be looking to do more in 2014 to bring on younger clients — and that's not something that ever seems to land high on advisers' list of resolutions.

About two-thirds of advisers' clients are 50 and up, and 30% are 65 and older, according to the FPA's inaugural practice management adviser survey out last week. Surprisingly, only 45% of advisers are actively targeting new clients.

Since older clients are more likely to be drawing down on their assets instead of accumulating them, it seems to be in an adviser's best interests — I dare say it should be a business priority — to round up some clients who will be adding to the pot for another 20 years.

Some firms have been successful in recent years at hiring younger advisers to concentrate on forming a relationship with their clients' children and reaching out to younger clients. Mr. Anderson points out that a 60-year-old adviser talking with a 30-year-old prospect just won't have that simil! arity of experience that a 30- to 40-year-old adviser can establish with a younger individual.

In 2014, I will be looking for new ways advisers are reaching out to younger clients and how they are using technology and new business models to provide them services in a cost-effective way. Please send me any new ideas on this that you come across or put into action next year.

Meanwhile, another business issue lurks that advisers don't appear interested in addressing — succession planning.

The FPA survey found that only about a quarter of advisers have a succession plan, even though 40% of advisers plan to retire in the next 14 years.

Most advisers I spoke with are content to put off thinking about that difficult issue until 2015.

Investors opting for guaranteed return products: ICICI Pru

Until three years ago, funds were flowing into products that were majorly linked with equities. But now interest rates have risen, so traditional products with guaranteed returns have become more popular, he told CNBC-TV18 in an interview.

Also Read: How portfolio diversification helps to handle volatile mkt

Below is the edited transcript of Puneet Nanda's interview with CNBC-TV18

Q: How much have investments in equity, some of these equity products fallen in the last three- six months or so and what are the popular products that investors are blocking their money into nowadays?

A: Products that customers buy, depend on whole host of factors driven by their risk profile, their goals, their horizons, but macro environment plays a key role. Until maybe three years back a bulk of new flows were coming into linked products with equity being the major component. However, over the last two-three years, the risk appetite has fallen and important interest rates have risen.

The traditional products where there is some element of guaranteed returns have become more popular now. So, on and overall basis, if you have to look at it in terms of new flows, today for the overall industry about 65-70 percent would be in traditional products and about a third would be in unit linked products.

Q: What is your sense about your own preference as a fund manager? Do you have to be in equities over the next six months or would you prefer non-equity instrument if you had the choice?

A: It all depends on the horizon. However, for us it is not about asset management. For us it is about asset liability management. The nature of liability is very important so affectively it means what is the product that is being sold and accordingly the asset management strategy is put in place. So, from a short-term horizon given where interest rates are perhaps there will be higher weightage to that.

But from a longer term perspective and that is where most of our customers come in, we always says irrespective of market conditions actually from a longer term perspective some sort of a balanced asset mix is always good. Within that tactically one can chase, for example, if one is bullish on equity, one may want to keep 60-70 percent equity, if one is not that bullish then may keep 50-60 percent. But from a longer term perspective, you do need assets which can potentially beat inflation in the long run.

Q: At the moment since we are getting down at some points beaten on valuations and at some points stratospheric valuations what interests you, stocks or sectors?

A: It is a bit of a fact to say that it is a bottomup or topdown kind of a market, the reality is that any point of time one does have to look at from both perspectives. Today, the overall environment is clearly challenging; growth is slowing, financing cost is high, the input costs are high and all that is known and it is sort of to some extent already priced in. That is why you do see some sectors being expensive and some sectors which potentially do not deserve to have been beaten down that much are not doing so well. So, from our perspective it is a larger call in terms of where we think the valuations are today and more importantly where we think it is going to be.

The fact is that today we are sub-5 percent kind of economy but that is not the potential. If we get our act right and all that has been spoken and the steps that Governor, Raghuram Rajan has taken have given more elbow room to the government to take some good structural steps. So, if we are able to do something around that then from a longer term perspective it is still good to focus more on valuation and buy what one believes will deliver returns in the long run. Though honestly at this point of time, the short-term outlook does remain murky and one has to be brave to take those kind of calls.

What Marvel’s team-up with Netflix means

First Marvel brought us The Avengers. Next we'll get The Defenders, and this time Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX ) will be there to help.

In a new deal Marvel Entertainment President Alan Fine described as "unparalleled in its scope and size," Netflix will be Walt Disney's (NYSE: DIS ) exclusive broadcast partner for four TV series featuring the superheroes Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage. A culminating miniseries will bring them together as "The Defenders," the companies said.

The cover of issue #10 of the first series featuring The Defenders. Property of Marvel Comics.

Production details have yet to be released. All we know for now is that Netflix has committed to 13 episodes each, plus the miniseries, with the first episodes airing in 2015. When, precisely? I'd guess before Marvel brings The Avengers: Age of Ultron to the big screen that May. (Remember, House of Cards aired in February.)

For its part, Netflix intimated that new content from Marvel is key to international growth. "Marvel's movies, such as Iron Man and Marvel's The Avengers, are huge favorites on our service around the world. Like Disney, Marvel is a known and loved brand that travels," said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos in a press release.

International territories accounted for the majority of new streaming additions in Netflix's third quarter, the first time that's happened. Nearly one-fourth of the company's 40-million-strong installed base resides somewhere outside the U.S.

What more can fans and investors take from this deal? Three things, I think:

1. Marvel sees its TV shows as "motion comics." Notice the texture of this arrangement. With multiple characters existing alongside one another with Hell's Kitchen in New York City as their home base, there's an implied crossover from the very beginning. A shared story arc, if you will, that's not much different than what Marvel built with its "Phase 1" of movies. They'd be comics if they weren't TV shows.

2. Lesse! r-known characters offer the most upside. A lot of you who read what I'm writing about the business of comics and pop culture are fans like me. Still, we're in the minority. Just because we know who these characters are doesn't mean the world knows, and Marvel and Disney do best by introducing newbies to these gems. Unknowns cost less to produce, and for Netflix, less to acquire.

3. The Netflix effect is real, and an attractive draw for studios. We know from the success of Breaking Bad that Netflix can help draw viewers to a property with a small but rabid fan base. Here, it's probably safe to presume that Marvel would use these shows to tease new films to Netflix's global audience, something it can't do right now with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Look at Thor: The Dark World, which has already done well overseas. A crossover Agents episode isn't due until Nov. 19, 11 days after tomorrow's U.S. debut and nearly a month following the film's London premiere.

The Defenders will change that dynamic, exactly what you'd expect from a Marvel superhero team.

The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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NVIDIA Stock Needs a Game Changer

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA  ) has to know that it's making a big mistake, but with NVIDIA stock approaching its summertime highs, maybe it's letting swagger get in the way of good judgment.

NVIDIA is now taking pre-orders for its handheld gaming device for June delivery. NVIDIA Shield -- a high-end Android gaming system -- is hitting the market at a lousy time.

NPD Group just reported on Thursday that video game hardware sales plunged 42% in April. The weakness stems primarily from the larger consoles as diehard gamers wait for new platforms to roll out later this year, but handhelds are also getting smoked as consumers rely on smartphones, tablets, and iPod Touch devices for their casual gaming needs.

This week's release of the quarterly App Annie & IDC Portable Gaming Report shows that gaming-optimized handhelds -- primarily Nintendo's (NASDAQOTH: NTDOY  ) 3DS and Sony's (NYSE: SNE  ) PS Vita -- fell sharply during the first three months of the year. Sure, there's a seasonal slide to factor in here, but holiday quarter activity was also pretty lousy. More importantly, the popularity of iOS and Google  (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) Play activity is on the rise.

NVIDIA bulls will argue that this favors the chances of Shield's success. It feasts on Google's Android operating system and relies on Google Play for digitally downloaded diversions. However, the analog controller gives it more of a traditional console gaming feel. That's going to make the gaming experience a lot more enjoyable, but it also speaks to the device's shortcomings before we get to the sticker shock deal breaker. The reason why iOS and Google Play are so popular is that they're easily accessible on the smartphones, tablets, and portable media players that folks already own. They don't want to carry around a dedicated gaming device, and that's why the 3DS and PS Vita are fading fast.

Then we get to the $349 price tag. It's a safe bet that most of the Android-based gaming is taking place on far cheaper gadgets. Shield's specs are impressive. The five-inch HD display and powerful NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor will turn heads. However, at the end of the day, NVIDIA Shield is an overpriced throwback gaming device with high-end features. There is a market for that, but not much of a market.

NVIDIA stock doesn't need a hit, but at a time when analysts see revenue and earnings inching lower this fiscal year, it certainly wouldn't mind one.

Unfortunately, the NVIDIA Shield is no hit.

NVIDIA was ahead of the curve launching its mobile Tegra processor, but investing gains haven't followed as expected, with the company struggling to gain momentum in the smartphone market. The Motley Fool's premium report examines NVIDIA's stumbling blocks, but also homes in on opportunities that many investors are overlooking. We'll help you sort fact from fiction to determine whether NVIDIA is a buy at today's prices. Simply click here now to unlock your copy of this comprehensive report.

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More Expert Advice from The Motley Fool

The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock in our brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." I invite you to take a copy, free for a limited time. Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

Lower Oil Prices: Which Stocks Stand to Benefit Most?

Crude oil’s massive price collapse is among this year’s biggest market stories.

But who wins and who loses? It’s pretty intuitive why many energy stocks are hurting, and that the extra cash in Americans’ pockets will wind up somewhere. Morgan Stanley’s equity research team does an impressively deep dive across industries to corral some less clear-cut winners and losers.

Airlines consume a huge amount of fuel, so much in fact that fuel accounts for roughly one-third of the industry’s operating expenses. Most airlines hedge the price of fuel to reduce price volatility. Not American Airlines (AAL) or Allegiant Travel (ALGT), Morgan Stanley says, making them the two clearest beneficiaries of lower oil prices.

For autos, most worries are directed at electric-car maker Tesla Motors (TSLA): “While Tesla's current addressable market is not terribly influenced by the price of gasoline (considering average transaction prices track well in excess of $100k), lower-for-longer oil certainly hurts the case for mass-market adoption of electric vehicles.”

So-called alternative asset managers that have an opportunity to be nimble and snap up profitable energy assets might also shine. Morgan Stanley likes private-equity company KKR & Co (KKR), which has lots of cash on hand: “Dislocations create ‘buy-low’ opportunities which often lead to higher future returns and robust cash performance fees.”

Morgan Stanley also likes Monster Beverage (MNST) in part because Americans getting cheaper gas might be more ready to splurge on energy drinks. Gas station/convenience stores account for three-fourths of Monster’s sales, Morgan Stanley says. It also like spirits maker Constellation Brands (STZ), assuming that consumers will be more ready than ever to pony up for higher-priced booze.

In food, Morgan Stanley suggests that WhiteWave Foods (WWAV), which makes products such organic dairy and almond milks, might benefit from “consumers' ability to’"trade up’ out of conventional foods.” The same principle applies to Texas Roadhouse (TXRH).

Lower gas prices also are likely to make shipping costs lower. Morgan Stanley sees lower fuel prices trickling into per-unit shipping costs in the first quarter at Amazon.com (AMZN).

What about apparel companies and retailers? Morgan Stanley likes companies that target brands that are most popular with “lower-income consumers,” who they deem as most likely to put the money they save into new purchases. Analysts like The Children's Place (PLCE), Foot Locker (FL), Finish Line (FINL), Brown Shoe (BWS), and Skullcandy (SKUL). The same applies for retailers including Aeropostale (ARO) Burlington Stores (BURL) and Ross Stores (ROST).

The Little-Known Retirement Match You Can't Afford to Miss

jupiterimages To give people an incentive to boost their retirement savings, many employers offer matching contributions for 401(k) plans. But the best match ever doesn't come from any employer. Instead, it comes straight from the U.S. government in the form of the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, or more simply, the Saver's Credit. For those who qualify, the rewards from participating are simply too good to pass up. The Saver's Credit: Matching on Steroids Many companies offer matching contributions to persuade employees to participate in their employer-sponsored retirement plans. A typical scenario involves you receiving a matching contribution equal to half of whatever you contribute, up to 6 percent of your salary. So if you make $30,000 a year and set aside $150 each month to your 401(k) plan, your employer will add $75 in an employer match, adding $900 over the year. Employer matching is a useful way to get a bigger retirement nest egg. But regardless of whether or not you get matching contributions in your 401(k) -- or even if you don't have access to a 401(k) plan at all -- the Internal Revenue Service offers a tax credit that can give you an even sweeter deal. The Retirement Savings Contributions Credit allows you to have up to $2,000 in contributions to an individual retirement account, 401(k) or similar retirement plan matched with a tax credit. Low-income taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $18,000 or less for single filers or $36,000 or less for joint filers can get 50 percent of their contribution -- as much as $1,000 -- back in the form of a credit. Those who make as much as $30,000 for singles or $60,000 for joint filers can get a smaller credit of 10 percent or 20 percent. Those income thresholds will go up slightly for 2015 contributions, rising by $250 and $500 for the 50 percent credit and by $500 and $1,000 for the smaller credits. Moreover, if you're married, each spouse can take advantage of the Saver's Credit. All told, a family can therefore get up to $2,000 in credits for making $4,000 in contributions. Even better: You can receive the Saver's Credit on top of any employer match. Shortcomings of the Saver's Credit Only those who are 18 or older are eligible for the credit, and anyone who's a full-time student or who gets claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return doesn't get to claim the credit. The Saver's Credit is a nonrefundable tax credit. That means that if you already have zero tax liability, you can't use the credit to get a refund check from the IRS. Moreover, you can't carry the credit forward or backward to other tax years. That's particularly a problem for many low-income workers at whom the Saver's Credit is primarily targeted, because their tax rates tend to be extremely low, and they often are eligible for other tax breaks that can already reduce their total liability to zero. Nevertheless, if you're eligible and you have a big enough tax bill to make it worthwhile, the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit is one of the most lucrative tax benefits you'll ever get. Those who are entitled to receive the Saver's Credit shouldn't miss out on the opportunity to do so, even if it takes some extra effort to put money aside for your retirement. More from Dan Caplinger
•Intel, Microsoft Lift 'Dogs of the Dow' Toward a Winning 2014 •6 Ways Student Loan Servicers Are Trying to Trick You •Deflation Risk Ahead: But What's So Bad About Falling Prices?

Is It Time to Buy Viacom Stock?

For many, Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB  ) stock has been a disappointment over the past year:

VIAB data by YCharts

Should we expect more losses in the year ahead? I'm not so sure. And yet if the chart above shows anything, it's that investors prefer big-name franchise owners such as Disney (NYSE: DIS  ) and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX  ) . Viacom is still in the early stages of developing new properties to accompany Transformers.

Giant robot seeks friend
The company's partnership with Hasbro has been especially lucrative. Over four movies, Paramount Pictures' Transformers franchise has earned more than $3.7 billion at the worldwide box office -- just over $750 million on average -- and another $682.9 million in home video sales before accounting for Transformers: Age of Extinction. 

By contrast, Disney's Marvel Studios has managed to produce $703 million in average worldwide box office grosses over 10 movies. Giant robots (for now) are beating superheroes, which may explain why Paramount wants as much of director Michael Bay's time as it can get.

In July, the studio added three years to an existing agreement that gives Paramount first crack at funding Bay's newest projects. That includes a June 2016 follow-up to this summer's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which Bay helped shepherd through his production company, Platinum Dunes. Mikey, Leo, Raph, and Donny -- as the talking turtles call themselves -- have taken in $342.1 million worldwide as of this writing.

"With an ever-growing, worldwide fan base, Michael is truly one of the most inspired and beloved filmmakers of our time," said Brad Grey, Paramount chairman and CEO, in announcing the deal (via The Wrap). "We take great pride in the fact that Michael is part of the Paramount family and we look forward to growing our productive and successful partnership." 

A howler of a franchise
While Paramount is a meaningful contributor to Viacom's revenue, Media Networks is what produces profits. Cable operations such as MTV and Nickelodeon account for two-thirds of revenue and nearly all of the company's operating income.

TV franchises deserve much of the credit, and at least one is heading for a bigger stage. In February, the animated inhabitants of Bikini Bottom will make their big-screen debut in SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water, adding to a franchise that has generated at least $8 billion merchandising revenue over its 15 years on Nickelodeon.

Over at MTV, Teen Wolf has proven to be a durable performer and a favorite among the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con. Viewership tends to run between 1.5 and 2.5 million per episode. Season four's finale drew 1.54 million viewers on Sept. 8, leading the network to order 20 more episodes for season five.

Teen Wolf is a fan favorite and a hit among on-demand viewers. Credit: MTV

While that might not sound like much, on last month's earnings call, Viacom chief Philippe Dauman explained the long-tail nature of this sort of cable programming:

Across Viacom's networks, total video consumption of our full episode programming has grown year-over-year, with a number of our series seeing dramatic lift when you factor in time-shifted and on-demand viewing. Take MTV's Teen Wolf for example, a show with a very tech-savvy audience, an entire online and social media culture onto itself. Live-plus-same-day ratings for the just-completed cycle of Teen Wolf were up 18% among all viewers over the show's debut season in 2011. But when you factor in all measured screens, the total audience of the show is up 38% over the same time frame.

Source: S&P Capital IQ

Viacom stock could pay off over the long term
How soon we'll see Viacom's various franchise bets pay off isn't clear. In the meantime, investors can take heart knowing that the stock is cheap compared to peers. S&P Capital IQ has Viacom trading for 14.2 times trailing earnings and just 12.6 times estimated profits, versus 16.1 and 18.1, respectively, for Warner and 21.3 and 19.7, respectively, for Disney. Successful franchise bets could help to close the gap, delivering huge returns to current shareholders in the process.

Your cable company is scared, but you can get rich
You know cable's going away. But do you know how to profit? There's $2.2 trillion out there to be had. Currently, cable grabs a big piece of it. That won't last. And when cable falters, three companies are poised to benefit. Click here for their names. Hint: They're not Netflix, Google, and Apple.

Invesco European Growth Fund Second Quarter 2014 Commentary

Performance SummaryAfter a brief pause in the first quarter, international equity markets moved higher, ending the second quarter of 2014 with positive absolute returns across the board. Canada and the UK were the best performing major markets, while both Europe excluding the UK and developed Asia lagged. Emerging markets also performed well as investors began to anticipate an end to negative earnings revisions. Overall, the world seems to be moving from a market driven by Central Bank actions, as evidenced by 2013's higher beta performance, to a market that focuses more on less volatile companies with durable earnings growth and trading at reasonable prices.Invesco European Growth Fund (Trades, Portfolio) Class A shares at net asset value (NAV) posted a return of 3.81% for the second quarter of 2014, outperforming the MSCI European Growth Index, which returned 2.86%.Stock selection in financials, industrials and health care drove relative outperformance. Having a meaningful overweight in energy, the quarter's strongest sector, compared to the index also added to relative return.Fund holdings in the financials, health care and industrials sectors outperformed those of the benchmark and were among the strongest contributors to relative performance.Shire PLC (LSE:SHP) and Haci Omer Sabanci Holding AS (IST:SAHOL) were among the most significant individual contributors to fund performance during the quarter (2.08% and 1.88% of total net assets, respectively.)Shire (LSE:SHP) is an Irish-based global specialty biopharmaceutical company. The company's stock price rose as it was the object of a takeover bid by a US drugmaker.Haci Omer Sabanci (IST:SAHOL) is a conservatively managed Turkish holding company, of which Akbank T.A.S. is the largest holding. During the second quarter, shares of Haci Omer Sabanci rebounded strongly from a deeply sold-off position at the end of the previous quarter. Improving senti! ment toward Turkey and emerging markets in general drove the stock's rally.Stock selection in the consumer discretionary sector was a key detractor from relative results. An underweight in consumer staples, a sector we still consider overvalued, hurt relative results as well. However, the consumer staples stocks the fund did hold outperformed the index sector.A higher-than-average cash position during the quarter was a drag on results.Balfour Beatty PLC (LSE:BBY) was one of the largest individual detractors from fund performance during the quarter (0.69% of total net assets). Balfour Beatty is a UL-based multi-national infrastructure company with interests in construction and support services and infrastructure investments. The company released a profit warning and announced the possible sale of its professional services business. The UK construction environment remains challenging, particularly for the most profitable large infrastructure projects. However, a rapid rise in construction margins from current low levels should lead to a significant rise in both earnings expectations and investor interest.Positioning and OutlookDuring the quarter, we continued to look for opportunities to improve the portfolio's growth potential and quality by adding and/or selling stocks based on the team's earnings, quality and valuation or EQV outlook for each company. As a result, we added two new holdings to the portfolio and sold four holdings.Additions to the portfolio were German multi-national sporting goods company Adidas AG (XTER:ADS) and UK-based global real estate services provider Savills PLC (LSE:SVS) (0.74% and 0.50% of total net assets, respectively).Weakening fundamentals led to the sale of Swiss multi-national food and beverage company Nestle SA (XSWX:NESN), German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG (XTER:DTE), Belgium-based automobile distributor and services provider D'leteren SA (XBRU:DIE) and UK-based defense and countermeasures company Chemring Group PLC (LSE:CHG) (all 0.00% of t! otal net ! assets).From a broad market perspective, European valuation levels appear favorable relative to other regions but earnings have yet to see a normal recovery from the recession. Japan's correction so far this year has improved valuations, but critical structural reforms in Japan may prove to be elusive in the near term and quality opportunities remain scarce. Emerging markets began to show signs of stabilization, which has increased focus on the region, but most emerging market economics remain fragile, and economic recovery across the region is expected to be in consistent. In sum, we continue to believe that improvements in broad corporate and economic fundamentals are struggling to keep pace with rising expectations for economic acceleration in the second half of 2014.As always, regardless of the macroeconomic environment, we remain focused on our long-term, bottom-up investment approach to identify attractive companies that satisfy our EQV investment process.Continue reading here.Also check out: Invesco European Growth Fund Undervalued Stocks Invesco European Growth Fund Top Growth Companies Invesco European Growth Fund High Yield stocks, and Stocks that Invesco European Growth Fund keeps buying

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LSE:SHP STOCK PRICE CHART 49.15 (1y: +104%) $(function(){var seriesOptions=[],yAxisOptions=[],name='LSE:SHP',display='';Highcharts.setOptions({global:{useUTC:true}});var d=new Date();$current_day=d.getDay();if($current_day==5||$current_day==0||$current_day==6){day=4;}else{day=7;} seriesOptions[0]={id:name,animation:false,color:'#4572A7',lineWidth:1,name:name.toUpperCase()+' stock price',threshold:null,data:[[1375160400000,24.14],[1375246800000,24.02],[1375333200000,24.4],[1375419600000,24.42],[1375678800000,24.05],[1375765200000,23.92],[1375851600000,23.74],[1375938000000,23.78],[1376024400000,23.87],[1376283600000,23.73],[1376370000000,23.93],[1376456400000,23.87],[1376542800000,23.7],[1376629200000,23.85],[1376888400000,24.09],[1376974800000,24.17],[1377061200000,24.05],[1377147600000,24.35],[1377234000000,24.25],[1377579600000,24.22],[1377666000000,23.73],[1377752400000,24.05],[1377838800000,23.77],[1378098000000,23.98],[1378184400000,23.87],[1378270800000,24.05],[1378357200000,24.32],[1378443600000,24.45],[1378702800000,24.42],[1378789200000,24.66],[1378875600000,24.86],[1378962000000,24.85],[1379048400000,24.77],[1379307600000,25.33],[1379394000000,25.51],[1379480400000,25.26],[1379566800000,25.42],[1379653200000,25.93],[1379912400000,25.2],[1379998800000,24.89],[1380085200000,24.77],[1380171600000,24.73],[1380258000000,24.67],[1380517200000,24.78],[1380603600000,25.05],[1380690000000,24.46],[1380776400000,24.4],[1380862800000,24.54],[1381122000000,24.5],[1381208400000,24.18],[1381294800000,23.87],[1381381200000,23.81],[1381467600000,24.45],[1381726800000,24.56],[1381813200000,24.9],[1381899600000,25.13],[1381986000000,25.14],[1382072400000,25.37],[1382331600000,25.15],[1382418000000,24.93],[13

4 Solar Stocks to Buy After the Selloff

Popular Posts: Shale Boom, IPO Boom – 5 New Energy Stocks to BuyWhiting Buys Kodiak – A Big Energy Deal With Potential to Spare (KOG, WLL)4 Solar Stocks to Buy After the Selloff Recent Posts: 4 Solar Stocks to Buy After the Selloff Was That a Hawkish Cry From Yellen? — Morning Linkfest (July 16) Earnings, Earnings, & More Earnings – Morning Linkfest (July 15) View All Posts 4 Solar Stocks to Buy After the Selloff Source: ©iStock.com/arcady_31

Check out this list of our top 4 solar stocks to watch

Solar stocks have been hotter than the sun lately, with the broad Guggenheim Solar ETF (TAN) up around 12.6% so far this year … even after 2013's torrid gains for the sector.

And there are still plenty of reasons to be bullish.

After being left for dead during much of the stock market's recovery from the Great Recession, solar power is coming back with a vengeance. From improving grid integration costs to rising demand in both the emerging and developed world, it looks like solar's place in the sun has finally come. And because solar represents a very long-term play on the energy markets, investors still have plenty of time to cash in on the solar stocks rally.

But how exactly should they go about adding solar stocks to their portfolio? Some are shining brighter than others. Here are four of the best solar stocks to buy now … and in the years ahead.

 First Solar Solar Stocks To Buy #1:

The recent broad market selloff has given investors the opportunity to buy solar stock leader First Solar (FSLR) at a cheaper price than just a few weeks ago.

FSLR continues to plow headfirst into its strategy of building large-scale and grid ready solar facilities for electric utilities. These massive projects have been a main source of revenues for FSLR — currently about 65% of its total sales. Building and selling these large solar farms have also been a boom to First Solar earnings, as well. For the first quarter, earnings jumped 66% year-over-year to $1.10 per share. That number managed to trump Wall Street estimates by a significant margin.

And more of those gains should be in store for FSLR stock.

During the quarter, FSLR managed to increase its backlog of new grid-scale solar projects to 2.8 gigawatts (GW) while also identify another 12.2 GW worth of new potential sites for solar farms — both in the U.S. and abroad. More importantly, it's beginning to tap those opportunities. FSLR just received financing and approval to go ahead a build a massive 141 MW solar farm in Chile.

Nothing has fundamentally changed in the First Solar story. The only difference is that investors now have an opportunity to snag FSLR stock at a dirt-cheap forward P/E of 13.

Solar Stocks To Buy #2: SunPower

Photovalic panel producer? Check. Utility scale solar facilities? Check. Residential solar installations? Check again. SunPower (SPWR) does it all and is quickly becoming the best all-around solar play.

On the panel side, SPWR features some of the most efficiently designed solar arrays. The solar stock recently began testing panels that have a cell efficiency of 25% and will deliver 75% more power over a 25-year period. That's a huge cost savings for consumers and other large-scale end users.

Technological leap aside, SPWR is getting those panels into the hands of more people.

The firm has partnered with Toshiba to begin selling its range of solar products to utilities and consumers in energy-starved Japan. Already, SunPower has been able to see the fruits of that partnership and has gown revenues in the region. At the same time, here at home, SPWR has gone whole-hog on residential solar. Its residential energy solutions booked 6 MW of capacity during the first quarter of the year and 172 MW since the business began.

All in all, SPWR stock is turning into a profit powerhouse and could be the best all-around solar stock in 2014.

 Solar Stocks To Buy #3: SunEdison

For solar stock SunEdison (SUNE), it's all about transformation.

After getting a name change a few years ago — remember MEMC Materials? — SUNE has finally made the plunge to become a pure solar player by spinning off its semiconductor assets as SunEdison Semiconductor Limited (SEMI). Freeing itself of the boring chips business, SUNE now has opportunity to hone in on faster-moving solar energy.

And it has been doing that in a big way.

First, SUNE has become not just a panel producer, but owner/operator of solar farms — similar to SPWR & FSLR. However, SunEdison is taking the idea one step further. Rather than just sell off projects once they’re completed, it's keeping them on its balance sheet. SunEdison retained approximately 240 megawatts’ worth of solar farms during the first quarter. It's even taking that further by recently buying a 50% stake in Silver Ridge Power’s 336 MW worth of solar farms.

What it intends to do with those is also a huge deal. SUNE is the first solar firm to use the new YieldCo strategy and "drop down" some of these assets in a new subsidiary dubbed Terraform Power, Inc. (TERP). By placing various solar farms into TERP, SunEdison will gain cheap access to capital, while kicking back some hefty distributions to itself and shareholders.

While the story at SUNE stock is about a turnaround, it seems that the ship is truly righting itself.

 Solar Stocks To Buy #4: Trina Solar Limited

If you're going to buy one Chinese solar stock, it has to be Trina Solar Limited (TSL). As one of the oldest and most financially stable panel and systems producers in the nation, TSL has the goods to get through any solar hiccups due to recent trade disputes.

And while the solar trade issues may have crimped demand for its products in the U.S. and Europe, TSL is seeing huge results in its native land.

Trina recently just unveiled a new contract to provide 200 MW worth of panels for projects across five provinces in China. That follows a similar deal to supply 60 MW worth of PV for additional projects in the emerging market nation. Given the recent hints at Chinese stimulus — including a hefty dose of rooftop subsides in China — TSL and its efficient panels could be a huge buy based on that domestic demand.

Add in the pending shortfall of high-quality panels and TSL stock could easily hit its average $19 per share price target by the end of the year. That marks about a 60% gain from today's selling price, making TSL one of the best solar stocks out there.

As of this writing, Aaron Levitt did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

Stocks: The Bull Market That Knows No End

With Wham!, George Michael pleaded with a lover to wake him “up before you go-go.” I’m starting to feel the same way about this stock market.

AP

Sure, it was the last trading day of the second quarter, but if anyone thought that would actually get the stock market, you know, moving, they had another thing coming. The S&P 500 fell less than a point to 1,960.23, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2% to 16,826.60. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.2% to 4,408.18 and the Russell 2000 advanced 0.3% to 1,192.96.

And when the market isn’t dipping slightly, it continues to head in one direction: up. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.2% during the second quarter, while the S&P 500 gained 4.7%. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 5%, its best second quarter since 2009. Even the Russell 2000, which had some tough times during the second quarter, finished up 1.7%.

Strategas Research Partners’ Chris Verrone and Todd Sohn sum up the first half of the year:

The good news is that a positive first half (the S&P is currently +6% YTD) historically favors a positive full year result (no surprise there), and importantly our trend work all remains positive. The market has spent the last few weeks digesting gains, but the expansion in new highs this past month should be viewed favorably (an expanding new high list is rarely bearish). There's good support in the 1900-1915 range that keeps us buyers of pullbacks. To be sure, correlations have fallen and dispersion has widened so far this year and this is likely most evident with small-caps vs. large-caps (the Russell 2000 has not made a new high since March). It's too early to sound the alarm, but the recent underperformance from Industrials (both domestically and in Europe) also bears watching in the weeks ahead. Similar to the start of the year, we're also mindful of the sentiment backdrop this summer (the survey data remains aggressive).

MKM Partners’ Jonathan Krinsky marvels at the major indexes’ winning streaks:

The second quarter will likely be the sixth consecutive quarterly gain for the S&P 500. In the last 50 years, the S&P 500 has only been higher seven quarters or more in a row once (’95-’98).

The Russell 2k (RTY) is likely going to close up for the eighth consecutive quarter. In the history of the RTY (1980), there has never been more than six consecutive up quarters…

As we enter the end of June, and summer gets into full swing, it is difficult to anticipate what will cause U.S. equity volatility to increase. More than likely, if we get any, it will be something that is not being widely discussed. All of the reasons that would have been expected to cause volatility up to this point (Ukraine, Iraq, negative divergences, etc.) have had little to no impact for U.S. markets. While the current bull run is perhaps getting a bit long in the tooth, if the recent action is any guide, we may just be getting started before a long sleepy summer…

ISI Group’s Dennis DeBusschere and Brian Herlihy consider one possibility: A hawkish Fed. They explain:

On the Fed and the markets, there is potential the Fed will begin talking about the normalization of policy in the fall, which should put some upward pressure on volatility. How much depends on how and why the Fed moves. If inflation continues to increase but core CPI does not and the Fed talks about normalizing policy in the first half of next year there is potential for a sharp correction. We think this is the lower probability event and cover inflation and spending below. If employment and core CPI increase, risk assets should perform better, despite some short term volatility. One concern is the U.S. following the UK and normalizing policy at a faster rate than many anticipate.

Will next quarter finally see some action or will stocks continue to grind higher?

Investors Should Consider Dunkin' Brands

The restaurant industry is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% in the next 3 years. In 2011, total revenues were $2,457.1 billion and this is expected to reach $3,482.5 billion by the end of 2016. This growth is mainly due to the fact that the demand for food is rising with the population growth globally. The changing lifestyles of working professionals has also increased the traffic of restaurants. Restaurants are now constantly experimenting with new menus in order to achieve a larger customer base. As mobile apps become more popular, the marketing strategy is more focused on the internet marketing and online order-processing systems.

Dunkin' Brands(DNKN) is a common name among those fond of baked food, ice creams, and coffee. The company operates in 60 countries with more than 18,000 outlets spread across the globe. The company primarily operates through its two prime brands, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.

Quarter overview

The company recently posted its second quarter results. Revenue increased, but did not reach management's expectations. The consolidated revenue grew 4.6% year-over-year to $190 million, compared to $182.5 million in the same quarter last year. Growth in revenue was due to the increased royalty income resulting from system wide sales boost.

The revenue growth had direct impact on the operating income of the company. Operating income increased by 14%, to record $10.8 million. Adjusted operating income gained 3.3% year over year, to record $3 million. The increase in revenue and the operating income was mainly due the growth in sales of all company-owned restaurant chains in the Atlanta market.

The bottom line for the quarter also grew by 13.2% to $5.4 million. The company saved $3.4 million on interest burden which had a strong impact on the growth of the bottom line, partly offset by increase in the income tax of $9.2 million.

Diluted EPS also witnessed a growth by 14.6% year-over-year to $0.47, compared to $0.41 in the same period last year. The share repurchase program had an impact on the EPS, as the company repurchased 1,260,000 shares in the second quarter, reducing the shares outstanding.

New outlets

Dunkin' Brands expanded its global outlet count by 151.

Sno	Brand	New Outlet
01	Dunkin' Donuts U.S. locations,	75
02	Dunkin' Donuts International locations	17
03	Baskin-Robbins U.S. locations	12
04	Baskin-Robbins International locations	47

Statistics that influence future growth

The bottom line of any company is influenced mainly by the expenses incurred in generating revenue. Dunkin' Donuts' expenses are mainly administrative, food inventory, and infrastructure costs. Administrative cost was down by 4% to record $56 million; this is 30% of total sales. In the same quarter last year, total administrative cost was $64 million, or 34% of total revenue. Infrastructure costs remained flat since most of the lease agreements are long term.

Journey Ahead

The company has lowered its guidance for the fiscal year. 

Comparable stores sales for Dunkin' Donuts is anticipated to grow by 2-3%, down from the earlier estimate of 3-4%, while Baskin Robbins expects to record growth between 1-3%. The company plans to open about 685 to 800 new locations globally. The company anticipates revenue growth between 6

Here’s More on Apple’s Long-Awaited Gadget

The global tech giant Apple (AAPL) is about to launch the most awaited smartphone of the season, the iPhone 6, and the long wait of the gizmo geeks shall end by this September. The upcoming iPhone is expected to have much more new and interesting features, thus attracting the attention of gadget addicts.

Reality or Rumor?

The new iPhone is predicted to have a larger display, in the range of 4.8 inches to 5.5 inches, with 1136x640 pixel resolution. In fact, there is lot of buzz that this year too Apple might launch more than one iPhone just like it did last year in the case of iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.

The price range of the device is not yet confirmed but it is guessed that the contract-free version might cost around $549 for the 16GB, and $649 for 32GB. Rumors have it that the iPhone will have iOS8 which the Cupertino company is expected to release at the Worldwide Developer Conference scheduled in June. The latest feature in iPhone 6 will be the NFC chip which is a big attraction point for several buyers that will help make things such as mobile payments or making phone calls much easier.

Apple has always provided good storage internal capacity in the iPhones which till now has had a maximum limit of up to 64GB. But this time it has broken all records and set the limit up to 128GB expandable memory, just like that for iPad Air. This new limit for the storage is a boon for music and video addicts who may download and capture more than before.

What's New?

The introduction of sapphire screen in the new iPhone 6 is till now the best feature used. The screen is manufactured by melting aluminum oxide in specialized furnaces. When liquid aluminum oxide is allowed to cool slowly, it forms a large crystal. The sapphire crystal is cut out to form screens. Apple has signed a contract of $578 million with GT Advanced, the sapphire screen company. Rumor goes around that solar charging screens might be used in iPhone 6, but this looks far-fetched as the technology is yet to be released.

Apple is integrating heart rate and blood pressure monitors in the earpods of the headphone. Biggest rival Samsung (SSNLF) had released heart beat monitors at the back of their new smartphone Galaxy S5. It might also provide a slot for expandable storage. Flexible screen and wireless charging are the new features which the rival companies have already adopted but we are not sure yet that these feature will be found in the iPhone 6 or not.

Conclusion

The new iPhone will definitely have new and exciting features that will surely grab the attention of people worldwide and Apple loyalists are eagerly waiting for the launch of this new phone. With distinctive features such as the sapphire screen and the 128 GB memory it is sure to beat the records of all the other smartphones. Analysts are even predicting that the launch of the device will have a positive effect on the share price.

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NBC is developing a reality show with Virgin Galactic

  Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashes NEW YORK (CNNMoney) NBC is developing a reality TV series called "Space Race" with Virgin Galactic, whose SpaceShipTwo exploded on Friday.

The network declined to comment. But according to Deadline, NBC is now "gathering information on the situation" regarding the reality series.

During a test flight, a "serious anomaly" caused Virgin's commercial space craft to explode over the Mojave Desert, killing one and seriously injuring another.

The show -- which was announced last year -- is an exclusive series between NBC, Virgin founder Richard Branson and reality TV super-producer Mark Burnett.

NBC described the show as an elimination competition in which normal people would compete with one another for "the ultimate prize" -- a flight into space on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.

The series would also have "unprecedented access" to Virgin Galactic's Spaceport America facilities in New Mexico, where contestants would train for their winning flight, according to a press release issued last year.

Virgin Galactic's plan for the $500 million spaceship is to transport passengers 62 miles above Earth where the planet meets the onset of space.

The flight reportedly would cost guests upward of $250,000 and celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Stephen Hawking have signed up for tickets.

For Burnett -- the producer behind reality hits like "Survivor" -- "Space Race" is another attempt to accomplish his dream of using a TV show to send everyday people into space.

"I am thrilled to be part of a series that will give the everyday person a chance to see space," Burnett said last year. "NBC has come on board ... so that viewers at home will have a first class seat."

Nearly 60,000 Pounds of Chicken Parts Recalled Nationwide

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-350949{display:none}.cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-350949,#postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-350949{width:570px;display:block} Two food production companies recalled nearly 60,000 pounds of chicken products because of possible staph and Salmonella contamination, the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said. A third company recalled 377 pounds of broccoli kale salad with chicken. Murray's Inc. of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on Sunday recalled 31,689 pounds of gluten free breaded chicken products that may be contaminated with Staphylococcal enterotoxin, the FSIS said. The products are dated Aug. 9 and were packed in 12-ounce and 10.5-ounce boxes under the Bell & Evans brand. The problem was discovered by the Colorado Department of Agriculture during a retail surveillance and sampling program. Staphylococcal food poisoning is a gastrointestinal illness. Aspen Foods Division of Koch Meats of Chicago on Saturday recalled 28,980 pounds of chicken products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis, FSIS said. The chicken was sold under the Antioch Farms brand name in five-ounce packets with sell-by dates of Oct. 1 and Oct. 7. Salmonellosis produces diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever within 72 hours of consumption. Taylor Farms of Swedesboro, New Jersey, on Saturday recalled 377 pounds of Signature Cafe Broccoli Kale Salad with chicken for misbranding that neglected to list walnuts among the ingredients. The salads were sold in 9.75-ounce plastic clam shell packages with use-by dates of Oct. 23, 25 and 27.

Apple Pay: Winners and Losers From Apple Inc.’s Game-Changing Payment Service

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) , stock has absolutely smoked the broad market indices over the last year, giving shareholders a fantastic ride in the process.

Source: YCharts.

Much of this uptick, particularly in the past several months, can be attributed to the excitement over Apple's recently refreshed product cycle, notably the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and the massive sales they're expected to trigger.

As part of its smartphone overhaul, Apple completely redesigned the hardware and form factor for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, echoing the Daft Punk hit in making its latest iPhones harder, better, faster, and stronger (if you're lost, Google it). However, Apple also used the iPhone redesign to introduce what is likely to be another hugely popular feature: Apple Pay, the mobile payment system that launched earlier this week.

As Apple Pay garners press and consumer attention, let's look at several of the companies that stand to gain or lose as the result of this important new feature.

Three big winners with Apple Pay
I'll lump the central beneficiaries of Apple Pay into three categories: the credit card companies, the major banks that have signed on to the system, and the hardware suppliers that enable Apple Pay's operations.

Since both banks and credit card companies benefit from Apple Pay in much the same way, I'll further lump them together for purposes of this discussion. It doesn't take an overly keen observer to note that these combined financial institutions stand to gain as the result of Apple's new payment platform. True, Apple Pay will eat into the value of each transaction (Apple reportedly receives $0.15 for every $100 of transactional value), but there's little question that the system's ease of use should help increase aggregate payment volumes for banks and expand the overall use of consumer credit for the credit card companies.  On top of seeing increased point-of-sale transaction volumes, these two kinds of financial institutions also believe Apple Pay will drive a significant uptick in mobile e-commerce sales by finally providing the kind of secure and seamless option many small websites need.  So while Apple will certainly eat into their margins, the credit card companies such as Visa (NYSE: V  ) , MasterCard (NYSE: MA  ) , and American Express (NYSE: AXP  )  and major banks like Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC  ) , JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , Citi (NYSE: C  ) , are certainly right in their optimistic view of Apple Pay.

The third major winner are the companies that provide the "guts" that will make Apple Pay hum. Multiple names could serve as derivative plays, but one company here strikes me as the most singularly aligned with Apple Pay's expansion: NXP Semiconductors  (NASDAQ: NXPI  ) . This company's technology powers Apple's motion-sensing M8 chip. It's also a leader in producing near field communication, or NFC, chips that

Source: Apple.

power the tap-and-go functionality in Apple Pay. Various teardown services have confirmed the presence of NXP's NFC chips (try saying that five times fast) in Apple's new iPhones. And although Apple's latest iPads isn't available for inspection at the moment, the recent inclusion of Apple Pay in the iPad refresh also bodes well for NXP Semi. 

Two big losers from Apple Pay
As is probably no giant surprise, eBay's (NASDAQ: EBAY  ) PayPal will likely see its business and market share challenged by Apple Pay. The problem lies in assessing just how material a threat Apple Pay really presents here.

According to industry rumors, Apple excluded PayPal from Apple Pay after PayPal inked a deal with Samsung that enables Galaxy S5 phone users to purchase items using PayPal and the GS5's fingerprint scanner. The ramifications for PayPal of being excluded from Apple Pay aren't entirely clear. However, with Apple teaming up with nearly all of PayPal's major competitors, and the likelihood of Apple Pay's eventual success, PayPal's position as the odd man out should justifiably alarm investors. Perhaps that's why no fewer than three sell-side analysts downgraded eBay stock in the wake of Apple Pay's introduction. It's also worth noting that PayPal could eventually partner with Apple, but for now, Apple Pay will only help PayPal's competition gain share in the budding mobile payments space.

The other company that Apple Pay could acutely impact, and the one that surprisingly few people are talking about, is Samsung itself. Samsung has been largely unsuccessful in fighting a two-front war over the past year: Its premium phone business has proven

Source: Apple.

lackluster, delivering back-to-back dud releases with the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 while lower-cost rivals like China's Xiaomi drive down margins at the lower end of the market. With each successive release of a premium smartphone, Samsung hopes to steal some share from Apple. Its success has been limited, and the introduction of Apple Pay should only help to increase the stickiness of Apple's smartphone business as consumers will now face marginally higher switching costs from Apple to Samsung. Count on Samsung to roll out a more robust mobile payments app in the months ahead; in the meantime, Apple Pay should once again provide Apple a compelling opportunity to attract and retain more users in the most lucrative segment of the smartphone market.

Apple is the biggest winner
Overall, the introduction of Apple Pay is likely to most acutely benefit Apple itself more than any other company. Many analysts have likened the dawn of Apple Pay to another "iTunes" moment, and that's likely to be at least partly true. It's a testament to Apple's massive corporate clout that it was able to align the various entrenched interests in the payments space enough to finally bring mobile payments into the mainstream.

Forget Apple Pay, next hit Apple product revealed
Apple recently revealed the product of its secret-development "dream team" -- Apple Watch. The secret is out, and some early viewers are claiming its everyday impact could trump the iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. In fact, ABI Research predicts 485 million of this type of device will be sold per year. But one small company makes Apple's gadget possible. And its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors. To be one of them, and see where the real money is to be made, just click here!

Howard Lutnick donates $25 million to college

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) This isn't just any donation from a big money Wall Street CEO to his alma mater.

Howard Lutnick's philanthropic efforts -- especially since the September 11 attack that claimed hundreds of his New York employees -- got $25 million deeper this weekend.

The gift is his largest to Haverford College. Lutnick's mother died when he was in high school, and his father passed in his freshman year. The school covered his tuition, and Lutnick graduated in 1983.

The donation is the cornerstone of a $225 million capital improvement project and brings his total contributions to the Philadelphia-area liberal arts college to $65 million, the school said.

Lutnick has become known for his donations, and those of the brokerage Cantor Fitzgerald.

Each year on 9/11, the company donates that day's profits to charity. The firm says it has so far made contributions totaling $101 million.