Take a break from searching for the fastest dividend growers, or ways to beat the market, and enjoy this brief recap of some of the more unusual financial news out there:
- Procter & Gamble and L'Oreal marketers have yet another new reason to promote their hair dyes. In England, researchers have found that blondes tend to earn roughly $870 more each year than non-blondes. Invest that and earn 8% annually on it, and you're looking at an extra $69,000 after 25 years!
- If you're planning to move to Detroit, take the price of car insurance into account; in that city, it averages more than $4,700 annually! Honestly, where's Robocop when you need him?
-
Sears Holdings
(Nasdaq: SHLD) has had a tough time recently, with revenue declining over the past few years. Lest shoppers begin to think that its stores are out of fashion, the company might want to trumpet the news that Carlos Slim Domit, son of the wealthiest man on earth (yes, richer than Warren Buffett), registered at Sears last year for his wedding. - You can find stock ideas even in weird news stories. In Florida this summer, several men were arrested for stealing the aluminum roof off a house. The price of aluminum has been rising, approaching a two-year high; that could bode well for companies that produce and sell it, including Alcoa and Century Aluminum.
- Finally, with tax season creeping up on us, here's a helpful reminder that the IRS isn't all bad. An IRS employee not only answered a Kentucky man's tax question, but also helped save his life. When she called him back in response to his query, she also called 911 after noticing that he was having trouble breathing.
