Stock Carnival Ecstasy - April 17, 2012

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Welcome to the April 17, 2012 edition of Stock Carnival Ecstasy.In this edition we have Alexander Collins examining 8 Reasons to Start Trading FOREX. Super Saver writes about the Probability of a Market Correction. Finally Theresa Torres has Smart Ways to Invest Your Tax Refund. Hope you enjoy all the articles, bookmark, share, tweet, like on Facebook, and come back.

Maria Clark presents YouTube Credit Inspiration: How to Overcome Credit Card Debt posted at Credit Cards for Bad Credit Resource.

Dorothy presents Selecting a Secured Credit Card posted at Secured Credit Cards.

Sandra Adams presents 4 Unconventional Ways to Build Credit | Credit Cards for No Credit | Teaching Students to Build Credit posted at Credit Cards for No Credit.

other

Dr. Dean presents Are You A Scared Twenty Something Investor? posted at Dr. Dean's TheMillionaireNurse.com Blog, saying, "You’re a millennial. You’re investing as if you’ve survived the Great Depression. How will you have the needed money to retire when the time comes?"

Theresa Torres presents Student Guide to Credit Cards posted at CreditDonkey.com Tips, saying, "If used properly, credit cards can be a great tool for college students to help them meet some expenses in school and build their credit history. Here is an infographic guide for managing credit cards responsibly."

Alexander Collins presents Why Trade Forex: 8 Reasons to Start Trading Right Now posted at PipBurner Forex blog, saying, "Find out the benefits of trading on Forex market. 8 pros that can't be ignored."

Jason P. presents Study Says Better – Off are More Likely to Lie and Cheat | Do You Agree? posted at One Money Design, saying, "A study shows that the better - off are more likely to make unethical decisions. Do you agree, or do you think more money makes a greedy person more greedy?"

stocks

Super Saver presents Probability of Market Correction is High posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, "It's really going to happen this time... well maybe :-)"

tips

Theresa Torres presents Spring Cleaning Your Financial House posted at CreditDonkey.com Tips, saying, "Spring is here. It's the perfect time to not only scrub walls and sweep floors but also to organize your finances. Here are some tips on how to spring clean your house and your finances."

Theresa Torres presents Smart Ways to Invest Your Tax Refund posted at The Missouri "taxguy", saying, "Rather than spending your tax refund on unnecessary things, consider making good use of it in these smart ways so that you can be more financially stable."

Bill Smith presents Know About Tax Adjustments Now And Save More posted at 2012 Taxes - Free Tax Filing Options, saying, "Many income generating people do not realize it but information about tax adjustments no can cut their bill for the year to almost a half."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of stock carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Google: Behind the Numbers

It would probably come as no surprise to learn that Google’s annual revenue increases each year and arguably the most popular site on the internet. In 2010, Google’s revenue was more than $29 billion. One would have to combine the GDPs of the world’s 28 poorest countries to reach this amount. The vast majority of this revenue comes from advertising, with only 3% coming from other products and services. An increasingly high number is expected to come from mobile advertisements.

Several factors make this high revenue possible. This popular search engine gathers one billion unique visitors each month. That is one in every seven people on the entire planet. These people spend 200 billion minutes each month on Google. That would mean that each visitor spends 200 minutes there each month, on average. Google’s expansion into email, social networking and other services has made the website even more popular.

From: Business MBA

Why Are the London 2012 Olympics Costing So Much?

BT Tower (London) seen during a firework display that took place 500 days before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Economic growth in the UK may be contracting, but it would seem that the cost of the 2012 Olympic Games is expanding exponentially between every calculation and there have been plenty of those.

Adding Up

In 2005, when London won the privilege of hosting sport's greatest competition, the Labour Government, then riding the crest of an economic boom, told taxpayers that it would cost a substantial, but by no means unaffordable, £2.37 billion.

In 2007, however, the government revised the figure to a princely £9.3 billion. Officials claimed that various costs associated with land, legal disputes and security issues had caused the cost to soar. An investigation by Sky News subsequently revealed that even £9.3 billion was an ominously conservative figure, insisting instead that the Olympic Games would cost taxpayers at least £11.7 billion. Worryingly, Sky News added that if all related costs were added up, the figure would be in excess of £24 billion.

Even during a time of strong economic growth a £24 billion price tag would be baulked at by most people of sound mind, but during times of austerity the figure is so astronomically high that not even Hubble would be able to spot its end.

Spending £24 billion so that grown men and women can throw spears, run in straight lines and jump as high as they can seems so wasteful as to be criminal in the circumstances. Even figures of £11.7 billion, £9.3 billion or £2.37 billion ought to be unaffordable when ordinary members of the public are struggling to survive from one day to the next. So, how can the cost of the Olympic Games be justified? Do the figures even add up?

ROI

Government ministers are adamant that taxpayers should not need to pay more than £9.3 billion, but it seems clear that nobody really understands how much must be spent on hosting the Olympic Games. The high cost may be attributed to the previous administration's lack of transparency or discernment and the current government's inability to tell the truth or calculate accurately.

The initial figure of £2.37 billion was remarkably optimistic, for instance, but few government ministers could have foreseen the economic woes that would follow London's winning bid. Since 2005, various costs associated with the Olympics have emerged or been concealed.

Land purchases cost an additional £766 million, for example, whilst various deals have been struck with public sector workers to avoid the threat of strikes crippling the Games. Hidden costs such as those pertaining to security and intelligence are also thought to be in the hundreds of millions of pounds, whilst legal battles, construction work and additional employment have also weighed heavily on the Treasury.

London Mayor, Boris Johnson is optimistic that the Olympic Games will offer a good return on investment in the long run. The avid cyclist has estimated that the project will give rise to 40,000 new jobs in the capital and companies and individuals should profit substantially from an influx of tourists.

After the Games, everybody in London should benefit from an improved infrastructure. The event should also put Britain back on the map for foreign travellers and investors.

The question ought not to be why the Olympic Games is costing so much or whether it offers a sufficient return on investment. People should simply be asking whether Britain can afford to host the Games, a question that perhaps could not have been answered correctly seven years ago.

Article written by Sam, an expert at http://www.moneysupermarket.com/savings/isa-allowance/

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