Greg,
Gotcha. I previously made the list of questions you mention for that reason also.

The websites do answer much of these questions although it's always helpful to hear from first hand accounts. The good, the bad and the ugly.

I don't think i'll have the fees waived the same as you LOL! (at least not yet...positive thinking-big gains:) )

Thanks

And I hope you get there next week!!!


Really though -- none of us is probably going to have much experience with so many different brokerages -- there's just too many of them. I use Schwab for some stuff -- Fidelity for other stuff - Wells Fargo for IRA -- McAdams Wright Ragen for bonds -- etc... Some brokerages can handle certain things for you - others can't... (such as a branch of Wells Fargo that handles some "private paper" investments for me)....

What's probably going to be a "consideration" for many is What's the minimum size of account - the activity fees - Who has an easy to use Web presence... etc. It's all so subjective.

I'm not a "trader" so the brokerages that offer all manor of trading software etc - just doesn't tickle my fancy - so those "features" aren't important to me - but they may be to someone else....

My personal perspective would be quite different than most -- I get my ass kissed at all of them -- and get what I want/need with a simple phone call or email... and that's why I've always just said "any of the discount brokerages"... then ya gotta just find one that fits.

FEES are deductible by the way.... the fees should be included in your COST BASIS...


Another "by the way" -- I make ALL the brokerages send me PAPER statements.... I never want to be in a position of not having another form of "proof" 5 years from now - about some trade or cost or sale price etc.... this laptop will be long gone most likely -- and if I need to look something up from the IRS -- I want to have it at my fingertips...

This week is a good "insight" into what we might be heading for.... good bad or indifferent... with these titans reporting Monday and Tuesday.

I don't buy or sell on this kind of "info".... but EARNINGS is what the stock market is all about --- and it's not so much about what they earned as it is about WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT GOING FORWARD. That is the take away you need to pay attention to. What does business look like NEXT Quarter and for the year.


Monday will start one of the two most hectic weeks of the earnings season. Marquee names due to report earnings on Monday include Texas Instruments Inc and Halliburton Co, followed by Apple Inc, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald's Corp, Verizon Communications, and Yahoo! Inc — all on Tuesday.
BoeinG, ConocoPhillips and United Technologies are set to release results on Wednesday. Thursday's earnings line-up includes 3M Co, AT&T Inc, Starbucks and Time Warner Cable Inc. On Friday, earnings are expected from Chevron Corp, Honeywell International and Procter & Gamble Co.

Out of curiosity, would it be wise to buy into a stock thats reporting earnings on tuesday on monday or has the train already left the station.

That's a GAMBLING question... how much do you know about the company -- are you willing to BET that the earnings report is going to be good?? Because if it isn't - you might get your butt crushed.

Anyone that bough GOOGLE before earnings -- just took a $50+ haircut...

So what you really need to ask yourself is ------ If the earnings are good -- and their forward comments are good -- am I INVESTING -- or am I trying to get the first .50 by gambling on an unknown?

Sometimes I'll buy AFTER earnings a day or two when I see which way the wind is blowing... 'cause I'm in it more for a couple years than just today. :cheers: :woot:

Good question by the way!

Well, Halliburton has been hiring like crazy and I stay busy as crap most of the time, so we better report good earnings or else I'm going to want to know whose been spending all the money I bring in from the jobs I do, lol.

Earnings are announced every quarter, right? Are the earnings announced this week of greater significance than those announced throughout the rest of the year?

And the earnings that are announced this week set the tone for the dividends that are paid at the end of this quarter?

Earnings are every quarter -- but not all companies run on a calendar year... so really - there's an earnings report just about every day from "somebody"...

What earnings do is give you a peek into how things are going - in the company - and in the SECTOR as well.... You might own FORD stock - and pay attention to GM earnings... because they may say things that are indicative of how things are going overall for sales etc...

This is a broad based generalization of course - but if several big companies come out and report good sales and profits and have good things to say about going forward - then this can lift the market overall... and of course the reverse can happen.

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Dividends are set per quarter... and are indicative of how the company is doing. Doing really well and feel good about the future of their earnings they may choose to increase the dividend. That is a really good indicator because they are saying that their income is growing enough to support that payout.

COMPANIES are loathe to reduce the dividend....because it says "we're not doing so hot"...

It's really not much different than a persons personal situation.... nobody wants to be in a Ferrari and then have to trade down to a Yugo... and the reverse is true as well -- IF a person feels good about their future earnings - they're likely to buy a better car (pay a higher dividend).

Keep up the good work! Halliburton reported good numbers and I was looking for a quote from you in there somewhere...