HOUSEKEEPING
Calculate the value of your time
Most people would value an hour’s worth of time based on what they get paid for it, but a calculator available at MSN MoneyCentral looks at other factors to help you determine the real worth of your time.
The “time-value calculator” factors in work-related costs, hours spent commuting and more to come up with what it considers a more accurate evaluation of just how much your time is worth.
The calculations are quick and easy, though you will need some information on how much you spend on basic work-related expenses, such as clothing, meals and more. To go directly to the time-value calculator, set your browser to .
SHORT COURSE
“Poop and scoop” devalues stock
A “pump and dump” scheme is an illegal plan to hype a stock so that the people promoting the issue can sell shares and reap a quick profit. A “poop and scoop” is kind of the opposite.
It’s the illegal practice of spreading bad news and fictitious negative information about a stock with the goal of driving the price down so that shares can then be purchased at a bargain. While many people believe that pump and dump schemes are easy to spot, poop and scoop deals can be more deceptive, as they frequently are based on some potentially bad news, inflated into a worst-case scenario. Many market observers believe that short-sellers — who invest in a way that creates profits when a security declines in value — frequently poop on stocks to drive them down so that they can lock in a gain.
