Could There Be an “Avatar” Sequel?

James Cameron isn’t ruling out a sequel to his highly popular Avatar.  Are you surprised?  I’m not!  The only reason he didn’t milk Titanic for more was because the boat sink – where can you go from there?

In an interview with CNN, Cameron said: “We might be persuaded. We’ll have to see how much money the movie makes first.”

He also seemed a little surprised by how well the film has done.  “And that’s not some sort of false humility. We thought it was gonna be a commercial movie, but we didn’t think it was gonna do half of what it’s done financially.  I see a very similar pattern, in a sense, between Titanic and Avatar. Not that they are similar films because they are not — totally different subjects — but in both cases, you have people coming back over and over to see the film.”

Avatar has made 2.05 billion dollars worldwide and has secured nine Oscar nominations, including “Best Film” and “Best Director.”

image: 20th Century Fox

The Hartford Names Liam McGee CEO

The Hartford, a financial services company specializing in insurance, named Liam McGee as the CEO and chairman of the board. Prior to this job, McGee worked with Bank of America as the President of the Consumer and Small Business Bank.

Michael Morris, the presiding director of The Hartford, thinks that McGee’s experience will benefit the company.

Said Morris: “Liam’s strong track record of success in leading large, complex financial services organizations makes him the ideal person to build on The Hartford’s strong foundation. He has an outstanding combination of leadership skills, financial acumen and operational and technology experience, along with a demonstrated ability to evolve and profitably grow businesses in response to changing business environments and customer needs.”

While with Bank of America, McGee served in excess of 50 million individuals and businesses and oversaw nearly 100,000 workers. The Hartford believes he’ll continue the company’s legacy that goes back almost 200 years.

“By leveraging and building on The Hartford’s strengths,” said McGee, “we will enter our third century as an industry leader, well positioned to achieve the expectations of our customers, shareholders, partners and employees.”

May Day, Pay Day: Business Tools That Work

With today being May Day, I decided to share business tools that could help you get to your pay day. I am sharing these tools as a way of providing business owners with suggested tools to help you run your business proficiently. The tools that will be suggested for you will cover a variety of topics and will help you streamline your business processes.

For those of you who don’t know, May Day is May 1st and actually is the host to many international celebrations. One of which is the International Workers’ Day which pertains to the the establishment of the 8 hour work day. Although many may not know but this holiday got it’s start in the Americas.

To help under more about how it all came about, I wanted to share an excerpt from an article on the Workers’ of the World website,

In the late nineteenth century, the working class was in constant struggle to gain the 8-hour work day. Working conditions were severe and it was quite common to work 10 to 16 hour days in unsafe conditions. Death and injury were commonplace at many work places and inspired such books as Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Jack London’s The Iron Heel. As early as the 1860’s, working people agitated to shorten the workday without a cut in pay, but it wasn’t until the late 1880’s that organized labor was able to garner enough strength to declare the 8-hour workday. This proclamation was without consent of employers, yet demanded by many of the working class. [Read more]

With all of this in mind and in celebration of International Workers’ Day of May Day, I thought it would be helpful to provide business tools that can help you reach your pay day as an entreprenuer. Tools that could help you shorten your work day but at the same time give your the same amount of creativity and pay day.

Today’s Business Tools Picks:

• Social media management:
  • Flock: browser that integrates social media + email management + internet browsing + RSS feeds all in one
  • FreeTwitterDesigner: allows you to personalize your Twitter background
  • SocialMention: a social media search engine that searches user-generated content such as blogs, comments, bookmarks, events, news, videos, and microblogging services
• Financial management:
  • Mint: to help you analyze your personal and business finances, you should check Mint out because it allows you to compile financial data from different sources into one location so that you can monitor your finances.
• Collaboration management: includes tools that can help you map out your business, manage your teams or manage your processes.
  • MindMeister: is a collaborative online mind mapping tool – you can capture your thoughts and share them instantly with friends and colleagues.
  • PBWiki now PBWorks: Online Collaboration and Project Management that is perfect for small businesses and small teams/groups in larger companies looking for an easy, secure way to collaborate at work.

Let’s Have A Party

– Ford Loses ‘Only’ $1.4 Billion, GM Sticks Government You and Me For Another $2 Billion In Advance of Restructuring –

Automakers could hardly contain their excitement on Friday at the news Ford Motor Company only lost $1.4 billion. The results were cheered on Wall Street where a number of reports termed the figures “better than expected.”

Most analysts had predicted the Earth was going to split open and swallow the company into a fiery abyss so, in that sense, the loss was certainly better than many forecasts.

Some of the other “good” numbers to come out of first quarter:

- The company spent more than $3.7 billion than it took in in the first quarter

- Revenue was down nearly 37% from the same quarter last year

- The company had over 25% less cash than during the comparable period last year

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Ford would be up for some kind of management award or something.

Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth was quick to praise the company’s excellent results and “Booth called the first-quarter performance ’solid’ compared with Ford’s fourth-quarter loss of $5.9 billion, which led to a $14.6 billion loss for 2008, the worst annual loss in the company’s 106-year history.”

Good job setting the bar way up there, Lewis. Nothing like comparing yourself to the worst year in a century to make your performance look “solid.” You just lost $15 million a day for the last 90 days.

Oh yeah, that call on hold on line two is the National Society of Optimists.

Booth went on to say he thought your sister was “chaste” compared to Lindsay Lohan and referred to O.J. Simpson as “restrained” compared with Jeffrey Daumer.

This savvy management technique of using the absolute worst metric you can think of as the basis of comparison is something you can use in your everyday life. Next time you have a salary review, be sure to tell your boss your performance was “solid” compared with the crack-head who embezzled $47,000 from the company.

If you’re lucky, you could get promoted to Chief Financial Officer.

In a related story, a man was stabbed 75 times by his girlfriend when he told her she was pretty attractive … compared to Internet sensation Susan Boyle.

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Bob Turley poses proudly after finishing first in Ford’s training program, beating out a bunch of rocks that also completed the course…

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Image: Ron Layter on Flickr

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Skip the Line With Remote Deposit Capture

Remote Deposit Capture gives businesses of all sizes the ability to deposit checks into their bank accounts without actually going to the bank. Checks are scanned into a computer and sent to the bank digitally. Banks then send images of the checks to other banks to collect the funds. It’s the same system we’ve had for decades, but now it’s digital. Best of all: no standing in line at the bank.

Terrorism and US Banking Laws: Check 21 Act

The practice of Remote Deposit Capture is a by product of the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act of 2004, aka the Check 21 Act. After the attacks of 9/11, this law was enacted to keep the United States’ financial industries operational in the event of a an act or terrorism or natural disaster that disrupted the ability to physically transport traditional (paper) banking documents. One of the things the Check 21 Act did was make the digital image of a check a legal payment document, just like a paper check. Remote deposit banking is also the reason a checker at the grocery store can now scan in your check without you having to write it.

Before 2004, checks from different banks had to be physically exchanged before the money was credited to the depositor’s account. Now, instead of paper checks, banks send images to each other. This makes it possible for checks to be deposited and paid even in the event of a major catastrophic event. And bank customers use Remote Capture Deposit to send their deposits to the bank without taking time to go to the bank.

Using a special scanner, depositors capture the images remotely, from their own place of business. They then send these to the bank with the click of a mouse and some user friendly remote capture software. Once the deposit is entered into the system digitally, the physical checks are destroyed.

Pros and Cons of Remote Deposit Capture

Proponents of remote capture deposit claim that it saves time and money. Business owners sending deposits remotely don’t have to send someone to the bank. It cuts down on paperwork and mistakes, and expedites the discovery of bounded checks. Plus, the faster a business clears customers’ checks, the better the cash flow.

Wendy Williamson, Treasury Management Officer at Arvest Bank, says businesses are on board.

“They love it.  It really allows them not only to focus on business but to do a deposit in a matter of minutes on one system that was taking several minutes, and maybe even up to an hour a day.  I have customers of all sizes using Remote Deposit.”

The downside for consumers is that the Check 21 Act in effect eliminates the float time for checks. In the old system, people who wrote checks had at least a one- or two-day grace period between the time they wrote a check and the time it was actually presented to their bank for payment. Checks now behave like debit cards, which begs the question: who writes checks anymore anyway?

Remote Capture Deposit: Good for Bankers Too

Not only is remote capture deposit technology allowing the banking system to operate more efficiently, but banks are profiting in other ways too. The workload of tellers is decreased as more of their job tasks are shifted onto the customer. And whether they’re using a third party vendor, or developing remote capture software of their own, this is a service customers value so banks are charging for it.

“This really is all the talk right now in banking.  Banks all over the U.S. are seeing this product flurish and are really pushing this as a lead business product,” said Williamson.

How Remote Capture Works

Watch a quick demo of remote capture deposit in action:

Image Credit: striatic, Flickr

Video Credit: rustybrick, YouTube

10 Celebrities Who Are Poorer Than You

This is a guest post. Andy H writes for Bankling, a personal finance site, which contains both a weblog, and a tools section that contains resources like the highest online CD rates, the highest online savings account rates, a free mortgage payment calculator, and more.

How would you handle money if you were young, talented, good looking and the cash was flowing like Niagara Falls? You might forget that you will get old and that you may lose some skills and some looks. Will the money still come in, will you be proud about your savings, or will you end up without two nickels to rub together?

The following list of ten celebrities may actually have less money than you do. In some cases, you may not ever wish to stand in their shoes. The names below are not listed in Forbes’ Celebrity 100, nor are they seen in any other Forbes’ recent lists including Celebrity Billionaires nor the 20 Richest Women in Entertainment. The news about the celebrities listed below mainly came from news stories and celebrity gossip, an article by Legalzoom and a list of bankrupt celebrities at NNDB.

The list below is categorized alphabetically by surname. This methodology assures that we do not want to knock one celebrity over another.

1. Willie Aames: You know, the guy who played Tommy on the highly-successful sitcom, Eight is Enough? After that bit of stardom, Aames went on to try to retain some semblance of richness through Charles in Charge (1984 – 1990) and the Celebrity Fit Club (2005). He has had two wives, one child by each marriage and a string of semi-successes. He also had troubles with alcohol and drugs, so much so that they affected his personal life and career. After a short fling with Christianity and sobriety, he tried to commit suicide over Thanksgiving 2008. He now is at rock bottom after he funded a $150,000 investment that fell through last year. Rock bottom. Even the sales of his book, Grace is Enough, isn’t enough to lift him up.
2. Kim Basinger: This actress once was rich, but a judge ordered her to pay Main Line Pictures $8.1 million because she backed out of a verbal commitment to star in Boxing Helena in 1993. About the same time, she felt wealthy enough to purchase the entire town of Braselton, Georgia for $20 million dollars. She had to sell Braselton and file for bankruptcy. Despite her raving good looks, Basinger is in her 50s, and few remember that she won an Oscar for her part as a Hollywood call girl in LA Confidential in 1997. Instead, people remember her ex-husband, Alec Baldwin, the guy who sent a voice-mail rant against their daughter two years ago and who now stars on 30 Rock. That said, Basinger never suffered from her spending sprees as much as some celebs listed here.
3. Anita Bryant: Bryant was an American singer, but she was most well known for her campaigns against homosexuality during the 1970s. She became one of the first persons to be publicly “pied” as a political act (shown here). Although Bryant had some success over the next two decades in her anti-gay measures, many of her successes since been overturned for unconstitutionality or for irrational grounds. She did gain notoriety, but she lost money in the process, as her contract with the Florida Citrus Commission was allowed to lapse after her controversial stance was established. Additionally, many Christians snubbed her after her divorce in 1980, and the gay community still regards her name as synonymous with bigotry. Her bid to regain a singing career in the early 21st century failed. She filed for bankruptcy in 1997 and in 2001, and is worth very little today.
4. Gary Coleman: Coleman’s life seems to consist of a series of wrongs, and hopefully he’ll have great karma down the road. Best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff’rent Strokes (1978-1986), Coleman now works as the Secretary Controller for Simmons Media Group in Salt Lake City, Utah. His height was the result of a congenital kidney disease, and he’s undergone two kidney transplants. In 1989, Coleman sued his parents and former manager over misappropriation of his $3.8 million trust fund. He won a $1,280,000 ruling on February 23, 1993, but he filed for bankruptcy in 1999; he attributed his financial problems to mismanagement of his trust. Coleman also has had problems with his marriage and assault problems with fans and strangers alike. Even after suicide attempts, though, Coleman seems to be determined to keep on going.
5. Corey Haim: Probably best known for his role as Sam in the 1987 vampire movie, The Lost Boys, Haim became a teen idol and was paid well. Besides gaining Haim more renown, the film began his famous partnership with fellow teen actor Corey Feldman. But, despite his productivity, Haim became addicted to at least 85 Valium per day, and that wasn’t talking about “the other pills I went through.” By 1991 his drug problems were well known, co-workers complained about his spaced out behavior, his performances lost whatever luster they once had, and his audience found better entertainment. In 1996 he was sued by Lloyd’s of London after being fired from a film for drug addictions he had failed to disclose to the insurance company, and in 1997 he filed for bankruptcy. His only assets were his 10-year-old BMW, $100 in cash, and royalties and residuals valued at $7,500. In 2001, he slipped into a coma after suffering a drug-induced stroke and, once recovered, he tried to auction a molar on eBay to pay the hospital bills. Will he make a comeback, though? He’s reportedly working with Feldman again, and he’s “clean and sober.”
6. MC Hammer: When MC Hammer sang “Can’t Touch This,” in the 1990s, he wasn’t singing about his money. This famous big-panted rapper maintained a forty-member entourage that cost Hammer $500,000 per month. Plus, he purchased a $30 million mansion. Despite a former $33 million income, this star ended up with $13.7 in debt and $9.6 in assets. Hammer filed for bankruptcy in 1996. He hasn’t regained his grip on the hammer since then, although he’s been seen in a few commercials and he wants to produce a reality show – on someone else’s dime.
7. Don Johnson: Miami Vice built Don Johnson’s value, but he basically lost it when City National Bank filed a lawsuit and asked that Don Johnson’s ranch in Aspen, called Woody Creek, be auctioned off so the bank could collect the $930,000 that Don owed. In reaction, Johnson’s Timber Doodle Glade Equity Venture LLC, which held the title of the ranch, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2004. Again, in 2008, Johnson was required to mysteriously come up with over $14 million to take care of debts. If he wasn’t married to Getty oil heiress Kelley Phleger, we’d wonder where Johnson would be today. Instead, he keeps hanging in there – by a thread.
8. O.J. Simpson: O.J., also known as “The Juice,” is a retired American football player, actor, spokesman, and convicted felon. That last label might help to understand why Simpson went from rich and famous to merely infamous. After he was found liable for the wrongful death of and battery against Ronald Goldman in 1994, Simpson was ordered to pay $33,500,000 in damages in 1997. However, California law protects pensions from being used to satisfy judgments, so Simpson was able to continue much of his lifestyle based on his NFL pension. He also moved to Florida, where a person’s residence cannot be seized to collect a debt. But, on December 5, 2008, Simpson was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison for multiple felonies, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault and robbery. He is allowed parole after nine years. Not much has been heard from Simpson since his incarceration. He definitely is not living a lifestyle to which he was accustomed.
9. Mike Tyson: After a lifetime of fame, boxer “Iron Mike” Tyson now lives in a modest rental house in Phoenix, Arizona. He filed bankruptcy (Chapter 11) in 2003 with a debt of $27 million, thanks to a $400,000-per-month lifestyle and $9 million in legal fees in his divorce from his second wife. But, Mike had a particularly long list of creditors, including Uncle Sam, who presented him with a tax bill of $13.3 million. Tyson still has earning potential, though, so he may be one of the few on this list who might make a comeback.
10. Michael Vick: This talented Atlanta Falcons quarterback was sacked upon discovery of the elaborate dog fighting complex he owned in Surry County, Virginia. He’s been under suspension from play by the NFL since August 2007 and been in federal prison since December of that year. His finances have been warped by lost income and legal expenses and worsened by mismanagement and possibly fraudulent actions. He’s earning $1 per day from prison work, yet he has been spending $30,000 per month to support his family and in maintaining several luxury homes and vehicles. Current bankruptcy attempts (as recent as February 2009) have been rejected by the judge over financial flow charts. Yet, Vick feels that he can make a comeback with the NFL and “resume his career and be able to earn a substantial living.” However, Vick also has past problems with drugs and he has become a symbol of failure, rather than a role model, among many fans.

image source: Alan Light via Wikimedia Commons

GM Considers Giving Away European Brands

According to a report, General Motors is considering giving away three of their European brands. With the company possibly heading toward bankruptcy, GM could decide to just get these brands off of their hands without taking back any money.

Three brands reportedly being discussed are Opel, Saab and Vauxhall. Opel is based in Germany, Saab is based in Sweden and Vauxhall is based in the United Kingdom. The report of this possible move by General Motors was first released by the Financial Times newspaper.

While GM would likely ask that money be put into the brands directly, they likely wouldn’t be asking for any financial gains. With the White House putting a strict deadline on General Motors to figure out how to cut costs and adjust their business model in hopes of becoming profitable once again, this move would likely be seen as a step in the right direction.

GM has been one of the most successful companies in the United States over the last century but they have hit extremely difficult financial times. Currently, they are surviving off of more than $13 billion they received as part of a federal government bailout.

Teach Kids About Money With Free Resources

Kudos to Verizon Foudation’s Thinkfinity.org for helping our kids learn the language and mechanics of finance. In recognition of Financial Literacy Month, free teaching resources and economics lesson plans will be available throughout the month of April.

“It has never been more important for our children to have a firm grasp of economics and financial literacy,” said Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston. “The challenging times everyone faces today provide a tremendous teachable moment that opens the door for educators to help students gain the skills needed to make wise financial decisions in the future.”

Thinkfinity.org is a  comprehensive Web site that contains thousands of educational free resources for K-12 education. Among the resources included in the Thinkfinity.org Financial Literacy Month feature are:

• Compound Interest Calculator – Simulator with examples of consistent monthly savings to teach students learn the power of compound interest.
• Exploring Cost and Savings Using Children’s Literature - Students read and discuss and explore the concept of saving for specific purposes. 
• You’re Going to College  – Students learn about the true costs of attending college, its benefits and its impact on potential lifetime earnings in this interactive game.
• Predicting Your Financial Future  – Students use their knowledge of exponents to determine an investment’s worth, using a formula and a compound interest simulator.
• Rates and Taxes  – Students learn how to determine the amount of tax a family will pay, based on a certain income

“With the constant time demands that classroom teachers face — from students, administrators and parents — it’s a struggle to cover just the basic content,” said John LeFeber, curriculum and instructional developer for the Council for Economic Education. “During Financial Literacy Month, teachers can turn to EconEdLink to find ready-to-use, time-saving lesson plans that give their K-12 students the financial literacy skills they need to succeed in the 21st century economy.”

Maybe if we can teach them the basics while they’re young, by the time they get to college they’ll be ready to learn how to safeguard the assets of a large corporation!

Image Credit: borman818, Flickr

Macy’s Announces Store Closings, Which Locations Will Shut Down?

Is your neighborhood Macy’s closing its doors? Find out here!

Macy’s (Ticker: M) announced the closing of eleven underperforming stores. Stockholders appear to be brushing off the news, as shares of Macy’s fell less than 1 percent by mid-day.

CEO Terry J. Lundgren said the closings are routine as each year the department store chain “prunes” the poor performing locations to “maintain a healthy portfolio of stores.” 

On a positive note, the chain also plans to open three new stores this year, as well as one replacement store.

According to Macy’s corporate, monthly sales declined (year-over-year) in every month last year. 

Here are some random tidbits about the closing stores: They range in location from Hawaii to Pennsylvania. The oldest store opened in 1956. The youngest store opened in 2000.

Here is a complete list of the closing locations (from Macy’s web site):

Ernst & Young Plaza (Citicorp Plaza), Los Angeles, California

The Citadel, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Westminster Mall, Westminster, Colorado

Palm Beach Mall, West Palm Beach, Florida

Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii

Lafayette Square, Indianapolis, Indiana

Brookdale Center, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Crestwood Mall, St. Louis, Missouri

Natrona Heights Plaza, Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania

Century III Furniture and Clearance, West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

Bellevue Center, Nashville, TN

Final clearance sales will begin within the next week, read the complete press release from Macy’s, Inc.

Save the FDA!

Out in internet land, some people are proposing to eliminate the FDA. Stella from ReasonPharm wrote about this issue on Monday and agreed, suggesting that other organizations, such as the media, independent licensing agencies, or clinical groups that develop practice guidelines might be able to step up and take over the FDA’s role. Eliminating the FDA is perhaps one of the most ridiculous ideas for “health care reform” that I’ve heard of in a while, and half of the arguments people are using to support its elimination are about things that fall out side of the FDA’s domain. While the FDA has been around for about a century, its modern form has existed only since 1962, when the U.S. responded to the Thalidomide tragedy (if you’re not familiar with this, photos after the jump) by charging the FDA with evaluation of drug safety and efficacy. Read more

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