Social Security is the focal point for the debate on U.S. entitlement spending, and the threats to its future are well-known. Without reform, the Social Security Trust Fund will run out of revenue in 2033, and that point, revenue from Social Security payroll taxes will pay only three-quarters of scheduled benefits.
To fill that potential shortfall, various policymakers and interest groups have proposed several solutions. Each has its pros and cons and would have different effects on various people. Let's take a closer look at some of the most popular proposed fixes and how they'll affect you and your retirement, based on projections from Social Security's chief actuary.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Fix 1: Raise the retirement age.
Raising the retirement age will reduce the number of people eligible for full benefits and cut the amount that those taking Social Security early will receive. Many people don't realize that the retirement age has already been raised, with the normal retirement age to reach 67 for those born in 1960 or later. Further proposals include further raises to between 68 and 70, or indexing the retirement age to match rising life expectancies.
Top Chemical Stocks For 2015: Teradata Corporation(TDC)
Teradata Corporation provides analytic data solutions worldwide. The company offers various data warehousing solutions that comprise software, hardware, and related business consulting and support services. Its solutions integrate an organization?s departmental and enterprise-wide data about customers, financials, operations, and others into a single enterprise-wide data warehouse. The company also provides various software and hardware products, including Teradata Analytic Database Software, which delivers near real-time intelligence; Teradata Platform Family for the hardware component; Teradata Logical Data Models that are blueprints for designing an integrated data warehouse; Teradata Aster MapReduce Platform, a platform for analyzing new multi-structured data sources and data types; and Teradata Integrated Analytics to convert traditional data warehouse into an analytic services environment. In addition, it offers Teradata Analytic Applications and Tools comprising da ta mining, master data management, integrated marketing management, enterprise risk management, finance and performance management, demand and supply chain management, and profitability analytics to solve business problems. Further, the company provides consulting services, such as data warehousing business impact modeling, design, architecture, installation, implementation, and optimization consulting services, as well as enterprise analytics consulting, data management, and managed services; customer support services; and training services. It serves various companies in banking/financial services, media and entertainment, government, insurance and healthcare, manufacturing, retail, telecommunications, transportation, and travel industries. The company has strategic partnerships with Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, Computer Sciences Corporation, Deloitte, IBM Global Business Services, and Wipro Limited. Teradata Corporation was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Dayt on, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Tim Melvin]
It has been almost as silly in the other direction, too. Traders knocked billions off the market cap of Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) after the company actually reported a 44% improvement in earnings. And�Teradata (TDC) saw its corporate value trimmed by something like $1.5 billion after the company lowered its forecast.
Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Hercules Technology Growth Capital Inc (HTGC)
Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. (HTGC), incorporated on December 18, 2003, is an internally managed, non-diversified closed-end investment company. The Company is a specialty finance company focused on providing senior secured loans to venture capital-backed companies in technology-related markets, including technology, biotechnology, life science, and clean-technology industries at all stages of development. The Company's investment objective is to maximize the Company's portfolio total return by generating current income from its debt investments and capital appreciation from its equity-related investments. The Company invests primarily in structured debt with warrants and, to a lesser extent, in senior debt and equity investments. The Company also makes investments in qualifying small businesses through two wholly-owned, small business investment company (SBIC) subsidiaries, Hercules Technology II, L.P. (HT II) and Hercules Technology III, L.P. (HT III).
The Company focuses its investments in companies active in the technology industry sub-sectors characterized by products or services that requires advanced technologies, including, but not limited to, computer software and hardware, networking systems, semiconductors, semiconductor capital equipment, information technology infrastructure or services, Internet consumer and business services, telecommunications, telecommunications equipment, renewable or alternative energy, media and life science. Within the life science sub-sector, the Company generally focuses on medical devices, bio-pharmaceutical, drug discovery, drug delivery, health care services and information systems companies. Within the clean technology sub-sector, the Company focuses on sustainable and renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency and monitoring technologies. The Company refers to all of these companies as technology-related companies and intend, under normal circumstances, to invest at least 80% of the value of its assets in such businesses. Advisors' Opinion:
- [By James Brumley]
So why did MRLN stock get cut nearly in half earlier in the year even though other small-cap stocks didn’t? Good question — the answer still isn’t clear. That may be why shares have finally perked up the last couple of weeks. The recovery may also have something to do with the fact that the forward-looking P/E of 12 for a steady-Eddie grower like Marlin Business is a bargain.
Hercules Technology Growth Capital (HTGC)Ever wanted to invest in small caps that aren’t publicly-traded? Hercules Technology Growth Capital (HTGC) is one way of doing so.
- [By Chad Tracy]
StreetAuthority expert analyst Amy Calistri has had incredible success with BDCs in her Daily Paycheck portfolio. When she recommended Hercules Technology (NYSE: HTGC) in February 2010, the stock was trading for a little more than $10 a share.
Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS)
FactSet Research Systems Inc. provides financial and economic information to investment community worldwide. FactSet offers fundamental financial data on various companies, analytical applications, and client services to the portfolio managers, research and performance analysts, risk managers, marketing professionals, sell-side equity research professionals, investment bankers, and fixed income professionals. The company?s applications provide users access to company analysis, multicompany comparisons, industry analysis, company screening, portfolio analysis, predictive risk measurements, alphatesting, portfolio optimization and simulation, news and quotes, and tools to value and analyze fixed income securities and portfolios. FactSet combines commercial databases, including content regarding companies and securities from various markets into a single online platform of information and analytics. The company?s solutions for investment management professionals include analy zing market, sector, and fundamental series; offering applications for portfolio attribution, risk management, and quantitative analysis; building quant models and calculating risk; analyzing the nuances of the debt-driven market; viewing event transcripts and corporate event calendars; researching and analyzing companies, benchmarks, debt instruments, and economic series; integrating the client?s own data, such as portfolio holdings and research notes; and creating reports and presentations. FactSet?s solutions for investment banking professionals comprise creating models and presentations; tracking market performance and headlines; providing deal analytic and corporate governance servies; researching on public and private companies; auditing financials underlying SEC filings and annual reports; and providing access to reports via wireless handheld device. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By GuruFocus]
Added: FactSet Research Systems, Inc. (FDS)
Tom Gayner added to his holdings in FactSet Research Systems, Inc. by 20.69%. His purchase prices were between $89.41 and $103.76, with an estimated average price of $95.97. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.02%. His holdings were 35,000 shares as of 06/30/2013.
- [By Shauna O'Brien]
Shares of financial research company FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS) were down on Tuesday morning after the company reported quarterly earnings below analysts’ views.�
FDS Earnings in Brief
FDS reported Q2 earnings of�$52.43 million, or $1.22 per share, up from $44.54 million, or $1.00 per share, a year ago. Excluding special items, earnings were�$52.43 million, or $1.22 per share, �up from $49.28 million, or $1.11, per share last year, but below analysts’ estimate of $1.21 per share. Revenue for the quarter rose to $226.93 million from $213.08 million last year. Analysts expected revenue of�$226.36 million. Looking forward, FDS expects Q2 earnings to be between�$1.24 and$1.26 per share, while analysts expect to see $1.26 per share. The company expects revenue to be between�$229 million and $233 million, while analysts are estimating�$228.70 million.CEO Commentary
Chairman and CEO Philip Hadley commented:�”Our second quarter results reflect an improving buy-side client base, and include acquiring the remaining 40% interest in Matrix. I’m pleased to see that our net client growth in the past three months was the highest quarterly total since 2006 and buy-side users grew at a level we’ve not seen since 2004.”
FDS Dividend
FDS paid its last quarterly dividend of 35 cents on March 18. We expect the company to declare its next dividend sometime in May. It is likely that shareholders will see an increased dividend next quarter.
Stock Performance�
FactSet shares were down $2.54, or 2.43%, during pre-market trading Tuesday. The stock is down 4% YTD.
Top 5 Dow Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc.(CRZO)
Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc., an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company holds interest in crude oil and liquids plays in the Eagle Ford Shale in south Texas; the Niobrara Formation in Colorado; the Utica Shale in Ohio and Pennsylvania; and the Huntington Field in the U.K. North Sea. It also owns interest in natural gas plays in the Barnett Shale in North Texas; and the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, New York, and West Virginia; as well as in the onshore Gulf Coast area and the Camp Hill field in Texas. As of December 31, 2011, the company had a proved oil and gas reserves of 935.6 billion cubic feet equivalent comprising 728 billion cubic feet of natural gas; 30.5 million barrels of oil or other liquid hydrocarbons (MMbbls) of oil and condensate; and 4.1 MMbbls of natural gas liquids, as well as operated 349 gross producing oil and gas wells. Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Richard Moroney]
Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) focuses on proven shale properties in Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Its Eagle Ford operations, which span more than 50,000 drillable acres in Texas, have estimated oil and gas reserves of 173 million barrels, or about 42% of Carrizo's total.
- [By Aimee Duffy]
Production results have fueled record numbers for producers big and small, including EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG ) and Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ: CRZO ) . EOG is the largest producer in the play, and production has exceeded management's expectations, reaching 153,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by the end of the first quarter of this year. Carrizo is a much smaller operation, but its production has also exceeded management's expectations, reaching 9,500 bpd in the second quarter.
- [By Robert Rapier]
Eagle Ford crude driller Carrizo Oil & Gas (Nasdaq: CRZO) is up nearly 14 percent since we added it to the Aggressive Portfolio on Dec. 11, and here too there was no company-specific news. Rather, Carrizo appears to have benefited from the end in mid-December of the sharp autumn correction in drillers’ share prices.
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