What Do Ron Paul, Amazon, and Kelly Clarkson Have in Common

Apparently, if a celebrity supports the right political candidate, the celebrity's popularity will skyrocket. Last Thursday, pop singer Kelly Clarkson tweeted that she supports libertarian/Republican candidate Ron Paul. Back in 2007, Paul was the second most searched person on the Internet, after Paris Hilton.

Although many tweeters criticized her at the time, she apparently garnered a lot of new fans. Clarkson's album sales skyrocketed by 442% on Amazon (AMZN) in just one day, causing the Stronger album to move to seventh place, up from #38. Many new buyers said that they had never heard of her until her Ron Paul support became publicized.

In case you haven't heard of Clarkson, she was the winner of the first season of the American Idol television series in 2002 and later, the runner-up in World Idol in 2003, and is now considered the most successful Idol contestant worldwide. Her first single, "A Moment Like This", broke The Beatles' record for the biggest jump to the number one position, from 52, in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

Now let's think this through. If Charlie Sheen supports Ron Paul, will he get a career boost and be asked back to Two and a Half Men?

Copyright-free image courtesy of Wikipedia. No celebrity endorsement is expressed or implied.
Author owns AMZN.

3 Great Gift Ideas for the Investor

The book Steve Jobs has been a best seller before it was even released. As a matter of fact, this book, written by Walter Isaacson,is the number one best seller at Amazon (AMZN) at the time this article is being written.

The Amazon review says it all: 'But the initial sadness in starting the book is soon replaced by something else, which is the intensity of the read--mirroring the intensity of Jobs’s focus and vision for his products. Few in history have transformed their time like Steve Jobs, and one could argue that he stands with the Fords, Edisons, and Gutenbergs of the world. This is a timely and complete portrait that pulls no punches and gives insight into a man whose contradictions were in many ways his greatest strength."

At 656 pages, Steve Jobs will keep you plenty occupied during the holidays.

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The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley Ph.D. and William D. Danko Ph.D., is a fascinating look into the lives of millionaires, reviewing the traits and tips of the wealthy, how they deal with risk, and how they live their lives. There are seven rules to becoming a millionaire, all spelled out in an easy-to-read format. The book has a thousand customer reviews, with more than 70% giving it a 4 star or 5 star rating.

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The classic investing book, The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, has been updated to today's stock market situation by Jason Zweig, with Warren Buffett as Collaborator. Check out these reviews:

~ “By far the best book on investing ever written.” (Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway)

~ “If you read just one book on investing during your lifetime, make it this one” (Fortune)

~ “The wider Mr. Graham’s gospel spreads, the more fairly the market will deal with its public.” (Barron's)

If you don't own a copy of The Intelligent Investor, then you should. It is ranked number seven out of all investing books.

No Debt High Yield Stocks

If a company has debt, it can be beneficial if the company can earn far more than the interest expense. But there are drawbacks to incurring debt. When times get tough, earnings drop, and the business can't afford the debt service, then the viability of the company is at risk. Many strong companies are debt free, such as Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN). If you put the debt free trait with a high yield, you should end up with a successful investment.

There are a selection of over ten stocks on the latest No Debt High Yield Stocks List at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which have yields ranging from 2% to above 9%, all of which are free of debt.

One example is Paychex, Inc. (PAYX), which provides human resource, payroll, and benefits outsourcing solutions to primarily small and medium size businesses. This debt free company pays a yield of 4.3%, and has been paying quarterly dividends since 1994. It trades at 17 times earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 12.9%, on a 8.6% increase in revenues.

Another example is Erie Indemnity Co. (ERIE), an insurance company based in Erie, Pennsylvania, which also has no debt. The stock sports a yield of 2.6%, and a forward price to earnings ratio of 25. Net income per diluted share for the latest quarter was up 6.1% year over year, on a revenue increase of 35.9%.

Several of the stocks on the list are royalty trusts such as the Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR) which is debt free and yields 7.8%.

To see a free list of many other companies that have no debt and pay high yields, half a dozen of which pay more than 6%, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL and AMZN.

By Stockerblog.com

2000 More Movies and Shows for Amazon

Amazon (AMZN) will now have more than 2,000 new movies and TV shows to its Prime instant streaming video service. The entertainment is coming from NBCUniversal. "Being John Malkovich" is one of the movies that is part of the deal.

Last Minute Gift Ideas: Get a Gold Bar from a Vending Machine

Have you run out of ideas for gifts? You still have a week left, and there are plenty of items that can still be ordered on time and arrive by Christmas.

Do you live near Boca Raton, Florida? If so, you can go to the Town Center Mall and see the new Gold Vending Machine, which dispenses many different types and weights of gold bars and gold coins, including Krugerrands, Kangaroos, and Maple Leafs. All the items come in gift boxes, ready to present to the special people in your life.

Can you guess what Amazon's (AMZN) number one item is? If you said the Kindle, you are correct. You have a choice of the Graphite Kindle or the White Kindle.

If you can't think of any specific gift, you can always get an Amazon.com Gift Card.

Of cours, if you are looking for the high end items, you can still purchase some of the gifts on the BillionairesLife.com Christmas List, which includes a diamond encrusted chess set.

Happy shopping!

Green Christmas Stocks: High Yield Retailer Companies

If the economy really is starting to turn around and consumers are buying again, then this could end up being a green, as in money, Christmas. Amazon (AMZN) should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the holiday buying season, but it doesn't pay a dividend. Obviously, there are plenty of retail stocks, sometimes referred to as consumer cyclical stocks, to choose from, but not that many that pay high dividends. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has developed a list of over 35 retailers that pay yields ranging from 2% to greater than 6%.

Mattel Inc. (MAT) is the largest toy company in the United States, known for its Barbie Dolls, Hot Wheels, Matchbox toys, View-Masters, and numerous other toy products. The stock yields 3.3% and trades at 13 times forward earnings. Quarterly earnings were up 23% on a 2.3% rise in quarterly revenues. Total dividend payouts of $297 million are easily covered by operating cash flow of $846 million.

Cherokee Inc. (CHKE) markets apparel and footwear under the brand names of Cherokee, Sideout, Carole Little, Saint Tropez-West, Chorus Line, and All That Jazz. the company gives out a substantial dividend yield of 7.9%, which is paid out on a quarterly basis. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 15. The company just reported a 16% drop in earnings per share, but on the positive side, its balance sheet remains debt free.

Philips Electronics NV (PHG) makes everything from MP3 players to digital picture frames to flat panel TVs to electric toothbrushes. The stock pay a dividend of 2.6% and trades at 14 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up an incredible 201% on a 9.6% rise in revenues. The stock has 6.32 in cash per share.

To see a free downloadable Excel list of high yield retailer stocks, which can be sorted and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author owns AMZN and MAT.

By Stockerblog.com

How to Get Free Holiday Music Downloads - from Amazon - Legally

This month, Amazon.com (AMZN) is giving away free holiday music downloads which you can transfer to your Apple (AAPL) iPod or iPhone or other mp3 player. Each day, Amazon announces a new piece of music, and so far they have given away eleven, all of which can still be downloaded for free. This free offer will only last a couple more weeks, and each day you will need to check with Amazon to see what the latest song is. You may need to download the Amazon downloader, but that only takes about 20 seconds.

Here are six of the free songs:

White Winter Hymnal

Your Holiday Song

Winter Games

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Angels We Have Heard On High

Auld Lang Syne

Disclosure: Author owns both AMZN and AAPL.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Selling Stock Market Books

If you are still trying to find some gifts for friends and relatives who like to trade and invest, here are the top five best sellers at Amazon.com (AMZN).

The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing, 2010 Edition

One Up On Wall Street : How To Use What You Already Know To Make Money In The Market

You Can Be a Stock Market Genius: Uncover the Secret Hiding Places of Stock Market Profits

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (Wiley Investment Classics)

And last but not least, a book that I try to buy for myself every year, which has lots of interesting stock market information and great Wall Street trivia:

Stock Trader's Almanac 2011 (Almanac Investor Series)

High Yield No Debt Stocks

Debt can have its advantages, such as leverage, but can also be a burden. Many successful companies are debt free, such as Apple (AAPL) or have very low debt relative to cash, such as Amazon (AMZN). If you combine the debt free feature with a high yield, you may have a recipe for a successful investment.

There are over ten stocks on the latest High Yield No Debt Stock List at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, which have yields ranging from 2% to 7.7%, and all of which are debt free.

An example is Paychex, Inc. (PAYX), a provider of payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions. Its market is primarily small and medium size businesses. This debt free company pays a yield of 4.5%, and has been paying quarterly dividends since 1994. It trades at 21 times earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 6.7%, on a 3.6% increase in revenues. In August, Deutsche Bank upgraded the stock from a Sell to a Hold.

Another example is Erie Indemnity Co. (ERIE), an insurance company based in Erie, Pennsylvania, which also has no debt. The stock sports a yield of 3.2%, and a PE ratio of 22. Net income per diluted share for the latest quarter was up 36% year over year, with gross margins rising 21.1%.

To see a free list of many other companies that have no debt and pay high yields, five of which pay more than 6%, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The list, which is in an Excel format, can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL and AMZN.

By Stockerblog.com