Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Latin Post

First Posted: Apr 01, 2014 12:02 PM EDT

Plenty of attention has been given to the Samsung Galaxy S5 ever since it was recently unveiled, but what does this mean for Android users who still have its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S4?

One thing that we can expect right away is price cuts. The Galaxy S4 will eventually be phased out -- not quite yet -- but in the meantime people can keep their eyes peeled for specials and deals that could make a big difference.

One special deal to keep an eye out for is the accessories deal at Deal News. As of now, the tech giant is offering a special deal that allows customers to buy 3 or more accessories and in turn they receive a discount ranging from $5-30. Already among things that have been discounted include the Case-Mate Case for the Samsung Galaxy S4. According to Best Buy, the original price was $149.99 but now it has dropped down to $115.98.

In other sales, T-Mobile is offering the Samsung Galaxy S4 in a special deal that allows users to pay $26 per month instead of the $624 full retail price. No money is required up front in this particular deal. Even better, Sprint is offering users the phone for only $49.99 as long as people agree to a special two-year service agreement.

All in all, this is a great time to get the phone if you are someone who is willing to wait and does not mind getting the older version. Although getting an older version of a phone does not exactly sound desirable, it is more common than people might imagine; iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, and the iPhone 5 are all out of date but those are some of the most commonly seen phones in public right now. The companies update the phones so often that it is simply impossible for many people to keep up with each update.

On the Apple side, you can also find cases for your iPhone 5s. Amazon offers the Life Proof case for a variety of different prices hovering around the $80 range. The Life Proof case is special because it is water proof, shock proof, snow proof, dirt proof -- you get the idea. It basically can make it through anything. You can buy the 16 GB iPhone 5s for only $199 on Apple.com. This gives you the opportunity to jailbreak your phone (Evad3rs.com) and this is special considering that other brands of smartphones do not have the same capabilities.

What do you think about the new Samsung Galaxy S5 compared to the iPhone? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Colleges that offer the best return on your investment

Art majors can get the most bang for their buck at Columbia University.

At a time of rising tuition and soaring college debt, the school students choose can make a big difference to their long-term financial health, according to a report on which colleges offer the Deal Today return on investment.

Harvey Mudd College, a private college in Claremont, Calif., offers students the biggest bang for their higher-education buck, according to the report from PayScale, a website that tracks pay data. During the first 20 years after getting a degree, graduates can expect to come out $1.1 million ahead of peers who skipped college and went straight to work after high school.

But return on investment depends a lot on a student's major.

For computer science majors, Stanford University offers the best deal, with a return of $1.7 million over the first 20 years of their career.

Related: Graduate student loans are ballooning

Education majors, on the other hand, may not make as much as computer scientists after graduation, but they can get the most for their money at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Education alums can expect a $189,000 return on their investment during the first 20 years after earning a degree.

"We need people to be teachers and social workers," said Katie Bardaro, an economist at PayScale. "But if you want to go into those fields, you need to understand the income potential so you can make the right choice about taking out loans and where you go to school."

Related: 529 college savings hits record high

Majors in liberal arts programs also can enjoy much better income potential if they pick the right school. Political science majors at Texas A&M University, for example, earn a 20-year return of almost $600,000 on average. At Columbia University, art graduates can expect to earn a return of about $478,000 on their investment.

In general, students who get the best bang for their buck major in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) -- and attend schools with well-known programs that help with job placement.

"When it comes to earnings, yes, it's all about STEM," said Bardaro.

PayScale's study looked at how much a college grad earned over the first 20 years of their career, minus the cost of tuition, room, board and books, taking financial aid into account. PayScale then compared that number to the pay of a high school grad who worked for 24 to 26 years.

First Published: March 26, 2014: 9:52 AM ET

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Tanzania should strike fair deals with partners

<Deal Todayp>

REPRESENTATIVES of several firms from the Netherlands recently visited Tanzania and expressed their interest to invest in various areas including energy, infrastructure and transport sectors.

The representatives from Mammoet and other Dutch firms were in Tanzania to explore opportunities and were impressed by the country's economic outlook, particularly recent discoveries of natural gas.

One of the members of the delegation, Mr Ralph Lobbe, pointed out that the mission had already visited Mozambique, where like in Tanzania, there were also massive discoveries of natural gas. The Dutch have vast experience in oil and gas industry.

It is for this reason that Tanzania stands to benefit extensively from the cooperation with the Dutch firms. What is important is to ensure that proper preparations are done in exploitation of natural gas and fair agreements were reached with the development partners.

Just like all other investors, the Dutch firms are here in search of good, if not best returns for their investments. Tanzanian negotiators are also duty bound to vigilantly see to it that the country benefits as well.

Much as fiscal and other incentives are part and parcel of the promotion of investments, they must be done prudently to ensure the win-win situation prevailed to all parties involved.

Various commentators have repeatedly warned against agreements that might lead to losses and small achievements, leaving foreigners enjoy windfall profits as was the case with mining contracts.

The country currently boasts of having more than 40 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas reserves, but the truth is that such resources are not infinite.

At one point all these resources will be exhausted and the country is going to remain with nothing. For this reason we should use every cubic feet of natural gas obtained very wisely.

It is hoped that local institutions will be adequately involved in the process of exploitation of natural gas through the government, public institutions and in some cases private firms.

It is encouraging to note that some foreign contractors in natural and energy projects are involving local firms by subcontracting part of their work. This is a good spirit that must be applauded and allowed to continue.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

The TouchArcade Show - 147 - A Quick GDC Wrap Up

<Amazon Dealimg src="http://toucharcade.com/wp-content/plugins/lazy-load/images/1x1.trans.gif">

As we mentioned last week, things were going to be a little weird with this week's episode of the podcast. Jared and I actually recorded this in our hotel room. The audio quality isn't great, but we figured you guys needed something in your podcast feeds. We chat about our favorite games of the week, what we're looking forward to, why Seabeard is so awesome, and my personal highlight: Meeting Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen.

Don't forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read 'em all, even if they don't make it into the podcast. As always, you can listen to us with the links below... And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!

iTunes Link: The TouchArcade Show
Zune Marketplace: TouchArcade.com Podcasts
RSS Feed: The TouchArcade Show
Direct Link: TouchArcadeShow-147.mp3, 47.2MB

We'll be back with a full episode next week, so be sure to stick around for that.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Best St. Patrick's Day 2014 Deals and Discounts

St. Patrick's Day 2014 is right around the corner on March 17, and it's the perfect time to show your Irish side by sporting - and saving - some green. It's a great opportunity to get out and have some fun without needing to touch your savings account.

Related: Ally Bank High-Yield Deposit Accounts Help You Save Money

In partnership with BeFrugal.com, GOBankingRates rounded up some of the best St. Patrick's Day deals to help you show off your holiday spirit and hold onto your pot of gold.

St. Patrick's Day Deals & Freebies for Food & Gifts

  • 1-800-Baskets: Get 15% off select St. Patrick's Day gifts with the Review LUCKY15 through 3/17.
  • 1-800-FLOWERS: Promo code LUCKYSVNTN will get shoppers 17% off St. Patrick's Day flowers and gifts through 3/18.
  • 7-Eleven: Text "DIETCOKE1″ to 711711 to get a small free Diet Coke Slurpee.
  • Bonefish Grill: This coupon is good for $10 off a purchase of two lunch entrees through 3/29.
  • Carvel: Get $2 off any cake (excludes small squares) at participating locations with this coupon. Expires 3/31.
  • Cheryl's: This cookie gift seller offers a range of St. Paddy's Day-themed sweets, and promo code SPRNGSHIP will get shoppers free shipping through 5/11.
  • Del Taco: Buy a bacon or sausage Egg & Cheese Muffin and get a second free with their on-site coupon. Good through 4/2.
  • FTD.com:This gift site's St. Patrick's Day Sale has marked down gifts for the holiday, including chocolate-covered strawberries, Irish-themed jewelry, and flower bouquets. Markdown already applied, no coupon needed.
  • Honey Dew Donuts: Get a green Pistachio Muffin for $.99 with coupon at participating locations through 3/31.
  • Kay Jewelers: Select styles of St. Patrick's Day-themed, gold and green jewelry is discounted up to 50% for the jeweler's St. Patrick's Day Sale, through 3/17.
  • Mimis Cafe: Buy one lunch or dinner entree and two beverages, and get a second entree free with this printable coupon. Valid through 3/23.
  • Papa John's: Promo code SAVE25 will apply a 25% discount to all regular-priced menu items on an order placed on the pizza chain's website.
  • Quiznos: Get $1 off a large sub or salad purchase with coupon, through 3/21. Coupon available on Quiznos website.
  • Olive Garden: A free dessert will come with the purchase of entree when patrons use this coupon through 3/30.
  • Red Lobster: Get a coupon for $10 off two Lobsterfest entrees by filling out a form on their website. Coupons expire 4/13.
  • Regal Cinemas: Coupon is available on this link to claim a free small popcorn from the theater's concession stand through 3/27.
  • Scoutmob Shoppe: Promo code STPADDY10 will get shoppers 10% off a collection of beer- and whiskey-themed items to honor St. Paddy's Day. Expires 3/17.
  • Shari's Berries: Get 15% off a $29+ order of St. Patrick's Day chocolate-covered strawberries, pretzels and cake pops.
  • Things Remembered: Get a set of four monogrammed Irish Coffee Mugs on sale for $25 through 4/6.

St. Patrick's Day Sales to Shop This Weekend

  • American Apparel: 25% off St. Patrick's Day styles when using promo code LUCKY at checkout. Offer ends 3/17.
  • BCBGeneration: Select items are up to 40% through 3/17 for the store's St. Patrick's Day sale. Plus, use the coupon code WELCOME2013 at checkout to get 20% off the order.
  • Champion:Use promo code OFFER75 to get 20% off orders of $75 or more.
  • Claire's: St. Patrick's Day 2014 items are buy one, get one free. Expires 3/17, no coupon code needed.
  • Expedia: For a last-minute St. Patrick's Day celebration, Expedia is offering steep discounts on hotel rooms in Chicago for the holiday through 3/17.
  • EXPRESS: Through 3/16, get 30% off online or in-store purchases with promo code 1258.
  • HarryPotterShop.com: Harry Potter-themed apparel and collectibles are 17% off through 3/18.
  • H&M: Get 20% off one item with coupon code 1616.
  • PETCO: Get 17% off a $49+ order and free shipping through 3/17 when you use the promo code SHAMROCK.
  • Roaman's: Promo code RDSTPATRICK will get choppers 30% off any order through 3/17.
  • Samsonite: Get 20% off select items with an order of $100+, along with free shipping, by using promo code STPATS20. Expires 3/17.
  • SmartWool: A 17% discount is applied to an entire order with promo code O'WOOLIES. Expires 3/17.
  • Sperry Top-Sider: Purchase of green items earn shoppers free shipping with promo code GREENFS through 3/17.
  • Stride Rite: This children's shoe retailer is offering 17% off one regular-priced item with the promo code GREEN17 on St. Patrick's Day only.
  • Target, Corp.: Save up to 30% on home items. Use the code SAVE10 to get $10 off a $50+ purchase through 3/22.
  • ThinkGeek: Get a free St. Patrick's Day Shirt with an order of $40 or more through 3/17, with the code ELVISH. Or buy the t-shirt by itself for only $5. And in honor of Pi Day and Einstein's birthday, the site is also offering a 20% discount on orders of $40 or more with the code PINSTEIN. All offers expire 3/17.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

IPO Preview: Coupons.com

  • Provides digital coupons.
  • For Q4 2013 coup's P/E is less than Retailmenot's (SALE).
  • SALE is up 73% since December 9, 2013.

Update: Since this article was submitted COUP priced at $16, the conclusion remains the same.

Based in Mountain View, CA, Coupons.com (COUP) scheduled a $130 million IPO on the NYSE with a market capitalization of $945 million at a price range midpoint of $13 for Friday, March 7, 2014.

The full IPO calendar is available at IPOpremium.

SEC Documents
Manager, Joint managers: Goldman Sachs, Allen & Company, BofA Merrill Lynch, RBC Capital Markets

Co-Managers: None

Summary
COUP operates a leading digital promotion platform that connects great brands and retailers with consumers.

COUP loss % of revenue was -7% in 2013, an improvement from -53% in 2013, and COUP moved to profitability in its seasonally strong December quarter.

The decrease in loss rate for all of 2013 was partially due to COUP's cutting sales and marketing expense to $62 million from $64 million, while top line revenue increased 50% to $168 million from $112 million.

It's unusual for an IPO to cut absolute sales and marketing expenses going into an IPO.

However, both companies were profitable in the December, 2013 quarter, with COUP having a lower P/E ratio, 158 to 340.

Valuation

The only public competitor is in the digital coupon segment is Retailmenot ( SALE), which IPO'd July 18, 2013 at $21 and closed the first day at $27.70 up 32%. It later peaked at $39.10 September 24, 2013 then fell.

On December 9, 2013 SALE was $26, and Feb 25 it closed at $45 up 73%, perhaps in anticipation of COUP's IPO shining an IPO light on the digital coupon space.

Conclusion
The first company to IPO in the digital coupon space was Retailmenot July 18th, 2013.

SALE is up 73% from December 9, 2013. See 'valuation' and chart below.

81% of SALE's float is owned by institutions, many of whom can be expected to add COUP to their portfolio as a way to play the digital coupon space.

Based on annualizing the December 2013 quarter, COUP is priced at a lower P/E than SALE, 158 to 340. Based on full 2013 year results SALE showed a profit and COUP showed a loss.

The rating on COUP is buy on the IPO.

To put the conclusions and observations in context, the following is reorganized, edited and summarized from the full S-1 referenced above.

SALE does have a higher gross margin of 94% compared to 73% based on the December, 2013 quarter.

Both SALE and COUP are seasonal businesses, because they get most of their profits in the December quarter.

Groupon is not in the same business league because GRPN's gross margin % of revenue is only 15%, which is not in the same ballpark as SALE and COUP.

Business
COUP operates a leading digital promotion platform that connects great brands and retailers with consumers.

During 2013, COUP generated revenue from over 1.3 billion transactions in which consumers selected a digital coupon or redeemed a coupon code offered through COUP's platform, an increase of 43% over the same period in 2012.

Market

In 2013, 315 billion total coupons were distributed, representing an aggregate discount value of $510 billion, with 2.8 billion redeemed representing an aggregate discount value of $3.5 billion, according to an annual industry report by NCH Marketing Services, Inc., or NCH, a provider of coupon audit and settlement services. Increasingly, CPGs (consumer package goods) and retailers are directing a greater proportion of their spending to digital promotions.

COUP's platform

COUP's platform serves three key constituencies:

  • More than 700 CPGs (consumer packaged goods) representing over 2,000 brands;
  • Retailers operating approximately 58,000 store locations in North America; and
  • Consumers who (I) made an average of 17 million monthly unique visits to Coupons.com and COUP's other sites during 2013, (ii) visited the sites of COUP's CPGs, retailers and publishers, and (III) downloaded COUP's mobile apps more than seven million times.

Digital delivery
COUP delivers digital coupons to consumers, including coupons and Deal Now, and display advertising through its platform which includes web, mobile and social channels, as well as those of CPGs (consumer packaged goods), retailers, and COUP's extensive network of 30,000 third-party websites, or publishers, that display COUP's coupon and advertising offerings on their websites.

Platform distribution

COUP's platform distributes digital promotions at scale across multiple channels enabling CPGs and retailers to deliver promotions and media advertisements to consumers at the point when they are most engaged and likely to make a purchasing decision.

COUP's platform is comprised of promotional channels, including COUP's Digital FSI Network, which is COUP's network of owned and third-party websites that display COUP's coupons and advertising offerings, retail point of sale solutions, mobile solutions, publishing tools, which enhance the effectiveness of the promotions offered, and media advertising.

COUP's secure technology gives CPGs control over the number of coupons distributed and the number of CPG-authorized activations per coupon, which enhances the security of digital coupons.

Revenue generation
COUP generates revenues primarily from digital promotion transactions.

Each time a consumer selects a digital coupon on COUP's platform by either printing it for physical redemption at a retailer or saving it to a retailer online account for automatic digital redemption, COUP is paid a fee that is not dependent on the digital coupon being redeemed.

For coupon codes, COUP is paid a fee when a consumer makes a purchase using a coupon code from the platform. If COUP delivers a digital coupon or coupon code on a retailer's website or through its loyalty reward program, or the website of a publisher, COUP generally pays a distribution fee to the retailer or publisher which is included in cost of revenues.

COUP also generates advertising revenues through the placement of online advertisements from CPGs and retailers which are displayed with coupon offerings on COUP's websites and those of publishers.

COUP is paid a fee for the display of advertisements on a per impression or a per click basis. Advertising placements are generally sold as part of insertion orders for coupons as an integrated sale and not as a separate transaction.

Customers

CPG (consumer package goods) customers include many of the leading food, beverage, drug, personal and household product manufacturers.

COUP primarily generates revenue from CPGs through coupons offered through COUP's platform and to a lesser degree, through the display of advertising.

COUP retailers include leading grocery, drug and mass market merchandisers which distribute and accept coupons offered through COUP's platform.

COUP retailers also include a broad range of specialty stores, including clothing, electronics, home improvement and many others which offer codes through our platform.

Growth Plan
  • Increase revenues from CPGs (consumer papackaged goods) already on COUP's platform.
  • Deepen integration of retailers with COUP's platforms.
  • Grow the current core CPG and retailer customer base and add new manufacturers and retailers from additional industry segments.
  • Continue to grow consumer use of COUP's digital promotion offerings.
  • Grow international operations.
Dividend Policy

No dividends are planned

Intellectual Property

As of December 31, 2013, COUP holds or has exclusive rights to 14 issued patents in the United States and nine patents that have been issued outside of the United States with terms expiring between 2016 and 2031.

Additionally, COUP has 45 patent applications pending in the United States and as well as additional patent applications pending in Europe and other international jurisdictions.

Competition

COUP competes against a variety of different businesses with respect to different aspects of its business, including:

traditional offline coupon and discount services, as well as newspapers, magazines and other traditional media companies that provide coupon promotions and discounts on products and

services in free standing inserts or other forms, including Valassis Interactive, Inc., News America Marketing Interactive, Inc. and Catalina Marketing Corporation;

providers of digital coupons such as Valassis' Redplum.com and News America Marketing's SmartSource, companies that offer coupon codes such as RetailMeNot, Inc, Exponential Interactive Inc.'s TechBargains, Savings.com, Inc. and Ebates Performance Marketing, Inc., and companies providing other e-commerce based services that allow consumers to obtain direct or indirect discounts on purchases;

Internet sites that are focused on specific communities or interests that offer coupons or discount arrangements related to such communities or interests; and companies offering other advertising and promotion related services.

5% stockholders
  • Steven R. Boal 10.81%
  • Michael Walsh 5.22%
  • Passport Ventures, LLC 22.56%
  • Entities affiliated with T. Rowe Price 11.66%
  • Entities affiliated with Warren Spieker, Jr. 8.41%
  • Abu Dhabi Investment Council 5.82%
  • SMALLCAP World Fund, Inc. 5.25%
Use of proceeds

COUP expects to net $116.6 million from its IPO. Proceeds are allocated as follows:

  • primarily for general corporate purposes, including working capital, sales and marketing activities, general and administrative matters and capital expenditures.
  • for the acquisition of, or investment in, technologies, solutions or businesses that complement its business, although we have no present commitments or agreements to enter into any acquisitions or investments at this time.
  • satisfy COUP's anticipated tax withholding and remittance obligations related to the settlement of COUP's outstanding RSUs.

Disclaimer: This AQXP IPO report is based on a reading and analysis of AQXP's S-1 filing, which can be found here, and a separate, independent analysis by IPOpremium.com. There are no unattributed direct quotes in this article.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Milk price, production comparison tool

Dairy producers are often exposed to not only the highly variable nature of milk Price Compare, but also the highly variable costs of the feeds they supply to their herds. This variability often creates a situation where dairy farmers are tasked with making many choices affecting milk production and feed costs without being able to visualize the outcome.

Milk price is affected by several factors including milk volume, milk components (fat, protein, and other solids), and any bonuses or deductions applicable to the producer. While milk volume is important, many of the performance indicators of today's industry overlook the value of a herd with slightly lower milk volume and higher solids. Additionally, feed choice may have an impact on milk volume or solids. The effect of using different feeds to boost milk volume or milk solids is not only hard to calculate, but also to compare and contrast.

An example of this situation would be a farmer making the decision to spend more money on new feeds to boost component production. If this feed were to increase the production of milk solids, it may be more economically justifiable than the current feed, even if it costs more. This new feed could be more economically justifiable if it increased milk components, milk pay price, and income over feed cost values.

In order to visualize and quantify the economic impact of changes to milk volume, milk composition, milk price, and feed costs to dairy farm profitability, the University of Kentucky and DFA have developed a dashboard tool. This tool can be found at: http://afsdairy.ca.uky.edu/productioncomparison.

This tool allows farmers to quantify the difference slight changes in milk production and component levels could have on milk price. An additional feature of this tool is to compare feed costs, and their impact on milk income. Within this tool, you will find places to input production values, milk check values, and feed costs. From these inputs, economic values are computed, giving a better picture of the viability of herds with varying milk prices and feed costs.

In short, this tool will then allow you to:

  • Calculate your milk price
  • Compare possible production scenarios and their effects on milk price
  • Compare income over feed costs between different production and feed cost situations
Instructions

The arrows on the following pages will help to direct you in using the actual Milk Price and Production Comparison Tool. While the arrows in the following pages will not appear on the actual tool, using these pages as a guide will assist you in utilizing each element of the tool to its fullest potential.