Thursday, March 29, 2007

Congratulations to my friends at Sustainable Harvest International; a non-profit I did some pro-bono work for in the past. They've been picked up by the Associated Press and the news blurbs are propogating around the world as I type this. Their success is a prime example of indirect, or what I call Coat-Tail PR. When clients sign up with a PR firm, for example, they always have visions of sugar-plum placements -- like a feature story on the cover of Time magazine -- dancing in their heads. Of course, this is totally unrealistic. But, if you happen to have a unique angle on a societal trend or current news story, you might get favorable coverage by riding the coat-tails of that larger story. That's what is happening here. The story is about "Voluntourism," which is typically done in under-developed nations with shall-we-say "rustic" conditions. SHI's program is a prime example of the trend, thus they get highlighted in the story. Here's a link to the Boston Globe article. Congrats to Flo and Sarah and the whole crew; keep up the good work!

Friday, March 02, 2007

Stocks On Sale!

Tough week on Wall Street, eh? Bloomberg reports it's the end of the worst week since January 2003. Tuesday's sell off was the single biggest declining day since 9/11. Time to panic? Well, if you're a long-term investor (which, unless you're a day-trader, you really are), then there's only one way to really look at the recent precipitous drop in the major indexes: There's a sale on stocks! Been eyeing AAPL stock while you wait for the iPhone? Pick some up in the mid-80s today, a full 5 bucks off last Monday's prices. Like GOOG but put off by its recent 500 price tag? How 'bout now, at 438? Starting a new retirement account like I am? Now's a great time to start... Everything's on sale!

My brother Todd is a stock analyst, and a very good one at that, providing research and counsel to money managers to some of the best mutual funds and hedge funds around. Following this week's trainwreck, Todd just raised his projections for the major indexes over the next year. Essentially, his take is that this volatility is a good thing, because it's creating opportunities. If there's something I want to buy and the price comes down, whether it's a plasma screen HDTV or a share of stock, sure, I call that an opportunity. Check out Todd's blog and his Google video here.