Americans Spending Staggering Amounts on Lottery Tickets

Sign Your Lotto Ticket, As of January 28, 2008, lottery customers are required to sign their lottery tickets. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CNN has the cold hard facts on just how much Americans are spending on lottery tickets, and it’s not pretty. The news outlet reported that, in 2011 alone, Americans spent a staggering $66.5 billion on lottery tickets. What’s even worse is that that figure represents an increase of 10% from the year before!

You should know that, while winning lottery tickets may be fun, it’s not likely to result in a profit for you. In fact, it’s more likely to result in serious losses, especially if you buy tickets often, develop a gambling problem, or aren’t making other, much smarter investments with your money in the hopes that you’ll one day “strike it big.”

Since your chances of winning the lottery are only about 1 in 175 million, your best bet is to find and work with a qualified investment advisor, one who can help you to set realistic, achievable goals for your money and your future.

And, a well-utilized investment advisor, such as the skilled ones at Platinum Financial Associates of Naperville, is likely to cost you a lot less (and earn you a whole lot more!) than a year’s worth of lottery tickets.

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Top Performing Stocks for 2013

One of the best things about working with an investment advisor is that he or she can provide you with inside tips on which stocks are doing well and which ones aren’t. Chances are, if you’d been working with an investment advisor this year, you’d already know that the top performing stocks in the S&P 500 are Netflix (NFLX) and Best Buy (BBY). Just because the two stocks are top-performing, however, doesn’t mean that both companies haven’t had to make some changes to get to the top and to deal with new developments in society and consumerism. In fact, maybe that ability to change is what has made these two companies’ stocks so high-performing in the first place!

Netflix recently gave in to the pressure to change and to the video program bidding war by creating and producing its own original programming. This addition of quality programming, which includes shows like “Arrested Development” and “House of Cards,” has caused its shares to rise an incredible 200% year-to-date; talk about impressive!

It is Best Buy, however, that is the truly impressive company. Rising from underdog to top-performer was only made possible for the company by its amenability to change. When people essentially stopped buying DVDs, or at least started buying them in much smaller numbers than in previous years, Best Buy struggled to find products that sold and to turn a profit. Fortunately, it made the smart move of partnering with Microsoft and Samsung and renewing its partnership with Apple and now offers a variety of products from these companies.

If you haven’t yet invested in Netflix, Best Buy, or other top performers, contact Platinum Financial Associates, Inc. and get started!

The Latest Stock Market News

Do you enjoy playing the stock market? If you’re going to be successful at it, you shouldn’t be “playing” alone. No, it’s imperative that you have a knowledgeable, trustworthy investment advisor at your side and helping to direct your every move. In addition to the help you receive from your investment advisor, you should also be paying attention to local news related to the stock market. Subscribe to a good journal or find a reliable online source for information. If you need a head start on some of the latest happenings in the stock market world, read on!

Alcoa has been seeing some major movements. It recently fell nine cents! Likewise, Mead Johnson has been experiencing some alls of its own. The company fell a whopping 8.1%, and it’s fairly easy to see why. The company is facing allegations that it has been unfairly monopolizing the price of baby formula, and even the most loyal investors seem to be jumping ship while they still can! Of course, this is just a sampling of the latest stock market events. Both of these things happened within a few days of each other so, as you can see, you really do have to work hard to stay on top of the news. In fact, you should be reading the latest in stock market happenings on a daily basis.

If you’re looking for a financial advisor who can provide you with helpful resources for staying informed (and afloat!) when it comes to the stock market, contact Platinum Financial Associates of Naperville.

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