Filed under: Intuit Inc (INTU)

The personal finance software space is certainly large and lucrative — especially as seen with Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU)’s Quicken. Yet, the software is not necessarily easy and has tons of features that are likely to be overwhelming.

Well, Mint.com sees this as an opportunity and operates a fairly simple web-based personal finance site that uses some cool Web 2.0 features. In fact, the company has announced that it has raised $12 million in venture capital and the lead investor is Benchmark Capital, which is a tier-1 firm.

On several occasions, I’ve talked to Mint.com’s CEO and founder, Aaron Patzer. He has provided me with a demo of the system — and it’s super easy to use (funny enough, he even gave me a demo of his personal account).

Something else: Mint.com has found ways to analyze your finances to provide cost-savings, such as with credit cards and so on. Actually, in light of the slowing economy, this is definitely attractive. After all, since the site’s launch in September 2007, there are now more than 160,000 users. What’s more, Mint.com has identified more than $100 million in potential savings.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

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Filed under: Walgreen Co (WAG), CVS Corp (CVS)

I love going to the drugstore. Whether it’s CVS (NYSE: CVS) or my neighborhood Walgreen (NYSE: WAG), I love the convenience of being able to buy everything I need and everything I don’t need in one place. I buy lots of Entenmann’s donuts, toothpaste, and school supplies at my local store. And now, I may be able to get a flu shot at the store as well.

The New York Times ran an article today entitled “Should Pharmacists Give Flu Shots?” It seems New York City has been suffering from increasingly bad flu seasons. To combat such breakouts, the city is now attempting to pass a bill allowing pharmacists to give flu and pneumonia shots.

The same article quoted the Department of Health as saying that influenza is “now widespread in New York City, with more than 1,000 flu-related visits to emergency rooms each day. Some 20 percent of the current flu vaccine supply is unused.”

I feel my local drugstore is competent to sell me nail clippers and gum, but do we really want these stores dispensing medical services?

Zack Miller is the managing editor of IsraelNewsletter.com and a former equity analyst for a leading multinational hedge fund.

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Filed under: Marketing and advertising, Kohl’s Corp (KSS)

Punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne has signed a deal with Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE: KSS) to introduce a line of junior fashions to be sold exclusively at Kohl’s stores.

The brand will be called Abbey Dawn — after the singer’s childhood nickname. Lavigne said the collection will consist of “a lot of hot pinks and blacks and stars and purple and zebra. Basically, everything I wear.” Kohl’s says that Abbey Dawn is “a rock collection with a feminine edge.” Lavigne says she will be designing the products herself and wearing them on her tour.

Kohl’s seems like an interesting choice for a partner for this — a little too clean-cut for the image she has cultivated throughout her career. Hot Topic, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTT) would have been a more obvious choice — and judging from the stock price, they could really use the help.

But I think it’s a good career move for Lavigne as she looks to move beyond her early success as a pseudo-edgy “punk rocker” for pre-teen girls. So far, that move has been a success with her 2007 album selling well and receiving solid reviews.

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Filed under: Marketing and advertising, Kohl’s Corp (KSS)

Punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne has signed a deal with Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE: KSS) to introduce a line of junior fashions to be sold exclusively at Kohl’s stores.

The brand will be called Abbey Dawn — after the singer’s childhood nickname. Lavigne said the collection will consist of “a lot of hot pinks and blacks and stars and purple and zebra. Basically, everything I wear.” Kohl’s says that Abbey Dawn is “a rock collection with a feminine edge.” Lavigne says she will be designing the products herself and wearing them on her tour.

Kohl’s seems like an interesting choice for a partner for this — a little too clean-cut for the image she has cultivated throughout her career. Hot Topic, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTT) would have been a more obvious choice — and judging from the stock price, they could really use the help.

But I think it’s a good career move for Lavigne as she looks to move beyond her early success as a pseudo-edgy “punk rocker” for pre-teen girls. So far, that move has been a success with her 2007 album selling well and receiving solid reviews.

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Filed under: Pfizer (PFE), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), Novartis AG ADS (NVS), Merck and Co (MRK)

According to Reuters, big pharma concern Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is planning ahead for growth. The company has been plagued by generic competition and a falling stock price, so management knows that it’s got to tell investors something good so that they will realize that the drug maker is still in the game.

Pfizer wants to use the theme of international growth to boost its potential shareholder value. The company is looking at Asia and the emerging markets as catalysts. Can’t blame Pfizer for that; not only is that theme not played out yet, but with the weak dollar, shareholders should welcome any aggressive stance in this regard (so long as the company can execute properly). Then there’s the pipeline, which Pfizer is aiming to expand, hoping to get as many late-stage trials going as it can.

Shareholders will have to wait and see how Pfizer’s rhetoric plays out, but you can’t dismiss the stock as an interesting long-term idea. By now, I don’t need to tell you that pharmaceuticals and providers of healthcare products will always be in need; in fact, stocks like Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), and Novartis AG (ADR) (NYSE: NVS) are all interesting for this very reason. I happen to be prone to Johnson & Johnson myself, but the thing I like about Pfizer is its juicy yield, which sits well above 5% right now. Also, the stock is near its lows, and it is in a narrow 52-week range. I don’t necessarily expect it to rocket higher tomorrow, but if you are looking for a drug company to add to your portfolio, definitely check this one out as a potential value, and keep yourself informed about Pfizer’s plans for the emerging markets.

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Filed under: Pfizer (PFE), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), Novartis AG ADS (NVS), Merck and Co (MRK)

According to Reuters, big pharma concern Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is planning ahead for growth. The company has been plagued by generic competition and a falling stock price, so management knows that it’s got to tell investors something good so that they will realize that the drug maker is still in the game.

Pfizer wants to use the theme of international growth to boost its potential shareholder value. The company is looking at Asia and the emerging markets as catalysts. Can’t blame Pfizer for that; not only is that theme not played out yet, but with the weak dollar, shareholders should welcome any aggressive stance in this regard (so long as the company can execute properly). Then there’s the pipeline, which Pfizer is aiming to expand, hoping to get as many late-stage trials going as it can.

Shareholders will have to wait and see how Pfizer’s rhetoric plays out, but you can’t dismiss the stock as an interesting long-term idea. By now, I don’t need to tell you that pharmaceuticals and providers of healthcare products will always be in need; in fact, stocks like Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), and Novartis AG (ADR) (NYSE: NVS) are all interesting for this very reason. I happen to be prone to Johnson & Johnson myself, but the thing I like about Pfizer is its juicy yield, which sits well above 5% right now. Also, the stock is near its lows, and it is in a narrow 52-week range. I don’t necessarily expect it to rocket higher tomorrow, but if you are looking for a drug company to add to your portfolio, definitely check this one out as a potential value, and keep yourself informed about Pfizer’s plans for the emerging markets.

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Filed under: Good news, Products and services, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Marketing and advertising

Over the weekend, Trent Reznor — the brains behind Nine Inch Nails — released his latest creation, Ghosts I-IV, over the internet. The first nine songs of the 36-song album (nearly 150 minutes in length) are available for free, and there are a number of other options for those willing to pay for the latest from the Pretty Hate Machine artist. For $5, for example, you can download the full album, which comes with a 40-page PDF and “digital extras.”

There are other purchase options as well, the highest-tier of which is a $300 “Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition Package,” which includes: high-quality downloads, two CDs, a data DVD, a Blu-ray high-definition DVD, and assorted extras. And? It’s signed by Mr. Reznor himself. Available to the first 2,500 buyers only, the $300 package sold out in two days. This represents a gross of three quarters of a million dollars in just 48 hours, and that doesn’t even account for the other, more affordable packages that fans have likely snatched up.

This was Reznor’s second foray into the cyber-release of his music. Last November 1, he posted a collaboration album with Saul Williams for free on the Internet. Those desiring a higher-quality format could donate $5.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer’s Investment Research.

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Filed under: Good news, Products and services, Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Marketing and advertising

Over the weekend, Trent Reznor — the brains behind Nine Inch Nails — released his latest creation, Ghosts I-IV, over the internet. The first nine songs of the 36-song album (nearly 150 minutes in length) are available for free, and there are a number of other options for those willing to pay for the latest from the Pretty Hate Machine artist. For $5, for example, you can download the full album, which comes with a 40-page PDF and “digital extras.”

There are other purchase options as well, the highest-tier of which is a $300 “Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition Package,” which includes: high-quality downloads, two CDs, a data DVD, a Blu-ray high-definition DVD, and assorted extras. And? It’s signed by Mr. Reznor himself. Available to the first 2,500 buyers only, the $300 package sold out in two days. This represents a gross of three quarters of a million dollars in just 48 hours, and that doesn’t even account for the other, more affordable packages that fans have likely snatched up.

This was Reznor’s second foray into the cyber-release of his music. Last November 1, he posted a collaboration album with Saul Williams for free on the Internet. Those desiring a higher-quality format could donate $5.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer’s Investment Research.

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Filed under: International markets, Bad news, Commodities, Oil

So much for that oil slump. Oil’s price pullback lasted all of one day as buyers piled back into oil futures Wednesday, sending oil surging up $5.00 to a new record close of $104.52, after OPEC said it would maintain current production quotas.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to maintain production targets at a meeting Tuesday in Vienna, Bloomberg News reported. That price-bullish reality, combined with a surprise report by the U.S. Department of Energy indicating that U.S. crude inventories fell for the first time in eight weeks, was enough to send the oil pits into frenzied buyer mode, once again. Earlier this week oil broke through the previous nominal high of $103.76 set back in 1980.

Gasoline, heating oil prices surge

The other major energy commodities also rocketed higher. Heating oil surged 14 cents to $2.93 per gallon, unleaded gasoline jumped 10 cents to $2.63 per gallon and natural gas climbed 37 cents to $9.72 per million BTUs.

And once again, OPEC repeated its oft-stated rationale that “the markets are well supplied,” Bloomberg News reported, arguing that speculators and investors seeking to buy oil as a long-term asset and as an inflation hedge, are primarily behind oil’s climb to the stratosphere. And once again, traders and other oil buyers acted as if there won’t be enough oil to meet global demand at some point in the months ahead.

Continue reading Oil closes at record $104.52 after OPEC rejects production increase

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Filed under: International markets, Bad news, Commodities, Oil

So much for that oil slump. Oil’s price pullback lasted all of one day as buyers piled back into oil futures Wednesday, sending oil surging up $5.00 to a new record close of $104.52, after OPEC said it would maintain current production quotas.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to maintain production targets at a meeting Tuesday in Vienna, Bloomberg News reported. That price-bullish reality, combined with a surprise report by the U.S. Department of Energy indicating that U.S. crude inventories fell for the first time in eight weeks, was enough to send the oil pits into frenzied buyer mode, once again. Earlier this week oil broke through the previous nominal high of $103.76 set back in 1980.

Gasoline, heating oil prices surge

The other major energy commodities also rocketed higher. Heating oil surged 14 cents to $2.93 per gallon, unleaded gasoline jumped 10 cents to $2.63 per gallon and natural gas climbed 37 cents to $9.72 per million BTUs.

And once again, OPEC repeated its oft-stated rationale that “the markets are well supplied,” Bloomberg News reported, arguing that speculators and investors seeking to buy oil as a long-term asset and as an inflation hedge, are primarily behind oil’s climb to the stratosphere. And once again, traders and other oil buyers acted as if there won’t be enough oil to meet global demand at some point in the months ahead.

Continue reading Oil closes at record $104.52 after OPEC rejects production increase

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