All posts by James Cannon

About James Cannon

James Cannon is an experienced hedge fund analyst. He has served on the advisory boards for various different Fortune 500 companies as well as serving as an adjunct professor of finance. James Cannon has written for a variety of Financial Magazines both on and off line. Contact James at james[at]businessdistrict.com

How to Find a Financial Adviser

Finance

Managing your finances comes naturally to some; to others it’s a real struggle. If you’re not someone who is naturally savvy with investing or finances, you might consider hiring a financial adviser. But is this an appropriate thing to do for your age bracket and your financial bracket?

When Is the Time Right to Hire an Adviser?

Certainly, anyone and everyone could use financial assistance. Realistically, however, hiring someone can be time consuming and expensive. It’s important, therefore, to do a cost/benefit analysis for yourselves and to see if it’s really time to hire someone. Some of the reasons that you might consider hiring an adviser include that you feel lost with your finances and want a more clear understanding of your financial future; you don’t want to have to deal with this aspect of your life by yourself; or you believe you could benefit from the experience and expertise of a third-party.

How Do Financial Advisers Help?

Many people who use financial advisers report that they help you to stay on track. You have a financial goal for yourself, but it’s not always easy to stick to that goal. A study from John Hancock showed that 70% of people who work with an adviser end up staying on track or even getting ahead with their retirement savings while only 33% of people who save without an adviser do so. In addition to keeping you on track, advisers can help you to rebalance how you’ve set up your savings plan, to reorganize your investments and so much more.

How Can You Find a Personal Adviser?

There are many ways to find the right adviser for your needs. You can ask friends who already have advisors who they recommend. You can look for third-party reviews, such as this review of Fisher Investments. These types of reviews are quite comprehensive and can give you a general indication of the company’s size, its assets under management, the adviser’s services and the fees that they charge.

What Other Benefits Do They Offer?

There are clearly benefits beyond just the numbers to working with a financial adviser. They help to get rid of some of the stress in your life by doing the work for you. Rather than worrying about your finances and trying to solve this piece of your life puzzle by yourself, they take this burden from you. Just as you don’t try to fix your car without consulting with a mechanic, or your heart without consulting with a doctor, you can seek a professional for your financial needs.

T-Mobile and Sprint Looking to Merge: Will Government Let Them?

Communications
Graphic courtesy of RRZEicons

As two of the US’s largest telecom companies seek to join forces, state attorneys general are seeking to stop them, for fear of creating a company that will violate anti-competition law.


T-Mobile and Sprint are seeking a merger valued at $26.5 billion in a federal trial due to begin this week in Manhattan, presided over by US Judge Victor Marrero. The judge will listen to arguments against the merger from lawyers representing a group of states, including New York and California, who will say that such a merger will interfere with competition, ending with higher prices for consumers.


The states will assert that it would be a blow to competition to make what is already a small field of four competitors, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T and shrink it down to only three. Even though the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice both ruled in favor of the merger, the states want to argue that the decisions were mistakes and the deal should be prevented.


Spring and T-Mobile lawyers also have reasons to allow the merger, saying that a few crucial things have changed over the years which make a merger more competitive and helpful for consumers.

‘Tis the Season to Shop (Online with Your Phone)

Consumerism,

Shopping this holiday season is doing very well, thank you, with a bit of a boost from our ubiquitous cellular devices, especially our phones. Last Saturday, the weekend after Thanksgiving, saw $3.6 billion in sales for small businesses in one day alone, from cellphones.


According to Adobe Analytics, a tracker of sales online, that figure is higher by a generous 18% over last year. And if things keep going the way they have been, Adobe says we can expect almost 15% growth over last year’s holiday season sales. Small businesses alone earned $68.2 billion in November of this year.

Purchases as easy as pressing a button. Photo courtesy of Ri Buto


Smartphone sales are way up, says Adobe. Last Saturday smartphone revenue accounted for 41.2% of all e-commerce revenue that day. That represents growth of 22% since 2018.
So, what are people buying like hotcakes this year? Some of the top-selling products include “Frozen 2” companion toys to go with the Disney movie recently released. “Madden 20” and “FIFA 20” video games, of course, and more devices like Amazon Fire TV and Apple AirPods.


What can we expect from Cyber Monday? Adobe says we can anticipate a record-breaking $9.4 billion in online sales, an ecstatic increase of 19% since 2018.

Novartis Agrees to Purchase Cholesterol Manufacturer for $97 Billion

Health Tech, ,

Novartis has agreed to pay $85 per share for The Medicines Company, which developed a new drug to fight against high cholesterol levels in people. The $9.7 billion cash deal acquiring the US drug maker is a bet that Inclisiran, is a “potentially transformational medicine.” There are millions of patients all over the world whose risk of cardiovascular disease is increased because of high levels of cholesterol in their blood.


“We believe that Inclisiran could contribute significantly to improved patient outcomes and help healthcare systems address the leading global cause of death,” Novartis chief executive Vas Narsimhan said.


Swiss-based Novartis has a market value of $203 billion. It has been growing recently in a similar way to many other big pharma companies, via disposals and takeovers.


The Medicines Company presented the results of a successful trial of Inclisiran, which lowers cholesterol in a unique way. Through the use of injections administered every few months, the drug lowers the production of “bad cholesterol” by inhibiting a protein that controls its production. This gene-silencing method of therapy is known as RNA interference, and although it has been around for decades, drugs using this methodology of treatment have been improving in recent years.

Mustang Mach E Electrifying Ford’s 2020 Offerings

Automobile Industry, ,

The Mustang Mach E, Ford’s newly unveiled electric car, is an SUV with a lot riding on its struts.

1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 coupe. Photo courtesy of sv1ambo

The Future in Now
Ford Motor Company is betting big that its redesigned, futuristic, sporty, high-performance electric car will sell a lot better than their more utilitarian (read boring) electric cars like the battery-run Focus compact car.


Name that Car
When you think “Mach E” consumers should immediately think about “Mach 1” versions of the Mustang sports car, offered by Ford at different times through the years.


Money is No Object?
Ford is going to sell the Mach E at a base price of $43,000. Buyers will be able to choose from three variants of the car: Select, Premium and First Edition. Next year Ford is promising a “California Route 1” version and a bit later they are hoping to introduce a high-performance GT model.


Batteries are Included
Ford announced that the Mach E battery will go for 230 miles before needing a charge. Extended range models are aiming for 300 miles per charge. This compares well with competitor Tesla’s Model Y sport utility, which has a 300-mile range for its rear-drive versions, and a bit less for its al-wheel drive performance models.


Speed Racer?
Ford’s goal is to get the Mach E from 0 to 60mph even faster than the least expensive Porsche Macan SUV. The GT version of the Mach E is aiming for an acceleration target of the “mid-3-second” range. This compares favorably with the Porsche 911, according to Ford.


Full-Screen Dashboard
The Mach will come equipped with a 15.5-inch screen. Tesla’s Model 3 comes with a 15-inch screen. The screen will offer a new generation of its Sync infotainment software that gets its updates through the air, just like a Tesla.


Its Great. When Can I Get Mine?
Consumers can already place their orders. Beginning on November 17, 2019, customers just need to hand over $500 as a deposit to secure their order. The cars should begin arriving by the end of next year.