All About WeSeed

There are many eternal questions*: Why are we here? Is there a God? What's the connection between WeSeed and Blue Oyster Cult?

Thanks to our new About Us section, you can find the answer to at least one of the above questions.

On this updated page, we feature: a video that tells about WeSeed and our philosophy (thanks, Steve!), some insight into the WeSeed pedigree, and some info about the WeSeed team.

*We also wonder: Who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp, and who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong? But we’re inquisitive like that.

Debbie Takes on Wall Street

By Debbie Virgo*

Along with increasing shares in various companies I currently hold in my Portfolio, I also made purchases in the following companies:

ADP (Purchased 50 shares at $40.85) – ADP, the company that handles millions of dollars of payroll checks, is currently down from where it was earlier in the month but still headed upward on the charts.  Since the share price had dropped slightly, I found this opportunity to invest. Analysts are indicating that if you currently do not own ADP now is the time to invest.  Also, the PEG Ratio, forward P/E, and the income statement looked good to me.

American Dental Partners (Purchased 50 shares at $15.00) – American Dental Partners has been in the market news recently, which triggered me to do a little research on this company.  According to the charts, this company is on an upward climb and a strong buy. American Dental Partners also had a really strong PEG Ratio and their net income was up during their last earnings report.  This stock price is anticipated to get up to $21.00 — I’m keeping my fingers crossed for higher!

Cracker Barrel (Purchased 50 shares at $36.34) – Cracker Barrel is reporting strong revenue earning for 2010.  In doing some research, this company has a strong PEG ratio, forward P/E looks good, analysts rate this as a strong buy. I  hope to hit the target share price of $48.00.

Cantel Medical Corp (Purchased 20 shares at $17.46) – The flu season is here and Cantel is the manufacturer of an FDA approved face mask. As if I needed more, they recently reported they had increased earnings and the company is rated as a strong buy.  Their PEG Ratio and forward P/E look fairly good, as well.

Ebay (Purchased 50 shares at $24.91) – Christmas is coming, and I am hoping to make money!  Ebay is anticipated to report an increase in their revenue for the third quarter.  In taking a look at the key statistics as well as the analyst opinion, now is the time to invest in EBay since they have been in an upward climb and dipped a little in price.

Fortune Brands (Purchased 50 shares at $43.61) – Fortune Brands share price took a significant dip earlier in the year (wish I had purchased back then!), but the company has been trying to climb back. They are using various tactics  to increase sales and earnings growth, and their PEG Ratio and forward P/E look good as well.  This company is a risk considering their high loss in sales, but analysts are saying it is time to buy. Also, with the holidays approaching hopefully there will be an increase in the purchase of spirits — bottoms up!

General Dynamics (Purchased 50 shares at $67.32) – General Dynamics has been in the news recently for winning a big Navy contract.  In taking a look at their statistics, this company seemed to have strong potential. Their net income has indicated some growth from April 09 versus July of 09.  Hoping to exceed the high target of $80.00 per share!

Heinz (Purchased 50 shares at $40.57) – Over the last year, Heinz was headed for a lower share price. But since March it has started to go up.  They are anticipating a growth in their earnings for 2010.  The PEG Ratio is a little higher than what is cited to be good, but I’m going to take a chance on their continued share price growth.

Mercadolibre (Purchased 50 shares at $41.81) – I found out that the Mercadolibre is the Ebay of Latin America by using the Mini-Market tool!  I definitely need to invest in this company for several reasons – I love Latin America, but I really like the looks of their PEG Ratio and Forward P/E.  At this point they have outperformed where analysts had predicted their share price would be, which was 40.00.  They also reported growth in their net income back in June 2009.

Yahoo (Purchased 50 shares at $17.00) – Yahoo has recently reported a 52-week high in their share price, which indicates over time that their share price is beginning to come back since it hit a real low back in November 2008.  In looking at the stats, this company has a higher PEG Ration for the industry. But in looking at their Forward P/E I am hoping that I made a good decision to invest.  Analysts are definitely recommending this company as a strong buy right now!

That’s all for this week…

*Debbie Virgo is an executive assistant at PEAK6, WeSeed’s parent company. Debbie is putting together a WeSeed Portfolio based solely on the companies that she knows and likes. So far, she’s doing pretty well.

Stock Pics College Contest Winners – Week 1

The WeSeed Stock Pics College Contest is barely a week old, but already we have 3 stock savvy winners who each pocketed $100 and are now eligible for the grand prize of $3,000! We’re giving away prizes every week for the rest of the year so if you haven’t already, head over to the contest page on facebook to enter for yourself! And remember to enter every week!

The Stock Pics contest is all about making the connection between the real world and the stock market. All of the winners from this week got  investment clues from the world around them, and then tested their theories on WeSeed. Here are the winning entries, click on the photos to see the full submissions:

Kellogg Company (K)

Family Dollar Stores Inc (FDO)

Starbucks.

WeSeed and the Mix Make Beautiful Music

WTMX’s Eric Ferguson is many things to many people: He’s a DJ, of course. Big Chipotle fan. Ummm…. “improving” golfer. Ryan Seacrest devotee.

But one thing no one will ever call him, it seems, is stock-picking genius.

As it turns out, Eric’s efforts in WeSeed are… well, he hasn’t lost money. But he’s not exactly raking it in, as you can see from checking out his Portfolio. As of today, he’s up a total of $49.50. He’s moved some stocks around — today, he owns Cracker Barrel, Callaway, and Vail Resorts. Will that improve his numbers? We’ll see.

Meanwhile, it seems that Kathy is the one with the magic touch when it comes to stocks. She’s up a whopping $529! Her pick of Whole Foods was definitely a winner. People seem to be going greener lately, and she seems to have gotten in at the right time. Her other picks (Lululemon and Coach) are doing well, too — but Whole Foods was the big winner.

As for Melissa, well… she’s down $18.50. But, remember, she’s new to this. So we’ll cut her a little slack. Her picks of Foot Locker, Hershey, and Regis will rebound. Right, Melissa?

Budgeting: How to Save Money for Investing

By Joel Reese

WeSeed is many things: A site where you can learn about investing. A way to push past your fears about the stock market. A place to connect with your friends and exchange ideas. A creamy, chocolatey treat with a luscious caramel filling.

But in the long run, WeSeed is about taking control of your financial future. Because this is how you learn to work with your own money. And won’t you feel better about your money if you control it, rather than just handing it off to some guy your neighbor’s best friend recommended?

There’s only one thing you might say here: “Sure, but dude: I need money to invest. And I don’t have much of that.” And yes, that’s a problem.

But here’s the thing — if you’re smart with your money, you can put some away without even noticing it. It’s just a matter of budgeting.

Even that is a scary thing to some people. But we’ve found a site that makes budgeting easy: Money Under 30 has a budget worksheet that’s remarkably easy to understand and work with. You just figure out your expenses — which are conveniently broken down into categories like groceries, medical, transportation, etc. — and total them up. Then you subtract those from your income (provided that your income is more than your expenses, of course) and that’s your bottom line.

And here’s how you can make this work for investing: See Line K there, the one marked “Custom”? You could make that your investing budget. Take a few bucks from here and a few bucks from there, and you’ll be able to put some away for investing.

After you’ve found your way around the market via WeSeed, that is.

Molly Masters the Market

By Molly Helgren*

Here are my WeSeed purchases for the week of October 5 – 9:

Bought Principal Financial (50 shares @ $27.67) – I thought of Principal this week when I was cleaning out my wallet and saw my dental insurance card. Aside from wondering when I’m due for my next teeth cleaning, I decided I should check to see if this company is public. I did some research and found that they have a current P/E ratio of 9.5 and they beat their second quarter earnings expectations by 6 cents/share. With their third quarter earnings announcement in just a few weeks, there is potential for them to get a boost.

Bought Target (50 shares @ $47.98) – I like this company for my Portfolio for several reasons: I shop at their stores on a regular basis, but I also like the way they have developed their brand. The red target is recognizable to all Americans, and they recently acquired a mascot: the little white dog the target spot around its eye. Awww! Their commercials are effective in that they tell stories of everyday people — and they feature catchy songs, too. In addition to all of this, I looked into their financials and read that they had over a 1% increase in September sales compared to 2008, when most comparable stores decreased sales from 2008 to 2009.

Bought Carnival Plc (50 shares @ $34.42) – Travel is something I’ve been passionate about my entire life, and Carnival is a leader in the industry with low prices and a wide range of destinations. With people cutting back on travel due to the current economy, now is the time to buy.

Bought Costco (50 shares @ $59.67) – Costco is a place to buy things in bulk (toilet paper, paper towels, non perishables, etc.). Since I live alone, I can’t justify doing my grocery shopping there, but for big families it makes a lot of sense. Every time I’m there, it’s packed.  They reported their 4^th quarter earnings this week and beat analysts’ expectations by over 10%, which boosted them near their 52-week high.

Bought TJX (50 shares @ $38.08) – What’s not to like about designer clothes for less? I think this is the perfect economy for this type of business. Someone who wants to maintain a designer wardrobe but doesn’t want to pay department-store prices can turn to a store like TJMaxx or Marshall’s. They also have increased their television advertising recently with a series of commercials that display department store shopping interventions. This week TJX reported strong sales for the month of September, which is a good indication of how they will report for the 3^rd and 4^th quarters.

Bought Viacom (50 shares @ $30.66) – I was watching Scrubs reruns on Comedy Central the other day and started thinking about how this station is so unique. I learned that Viacom owns several TV networks like VH1, BET, Comedy Central, and also film companies like MTV films. All of these seem to appeal to a younger generation that I can relate to. Back in 2008 their shares were trading in the $40 range, and now they are in the $30 range. But things have been steadily picking up since the beginning of the year.

Sold Dish Network (100 shares @ $20.08) – I was going through my Portfolio, comparing current prices of companies to the price I paid for them. I bought Dish Network when I was using their service, and now I’ve switched. Their fair price rating on WeSeed is currently in the yellow, which is usually a caution before buying. If WeSeed analysts say it’s above the fair price range that I bought it at, then it’s time for me to sell. On my 100 shares I made about $440.

It was a good week all around: I’m up over $13,000 from where I was last Friday. Overall I’m up $24,316.91. My three-step system I wrote about last week has proved itself worthy. I used it again in making all of my decisions this week as well.

WeShares Bought/Sold Today:

150

Gain/Loss For Today:

623.16

Current Portfolio Value:

1,024,318.16

WeShares Currently Own:

8500

Overall Gain/Loss:

24,316.91

Overall Trades:

111

WeSeed Cash Available:

632,074.00

*Molly Helgren is an executive assistant at PEAK6, WeSeed’s parent company. Molly is putting together a WeSeed Portfolio based solely on the companies that she knows and likes. So far, she’s doing pretty well.

Caitlin’s Investing Tip, Part II

By Caitlin Rosberg

I’ve learned a lot here at WeSeed: How to evaluate stocks, the role of public sentiment in the market, and the importance of a Twix bar in the afternoon. Mmmmm, carmelly chocolatey cookie….

But the one of the most important (and hardest) lessons I’ve learned here is this: Don’t believe the hype. This is especially hard to do for me, since I usually take most of my stock advice from the lyrics of Chuck D.

I understand the desire to get the newest, coolest device; or the most fashion-forward, must-have accessory; or the hottest, most popular, most awesomest item you find yourself drooling over.  But there are usually two reasons for not buying the <insert shiny, pricy new item here>: either you can’t afford it, or you’re waiting until all the bugs have been worked out.

Both of these are good, responsible reasons for eschewing the big buy, but let’s focus on the second one: when a new gadget or piece of software comes out, the internet becomes awash with reviews. People pore over these products, looking for defects, making sure that they don’t buy or download something that they’ll regret later on.

This is a good rule of thumb for investing, too.  Even if it’s not a rumor but a known fact that a company is going to announce or preview a great new product, you can’t count on it going well.

Look at the negative press that Microsoft earned with Windows Vista: for years people were mocking it, and still are.  It’s been credited (or blamed) for everything from Apple claiming a much larger market share to the difficulty Bing (Microsoft’s new search engine) has had getting off the ground.

The bottom line: Vista didn’t bring the tech giant down, but it certainly put a hitch in their step, and could teach us all a valuable lesson about being a little cautious when it comes to the Next Big Thing.

The tech industry is definitely one of the worst offenders with this problem, but it’s not limited to netbooks and bigger, thinner TVs.  There are examples everywhere of products that just didn’t do as well as they were supposed to, and the PR nightmares that follow stuff like engines or tires exploding everywhere, a drug having major unknown side effects, or mines collapsing on top of workers.

I’ve heard everyone from football coaches to war veterans say that the best game plan in the world is worthless the second that you try to execute it in reality. Why? Because you can’t plan for all the variables. This is definitely true in investing.

Verdict: if you’re ok with having a little wool pulled over your eyes, go for it.

WeSeed Mixes It up with WTMX

Eric and Kathy had a stock whiz in their studio today, and it wasn’t Matt Hulsizer, the chairman of PEAK6 (the parent company of WeSeed).

No, today’s market master was Carrie Long, a regular, everyday person who works at PEAK6. Carrie — who you might know as the star of the WeSeed Today videos — wowed the group when she told them her year-old Portfolio is up a whopping $80,000. And if we may be so bold as to correct Ms. Long, she’s actually up almost a jaw-dropping $90,000.

Want to know Carrie’s investing secrets? (Seems like Eric does — and the way his stock picks are going, he needs the help.) Just click here and you can follow Carrie’s Portfolio. You have to be a member of WeSeed to get here, but hey, that takes like 10 seconds, so don’t let that stop you.

Stock Pics College Contest: Hints & Examples

Looking for some hints to help you win the WeSeed Stock Pics College Contest? And why wouldn’t you be—especially considering you could pocket $3,000, $1,000 or the weekly $100 Visa gift cards to help out with all those college costs!

Well, here’s the deal. If you’ll help us spread the word about WeSeed and the Stock Pics College Contest, we’ll return the favor by giving you a PDF with some really great tips, hints and examples to help give you an edge on the competition.

Sound good? Follow the link below and enter your Twitter info then click “Get hints!” You’ll automatically send a tweet about the contest (nothing over the top – you’ll see the actual tweet) and we’ll hand over the goods! It’s that easy! No data is stored anywhere; we’re just trying to spread the word about WeSeed!

Click here to get your hints!

WeSeed presents the Stock Pics College Contest

Hey college students—Need some extra cash to help out with tuition or books?

Introducing the WeSeed Stock Pics College Contest—your chance to win a grand prize of $3,000, one of two $1,000 runner up prizes, and weekly $100 Visa gift cards!

The world around you is filled with clues about the stock market, you just have to know where to look!

The food you eat, the movies you love, the clothes you wear—the stock market is composed of companies you interact with everyday. With this in mind, WeSeed presents the Stock Pics College Contest for college students (that’s you) to get a clue about the stock market and win some serious prizes.

Keep your eyes peeled and snap a photo (a stock pic) of something in your world—companies, trends, products, consumers—that relates to the stock market. Then test your stock pic by researching and buying virtual shares on WeSeed. Finally, submit your photo and tell us what it inspired you to invest in on WeSeed.

We’re giving away $100 Visa gift cards to the best three entries every week. And at the end of the year all of the weekly winners will be eligible to win a grand prize of $3,000 or two runner up prizes of $1000 to help with tuition, books, whatever! Weekly winners will be asked to expand upon their winning entries and then the public will vote to determine the grand prize winners!

Check out the WeSeed Stock Pics College Contest page on Facebook for official rules and instructions how to enter!