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Real estate drop keeps marriages together

Tom Johansmeyer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:10:00 EST

Filed under: Personal Finance, Housing, Recession

Falling property prices have pushed equities lower for the past nine months, constrained credit and ... forced British couples to stay married?

According to a study by accounting firm Grant Thornton, divorce filings have fallen precipitously in the United Kingdom. Fallout from the worldwide financial crisis has made it harder for couples to sell a jointly owned home and impairs the ability for each soon-to-be-ex-partner to start and sustain an individual lifestyle.

The U.K. Office for National Statistics put the number of divorce filings at 12.2 per 1,000 marriages in 2006 and 11.9 in 2007 -- a 26-year low.

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Real estate drop keeps marriages together originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disney's princess bridal strategy: women like romance too

Sarah Gilbert — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:04:00 EST

Filed under: Launches, Consumer Experience, Marketing and Advertising, Walt Disney (DIS)

The mythology of the princess is just about as old as the hills, and for untold generations, little girls have listened with rapt attention to tales of princesses, and have imagined themselves as gown-clad royalty. Even my four-year-old son loves princesses (he's always saving them, and consults a group of imaginary princesses on everything from my hairstyles to the toys he should buy). Disney's 'Princess' marketing scheme has been brilliant and ubiquitous (if often oddly applied), and has helped develop young girls' continuing interest in princesses over the past few decades. But, beyond the avid collection of Disney memorabilia meant for children by a quiet subset of adults, there has been no widely-accepted market towards the over-12 set.

Why not? Do women suddenly stop longing for a tiara and many-tiered ballgown when they reach their teens? Obviously not. Just look at the wedding gown market (and I can just see one of Disney's brand strategists with a glossy wedding mag in her hands and a lightbulb pinging brightly over her head). Have you ever seen so many princesses in one place?

As someone who's been bridal gown shopping with a variety of close friends and sisters, I can promise that the words "you look just like a princess!" are very definitely the most-uttered six words in wedding boutique dressing rooms around the globe. Even I have been known to use that time-honored ultimate bridal compliment.

Every little girl wants to be a princess, and that dream doesn't fade; it only becomes more expensive when she reaches her early 20s. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has put a price tag and its usual stable of princesses on that dream, and it's a brilliant, and (what's better) easily-extended, strategy. I predict great success, followed by a whole division of associated products and services. Could Disney Princess bridal boutiques be far behind?

Disney's princess bridal strategy: women like romance too originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Warren Buffett: billionaire vs. regular Omaha guy

Sarah Gilbert — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:07:00 EST

Filed under: Management, Coca-Cola (KO), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)

Warren Buffett got married yesterday, and if you're a follower of the Warren Buffett saga (and aren't we all, here in investing land?), you know that Buffett lived separately from his first wife, Susan Thompson Buffett, for decades. She died two years ago. This news prompted the BloggingStocks team to ask: Is Warren Buffett more billionaire, or more regular ol' guy from Omaha? Let's look at the evidence:

Diet. Warren Buffett feasts on hamburgers, Omaha steaks, and Cherry Coke. Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
Homes. Warren still lives in a home in Omaha he bought for $31,500, although he does have a vacation home in Laguna Beach. Still ... Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
Jet set or no jet set? Warren was famous for his modest string of Lincoln Town Cars, but he bought a corporate jet in 1989 ... and then bought a whole jet company. Advantage: billionaire.
Friends. Sure, Warren counts Bill Gates, fellow richest man in the world, as a friend. But they're both gigantic nerds and play golf and -- I am not making this up -- bridge rather than high-stakes poker. Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
Media saturation. What's this? Warren is working on his very own TV series. I know you're saying, like, ohmigod Sarah! That's so totally billionaire behavior. Ahem. But it's an animated series about investing. Haha! Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
Parties. Oh you're very funny. Warren Buffett at a party? As if. Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
Women. Warren Buffett just got married, and it's only his second wife, after all. But Astrid Menks used to be a cocktail waitress. What's more, at 60 to Buffett's 76, she's a much younger woman. Advantage: billionaire!

Warren Buffett: billionaire vs. regular Omaha guy originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Aug 2006 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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