Moneywise24 Personal Finance

Smoking is a bad habit, and it can seriously damage your health. Therefore, the best alternative to smoking is to quit. In addition, smoking is prohibited in many areas, in bars, in restaurant, and even in many public places outside. For many people, quitting is a difficult step, since smoking is highly addictive. For those, who cannot stop smoking, or who do not have the desire, there is an alternative: the e-cigarette.

The e-cigarette stands for “electronic cigarette”, and could it could be an alternative to the traditional cigarette. The e-cigarette is an electronic device, which might either look like a real cigarette, or look completely different, with a small ampule inside containing a liquid. With each inhale, a small portion of the liquid is sprayed directly through an opening. The liquid usually contains various aromas, and they might contain nicotine or not. But is it worth the investment?

Electronic cigarette starter kits sell starting at a price at around $30. Although the initial investment is higher than an average pack of cigarettes, the electronic cigarette may last one or two years. Additionally, special cartridges need to be purchased, either containing nicotine or a special flavor. Cartridges cost around $6.50 for a pack of 5; each cartridge will last for the equivalent of around 10 cigarettes.

So, consider a person smoking one pack of cigarettes per day, or 30 packs a day. With 20 cigarettes per pack, that is 600 cigarettes per month. At a price of $5 per pack, this person would have spent $150 on regular cigarettes per month, or $1,800 per year.

The electronic cigarette smoker will have an initial investment of $30, and then spend $78 per month on cartridges. This totals up to $966 per year. Although this is a lot of money, it is still a saving of more than $800 per year, or a nice one-week holiday perhaps. Additionally, the electronic cigarette does not produce any hazardous second hand smoke, and it smells neutral. As a result, many clubs, bars, and even airplanes tolerate electronic cigarettes, making the life of smokers easier.

Perhaps the biggest benefit, is that electronic cigarettes do not contain many of the hazardous substances, which are in traditional cigarettes, making it a potential first step to stop smoking completely.

This article does not provide any professional advice, nor does it advise or encourage people to smoke. This article expresses a personal opinion and is for entertainment purposes only.

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After a period of recovery, stock markets fell sharply this Monday, as fears on Europe’s debt crisis keeps dominating. Whereas the problems around Greece have been postponed, new fears arise that Italy, Europe’s second largest economy, might might fall into a debt crisis.

According to Reuters, the IShares MSCI Italy Index Fund, dropped by 4.9% to a value of 15.63 USD (read the full article here). Additionally, the FTSE Italia All-Share fell by 4.33%. One hour after opening, the Dow Jones fell by 1.45%. The fear, that the debt crisis may expand into the entire European region, is clearly dominating.

Especially finance-related stocks have much to endure today. Banks and insurance companies, which are largely sensitive to the global economy, fell sharply. Again, fear seems to dominate the market, at least on the short-term, while all eyes are looking toward the beginning of the Q2 results announcements. Alcoa is traditionally starting the season later today.

Personally, I am putting a hold on taking on any new positions. I will sell any investments at my stop-loss immediately, and generally simply lay back and watch the show. The Q2 results will surely be very interesting, but it will be more interesting whether companies will make statements to their expected Q3 and Q4 results.

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It’s 7:15 in the morning. After having hit the snooze button of my alarm clock three times, I force myself to get up finally. I am strolling to the kitchen like a zombie, turn on the coffee machine, crash on the sofa and turn on CNN or any other news channel, watching it with half open eyes.

It’s 7:30 in the morning. After having been informed about the latest rumble in this crazy world and some FOREX updates, I make myself a coffee, and crash on the couch for a second time. I suck in some updates on China, a demonstration in… I already forgot… and the movements of the Nikkei and other Asian markets. That graph sure looks red.

It’s 8 o’clock in the morning: shoot, I am late. I get ready and get to work.

It’s 19 o’clock in the evening. I had been following some of the news during the day, and decide to chill out on the couch with my lovely girlfriend. Just a bit of CNN today, then Friends, and let’s see what movie is on later on.

It’ 11 o’clock in the evening… 11 already? Need some sleep!

Fine, my typical working day does not look quite like this anymore. But it does for many people out there. Television is an integral part of many people’s lives. Clicker Blog has posted an interesting post and illustration of how much television we watch in a lifetime. The the original article here.

Excuse me? 5 hours per day for the typical American person? Fine, the number may be different depending on the country you live in. But still, make it 2 hours per day. Over a 78-year lifespan, that is still 56,940 hours, or 6.5 years! Read the rest of this entry →

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Most people have a tremendous fear to be broke, or to become broke at some point in their lives. But what does it actually mean, to be “broke”? And how can we prevent from getting to that point, where we have to call ourselves “broke”? When it comes to the understanding of many people, being broke means simply not having any money to spend.

This week, however, the Greek government agreed on radical savings measurements, which resulted in European Banks and the IMF to be willing to lend Greece an additional 3.2 billion Euros. Greece does not have any money to spend, else it wouldn’t need any additional loans, so in a sense Greece is as broke as one can get. Yet, the additional 3.2 billion Euros did something interesting: it saved Greece from bankruptcy.

Similarly, Donald Trump wrote in one of his books, that at some point in his life, he found himself being in dept so much, that he envied the homeless people on the street, who theoretically had more assets than himself, even if it were a few Dollars. Still, The Don is one of the richest men, and he didn’t end up on the streets.

So, there must be something else going on. Something beneath the surface, something secret.

Assets and liabilities Read the rest of this entry →

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Stock market sure have been on a roller coaster ride lately. First the terrible unfortunate events in Japan and the Middle East caused markets to rapidly decline, after which they recovered for the most part. At a later point, concerns over Greece took over, and stock market took a dive starting in April.

Earlier this week, the Greek parliament agreed on cost-cutting measurements, which was confirmed by a second agreement today. This decision frees the way for further financial support, such as today’s agreement between the German government and banks to support Greece with an additional 3.2 billion Euros.

One thing is certain: markets are emotionally loaded. Fear, relief, and euphoria seem to dominate the daily trends. As of yesterday, many markets are back on a rise due to relief regarding the situation in Greece.

But will this last? That is the question.

Although the economy has improved in many areas, many areas are still having a hard time, such as housing or unemployment. Markets have recovered greatly from the recession, many stocks having exceeded its pre-recession prices, but economic recovery is still in progress.

It is hard to really look at where the markets are going; they are extremely emotionally loaded at the moment, and they move according to what is “hot” and what is “not”. On the short term, markets may recover from the decline over the past weeks, and months. But will markets keep the positive trend and recover further? Read the rest of this entry →

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