Category Archives

The unemployment rate is low… so that must mean people are earning money and saving money, right? Wrong. One in three Americas has less than $5,000 saved for retirement, and the average person is saving less than 3% of disposable personal income!

You’re workin’ hard… and you have no problem earning money, no problem spending money, but a serious problem saving money. But don’t worry – it’s not your fault. When given equal opportunities to earn or save, our brains do not prioritize saving. We all have an anti-saving bias that keeps us from saving money.

But you’re not a lost cause… because you can learn to change your mindset and start saving! Rather than imagining your future self-saving money, think about how saving money today will benefit your tomorrow. It’s not easy – but it is so worth it.

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We haven’t heard from these guys… in quite a while. And by “these guys” we mean MoviePass, of course. The New York attorney general is investigating the parent company, Helios and Matheson, of MoviePass for possibly having misled investors about company finances.

If they were misleading us… they weren’t doing a good job because all we can recall is MoviePass constantly almost running out of money. The company had outages due to cash shortages and continued to see its stock price drop.

A far cry from… last October when MoviePass was trading for $39 per share! Today, the stock is trading at 2 cents per share after a 250 to 1 reverse split. Stockholders have also filed two federal class-action complaints against Helios and Matheson stating that the company made “materially false or misleading” statements. Looks like another company is ready to bite the dust..

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Look out for… Instacart, the on-demand grocery delivery company that is now worth a whopping $7.6 billion. The company raised $600 million in its latest round of funding. Instacart launched in 2012 and gives ordinary people their very own grocery shopper.

Here’s how it works… customers get a personal shopper that goes to the grocery store, finds everything on your grocery list, purchases and delivers the items to you. And the continued investment is encouraging news because many thought this company didn’t stand a chance against AmazonFresh which provides a similar service.

Instacart partners with… many grocery stores, including Whole Foods, Kroger, Sam’s Club, Publix, and many others. The company has deals with over 300 grocery stores (national and local). Instacart now has services at 15,000 grocery stores in 4,000 cities with 50,000 customers. Pretty soon we will never need to the leave the house – that’s the ultimate goal in life, right?

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Sears is bankrupt… and the company’s landlords couldn’t be much happier. Sears plans to close 142 stores before the end of 2018. So it appears it will be out-with-the-old and in-with-the-new come 2019. And property owners agree – they are far better off without Sears and Kmart wasting their space.

According to Kimco… a real estate investment trust that has leases for three Sears locations and eleven Kmarts it has been a long-time coming. In fact, the average rent for the 14 stores is just $5.25 per square foot – compared to the average $15.95 per square foot of other Kimco properties. Sears signed these leases a long time ago, and those lease terms were greatly benefitting the now-bankrupt retailer.

And apart from unfavorable leases… landlords are probably going to be happy to get tenants that can actually pay their rent. Washington Prime Group is another real estate owner that received just 1% of rent from Sears in the third quarter. Really, Sears?  One percent!?

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There is an enormous pipe in the ocean… and it’s not trash – in fact, its duty is to remove debris in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Ocean Cleanup foundation just launched the first ocean cleanup system to combat the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” The Giant Pacific Garbage Patch is a pile of trash that floats between California and Hawaii and is double the size of Texas.

Here’s how it’s done… the pipe is U-shaped and carries a 3-meter deep net underneath to catch plastic beneath the surface. Every few months, a boat (basically an ocean garbage truck) will come by, collect all of the crap that the net traps, and bring it to shore. Then, we have plastic that can be recycled (like it should have been in the first place!).

But you still need to recycle… because this net isn’t going to catch everything. And actually, some question if the pipe will do much good at all. Apart from the fact it could break down (and add to the “garbage patch”), it may not be enough to make much difference.  But hey, at least someone is trying, right?

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So you want to buy a home… but you have a terrible credit score? No problem – because the Boston-based brokerage Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America is holding events for people in your exact shoes.

Here are the details… borrowers with low credit scores can go through an education session about the program and submit all necessary documents, including income statements and phone bills. After that, they go through counseling to better understand their finances and how to afford a home.

And there you go… you have yourself a house (and a mortgage payment – don’t forget that). The loans are 15- and 30-year fixed with interest rates of around 4.5% and require no down payment. This program is a great opportunity for anyone with credit-mistakes and without $30,000 kicking around for a down payment…

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Another company moves to the dark side… that company being Travelers and the “dark side” meaning Amazon. Travelers is one of the biggest insurance companies, and now, the company has launched an Amazon storefront where you can buy discounted home security equipment. The offerings include cameras, motion detectors, water sensors, and of course, Echo Dots.

Buy a kit, get a discount… on your home insurance policy. Oh, and you also get a free Echo Dot if you are an insurance customer of Travelers. This partnership also makes for an interesting one as Amazon has reportedly been interested in getting into insurance itself.

Travelers is winning… because if customers are taking better precautions with their homes, there should be fewer accidents, right? This program also gives the insurer a better way to connect with new and existing customers. Travelers will also integrate with Alexa and anyone can ask for property maintenance and home safety tips. Not too shabby for an insurance company, eh?

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It’s time for Corporate America… to shine! Wall Street is getting ready for some crazy good earnings results over the next few weeks. Analysts have predicted earnings for the S&P 500 will go up close to 20% compared to last year. The fourth quarter is looking very promising, as well.

But don’t get too excited… because these blockbuster earnings may be short-lived. Bond yields are rising which means companies will be paying more to fund growth (and will have less money, as a result). There is also the looming “trade war” that seems to have no end in sight. And last, but not least, 2018 will leave behind tough shoes to fill.

Because of these reasons… earnings are expected to grow around 7% in the first half of 2019. Growth is growth, but 7% is a far cry from the expected 20% this quarter. That is what the “professionals” are predicting, anyway. But hey – who really knows – just be sure to enjoy the earnings while they last!

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We usually talk about the stock market… here at Sanebull. However, you will have to hit it big (really big) in the market to avoid having to worry about that credit score of yours. But today we have excellent news – you don’t need a perfect credit score, or even a high credit score – all you really need is a ‘meh’ credit score to thrive in this world!

Just make it to 760… and really, you have made it. Once your credit score hits 760, you will be eligible for the best interest rates, according to Greg McBride, the chief analyst at Bankrate. It’s essential to get started building credit – and make on-time payments so you don’t become some schmuck with a sub-650 credit score – but no need to go above-and-beyond.

The bare minimum really pays off… because a score of 760 compared to 680 could save you over $10,000 in interest over a 30-year home mortgage. A good credit score can also get you better insurance rates and qualify you for the best credit cards (points, points, points).  So let’s recap: pay your s#!% on time and don’t be a hero. BOOM.

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We don’t test products… we let other people buy them, and then we read their reviews on the internet. This makes online reviews one reason why Mattress Firm is filing for bankruptcy – because no one wants to drive to the store to lie down on a mattress. However, the company isn’t going anywhere – not yet, anyway.

Here’s the plan… the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy that will get them out of about 700 bad leases. Mattress Firm will close 200 of those stores and is debating on what to do with the other 500. Still, that figure represents only a fraction of the company’s 3,300 locations in the United States.

Too many stores… because Mattress Firm acquired Sleepy’s in 2016 and Mattress Giant in 2012. Now, there’s a freakin’ mattress store on every corner (which we don’t need). Having so many locations is not a great look, especially considering Casper and Amazon are killing it online (where all the action is at) and looking to expand a little into brick-and-mortar. But we will see in the coming months if the one-time mattress behemoth can wake up and smell the coffee!

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