Beth Gaston Moon
Chicago, IL - http://

With over a decade of experience as an editor and market analyst, Beth Gaston Moon writes about stocks and pop culture from her home in Chicago, IL.

Beth Gaston Moon
Chicago, IL - http://

With over a decade of experience as an editor and market analyst, Beth Gaston Moon writes about stocks and pop culture from her home in Chicago, IL.

This post is one of several on business heirs apparent. Let us know in the comments whether you think Ingvar Kamprad's sons should take up the reigns of IKEA, and be sure to check out the other heir apparent posts.

A frugal lifestyle and an eye for what's trendy have allowed Ingvar Kamprad to amass the world's fourth-largest fortune by selling $15 chairs and $450 sofas. The 81-year-old Swedish citizen launched the privately-held IKEA in 1947 and has built it into the world's largest furniture retailer, with stores in 34 countries. The notoriously frugal billionaire (worth about $33 billion) drives a decade-old car, flies coach, and furnishes his own home with the affordable products found in his stores.

While "Ingvar Kamprad" may not roll off the tongue with ease, the household brand name of IKEA is an acronym derived from his initials, the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd) and his home county of Agynnaryd.

Into his 80s, Kamprad serves as senior adviser for the governing Ingka Foundation, but is not allowed to hold an official position on the five-person board due to his advanced years. Still it seems as though he pulls many of the strings. In fact, according to a 2006 Economist article, "[Kamprad's] control is so tight that not even [his] heirs can loosen it after his death."

This post is one of several on business heirs apparent. Let us know in the comments whether you think Sam Branson should take up the reigns of Virgin, and be sure to check out the other heir apparent posts.

One might say Sam Branson is a fortunate son, born into a life of money, leadership, and rock-and-roll. His father, whimsical billionaire Richard Branson, carries a net worth of $3.8 billion and maintains a fleet of Virgin-branded enterprises. Branson built this umbrella of companies from the ground up starting nearly 40 years ago.

The Virgin brand soared to prominence in the early 1980s as a record label featuring such acts as the Rolling Stones and Janet Jackson. Ahead of the bubble burst for the compact-disc industry, Branson unloaded this arm of the Virgin empire in 1992, focusing on his pet project -- Virgin Atlantic Airways, which launched in 1984.

Other Virgin progeny include pay-as-you-go mobile-phone service Virgin Mobile (sold to NTL for about 1 billion pounds in July 2006) and Virgin Fuels, which seeks to develop environmentally friendly and cheaper fuel sources for automobiles and airplanes.

Branson's sense of adventure, critical in his business ventures, has also taken him into and across the world's oceans. He has broken speed records in both boat and hot-air balloon, and recently boarded an amphibious vehicle to cross the English Channel in record time.

Oil's at a record peak, transportation costs are going higher, and grocery prices are increasing. But there's a great white hope for fans of frozen yogurt, Gorgonzola, and chocolate malts, as dairy prices are supposed to stay relatively steady or even fall in 2008.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture noted that while milk prices jumped 12% in 2007, they will be under control this year thanks to a 1.1% increase in the cow population and a 1.7% boost in the average output per cow. Overall milk production is expected to rise 2.7% in 2008, faster than the 2.1% growth seen last year.

Declines in wholesale milk prices trickle down to the consumer and could shave off prices on the retail end for bottled milk. Ephraim Liebtag, an economist with the USDA's Economic Research Service, told CNN/Money that the overall price tag for dairy goods (including cheese, butter, and yogurt) is expected to rise 3% this year, slower than last year's 7.5% hike in overall dairy products. This modest advance would be relatively good news for American consumers, who are budgeting for a 4% hike in food purchased in the stores or at restaurants.

In fact, according to The New York Times, February was the busiest month for new bankruptcy filings since Congress changed the bankruptcy laws in 2005, making the act of filing more complicated and costly. Professor Jack Williams, scholar in residence at the American Bankruptcy Institute, told the Times that "This number of bankruptcies may be under-representative of the true financial distress consumers are feeling because of the steps Congress has taken."

Most importantly, the ad had solid brand placement, frequently reminding viewers what was being advertised. This was not the case with Coke's chief competitor, PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which employed dancing lizards and supermodel Naomi Campbell to publicize its SoBe Life Water. Problem was, "Life Water" was barely mentioned.

But the fun of Super Bowl Sunday is behind us, and the business of earnings is ahead. Coca-Cola is set to announce its fourth-quarter results tomorrow. The mean estimate among analysts is calling for per-share results of 55 cents, a 5.8% improvement from year-ago results of 52 cents per share. The high estimate at this point is 57 cents, with a low of 50 cents; the revenue estimate weighs in at 5.77%.