But how might you tell whether you're in good financial shape or not? Is there the financial equivalent of self-service blood pressure machines that you find in pharmacies? Yes, though they are few and far between.
One such tool that you might consider comes from the Personal Finance Employee Education Foundation (PFEEF), a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit group focused on financial education in the workplace.
Established in 2004, that group's proprietary tool, the Personal Financial Wellness (PFW) scale, is an eight-question survey that measures a person's perception of his or her own financial distress or well-being. Whether you're retired or still saving for retirement, you can use the questions from the survey to determine your financial health. (See sample questions.)
10 Best China Stocks To Watch Right Now: Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc.(LXRX)
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery and development of drug candidates for the treatment of various human diseases. The company utilizes gene knockout technologies and an integrated platform of medical technologies to systematically study the physiological and behavioral functions of approximately 5,000 genes in mice and assessed the utility of the proteins encoded by the corresponding human genes as drug targets. Its portfolio of orally-delivered small molecule compounds that have completed or are presently conducting phase 2 clinical trails includes LX4211 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes; LX1031 for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal disorders; LX1032 for the treatment of the symptoms associated with carcinoid syndrome; and LX2931 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. The company also develops LX1033, an orally-delivered small molecule compound that is in phase 1 clinical trails for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal disorders. In addition, it develops three orally-delivered small molecule compounds in preclinical development stage that include LX7101 for treatment of glaucoma; LX5061 for the treatment of osteoporosis; and LX2311 for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Further, the company has small molecule compounds from various additional drug discovery programs in various stages of preclinical research. It has drug discovery and development collaborations with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Genentech, Inc.; N.V. Organon; and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. The company also has a series of agreements with Symphony Icon, Inc. for the financing of clinical development programs; and an alliance with Nuevolution A/S to access Nuevolution?s Chemetics chemistry technology. Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Stephen Simpson, CFA]
I've owned quite a few biotechs over the years, but Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (LXRX) is maybe one of the most frustrating I've owned. Forget about the company's prior business model of selling gene knockout data to drug developers and its near-death experience about five years ago - the simple fact that the company has some very interesting clinical candidates but can't get much love or attention from prospective partners is plenty frustrating in its own right.
- [By Brian Pacampara]
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, biotech company Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: LXRX ) has received a distressing two-star ranking.
- [By Keith Speights]
1. Lexicon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: LXRX )
Lexicon experienced its heyday in the first few years of the 21st century, but it's pretty much been downhill since then. Shares of the biotech have dropped more than 60% in the past 10 years.
Top 5 Sliver Stocks For 2015: USell.com Inc (USEL)
usell.com, Inc. (uSel), formerly known as Upstream Worldwide, Inc., incorporated on November 18, 2003, is a technology-based company. The Company focuses on creating an online marketplace where individuals interested in selling small consumer electronics.
The Company through its wholly owned subsidiaries helps individuals monetize household items. Household items, such as small consumer electronics that they no longer using.
The Company competes with eBay.com, craigslist.com and BestBuy, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By EquityOptionsGuru]
Over the past decade, online marketplaces have been springing up at a rapid fire pace.� Consumers continue to seek new outlets to both buy and sell products at reasonable prices with high efficiency.� This need can be seen in the re-commerce industry, which represents an annual market of $57 billion.� Although eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) has been the dominant player for the better part of a decade, it is facing increasing pressure from other marketplaces for cost and convenience reasons.� One such marketplace, uSell.com (OTC PINK: USEL), appears poised to rival eBay for years to come.
Top 5 Sliver Stocks For 2015: Atlatsa Resources Corp (ATL)
Atlatsa Resources Corporation is engaged in mining, exploration and development of mineral deposits located in the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC), South Africa. The principal business activity is the mining and exploration of platinum group metals (PGM), through its mineral property interests. The Company�� subsidiaries include N1C Resources Incorporation, Anooraq Minera Mexicana, N2C Resources Incorporation, Plateau Resources Proprietary Limited, Bokoni Holdings Proprietary Limited, Bokoni Mines Proprietary Limited, Boikgantsho Proprietary Limited, Kwanda Proprietary Limited, Ga-Phasha Proprietary Limited, Middlepunt Hill Management Services (Proprietary) Limited and Lebowa Platinum Mine Limited. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Roberto Pedone]
Another stock that's starting to move within range of triggering a big breakout trade is Atlatsa Resources (ATL), which engages in the mining, exploration and development of platinum group metals properties located in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa. This stock has been on fire so far in 2013, with shares up a whopping 198%.
If you take a look at the chart for Atlatsa Resources, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending strong for the last two months and change, with shares soaring higher from its low of 28 cents per share to its intraday high of 46 cents per share. During that uptrend, shares of ATL have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. Shares of ATL have now started to take out some near-term overhead resistance levels at 43 cents to 44 cents per share. That move is quickly pushing shares of ATL within range of triggering another big breakout trade.
Market players should now look for long-biased trades in ATL if it manages to break out above its 52-week high at 50 cents per share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above that level with volume that hits near or above its three-month average action of 170,178 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then ATL will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are its next major overhead resistance levels at 63 cents to 73 cents per share, or even 80 cents per share.
Traders can look to buy ATL off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day moving average of 39 cents per share, or near more support at 37 cents per share. One can also buy ATL off strength once it clears its 52-week high at 50 cents with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.
Top 5 Sliver Stocks For 2015: Otelco Inc (OTEL)
Otelco Inc. provides a range of telecommunications services on a retail and wholesale basis. These services include local and long distance calling; network access to and from its customers; data transport; digital high-speed and dial-up Internet access; cable, satellite and Internet protocol television; wireless, and other telephone related services. The principal markets for these services are residential and business customers residing in and adjacent to the exchanges the Company serves in Alabama, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, Vermont and West Virginia. In addition, the Company serves business customers throughout Maine and New Hampshire and provides dial-up Internet service throughout the states of Maine and Missouri. In January 2014, the Company acquired Reliable Networks, a provider of cloud hosting and managed services for companies who rely on mission-critical applications.
Local Services
The Company is a provider of wireline telephone services in seven of the 11 RLEC territories it serves. Local services enable customers to originate and receive telephone calls. The amount that it can charge a customer for certain basic services in Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Vermont and West Virginia is regulated by the Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC), the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable (MDTC), the Missouri Public Service Commission (MPSC), the Vermont Public Service Board (VPSB) and the West Virginia Public Service Commission (WVPSC). It also has authority to provide service in New Hampshire from the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (NHPUC). The revenue derived from local services includes monthly recurring charges for voice access lines providing local dial tone and calling features, including caller identification, call waiting, call forwarding and voicemail. It also receives revenue for providing long distance services to its customers, billing and collection services for o! ther carriers under contract, and directory advertising. The Company provides local services on a retail basis to residential and business customers.
The Company offers long distance telephone services to its local telephone customers who do not purchase a local service bundle. It resells long distance services purchased from various long distance providers. It derives revenue from other telephone related services, including leasing, selling, installing, and maintaining customer premise telecommunications equipment and the publication of local telephone directories in certain of its rural local exchange carrier territories. It also provides billing and collection services for interexchange carriers through negotiated billing and collection agreements for certain types of toll calls placed by its local customers.
Network Access
Network access revenue relates primarily to services provided by the Company to long distance carriers (also referred to as interexchange carriers) in connection with their use of its facilities to originate and terminate interstate and intrastate long distance, or toll, telephone calls. As toll calls are generally billed to the customer originating the call, network access charges are applied in order to compensate each telecommunications company providing services relating to the call. Network access charges apply to both interstate and intrastate calls. The Company�� network access revenues also include revenues it receives from wireless carriers for terminating their calls on its networks pursuant to its interconnection agreements with those wireless carriers. Blountsville, Hopper, Mid-Maine, Mid-Missouri, Pine Tree and War also receive Universal Service Fund High Cost Loop (USF HCL) revenue, which is included in the Company�� reported network access revenue.
Cable Television Services
The Company provides cable television services over networks with 750 megahertz of transmission capacity in or by Interne! t Protoco! l TV ( IPTV) in its Alabama service area. Its cable television packages offer from 20 to 200 channels. It is a licensed installer of satellite television and has deployed these services to customers in its Missouri territory. In 2011, it converted its Missouri cable customers to satellite television.
Internet Services
The Company provides a variety of internet access data lines to its customers, including bulk broadband data access to support large corporate users; digital high-speed data lines in varying capacity speeds for business and residential use; and residential dial-up connectivity. Digital high-speed Internet access is provided through digital subscriber line (DSL) cable modems or wireless broadband, depending upon the location, in which the service is offered and through fiber connectivity to business customers. The Company charges its Internet customers a flat rate for unlimited Internet usage and a premium for higher speed Internet services. In Maine and Missouri, it provides legacy dial-up Internet services throughout the state.
Transport Services
The Company�� competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) receive monthly recurring revenues for the rental of fiber to transport data. and other telecommunications services in Maine and New Hampshire. Its businesses and telecommunications carriers are 423 mile owned and leased fiber route.
Network Assets
The Company�� telephone networks include carrier grade advanced switching capabilities provided by traditional digital, as well as software based switches, fiber rings and routes and network software supporting specialized business applications. Its networks enable the Company to provide traditional and Internet Protocol ( IP), wireline telephone services and other calling features; long distance services; digital Internet access services through DSL and cable modems and circuits; and specialized customer specific applications. It offers digital signals, high-d! efinition! program content, digital video recording capability through its traditional cable plant and IPTV.
The Company competes with AT&T, Verizon, Charter Communications, Inc. and Time Warner Cable.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Laura Brodbeck]
Monday
Earnings Releases Expected: Sotheby�� (NYSE: BID), Otelco (NASDAQ: OTEL), Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX), Red Lion Hotels Corporation (NYSE: RLH) Economic Releases Expected: Italian industrial production, Mexican industrial production, Portuguese trade balanceTuesday
- [By Lisa Levin]
Long Distance Carriers: The industry dropped 0.71% by 10:35 am. The worst performer in this industry was Otelco (NASDAQ: OTEL), which declined 0.4%. Otelco is expected to release its Q2 financial and operational results on August 6, 2014.
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