Financial planners always say people are never too young to start investing.
With that in mind, Monetta Financial Services next month will introduce a kids-themed investment fund as part of its college savings program. The fund will invest at least 50 percent of its assets in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, which tracks the performance of that basket of stocks. The fund will also hold shares in companies that appeal to youngsters, such as McDonald’s, Disney, Best Buy and Pepsi.
The Wheaton, Ill., company is shopping the fund to various state-sponsored 529 plans, which give families tax benefits to encourage savings for future higher education costs. Colorado’s 529 plan declined to offer the fund, which means investors must go directly through Monetta to invest.
Whistle-blower heading for Virginia
Whistle-blower Michael De Kort is ready to leave Colorado.
De Kort is the former Lockheed Martin engineer who received national media attention in August when he used the website youtube.com to disseminate a 10-minute home video alleging malfeasance by his former employer. The Monument resident claimed in the video clip that officials for the Bethesda, Md., company disregarded serious security flaws while upgrading a fleet of patrol boats for the Coast Guard starting in 2002.
Lockheed said recently in a statement that it “has thoroughly investigated these allegations on several occasions and found them to be without merit.”
When contacted by The Denver Post last week, De Kort, 41, said a federal investigation of his claims has been completed and that he is awaiting the findings.
He did say he was in the process of moving to Virginia because he was “still unemployed” and there were “more jobs in that area.” He also cited Colorado’s relatively soft real estate market as providing “a good time to sell.”
Black’s Guide skipping town
Black’s Guide has blacklisted Denver.
The 30-year-old company no longer will deliver commercial real estate data for the Mile High City. It plans to focus instead on eight key markets. Cities the company will continue to serve include Atlanta; Dallas; New York; and Tampa, Fla.
The company’s commercial real estate guide, long a sacred tome for brokers, provides free comprehensive data aimed at helping dealmakers find and compare properties for their clients.
Women rule roost on home temperature
Women get the last word when it comes to controlling the thermostat, according to a poll conducted by ServiceMagic.com in Golden.
Of 1,500 consumers polled nationwide, 40 percent said the man controlled the temperature; 55 percent said it’s the woman; and pets get more consideration than children.
ServiceMagic is a website connecting homeowners to pre- screened home-service professionals.
Copper Mountain adds eateries, shops
Several new restaurants and stores are opening in time for the ski season at Copper Mountain.
Chubs restaurant, The Mike Newton Gallery and Kokomo, featuring Colorado gift items, are opening near Copper’s West Lake. Chubs also will offer ice skate rentals.
Restaurants Red Hots and Incline Bar and Grill will open soon in Burning Stone Plaza, and C.B. Grille will open along Ten Mile Creek in the Village At Copper.
Qwest ad campaign draws lines in sand
Art meets commercialism in a new TV ad campaign being launched by Qwest Communications.
The ads show Israeli sand artist Ilana Yahav creating animated works of art using nothing more than a lighted glass table, sand and her fingers.
The pieces are meant to illustrate Qwest’s services for business and government customers.
“The sand-art imagery represents Qwest’s unique and nimble abilities to deliver the data, IP and voice solutions that business customers want, in the way they want them,” said Laura Sankey, Qwest’s executive vice president of marketing and communications.
The ads will air on network TV and Fox Sports Net in Denver, Colorado Springs and several other markets in Qwest’s 14-state local service territory.
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
