3 Considerations in Deciding When to Take Social Security

One of the biggest decisions you'll face as you near retirement is when to start collecting Social Security. It's important to understand your options and the effect they can have on your retirement. Let's first address some of the basics of Social Security. Then we'll get into the specific considerations you must face in deciding when to start reaping your benefits.

A few basics
With Social Security making up roughly 40% of an average retiree's income, it's important for you to make a smart decision as to when you start collecting your benefit. Your choice is a personal, complex one that only you can make.

But there are several generalities about Social Security benefits. For example, monthly benefits are based on your highest 35 years of earnings (adjusted for inflation) and the age you start collecting benefits. The more money you made in your working years and the longer you delay taking Social Security, the higher your benefit.

Benefits are reduced by up to 25% if you claim at age 62, as opposed to your full retirement age. Meanwhile, benefits are increased by up to 32% -- roughly 8% per year -- if you delay taking benefits until age 70.

A big decision
Carefully examine these three factors to help you determine when you should start collecting your benefit.

1. Life expectancy
Most consideration around Social Security hinges on a breakeven date. That refers to the date when individuals who wait to collect larger benefits overtake those who took smaller benefits early. For most folks, that date falls somewhere in your late 70s or early 80s.

If longevity isn't in your genes, your life expectancy may not exceed your breakeven date. In that case, collecting benefits early could give you more money than waiting for larger benefits that you'll potentially not be around to collect.

However, keep in mind that, on average, a man who turns 65 these days is expected to live an additional 20.5 years. A 65-year-old woman is expected to live an additional 22.7 years. So odds are, if you're in at least average health and have parents who lived into their 80s and 90s, you can chalk one up in the delaying-benefits column.

2. Income needs
Naturally, delaying your benefit assumes you have income to bridge the gap between age 62 to full retirement age, or even up to age 70. If your savings are insufficient to pay for your income needs, then, by all means, collect early. But if you have sufficient income-producing assets or wages from continued employment, then strongly consider delaying your benefit. Keep in mind that you're still Medicare-eligible at age 65, regardless of what age you start collecting Social Security.

3. Spousal considerations
Benefit calculations become much more complex if you're married. If you take benefits early and receive a permanent reduction, your spouse's survivor benefit will also be permanently reduced, which could have a major effect on your spouse's income after you pass away. Some spousal claiming strategies include "file and suspend" and claiming a spousal benefit now and your own benefit later. Make sure you think through how your decision will affect your family members.

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Foolish final thoughts
When to start receiving Social Security benefits is not a decision to be taken lightly. It shouldn't be based solely on what your brother-in-law or best friend is doing. Since everyone's situation is different, be sure to evaluate what's best for you and your loved ones in making this critical decision.

Making the right financial decisions today makes a world of difference in your golden years, but with most people chronically under-saving for retirement, it's clear not enough is being done. Don't make the same mistakes as the masses. Learn about The Shocking Can't-Miss Truth About Your Retirement. It won't cost you a thing, but don't wait, because your free report won't be available forever.

Chick-fil-A Stole KFC's Chicken Crown - with Far Fewer Stores

Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images The days when fried chicken was synonymous with a certain white-haired southern gentleman are over, at least in the U.S. A new champion has claimed KFC's long-held chicken crown: Chick-fil-A. The change atop the leaderboard appears undisputed: Yum Brands (YUM), which owns KFC and has for years prided itself as "the leader in the U.S. chicken [quick-service restaurant] segment," removed that very phrase from the company's most recent annual report. Source: www.chick-fil-a.com Anyone in the northern half of the U.S. is likely scratching her head and wondering why she hasn't seen Chick-fil-A outlets opening in the neighborhood. Last year Chick-fil-A only had about 1,775 U.S. stores to KFC's 4,491, and most are in the South. Yet in dollar terms the Colonel is coming up short even with that much larger footprint: Chick-fil-A's 2013 sales passed $5 billion, while all of KFC's U.S. restaurants rang up about $4.22 billion, according to Technomic. And that's with zero dollars coming in to Chick-fil-A on Sundays, when every restaurant is closed. What Chick-fil-A lacks in store count, it makes up for in traffic. Each restaurant made about $3.2 million in 2013, more than three times as much as the average KFC at $938,000. Average sales at KFC restaurants have remained largely unchanged over the past decade, while they have climbed steadily at Chick-fil-A. Same-store sales climbed by more than 3.6 percent at Chick-fil-A last year; KFC's fell by 2 percent. KFC hit its U.S. peak by store count around 2004, when it had more than 5,500 restaurants-over four times the number of Chick-fil-A locations-and claimed 46 percent of the fast-food chicken market. But over the past decade the gap between the two narrowed as KFC closed stores and Chick-fil-A added more. Now, KFC's storefront advantage is just 2.5 times more than its rival, and Chick-fil-A plans to chip away with more than 100 new locations opening this year. (A representative for KFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) Darren Tristano, an executive vice president at consultancy Technomic, called Chick-fil-A one of the most successful fast-food chains. He cited the sizable breakfast business, an average check slightly higher than competitors', and a menu that differentiates it from the big burger chains.

Line Your Pockets With These 5 Pure-Play REITs

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Pure-play REITs are hot. A recent article in GlobeSt.com highlighted the reasons why so many REITs are spinning off portions of their holdings into separately run businesses. The opportunities to invest in pure-play REITs have never been better.

Which should you own? Here are five pure-play REITs worth considering.

Pure-Play REITs: Weingarten Realty (WRI)

Originally founded as a real estate offshoot to Weingarten grocery stores, the real estate business became the sole focus in 1980 when the stores were sold to Grand Union. After going public in 1985, WRI is in the final stages of a five-year transformation into a pure-play retail REIT. Focusing on shopping centers with supermarket and necessity-based retail anchors, the company has disposed of $2.3 billion in industrial and nonessential retail assets. The result: Its real estate portfolio is far more productive while less reliant on its biggest customers.

Over the past two years it's achieved year-over-year increases in same-property net operating income of 4.2%, well above its growth in previous years. Approximately 43% of its annualized base rent (ABR) is from shopping centers with national grocers such as Kroger (KR) and Whole Foods Market (WFM). In total it generates 75% of its ABR from grocer-anchored shopping centers — a setup that provides investors with stable income from tenants generally resistant to the growth in e-commerce. New developments such as The Parks at Walter Reed are examples of where WRI is headed.

I expect the next two to three years to be very good to WRI investors. As pure-play REITs go, this is a story worth following.

Pure-Play REITs: Ashford Hospitality Prime (AHP)

AHP is a micro-cap REIT spun off from its larger parent – Ashford Hospitality Trust (AHT) — last November. AHT management came to the conclusion that its properties with higher revenue per available room (RevPAR) were better suited within a second REIT where investors could more easily value those assets. AHP is now 10 hotels (two acquired since spinoff) with an option for 12 of AHTs more expensive properties.

Regardless of whether it exercises those options, AHP’s focus on full-service hotels with RevPARs of at least twice the national average is a good one. I recently recommended AHP as a spinoff candidate that will likely outperform its parent over the next 12-18 months.

In my mind you can't go wrong operating at the higher end of the customer food chain. Look for AHP to buy some interesting properties over the next year or two.

Pure-Play REITs: Public Storage (PSA)

PSA is the world's largest owner and operator of self-storage facilities with over 1 million customers. As America's preoccupation with owning stuff has grown exponentially in recent years, PSA’s business has come along for the ride.

It's possible that we'll suddenly wake up one day and realize this fondness for hoarding things isn't healthy … but until then PSA is going to continue to thrive in this niche industry.

Of all the pure-play REITs this is the one we should have invested in a decade ago. It's up 15.1% on annualized basis over the past 10 years, almost 8 percentage points higher than the S&P 500.

PSA fills a need that's not likely to disappear. In the latest fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2013, PSA generated core funds from operations of $7.44 — 11.4% higher than in 2012. Same-store rental income increased 5.4% year-over-year due to higher rents and higher occupancies. It's a winning combination that over time has proved successful. Although it's only yielding 3.3% at the moment, it's a very stable stock, having seen a negative return just once in the past decade. I like its odds.

Pure-Play REITs: American Homes 4 Rent (AMH)

This is the brand child of Public Storage founder Wayne Hughes, who started the company in 2011 to take advantage of falling prices in the single-family home market. Private equity firms such as Blackstone Group (BX), Hughes and others have been actively buying up houses on the cheap with plans to rent them out until prices rise to the point where they're no longer worth holding on to. As a result of this intense competition, prices have risen faster than anticipated — slowing the number of home purchases made by institutional investors.

In the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, AMH bought 2,001 homes, 32% fewer than in Q3. It now owns 23,268 single-family properties with an occupancy rate just under 80%. It might not sound great, but it's an improvement of 12 percentage points over Q3. As a result its net operating income from leased properties in the quarter increased by 27% over Q3.

This is a business model that's working, yet its stock price is barely up more than 5% from its July 31, 2013, IPO. As more capital flows into the business AMH will continue buying up more homes. Eventually, investors will realize that AMH isn't going away and that Americans don't have to feel bad about renting rather owning. Wayne Hughes has struck again.

Pure-Play REITs: Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLPI)

Famed investor Leon Cooperman sold his position in Penn National Gaming (PENN) in the fourth quarter of 2013, replacing it with a 2.2 million shares of GLPI, the real estate spinoff the casino operator took public through a 1-for-1 share distribution last November. Its first acquisition came one month later when it paid $140 million for a casino in East St. Louis. Pure-play REITs come in all shapes and sizes, but never before has there been one in the casino business.

And that's just crazy, because we all know the casino business generates huge piles of cash.

PENN separated its gaming operations from the real estate in order to operate an asset-light business model. While the hospitality side of the casino business is all about glitz and glamour, nothing happens without big-time real estate. Don't be surprised if other large casino operators choose to split their businesses. Will Las Vegas Sands (LVS) or Wynn Resorts (WYNN) do it? I doubt it. They run different establishments than PENN. However, anyone running casino operations in places outside Las Vegas or Macau might want to consider it — it just makes too much sense.

As of this writing, Will Ashworth did not own a position in any of the aforementioned securities.

IRS Has $760 Million in Unclaimed Refunds

Time is running out for more than 900,000 taxpayers to collect their share of $760 million in unclaimed refunds, according to the IRS. Taxpayers who did not file a 2010 federal tax return have until April 15 to file their returns and claim any money they are owed. The IRS estimates that more than half of the unclaimed refunds from 2010 are more than $571.

SEE ALSO: 10 Ways to Waste Your Refund

The law gives taxpayers three years from the date a return is due to claim a refund. Refunds that are not claimed for 2010 returns (which were due in 2011) by April 15 will become property of the U.S. Treasury. So if you didn't file a return for 2010 (or any year since then) and think you might be owed money, you can find prior year tax forms at IRS.gov. You might be due a refund if you had too little income to file a return but had taxes withheld from your wages or made quarterly estimated tax payments.

If you're missing a W-2, 1099 or other from from a prior year needed to complete your tax return, check with the employer or financial institution that would have sent you this form. You also can file a Form 4506-T to request a transcript from the IRS that includes data from these forms.

Tracking your 2013 refund

If you've already filed your 2013 federal tax return and are owed money, you can track the status of your refund with the Where's My Refund tool at IRS.gov.

The IRS will post the status of your refund within 24 hours after it's received your e-filed tax return. If you mailed your return, it takes four weeks. You'll need your Social Security number, filing status and refund amount as shown on your tax return to check your refund's status.

The IRS updates its refund data only once a day -- usually overnight. So the IRS urges taxpayers not to check the status of their refunds several times a day. Otherwise, a large number of inquiries will more likely lead to service disruptions.

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When you do receive your refund, consider these 10 smart uses for it. Then consider adjusting your tax withholding so that you get the money when you earn it. Sure, it feels great to get a big check you can use to pay down debt, fund a vacation or add to a retirement account. But it means you're handing over too much money to Uncle Sam -- money you could use each month to pay bills, buy groceries, invest in stocks or whatever. Use our Tax Withholding Calculator to see how much you can add to your paycheck by adjusting your withholding.

A Russian REIT and a Polish Play

International investing expert Vivian Lewis, editor of Global Investing, turns her eye toward the turmoil in Ukraine, its impact on investors, and some favorite investing ideas in Russia and Poland that offer contrarian value.

Steve Halpern: We're here today with Vivian Lewis, Editor of Global Investing. How are you doing today, Vivian?

Vivian Lewis: Great.

Steve Halpern: Welcome. I'd like to talk to you a little about the Global Investing Newsletter, one of the top performing newsletters in the industry. While you search worldwide for investments, you focus on stocks that are readily available for you as investors to buy. Can you explain that strategy?

Vivian Lewis: Yes, when we started, it was just the beginning of something called the American Depository Receipt, which is a thing that banks create from foreign stocks, which are then tradable in the US, so that is our main focus.

But we also include Canadian shares, which are usually offered by US brokers, and increasingly, in the last few years, we've added shares that only trade on foreign markets, but, to which, Americans using discount brokerages can gain access and where the brokerage commission is not excessive.

Steve Halpern: Now, would like Hong Kong and London be examples of that?

Vivian Lewis: Exactly.

Steve Halpern: Okay, now your portfolio is also widely diversified in terms of geography. How important is this type of global diversification in your mind?

Vivian Lewis: Well, it's not diversified for the sake of diversifying. It's diversified because I'm looking for things that we cannot own in the US, or that have particularly interesting growth, or yield characteristics, compared to the mainstream US market.

Steve Halpern: Now, given your global expertise, I'd like to touch on the current turmoil in the Ukraine. How much of an impact does this have on the global markets and does it raise concerns for investors in emerging markets?

Vivian Lewis: Well, first of all, you should never generalize about emerging markets. They're the BRICS that was invented by Goldman Sachs a few years ago. The BRICS were Brazil, Russia, India, China and sometimes South Africa. There is very little that applies across the board to these countries.

The major entity affected by the current crisis is, of course, Russia. There are no tradable Ukrainian ABIs out there and Russia is not really an emerging market. It's a re-emerging market. It's an industrial country with an educated population, and significant gross national product, and it's coming out from communism, or, at least, it was, and that's what made it different and fast-growing.

Steve Halpern: Now, you recently took a position in one Russian company called Raven Russia Limited (LSS:RUS). Could you tell us about that idea?

Vivian Lewis: Well, I got frustrated, because I wanted to get more access to lower risk investments in Russia, and the area, and the best known stocks were being dumped by panicked investors and also by mutual funds, so I was looking for something that had been spared.

And Raven Russia, which trades in dollars in London—it's kind of weird; its ticker symbol is RUS in Britain and it's in dollars—so there's no exchange risk or there isn't any obvious exchange risk.

It's a real estate investment trust and it invests in warehouses and logistics, in currently three Russian cities, mostly Moscow in six sites, St. Petersburg and also Rostov on Don, which is halfway down the road to Ukraine.

And it then builds high-grade commercial hubs—that's warehouses and shipping facilities for companies in the market, not for the military, of course. Most of the tenants are foreign companies, which are very much present in Russia, because Russians want to be like everyone else, even though they also want to go back to the Cold War.

And I assume that Vladimir Putin, for all his nastiness, doesn't want to return Russia to Soviet era markets and he will not try to get rid of companies that sell goods that Russians like, like Dannon, the yogurt firm, which is French; Oriflame Cosmetics, which is from Sweden, Leroy Merlin, which is do-it-yourself shops, also French; Suzuki cars; Amway goods from the USA; and another stock, we actually own, l'Occitane in Provence, which is maker of hand creams and other skin care.

Page 1 | Page 2 | Next Page The expert featured in this column, Vivian Lewis, may or may not own positions in any investment vehicle mentioned here. The views and opinions expressed are his or her own.

Hot Penny Companies To Own In Right Now

Hot Penny Companies To Own In Right Now: Atwood Oceanics Inc. (ATW)

Atwood Oceanics, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in offshore drilling, and the completion of exploratory and developmental oil and gas wells. The company owns semisubmersible rigs, semisubmersible tender assist rigs, jack-up drilling rigs, and submersible drilling rigs. As of November 22, 2010, it operated nine mobile offshore drilling units located in offshore southeast Asia, offshore Africa, offshore Australia, offshore South America, and the Mediterranean Sea. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  See, the offshore drillers have been reporting earnings results, and really, they haven’t been that bad. Diamond Offshore beat by 15 cents yesterday, Atwood Oceanics (ATW) beat by 12 cents this week, and in January Noble (NE) reported results in line with analyst forecasts.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Diamond Offshore had dropped 18% this year through yesterday’s close, while Transocean (RIG) had fallen 15%, Noble (NE) had declined 17%, Seadrill (SDRL) had dropped 12% and Atwood Oceanics (ATW), which reported earnings yesterday, had fallen 13%. But all the bearishness has been forgotten, what with the S&P 500 up more than 1% and Diamond Offshore trouncing analyst forecasts.

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  There’s been a lot of bearish talk about offshore drillers recently–and Atwood Oceanics (ATW) earnings results aren’t likely to dispel those concerns, despite an earnings beat.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/hot-penny-companies-to-own-in-right-now.html

Manitowoc (MTW) Has Uncharateristic Slide Today

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Manitowoc (MTW) -- which has been one of the top performers in the U.S. machinery space this year -- had a rough day finishing down 5.2% on the news that Jeffries had downgraded the stock.

The Wisconsin-based manufacturer has had steady success, rising 33% this year. However, Jefferies downgraded the stock due to an inflated valuation.

Manitowoc finished the day at $30.86 and continues its slide in aftermarket trading, down another 0.13%.

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STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates MANITOWOC CO as a Buy with a ratings score of B. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate MANITOWOC CO (MTW) a BUY. This is driven by some important positives, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, notable return on equity and good cash flow from operations. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: Compared to its closing price of one year ago, MTW's share price has jumped by 50.35%, exceeding the performance of the broader market during that same time frame. Turning to the future, naturally, any stock can fall in a major bear market. However, in almost any other environment, the stock should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed nice gains in the past year. The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Machinery industry and the overall market, MANITOWOC CO's return on equity exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500. Net operating cash flow has increased to $270.50 million or 15.99% when compared to the same quarter last year. Despite an increase in cash flow, MANITOWOC CO's cash flow growth rate is still lower than the industry average growth rate of 27.15%. MANITOWOC CO's earnings per share declined by 30.8% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. But, we feel it is poised for EPS growth in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, MANITOWOC CO increased its bottom line by earning $1.14 versus $0.77 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.70 versus $1.14). Despite the weak revenue results, MTW has outperformed against the industry average of 17.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 2.3%. The declining revenue appears to have seeped down to the company's bottom line, decreasing earnings per share. You can view the full analysis from the report here: MTW Ratings Report STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

Stock quotes in this article: MTW 

Fire Risk Forces Honda to Recall Nearly 900,000 Minivans

Source: Honda Motor Corp.Honda Motor Corp. (NYSE: HMC) plans to recall more than 886,000 Odyssey minivans manufactured in the company's Alabama plant between 2005 and 2010.

The cause of the recall is a defective part of the Odyssey's fuel pump that may crack and allow gasoline to leak onto the engine, increasing the risk of a fire, according to documents released Saturday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Honda believes that the cracks may be due to high temperatures and acids that accumulate on the fuel pump over time. To date no fires or injuries have been reported as a result of the defect.

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Honda first noticed that there may be a problem with the fuel pumps in October 2012 and began an investigation that led to the recall. In its filing with the NHTSA, the company said that it has received 187 warranty claims due to the faulty fuel pump.

Notices to owners of the vehicles are expected to begin on April 21 and to be finished by May 9.  Replacement parts may not be available until this summer, however, so the work can’t get done until then. The company will send a second notice to owners at that time. If the fuel pump on the vehicle is already leaking, it will be replaced at once.

The Honda Odyssey was the highest scoring minivan in Consumer Reports magazine's 2013 owner satisfaction survey. The Odyssey scored 79 out of a possible 100 points in the survey.

In 2012, Honda recalled more than 800,000 minivans and sport utility vehicles due to a faulty interlock mechanism in the ignition switch. Some 318,000 of the recalled vehicles were Odyssey minivans.

Jobless? Uncle Sam Still Taxes Your Unemployment Benefits

Alamy The economic recovery has left millions of Americans behind, struggling to find jobs and leaving millions unemployed for extended periods of time. Yet as April 15 approaches, many unemployed people discover that the Internal Revenue Service wants its share of the meager unemployment benefits that they've received. How Unemployment Benefits Get Taxed Most benefits you receive from being out of work are subject to federal income tax as unemployment compensation. The IRS defines unemployment compensation as including money you get either from the federal government or from various state governments under unemployment-insurance laws, which includes the most common forms of unemployment benefits for the vast majority of recipients. In addition to general state and federal unemployment insurance, more specialized benefits like those under railroad unemployment rules also get treated as taxable income. For the most part, even though benefits are subject to federal income tax, you don't have to pay additional taxes like Social Security or Medicare withholding. But some unemployed people get additional assistance from private funds that their employers contribute to on their behalf. In those cases, not only are the benefits taxable, but you might even have to pay additional withholding taxes and treat them the same way that wages and salaries get handled. On the other hand, other people have jobs at which they themselves make voluntary contributions to private funds that pay benefits to unemployed workers. If you receive benefits from that type of fund, then you only pay tax on the amount you receive that exceeds what you contributed to that private fund. Why Does the IRS Tax Unemployment Benefits? The rationale for including unemployment benefits as taxable income is that they're meant to replace wage income that you'd earn if you actually had a job. As a result, if you're getting unemployment in lieu of working, then the IRS believes it makes sense to treat those benefits the same way it would treat your salary, wages, and tips. Yet in other areas of the tax laws, the IRS doesn't treat unemployment benefits the same way. For instance, if you want to contribute to a Individual Retirement Account or something similar, you need to have what the IRS calls earned income. Earned income includes wages and salaries, but it explicitly excludes unemployment compensation. Moreover, several states, including California, New Jersey, and Virginia, exempt unemployment benefits from state income tax laws. Nevertheless, despite some of these inconsistencies, it doesn't change the fact that you need to prepare to give the IRS its share of your unemployment check. What to Watch For One thing to check is whether you've had taxes already withheld from your unemployment benefits before you receive them. If you completed a voluntary withholding request on Form W-4V when you signed up for benefits, then the 1099-G tax form that you'll get should have both the total unemployment benefits you received and tax you've paid. Be sure to include that tax in the payments line on your tax return to get proper credit. On the other hand, many people run don't have enough tax withheld. If that's the case, then you might owe even more to the IRS in interest and penalties. To avoid that problem in future years, many unemployed people must pay quarterly estimated taxes and spread out their tax payments throughout the year.

Madoff jury's questions spark legal sparring

NEW YORK — Jury deliberations in the trial of five former Bernard Madoff employees ended for the week with prosecutors and defense lawyers sparring over the answer to jurors' questions about the structure of the Ponzi scheme architect's firm.

Before leaving Manhattan federal court Friday, the panel wrote a note asking U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain whether three charges in the 31-count criminal indictment referred only to Madoff's phony investment advisory division while three others related solely to his legitimate broker-dealer business.

Evidence during the trial showed that the divisions were intertwined, with Madoff siphoning money from unsuspecting investment clients to prop up his financially struggling broker-dealer wing.

Four of the ex-employees charged in the conspiracy worked chiefly or exclusively in the investment advisory division. The fifth worked largely on the broker-dealer side, though he also had some duties in the other business arm.

All are accused of knowingly participating in and profiting from the decades-long scam that stole an estimated $20 billion from thousands of average investors, celebrities, charities, financial funds and others.

Prosecutors wrote a proposed five-paragraph jury response that Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Jackson said was drawn largely verbatim from legal instructions Swain gave the jury before deliberations began on Monday.

Defense lawyers, however, recommended that the judge tell the jurors that guidance on their questions could be found in written copies of her legal instructions — which were given to jurors at the start of the verdict phase.

Swain told both sides to put any additional legal arguments on the issue in writing, with final submissions due by noon Sunday.

The debate capped a week in which deliberations stalled for three days due to one juror's illness. The decision-making phase resumed Friday after defense lawyers and prosecutors agreed to proceed with 11 jurors, one short of! the usual number. Taylor Swain approved the agreement.

The five-month trial is one of the longest white-collar crime cases in Manhattan federal court history. It's also the first Madoff-related criminal proceeding to be weighed by a jury. The disgraced financier pleaded guilty after the scam collapsed in December 2008. He's now serving a 150-year prison term.

The former co-workers face decades behind bars if they're convicted on conspiracy, securities fraud, tax evasion and other charges.

They include Daniel Bonventre, Madoff's former operations manager; Annette Bongiorno, who oversaw accounts of her boss' biggest investment clients; JoAnn Crupi, who had day-to-day responsibility for the investment division bank account; and former Madoff computer programmers Jerome O'Hara and George Perez.

Warning! 5 stocks that can kill your portfolio

Five well-known stocks commonly found in individual investors' portfolios are overvalued and pose huge downside risk, according to research for USA TODAY released today by a valuation firm.

Online media company AOL, donut and ice cream chain Dunkin Brands, professional social networking site LinkedIn, game maker Electronic Arts and land manager Alico rank as the "most dangerous" stocks tracked by New Constructs.

New Constructs is an online service that uses discounted cash flow analysis to see how much a stock is worth today, based on how much cash it's projected to bring in the future.

Investors are especially sensitive to what stocks they might own that might be subject to a correction. Following the market's powerful run in 2013, investors are on edge over when a market pullback might be coming. The fears of turbulence in the stock market were fanned this week as Janet Yellen of the Federal Reserve gave guidance about the direction of raising interest rates.

Each of these stocks presents unique dangers to investors, according to New Constructs, including:

• AOL. Investors are betting on big growth from this company, still transforming from a subscription-based business to an ad driven one. The average Wall Street analyst rates the stock an "outperform" and sees long-term growth of 14%, says S&P Capital IQ. Such bullishness has pushed the company's P-E up to a lofty 38 times earnings over the past 12 months as the stock has rocketed 140% over the past two years. But the company's strategy of cutting costs to maintain profitability isn't sustainable, New Constructs says.

• Dunkin' Brands. The company, which owns Dunkin' Donuts and the Baskin Robbins brands, is dazzling investors with strong reported earnings growth. The company reported robust 36% net income growth in 2013, helping drive the stock higher. Shares of Dunkin' Donuts are up 41% the last two years. But during 2013, the company's cash from operations fell 8% in 2013. The company's profit relative to! what investors have invested in the company is 7%, below rivals including McDonald's, New Constructs says.

• LinkedIn. The site for professionals to connect with each other online was a darling in 2013, with its stock soaring 88%. But it's been a different story this year, with the stock declining 6.9%. Profit growth was just 23.9% in 2013, down dramatically from 2012 when net income rose 81.4%. Meanwhile, the company is only generating four cents of profit from every dollar invested in the business, which is low and falling, New Constructs says.

• Electronic Arts. Defying critics who say that the future of video games are 99-cent apps sold on phones, shares of EA are up 32% this year. So far, the company top title, Titanfall for the Xbox One, appears to be selling well. But at $30 a share, the company's stock have already hit analysts' 12-month price target of $30.53, says S&P Capital IQ. At its current price, EA's shares are priced for more than 20% net operating profit after taxes for 20 years, a pace difficult to maintain, New Constructs says.

• Alico. The land management business is the least-known company on the list and it's a relatively small company with a market value of $282.4 million. At the current stock price, which is 15.6 times earnings over the past twelve months, investors are betting the company's profit after taxes will grow 22% a year for 10 years, says New Constructs. That growth baked into the price is well above the 8% long-term growth expected by analysts, says S&P Capital IQ.

New Constructs used discounted cash flow analysis to find the five stocks most likely to crash in value.(Photo: Company photos, USA TODAY)

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own For 2014

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own For 2014: Arctic Cat Inc.(ACAT)

Arctic Cat Inc. designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) under the Arctic Cat brand name in the United States and internationally. It also offers related parts, garments, and accessories. The company provides replacement parts and accessory items, such as electric start and reverse kits, luggage racks and bags, backrests, machine covers, windshields, and colored accessories; and maintenance supplies consisting of oil and fuel additives, track studs, and carbide runners for snow mobiles. It also provides ATV parts and accessories, including winch kits, snow plow kits, MRP Speedrack accessories, portable lights, utility bags, track kits, Speedpoint attachments, and maintenance supplies. In addition, the company offers snowmobile and ATV garments for adults and children under the Arcticwear and Arcticwear ATV Gear label. Its garment portfolio includes suits, jackets, pants, accessory garments, pull-overs, riding gloves, hats, b oots, gear bags, sweatshirts, t-shirts, caps, and helmets. The company markets its products through a network of independent dealers in the United States, Canada, and Europe; and through distributors representing dealers in the Middle East, Asia, and other international markets. Arctic Cat Inc. was founded in 1982 and is based in Plymouth, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN  ) will release its quarterly report on Monday, and already, investors are celebrating an early cold snap in the American West by sending the resort company's stock toward yearly highs. To an even greater extent than winter-equipment makers Polaris Industries (NYSE: PII  ) and Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT  ) , Vail Resorts relies on a solid snow season in order to get visitors to come to its ski propert! ies and stay at its resorts.

• [By Grace L. Williams]

  Shares of Winnebago have gained 4.4% to $28.47 today at 3pm. Thor Industries (THO), which also makes recreational vehicles, has ticked up 0.1% to $57.56, Drew Industries (DW) has risen 0.3% to $48.74, Arctic Cat (ACAT) has advanced 1% to $59.87 and Polaris Industries (PII) has fallen 0.3% to $132.08.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Wednesday, Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-heal-care-stocks-to-own-for-2014.html

Raymond James Adds Teams From Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo

Raymond James (RJF) says it has recruited a team of reps from Morgan Stanley (MS) and one from Wells Fargo (WFC) with combined productions of $3.8 million in yearly fees and commissions, while LPL Financial (LPLA) has announced that Redstone Federal Credit Union joined its Institution Services platform.

Late Monday, Raymond James said it had just added David Huffman and Aimee Boogs, who have about $1.3 million in yearly production and about $180 million in client assets. They two advisors recently formed the Boggs Huffman Wealth Management Group of Raymond James in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., according to Tom Galvin, regional director for Raymond James & Associates – the traditional employee broker/dealer of Raymond James.

“We are pleased to welcome David and Aimee to Raymond James,” said Galvin, in a press release. “They bring more than 31 years of combined experience and a client-first, conservative attitude that aligns with our values here at Raymond James.”

 “For Aimee and me, joining Raymond James was all about the support offered to help grow our business,” said Huffman, senior vice president, investments, and branch manager, in a statement. “Every aspect, from associate responsiveness and timeliness ─ to access and contact with top management ─ to the technology support, allows us to take care of our clients in a way that we like.”

Huffman began his career as an investment representative for Edward Jones in 2001, served as a vice president and branch manager for A.G. Edwards from 2004-2007, and worked for Morgan Stanley as a vice president of wealth management and branch manager from 2007 to 2013.

Boggs, senior vice president, Investments, began her financial services career as a CPA with Ernst and Whinney. Prior to joining Raymond James, she served as a vice president of wealth management for Citigroup Global Markets from 1996 to 2009, and worked at Morgan Stanley from 2009 to 2013 as first vice president of wealth management. 

In addition, Luke Kuchenberg, CFP, and Tyson Ray, CFP, of Lake Geneva, Wis., recently moved to Raymond James' independent advisor channel The team operates as FORM Wealth, which manages about $220 million in client assets. (FORM stands for family, occupation, recreation and mission.)

“We are delighted to welcome Tyson and Luke to Raymond James,” said Scott Curtis, president of Raymond James Financial Services, in a statement last week. “For some advisors, becoming an independent business owner fulfills a career objective. I’m pleased they decided to partner with Raymond James and look forward to supporting their continued growth and success.”

“Given the F in FORM, which stands for family, we were drawn to Raymond James for its family-based culture,” said Kuchenberg, in a press release. “Raymond James is a legacy firm that has withstood the test of time, free of many mergers and buyouts, but more importantly, it has an authentic values system.”

Best Income Stocks To Buy Right Now

Kuchenberg started his financial services career in 1998. In 2001, he joined Ray at A.G. Edwards, which later became Wachovia and most recently, Wells Fargo Advisors. Ray, FORM co-founder and financial planner, began his career in financial services 16 years ago.

LPL Addition

LPL Financial said last week that Redstone Federal Credit Union (RFCU) is now using its institutional services platform.

Based in Huntsville, Ala., RFCU has about $3.5 billion in assets, while its brokerage services unit has eight financial consultants with roughly $317 million in client assets.

“The choice by Redstone to align with LPL Financial is evidence of the success we have had in attracting banks and credit unions to our integrated platform, which assists financial institutions in the areas of technology, resources, turnkey wealth management and trust capabilities,” said Craig Kamis, senior vice president of business development and advisor recruiting at LPL Financial Institution Services, in a press release.

LPL Financial says it has more than 724 affiliated banks and credit unions with brokerage, trust and wealth-management services.

“We are excited to be teaming with LPL Financial, the nation’s leading independent broker-dealers, in providing financial services to credit union members,” explained Joseph H. Newberry, president and CEO of RFCU, in a statement. “This relationship will allow us to expand and enhance our current investment program, Redstone Brokerage Services, by offering more features, functionality and improved customer service.”

Superinvestor David Nierenberg on How He Generates Investment Ideas

Best Dow Dividend Stocks To Watch For 2014

Source: The Manual of Ideas

Also check out: David Nierenberg Undervalued Stocks David Nierenberg Top Growth Companies David Nierenberg High Yield stocks, and Stocks that David Nierenberg keeps buying
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Best Small Cap Stocks To Buy Right Now

Best Small Cap Stocks To Buy Right Now: InterDigital Inc.(IDCC)

Interdigital, Inc. engages in the design and development of digital wireless technology solutions. The company offers technology solutions for use in digital cellular and wireless products and networks, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and IEEE 802-related products and networks. It holds patents related to the fundamental technologies that enable wireless communications. The company licenses its patents to equipment producers that manufacture, use, and sell digital cellular and IEEE 802-related products; and licenses or sells mobile broadband modem solutions, including modem IP, know-how, and reference platforms to mobile device manufacturers, semiconductor companies, and other equipment producers that manufacture, use, and sell digital cellular products. InterDigital?s solutions are incorporated in various products comprising mobile devices, such as cellular phones, tablets, notebook computers, and wireless personal digital assistants; wireless infrastructure equipment, such as base stations; and components, dongles, and modules for wireless devices. The company was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Holly LaFon]

  The most disappointing investment in the portfolio for 2013 was InterDigital (IDCC). This stock declined approximately 28% during the year, despite posting roughly 25% operating margins. Our thesis on IDCC is that the company should benefit from its wireless technology patents as more smartphones and mobile tablets are connected to the in ternet. IDCC creates wireless technology, applies for patents for the technology it creates, and then licenses its technology to manufacturers who produce the aforementioned products. In the past, Nokia, Samsung, Apple, LG, and many other manufacturers hav e licensed the company's technology to use in their products! and paid IDCC royalties.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  Endeavor IP isn't the only publicly-traded intellectual property enforcement company out there. It is, however, the only one to focus on quality over quantity. Whereas other players like patent portfolio names like InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC) and Vringo, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRNG) will literally buy patents by the hundreds - perhaps sometimes without even knowing what some of those patents even cover - in an effort to arm itself with any and every possible patent for any and every contingency. Most are likely worthless, which means companies like InterDigital or Vringo may have wasted shareholder money by buying IP that isn't capable of bearing revenue.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-small-cap-stocks-to-buy-right-now.html

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014

Top 5 Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014: BG Group PLC (BRGXF.PK)

BG Group plc (BG Group) is a natural gas company. The Company is engaged in the exploration, development and production of natural gas and oil. It operates in three business segments: Exploration and Production (E&P), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Transmission and Distribution (T&D). Effective January 1, 2012, the Company was managed across three regions: Americas and Europe; Africa, Central and South Asia, and Australia and East Asia, supported by Global Energy Marketing and Shipping (GEMS) and BG Advance. The Company has interests in 25 countries on five continents. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired an interest in, and operatorship of, offshore blocks L10A (BG Group 40%) and L10B (BG Group 45%) in Kenya. During 2011, the Company acquired additional Marcellus shale properties in partnership with EXCO Resources, Inc. (EXCO). In June 2013, BG Group PLC announced that it has completed the sale of its 65.12% holding in Gujarat Gas Company Limited (G GCL). Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Heather Ingrassia]

  On Thursday, August 15, GasLog (GLOG) announced that it had ordered two new 174K cbm Tri-Fuel Diesel Electric LNG carriers from Samsung Heavy Industries. These carriers are expected to be delivered in 2016 which is the same year the company will begin seven-year charters with BG Group (BRGYY.PK) (BRGXF.PK).

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-5-oil-stocks-to-buy-for-2014.html

17 Legal Secrets to Cutting Your Tax Bill

Top Blue Chip Stocks For 2014

Shutterstock/Olivier Around the time I stopped fighting with my parents and began listening to them, my dad imparted some brilliant financial advice. He told me to become a scholar of the tax law. OK, perhaps he didn't use those exact words, but the message was the same: Know the tax law and take every tax deduction to which you are entitled. This advice stuck with me, and I'm certain it has saved me thousands of dollars. The Internal Revenue Service website offers excellent resources to help you further understand the following tax deductions and credits. Study the credits particularly well, as those benefits reduce your taxes dollar by dollar. In other words, if you owe $1,000 in taxes and receive a $150 tax credit, your taxes owed decrease to $850. That's an extra $150 in your pocket. By spending a few hours each year keeping abreast of the tax law, you can save thousands on taxes over the years. In fact, keeping a tax reduction mindset in your everyday life will serve your finances well.

Best Food Stocks To Buy For 2015

Best Food Stocks To Buy For 2015: SAP AG(SAP)

SAP AG provides business software primarily in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific Japan region. The company?s products includes SAP Business Suite software, which supports large organizations in their core business operations, such as supplier relationship, production, warehouse management, sales, administration, and customer relationship; SAP Business All-in-One, a business management software that assists midsize companies in managing various business functions, including financials, human resources, procurement, inventory, manufacturing, logistics, product development, sales, and marketing; SAP Business One, a business management application for small businesses; and SAP Business ByDesign, an on-demand solution for integrated business management applications. Its products also comprises SAP BusinessObjects Edge business intelligence and enterprise performance management solutions; Xcelsius, a data visualization software; Crystal Reports, which helps users design interactive reports; Sybase IQ, an optimized analytics server designed to deliver results for business intelligence, analytics, data warehousing, and reporting solutions; SAP solutions for sustainability; and SAP NetWeaver technology platform, which integrates information and business processes across various technologies and organizational structures. In addition, the company offers industry and solution-focused, business transformation, information technology transformation, custom development, and support services; and program, project management, quality assurance, and education and certification services. It sells its products through its subsidiaries and resellers. SAP AG has a strategic relationship with Cap Gemini S.A. to develop and deploy enterprise mobility solutions. The company was formerly known as SAP Aktiengesellschaft Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte in der ! Datenverarbeitung. SAP AG was founded in 1972 and is headquartered in Walldorf , Germany.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Tom Taulli]

  John Chen: Chen came on board as the CEO of BBRY late last year. No doubt, he has an impressive resume. For example, he led the turnaround of Sybase and sold it to SAP (SAP) for $5.8 billion. And he has wasted little time trying to give BBRY stock a boost. First, he reorganized BlackBerry’s divisions with a focus on the enterprise market to help with product development and sales effectiveness. But perhaps the most important move has been to outsource hardware development to Foxconn. With the deal, BBRY can focus on software while Foxconn can leverage its scale and supply-chain efficiencies. By April, BBRY will launch two new phones that are based on Foxconn development.

• [By Jonathan Buck]

  SAP's (SAP) outlook is full of clouds – but it isn't cloudy.

  The Walldorf, Germany-based company, which provides software that helps businesses manage their back offices, warehouses, stores, desktop computers and mobile devices, spooked investors Tuesday by pushing back its margin target from 2015 to 2017.

  SAP's American depository receipts slipped more than 2%, but the weakness is a buying opportunity for investors. The stock can add as much as 20% in the next 12 months as the company advances its transition from traditional software applications to cloud-based computing and analytics.

  The stock traded at $80.43 on Wednesday afternoon, giving SAP a market value of $98 billion. Analysts, generally, are bullish on the stock, with a consensus price target of $86.56. However, the more upbeat estimates approach $96, which look feasible given the company's prospects.

  "We are the fastest-growing mega-cap company in the information technology industry. We are also the fastest-growing mega-cap company in the cloud in the information technology industry," Co-Chief Executive Bill McDermott! told a s! mall group of reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos Wednesday.

  A day earlier, SAP reported preliminary results for 2013 that showed operating profit in 2013 increased 13% from a year earlier to 5.51 billion euros ($7.46 billion) on an 8% rise in revenue to EUR16.90 billion. Operating margin jumped by 1.5 percentage points to 32.6%.

  The performance was impressive, but it was the outlook that got investors all jittery. SAP pushed its target for a 35% profit margin from 2015 to 2017.

  McDermott attributes this to the shift in business to the cloud, where customers rent software rather than pay for it up front. "Instead of recognizing your software revenue all up front, you recognize it over time," McDermott says. "And it takes a few years before that starts to kick in. Therefore, for t

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/best-food-stocks-to-buy-for-2015.html

Top Oil Stocks For 2015

Top Oil Stocks For 2015: Kinder Morgan Management LLC (KMR)

Kinder Morgan Management, LLC is a limited partner in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P (KMP), and manages and controls its business and affairs pursuant to a delegation of control agreement. Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc., of which Kinder Morgan, Inc. indirectly owns all of the outstanding common equity, is the general partner of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (KMP). Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc., pursuant to a delegation of control agreement among the Company, Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc. and KMP, has delegated to the Company, to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law and KMP's limited partnership agreement, all of its rights and powers to manage and control the business and affairs of KMP, subject to the general partner's right to approve specified actions.

KPM is a pipeline limited partnerships in the United States. KMP owns an investment in or operates approximately 28,000 miles of pipelines and 180 terminals. Its pipelines transport products, such a s natural gas, crude oil, gasoline, and CO2, and its terminals store petroleum products and chemicals and handle materials like coal. Almost all of Kinder Morgan assets are owned by KMP, KMP operates in five business segments : Natural Gas Pipelines, Products Pipelines, CO2, Terminals and Kinder Morgan Canada.

Kinder Morgan is a transporter and marketer of carbon dioxide in North America. It delivers approximately 1.3 billion cubic feet per day of CO2 through about 1,300 miles of pipelines. It is an oil producer in Texas, producing over 55,000 barrels of oil per day at the SACROC Unit and the Yates Field in the Permian Basin. In addition to CO2 pipelines and oil producing fields, this business segment owns interests in and operates CO2 source fields, natural gas and gasoline processing plants, and a crude oil pipeline. Kinder Morgan owns and operates approximately 24,000 miles of! gas pipelines in the Rocky Mountains, the Midwest and Texas. Through its Products P ipelines business unit, it transports over two million barre! ls per day of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, natural gas liquids and other fuels through more than 8,000 miles of pipelines. The Company also has approximately 50 liquids terminals in this business segment that store fuels and offer blending services for ethanol and other products.

Kinder Morgan have more than 180 terminals that store petroleum products and chemicals, and handle bulk materials like coal, petroleum coke and steel products. Kinder Morgan operates a number of pipeline systems and terminal facilities in Canada including the Trans Mountain pipeline, the Express and Platte pipelines, the Cochin pipeline, the Puget Sound and the Trans Mountain Jet Fuel pipelines, the Westridge marine terminal, the Vancouver Wharves terminal in British Columbia and the North Forty terminal in Edmonton, Alberta.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  For investors, the recent drop in all three shares — along with Kinder Morgan Management LLC (KMR) –- have put them all near their 52-week lows and at some of the highest dividend yields not seen in years. At these prices, you're still getting strong dividend growth — about 5% for KMI — along with the chance to own the largest pipeline network in North America.

• [By The Part-time Investor]

  I sold Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP), 168 shares at $80.38, and I replaced it with Kinder Morgan Management (KMR), 264 shares at $75.39. KMR pays its quarterly distribution in extra shares, rather than in cash, as KMP does. For some (crazy) reason this makes it okay to hold it in a retirement account without the tax implications.

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Kinder Morgan offers investors four ways to invest. In addition to the parent company, Kinder Morgan, investors can also choose to invest in MLPs Kinder Morgan Partners and El ! Paso Pipe! line Partners or Kinder Morgan Management (NYSE: KMR  ) . Both of the partnerships directly own the pipeline and other midstream assets and offer higher yields. Meanwhile, the management company offers a tax-friendly way to invest in Kinder Morgan Partners with one key difference: Investors are paid in shares instead of cash. No matter which option you choose, Kinder Morgan is a top company whose stock, or units, are a great holding for any portfolio.

source from Top Stocks Blog:http://www.topstocksblog.com/top-oil-stocks-for-2015.html

Ukraine crisis: The latest on aid, sanctions and fallout

Ukraine needs a bailout if the country is to pay its debts.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) As the uneasy standoff over Ukraine continues into another week, risks linger that a worsening conflict could damage the European economy.

Russia remains intent on annexing Crimea, a part of Ukraine that is home to many Russian speakers and a key military base.

Western diplomats are racing to contain the geopolitical fallout, threatening sanctions on Moscow and gathering funds needed to shore up Ukraine's finances. Yet close trade and investment ties between Russia and Europe are complicating the situation.

Here is where things stand on Ukraine's financial crisis, sanctions, and what's at stake for the economy.

Ukraine still needs that bailout: The European Union says it will offer Ukraine at least $15 billion (€11 billion) in aid. The U.S. government has also stepped in to help, offering $1 billion in loan guarantees.

The money can't come soon enough. Ukrainian leaders said last month the country needs $35 billion in aid, funds that will go to pay creditors like Gazprom, the Russian energy firm that is owed more than $2 billion.

IMF officials are currently in Ukraine on a fact-finding mission, which they said Friday is "progressing well."

More sanctions are threatened: The U.S. introduced a visa ban last week for Russians and Ukrainians who played a role in threatening Ukraine's sovereignty. But no individuals were named.

President Obama also signed an executive order laying the groundwork for further sanctions against people and entities responsible for the crisis.

However, European leaders have been more circumspect because of the deep economic and trade ties with Russia. EU members of the G8 have decided to suspend preparations for June's summit in Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Should the situation in Ukraine deteriorate, the EU might be forced to consider additional actions. But with the eurozone still emerging from its own crisis, European leaders will think long and hard about any measures that might put that recovery at risk.

The risk of economic fallout lingers: Europe would stand to suffer most should biting sanctions be issued. Russia is the EU's third biggest trading partner after the U.S. and China, with goods and services worth more than $! 500 billion exchanged in 2012.

And about 75% of all foreign direct investment in the former Communist country originates in EU member states. Russia is also the single biggest supplier of energy to the EU.

Western firms could find their operations in peril. British energy firm BP, the second-largest shareholder in Russia's leading oil producer Rosneft, would be particularly vulnerable to any move by Moscow to seize Western assets.

-- Mark Thompson contributed reporting.

Is WhatsApp Simply an AIM Alternative for Millennials and Social Media?

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is getting a great company in the WhatsApp buyout. How much it paid for it is another matter, and a matter that is being highly debated at this moment.

WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app that allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. In short, this is just a revamped ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and other chat services offered by Google, Yahoo! and even Facebook itself.

In short, it is textless texting, as far as what you have to pay your cellphone provider.

The notion that this was bought for $19 billion is hard to stomach. Can we dare compare 2014 dollars to 1990s money? Arguably not, but you have to recall that dot-com giants were starting to spring up with crazy multiples on revenue and no earnings. Many had no revenues, or at least limited revenues, because the online advertising world simply was not advanced enough nor widespread enough to support the valuations back then.

AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) acquired the Israel-based messaging solutions provider Mirabilis for some $287 million back in 1998. AOL’s AIM was already becoming well accepted at the time, but then AIM became perhaps the de facto communications service outside of phones and email for many years. AOL was also to make contingent payments thereafter, but what was ultimately paid in total is so long ago that it is almost immaterial. Still, at the time of the purchase ICQ claimed only about 12 million registered ICQ users at the time.

AOL still has AIM, but the actual ICQ instant messaging service was sold back in 2010 to Digital Sky Technologies Ltd. in Russia for close to $187.5 million — with close to 32 million registered users at the time. AIM has been around since about 1997, and you can run AIM on your smartphones.

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So, what is WhatsApp really worth? The company’s blog post on the acquisition claims that the communication service now supports more than 450 million monthly active users worldwide and more than 320 million daily active users.

We won’t bother using the ICQ metrics with any crazy valuation comparisons, because anyone would say that it is simply a different metric entirely. The 450 million monthly active users comes to roughly $35.55 per user, and that is before the extra $3 billion markup on top of the $19 billion price tag.

We are just dealing with different metrics these days. Facebook shares are down only 2.5%, and its market cap is just shy of $170 billion after the drop, so it lost only about a fraction of the price tag being paid for WhatsApp. AOL’s market cap is only about $3.45 billion, but admittedly there is an age gap issue here.

Mark Zuckerberg is undeniably a visionary. How much this really worth requires a lot of vision — lots and lots of vision.

3 Big Stocks Getting Big Attention

BALTIMORE (Stockpickr) -- Put down the 10-K filings and the stock screeners. It's time to take a break from the traditional methods of generating investment ideas. Instead, let the crowd do it for you.

>>5 Stock Charts to Buy for Gains in March

From hedge funds to individual investors, scores of market participants are turning to social media to figure out which stocks are worth watching. It's a concept that's known as "crowdsourcing," and it uses the masses to identify emerging trends in the market.

Crowdsourcing has long been a popular tool for the advertising industry, but it also makes a lot of sense as an investment tool. After all, the market is completely driven by the supply and demand, so it can be valuable to see what names are trending among the crowd.

While some fund managers are already trying to leverage social media resources like Twitter to find algorithmic trading opportunities, for most investors, crowdsourcing works best as a starting point for investors who want a starting point in their analysis. Today, we'll leverage the power of the crowd to take a look at some of the most active stocks on the market today.

>>5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying

These "most active" names are the most heavily-traded names on the market -- and often, uber-active names have some sort of a technical or fundamental catalyst driving investors' attention on shares. That's especially true now that earnings season is officially underway. And when there's a big catalyst, there's often a trading opportunity.

Without further ado, here's a look at today's stocks.

DryShips

Nearest Resistance: $5

Nearest Support: $4

Catalyst: Technical Setup

>>5 Bargain Bin Stocks to Buy in March

Deep sea freight shipper DryShips (DRYS) is seeing big volume this afternoon, an aftershock from March 3 earnings that broke shares above former resistance at $3.80. After opening higher this morning, shares of DryShips have been losing steam as the session progressed, now down 1% as I write.

That doesn't say much for the staying power of this breakout. While resistance at $5 is a good distance away, there isn't a compelling technical reason to be a buyer here.

Staples

Nearest Resistance: $12

Nearest Support: N/A

Catalyst: Earnings, Store Closings

>>5 Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar

Shares of office supply retailer Staples (SPLS) are down more than 15% this afternoon following the firm's fourth-quarter earnings call. Staples earned 33 cents for the quarter, missing analysts' estimates of 39 cents. But worse than that, the firm announced that it expects sales to decline in the quarter ahead, and that it's cutting costs by closing 225 stores. That negative surprise from Staples is doing a number on this stock's chart.

Staples had been looking bullish from a technical standpoint, setting up an ascending triangle pattern with resistance at $13.50. But today's big gap down throws any upside potential out the window -- and an aborted bearish setup is every bit as negative for SPLS as an outright bearish one would have been. Don't look for a bargain-priced entry until this stock can find some semblance of support.

Office Depot

Nearest Resistance: $5.10

Nearest Support: $4.50

Catalyst: Staples Sympathy Move

>>5 Hated Stocks You Should Love

Best Oil Stocks To Own For 2015

Shares of Staples' peer Office Depot (ODP) are getting hit today too following SPLS' earnings call. It's a sympathy move that's pushing Office Depot more than 4% lower as I write. The ODP selling makes sense: If league leader Staples can't make the retail office supply model work, what hope does ODP have?

The chart looks more hopeless right now, though. ODP has been in a clear-cut downtrend since the end of October, so until that changes, even lower levels continue to be the high-probability outlook.

To see these stocks in action, check out the at Most-Active Stocks portfolio on Stockpickr.



-- Written by Jonas Elmerraji in Baltimore.

RELATED LINKS:

>>3 Stocks Spiking on Unusual Volume/b>

>>5 Short-Squeeze Stocks That Could Pop in March

>>5 Rocket Stocks to Buy in March

Follow Stockpickr on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Jonas Elmerraji, CMT, is a senior market analyst at Agora Financial in Baltimore and a contributor to

TheStreet. Before that, he managed a portfolio of stocks for an investment advisory returned 15% in 2008. He has been featured in Forbes , Investor's Business Daily, and on CNBC.com. Jonas holds a degree in financial economics from UMBC and the Chartered Market Technician designation.

Follow Jonas on Twitter @JonasElmerraji

More Americans renouncing citizenship

Increased tax-reporting requirements are making some high-net-worth clients consider leaving the U.S. for good, but experts warn that a considerable amount of tax and estate planning is in order before such investors tear up their passports.

A recent analysis of U.S. Treasury data by blogger and international tax lawyer Andrew Mitchel found that 2,999 individuals renounced their U.S. citizenship or ended their long-term residency in 2013. Comparatively, the number is huge, considering that the previous record for expatriations was in 2011, with 1,781. In 1998, only 398 people took that drastic step of giving up their American permanent residency or citizenship, according to Mr. Mitchel.

Tax experts note that while there are many reasons why people who are citizens or long-term residents might consider leaving, one key consideration is increased tax-reporting requirements on foreign accounts.

You might remember the scandal that bubbled to the surface when the IRS and the Justice Department reached an agreement with UBS AG in 2009, revealing that hundreds of U.S. clients held accounts offshore and failed to report them to the IRS using a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts or pay the appropriate taxes.

That scandal gave rise to the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, which became law in 2010 and sought to target U.S. taxpayers with foreign accounts who fail to comply with tax-reporting laws.

For U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the issue is that they are still subject to U.S. tax requirements even if they're living elsewhere, as the U.S. administers taxes based on citizenship and not the residence of a given taxpayer.

It's a problem that comes up in situations as simple as a U.S. citizen who moves to Europe for work and ends up with a retirement plan there that needs to be properly documented. Or an individual who was born in the U.S. but has spent the majority of his or her life elsewhere.

“The world continues to be a shrinking place,” said Henry P. Alden II, an accountant and founder of Everest International Group. “People are moving around and relocating, and it's a burden to be fully compliant [with tax laws] in two jurisdictions.”

“A substantial portion of the expatriations we're handling are people who may have been born in the U.S. but have spent virtually all or most of their lives outside of it,” said Steven Cantor, an attorney at Cantor & Webb. “And they have not felt the continued need or desire to pay taxes on a worldwide basis and be subject to reporting requirements.”

For those who are willing to take the plunge and renounce their U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, a ton of tax planning will be in order.

First, the client needs to determine if he or she is a “covered expatriate” under U.S. tax law by meeting one of the following conditions, as of 2014:

• The person has a ! net worth of at least $2 million on the date of expatriation.

• The individual has an average annual net income tax of more than $157,000 for the five tax years ending before the date of giving up his or her citizenship.

• The person fails to certify on Form 8854 that he or she has complied with all U.S. federal tax obligations for the five years before the expatriation.

Complying with all U.S. tax obligations requires prospective expatriates to come clean about any undisclosed foreign bank accounts and file six years of returns, according to Scott Bowman, an attorney in the personal planning department at Proskauer Rose.

If a client is deemed a “covered expatriate,” he or she should then prepare to face an exit tax. This means the person's assets in the U.S. are treated as if they were all sold the day before expatriation, subjecting those holdings to a bevy of levies. There is an exclusion of $680,000 for 2014.

There is also a special inheritance tax of 40%, which is imposed on U.S. citizens who receive property from expatriates, noted Mr. Bowman. Think of it as an estate or gift tax in reverse — the person transferring the property has left the U.S., so the Tax Man will take his share from the recipient.

What's especially risky about the inheritance tax is that the property the expatriate passes on will likely continue to accumulate value even after he or she leaves. So at death, the U.S.-based recipient of the property could face a larger-than-anticipated tax bill, according to Mr. Alden.

Though leaving the country for good is far from affordable for wealthy clients, there is a tactic to help soften the blow of exit and inheritance taxes: Build a trust.

Mr. Bowman noted that these clients can sell their assets to an irrevocable trust, where they'll grow without being subject to an inheritance tax.

There are also pre-expatriation trusts, where U.S. citizens can take advantage of their $5.34 million estate and gift tax exemption while they still have i! t. Be awa! re that once a client renounces his or her citizenship, the estate and gift tax exemption goes down to $60,000.

“Before they expatriate, we have them fund trusts to use up every last penny of their estate and gift tax exemptions,” Mr. Bowman said. “At least you have set up those trusts and they're outside of the inheritance tax regime.”

Finally, family limited partnerships also can be an effective tax savings vehicle. Property placed in the family limited partnership can receive a lack of marketability and lack of control discounts, which will depress the value of the property for transfer tax purposes, according to Mr. Bowman.

“This is a basic, everyday transaction that domestic estate planners do in their sleep,” he said. “It's an awesome way to produce savings.”

Jobs, winter weather to test record stock levels

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — February job numbers and continued fallout from harsh winter weather over much of the country will have a big hand in deciding whether the recent recovery in stocks has legs to run further.

The S&P 500 Index (SPX)  finished the month up 4.3% to close at a record high of 1,859.53. The index is up 0.6% gain on the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)  finished February 4% higher, paring its loss on the year to 1.5%. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP)  finished up 5% for the month and is currently up 3.2% for the year.

Thursday will also mark the fifth anniversary of the current bull market. Back on March 6, 2009, the S&P 500 closed at of 683.38, its lowest level since the financial crisis began. With stocks poised to continue gains realized in 2013 following a setback early in 2014 from an emerging market scare, many strategists are not expecting a bullish break out but more reserved gains with higher volatility.

"There seems to be a consistent trend of investor complacency," said Belski. "We have to be careful after the market has gone up so much. The market desperately needs a rest and a reset."

A jump in short positions over the past two weeks as stocks have rallied suggests that some investors are concerned the bull market is looking long in the tooth as it approaches its fifth birthday with so-called momentum stocks figuring prominently.

Even large-cap stocks are not immune. While the percent of short-interest positions in large caps tends to be in the low single-digit-range of outstanding shares, several companies saw jumps of 20% or more in the number of shares shorted over the past two weeks.

Heavyweights in the S&P 500 such as Apple Inc. (AAPL) , Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)  , Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) , Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) , AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) , Honeywell Corp. (HON) , Priceline.com Inc. (PCLN) , DuPont (DD) , Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) , Monsanto Co. (MON) , and Starbucks Corp. (SBUX)  all saw a 20% or more jump in the number of short-interest positions in the past two weeks alone, according to FactSet data.

Exchange-traded funds following the S&P 500 and the Dow also saw a big jump with the number of shorts in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)  and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) both growing more than 8% over the past two weeks to 29% and 19% of outstanding shares, respectively.

An exercise in caution, as the market recovers from its pullback, is one big reason BMO's Belski is holding onto his S&P 500 target for 2014 of 1,900, just 2.2% shy of Friday's close.

It all comes down to jobs and the weather

Markets finished higher Friday after fourth-quarter GDP growth was scaled back as expected to 2.4% from its initial reading of 3.2%, with gains in the Chicago PMI, consumer sentiment, and pending home sales offsetting tensions in Ukraine.

Ruling out a situation that spirals out of control in Ukraine, the jobs number on Friday will be the biggest driver of where the market heads, along with how adverse winter weather is disrupting businesses and hiring.

"There's the expectation that jobs are going to get dinged by the weather," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG.

Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expect a slight rise in added jobs to 140,000, with national unemployment rate unchanged at 6.6%.

Harsh winter weather and how it affect the first quarter is likely going to remain with us for several more weeks, and might add a level of volatility to markets, Greenhaus said. By volatility, Greenhaus means where the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX)  is in the range of 15. In other words, where the VIX has averaged over the past three years, excluding the big surges from 2010 and 2011.

"Jobs are key to the entire thing, a strong number would diffuse the cold weather thing," Belski said.

Markets are already "priced to perfection" on the current rate of Federal Reserve tapering. That should hold barring a misstep in wording out of the Fed that could trigger a sell off, Belski said. Investors, however, have also become a little more comfortable with buying on the dips given that mini corrections are a part of most bull markets, he added.

"It's pretty clear that investors are comfortable with the notion of tapering but not with the longer-term vision of [Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet] Yellen," Belski said. "What if something changes? What then? Everyone is giving them so much credit that they can only misstep from here."

Other than that, the situation in the Ukraine could boil over, introducing volatility. After the market close on Friday, President Barack Obama warned Russia that any troop intervention in Ukraine would have a destabilizing effect. "It's never good when you have Russia flexing its muscles," Belski said.

Best Consumer Companies To Invest In 2015

Other data this week includes ISM manufacturing data on Monday, ISM service and ADP unemployment on Wednesday, and factory orders on Thursday.

Any one of those one-day data points has the potential to give markets a boost, Greenhaus said., but for the most part, stock levels are going to remain dictated by earnings, and how companies maneuver the first quarter leading up to the next earnings season.

With 97% of companies in the S&P 500 having reported this season, fourth-quarter earnings growth stands at 8.5% with revenue up 0.7%, according to John Butters, senior earnings analyst for FactSet. Negative outlook for the first quarter is still running high with 83% of companies providing an earnings forecast below the Wall Street consensus, but that less than the 88% from this time in the previous quarter.

Companies reporting quarterly earnings this week include AutoZone Inc. (AZO) , Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) , Kroeger Co. (KR)  , and Staples Inc. (SPLS)