It can be a road to riches, but one littered with failure

You know the economy is getting better when you begin hearing �buy a franchise� ads every day on the radio!

I�ve been taking notes. So far — just this week — I�ve heard spiels for these franchise types: Smoothies, men�s fitness, yogurt shops, men�s hair salons and hamburger joints.

So I thought I�d do a little research to find out the current state of the franchise industry.

First of all, let�s define franchising as essentially adopting someone else�s successful (or at least hyped as successful) business model. Franchising has grown tremendously — especially in good economies — as it is promoted as easier and less costly than building your own business.

You might be surprised to know — according to Wikipedia — that Isaac Singer, the fellow who improved sewing machines, began one of the first franchises in the U.S. in the 1850s. But it is said that franchising goes much further back — maybe as far as 200 B.C. in China.

As of 2011, Statista.com says there were some 735,571 franchises operating in the U.S. That�s pretty amazing, isn�t it? It sounds like a great idea — walking right into an already-successful business strategy. And you only have to look at the multimillionaire franchisees who were smart enough to sign on with McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) — whose franchises currently cost between $1.07 million and $1.89 million — when they began franchising, back in 1953; or the many who joined in with the following Top 5 American franchises — to see that, indeed, franchising can be the ticket to riches.

!

Franchise	Start-up Costs
Hampton Hotels	$3.75M-$13.11M
Subway	$84.8K-$258.8K
7-Eleven	$30. 8K-$611.1K
Servpro	$123.05K-$180.45K
Days Inn	$202.17K-$6.76M
Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500/index.html

And since the economy — as I�ve been saying for months — is definitely on the upswing, it�s no surprise to see new momentum in both business start-ups as well as the franchise world.

So far in 2012, here are the most popular new franchises:

Franchise	Business Type	Start-up Costs
No Mas Vello	Laser Hair Removal	$84.1K-$122K
Complete Nutrition	Weight Loss & Nutrition Products	$150K-$220K
Yogurtland Franchising Inc.	Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt	$329.8K-$615.6K
ShelfGenie Franchise Systems LLC	Custom Shelving & Accessories for Cabinets/Pantries	$70.1K-$125.25K
The Senior’s Choice Inc.	Assisted Living & Health Care Staffing Services	$54K-$71K
Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/rankings/topnew-115520/2012,-1.html

When I ran banks for a living, I often would see customers who wanted my advice (or the bank�s money) on buying a franchise. And it was just as true then as it is now that franchising riches are not guaranteed, and it�s sad but true, that �buyer beware� should be the first thought in a potential investor�s mind when considering a franchise.

That�s because franchise failure r! ates can be as high as 94%, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Here�s the SBA�s list of the Top 10 franchise failure rates, mid-2011:

Franchise	Failure Rate (%)
Wings-N-Things	94.12%
Tilden for Brakes Care Care Center	92.86%
Bear Rock Cafe	80%
Noble Roman Pizza	77.27%
Super Suppers	76.92%
Pro Golf	76.47%
La Paletera	75%
Steak Escape	75%
Executive Tans	74.47%
Golf Etc. of America	71%

Statistics show that by type of franchise, bagel stores — with a 23% failure rate — are the worst franchises, as a group, to own. They are followed by smoothie stores (23% failure rate), pet supplies and pizza restaurants (15%) and tanning salons (14%).

As to why the failure rate is so high, GlobalBX says the top five reasons are:

1. Ineffective parent company
2. Poor location
3. Too much competition
4. Lack of adequate marketing
5. Unrealistic goals

Consequently, should you be tempted to follow your dream of owning your own business by investing in a franchise, please make sure you do your homework and put your money to work in a business that has a strong potential for success. Franchising can be a tremendous path to that success, but only with the right idea and joining a company with a great track record.

As of this writing, Nancy Zambell did not hold a position in any of the aforementio! ned secu rities.

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Ford broke from a right triangle, reinforcing our target

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) — Analysts are projecting that Ford will strongly outperform the market over the next 6 to 12 months, based on three key factors: earnings strength, relative valuation and recent price movement.

Earnings per share increased from a loss of $3.69 to an estimated $1.52 over the past five quarters, indicating an improving growth rate.

On Oct. 4, Morgan Stanley analysts initiated an “overweight” on the stock with a 2011 earnings target of $1.89 per share.

Technically, Ford has been consolidating within a right triangle since April, with support at its 200-day moving average. �

Yesterday, the stock broke from the right triangle following two buy signals from our internal Collins-Bollinger Reversal (CBR) indicator and a new stochastic buy.

This breakout reinforces our target for Ford of $16 by year-end.

If you have questions or comments for Sam Collins, please e-mail him at samailc@cox.net.

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Bankers Life settles charges it ran unlicensed B-D operations

Bankers Life and Casualty Co. will pay $9.9 million to Maine and several other states in an agreement with securities regulators settling allegations that it participated in brokerage activities without the appropriate licensing.

The case dates back to 2005, when Bankers Life reached an agreement with Uvest Financial Inc. in which agents for the carrier who became registered representatives with Uvest would be allowed to provide advisory and brokerage services out of Bankers Life branches.

Under the agreement with the broker-dealer, Bankers Life participated in a number of securities-related activities, including working with Uvest to determine the compensation paid to the agents and to select the product offerings available to them. The carrier also was responsible for covering agents' training prep for Finra exams and paying for investment research materials in the branch offices.

Bankers Life pocketed 82% to 85% of the commissions Uvest received for the agents' securities activities, according to Maine state regulators, who received cooperation from the North American Securities Administrators Association in investigating the case.

The carrier reached a similar agreement with ProEquities, in which Bankers Life took as much as 91% of the revenue the broker-dealer had made from agents' securities sales.

Between 2005 and 2011, Bankers Life received $21 million from the firms, with $15 million going toward agents' compensation and $6 million going to the carrier, state officials claimed.

Judith Shaw, Maine's securities administrator and the lead regulator on the case, said that her department was tipped off to the situation at Bankers Life after an 82-year-old investor called to complain that a Bankers Life agent had suggested that she liquidate some investments to purchase an annuity.

Though the securities department was able to unwind the transaction, Maine regulators felt Bankers Life warranted a closer look. “When we went to Bankers Life's branch office and looked at ! its brok er-dealer operations, we realized that Bankers Life itself was engaged in unlicensed broker-dealer activity,” Ms. Shaw said.

The settlement also affects Bankers Life's Finra-registered broker-dealer, BLC Financial Services Inc. Although none of the agents involved was registered with it — they were with Uvest or ProEquities — the settlement requires BLC to withdraw its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission and terminate its relationship with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.

Ms. Shaw noted that it isn't unusual for broker-dealers to share office space with non-securities entities or to have insurance producers who are properly licensed for securities transactions.

In this case, however, Bankers Life received a “fair amount” of compensation for undertaking activities that would normally be handled by a broker-dealer, including assuring that agents took the appropriate Finra exams and covering the cost of prep courses, Ms. Shaw said.

“These are activities we'd expect to see from broker-dealers — not an insurer that wants to share commissions on certain sales,” she added.

The carrier also will pay $375,000 to reimburse the states for the cost of the investigation, $260,000 in past licensing and registration fees and $106,000 to cover the cost of state audits. It also agreed to a quiet period ending in March 2015, during which neither it nor BLC will engage in any securities activities.

“This joint investigation … demonstrates the ongoing value of states working together to benefit investors nationwide,” said Jack E. Herstein, NASAA president and assistant director of the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance.

State securities regulators also reached settlements with Uvest and ProEquities, with the former paying $750,000 and the latter agreeing to a payment of $435,000.

“The recent settlement agreement between NASAA and BLC Financial Services puts another legacy issue behind us,&#! 8221; sa id Bankers Life spokeswoman Barbara Ciesemier. “Bankers branches will continue to serve the needs of the marketplace through ProEquities-registered advisers who are co-located in our branches. The steps taken in this settlement should ensure additional clarity between the roles of agents and financial advisers.”

"Uvest fully cooperated with the NASAA task force and entered into a consent order for the sole purpose of avoiding protracted and expensive proceedings," said Michael Herley, a spokesman for LPL Financial LLC, which now owns the broker-dealer. "Uvest did not admit to any wrongdoing and there was no allegation of sales practice violations or customer harm against Uvest. The company is happy to put the matter to rest.”

“ProEquities fully cooperated with NASAA in its investigation of Bankers Life," said Mike Mungenast, president and CEO of the firm. "We are ready to move ahead and will continue to work with all regulatory bodies with a spirit of compliance for the good of our industry and the investors we serve.”

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Australian Government Grants: Penfolds Grange: A South Australian State Icon

There are names that can shake the world with one utter due to so much popularity, like Elvis; Madonna; iPod; Macbook, Brangelina, and David Beckham. But in Australia, there’s one name that even in the smallest regions can really stir up a discussion: Grange. Penfolds Grange produces the best Shiraz wines, Australia more preferred variety. When you buy Penfolds, it’s like taking precious stones and metals from the country. Having been developed in over 50 vintages, the wine brand is already a legend to the Aussies. As a matter of fact, the South Australian government already declared it a state icon. Why buy Penfolds Grange? Aussies say it’s freakishly and bloody good. And since the wine is a product of grapes harvested from a wine area, it’s composition is altered year after year; making each bottle even more interesting.

Additional items to note in regards to eligibility criteria includes: there is no limit to the number of homes that a person can claim under HCAP; there is no age limits for applicants of HCAP; there is no requirement for a purchaser to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident; and, applications are not restricted to natural persons.

In order to be eligible to submit a HCAP application agreements for the sale or transfer of a new home must be entered into after and including 1 July 2009 and before 1 January 2010.Agreements for the sale or transfer are generally considered to be eligible if the new home is complete and ready for occupation or if the agreement is for the sale or transfer of land on which the new Australian Government Grants home will be built before the completion of the sale or transfer, known as an off the plan purchase. There are further date restrictions that apply to off the plan agreements in order to determine eligibility.

According to new figures from a leading mortgage broker, Australian’s are feeling the effects of three consecutive interest rate increases and the paring back of federal government grants,! with de mand for home loans declining sharply during the month of January. According to Mortgage broker Loan Market Group it has seen approvals for mortgages drop by as much as 40 per cent, from its peak set in 2009, and that January was the quietest month it had seen since January 2006.

30 day pay day loan is a type of finance that is availed to meet the varied needs of day to day life. 30 day loan is regarded to be on top of all pay-day loan corporations. Many were trying to find such type of loan offers today. There are Australian Government Grants numerous firms offering these types of finances. These funds are borrowed until your next payday.

Learn more about Australian Government Grants.

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Financial Advisers Flunk Undercover Sting - SmartMoney.com

By now, you may have realized that you aren't always the most rational manager of your money. Chasing returns. Buying into bubbles. Selling into troughs. Keeping too much in cash or company stock. Heck, even if you keep a textbook, well-diversified portfolio of low-fee index funds, you've still probably felt tempted over the last month or so to buy Apple at $600. (You may turn out to be right in retrospect; that won't make it rational.)

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To keep yourself in check, perhaps you've turned to a financial adviser. The majority of retail investors have. If so, a new study posted this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research has some bad news for you: Financial advisers not only fail to curb investors' worst habits, they actually tend to reinforce them -- especially when those habits generate fees for the advisers.

The study, by Harvard economist Sendhil Mullainathan, Markus Noeth of the University of Hamburg and Antoinette Schoar of the MIT Sloan School of Management, looks at the behavior of typical investment advisers available to the general public through their banks, independent brokerages or investment advisory firms (focusing on the market for those with less than $500,000 to invest). These advisers are typically paid on the fees and commissions they generate by selling stocks, mutual funds, insurance products and the like.

To see what kind of advice was doled out by these advisers in real-life situations, the study's authors hired and trained actors to make nearly 300 visits to Boston-area financial advisers over a five-month pe! riod in 2008. The actors were assigned to one of four fictional investment portfolios: 1) a returns-chasing portfolio, filled with holdings in sectors that had over-performed in recent years; 2) a portfolio heavily invested in company stock; 3) a diversified, low-fee stock/bond portfolio, and 4) an all-cash portfolio.

So, when the actors came into these offices, what happened? Basically, the advisers advised the dummy clients to do a whole lot of things that were in the advisers' interests, while making some adjustments based on just how much they thought the clients could be persuaded to do.

Most strikingly, the advisers nudged people in low-cost index funds toward high-fee actively managed funds -- blatantly making their clients worse off. Presented with the index-fund portfolio, the advisers recommended a change in strategy more than 85% of the time. Meanwhile, advisers largely encouraged returns-chasers to keep chasing returns. And they tried to nudge cash-only and company-stock investors toward active management, too, though they seemed to take things a bit slower with these clients (apparently inferring that they had a lower tolerance for risk).

While the researchers expected that they might find "catering" behavior -- that is, advisers telling clients to stay on their current course to avoid alienating them -- they largely found that the advisers were willing to recommend big changes fairly quickly (after giving the clients' original strategies a polite reception in their initial reaction).

So, should investors ditch financial advisers entirely? "I wouldn't say that people shouldn't use financial advisers," says Ms. Schoar of MIT. Many people, without an adviser, are too timid to enter the market at all, which isn't good for the! ir finan cial health. The best advice in the experiment, she said, was given to those who came in without a strategy (that is, those with the cash-only portfolio). While the advice given to these clients wasn't perfect, it was relatively conservative and well-matched to a client's income, age, marital situation and perceived risk tolerance.

The most important thing, she said, was simply to understand how your financial adviser is getting paid. Some charge based on how much capital they're managing, and thus their incentives line up much better with their clients. Some even charge by the hour, which eliminates most conflicts of interest -- though it does leave the client with the vast majority of the work.

In the end, the quality of advice you get from a financial adviser is likely to be tied directly to your financial literacy -- and your willingness to hear advice that doesn't conform to your preconceptions. Individuals who are bad at making financial decisions might also be bad at picking advisers," says Ms. Schoar.

That certainly seems to be the case. A 2008 RAND study of investors' understanding of the roles of investment advisers and stock brokers found that investors have little understanding of how much responsibility either type of service provider has to them (advisers generally have a much greater duty to look out for their clients' interests) or of what types of fees they are paying. Nonetheless, the majority of investors were happy with their financial-service providers.

Just how bad is the gap between the quality of service and people's contentment? Well, despite the abysmal advice offered by the advisers surveyed in the Harvard-MIT study, the actors were willing to go back to 70% of the advisers they visited. This time with th! eir own money.

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PWRM, Power3 Medical Products, Inc. Files for 3 Patents on Blood Test for Diagnosis of Early Stage Breast Cancer

PWRM, Power 3 Medical Products Inc, PWRM.OB

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts!

Power3 Medical Products, Inc. Files for 3 Patents on Blood Test

for Diagnosis of Early Stage Breast Cancer

 

Monday August 31, 2009

Power3 Medical Products, Inc. Files for 3 Patents on Blood Test for Diagnosis of Early Stage Breast Cancer

Power3 Medical Products, Inc. (OTCBB:PWRM), (www.power3medical.com), announced recently that the company made significant advances in the technology for their BC-SeraPro� serum protein based blood test for diagnosis of early stage breast cancer, as disclosed in recent filings of three pending US utility patent applications.

�Roughly 200,000 women in the US and 1.2 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. In the US roughly 40,000 women die of the disease because the cancer is caught too late. In fact, nearly ��½ of all cancers are missed as false negatives and 75% of the biopsies of suspected breast cancer performed are false positive and therefore could have been avoided if there was a more accurate test that could be made readily available,� said Ira L. Goldknopf, Ph.D., president and chief scientific officer of Power3. �We now have made strides towards this goal through refinements in our blood test for early stage detect! ion of b reast cancer.�

As disclosed in the patent applications, Power3 has identified a group of 22 blood serum proteins with abnormal concentrations in women with breast cancer. Using the company�s BC-SeraPro platform, Power3 used these protein biomarkers to distinguish women with breast cancer from those with benign abnormal breast conditions and with normal breasts with sensitivities and specificities in the 80-90% range, in retrospective banked and prospective newly drawn samples from patients and controls. The biomarkers also distinguish between women with purely invasive primary breast cancer and women who also have ductal carcinoma in situ which is often missed in mammograms. In addition, following the �Principals of Omic Medicine� that Dr. Goldknopf is promoting at international scientific meetings in the US and China, the company has disclosed methods for making biomarker specific antibodies for development of a user friendly commercial test for breast cancer.

“We are enthusiastic about the increased value of BC-SeraPro with these 3 exemplary patent filings. Although we are striving to commercialize with our tests, we also recognize that this work has potential to alleviate much suffering,” commented Ms. Helen R. Park, CEO of Power3. “Thus we will be publishing our results in the near term.”

About Power3 Medical Products, Inc.:

Power3 Medical Products, Inc. (OTCBB:PWRM) (www.Power3Medical.com), is a leading Bio Medical company engaged in the commercialization of neurodegenerative disease and cancer biomarkers, pathways, and mechanisms of diseases through the development of diagnostic tests and drug targets. Power3’s patent-pending technologies are being used to develop screening and diagnostic tests for the early detection and prognosis of disease, identify protein biomarkers, and drug targets.

Power3 operates a state-of-the-art CLIA certified laboratory in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas. The C! ompany c ontinues to evolve and enhance its IP portfolio.

Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. With the exception of historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release involve risk and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

Helen R. Park, M.S., hpark@power3medical.com
Power3 Medical Products, Inc.
3400 Research Forest Drive
Suite B2-3
Woodlands, TX 77381
USA
Phone: 281-466-1600

Source: Power3 Medical Products, Inc.

Keep a close eye on PWRM today, do your homework, and like always BE READY for the ACTION!

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B&G Foods, Inc. Quarterly Earnings Growth Remained 73.44% with Positive YTD Performance - NYSE:BGS

B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE:BGS) recently hit 52 week peak price $14.62, opened at $14.34 dropped -0.35% closed $14.25. BGS traded on over 0.981 million shares in comparison to average volume of 0.257 million shares.

BGS has earnings of $19.44 million and made $507.08 million sales for the last 12 months. Its quarter to quarter sales remained 1.03%. The company has 47.64 million of outstanding shares and 46.76 million shares were floated in the market.

BGS has an insider ownership at 0.01% and institutional ownership remained 55.98%. Its return on investment (ROI) for the last 12 month was 2.46% as compare to its return on equity (ROE) of 8.62% for the last 12 months.

The price moved ahead +3.84% from the mean of 20 days, +4.65% from 50 and went up 21.41% from 200 days average price. Company�s performance for the week was 3.86%, +4.32% for month and yearly performance remained 55.40%.

Its price volatility for a month remained 1.73% whereas volatility for a week noted as 1.93% having beta of 1.19. Company�s price to sales ratio for last 12 months was 1.34 while its price to book ratio for the most recent quarter was 3.06 and its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) remained 112.43 million for the past twelve months.

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Top Being Old is Not Fun Tips!

A mate of mine, Stu, has an 82-year-old mother with dementia. She was lately ‘asked to leave’ her retirement village since her wants for care had been higher than what they could supply.

Thankfully, a saint living nearby in need to have of additional funds agreed to take his mother in and she now cares, cooks and looks immediately after her each have to have. But at a price. $200 per day may possibly not appear a great deal for what she does, but multiply that by seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, plus the sums turn out to be huge. Stu’s a wealthy man so it is not an awesome burden for him but what if he wasn’t? What then? What selections would he, her only child, have the ability to give his mother?

I hate to be the bearer of poor news, but 1 day, within the not too distant future for a lot of of us, we’ll be old too, possibly with high dependent requirements like Stu’s mother. The reality is (and also the government backs me on this) we require to take responsibility for our own retirement – and not just retirement but for our ‘golden years’ at the same time.

As you might have realized, life doesn’t get simpler as we get older but tougher. Significantly tougher. And becoming poor doesn’t support. How are you currently going to finance not just your retirement, but your golden years? If you are not old sufficient to be concerned about that however, possibly you may have a parent who’s quick approaching the age when they have to have additional care than you are able to give. If they cannot pay for that care, who will? You?

The government completely recognize this dilemma that is why they now offer you every person the likelihood to purchase property inside their very own self-managed super funds. They’ve acknowledged that the way super is going along with the huge exposure it faces from forces outside their manage mean that what was as soon as regarded as a ‘safe haven’ is now not necess! arily th e case. They’re encouraging everybody to make use of their super funds as a deposit to purchase property to ensure that they are able to use this type of wealth creation to beef up their retirement levels when the time comes.

Let’s face it. Can there be anything far more terrifying than reaching retirement only to discover you do not have adequate dollars to support you for the rest of your life? Getting old is no enjoyable. Getting old and poor (let alone sick) is downright petrifying. This does not need to occur to you. Take action now. Get some facts. Speak to an professional in property and they’ll show you how your retirement (plus the golden years) can turn into some thing to appear forward to, not dread.

Please visit our articles about ipaymu.com pembayaran online indonesia and tablet android honeycomb terbaik murah

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Vietnam 5-Year Bonds Rise on Rate-Cut Expectations; Dong Drops – Bloomberg

Vietnam 5-Year Bonds Rise on Rate-Cut Expectations; Dong Drops Bloomberg Vietnam's five-year bonds rose the most in almost two weeks on speculation slowing growth and easing inflation will trigger interest-rate cuts. The dong fell. Consumer prices advanced 14.15 percent in March from a year earlier, the least in a year, … and more »

{vietnam dong} – Forex News

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Trusted Domestic Cleaners Chichester

Have you ever been extremely busy for your work to clean your dear house? Have you ever felt worn out also hassled just because of cleaning the entire house and still not pleased with it? As we all know, it is very important to keep our house clean for all times. We wouldn’t want dirt and dust to dominate our place, now do we?

Cleaning is crucial as to what folks needs. Anywhere we are, no matter what we are doing, we constantly want to have a place completely clean. In work, it would be bothersome to find tons of scratch papers scattered all over the floor. In our homes, discovering thick dust would basically cost our family’s health. It’s definitely hard for someone who can’t easily trust or who can’t easily spend money to search for housekeepers with good qualities. So, if you’re from or near to Chichester, West Sussex UK, and you definitely are tired of working yourself out, in that case, domestic cleaners Chichester is best for you.

You don’t need to chase for low-paid housekeepers which you can trust simply to do the cleaning task for you. Domestic cleaners in Chichester are there and all set to serve you anytime, anywhere in Chichester. You would be confident of their extreme quality services for your house. Annoying you is surely and definitely is not one of their services’ goals. These domestic cleaners can be trusted and the ones that you can fully depend when it comes to cleaning your property.

Each single corner, from the floor to the walls, from bedrooms to comfort rooms, from living room to kitchen – all would be spotless clean. They hand you these types of services since you deserve it. Understanding that their customer has been on work all day and tired to do more of the cleaning, they make sure to relieve your stress by putting a big smile on your face with the job they had done well just for you. With this, they can notch your trust and you can earn theirs to.

If ever you’re tired of the numerous work! s you 217;ve done for the day, domestic cleaners Chichester is regularly there for you. You can quickly call them to clean for you in that instant or by week, monthly, occasionally, or throughout weekdays. Whatever date of the day that is, spotless quality cleaning is presented to you. Now, with their help, you don’t need to worry about severe cleaning in your dusty home.

Apart from cleaning the house, you can do more what you want and spend more time and effort on those folks you love. All these are doable when you get service of domestic cleaners. They preserve the cleanliness and beauty in your residence with their dependable services.

Domestic cleaners in Chichester will not only center their attention in cleaning various parts in your house, but they will also clean the yard, garden , construction, poll and more. With their truthful services, you’ll actually feel free to do everything you like with a reduced amount of hassle, understanding that there are trusted services doing their duty properly and orderly.

Of course, you can clean the house by yourself, but when you feel tired doing all the house cleaning jobs, domestic cleaners Chichester will be prepared to do the work. Leave your doubts behind when it comes to them. For someone who works hard like you, being relaxed with problem-free life won’t hurt.

Are you seeking something that would cater to your household work so easily and quickly? Why don’t you try domestic cleaners chichester and find out about their fantastic performance. Visit http://www.task-angels.co.uk/ to know more about their offers like domestic cleaning chichester.

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Is Johnson Controls' Growth for Real?

Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI  ) carries $7.9 billion of goodwill and other intangibles on its balance sheet. Sometimes goodwill, especially when it's excessive, can foreshadow problems down the road. Could this be the case with Johnson Controls?

Before we answer that, let's look at what could go wrong.

AOL blows up
In early 2002, AOL Time Warner was trading for $66.27 per share.

It had $209 billion of assets on its balance sheet, and $128 billion of that was in the form of goodwill and other intangible assets. Goodwill is simply the difference between the price paid for a company during an acquisition and the net assets of the acquired company. The $128 billion of goodwill in this case was created when AOL and Time Warner merged in 2000.

The problem with inflating your net assets with goodwill is that it can -- being intangible after all -- go away if the acquisition or merger doesn't create the amount of value that was expected. That's what happened in AOL Time Warner's case. It had to write off most of the goodwill over the next few months, and one year later that line item had shrunk to $37 billion. Investors punished the stock along the way, sending it down to $27.04 -- or nearly a 60% loss.

In his fine book It's Earnings That Count, Hewitt Heiserman explains the AOL situation and how two simple metrics can help minimize your risk of owning a company that may blow up like this. Let's see how Johnson Controls holds up using his two metrics.

Intangible assets ratio
This ratio shows us the percentage of total assets made up by goodwill and other intangibles. Heiserman says he views anything over 20% as worrisome, "because management might be overpaying for the acquisition or acquisitions that gave rise to the goodwill."

Johnson Controls has an intangible assets ratio of 27%.

This is not so far over Heiserman's threshold as to cause panic, but you'll ! want to keep an eye on this number over the next few quarters. It's also useful to compare it to tangible book value, which I explain below.

Tangible book value
Tangible book value is simply what remains after subtracting goodwill and other intangibles from shareholders' equity. If this is not a positive value, Heiserman advises you to run away because such companies may "lack the balance sheet muscle to protect themselves in a recession or from better-financed competitors."

Johnson Controls' tangible book value is $3.2 billion, so no yellow flags here.

Foolish bottom line
If you own Johnson Controls, or any other company that fails one of these checks, make sure you understand the business model and management's objectives. You can never base an entire investment thesis on one or two metrics, but there is a yellow flag here. I'll help you keep a close eye on these ratios over the next few quarters by updating them soon after each earnings report.

Keep up with Johnson Controls, including news and analysis as it's published, by adding the company to your free, personalized watchlist.

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OmniVision: Baird Sees Share Loss In iPhone 4S, JP Morgan Defends

Shares of camera sensor maker OmniVision Technologies (OVTI) are struggling today, amidst speculation the company has lost share to Sony (SNE) in the latest version of Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone, the “4S,” introduced on Tuesday.

The stock is down $1.07, to 6.3%, at $15.97.

In a note published this morning, R.W. Baird’s Tristan Gerra, who has a Neutral rating on OVTI, writes that his “field research” suggests the company has lost some share to Sony in the 4S, citing anecdotal evidence that the Sony part matches the phone’s specs.

“Various websites report these Sony Ericsson smartphones feature a Sony image sensor of the exact size as for the iPhone 4S (3264×2448),” he writes, adding, “Additionally, image sensor makers typically customize their sensors specifically for Apple without necessarily releasing the specs.”

Gerra thinks, too, that the company’s fiscal Q2 forecast offered in August corroborates his suspicion, as the forecast couldn’t possibly have been as bad as it was if OmniVision had won 100% of Apple’s contract for the iPhone 4S. Ergo, they must have lost some share.

But JP Morgan’s Paul Coster comes to the stock’s defense, reiterating an Overweight rating in a note to clients.

Coster notes Apple describes an a larger “active array size” to the iPhone’s sensor. That, he suggests, implies the phone uses OmniVision’s “OVT8830 CIS” chip.

“The iPhone 4s sensor active array was announced to be 3264 by 2448, which is an exact match for the Omnivision OVT8830 first-generation BSI image sensor,” writes Coster.

“We note that Sony’s IMX105PQ 8MPx chip has a 3288 by 2472 array.”

Coster has not gotten confirmation from OmniVision management,! and not es the company has been reluctant to disclose customer deals in past. Still, he advises buying OVTI shares on weakness today. That forecast prompted hand-wringing over OmniVision’s relationship with Apple, and so in a sense, today’s debate is an update on the debate that took place in August.

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CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc. (OTC BB: CSRH) Providing Government Agencies a Streamlined Benefits Payment Solution

CSRH, Consorteum Holdings Inc, CSRH.OB

DrStockPick Stock Report!

DrStockPick News Report!

Consorteum Holdings Inc. (OTC BB: CSRH) Providing Government Agencies

a Streamlined Benefits Payment Solution.

 

DrStockPick Stock Report!

Tuesday September 8, 2009

Consorteum Holdings Inc. (OTC BB: CSRH) Providing Government Agencies a Streamlined Benefits Payment Solution.

-Social Security may be more secure than ever-

Prepaid benefit cards have been developed to allow federal, state, municipal, and provincial governments to deposit Social Assistance and other government Benefit payments directly onto a prepaid card instead of issuing millions of manual checks.

These cards provide recipients, (many of whom are �unbanked� or �underbanked�) which comprise approximately 30 million of us, with immediate access to their social assistance payments. These unbanked recipients are swelling in numbers as the economy continues to slide.

Upon enrolment into the program, individuals will receive a personalized, re-loadable prepaid social assistance/benefits card. Each payment period, the recipient�s funds are automatically deposited into their individual card account.

Cardholders will be able to use their card, to access money, at any participating AT! M (Autom atic Teller Machine), pay for purchases at retail locations, or pay bills online.

Benefits cards are often issued under one of the major card association brands (Visa/MasterCard) and are welcome everywhere credit cards are accepted, worldwide.

Consorteum Holdings Inc. (OTC BB: CSRH) generates residual monthly revenues by charging the end user monthly account fee, transaction fees and other fees based on usage of the card. Because the card is reloaded on an ongoing basis with the benefits payment, Consorteum will be assured long-term repeat revenues.

Quent Rickerby, President & COO of Consorteum Holdings Inc., stated, �Consorteum generates recurring transactional revenues on every program we implement. By maintaining full control of all products and services launched, Consorteum is enabled to increase its revenue opportunity by an additional 10 to 15 percent.�

Mr. Rickerby added, �All of our programs establish a direct long-term relationship with our customers by providing them robust, secure and reliable solutions. Consorteum will continue to expand our list of new and innovative products and services to our customer base that will drive increased revenues for the company.�

For more information on Consorteum Holdings, Inc. visit: www.consorteum.com

Contact:

Consorteum Holdings Inc.

2900 John Street, Suite 202,
Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 5G3

Telephone: +1 866 824 8854

investors@consorteum.com

Keep a close eye on CSRH, do your homework, and like always BE READY for the ACTION!

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Furniture maker lands coveted spot at State of the Union

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Bruce Cochrane relaunched his family's furniture company in Lincolnton, N.C., last year, because he wanted to create jobs for Americans instead of setting up shop in China to take advantage of the cheaper labor.

The move caught the eye of the White House and soon Cochrane was accepting an invitation to sit next to the First Lady during President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday.

"It is an honor," said Cochrane.

But Cochrane said his decision to start a manufacturing company in the United States has been full of challenges, and Obama needs to know that.

"There's plenty of people who want to do what I'm doing right now, but it doesn't take long for them to give up," said Cochrane. "They don't have access to capital. They can't borrow the money they need to bring jobs back to America."

Cochrane interrupted years of business consulting in Asia to reopen a furniture factory his family once owned in the Smokey Mountains. But acquiring capital became a nightmare. He said dozens of banks turned him away and few deep-pocketed investors could be found.

State of the Union: 4 things to look for

He eventually hit pay dirt, by getting a $3.3 million equipment loan from a community bank and close to $1.5 million in funds from a small group of investors and business partners. He opened in February. Still, he couldn't pay his workers until July. And the need for work in this small city of 10,486 just outside Charlotte was extreme. Cochrane said 1,300 people applied for his company's 130 jobs.

Cochrane, 59, faults a banking system that is too hesitant when it comes to lending to small business.

"I'd like for him to say, 'Look, we've got to get common sense back into banking again.' There's no common sense in banking anymore. I don't know what the best approach would be. We had a mortgage debacle that begged for regulation. But what was done is not working," he said before the spee! ch.

< h2>Small business to candidates: What about us?

Cochrane said he supports the president's recently announced plan to seek Congressional permission to consolidate several departments, including the Small Business Administration.

Cochrane knows first hand how important jobs are to stricken towns like Lincolnton. When he first opened the factory, he offered a jobless father a position there. The man "started crying in front of me," said Cochrane. "And it was pretty emotional."

And during the summer, he said workers cheered when the first piece of furniture - a solid cherry nightstand with three drawers and smooth English dovetail joints - rolled off the line. 

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How Day Trading Programs Simplified Trading Process

If you are interested in the stock market, you have surely spent some time perusing over the business section of the newspaper. You probably also watch several of the business programs on cable news channels. Surely, this must motivate you to get out there and start investing in the market.

Maybe the thought of being in day trading excites you to check out the possibilities. Although, the nature of the stock market being rough and ruthless may put you off just a little. Moreover, getting into the stock market also requires a lot of hard work and research on your part to be done the right way. At least it did at one time. In today’s world however, day trading programs have simplified this process a lot.

What the day trading program does is it processes all the necessary technical stock analysis information needed to make informed day trades. Now, some may wonder why there even is a need for such a trading software program. As previously mentioned, the sheer vastness of the stock market and that various components make day trading buy and sell decisions very difficult.

When such decisions are made without careful consideration to all the factors involved, the ability to succeed is compromised. This does not mean it is impossible to make decent day trades on the stock market without the program, but it does mean such trades will be more speculative in nature.

It is a sad but true fact, that around 95% of those day trading in the stock market lose their money. There are many reasons that play a part in that sobering fact. Probably the most obvious and common would be that that most people base their trades on the many facets of the market instead of looking at crucial and clear analytical information pertaining to the market.

Really, it is not smart to dive head into the stock market without having some clear and helpful information that will help you make the best choices that will lead you to make money. This is the main reason w! hy day t rading software is so valuable to many.

The day trading program is one of the better software programs on the market and that is why it is receiving such high marks from those that use it. How does this program work? The program scans the stock market for the presence of trading patterns. From this, it is able to make quality recommendations on the top trades to take.

Also, the program can be modified so that it makes trading decisions automatically. Clearly, this can take a huge weight of the shoulders of a trader that understand what he/she wants and put all the work onto a reliable day trading software programs. Best of all, this is but one of the programs many benefits as it is a system packed with great features.

When you are partaking in day trading be sure to rely on facts and information rather than guesses or intuition. This is the reason why these programs are very helpful. They simply remove guessing from process.

Are you tired of scraping by at your day job? Why not get into the stock trading and make some money the easy way… with the guidance of artificial intelligence! Learn more about how to make money trading now. You can also check trading for a living info.

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Netflix Isn't as Stupid as You Think

Has there ever been a domain name purchase as worrying as Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX  ) recently securing the DVD.com address?

We don't know how much the video-service giant had to shell out for that juicy piece of dot-com real estate. All we have is Domain Name Wire unearthing the change in registration on Friday and Netflix confirming the new ownership of DVD.com.

Naturally there's a fair degree of speculation taking place far outside of CEO Reed Hastings' noggin. Some fear that Netflix is about to repeat its Qwikster mistake, shuttling off disc-based plan members to DVD.com so it can concentrate on making Netflix.com entirely about Net flicks.

It's not just harmless conjecture; Netflix shares are trading lower in an otherwise buoyant market today.

The ghost of Qwikster strikes again!

The DVD is dead -- long live DVD.com
Netflix isn't suddenly a fresh believer in the future of optical discs. With every passing quarter, you see Netflix embracing digital delivery harder as it softens the promotion of its disc-based plans.

Whether it's the marketing shift to digital or simply couch potatoes dictating the evolutionary move, disc-based renters are bidding adieu to Netflix. The company lost 2.7 million of its 13.9 million DVD customers during the last three months of the year, and the number of movie buffs who are still receiving red envelopes in the mail will continue to shrink.

"We expect DVD plans to decline every quarter," Hastings mentioned during the company's fourth-quarter conference call. "Forever."

Now, "forever" is a long time, even for a company that has had a few change-of-heart moments lately.

This certainly wouldn't seem to be a business in which Netflix would invest six figures (if not seven figures) for a valuable DVD.com domain -- unless it had a master plan.

And why DVD.com? Aren't most of the people in the market for an optical disc player trading up to Bl! u-ray? M aybe Netflix should have bought Betamax.com, LaserDisc.com, or VHS.com while it was on this retro shopping spree.

Instead of planning to shuttle DVD plan subscribers to a dedicated domain, what if Netflix is actually about to ramp up its disc-based promotional efforts?

Fade to black
The problem with a declining model isn't just the cascading revenue and cash flow that result from the slide. Let's take a closer look at the DVD portion of the Netflix model itself.

In times of growth, Netflix could just order up a ton of new releases. Over time, some discs get scratched or go missing, but counting on a larger base of members down the line means healthy demand even for older movies.

What happens when the audiences are shrinking? Netflix will have to sell more discs after the first few months of brisk demand. Why can't DVD.com be a hub for Netflix as it gears up to sell a lot more of its pre-owned disc-based inventory than it used to?

There is still a market for DVDs at the right price. DISH Network's (Nasdaq: DISH  ) Blockbuster may be closing down stores, but Coinstar's (Nasdaq: CSTR  ) Redbox is still booming.

Redbox saw its revenue soar 40% in its latest quarter, and the company proudly announced last month that it has now rented out more than 2 billion discs. It even bought out the Blockbuster Express kiosk business, though that may just be a shrewd move to rub out its nearest rival in this niche that everybody else seems to be avoiding.

The DVD isn't going away without a fight, and even in Netflix's case I think that DVD subscriber bloodletting will begin to shrink. After all, nearly everything is on optical disc. If I asked you to name the 10 retail releases that you wanted to see the most right now, it'd be a surprise if even one of them was in Netflix's digital catalog.

Until Netflix introduces pay-per-view pricing on the! movies that aren't available in its digital smorgasbord, it can't get rid of DVDs altogether.

Wait. What did I just say?

A better way
Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN  ) and Blockbuster now offer piecemeal rentals digitally of new releases as well as unlimited streaming of limited libraries. Netflix only offers one of those two services, though its digital vault for unlimited streaming is much larger than Amazon's 17,000 titles. Blockbuster only offers its unlimited streaming service to DISH Network satellite customers.

Netflix can definitely make some serious waves here. It already has 21.7 million domestic streaming customers -- and nearly 1.9 million more overseas -- that are paying for Netflix streams. If Netflix can also offer up newer releases or popular older titles digitally at attractive per-rental prices, will Netflix even care about its DVD customers? There will be fewer reasons for streaming customers to keep forcing Netflix into round-trip mailing costs, freeing the company to spin the service off as DVD.com.

Then again, that's the only way that I can see Netflix pulling off a split between DVD and streaming customers without bringing on another Qwikster crash.

We'll have to see Netflix's master plan here. It's not saying enough now, but Netflix was always smarter than last year's poorly received moves.

Give Netflix time to think things through -- and I'm sure it has -- and it will come to the best business conclusion.

Stream on
Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner has been a fan of Netflix as a disruptor for nearly a decade, but there's a new rule-breaking multibagger that's getting him excited these days. Learn more in a free report that you can check out right now.

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ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Shares Surge on Agreement with University of Pittsburg (IMUC)

Shares of ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd. (OTC: IMUC), a Los Angeles-based clinical-stage company engaged in the development of immune-based for the treatment of brain and other cancers, surged in Thursday�s trading session after the company announced that it entered into an agreement with University of Pittsburg.�

ImmunoCellular shares rose to a new 52-week high of $3.22 on Thursday before finishing the day 12.14% higher at $3.14 on above average volume of 660,202.�

Under the terms of the agreement, University of Pittsburg has licensed to IMUC intellectual property surrounding EphA2, a tyrosine kinase receptor that is highly expressed by ovarian cancer and other advanced and metastatic malignancies. IMUC has been granted a worldwide exclusive license to the university�s intellectual property for ovarian and pancreatic cancers and worldwide non-exclusive license to the university�s intellectual property for brain cancer.�

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics plans to use the intellectual property in the development and commercialization of its ICT-140, which is a multivalent, dendritic cell-based vaccine for the treatment of ovarian cancer. ICT-140 has been designed to target cancer stem-cells as well as daughter cells in ovarian cancer by targeting multiple different antigens, including EphA2, mesothelin, Her-2/neu, IL-12Ra2 and several other undisclosed antigens.

Dr. Manish Singh, Ph.D., President and CEO of ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, said that experimental data have indicated that EphA2 holds significant promise as an immunotherapeutic target, specifically for dendritic cell-based vaccines such as ICT-140. Dr. Singh said that IMUC plans file an Investigative New Drug application for ICT-140 in the fourth quarter of 2012.�

He added that while further research is necessary to identify the therapeutic value of EphA2, IMUC�s decision to license it reflects its det! erminati on to develop a novel vaccine that harnesses the patient�s native immune system to precisely and comprehensively target multiple antigens associated with ovarian cancer.�

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Google demands payment through Google Wallet for its conference

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- If you want to attend Google's annual developer conference, Google I/O, you'd better be prepared to use the company's technology to secure a spot.

When it opened registration on Tuesday, Google required potential attendees to use a Google+ account and pay the $900 general admission fee using Google Wallet, the company's new -- and not exactly widely adopted -- payment system.

It's a mandate that drew criticism from some in the tech realm. In a blog post titled "Why I'm letting my Google IO Invitation expire," entrepreneur Jeffrey Zeldman blasted the obstacles involved in signing up.

Google itself acknowledged the potential hurdles."In case your bank declines your purchase through Google Wallet, you may need to call the bank that issued your credit card and let them know that you want to make a large purchase," the company wrote in an email to potential attendees.

Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) spokeswoman Elizabeth Markman defended the Google Wallet requirement, saying it was intended to speed things up.

"Because you can configure information ahead of time, we used Wallet to expedite the registration process," she said, noting that it's not the first time Google required registrants to use its own tech services. It required Google Checkout, the predecessor to Google Wallet, for Google I/O registration in 2011.

Google Wallet is intended to be a phone-based payment system, but right now it's only available on a small number of Sprint phones. A Web version has a broader potential audience, but even there, the service not available yet in some countries. To register for Google I/O, people in those countries had to call or email Google for assistance.

"The number there was minimal," Markman said.

It may have been a hassle, but the Google Wallet requirement clearly wasn't a dealbreaker. The conference sold out in 20 minutes, Google executive Vic Gundotra announced on Google+. The gathering will t! ake plac e in late June in San Francisco.  

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Lorry Rental – How To Pack And Transport Your Belongings

Changing addresses can be taxing. Aside from all the documents you need to update, you also have to pack and transport your belongings.

Thankfully, lorry rental addresses the transporting part. Yet, before transferring your properties to your new home, you must first pack them. Unless you’re a pro when it comes to packing, it can actually be challenging. To make it easier, sort your belongings first. Decide which belongings you’d be bringing to your new abode. Set them aside. Trade, give away or discard belongings you don’t need.

Then, pack the things you’re taking with you. Make sure you keep essential files and valuables in waterproof, secure bags. fragile objects should be properly wrapped. Label your bags. Likewise, remember how many bags you have and the stuff inside them. This will make it faster for you to see them later on.

The next step is the easy part especially if you call a lorry rental company. Except if you prefer to go back and forth from your current to your new flat, you must use a large automobile for transferring your things. Big automobiles not only transport all your belongings at the same time but are also appropriate for transferring big objects like couches and cabinets.

The lorry is one kind of vehicle you could utilize. They come in several sizes: small to large. Naturally, your decision would depend on the number and weight of your stuff. If you have a lot of the large things like couches, cabinets and tables, it’ll be wise to use a Toyota Dyna or Isuzu NHR, also classified as large lorries.

Don’t let the packing and transporting of your stuff dampen your excitement because you have the power to make it easier. With lorry rental, you can kiss your worries about the big move adieu!

Click for further information on car for rent or Automobile for rent.. This article, Lorry Rental – How To Pack And Transport Your Belongings is available for free reprint.

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Stocks and Bonds: Mind the Gap

Last week was the worst Thanksgiving week for stocks since 1932. Treasury bonds, meanwhile, continued their surge to near record highs. Combine the two, and the gap between the earnings yield on the S&P 500 and 10-year bonds is now about as wide as it's been in a half-century:

Sources: Yale University and author's calculations.

This divergence is extraordinary. In the late 1990s, bonds yielded 3% more than stocks. Today, stocks out-yield bonds by 5.5%.

There is a good debate over what these numbers actually mean. History is clear on one thing: The gap between stocks and bonds doesn't offer much clarity on the future performance of either asset. The gap was virtually the same in 1990 as it was in 2000, yet the former was the beginning of one of the best decades for stocks in history, the latter one of the worst.

It does, however, seem to give insight on the relative future performance between stocks and bonds. When the gap was this wide in the mid-1970s, the ensuing years weren't great for stocks, but they were particularly awful for bonds. When the spread went strongly negative in the 1980s, it marked the beginning of a great period for stocks, but a record-breaking one for bonds. As my colleague Matt Koppenheffer recently noted, bonds have actually outperformed stocks over the last 30 years.

The indicator isn't perfect, but it gives logical ammunition to an argument that seems obvious to contrarian investors: Given the current gulf in yields, stocks are highly likely to outperform bonds over the coming years.

That shouldn't be surprising. When someone is willing to buy a 10-year Treasury bond yielding 1.9% while shares of Intel (Nasdaq: INTC  ) or Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ  ) have dividend yields nearly twice a! s high a nd growing every year, their message is clear: I give up. Volatility has become so terrorizing that investors are willing to leave a tremendous amount of return on the table in order to avoid the ever-growing ups and downs of the stock market. The odds that stocks will return more than bonds over long periods of time when that mentality exists are high -- certainly worth betting on. Few, however, are making that bet. Investors have poured $145 billion into bond funds this year, while pulling $30 billion out of stock funds.

The trade-off between the two assets ultimately comes down to your time frame. How long do you have to invest? If you're near retirement or funding an education, stock volatility may indeed make bonds the better bet. But if you have more than a few years, as most investors do, there is little reason to favor bonds over stocks at current prices. Moreover, plenty of companies -- particularly large, established global names such as Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG  ) and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL  ) -- look cheap not only relatively to bonds, but in absolute terms. The volatility that has pushed investors from stocks into bonds has created dislocations, and wherever there's dislocation, there's opportunity -- particularly for those with patience. A recent study by two Columbia University professors put it best: "The turmoil we have seen in the capital markets over the last decade has increased the competitive advantage of a long investment horizon."

If you're looking for more stocks our analysts consider good buys at current prices, check out The Motley Fool's special report, "Secure Your Future With 11 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks." It's free. Just click here.

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Best Healthcare Stocks 2012

China has been a hot bed for investors for a few years now, and most of the easy money seems to have been made. In fact, investors who bought into the China 25 Index (FXI) in Oct 2004 are up over 100% in 30 months.

 

Since my last analysisof the China opportunity last December, FXI is up 20% in 6 months - a stellar performance. But investors that are finally opening up to China or those that have taken profits along the way might wonder which companies to invest in. After all, it seems like there are new China stocks and ADR's sprouting up every time you look. Here are some stocks that I believe are sound Chinese investments that I believe will outperform the overall market over the next 12 months.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:Tenet Healthcare Corporation (THC)

 Tenet Healthcare Corporation, an investor-owned health care services company, operates acute care hospitals and related health care facilities. The company?s general hospitals offer acute care services, operating and recovery rooms, radiology services, respiratory therapy services, clinical laboratories, and pharmacies. It also provides intensive care, critical care and/or coronary care units, physical therapy; and orthopedic, oncology, and outpatient services; tertiary care services, such as open-heart surgery, neonatal intensive care, and neuroscience; quaternary care in areas, including heart, liver, kidney, and bone marrow transplants for children; gamma-knife brain surgery; and cyberknife surgery for tumors and lesions in the brain, lung, neck, and spine. As of June 30, 2011, it operated 49 acute care hospitals, and a critical access hospital with a combined total of 13,420 licensed beds primarily serving urban and suburban communities in 11 states of the United States. The company also owns an interest in a health maintenance organization and operate various related health care facilities, including a long-term acute care hospital and various medical office buildings; revenue cycle management and patient communications services businesses; physician practices; captive insurance companies; and other ancillary health care businesses, such as including ambulatory surgery centers, diagnostic imaging centers, and occupational and rural health care clinics. In addition, Tenet Healthcare Corporation owns an interest in a management services subsidiary that provides network development, utilization management, claims processing, and contract negotiation services to physician organizations and hospitals that assume managed care risk. Tenet Healthcare Corporation was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• By Sam Collins At 2011-9-11

  Health care services company Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC ) ope! rates 50 general hospitals and a critical access hospital serving urban and rural communities in 12 states. It was recently listed by CNBC as No. 3 on its list of "20 Stocks With the Potential to Pop."

  THC is recommended by 20 analysts with a mean target of $6.96.

  Technically its stochastic issued a buy signal and three recent CBR buys were triggered. A break above $4.60 would yield a target of $6.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CPIX)

 Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, engages in the acquisition, development, and commercialization of branded prescription products for the hospital acute care and gastroenterology markets. The company offers Acetadote, an intravenous formulation of N-acetylcysteine indicated for the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning; Caldolor, an intravenous formulation of ibuprofen for the treatment of pain and fever; and Kristalose, a prescription laxative administered orally for the treatment of constipation. It has collaboration agreement with Vanderbilt University for developing a palliative treatment for fluid buildup in the lungs of cancer patients; collaboration agreement with the University of Mississippi for developing a highly purified injectable anti-infective used to treat fungal infections in immuno-compromised patients; and a collaboration with the University of Tennessee for developing a novel asthma therapeutic designed to prevent remodeling of airway smooth muscle to reduce asthmatic reaction in pediatric patients. Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:Natural Alternatives International Inc. (NAII)

 Natural Alternatives International, Inc. provides private label contract manufacturing services to companies that market and distribute vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other nutritional supplements, as well as other health care products, to consumers in the United States and internationally. It offers strategic partnering services, including customized product formulation, clinical studies, manufacturing, marketing support, international regulatory and label law compliance, international product registration, packaging in multiple formats, and labeling design. The company also develops, manufactures, and markets its own branded products under the Pathway to Healing product line through print media and the Internet distribution channels. It manufactures products in various forms, including capsules, tablets, chewable wafers, and powders. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in San Marcos, California.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND)

 Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated operates as a biotechnology company. It principally engages in the development and acquisition of royalty revenue generating assets. The company engages in the research, milestone, and royalty revenue activities resulting from its collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. The collaborations primarily include ongoing clinical programs at Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck & Co., Cephalon, Inc, and Celgene. These partnered product candidates are being studied for the treatment of indications, such as thrombocytopenia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, and Alzheimer?s disease. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated receives royalties principally on sales of Avinza from Pfizer, Promacta from GlaxoSmithKline, and Viviant /Conbriza from Pfizer. The company through its subsidiary, CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., offers four marketed products, as well as has one approved product, a portfolio of partnered drug development programs, an internal pipeline of proprietary drugs, and the Captisol drug formulation platform technology. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated was formerly known as Progenx Inc. and changed its name in 1989. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in La Jolla, California.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:The Spectranetics Corporation (SPNC)

 The Spectranetics Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets single use medical devices used in minimally invasive surgical procedures within the cardiovascular system in conjunction with its proprietary excimer laser system, the CVX-300. The company?s excimer laser technology is used to ablate multiple lesion morphology morphologies, such as plaque, moderate calcium, and thrombus. It offers four primary product categories for the Vascular Intervention product line, including peripheral atherectomy, coronary atherectomy, thrombus management, and crossing solutions. The peripheral atherectomy product line consists of a selection of proprietary laser catheters that are indicated for the treatment of infrainguinal (leg) stenoses and occlusions; and the coronary atherectomy product line includes a selection of proprietary laser catheters to be used in various types of coronary artery diseases comprising occluded saphenous vein bypass grafts, ostial lesions, long lesions, moderately calcified stenoses, total occlusions traversable by guidewire, lesions, and restenosis. The thrombus management product line consists of three thrombus removal devices intended to remove fresh, soft thrombi, and emboli from vessels in the arterial system, as well as to address thrombotic occlusions in dialysis grafts and fistulae; and the crossing solutions product line support guidewires or other devices in facilitating vascular access in the arterial system to enable various types of interventions. The company?s lead management product line comprises excimer laser sheaths, non-laser sheaths, and cardiac lead management accessories for the removal of pacemaker and defibrillator cardiac leads. It sells its products in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Puerto Rico. The company has a strategic alliance with Kensey Nash Corporation. The Spectranetics Corporation was founded in 1984 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:Cerner Corporation (CERN)

 Cerner Corporation designs, develops, markets, installs, hosts, and supports healthcare information technology, healthcare devices, and content solutions for healthcare organizations and consumers worldwide. It offers Cerner Millennium architecture, which provides access to an individual?s electronic medical record at the point of care, and organizes and delivers information for physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, front and back-office professionals, and consumers. The company also provides a range of services, including implementation and training, remote hosting, operational management services, revenue cycle services, support and maintenance, healthcare data analysis, clinical process optimization, transaction processing, employer health centers, employee wellness programs, and third party administrator services for employer-based health plans. It serves integrated delivery networks, physician groups and networks, managed care organizations, hospitals, medical centers, reference laboratories, home health agencies, blood banks, imaging centers, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, employers, governments, and public health organizations. The company was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in North Kansas City, Missouri.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:Humana Inc. (HUM)

 Humana Inc. offers various health and supplemental benefit plans in the United States. Its Government segment consists of beneficiaries of government benefit programs; and operates in three lines of businesses, including Medicare, Military, and Medicaid. The Medicare program provides hospital and medical insurance benefits to persons of age 65 and over and some disabled persons under the age of 65. The Military program offers health insurance coverage to the dependents of duty military personnel, and to retired military personnel and their dependents. The Medicaid program is a federal program that is state-operated to facilitate the delivery of health care services primarily to low-income residents. The Commercial segment consists of members enrolled in its medical and specialty products marketed to employer groups and individuals. This segment provides health maintenance organization products that offer prepaid health insurance coverage to its members through a network of independent primary care physicians, specialty physicians, and other health care providers; preferred provider organization products, which are offered primarily to employer groups and individuals; and administrative services only products that are provided to employers who self-insure their employee health plans. It also offers various specialty products, including dental, vision, and other supplemental products, as well as disease management services. As of December 31, 2010, Humana Inc. had approximately 10.2 million members enrolled in medical benefit plans; and approximately 7.1 million members enrolled in specialty products programs. The company markets its products through various channels comprising television, radio, the Internet, telemarketing, and direct mailings. In addition, it has strategic alliances with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; State Farm; and United Services Automobile Association to market its products. The company was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.

Advisors' Opinion:

By Ken Sweet At 2011-9-1

While investors typically don't think of healthcare stocks as a hot sector, managed care provider Humana (HUM) is this year's fifth-best performing stock on the S&P 500.

Humana shares have rallied following a series of stronger-than-expected earnings reports and improved company guidance.

Humana also got a boost after winning a major government contract to manage the healthcare policies for some 3 million servicemen and women under the Defense Department's TRICARE program.

Humana shares were also helped by broad investor interest in more defensive stocks in recent months, particularly as economic data has soured.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:Novartis AG (NVS)

 Novartis AG, through its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products worldwide. Its Pharmaceuticals division offers prescription medicines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular and metabolism; oncology; neuroscience and ophthalmics; respiratory; integrated hospital care; and other additional products. The company?s Vaccines and Diagnostics division provides preventive vaccines and diagnostic tools. This division sells influenza, meningococcal, pediatric, and traveler vaccines; and blood testing and molecular diagnostics to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Its Sandoz division provides prescription medicines, as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnological active substances. This division offers active ingredients and finished dosage forms of medicines; active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates, primarily antibiotics; protein or biotechnology-based products; and cytotoxic products, as well as provides biotech manufacturing services to other companies. The company?s Consumer Health division consists of three business units: over-the-counter medicines (OTC), Animal Health, and CIBA Vision. OTC unit offers readily available consumer medicines. Animal Health unit provides veterinary products for farm and companion animals. CIBA Vision unit manufactures contact lenses and lens care products. It has strategic partnership with Lonza, a Swiss pharmaceuticals manufacturing company; and a research collaboration agreement with BioVista LLC. The company was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:ResMed Inc. (RMD)

 ResMed Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the development, manufacture, and distribution of medical equipment for treating, diagnosing, and managing sleep-disordered breathing and other respiratory disorders. Its product portfolio for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and other forms of sleep-disordered breathing include airflow generators, diagnostic products, mask systems, headgear, and other accessories, including cold passover humidifiers, carry bags, and breathing circuits, as well as ventilation products. The company also offers data communications and data control products, such as ResLink, ResControl, ResControl II, TxControl, ResScan, and ResTraxx modules that facilitate the transfer of data and other information to and from the flow generators. It distributes its products through a network of distributors, independent manufacturers, representatives, and direct sales force primarily in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Norway, and Sweden. The company was founded in 1989 and is based in San Diego, California.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:Shire plc (SHPGY)

 Shire plc, a specialty biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research and development, manufacture, sale, and distribution of pharmaceutical products. It operates in two segments, Specialty Pharmaceuticals and Human Genetic Therapies. The Specialty Pharmaceuticals segment offers products for the treatment of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, including VYVANSE, a pro-drug stimulant; INTUNIV, an alpha-2A receptor; EQUASYM; and ADDERALL XR. It also produces PENTASA and LIALDA/MEZAVANT for the treatment of active ulcerative colitis; and RESOLOR, which is 5-HT4 receptor agonist that stimulates gastrointestinal motility. In addition, this segment provides FOSRENOL for use in end-stage renal failure patients receiving dialysis; CALCICHEW, a range of calcium and calcium/vitamin D3 supplements; CARBATROL, an anti-convulsant for individuals with epilepsy; REMINYL/REMINYL XL for the symptomatic treatment of dementia of the Alzheimer type; and XAGRID for the reduction of elevated platelet counts, as well as for the treatment of thrombocythemia. The Human Genetic Therapies segment offers REPLAGAL for Fabry disease; ELAPRASE for the treatment of hunter syndrome; FIRAZYR for hereditary angioedema; and VPRIV for the treatment of type 1 Gaucher disease. The company also licenses its patented antiviral products for human immunodeficiency virus and Hepatitis B. In addition, it is developing various products in the areas of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, human genetic therapies, and gastrointestinal diseases, as well as in other therapeutic areas. The company markets its products through distributors in North America, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It has collaboration agreements with Santaris Pharma A/S, Renovo Limited, and Acceleron Pharma, Inc. Shire plc was founded in 1986 and is based in Dublin, Ireland.

Best Healthcare Stocks 2012:C.R. Bard Inc. (BCR)

 C. R. Bard, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, packaging, distribution, and sale of medical, surgical, diagnostic, and patient care devices worldwide. It offers vascular, urology, oncology, and surgical specialty products. The company?s vascular products include percutaneous transluminal angioplasty catheters, chronic total occlusions catheters, guidewires, introducers, and accessories; peripheral vascular stents and stent grafts, vena cava filters, and biopsy devices; electrophysiology products, such as electrophysiology laboratory systems and diagnostic, therapeutic, and temporary pacing electrode catheters; and fabrics, meshes, and implantable vascular grafts. Its urology products comprise infection control Foley catheters to reduce the rate of urinary tract infections; surgical slings to treat stress urinary incontinence; fecal incontinence products; natural and synthetic devices to treat pelvic floor and vaginal prolapse; brachytherapy services, devices, and radioactive seeds to treat prostate cancer; intermittent urinary drainage catheters, and urine monitoring and collection systems; ureteral stents; specialty devices for ureteroscopic procedures and stone removal; and catheter stabilization devices. The company?s oncology products consist of specialty vascular access catheters and ports, vascular access ultrasound devices, dialysis access catheters, and enteral feeding devices to treat and manage various cancers, and other diseases and disorders. Its surgical specialty products include implanted patches and fixation systems for hernia and other soft tissue repairs; irrigation devices for orthopedic, laparoscopic, and gynecological procedures; and products for topical hemostasis. C. R. Bard sells its products directly and through distributors to hospitals, individual health care professionals, extended care facilities, and alternate site facilities. The company was founded in 1907 and is based in Murray Hill, New Jersey.

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