Sanofi stock drops 7 percent

BRIEF: Sanofi girds for another fight

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1Z1vLW0

7 Things Enormously Financially Successful People Refuse to Do

What are a few financial goals you’re aspiring to reach?

Perhaps you want to pay off debt, save $2 million for retirement, or give more than you ever thought possible.

One of the best ways to get where you want to go in life is to look at the lives of those who have arrived.

How did they accomplish these goals? What made the difference for them? Are these things you can do, too?

Sometimes, it’s easy to put limitations on ourselves. We think that because of this or that circumstance, we’ll never reach our goals. Why think like that? Is that helpful? Of course not.

The truth is, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. But it’s not just what they choose to do that matters, it’s what they refuse to do that matters as well.

Let’s take a look at some things enormously successful people refuse to do.

1. They refuse to dwell on their success.

Imagine you’ve done something and seen some success. Maybe you started a business and are making decent money. Perhaps you built something nobody has ever built before. You might have even landed your dream job.

It can be tempting to dwell on success to the point that innovation comes to a screeching halt. After all, you’ve made it, right? Well, not quite yet. If your goal is to be enormously successful with your finances, it’s best to take this advice from Steve Jobs:

I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.

The founder of Apple certainly lived up to his advice. He also built an incredible team at Apple that was motivated to work on the something new all the time – motivated to innovate and not settle for even for the great success they discovered.

2. They refuse to let disappointment destroy their dreams.

When you are disappointed, do you feel like giving up? Probably. Should you feel that way? No way!

Let disappointment encourage you to try harder at becoming successful.

Jerry Seinfeld has been said to have been booed off stage the first time he walked out in front of an audience at a comedy club. Imagine that! This is Jerry Seinfeld, someone who today is enormously successful because he refused to give up. Amazing.

What are your dreams? What would you love to do in your life? Chances are, you can think of a couple of disappointing circumstances that might discourage you from reaching your goals – but why let them weigh you down?

3. They refuse to become disorganized.

Look around at your office right now. Is it organized? Is it nice and tidy, or is it a mess?

Organizing your office space – and your home – can help clear your mind and allow you to focus on reaching your ultimate goals.

Think about it. When you sit down to write a masterpiece, are you distracted by clutter? The truth is, when you have a pile of papers on your desk or your email inbox is a mess, it’s difficult to focus on the things that matter most.

You might be wondering why it’s difficult to focus when you’re surrounded by clutter. Good question.

You see, if you’re thinking to yourself that you should really be cleaning up the clutter or you’re wondering what that stack of papers on your desk means (because it might represent unknown work to do), it’s going to be tremendously difficult to push those thoughts aside and focus on the task at hand. They’re distractions.

In other words, you need mental space to think.

David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, often talks about the importance of capturing everything on your desk and in your mind that needs attention and organizing it. Many successful entrepreneurs have followed this advice and found success. You probably would too.

4. They refuse to sacrifice quality for speed.

Apple, here, is another good example. They were not the first to come out with a smartphone. Remember BlackBerry smartphones?

You see, Apple could have seen other companies in the smartphone market and felt in a rush to create something for their customers. They could have whipped something together in a flash. Did they? Oh no.

Instead, Apple took quite a long time to craft their smartphone. They wanted something that was easy to use and fun. They wanted something that would themselves enjoy using. Then, they made it: iPhone.

Yes, in order to be financially successful as a businessperson, you eventually have to put your product or service out into the world, but you should never do so because you feel pressure. Instead, take the time necessary to make something great. Make something that sells itself. You’ll be really glad you did.

5. They refuse to let their current knowledge be good enough.

You have access to knowledge at your fingertips. Why not use it?

One common trait you’ll find in those who are enormously successful is that they want to learn everything they can about their business and beyond. They are lifelong learners and thinkers. They believe that they can do incredible things with their minds.

Tim Ferriss is one of those amazing entrepreneurs who has a passion for learning. In fact, Tim not only believes in learning, he practices accelerated learning. He has been able to learn how to dance, cook, and so much more. He has even written on how to learn (but not master) any language in one hour. Crazy amazing.

Tim took his love for learning and created a business teaching others how to do the same thing. He refused to let his current knowledge be good enough and pushed himself to the max. Why not try something similar?

6. They refuse to continue tradition without questioning it.

Have you heard of John Legere? He’s the CEO of T-Mobile USA.

Under his leadership, he has truly shaken up the cellular service industry with new plans and unique offerings. T-Mobile no longer has two-year contracts and abolished overage fees. Amazing.

Still, other carriers have good offerings, but T-Mobile has truly questioned the traditions of carriers and given customers something different to consider.

What can be learned here? If your business is struggling, why not question the traditions and processes that have been put in place and see if you can discover something new? It doesn’t hurt to try, and it might just make you enormously successful.

7. They refuse let fear hold them back.

Fear. It’s what can hold you back from a successful, prosperous life.

There are so many things to be afraid of, folks. I don’t need to remind you of them. But you know what? It’s unlikely that most of your worries and concerns will ever happen. Don’t be afraid.

One way to get past fear is to write down your fears on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope, and write on the front: “Do not open until [year from now].” Then, put it somewhere safe where you’ll remember to take a look.

Then, for the next year, attack your fears. Do those good things you ought to do. Strive for success. When the year is over, open the letter and see if any of your fears came true. You’ll probably be surprised to find that not many of them did come true – if any of them at all!

Remember: It’s not just what you do that matters, it’s what you refuse to do that matters as well. Learn from those who are successful. Take them out for lunch. Read their material. Develop some grit. You’ll be better off for it.

This post originally appeared on Daily Finance.

Source Good Financial Cents http://ift.tt/24gQZGw

Sanofi stock shares drop 7 percent

BRIEF: Sanofi girds for another fight

Source Business - poconorecord.com http://ift.tt/1rao1WC

How to Choose Investments in Your 401(k)

Your 401(k) is the first place you should look when you start investing. The account is already open, so all you have to do is fill out some paperwork to start contributing (you can ask your human resources representative how to do this). The money gets pulled from your paycheck before taxes, like magic, and you may even be eligible for some free money if your employer offers a match.

It’s one of the best and most effective ways to get started, even if you don’t have a lot of money to invest. But there’s a big question that comes up as soon as you start contributing: Which investments should you choose?

It’s confusing trying to navigate the long list of options with strange acronyms and lots of numbers next to them. So confusing that many people end up inadvertently making poor decisions.

You can do better.

In this post you’ll learn how to choose the right investments in your 401(k) so you have the best possible chance of reaching your biggest personal goals.

The Goal of Choosing Investments in Your 401(k)

Here’s one tip that will instantly make you a more sophisticated investor than almost everyone else you know: Instead of looking at your 401(k) as its own, isolated account, look at it as just one part of your overall investment plan — which includes all of your investment accounts.

That means you don’t have to perfectly or entirely match your target investment plan within your 401(k). Your real goal is to match your target investment plan once all your investments are summed up across all accounts.

Which is good news! Because your 401(k) investment options are probably limited. There are likely some good options and some not-so-good ones, and it’s unlikely that there’s a good one for each type of thing you want to invest in. For example, there may be a great U.S. stock market fund, but not a great international stock market fund.

And by viewing all your retirement accounts as one big pot, and including your spouse or partner’s retirement accounts as well, you can pick and choose the best investment options in each one so that the total across all accounts lines up with your overall plan.

Here’s how to do just that.

Step 1: Create an Overall Investment Plan

Start by laying out your overarching investment objectives:

1. How much money will you sock away? Remember that your contribution rate is the most important investment decision you’ll make, so get this going before worrying about anything else.
2. Which accounts will you use? Contributing to your 401(k) up to your employer match is a great start. But after that you have a number of options, and the right one depends on your specific situation. Decide which accounts you want to use and how much you’ll be contributing to each one.
3. What is your target asset allocation? That is, which types of things will you be investing in (e.g., U.S. stocks, international stocks, bonds), and how much of your money will be invested in each type? (Click here to see some simple asset allocation suggestions.)

Step 2: Review the Investment Options in Your 401(k)

Ask your employer for a list of the investment options within your 401(k) and evaluate them on the following two factors:

1. How does each one fit into your asset allocation? If it’s not a fit, you can ignore it. Morningstar is a good resource for looking up mutual funds to see what they invest in.
2. How much do they cost? Cost is the single best predictor of future returns, so you should lean toward investments that cost less — meaning they have a lower expense ratio and fee structure.

It’s likely that your 401(k) offers a suite of target-date retirement funds, which are essentially mutual funds comprised of other mutual funds in a mix that varies based on your expected retirement date. For example, a 2050 fund (geared toward someone expecting to retire in 34 years) might be heavily invested in stock-based funds, while a 2020 fund (aimed at someone retiring in just four years) would likely hold more bond funds or other conservative investments.

Target-date funds can make things a lot easier on you, since you may only have to pick one fund and be done with it. Just make sure that any target-date fund you choose is both low-cost and a relatively close fit with your desired asset allocation – and be aware that its own allocation will shift (usually toward less risky investments) as time goes on.

Step 3: Rank Your 401(k) Investment Options

As you go through the list, you can cross off anything that either doesn’t fit into your plan or costs too much.

Then take the remaining options and rank them in general order of fit and cost. Those at the top are the investments you’re most likely to choose.

As you do this, I would consider giving strong preference to anything labeled as an index fund. That’s because low-cost index funds have been shown to outperform other investments 80% to 90% of the time.

Step 4: Work Through Your 401(k) Options in Order of Priority

First, go back to Step 1 where you decided on your asset allocation and determined how much money you wanted to put into each type of investment. You’ll need that information here.

Then, start with the 401(k) investment option you ranked as the best fit. Allocate your 401(k) money toward that investment until you’ve either used up your entire 401(k) or you’ve reached the limit for how much you want to invest in that particular thing.

For example, let’s say that you’re investing $10,000 a year across all your retirement accounts, and you want 50% of that, or $5,000, to go into the U.S. stock market.

If you have a good, low-cost, U.S. stock market fund in your 401(k), you can select to put up to $5,000 of your 401(k) contributions into that fund. (To find the total amount you’re putting into your 401(k) each year, just multiply your salary by your contribution rate: for example, $60,000 x 9% = $5,400.) If you’ll contribute less than $5,000 to your 401(k) per year, then the entire balance would go into that one fund.

If you have money left over in your 401(k) after Fund No. 1, do the same thing for Fund No. 2 in your priority list. Keep working your way down the list until you’ve used up your entire 401(k).

Step 5: Fill in Any Gaps to Your Investment Plan Using Other Accounts

If all of your retirement money is in your 401(k), then you’re done. Nice work!

If not, you can fill out the rest of your investment plan with your other retirement accounts, like your IRA.

The reason you save this step for last is that your 401(k) options are likely limited, while your IRA options are essentially unlimited. This way you make the most of the good options in your 401(k), and fill in the gaps elsewhere.

Remember to Revisit and Rebalance

As time passes and the markets move, the amount of money you have invested in each fund will rise and fall. Your 401(k) may also change its investment lineup from time to time.

So it’s a good idea to review your investments annually to rebalance and make any other necessary adjustments based on changes in your plan.

Matt Becker is a fee-only financial planner and the founder of Mom and Dad Money, where he helps new parents take control of their money so they can take care of their families. His free book, The New Family Financial Road Map, guides parents through the all most important financial decisions that come with starting a family.

Related Articles:

• A Complete Beginner’s Guide to 401(k) Plans
• Roth IRA vs 401k? You May Not Have to Choose
• What to Do With Your 401(k) When You Change Jobs

The post How to Choose Investments in Your 401(k) appeared first on The Simple Dollar.

Source The Simple Dollar The Simple Dollar http://ift.tt/1SDnlne

Apple vs. Android: Which is Best for a Penny Hoarder?

Even if you’re cutting back to pay off student loans or saving to buy a house, a smartphone is a borderline necessity.

And we don’t just mean for Facebook, Tinder and Candy Crush.

As our lives become more and more digitized, smartphones allow us to seamlessly sync and mobilize the online tools we use every day. They can help us be healthier, smarter, more productive and, of course, more connected to one another.

In 2016, carrying a flip phone is a mark of eccentricity. But even if you’re willing to deal with social ostracism, you might be missing out socially and professionally if you aren’t on the same technological level as your peers.

Unfortunately, the world of smartphone technology isn’t as simple — or inexpensive — as a Penny Hoarder might hope.

You could easily spend hundreds of dollars on a device and almost as much on your monthly service plan.

To make matters even more complicated, the market is divided among various brands, whose comparative costs and benefits can be tricky to discern. The greatest dispute exists between two major operating systems: Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.

Since we happen to have a diehard fan of each on the TPH team, we asked them to duke it out: Which popular smartphone OS is more cost-effective?

Apple vs. Android

Staff writer Jamie Cattanach has been an Android user since a techie ex-boyfriend scoffed at her Apple products six years ago.

After she learned how much customizability she was missing out on for the perceived user-friendliness of her iPhone, she jumped ship and never looked back.

Staff writer Dana Sitar ignored Apple products for years because of the cost. She had a flip phone until 2011 — not to be eccentric, but to save money.

As she shifted to a nomadic lifestyle and remote work, her need for a smartphone became clear.

In 2011, iOS was on top of the mobile game, so it was an easy choice. A free phone was a standard offer with a service contract, so cost was not a concern.

Five years, three phones, an iPad, an Apple TV and a Macbook later, her loyalty is cinched.

Here are their arguments.

Jamie: Android Phones Offer Cost-Effective Customizability

When I started dating an IT professional whose entire circle of friends sneered at my iDevices, I wasn’t fazed.

Let them say what they want, I thought. Look how pretty my iPhone is!

But just being in close contact with Android users each day made me start drawing my own conclusions.

“How are you responding so quickly?” I remember texting my then-boyfriend early in our relationship, when we had sprawling text-based conversations on the regular. His responses seemed instantaneous.

“I use Swype,” he responded.

Swype, I learned, was an awesome alternative keyboard that lets you type without lifting your finger for each individual button press, saving a ton of time. And my iPhone didn’t support it.

In fact, the app wasn’t available in the App Store for years — not until the release of iOS 8.

As I began poking around on my boyfriend’s phone, I discovered there was a whole world of applications like Swype I couldn’t access, not to mention being able to customize my home screen and overall user experience using widgets.

I could tell all my Android-using friends’ phones apart, even when they were the same model, because of the personalization Android’s OS allows.

Since lots of different cell phone companies build Android-compatible phones, they also tweak the OS per their own design ideas. Not every Android device has the same interface and user experience as with all-in-one Apple.

Some of them had a cool pattern-recognition lock screen; others had a weather widget or news ticker on wake-up. My boyfriend had an entire screen dedicated to a calendar app that synced directly to his Google Calendar, a setup I still use to this day.

Good luck getting your Apple products to sync with competitor Google’s apps, which you know you use.

By the way, you Apple users shrieking about how you have widgets now: OK, but again, they didn’t roll out until iOS 8, and from the sounds of it, they’re pretty limited.

Even if you count the lack of customizability as a plus in the name of “user friendliness,” using Apple products will leave a serious dent in your wallet.

You can get an Android phone with the same — or even better — specifications as an iPhone for just a fraction of the price.

Because with Apple, you’re paying for a status symbol as much as you’re paying for the product itself. It’s just like buying $100 yoga pants at Lululemon.

And it’s not good penny-hoarding.

Android: Get a Better Device, Pay Less

I carry a smartphone I absolutely adore.

It came packed with Google’s suite of apps I already use for everything, like Hangouts, which I use to chat with almost everyone.

Although my awesome Google Fi plan includes unlimited talk and text for just $20 per month, if I had to pay per SMS message, Hangouts would circumvent the charge since it’s a web-based messaging system. Plus, it keeps an automatic transcript of everything.

I’ve never been unable to download an app I heard about and wanted to try.

What’s (way) more, I bought my phone for less than $400 — without a contract.

That’s right: My LG Nexus 5X was only $399. I could’ve gotten a device just as powerful for only $349, but I decided to spring for the extra storage since I take a lot of pictures.

And before you dismiss it as a crappy discount phone, check the specs.

It packs the same 2GB RAM as the iPhone 6s, and its quad-core processor is arguably more powerful. It’s got better pixel density, more connectivity and a slightly greater pixel size on its camera.

And it isn’t even the most premium Android phone on the market right now.

Which, by the way, is already a point in Android’s favor, in my opinion. You can actually choose a device, rather than just keeping up with whatever model Apple releases that year.

Consider the Nexus 6P, the super-premium phone a notch up from mine.

A note: There are lots of other Android phones on the market from different vendors, like the HTC M8 or the Samsung Galaxy. But I’m sticking with Google’s Nexus phones because:

• I’m a total Google fangirl. (Can you tell?)

• These phones feature the original, out-of-the-box Android OS as Google intended, unmarred by proprietary OS overlays like Samsung’s TouchWiz or HTC’s Sense.

I skipped the 6P because my small hands hate the phablet trend, but in a comparison between it and the iPhone 6s Plus, there’s no comparison: The Nexus has a GB more RAM, a screen more than 100 ppi denser, and, again, a more impressive processor.

Also, you can own it — no contract, no lease, no monthly payment, no nothing — for just $499.

What’s the going rate for an unlocked 6s Plus without a contract? Like a thousand dollars, whether you find one on eBay or go with Apple’s payment plan, which adds up to about $978.

And have I mentioned I only pay $30 per month for my plan?

Better, Faster, Stronger

Although the iPhone was the original smartphone, it’s hard not to conclude Apple users may be missing out on a superior product, especially if money is a factor.

The fact Android came later might actually be a point in its favor: It benefited from the trial and error of Apple’s first attempt at this revolutionary product.

Android was able to evolve based on user feedback — without spending the overhead creating an initial model.

And the main thing it evolved… is choice.

Dana: Apple Does It All and Looks Cool

When I bought my first smartphone, Apple’s iOS was kicking Android’s butt, Windows wasn’t part of the conversation and Blackberry was already obsolete.

And I lived in San Francisco, where, I believe, everyone receives an iPhone at birth instead of a blanket.

I’d moved there from Wisconsin, where Compaq still graced many a desk and flip phones were still clipped to belts. I was as enchanted by the community of Apple users as I was by the products.

The iPhone hooked me.

When I started using other Apple products, I loved how seamlessly they interacted. I could decipher the interface on my phone, laptop, tablet, desktop and Apple TV, because they all worked the same way.

Before Google became a contender in hardware, you couldn’t find this across-the-board experience on the Android/PC side of the tracks.

More Doesn’t Always Mean Better

Android devotees love to tout their options.

You can choose from a plethora of models across brands, and customize your experience with widgets and apps from an army of creators.

I don’t want for more options on my iPhone, because it does what it does well.

Using an Apple product is like going to a nice restaurant. It has a limited menu, and you can order anything and know it’ll be good, because you trust the chef.

Using an Android device is like eating at Golden Corral. The buffet is, like, a mile long and appeals to every taste.

But you have to pick green bean casserole out of your mac n’ cheese and serve it up with a spoon you just watched a Jello-covered child handle.

Value > Cost

When it comes to a cost comparison, any idiot can tell you Android beats Apple (and any idiot will).

But you also have to factor in the value you’re getting for your money. If you get less when you pay less, you’re not really winning.

Google’s hardware has caught up, but only recently. Apple’s still ahead of the curve with features like 3D Touch, Live Photos and Reachability.

Apple’s native iMessage and FaceTime apps rival Hangouts. I have no use outside of work for Hangouts, as I don’t have friends who use the app. If I want to save a non-iPhone friend from SMS charges, we take the conversation to Facebook Messenger.

Apple’s also winning at integration of third-party apps. With iOS 6, Apple introduced user-friendly integration with Facebook and Twitter. Instructions to set it up look like this.

Instructions for Facebook integration with Android look like this. Yikes.

Using Apple as a Penny Hoarder

Bottom line? A new Apple product costs more than a new anything else. No debate changes that.

But it doesn’t mean a Penny Hoarder can’t be an Apple user.

I shopped around to find the best deal for my needs to buy the new iPhone. I pay $19.77 per month for it through Sprint.

I bought a refurbished two-year-old iPad 2 for $200 and used it for two years before selling it for $100.

My boyfriend and I just bought a used four-year-old MacBook Pro for $650. Before that, he’d used a new MacBook for eight years. He sold it for parts for $100.

A real Penny Hoarder doesn’t just buy something because it’s cheapest. She knows how to get the best for less.

The Best Smartphone for a Penny Hoarder

So who wins?

A simple cost comparison will likely always put an Android device on top. And the new option for Google Fi makes service insanely affordable.

Android is usually the go-to choice when price is your primary deciding factor.

If you weigh in style, functionality and culture, you might find that the overall value of Apple puts it in the lead against Android’s lower cost.

Bottom line: As Android’s OS continues to improve and carriers find increasingly more affordable ways for you to own an iPhone, no brand clearly wins.

Instead, you have to decide what features matter to you — and use your Penny Hoarder wiles to get them at the best price!

Your Turn: What’s your vote: Apple or Android?

Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She also writes other stuff, like wine reviews and poems.

Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writer’s Digest and more, attempting humor wherever it’s allowed (and sometimes where it’s not).

The post Apple vs. Android: Which is Best for a Penny Hoarder? appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/21new3j