Where do I turn next? The experts don't seem to have a clue about our economy and where it is headed. Well then, let's look at the stars.

If you've never heard of such a thing, it sounds pretty crazy. But there is actually a community of investors out there that believes that reading the stars is the key to profiting in the stock market.

I'm not one of them, but it's fun to tap into their insights every now and then. Here is the latest:

The planet Pluto moved into Capricorn this past fall just in time for Freddie, Fannie and AIG to collapse. Capricorn is a sign of discipline. It is a disruptive force that is wreaking havoc from central banks to stock markets all over the world. Capricorn has the effect of looking at things objectively, without emotion and looking at reality the way it is -- not the way we want it to be.

For the past 15 years Pluto was moving through Sagittarius, a sign of expansion, growth, over extension, and over optimism. This could help to explain the way world economies grew helter skelter with the whole world getting over-extended and over-burdened with excessive debt. It was a "devil-may-care" attitude on the part of Wall Street and individuals as well. Now with the bursting of the bubble, the chickens have come home to roost.

Pluto will be going through the U.S. chart 8th house of mystery, death and rebirth. The last time this happened was in 1776!

Do you foresee big changes coming? Do you think the stars can help us decide how to invest?

Astrology and the markets: Pure nonsense? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Money Face-Offs feature. Let us know who you think comes out ahead in this head-to-head match-up, and check out our other Money Face-Off posts.

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to slip into the world of the mega-famous? Right now I'm going to give you a chance to think about that. Imagine that you get to spend your days rubbing elbows with Hollywood's A-list elite. Now here's the angle, imagine that circumstances have caused you to be put in a serious dilemma, and you are now required to choose a female pop-star business partner. You have been given only two choices, either Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan. The choice is yours and there are multimillions of dollars now riding on your decision.

Continue reading Money Face-Off: Britney Spears vs. Lindsay Lohan

Money Face-Off: Britney Spears vs. Lindsay Lohan originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 15 Sep 2007 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's an interesting little website that I like to visit and lurk around called, FreeSoftwareMagazine.com . For the most part, those folks are talking waaaaay over my head, but I like to go there and read with the hope that something worth while might sink into this massively opinionated brain of mine. A wonderfully gifted writer over there has documented an opinion of his which really grabbed my attention. I'm thinking that this guy is giving us a look directly into where a major portion of the future of our tech world is going.

Jabari Zakiya is the author and what he is predicting the eventual demise of the CD and DVD. His claim is that as the costs related to flash drive data storage systems recede into a consumer affordable context, those drives shall come to replace the optical disc drives we are so familiar with. He states that he believes this will change the very design and nature of our PCs. He makes a compelling case in which I'm inclined to agree.

I suspect that companies such as Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE), Apple Computer Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Hewlett-PackardCo. (NYSE:HPQ) and Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) are quite up to speed on this concept and the implications it entails. This could be an upcoming change with an impact similar to the changes in data presentation from analog to digital. I don't really think that flash drives will bring on the demise of the CDs we've come to know. I will, however, buy into the concept that the coming generations of computers are preparing to take on new systems and forms that we have only dreamed about up until now.

How far forward do you like to look? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Although all of the eight companies in the initial BloggingStocks pool are great companies, they are not often great investments -- unless you own them in an index fund and are investing in the overall market. Otherwise, you are placing a BET (which is exactly what you are doing, don't deny it) or more precisely a wager, that you know more than everyone else. Since there is not much likelihood of that, you must choose your wagers carefully. Your proposition (wager) is not only that your stock pick has a greater probability of going up in value versus down, but, that it will increase more than the average of the overall market AND that it will do so after accounting for fees and taxes. THIS IS HARD TO DO!

This is why Great Companies are only SOMETIMES Great Investments. It matters what you pay for them and when you pay it. Since I am not licensed to advise anyone about investments I can best exemplify this by sharing my own actions and those of other more noteworthy investors.

Continue reading Great companies: SOMETIMES great investments.

Great companies: SOMETIMES great investments. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 26 May 2006 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.