With the Enron trial featuring prominently in the news, we’re all reminded of the corporate governance issues that have recently faced the economy. It’s refreshing to see a company take a new approach to how it runs its business. In this case Progressive has changed how it distributes dividends. This new system has the potential to greatly thrill and, in turn, greatly disappoint shareholders. But either way, it’s great for the company.

After the recent release of Phil Town’s book, Rule #1 (review), many people seem to be asking about “the arrows.” What are these mysterious arrows anyway? And can you make money just by using them?

Arrows are simply a visual way to show a chart reader that a key statistic has generated a buy or a sell signal. Buy signals are usually green arrows pointing up and sell signals are usually red arrows pointing down.

Some of you may know that I play a little poker and that I used to play a lot of poker. Actually, my first trade (SIRI back in September of 2004) was funded using money I won playing poker. What can I say; gambling is in my blood. Of course my favorite forms of gambling are the kinds where I can have an edge, like poker and investing.
Even though I don’t play cards much anymore (because the game was taking over my life), I still peruse the poker community at …

One of the things that really drew me into the blogosphere was the community that develops within networks of blogs. You become friends, share ideas, and help spread the word on great posts that are timely and informative. I spent a good deal of time over the weekend sniffing out other blogs in personal finance and investing that would be worth a visit, and so if you have some time, I would encourage you go see what else our fellow bloggers are writing about. You may just find it to be enlightening!

SocialPicks.com and StockTickr.com are two new websites that are trying to get on that short-list of sites you use to research and comment on stocks. I’ve signed up for both sites this weekend and played around a bit. Here are my first impressions of the alpha version of SocialPicks and the free version of StockTickr.

Jason just posted in our forums about a new site called SocialPicks (announcement) which allows users to rate and review stocks online in a Digg-like social fashion. This could be a really interesting experiment in social investing. Will it lead to finding more undiscovered stocks or will it be abused and go to prove that there are few free lunches on Wall Street?
I also found a post on Mashable.com that is touting DigStock, another social-based stock community.

I recently read an article in the Washington Post discussing, an issue facing many individuals today, credit cards. The article describes a birthday party in which the guest of honor recieved, at age 11 no less, a prepaid credit card. Understandably the author and her husband, denied their young daughter’s request for a credit card of her own. When the author goes on to state that it is equally as irresponsible to give a credit card to a high school or college aged young adult that I begin to question her rationale. It got me to thinking about what constitutes a sound financial upbringing.

What is it about investing that motivates so many thousands of investors? It is said that the two emotions of every trader is fear and greed. Maybe. But do boys want to grow up to be the Sheriff of Nottingham, stealing from the poor to line their on coffers? What every boy desires is an adventure and to be a hero. This is no clearer than to look at boys as they play, watching them defend their pillow castles, build their appliance box spaceships, and battle with stick swords.

In this emasculated world of dull grey desks, neon office lights, and flickering computer screens, where do boys go to feel alive? No boy says, “I want to be an office drone when I grow up!” The man’s heart desires to be put to the test so he can prove he has what it takes. So the city boy must grow up to find his place in a concrete jungle, and in what better place can a man prove himself than in the lurid and dangerous world of the market.

For the past couple weeks, Jim Cramer’s been talking up the stock of the Canadian mining company Crystallex International Corporation (AMEX:KRY) on his radio and TV shows. The thesis on this company is based around Las Cristinas, a gold mine in Venezuela owned but not yet mined by the company. But that situation should change soon as all but one of the Venezuelan government agencies required have granted permission for Crystallex to tap the mine.

The last of these permits is expected soon. An active gold mine would bring many jobs to the country, which is starving for employment.

Why should we care about Las Cristinas and Crystallex? Because the current evaluation does not price in the full potential of the mine, one of the largest untapped gold mines in the world. Gold demand and gold prices are rising steeply and if the Las Cristinas mine comes online for Crystallex, they stand to make a lot of money. Cramer’s estimation is that the stock’s price should be somewhere between $12-$15 assuming the mine works out.

Financial planning is a rapidly growing and desirable field that recently made #3 on Money magazine’s 50 Best Jobs list. As defined contribution plans grow in popularity, so will the number of financial planners as more and more Americans seek guidance in understanding their investment options. It’s an interesting career blending sales, finance and one-on-one personal relationships with clients.