by: Brian Noer
Commerce Department report states that construction spending was at an all time high in September, and that consumer spending is still strong.
POINT ROBERTS, WA. � November 3, 2005 - www.HomebuilderStocks.com, (HBS) a global investment news and research portal for the homebuilder sector, reports that the month of September saw the homebuilding sector hit another milestone. According to a Commerce Department report, construction spending in September reached an all time high of $1.12 trillion as homebuilders took advantage of low interest rates. While September�s interest rates were still low, analysts predict that the Federal Reserve will be hiking rates up to combat inflation concerns as energy prices rise. Even though rates look set to rise, the homebuilding sector is well positioned as many parts of the country need to be rebuilt following recent hurricane activity.
September�s record breaking construction spending followed gains of .6% in both July and August. In recent weeks homebuilder stocks took a hit due to an uncertain outlook on consumer spending, but the Commerce Department report also stated that consumer spending was still strong, which sent sector stocks on a rally. Also on Monday, Centex Corp. announced a share repurchase plan to buy back up to 5 million shares of its common stock. At market close Centex shares traded at $64.34, down 1% from Friday. The nation�s biggest homebuilder D.R. Horton (NYSE: DHI) announced earlier in October that orders for new homes rose nearly 26% in the last quarter.
HBS does not make stock recommendations but offers a unique free information portal for investors to explore news, articles, and recent research. The site is currently compensated by featured companies International Barrier Technology Inc. (IBTGF: OTCBB; IBH: TSXV) and Cyberlux Corporation (OTCBB: CYBL).
Our current list of public companies in the sector includes: Toll Brothers, Beazer Homes USA, Inc., Ryland Group, Brookfield Homes, Centex, Inc., Home Depot, Homestore, Inc., KB Home, Lennar Corporation, Lowe�s, Monterey Homes, Orleans Homebuilders, Inc., Pulte Homes and numerous others.
For the complete list, click here: http://www.homebuilderstocks.com/Companies/HomebuilderStocks/HomebuilderStockList.asp
Featured Companies:
International Barrier Technology Inc. (IBTGF: OTCBB; IBH: TSXV) develops, manufactures, and markets proprietary fire resistant building materials branded as Blazeguard�. Barrier�s award-winning Blazeguard� wood panels use a patented, non-toxic, non-combustible coating with an extraordinary capability: it releases water in the heat of fire. The panels exceed �model� building code requirements in every targeted fire test and application, and are unique in combining properties that increase panel strength and minimize environmental and human impact. Blazeguard� provides Barrier�s customers a premium material choice meeting an increasingly challenging combination of requirements in residential and commercial building construction. Blazeguard� customers include four of the five top homebuilders! www.intlbarrier.com - http://www.homebuilderstocks.com/Companies/IntlBarrier/Default.asp
Cyberlux Corporation (OTCBB: CYBL) has created breakthrough lighting technology that provides the most energy efficient and cost effective lighting solutions available today. Several products are designed to address emergencies such as power outages or critical security lighting needs and others which bring newly developed heatless light into the home for use in closets, cabinet interiors and under cabinet lighting for kitchen counters. Cyberlux uses solid-state semiconductors, trademarked as its diodal(tm) lighting elements, which consume 92 percent less energy than incandescent elements and perform for over 20 years in contrast to 750 hours for traditional bulbs. http://www.cyberlux.com/ - http://www.homebuilderstocks.com/CO/CYBL/Default.asp
The Insiders Corner
Read the exclusive InvestorIdeas.com Feature �The Insiders Corner,� a weekly feature by well-known financial writer and author Michael Brush. http://investorideas.com/insiderscorner/
Investor Incite Newsletter
InvestorIdeas.com free "Investor Incite" Newsletter consists of company and industry updates, investment research and developing trends in key areas such as Homeland Security, Renewable Energy, Nanotechnology and more.
TO SIGN UP, click here: www.InvestorIdeas.com/Resources/Newsletter.asp
ECON is a privately owned corporate communications company specializing in: media relations, investor relations, and research on public companies and industry sectors, for the investment community. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any specific products or securities. All investments involve risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results, therefore investigate before you invest! Although we attempt to research thoroughly, we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of any information presented. We encourage all investors to use our sites only as a resource to further their own research. The site is compensated by its "Featured Companies,� as outlined in our on-line disclaimer at www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp. HomebuilderStocks.com/ECON is compensated by Featured Companies: IBH and CYBL. IBH pays ECON a fee of Eight thousand seven hundred dollars per month, plus 100,000 stock options. Cyberlux Corporation - Four thousand dollars per month. Featured Company on HomelandDefenseStocks.com and HomebuilderStocks.com
SOURCE: www.HomebuilderStocks.com.
For more information contact:
Dawn Van Zant / Brian Noer
Toll free: 800-665-0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com or bnoer@investorideas.com
Web Site: http://www.InvestorIdeas.com
About the author:
HBS does not make stock recommendations but offers a unique free information portal for investors to explore news, articles, and recent research. The site is currently compensated by featured companies International Barrier Technology Inc. (IBTGF: OTCBB; IBH: TSXV) and Cyberlux Corporation (OTCBB: CYBL).
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Doing the Right Thing--Even When Her Job Was At Stake
by: Joe DiSabatino
Here�s a true story I�d like to share about doing the right thing�even when her job was at stake.
Her name is M. and she is an attorney who manages the legal department of an insurance company. As my coaching client I supported her through a really challenging ethical dilemma with her boss. She had finished giving her annual performance evaluations to her small team, two of whom received the highest marks. Their annual salary increments were based on these ratings.
M�s boss meanwhile was on a new track regarding performance evaluations. He felt that the trend in recent years was to for managers to be too generous. He wanted stricter accountability in certain areas and this meant lower ratings in general.
So he called her into his office one day and told her that he disagreed with one of the two highest ratings she had given. He wanted her to lower her evaluation for this individual.
M. genuinely respected her boss but felt that he was mistaken in this case. She really believed that the person to whom she had given the excellent rating deserved it. She thought it would be unfair and potentially very damaging to his morale and commitment to the job if his evaluation was lowered. So what to do?
M. had impressed me from the beginning of our coaching engagement with her deep connection to her spiritual values and how she tried to use them as guides in her work. She was nearing retirement age and was working on a Master�s degree in pastoral counseling, something she looked forward to doing at her church when her lawyer-ing days were over.
So after informing her boss that she didn�t want to change the evaluation rating of her direct report and why, he continued to pressure her to do just that. They had several conversations that didn�t create a win-win resolution.
We discussed her feelings, thoughts and options in a couple of coaching sessions. M. felt very strongly about her position and even concluded that, if push came to shove, she was willing to risk her job rather than back down on the issue. In fact, during one of our sessions, she was convinced her boss would fire her.
Fortunately for her, she was in a financial position where she could take an early retirement.
Would she have taken the same strong position on her value of fairness and honesty if she was at an earlier stage of her career? What if she had a young family to support�how would that have affected her willingness to compromise with her boss? Let�s face it, circumstances do play a role in how far we are willing to go to do the right thing. I guess everyone�s conscience operates differently, so there really isn�t any one �right� moral course of action in so many of the situations we face. We take everything into account�our values, our feelings, our needs, the needs of others who rely on us �and then we make the best ethical or moral decision we can. And that�s not always easy!
In a coaching session, we worked through the steps listed in the �Tips� section below. M. decided to stick to her guns and to let the chips fall where they may. Doing so had an interesting effect on her boss. He stopped trying to persuade her to lower the evaluation. Instead, he took full responsibility for his decision by lowering the evaluation himself and telling the employee that it was his decision. He prepared M. for what he was going to do and she had time to think it over before the three of them met together. She decided that, even though she disagreed with what he was doing, she could live with it as long as the employee knew where she stood.
During the meeting her boss took the high road and made it completely clear that the lowering of the evaluation was totally his choice and he gave M. the opportunity to state her position. The consequence of this was that her relationship with the employee remained solid and M. felt good about herself for taking a stand on one of her core values. Her respect for her boss increased because of the way he handled the situation in the end. The employee wasn�t happy, but his feelings were balanced out some by the show of integrity from both superiors, she found out later.
Notice how M.�s taking the moral high road influenced both her boss and her direct report to do the same. Instead of initiating a nasty grievance process or resigning, her employee dealt with his setback in-house rather than going outside for help or leaving.
This story strongly illustrates the ripple effect of putting trust and integrity principles into practice at a high level. When one person does this, it seems to turn on a light for others, and that�s really beautiful to behold. It�s so easy to take our cues from others, after all we�re social animals. But then someone comes along who takes their cues from somewhere else, from a place deep inside and we call that special place by so many different names. So when a courageous person does this, then we are all reminded that we have that place inside too, and we start to dare to live from there once again. I want to encourage you to be that courageous person.
If you are struggling with an ethical dilemma at work, and aren�t sure how to move forward, email or call me, and I�ll be glad to discuss the situation with you.
Tips for Doing the Right Thing When Facing a Tough Ethical Choice:
* Take your time. Before making a tough ethical decision at work, take the time to identify the core value you feel is in danger of being compromised in the situation.
* What are your needs? Once you identify your core value at play, clarify your needs in the situation. For instance, M. needed to act with fairness and honesty, to maintain her direct report�s high morale and commitment, and to continue her good working relationship with him.
* Look for the third alternative. What are your options for getting these needs met? This can be tricky, because if strong emotions come into play, which they often do, it�s human nature to narrow down our options to one or two courses of action, usually the ones at either extreme such as giving in or getting out. There may be a third alternative you just can�t see yet for meeting your integrity needs. In M�s case, the third alternative presented itself after she drew her line in the sand. I�ve seen that happen a lot. When you take a strong stand, the other person stops trying to change your thinking and changes their own instead.
* Wait and see. Sometimes, if possible, doing nothing is the best response to pressure to do something that feels unethical or against your conscience. The person applying the pressure just stops after a while, often because they regained their emotional balance.
About the author:
Joe DiSabatino helps leaders and organizations reach their goals by creating high-trust work environments. For more support and information about the importance of trust and integrity in business, visit: www.phoenixleadership.com
Here�s a true story I�d like to share about doing the right thing�even when her job was at stake.
Her name is M. and she is an attorney who manages the legal department of an insurance company. As my coaching client I supported her through a really challenging ethical dilemma with her boss. She had finished giving her annual performance evaluations to her small team, two of whom received the highest marks. Their annual salary increments were based on these ratings.
M�s boss meanwhile was on a new track regarding performance evaluations. He felt that the trend in recent years was to for managers to be too generous. He wanted stricter accountability in certain areas and this meant lower ratings in general.
So he called her into his office one day and told her that he disagreed with one of the two highest ratings she had given. He wanted her to lower her evaluation for this individual.
M. genuinely respected her boss but felt that he was mistaken in this case. She really believed that the person to whom she had given the excellent rating deserved it. She thought it would be unfair and potentially very damaging to his morale and commitment to the job if his evaluation was lowered. So what to do?
M. had impressed me from the beginning of our coaching engagement with her deep connection to her spiritual values and how she tried to use them as guides in her work. She was nearing retirement age and was working on a Master�s degree in pastoral counseling, something she looked forward to doing at her church when her lawyer-ing days were over.
So after informing her boss that she didn�t want to change the evaluation rating of her direct report and why, he continued to pressure her to do just that. They had several conversations that didn�t create a win-win resolution.
We discussed her feelings, thoughts and options in a couple of coaching sessions. M. felt very strongly about her position and even concluded that, if push came to shove, she was willing to risk her job rather than back down on the issue. In fact, during one of our sessions, she was convinced her boss would fire her.
Fortunately for her, she was in a financial position where she could take an early retirement.
Would she have taken the same strong position on her value of fairness and honesty if she was at an earlier stage of her career? What if she had a young family to support�how would that have affected her willingness to compromise with her boss? Let�s face it, circumstances do play a role in how far we are willing to go to do the right thing. I guess everyone�s conscience operates differently, so there really isn�t any one �right� moral course of action in so many of the situations we face. We take everything into account�our values, our feelings, our needs, the needs of others who rely on us �and then we make the best ethical or moral decision we can. And that�s not always easy!
In a coaching session, we worked through the steps listed in the �Tips� section below. M. decided to stick to her guns and to let the chips fall where they may. Doing so had an interesting effect on her boss. He stopped trying to persuade her to lower the evaluation. Instead, he took full responsibility for his decision by lowering the evaluation himself and telling the employee that it was his decision. He prepared M. for what he was going to do and she had time to think it over before the three of them met together. She decided that, even though she disagreed with what he was doing, she could live with it as long as the employee knew where she stood.
During the meeting her boss took the high road and made it completely clear that the lowering of the evaluation was totally his choice and he gave M. the opportunity to state her position. The consequence of this was that her relationship with the employee remained solid and M. felt good about herself for taking a stand on one of her core values. Her respect for her boss increased because of the way he handled the situation in the end. The employee wasn�t happy, but his feelings were balanced out some by the show of integrity from both superiors, she found out later.
Notice how M.�s taking the moral high road influenced both her boss and her direct report to do the same. Instead of initiating a nasty grievance process or resigning, her employee dealt with his setback in-house rather than going outside for help or leaving.
This story strongly illustrates the ripple effect of putting trust and integrity principles into practice at a high level. When one person does this, it seems to turn on a light for others, and that�s really beautiful to behold. It�s so easy to take our cues from others, after all we�re social animals. But then someone comes along who takes their cues from somewhere else, from a place deep inside and we call that special place by so many different names. So when a courageous person does this, then we are all reminded that we have that place inside too, and we start to dare to live from there once again. I want to encourage you to be that courageous person.
If you are struggling with an ethical dilemma at work, and aren�t sure how to move forward, email or call me, and I�ll be glad to discuss the situation with you.
Tips for Doing the Right Thing When Facing a Tough Ethical Choice:
* Take your time. Before making a tough ethical decision at work, take the time to identify the core value you feel is in danger of being compromised in the situation.
* What are your needs? Once you identify your core value at play, clarify your needs in the situation. For instance, M. needed to act with fairness and honesty, to maintain her direct report�s high morale and commitment, and to continue her good working relationship with him.
* Look for the third alternative. What are your options for getting these needs met? This can be tricky, because if strong emotions come into play, which they often do, it�s human nature to narrow down our options to one or two courses of action, usually the ones at either extreme such as giving in or getting out. There may be a third alternative you just can�t see yet for meeting your integrity needs. In M�s case, the third alternative presented itself after she drew her line in the sand. I�ve seen that happen a lot. When you take a strong stand, the other person stops trying to change your thinking and changes their own instead.
* Wait and see. Sometimes, if possible, doing nothing is the best response to pressure to do something that feels unethical or against your conscience. The person applying the pressure just stops after a while, often because they regained their emotional balance.
About the author:
Joe DiSabatino helps leaders and organizations reach their goals by creating high-trust work environments. For more support and information about the importance of trust and integrity in business, visit: www.phoenixleadership.com
Friday, September 23, 2011
�LOS FONDOS MUTUOS ENGANAN AL PUBLICO CON UNA TRAMPA DE IMPUESTOS OCULTOS!
by: Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D.
Una de las muchas formas de perder dinero en fondos mutuos no basados en �ndices es la trampa de los impuestos. �Podr�a tener que pagar impuestos hasta cuando su fondo mutuo pierde dinero! Para muchas personas esto se convierte en algo dolorosamente inesperado. As� es como sucede este comportamiento contra-intuitivo.
Si el administrador del fondo vende una acci�n por m�s de lo que le cost� comprarla, se genera una ganancia. A esta ganancia se le llama ganancia de capital y es tributable a impuestos. Las ganancias de capital son grabadas con una tasa de impuestos com�n, que est� entre el 28% y el 38.6% para la mayor�a de los inversionistas si el fondo mantuvo la acci�n por menos de un a�o. Si la acci�n se mantuvo por m�s de un a�o, en otras palabras a largo plazo, el impuesto es del 20%. Aunque por ley, los fondos mutuos no pagan impuestos, estos cargos se los pasan a usted, el accionista del fondo mutuo.
Hay un par de razones por la que los fondos mutuos pagan impuestos. Si el fondo tiene un bajo rendimiento los inversionistas se marchar�n. Los fondos mutuos tienen que vender acciones para pagar a los inversionistas que se marchan. Aunque usted no sea uno de los inversionistas que salta del barco, de todas formas tendr� que pagar su porci�n de los impuestos de las ganancias capitales.
Los dividendos son otra raz�n por la que hay impuestos. Los dividendos son grabados en la distribuci�n de ganancia por acci�n que las compa��as obtienen de sus ganancias trimestrales. Muchos inversionistas les piden a sus fondos mutuos que autom�ticamente reinviertan sus dividendos. Esto quiere decir que el fondo utiliza el dinero para comprar m�s acciones en su nombre. Aunque reinvierta y nunca vea ni un centavo de sus dividendos, estos est�n sujetos a impuestos, de acuerdo con Hacienda (el IRS).
Otra raz�n por la que quiz�s le llegue un recibo de impuestos se debe a una alta tasa de rotaci�n. La rotaci�n mide la frecuencia con la que un administrador compra y vende acciones, algunas veces en la b�squeda de la pr�xima acci�n de alto vuelo o acciones de bajo monto al borde de despegar. De acuerdo con Lipper (analistas de fondos mutuos), el fondo promedio en el 2000 mostr� una tasa de rotaci�n del 122%. Esto significa que la cartera entera cambi� entre enero y diciembre, y 22% de las acciones de reemplazo cambiaron tambi�n.
�Esta es la forma m�s com�n de timar a la gente! Simplemente tiene que entender que cuando invierte en un fondo est� comprando un impuesto a las ganancias. La mejor manera de evitar algunos de estos impuestos es restringir sus compras de fondos mutuos a su plan de jubilaci�n 401 (k) y tratar de comprar solo fondos mutuos basados en �ndices como lo es Vanguard 500 (VFINX).
About the author:
SOBRE EL AUTOR: El Dr. Brown puede ense�arle c�mo invertir por medio de su compa��a El Instituto de Riqueza Delano Max (The Delano Max Wealth Institute http://www.caminoalaabundancia.com). Suscr�base gratis a nuestra revista electr�nica de consejos financieros en http://www.abundanciafinanciera.com
Una de las muchas formas de perder dinero en fondos mutuos no basados en �ndices es la trampa de los impuestos. �Podr�a tener que pagar impuestos hasta cuando su fondo mutuo pierde dinero! Para muchas personas esto se convierte en algo dolorosamente inesperado. As� es como sucede este comportamiento contra-intuitivo.
Si el administrador del fondo vende una acci�n por m�s de lo que le cost� comprarla, se genera una ganancia. A esta ganancia se le llama ganancia de capital y es tributable a impuestos. Las ganancias de capital son grabadas con una tasa de impuestos com�n, que est� entre el 28% y el 38.6% para la mayor�a de los inversionistas si el fondo mantuvo la acci�n por menos de un a�o. Si la acci�n se mantuvo por m�s de un a�o, en otras palabras a largo plazo, el impuesto es del 20%. Aunque por ley, los fondos mutuos no pagan impuestos, estos cargos se los pasan a usted, el accionista del fondo mutuo.
Hay un par de razones por la que los fondos mutuos pagan impuestos. Si el fondo tiene un bajo rendimiento los inversionistas se marchar�n. Los fondos mutuos tienen que vender acciones para pagar a los inversionistas que se marchan. Aunque usted no sea uno de los inversionistas que salta del barco, de todas formas tendr� que pagar su porci�n de los impuestos de las ganancias capitales.
Los dividendos son otra raz�n por la que hay impuestos. Los dividendos son grabados en la distribuci�n de ganancia por acci�n que las compa��as obtienen de sus ganancias trimestrales. Muchos inversionistas les piden a sus fondos mutuos que autom�ticamente reinviertan sus dividendos. Esto quiere decir que el fondo utiliza el dinero para comprar m�s acciones en su nombre. Aunque reinvierta y nunca vea ni un centavo de sus dividendos, estos est�n sujetos a impuestos, de acuerdo con Hacienda (el IRS).
Otra raz�n por la que quiz�s le llegue un recibo de impuestos se debe a una alta tasa de rotaci�n. La rotaci�n mide la frecuencia con la que un administrador compra y vende acciones, algunas veces en la b�squeda de la pr�xima acci�n de alto vuelo o acciones de bajo monto al borde de despegar. De acuerdo con Lipper (analistas de fondos mutuos), el fondo promedio en el 2000 mostr� una tasa de rotaci�n del 122%. Esto significa que la cartera entera cambi� entre enero y diciembre, y 22% de las acciones de reemplazo cambiaron tambi�n.
�Esta es la forma m�s com�n de timar a la gente! Simplemente tiene que entender que cuando invierte en un fondo est� comprando un impuesto a las ganancias. La mejor manera de evitar algunos de estos impuestos es restringir sus compras de fondos mutuos a su plan de jubilaci�n 401 (k) y tratar de comprar solo fondos mutuos basados en �ndices como lo es Vanguard 500 (VFINX).
About the author:
SOBRE EL AUTOR: El Dr. Brown puede ense�arle c�mo invertir por medio de su compa��a El Instituto de Riqueza Delano Max (The Delano Max Wealth Institute http://www.caminoalaabundancia.com). Suscr�base gratis a nuestra revista electr�nica de consejos financieros en http://www.abundanciafinanciera.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)