WHITTIER, CA--(Marketwire - May 16, 2008) - Pop N Go, Inc. (OTCBB: POPN), a leading manufacturer of healthy snack vending machines, is pleased to announce the renewal of its underlying utility patent on its award winning popcorn vending machine. Pop N Go's patent, with the continued payment of maintenance fees to the United States Patent Office, will remain in force until the year 2018 and will provide the Company the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling or importing popcorn vending machines using Pop N Go's patented technology until 2018.
"The recent surge in demand for our machines which produce a single cup of freshly popped popcorn on demand makes the protection of the Company's intellectual property rights all the more important, especially as we intend to develop other machines using our core technology. We believe the demand for healthy snack products, freshly made and not prepackaged, will continue to grow as consumers continue to become aware of the importance of healthy eating," said Mel Wyman, Pop N Go CEO.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Pop N Go Renews Popcorn Machine Patent
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Get started today with Pop N Go!
Get started today with Pop N Go!
Receive Tax Free Income on a purchase with Pop N Go! With the US governments 2008 stimulus plan you can realize Tax Free income on your equipment purchase. New Pop N Go machines realize an up to 85% profit margin. With more than 10,000 US schools awaiting machines your machine already have customers awaiting deployment. With our simple machine management program your purchase will help to provide fresh & healthy popcorn for each of the US schools awaiting machines. These unique, self-contained popcorn vending machines, help satisfy the demands of each child needs with a low calorie healthy snack vs traditional candy vending machines while realize an up to 85% profit margin. Don't miss out on this years GOLDMINE!
Tax Free Investment Strategies!
In response to the nation's economy starting to show signs of recession, Congress recently enacted The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 in an effort to jump-start consumer and business spending. While the "stars" of the Act are the $600 / $1,200 checks that most Americans will receive, the provisions aimed at businesses, and in particular Section 179 of the US Tax Code, are just as substantial.
Benefit of Section 179 US Tax Code
"There are some big changes for Section 179 in 2008" said Steve Perkins of taxfreevesting.com ", and we want to make sure we inform the public of there changes”.
Section 179 has also been known as the "Hummer Tax Break" because it allows businesses to take a first year deduction of the full cost of new equipment purchases (including Hummers a few years ago). Until 2008, the limit for this deduction was $125,000 - this has been increased to $250,000 for 2008. In addition, once the deduction limit has been reached, most additional equipment expense is eligible for a one-time "50% depreciation" for the first year. These changes are good for 2008 only, and are specifically meant to encourage businesses to invest in themselves this year.
"Once a business sees, in black and white, the substantial tax savings purchasing new equipment brings, it makes the decision to purchase new equipment an easy one" he also remarked. "Our agents are here to answer all your questions via email or by phone. They can give businesses a clear picture on how much they can save. And oftentimes, if they choose to finance or lease equipment, they realize the savings will actually exceed the first year's payments."
The tax savings goes beyond the owners of these businesses but down to the individual investor and private equity firms. This plan will help many of the struggling small and mid size businesses acquire the much needed additional working capitol to expand their operations by adding equipment that they might have held off from without the savings.
If you prefer a more direct approach, you can also call our toll free hotline to reach a representative at 866-373-3468. We respect your privacy and will never sell or share your confidential information with any other parties.
Tax Advice | Finance | Code 179 | Investing | Equity
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Warren Buffett's Priceless Investment Advice
If you can grasp this simple advice from Warren Buffett, you should do well as an investor. Sure, there are other investment strategies out there, but Buffett's approach is both easy to follow and demonstrably successful over a period of more than 50 years. Why try anything else?
Two words for the efficient market hypothesis: Warren Buffett
An interesting academic study (link opens PDF file) illustrates Buffett's amazing investment genius. During the period from 1980 to 2003, the stock portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway beat the S&P 500 index in 20 out of 24 years. During that same period, Berkshire's average annual return from its stock portfolio outperformed the index by 12 percentage points. The efficient market theory predicts this is impossible, but the theory is clearly wrong in this case -- and, as Casey Stengel said, "You can look it up."
Buffett has delivered these outstanding returns by buying undervalued shares in great companies such as Gillette (now owned by Procter & Gamble) and Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA). Over the years, Berkshire has owned household names such as Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD), SunTrust Banks (NYSE: STI), and Target (NYSE: TGT). While not every pick worked out, Buffett and Berkshire have for the most part made a mint. Indeed, his investment in Gillette increased threefold during the 1990s. Who'd have guessed you could get such stratospheric returns from razors?
The devil is in the details
So buying great companies at reasonable prices can deliver solid returns for long-term investors. The challenge, of course, is identifying great companies and determining what constitutes a reasonable price. Buffett recommends that investors look for companies that deliver outstanding return on capital and produce substantial cash profits. He also suggests that you look for companies with a huge economic moat to protect them from competitors. You can identify companies with moats by looking for strong brands alongside consistent or improving profit margins and returns on capital.
How do you determine the right buy price for shares in such companies? Buffett advises that you wait patiently for opportunities to purchase stocks at a significant discount to their intrinsic values -- as calculated by taking the present value of all future cash flows. Ultimately, he believes that "value will in time always be reflected in market price." When the market finally recognizes the true worth of your undervalued shares, you begin to earn solid returns.
Do-it-yourself outperformance
Beginning investors will need to develop their skills in identifying profitable companies and determining intrinsic values before they'll be able to capture Buffett-like returns. In the meantime, one place to look for stock ideas is among Berkshire's own holdings.
For example, Buffett was busy in the fourth quarter of 2007, adding to his stake in six stocks, and establishing new positions in both GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT). The Kraft purchase demonstrates that Buffett either had a craving for corn nuts, or he has confidence in the company's restructuring plan to align its operating units and lower costs. Either way, you can buy shares of this fine company at a discount to Berkshire's purchase price.
Another place to find great value stock ideas is Motley Fool Inside Value. Philip Durell, the lead analyst for the service, follows an investment strategy very similar to that of Buffett. He looks for undervalued companies that also have strong financials and competitive positions. This approach has allowed Philip to outperform the market since Inside Value's inception in 2004. To see his most recent stock picks, as well as the entire archive of past selections, sign up for a free 30-day trial today.
If investing in wonderful companies at fair prices is good enough for Warren Buffett -- arguably the finest investor on the planet -- it should be good enough for the rest of us.
866-373-3468
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Investing for the younger crowd!
When dozens of New York's hippest crowded into a trendy clothing store on a cold Thursday night, it wasn't to check out the latest in high heels or wrap dresses. It was to learn about retirement planning.
Some people at the party, like Shereka Evans, still have a long way to go.
Shereka Evans: You know, in this day and age, when you're 27 in New York City, you're thinking about like going out and events and clubbing and Sex In The City kind of mode. You don't really think about, like, where I'll be at 40.
Shereka Evans: You know, in this day and age, when you're 27 in New York City, you're thinking about like going out and events and clubbing and Sex In The City kind of mode. You don't really think about, like, where I'll be at 40.
But that's OK with the party's hosts, James Perkins and Khalid Jones. They've started an investment advisory and a mutual fund especially for people like Evans. They're calling themselves Thrasher, and they've been talking the business up -- where else? -- on YouTube. Thrasher's using a mix of brash advertising -- think hot pink business cards -- and low-key investor education to help woo clients.
James Perkins is founder and CEO:
James Perkins: They're early in their investment lives. And then the other thing you have to remember is, you know, we're talking about people that spend $300 for a pair of jeans. You know, we need to reallocate some of this capital to a place that's gonna guarantee a little bit more longer-term happiness.
The company's mutual fund, Gendex, has plenty of trendy fashion stocks, like H & M and Uniqlo. Though the cool names share space with more staid earners like Chevron and B of A.
Chief Operating Officer Khalid Jones says they've set the investing limit low, to encourage people who don't have a lot of money to join in.
Khalid Jones: People can come into the fund at any age at $100 and as little as $50 a month.
Perkins and Jones are both in their late 20's, so they should be able to relate to their own target audience. Of course, their's isn't the only fund out there for people who don't have a lot to invest. Adam Bold, founder of the Mutual Fund Store, says there are plenty.
Adam Bold: The reality is, whether you are in Generation X or Y, what you need are funds that are going to do better than most of the other funds that are out there.
Both Perkins and Jones have financial experience, including creating a hedge fund. They started accepting investors for the Thrasher Gendex fund in October. So it's probably still too soon to see if hipness will translate into richness.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Investing in a weak or volatile market
HwangDBS Investment Management Bhd chief investment officer David Ng said firstly, investing should not be about chasing the latest fad as doing so could work against the investor.
“Investors must always bear in mind their personal investment goals, risk tolerance level, time horizon and then asset allocate accordingly.”
“We think investors should consider having exposure to low-risk income-type funds as the returns from such funds will hopefully offset the impact of inflation on one’s purchasing power.
“Another interesting alternative would be to invest in commodities due to their historically low co-relation with the equities markets,” Ng said .
He added that if global growth continued to remain robust, especially in the emerging economies, demand for commodities should underpin prices due to tightness in supply and time lag in getting new supply on to the market.
HwangDBS Global Commodity Fund (GCF) has primary exposure to commodities futures, offering investors a closer link to the commodities industry.
However, one should also not ignore traditional equity offerings. Timing the market is never easy but if one adheres to the discipline of regular investing, market weakness should be viewed as opportunities.
On the benefit of such funds/investments, Ng said commodity funds are about asset allocation.
“Currently, supply-demand imbalances for certain commodities will continue to place upward pressure on prices. Looking at the demographics and rate of urbanisation in emerging economies, especially that of China and India, this trend is set to continue.
“Of course, there will be ups and downs as markets never move in a straight line. However, we think the trend remains positive. Historically, commodities have shown low levels of co-relation with other major asset classes. This has been evident of late when equities markets have undergone significant corrections while commodities prices remained buoyant,” he noted.
“One way of looking at investments in a commodities fund is as a hedge against inflation. Today, the high commodity prices are increasing leading to high inflation. For instance, as the prices of corn, soybean, and other food products continue to rise, the general population will have to pay more for food products. Whilst rising inflation erodes our purchasing power, investing some of our funds in these commodities can help offset some of the effects of inflation.”
Ng said investors could also look at mixed assets/income funds.
“In such funds, diversification helps reduce the volatility of an investment portfolio. It spreads the assets across a variety of different investments such as stocks, bonds and cash equivalents and may facilitate in decreasing overall risk,” he said.
He added a decline in one asset class might be balanced out by a gain in other asset classes.
“Regular dividends/income distributions from fixed income assets or high dividend yielding stocks may also help supplement income sources and minimise loss to capital.”
On return on investment, Ng said in the case of GCF, it provides the potential to profit from rising commodity prices mainly via futures contracts.
“The commodity price rally is expected to continue in the foreseeable future and investors should try to profit from this trend. The guided return for the fund is 12% to 15% per year. However, this would be the average annualised return. Returns for individual years will likely vary,” he said.
Ng said for balance and income-type funds, the guided returns tend to be within the range of 4% to 8%. They are targeted at investors looking for meaningful medium to long term capital growth with some income distribution along the way.
“It's important to see beyond the current turmoil and ensure that your current investments are fundamentally sound and with strong management. Prices are often dictated by sentiment and valuation parameters can be arbitrary.
Ng added that some stocks had been unjustifiably sold down despite strong fundamentals.
“As fund managers, we must continue to monitor these stocks and set various entry levels to establish or increase our positions in such stocks.”
Pacific Mutual Fund Bhd general manager (business development and marketing) Gary Gan said ideally in a volatile or weak market, funds should have multiple investment strategies, including going long and short.
“Funds that have a diversified portfolio include the traditional equities/fixed income plus non-equity related investments such as currencies, commodities and others,” he said.
Gan said given current restrictions on shorting and lack of related financial instruments, a fully flexible mixed asset fund would be a very good option.
“Such funds have flexibility in terms of asset allocation and investment style. However, it must be emphasized that having a very diversified mandate, while helpful, does not guarantee protection against volatility as in the end, it is still up to the experience and skill of the fund manager to make full use of such a flexible mandate to outperform other peer funds,” he said.
Gan said the benefits of such funds/investments was that they would not need to stick to a minimum holding of equities in a bear market (in the case of equity funds) nor restricted by a minimum holding of fixed income assets in a bull market (as in the case of balance funds), hence allowing for complete flexibility in shifting between asset classes.
As stated above, he said where possible, such a fund may even avoid both equities and fixed income entirely and move its assets into other investments such as currencies to protect gains or minimize portfolio volatility.
“These funds could consistently trade in and out of markets, seizing return opportunities and avoiding potential losses – thus enhancing returns while lowering risks,” Gan noted.
On returns, he said: “A well executed fund of this sort could produce anywhere from 2.5 to 5 times multiples of one year fixed deposit rates, depending on equity market conditions and of course, the experience of the fund manager.”
Gan said hedge funds, over the past decade, have often tried to provide the best solution to investors i.e. performing well irrespective of market conditions, however, not all such funds have been successful. “Even a well managed traditional equity unit trust fund, despite its general inflexibility, can perform well during market downturns if efficient active allocation strategies are timely executed.”
But cases like these are few and far, as traditionally, equity unit trust funds often remain invested to conform to its benchmark.
But therein lies the argument that while market volatility can be unpredictable and brutal, investing accumulatively over time, irrespective of what market conditions are, is often the best and most convenient solution to take,” he said.
On the fund manager's strategy in the current depressed/weak market, Gan said active asset allocation, often on a very frequent basis, was required to make the most of volatility.
“The usual buy and hold mentality may not be the most efficient strategy anymore in today’s market. Besides traditional economic indicators, sentiment and funds flow trends make it especially difficult to derive asset allocation moves but this is where fund manager experience will be telling,” he said.
Gan said properly executed asset allocation strategies could ensure that a particular fund is in a better position to accumulate quality, beaten down stocks. For example, properly executed asset allocation strategies could that ensure funds have healthy cash positions during the downtrend to accumulate stocks. To further complement the above strategies, it is important to ensure that stocks in the portfolio are liquid and highly tradable at all times.
“This is becoming an important feature amidst the severe ups and downs of today’s global equity markets. When appropriate, managers need to move their exposure to defensive stocks and lower the beta of their portfolios.“
Monday, March 31, 2008
POP N GO IN SCHOOLS!
"We are impressed that the forward-thinking staff at Madison located the Pop
N Go machine in the student store which created a great buzz in the school
about our popcorn machine and the unique way it pops fresh popcorn on demand,"
stated Bob Moulton of Go-Boy International, Pop N Go's school marketing partner.
"Pop N Go continues to be gratified with the acceptance of our product in
California schools. Our machine is filling a real need in the school systems by
delivering fresh healthy snacks on demand and creating a much needed revenue
stream for cash-starved schools," said Mel Wyman, Pop N Go's CEO.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Investing Money Where Your Mouth Is
With climate change awareness increasing and oil prices remaining high, demand for Earth-friendlier products and services is growing. And as businesses change their ways, the business of investing in them is, like so many other things, going green.
Values-based investing isn't a new idea, but it has traditionally focused on avoiding the tobacco and weapons industries and companies with poor human rights records. Of every $10 that's professionally managed, $1 goes toward socially responsible investment, according to the Sierra Club.
Investors are increasingly looking to sustainability-minded stocks for both ethical and financial reasons. "It's a way of putting your money where your mouth is," says Rona Fried, editor of the Progressive Investor newsletter and president of SustainableBusiness.com. Plus it can be a smart way to play the market. Alternative energy, for instance, "is going to grow by leaps and bounds in the next five to 10 years," she says.
As with most investing, diversification is key; pouring your life savings into, say, a single algae-biofuel outfit is no wiser than doing the same with an untested dot-com would have been 10 years ago. "In any hot new area, you want to be careful about following the herd and getting caught in a bubble," says Bruce M. Kahn, second vice president of wealth management at Smith Barney and an environmental scientist.
Green mutual funds are one way to spread your assets, but just how Earth-friendly are they? It depends on your point of view. While some funds focus on alternative energy, recycling and pollution remediation, others invest in large companies such as Nokia, Nike, Starbucks and Staples. These companies pledge to reduce their environmental impact -- which, while commendable, isn't necessarily the same thing as not having much of one in the first place.
Some financial professionals argue that investing in large corporations with forward-thinking environmental policies sets an example for their respective industries, and that such actions have tangible ecological benefits. "As companies embark on this path of becoming better sustainability managers, they become more efficient and also uncover new opportunities," Kahn says. "It's like a positive feedback loop."
