Part of my Delta story. Here are some other posts about Delta. 1) Delta: The Comeback Kid 2) Delta: A New Hope 3) Delta: The Last Stand 4) Delta: Talk to the Hand

Tomorrow Delta will probably not sell out to U.S. Airlines. The past eight months I’ve received over 120% return and the stock has now stabilized around $1.10 a share. For every investment you take part in, you need to have an exit strategy. I was planning on selling Delta when it reached its all time high back in mid December, but I thought it would go up just a little more.

Why am I deciding to sell my Delta? This is the reason why… “Trading in Delta’s common stock was suspended by the New York Stock Exchange shortly after Delta’s Chapter 11 filing in 2005. The stock was delisted shortly thereafter and now trades in the “over-the-counter” market on the “Pink Sheets” (www.pinksheets.com). The new trading symbol for Delta’s common stock is OTC: DALRQ. Under the proposed plan of reorganization, current holders of Delta common stock would receive no distribution, and the securities would be canceled upon the effective date of the plan. Delta has indicated for some time that the company expected its common stock would not have any value under any plan of reorganization the company might propose, which is not uncommon in Chapter 11 proceedings.”

My speculation has paid off and I’m running with the money that I’ve made. I would highly consider selling if you own any Delta stock because after the Chapter 11 settlement the stock will be worthless. Delta has commented on the possibility of reestablishing a corporate entity that “actively trades on the stock market.” If they do issue new stock, I will almost guarantee my involvement in the New & Improved Delta.

This just in! U.S. Airways has taken the bid off the table; which guarantees Delta will establishment of an independent company. Congratulations Delta!

“CHICAGO (Reuters) - US Airways Group Inc. withdrew a $9.8 billion bid for bankrupt Delta Airlines on Wednesday, taking pressure off rival carriers to consolidate.”

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Mutual Fund Performance (All grouped together)

• Friday, January 12^th, 2007 Full Value $11,137.28
• Friday, January 12^th, 2007 Full Value $11,168.66
• Increase of $31.38 which is a ~.2% increase.

Individual Stock Performance (All grouped together)

• Friday, January 12^th, 2007 Full Value $2356.52
• Friday, January 26^th, 2007  Full Value $2,291.42
• Decrease of $65.1 which is a ~2.0% decrease.

“Some stocks traded lower for the second-consecutive day as investors remained concerned about higher interest rates following better-than-expected economic data. Crude-oil prices, which rebounded above $55 a barrel, also weighed on the market.“WSJ

As private equity stocks suffer the worst 4^th quarter in three years, a lot of my retail stocks have been pulled down. My energy stocks have remained stagnant even with the reports of the crude oil rebound. The overall market is at a low vs. what the market should be; which means it’s a good time to buy. Looks like a great time to buy Circuit City stock don’t you think?

	Today’s Change		-0.16 (-0.79%)

My mutual fund is keeping its pace by providing steady monthly returns. I recently sold all my Balanced Fund shares and purchased Global Equity shares. I wanted to remove the safety net and purchase some international stocks. The year to date return is nice and most of stocks are still in North America which is less risky. We shall see how these new funds perform over the long haul.

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Downloadable Version Here

 
Listen to it today! Today’s episode of the Voice of eFIPO includes an interview with a fellow financial blogger from MoneySmartLife.com. Ben, the owner and writer to MoneySmartLife.com, and I discuss the following topics 1.The best financial advice we’ve received and how we’ve applied it to our lives and 2. The number one change you would like to see happen with the new congress.

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This is what I like to see our tax dollars go towards. The new developments of non-lethal but freakin’ sweet weapons are the “wave” of the future. Get it? Wave of the future, it’s a microwave gun.  Never mind…

 
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Georgia - The military’s new weapon is a ray gun that shoots a beam that makes people feel as if they will catch fire.

 

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Today’s episode of the Voice of eFIPO includes an interview with a fellow financial blogger from MoneySmartLife.com. Ben, the owner and writer to MoneySmartLife.com, and I discuss the following topics 1.The best financial advice we’ve received and how we’ve applied it to our lives and 2. The number one change you would like to see happen with the new congress.

MP3 File

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Part of my Delta story. Here are some other posts about Delta. 1) Delta: The Comeback Kid 2) Delta: A New Hope 3) Delta: The Last Stand

 

After much debate and discussion, the Delta takeover is finally losing its steam. CEO Doug Parker of U.S. Airways tried to sweeten the deal by increasing the bid by almost 20% to about $10.3 billion. Apparently, the bankruptcy creditors are not seeing eye to eye with Parker. Atlanta, the home base of Delta, would suffer greatly by the hostile takeover. Some sources are predicting a 17% job loss for the overall company if U.S. Airways were to acquire Delta.

Delta stock has been all over the place for the past month because of the mass explosion of media concerning the merger and other rumors. February 1^st, 2007 is going to be the big decision maker whether or not Delta will pursue actions to be bought out. From an investing stand point, this is the riskiest time to purchase Delta stock; which is currently trading for $1.15. This is just the beginning, so prepare for some turbulence. Ha! Pun intended.

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Do you have what it takes to break the corporate mold and succeed as an entrepreneur? Many have the thoughts of becoming their own boss, but few have the drive and real potential to really make it big. Entrepreneurs are risk takers – both personally and financially – but in a planned fashion in ways that will limit the odds of failure. They must perfectly balance risk and potential award so they can either pursue or discontinue ventures. Some of the greatest entrepreneurs develop strategies to use the least amount of resources possible to leverage their future returns.

If you want to have success with your ventures, you need to assemble a team of passionate individuals that strive for a common goal. Because you will be the leader of the organization, you must be able to infuse imagination, motivation, passion, diligence, and vision in your partners and venture.

Most entrepreneurs do not look at their ventures as a get-rich-quick scheme; therefore you must plan for the future. Developing a short, mid, and long term goals for the business is key to evaluate your achievements. When the business grows to its maturity stage, a developed exit strategy must already be implemented to leave the business on its high note. Good ventures are long term businesses with a mentality to sell at the correct time. You can’t hang out to your baby forever. You must let it go sooner or later.

Some people are not meant to succeed in the corporate world. These individuals have a different calling and must use their talents to excel in areas where most have failed. But remember, planning, innovation, and perseverance are the keys to success. Just because you fail in the corporate world once or twice does not mean to jump head first into your own business.

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(MC Hammer went bankrupt. Big money mistake!)

Now that you’re finally forgetting your New Years resolutions, what financial mistakes have you done in 2007? My resolution for 2007 was to stop buying crap. My first approach to accomplish my resolution was to regulate my purchases at restaurants so I can settle my credit debt before buying another house in June. Today, I decided to check out my credit card statement and noticed a decrease of about 10%. Not so good. I wanted to hack it down some more so I can start investing and saving more money. I am currently trying to get a new job so I can pump up my savings and pay off all my debt by July.

The one pattern that I’ve been able to develop is that I am on the road a lot more taking away the time that I could be spending in the kitchen preparing myself meals. Because of the sudden change in lifestyle, I’ve had to resort to purchasing meals on the road. In reaction to this new finding, I’ve decided to take a proactive approach to my current situation. I need to cook meals that allow me to have the same flexibility in my schedule that are still healthy and promote a balanced lifestyle.

The other thing that I’ve noticed is that because of the move and the chaotic life I’ve been living for the past two months, I haven’t been working out like I always do. Avoiding regular scheduled work-outs are theoretically supposed to increase your spending habits, because you have more down time. I need to motivate myself to work-out even though I’m living such an unstructured life.

*eFIPO’s Rule* There’s nothing better than getting a better body and saving money!

It’s amazing how much minor changes in your life can either help or hurt your financial situation. Hopefully I can stay on track so I can ultimately pay off my debt once and for all.

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Sometimes talking about money can seem pretty boring, so here is something that I think everyone will enjoy.

Have you ever heard of AskANinja.com?

Here’s my favorite episodes.

Ask a Ninja-Gifts
Ask A Ninja: Special Delivery 7 “Pirates of the Caribbean” –My favorite. I’ve watched this clip over 15 times now and still laugh my butt off.

Enjoy and tell me what you think!

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I realize that most of the population are debtors and not asset builders. The first thing we need to do is describe the difference between both kinds of money handlers. In economics a debtor (or a borrower) owes money to a creditor. An Investor thinks investing is a term with several closely-related meanings in business management, finance and economics, related to saving or deferring consumption. I really like how Wikipedia defines an investor specifically “deferring consumption.”Now that we have the definitions down, how can you turn yourself from being a debtor to an investor?

Think outside the box. You must train yourself to think of an investment as a tangible item. Buying stock should be considered consumption. When you purchase more “food/stock” to feed your investment portfolio, he grows and gets stronger every day.

Food and shelter are extremely important parts of life, but the same is true for your investment portfolio. You need to care and feed your portfolio till he gets big and strong. After many years of providing “food and shelter” to your portfolio he will be self sustainable. And in the future, he will be taking really good care of you.

Think of ways to turn every dollar spent to a profit generating system. The first thing that comes to mind is purchasing stock into companies that already have your business. Instead of always being a customer, be an owner. Whenever I purchase a cheeseburger at Wendy’s¹, I always think that I am reinvesting myself in a company that I share profits with.

Now let’s look at the “think of an investment as tangible item” topic again from a different angle. Everyone usually has an imaginary budget in their heads before they start spending. For example: If you make less money one month, you spend less. Add investing to your imaginary budget every single month. Whether investing is purchasing stock, adding money to your online savings account, or paying down extra debt, it needs to have special place in your budget. Always add at least 35% of what you spend into your investment account. If you spend $400 a month on food and entertainment, you need to stash away $140. If you can’t invest that much money, cut your spending habits.

*eFIPO’s Rule* Investing and saving is just looking at debt from a different angle. If you think of investing as purchasing an actual product, you will be a very wealthy person later on.

*Do you need a concrete budgeting system? Check it out here!*

¹ Because I own stock in the company

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