Alamy You know better than to tell the stranger behind you in the Starbucks line your Social Security number, right? What about your mother's maiden name? You know, that little personal detail that's answers a common security question for many banking and credit card accounts? You wouldn't share that either, would you? It turns out some of you would. According to survey results just released by Visa, 14 percent of respondents admitted to sharing their mother's maiden name over social media -- and a shocking 7 percent had shared their Social Security number. The good news is most of us know that those pieces of information should be kept close to the vest, but what about sharing vacation plans on Facebook (FB)? Seems harmless, right? In the survey, 15 percent of folks had posted upcoming travel dates, and 20 percent shared their home address. Well, guess what? Your friends aren't the only ones who might want to hear about your vacation; Burglars do, too. Most of us make an effort to protect our homes while we're away -- setting alarms, putting lights on timers, having neighbors check in -- so why are so many of us giving criminals the dirt on just when and where to find a vulnerable house to hit? Share Smarter We live in an increasingly open society, where it seems natural to share everything. While it might seem like no big deal to share your birth date on Facebook (how else to get a wall full of birthday wishes?), your address on Twitter, and Instagram shots of your vacation, but all those bits of information could add up to enough for criminals -- cyber and otherwise -- to open an account in your name or gain access to ones you already have. So how do you avoid being overexposed? Think about the big picture. Decide up front what you'll share and what you won't and stick with it across all sites. (Hint: Your Social Security number, mother's maiden name, and passwords should be shared.) Check privacy settings. It's safest to share just with friends, not friends of friends. Who knows who's lurking around, or whether all of your friends are being as careful with their connections as you are? Recheck those settings regularly. Sites like Facebook change their policies all the time, so make sure your settings stay up to date. Be a little less friendly. Speaking of friends ... while it's nice to be popular, if you have hundreds or thousands of "friends" you've never met or barely know, you're at risking that some of them may be less than trustworthy. Consider doing a little housekeeping, or at least taking advantage of tools like Facebook's Lists, which allow you to identify your close friends, family members, coworkers, etc. and determine who can see what information. Save vacation snaps to post you get back. Even if you don't explicitly say where you are or how long you're gone, some photos have location data attached that could give you away, and "check in" sites like Foursquare will tell people exactly where you're not -- home. When you're out of town, it's best just to give your social media accounts a vacation too. Beware of bragging. Got diamond earrings for your birthday? A new TV for the big game? Lucky you! Now keep it to yourself. Posting photos of expensive items online is the new-fashioned equivalent of leaving the TV box out on the curb -- it tells thieves just whose house has the best loot. Get more clever with those security questions. We're increasingly being asked to provide answers to questions such as what your first pet's name was or where you went to elementary school. It isn't as hard to find some of that information as you might think, especially if you are very active on social media or have a blog. Here's a hint: When you set the answers to those questions, spell them backward to thwart imposters. Google yourself. It's not vanity if you do it in the name of security! By doing a few searches on yourself, you can check out what information is available to anyone for the asking. Social media has changed the world, and whether you are an avid Instagrammer or a Facebook-phobe, it's essential to be proactive in protecting your digital data. If you wouldn't share it with that guy behind you at Starbucks, better to keep it quiet online, too.
Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras(PBR)
Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. primarily engages in oil and natural gas exploration and production, refining, trade, and transportation businesses. The company?s Exploration and Production segment involves in the exploration, production, development, and production of oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and natural gas in Brazil. This segment supplies its products to the refineries in Brazil, as well as sells surplus petroleum and byproducts in domestic and foreign markets. Its Supply segment engages in the refining, logistics, transportation, and trade of oil and oil products; export of ethanol; and extraction and processing of schist, as well as holds interests in companies of the petrochemical sector in Brazil. The Gas and Energy segment involves in the transportation and trade of natural gas produced in or imported into Brazil; transportation and trade of LNG; and generation and trade of electric power. In addition, the segment has interests in natural gas transportation and d istribution companies; and thermoelectric power stations in Brazil, as well engages in fertilizer business. The Distribution segment distributes oil products, ethanol, and compressed natural gas in Brazil. The International segment involves in the exploration and production of oil and gas, as well as in supplying, gas and energy, and distribution operations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Further, the company involves in biofuel production business. Petroleo Brasileiro was founded in 1953 and is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tyler Crowe]
Petrobras (NYSE: PBR ) , Brazil's national oil company, is planning on spending $237 billion over the next seven years to double its oil output to about 5 million barrels per day. On a per-year basis, that much money is the same as one-third of what all U.S. exploration and production companies will spend combined. ��
- [By Tyler Crowe]
One big region to keep an eye on is the pre-salt formation of Brazil. Auctions for this lucrative field are expected later this year, and Seadrill already has a working relationship with Petrobras (NYSE: PBR ) , with three rigs already offshore Brazil. Since Petrobras has a government-mandated 30% operator stake in every well in this new region, having a solid working relationship could mean very good things for Seadrill in the future. Tune into the video below where Fool.com contributor Tyler Crowe discusses some other promising regions that could offer big gains for Seadrill. He also wonders why its competitors are not yet putting up a big fight: Can they move fast enough to keep up with Seadrill's ambitious plans?
- [By Sarfaraz A. Khan]
The Brazilian energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro S.A (PBR), more commonly known as Petrobras, has been eyeing a turnaround but so far, it has fallen short of expectations. It managed to deliver a decent performance in its last quarter, but its ADR has fallen by 21.45% this year. The company is controlled by the Brazilian government through its 63% voting power. Petrobras has struggled with profitability because the business has been used as a tool to curb inflation. The company is eyeing an uptake in production in H2-2013, but I believe that, for now, investors should avoid this stock.
Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: Fluor Corporation(FLR)
Fluor Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management services worldwide. Its Oil & Gas segment offers design, engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services to upstream oil and gas production, downstream refining, chemicals, and petrochemicals industries. This segment also provides consulting services comprising feasibility studies, process assessment, and project finance structuring and studies. The company?s Industrial & Infrastructure segment offers design, engineering, procurement, and construction services to the transportation, wind power, mining and metals, life sciences, manufacturing, commercial and institutional, telecommunications, microelectronics, and healthcare sectors. Its Government segment provides engineering, construction, logistics support, contingency response, management, and operations services to the United States government focusing on the Departme nt of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. The company?s Global Services segment offers operations and maintenance, small capital project engineering and execution, site equipment and tool services, industrial fleet services, plant turnaround services, temporary staffing services, and supply chain solutions. Its Power segment provides engineering, procurement, construction, program management, start-up and commissioning, and operations and maintenance services to the gas fueled, solid fueled, plant betterment, renewables, nuclear, and power services markets. The company also offers unionized management and construction services in the United States and Canada. Fluor Corporation was founded in 1912 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Louis Navellier]
Fluor Corporation (FLR) is one of the world�� leading heavy construction and engineering firms. I don’t want to imply that this is a bad company because it is actually a very good one. However, Fluor has divisions including Oil & Gas, Industrial Infrastructure, Government, Global Services and Power. Virtually all of them are seeing limited spending as a result of the global slowdown and reduced government spending around the world. The stock is up more than 23% this year, but earnings are actually down on flat revenues. Analysts have been lowering their estimates for the rest of this year as well as 2014, and the stock is currently rated as a by Portfolio Grader. When the economy recovers, I expect will see this company’s fundamentals improve substantially … but until that happens investors should avoid the stock.
- [By CRWE]
Fluor Corporation�� (NYSE:FLR) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, David Seaton, and Chief Financial Officer, Biggs Porter, will give a presentation to investors at the Credit Suisse 2012 Engineering & Construction Conference in New York on Thursday, June 7 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
- [By Louis Navellier]
If we look at the sector using Portfolio Grader, we see that many of the big names in the group like Flour (FLR), Granite Construction (GVA) and KBR incorporated (KBR) are rated ��ell.��The anticipated spending for both government and private industry simply hasn�� materialized, and the companies are not seeing revenue or profit growth.
Hot Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: Goldman Sachs Group Inc.(The)
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, financial institutions, governments, and high-net-worth individuals worldwide. Its Investment Banking segment offers financial advisory, including advisory assignments with respect to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense, risk management, restructurings, and spin-offs; and underwriting securities, loans and other financial instruments, and derivative transactions. The company?s Institutional Client Services segment provides client execution activities, such as fixed income, currency, and commodities client execution related to making markets in interest rate products, credit products, mortgages, currencies, and commodities; and equities related to making markets in equity products, as well as commissions and fees from executing and clearing institutional client transactions on stock, options, and fu tures exchanges. This segment also engages in the securities services business providing financing, securities lending, and other prime brokerage services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds, and foundations. Its Investing and Lending segment invests in debt securities, loans, public and private equity securities, real estate, consolidated investment entities, and power generation facilities. This segment also involves in the origination of loans to provide financing to clients. The company?s Investment Management segment provides investment management services and investment products to institutional and individual clients. This segment also offers wealth advisory services, including portfolio management and financial counseling, and brokerage and other transaction services to high-net-worth individuals and families. In addition, it provides global investment research services. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Top 5 Safest Stocks To Own For 2014: Under Armour Inc.(UA)
Under Armour, Inc. develops, markets, and distributes performance apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth primarily in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers products made from moisture-wicking synthetic fabrics designed to regulate body temperature and enhance performance regardless of weather conditions. The company provides its products in three fit types: compression (tight fitting), fitted (athletic cut), and loose (relaxed) extending across the sporting goods, outdoor, and active lifestyle markets. Its footwear offerings comprise football, baseball, lacrosse, softball, and soccer cleats; slides; performance training footwear; and running footwear. The company also provides baseball batting, football, golf, and running gloves, as well as licenses bags, socks, headwear, custom-molded mouth guards, and eyewear that are designed to be used and worn before, during, and after competition. Under Armour sells its products through retai l stores, as well as directly to consumers through its own retail outlets and specialty stores, Website, and catalogs. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
Put in perspective, that's more expensive than a share of sportswear maker Under Armour (NYSE: UA ) , and twice the P/E of Nike (NYSE: NKE ) . But that's OK. Because according to analyst estimates, Man Utd is likely to grow its profits at the astounding speed of 45% per year over the next four years -- twice as fast as Under Armour, and four times the speed of Nike. If all goes as planned, today's Man Utd share price of $17 and change will be only 26 times the earnings the club makes next year, and only 22 times 2015 earnings.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
The other big prospect for high-margin sales is the action-outdoor space, where VF has a nice lead in terms of financial performance. Columbia Sportswear (NASDAQ: COLM ) has much lower margins but also has a well-known brand presence that will pose a threat to VF in the long run. Bigger competitors such as Under Armour (NYSE: UA ) will also bear watching, especially if Under Armour decides to do what it's done in the past with footwear and expand into new markets with particularly promising profit potential.
- [By Jon C. Ogg]
Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOR) and Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA) may seem to have little to nothing in common on the surface. Questcor is in the pharmaceutical business, while Under Armour is the sports apparel and casual wear business. The world has now seen that Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ONXX) is being acquired for some $10.4 billion. The commonality between Questcor and Under Armour is that they were featured on the same recent high growth list of public companies expected to double their revenues over the next two to four years.
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