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Miscellaneous

Yusaku Maezawa is the most interesting man in the world…

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The Japanese billionaire… goes by Yusaku Maezawa and is a rock star turned fashion entrepreneur. Now, not only is Maezawa a fashion mogul, but he is set to become the first-ever “moon tourist.” SpaceX just announced that Maezawa has a seat aboard the Big Falcon Rocket to take a trip around the moon as soon as 2023.

 

How he got so effing rich… Maezawa decided to skip college (because who needs it?) and follow his then-girlfriend to the United States. In the US, Maezawa started collecting CDs and vinyl records and eventually, went into the business of selling CDs and vinyls by mail from Japan after returning in 1995. In 1998, Maezawa launched Start Today; a mail-order music business. Eventually, Start Today started selling clothing, and it was such a hit, the fashion arm of the company was spun off into Zozotown.

 

Zozotown was so good… that Vogue even dubbed it ‘a cross between Net-a-Porter and Amazon.’ And unlike other CEO billionaires in Japan, Maezawa doesn’t wear suits and likes to have fun – he even delivered his company’s yearly results dressed as a mushroom. And nowadays, this guy runs a company, collects art, and apparently, flies around the moon. I think we all need to be a little more like Yusaku Maezawa.

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Miscellaneous

Transportation stocks are on the move!

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Ever heard of the… Dow Jones Transportation Average? Probably not. However, it is basically the lesser known, possibly estranged relative to the Dow Jones Industrial Average…you know, but for transportation. Interestingly enough, the index has gained 9% on the year which is slightly better than the DJIA which is up 6% on the year.

 

You should invest in transportation… because even Warren Buffett does it. If Warren Buffet does it, you do it. Okay? Berkshire Hathaway has stakes in UPS, United, American, Delta, and Southwest. Heck, Warren Buffett has even contemplated buying an airline and said he “wouldn’t rule out owning an entire airline.” Buffett even acquired railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion back in 2009.

 

But not so fast… because high oil prices could hurt the transportation industry. Amazon also is investing in cargo freight airlines and experimenting with drones which could put a dent in transportation. Last but not least – trade tensions could drive demand down for imported goods. But for now, all is well for planes, trains, and automobiles…

Miscellaneous

Chill, man…legalizing marijuana takes time

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Legalizing weed… is not as easy as it sounds. Believe it or not, Uruguay was the first country to legalize the drug nationally in 2013. And Uruguay wants to do things the right way; but doing things the “right way” involves a lot of time and restrictions to show everyone that the country itself is in control of the system. This means only 14 pharmacies in the entire country can legally sell marijuana.

 

Here are the issues… first, only two companies are licensed to grow in Uruguay, Symbiosis and Iccorp. Next is the fact that pharmacies in Uruguay go through United States banks which cannot serve accounts that are involved in the marijuana biz.  This means marijuana transactions must be cash-only which has presented a barrier for most pharmacies to get involved. But if more do get involved, the currently supply will not be enough from just two distributors.

 

Drug dealers hate it… because regulated cannabis has slowed the black market for it down – it is estimated about 55% of marijuana users are using the regulating system to get their fix. Marijuana is also priced in-line with the black market to hinder competition from illegal sources. So some good has come out of legalization after all; but the other “good” things will take time…

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Miscellaneous

Sears was ‘fashionably late’ with their earnings report

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Sears was supposed to… report earnings before the market opened yesterday but instead reported after the closing bell. Not reporting earnings when you say you are going to report earnings is just bad news…and weird. So the company built up all this suspense – what happened?

 

You guessed it… Sears did horrible, again. The company topped its previous failures to the tune of a $508 million loss, which is two times as much as they lost the previous year. Sears CEO Eddie Lampert stated that the company is looking to remain a “going concern.” If you’re not an account, being a going-concern means that it seems like you have the resources to stay in business. I really hope the CEO plans to remain a going concern. And to be honest, that was the best news on the earnings call.

 

What else is new with Sears… they’re still trying to sell Kenmore, which Lampert (yes, the CEO) has offered to buy for $400 million. The Kenmore brand is still worth about three times more than the company itself. And 46 more Sears and K-Mart stores will close before Christmas. Looks like we better write about them while we still can.

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Miscellaneous

Here’s how even YOU can get a PORSCHE

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Driving a Porsche just got easier… because the German automaker plans to launch two pilot programs to allow you to rent their cars. The first, Porsche Drive, will operate in Atlanta and will deliver your Porsche, fully insured and with a full tank of gas. The catch? Well, there is no catch, just a substantial financial burden on your part. That’s right – the minimum price is $269 for four hours.

 

The other program… is TuroHost, and is [obviously] being run on Turo, the peer-to-peer car rental app. Turo will select the top-rated “hosts” who already own Porsche’s and train them on their cars. Turo will specifically list these Porsche-owners in one place on their website. You may be able to get a better deal on Turo…

 

If either of these crazy ideas work… it will be rolled out nationally. Porsche isn’t the first with this idea either – GM owns Maven, it’s very own car-sharing company. Also, Audio runs Silvercar where you can rent a silver Audi. That’s right – you don’t need to be rich to look rich.

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Miscellaneous

This is the ‘FinalStraw’ for plastic straws

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Meet Emma Cohen… an entrepreneur seeking to ban plastic straws and save the environment. Last year, Cohen met Miles Pepper, a cinematographer with the same passion for protecting the environment and spreading awareness about the harm plastic straws can do. The two set out to create a reusable, and collapsible, straw to rid the world of plastic once and for all!

 

This is the final straw you’ll need… and the product is conveniently named FinalStraw if you are worried about remembering. Oh, and it is the final straw for plastic straws. The straw has a stainless steel shell, the inside is durable silicon, and it can fold up and go with you anywhere. The straw is also dishwasher-safe – very important, and can clip directly on to your keychain.

 

People love it… and after 50 hours on GoFundMe the product raised $200,000, and when the campaign reached its deadline, it had amassed $1.89 million from over 38,000 backers. Why did this product do so well? This type of success is a classic example of ‘preparation’ meets ‘opportunity’ as we have been witness to an ever-growing ‘anti-straw’ movement (if you’ve been reading). So be on the lookout for your FinalStraw sometime early next year….

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Miscellaneous

Beer + Glue = A good time for all?

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A first for beer… is Carlsberg’s new “Snap Pack” which bonds cans together with glue. And it’s not just some stupid gimmick – using glue instead of the plastic rings that hold cans together will reduce plastic waste by 1,200 tons per year. How does it make you feel that your drunk ass has been polluting the earth that badly?

 

Drink Carlsberg… to get drunk without destroying the planet. However, this will only be available in the United Kingdom and Europe, for now. But maybe everyone should adopt this was of packaging because, by 2050, the plastic in the ocean is predicted to triple. We assume there is already quite a bit in there now.

 

Following examples… from companies like Starbucks, Disney, and McDonald’s, all of who are planning to limit or stop using plastic straws altogether. Adidas has plans to use only recycled plastic by 2024 and Ikea will stop using single-use plastic products everywhere by 2020. High-five for environmental responsibility!

Miscellaneous

Whether you win or lose, the NFL wins every time

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The real winner is… the National Football League. According to a study by Nielsen for the American Gaming Association, the league stands to gain about $2.3 billion in revenue from legalized sports gambling. Somewhere around $1.4 billion will come from increased rights fees, and the rest will be made up of ticket sales, advertising, sponsorships, and deals from gambling services.

 

This isn’t chump change… because the NFL brought in $8.2 billion last season. You do the math – that’s an increase of over 25% from sports betting alone. The theory is that more people will watch the games that they put money on. Now that sports betting is legal, we can expect more people will be betting and more games watched, as a result.

 

Here is where it’s legal… New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi, and West Virginia – that’s it for now. However, other states are likely to follow suit before the year-end. Within two to three years the majority of states will loosen up and allow some form of sports gambling. So if it comes to your state, be sure to play responsibly – and never bet on the Browns (no matter how “sick” they look this year).

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Miscellaneous

Trick-Or-Treat: Stock Market Edition

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Everyone is coming back… from vacation and going back to school, work, or whatever else it is people do with their time. We had a good summer…scratch that – we had a great summer in the stock market. But before anyone gets too excited, I think this would be a good time to look at what could be in store for investors this fall.

 

Trade, trade, trade… yes, the global trade war still looms large and could be devastating to the markets. If trade tensions escalate, it could become difficult for businesses to get the materials they need. If prices are too high, executives could decide to cut back on spending. Reduced spending would be bad news for the economy and could even lead to a recession.

 

But we’re okay, for now… because the S&P 500 is up 8% and the Nasdaq up 17% this year. However, September has been hard on investors in recent memory, and the midterm elections could add to the September woes. Summer was hot for stocks – but the fall could be downright scary.

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Miscellaneous

More CEOs are behaving badly…

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You may have heard… that the CEO of JD.com, one of China’s largest e-commerce websites, was arrested in Minneapolis on Friday. But now the company is saying CEO Richard Liu was falsely accused of sexual misconduct and will return to business as usual. The police are still actively investigating the situation, so this may not be the last we hear about it.

 

You may be asking… why was this guy in Minneapolis, anyway? Apparently, Liu is a student at the University of Minnesota in a program for “top-level executives” working in China. So, not your typical university experience – the average age of the students enrolled in this program is 50.

 

JD.com is kind of like… the second-place Amazon of China, selling everything from appliances and apparel to groceries. The company also has some high-profile investors, including Walmart and Tencent, who combined hold 28% of JD.com. Liu himself owns 16% of the company but has 80% of the voting rights (so he calls the shots). The company is also moving west and plans to compete with Amazon in Europe by 2019. Another CEO [allegedly] behaving badly – what’s new?

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