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Username: CLA_14_ZZ1331
Username: CLA_14_ZZ1331
Password: SJB25091
Password: SJB25091
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Stuff for Econ homework (Investment Questions):
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1.  The growth and fluctuation in the financial markets and the economy’’s business cycle  are both normal parts of any capitalistic system’’s (U.S. etc) economic cycle  because the market and economy are always changing
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      Business cycle: A sequence of economic activity typically characterized by    recession, fiscal recovery, growth, and fiscal decline. 
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2.  a)  Questions and answers regarding oneself when investing:
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      When do I need the money? What do I need the money for? I need the money in  about 10 years after all my education is done with, and I start to work/have a  family.  How much do I plan to make? Hopefully around half a million to a  million dollars.
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    b)  The reason for investing in the first place would be to have extra cash, and another  source of income. 
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3.  Portfolio: a personalized investment plan dependent upon an individuals Investment  Horizon.  It is largely based off of growth stock, growth and income, and  income/inflation protection.  Portfolio’s help organize ones goals while investing.  Having a portfolio will help me visualize how long it will take to obtain my goal.
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      Risk Tolerance: An investor’s ability to handle declines in the value of his/her  portfolio.
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4. What is a Mutual Fund?
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How do Mutual Funds work?
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A mutual fund is a company that pools investors’ money in order to make multiple types of investments, known as a portfolio. A professional investment manager, who buys and sells securities for the most effective growth of the fund, manages the mutual fund. As a mutual fund investor, you become a "shareholder" of the mutual fund company. When there are profits you will earn dividends. When there are losses, your shares will decrease in value.
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b.      How do I make money from my Mutual Fund Investment (capital      appreciation, capital gains, dividend income
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      Capital appreciation: A mutual fund that attempts to increase asset value primarily through investments in growth stocks. The heavy investment in growth stocks increases the risk associated with these types of funds.
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      Capital gains: The amount by which proceeds from the sale of a capital asset exceed the original cost. Dividend income
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c.      Why should I invest in Mutual Funds (professional money management, diversification, variety of investment choices, low minimum investment, liquidity)?
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  Affordability. Mutual fund investing is affordable because initial investments in most funds are reasonable, and the requirement for additional investments is usually even lower.
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      Diversification. An investment in a mutual fund generally includes a number of different securities. For example, diversified stock fund portfolios usually hold an array of stocks representing different companies, different industries and perhaps even different nations.
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      Liquidity. It's easy to withdraw some or all of the money you've invested. Typically, you can get your money within one week.   
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5. What are some time-tested strategies for mutual fund investors?
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      a. Pay yourself first
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            Putting money directly away into a mutual fund to accumulate for later  b. Diversity to help reduce risk
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            Diversification can help reduce the financial risk inherent in investing. If    one investment decreases in value, another investment in the portfolio may  increase.
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      c. Reinvest your earnings
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            In a mutual fund, you may choose to reinvest your earnings automatically    to buy more shares. When you reinvest, not only do you have the potential    to earn money on your initial investment, you may also have the    opportunity to earn money on the dividends and capital gains you    accumulate.
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      d. Keep a long-term perspective
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            The longer the fund is kept the more money one can make. 
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6. What does it mean for your money to compound?
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      What is the Rule of 72?
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            A rule stating that in order to find the number of years required to double  your money at a given interest rate, you divide the compound return into 72. The  result is the approximate number of years that it will take for your investment to  double.
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7. Annuities allow people to accumulate tax-deferred funds for
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retirement. Eventually, an annuity will guarantee an income if the
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investor desires payable for life or for a specified period of time.
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Banks offer various rates and returns on annuity investments.
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e. Fixed annuities are insurance contracts in which the insurance
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company makes fixed dollar payments to the annuitant for the term of
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the contract, usually until the annuitant dies. The insurance company
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guarantees both earnings and principal. A variable annuity is an
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insurance contract in which, at the end of the accumulation stage, the
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insurance company guarantees a minimum payment. The remaining income
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payments can vary depending on the performance of the managed
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portfolio.
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8. A good time to invest is as early as possible; the earlier money is
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invested, the more time it has to grow.
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a. By starting early, one gives his investments the chance to increase
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as much as possible for as long as possible.
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b. If one chooses to wait before investing, the money he invests will
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not have as much time to grow if he had invested money earlier.
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Because of this, the investor will have less invested money in the
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long run than if he had invested earlier.
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9. Stocks are types of security that signify ownership in a
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corporation and represent a claim on part of the corporation's assets
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and earnings.
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There are two main types of stock: common and preferred. Common stock
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usually entitles the owner to vote at shareholders' meetings and to
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receive dividends. Preferred stock generally does not have voting
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rights, but has a higher claim on assets and earnings than the common
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shares. For example, owners of preferred stock receive dividends
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before common shareholders and have priority in the event that a
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company goes bankrupt and is liquidated.
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Also known as "shares" or "equity."
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10.) It is a good idea to invest in stocks because it is a great opportunity to increase the amount of money you have.  Also, you are not only helping yourself, but other businesses as well. 
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11.) One way to make money is to invest in a company that pays dividend.  Dividends are profits that are later distributed to the shareholders of a particular stock.  You can also make money by watching out for bad news, looking at strong balance sheets, looking at portfolios of companies who have done consistently well, knowing when to drop a stock when it's doing consistently bad, and basically doing a lot of research.
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12.) You can simply track your stocks by going onto finance.google.com,  finance.yahoo.com, or any other financing website.  You may have to create an  account with one of these websites, but once you have that done you can create a  stock market portfolio.  This will keep you up to date on what's happening with  the stocks you invested in.
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      a.) Dow Jones Industrial Average - is a price-weighted average of 30    significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the    NASDAQ. The DJIA was invented by Charles Dow back in 1896.
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      b.) Standard and Poor's 500 Index - An index consisting of 500 stocks chosen for    market size, liquidity and industry grouping, among other factors.
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      c.) NASDAQ Composite - An index that covers the price movements of stocks    traded on the NASDAQ stock market. 
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13) Why should I invest in stocks?
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            Over time, stock investments have the more potential to grow more rapidly  than other options available such as a savings account. Prices of stocks change,  rise and fall, but the general trend is one of growth that outperforms any other  option. Essentially, a stocks growth potential is unlimited, so although it is a risky  investment, there is a possibility you will make a great deal of money, depending  on your investment.
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            A. is there an opportunity to beat inflation?
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                  Yes. If you invest in inflation protected annuities, then you are    guaranteed a real rate of return at or above inflation. You can also    invest in mutual funds, meaning that the actual stocks your money    is invested in will be diverse and not likely to be affected by    inflation much.
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            B. Historically, what is stock ownerships long-term performance?
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                  For a 30 year period of time, the average rate of return is nearly 12    percent of the original investment. Because this is only the average,    there is a trend in growth and often the percentages of return are    very high.
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14. What are the risks of investing?
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      A) Financial or company risk
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            When investing in companies, you place your trust in their performance,    but there is a risk that a company will not perform well and will ultimately  have inadequate cash flow to meet its financial obligations. If the company  goes into debt, or goes bankrupt, your investment is lost.
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      B) Market Risk
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            When investing in stocks, your faith is also put into the performance of the  market itself. The value of your investment can actually decrease because    of the overall market performance
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      C) Economic Risk
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            Just as the value of an investment changes with the market performance, it  changes with the economy. For example, if the economy enters a recession  after you’ve invested in stocks, the value of your stocks is very likely to    decrease.
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15. Can investing in stocks through mutual funds help reduce risk?
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      Yes. Because mutual funds spread money invested among many diverse stocks,  severe changes in specific market sectors have a lower impact on the overall  growth performance. Because mutual funds pay dividends, they are a more  reliable option for constant income and growth.
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16.    What are my Stock Mutual Fund Choices?
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a.    Balanced funds
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A mutual fund that invests its assets into the money market, bonds, preferred stock, and common stock with the intention to provide both growth and income. Also known as an "asset allocation fund".
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A balanced fund is geared towards investors looking for a mixture of safety, income, and capital appreciation. The amount the mutual fund invests into each asset class usually must remain within a set minimum and maximum.
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b.    Growth and income funds
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A mutual fund whose aim is to provide both growth and income, often by investing in companies which have earnings growth as well as dividends.
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c.    Growth funds
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A diversified portfolio of stocks that has capital appreciation as its primary goal, and thereby invests in companies that reinvest their earnings into expansion, acquisitions, and/or research and development. Most growth funds offer higher potential growth but usually at a higher risk.
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d.    Aggressive Growth funds
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A mutual fund that attempts to achieve the highest capital gains. Investments held in these funds are companies that demonstrate high growth potential, usually accompanied by a lot of share price volatility. These funds are only for non risk-averse investors willing to accept a high risk-return trade-off. Also commonly referred to as a "capital appreciation fund" or "maximum capital gains fund".   
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Aggressive growth funds have large betas, which means they have a large positive correlation with the stock market. They tend to perform very well in economic upswings and very poorly in economic downturns. An aggressive growth fund may also invest in a company's IPO and then quickly turn around and re-sell the same stock to realize large profits. Some aggressive growth funds also invest in options to boost returns.
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e.    Sector funds
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An investment fund that makes investments solely in businesses that operate in a particular industry or sector of the economy. Because the holdings of this type of fund are in the same industry, there is an inherent lack of diversification by sector associated with these funds. These funds tend to increase substantially in price when there is an increased demand for the product or service offering provided by the businesses in which the funds invest. On the other hand, if there is a downturn in the specific sector in which a sector fund invests, the fund will face heavy losses due to the lack of diversification in its holdings.
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17.    What is the relationship between risk and reward?
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Higher risk leads to higher potential return and vise versa.
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18.    What is a bond?
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A debt investment with which the investor loans money to an entity (company or government) that borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a specified interest rate.
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How a bond works: The indebted entity issues investors a certificate, or bond, that states the interest rate (coupon rate) that will be paid and when the loaned funds are to be returned (maturity date).
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Why should I invest in bonds?
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a. Safety of principal: The assurance that a person's principal, or initial investment, will remain the same over the life of the investment.
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b. Diversification: A risk-management technique that mixes a wide variety of investments within a portfolio. With a more diverse portfolio, mistakes made in one investment can be canceled out with positive happenings in others.
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c. Long-term Appreciation potential: In the long run, you will be glad you invested.
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What are the different types of bonds?
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a. Money Market Instruments: a financial market for short-term borrowing and lending, typically up to thirteen months.
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b. US Government Securities
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i. US Treasury Bonds: usually issued in thirty-year maturities, and pay interest twice a year.
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ii. US Treasury Notes: called T-Notes, earn a fixed rate of interest every six months until maturity. Notes are issued in terms of 2, 3, 5, and 10 years.
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iii. US Treasury Bills: T-bills are sold in terms ranging from a few days to 26 weeks. Bills are sold at a discount from their face value.
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c. Corporate Bonds: A debt security issued by a corporation, as opposed to those issued by the government.
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d. Municipal Bonds: A debt security issued by a state, municipality, or county, in order to finance its capital expenditures.
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22. How are bonds rated?
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    -Bond ratings measure the riskiness of bonds (that is, the chance that the issuer will be unable to make interest payments or repay the principal). The riskier a bond, the lower its rating. Bonds with more A's are less risky than bonds with fewer A's, and the highest rating (for Standard and Poor's) is AAA, or triple-A.
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23. What are junk bonds?
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    -Junk bonds, also known more respectfully as high-yield securities, are debt instruments that are issued by corporate borrowers and which the major bond-rating agencies say are less than "investment grade." A corporate bond is considered "junk" if it is rated as BaA or lower by Moody's or Ba3 or lower by Standard and Poor's bond-rating services. 
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24. What is the relationship between interest rates and bond prices?
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    -The basic relationship between the price of a bond and prevailing market interest rates is an inverse relationship. 
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What does duration have to do with a bond fund’s volatility?
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Duration: The measure of the price sensitivity of a fixed-income security.
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Volatility: the amount of uncertainty or risk about the size of changes in a security's value.
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26. What types of Bond Mutual Fund choices do I have?
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a. Money market funds: a type of mutual fund that invests in short-term (less than a year) debt securities of agencies of the U.S. Government, banks and corporations and U.S. Treasury Bills.
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b. US Government Income Funds: focuses on bonds issued by the U.S. government and its agencies.
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c. Tax-Free Income Funds: Maximum current income that is exempt from federal income tax the extent consistent with prudent investment risk.
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d. Corporate Bond Funds: Bonds issued by corporations.
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e.  Strategic Income Funds: pursues high current income and capital growth by combining investments in corporate, high yield, international, and government bonds.
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f. High Yield Bond Funds: a bond that is rated below investment grade on its date of issuance (junk bond)
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What is the difference between investing internationally and investing globally?
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Investing internationally: investing in countries outside of the US.
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Investing globally: investing all over the world, including the US.
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28. Benefits of Owning Foreign Stocks ?
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There are several benefits to owning foreign stocks, including:
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      Globalization. Business happens all over the world and opportunities have followed. There are many opportunities in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, as well as the Pacific Rim for investment.
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      Diversification. There are times when the U.S. markets and economy may not offer the best alternatives for investment dollars. Looking abroad gives you other choices and spreads some of your risk over a wider geographic area and multiple economies.  Uncommon returns. While there is risk involved, foreign stocks may offer the chance to participate in extraordinary gains in rapidly growing economies. 
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  29. International and Global Mutual Fund Choices are:
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a) Global funds: bonds or stocks in the U.S. as well as in other parts of world.
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b) International funds: stock and bond investment in companies outside of U.S.
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c) Emerging Market Funds: invests mainly in the economy of          developing countries.
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      d) Regional Funds: investments are in one specific region of a 
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    country.

Revision as of 16:03, 2 March 2007

This is a musical I am writing; it is the text of the script so far. Please do not use any part of this in anything else. Thank you.

j o h n n y

Dramatic Personae: [In order of appearance]

St. Jimmy – A mobster with a conscience and an obsession with disco. He takes his own hits on his enemies instead of hiring hitmen. He enjoys killing, but begins to feel guilty about it. He loves disco dancing, disco clothing, disco music, and his Luger, which he has named Betty. He wears a white disco suit, with a black disco shirt, a heavy gold cross medallion, and a white hat. Sometimes a fedora, sometimes a (bucket hat?). He has a bulletproof umbrella. He helps out homeless people and people who want his help and don’t get on his nerves. He asks a price, however.

Johnny – A young man (around 19 or so) out for vengeance. He was going to the local community college, but dropped out when his family was killed by the mob. He wore a lot of black even before his family died. His favorite color is red. He likes mushrooms and beef stew.

Ferguson – An old friend and business partner of Johnny’s father. He likes to drink and he’s a bit absentminded. He’s a relatively cautious guy, likes to mind his own business.

Jenny – A nice girl, about Johnny’s age. She likes knives. She also likes Johnny. She doesn’t like St. Jimmy.

[play Dead Man’s Party, roll credits, opening name-image]

FAMILY DEATH SCENE

[Cut to shot of white jacket, with wide lapels, open to show a black wide-lapel shirt and a big gold cross medallion on a chain. The shirt is also open a bit. A hand with a white sleeve enters from the left side of the screen and pulls a pistol (an old Luger) from the jacket.]

St. Jimmy: [singing along with the music]

[Shot of horrified family: mother, father, daughter, infant. They are standing in front of a wall in what looks to be a living room. The walls are a pale green. There is a blue couch behind them, and what looks to be a family portrait.]

[Show St. Jimmy (side camera). He busts a move, moonwalks, shoots, spins, shoots, does the “Running Man,” shoots, does the “Rocket Man,” and shoots. Does a final move, then (front camera, straight-on) stands erect and poses, hands on his hips.]

St. Jimmy: My work here is done!

[Shot of a boombox, still playing. St. Jimmy’s hand reaches down and presses “Stop.” Music stops. Side view of St. Jimmy; he picks up the boom box and walks out the door, closing it behind him.]

[Black screen, text: THREE HOURS LATER:]

JOHNNY FINDS HIS FAMILY

[knocking]

Disembodied voice: Hello? Mom? Dad? Jessie? Anybody home?

[sound of keys, show doorknob turning. Door opens, to reveal…]

[Enter Johnny, looks inside; gets a shocked look]

[shot of family portrait on the pale green wall, with blood spattered across it. It shows the family we saw earlier, plus Johnny.]

Johnny: HOLY-

THE FUNERAL I

[cut scene abruptly. Go to black. Fade in to funeral. Johnny is there, watching as the three normal coffins and one tiny coffin are buried next to each other. St. Jimmy is there too, standing a distance away from the gathering. Johnny stares at him. St. Jimmy doffs his hat, bows, replaces his hat, and walks away with a spring in his step. Johnny stares after him, hatred in his eyes. He leaves, storming off in the direction that St. Jimmy went, forcing his way through the crowd. He breaks free of the crowd- and St. Jimmy is nowhere to be seen. Johnny, feeling impotent and powerless, hangs his head and turns back to the funeral. An older gentleman, also attending the funeral, sees Johnny, and misinterpreting his mood:]

Ferguson: You know, funerals aren’t exactly my kind of thing either, Johnny.

[Johnny looks at him quizzically.]

Ferguson: My name’s Michael Ferguson. I’m an old friend of your father’s. I know you from the pictures he carried with him. He always used to talk about his family, before… well, you know. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink and we can talk about it.

[cut to bar scene. They’re both at the bar with a bottle of beer.]

JOHNNY GETS A CLUE

Johnny: I just wish I knew who did it. Then at least I could do something about it.

Ferguson: Do what? Go charging off to avenge your family? You’d probably get shot up just like them. Or worse, you wouldn’t be able to find the courage to face whoever did it, once you find out, and have to live with the shame of that. [shakes his head] Don’t bother with that. It’s a waste of time. I doubt your father would want you risking your life for some crazy idea of ‘honor.’

Johnny: Then what should I do?

Ferguson: Move on with your life. Get yourself a job, find yourself a girl, settle down somewhere, have a few kids.

[Johnny muses over this for a while.]

Johnny: There was this weird guy hanging around at the funeral. He looked like some kind of disco dancer. When he saw me looking at him, he bowed and left. Any idea who he was?

Ferguson: Hmm… He sounds like St. Jimmy. Odd character. Dangerous to people who aren’t on his good side. I’d stay away from him if I were you.

Johnny: Did he know my father?

Ferguson: Yeah… we both did. Did a little business with him. It went bad; we got out. Sent someone over with a gift and our apologies, haven’t heard from him since.

Johnny: Do you think maybe he’s the one who killed my family?

Ferguson: Well, may- [stiffens, looks at Johnny sideways.] Say, you aren’t planning on rushing off and trying to snuff him, are you? Didn’t I tell you not to try to avenge your family, that it’d be foolish, et cetera?

Johnny: [does his best to look innocent] Of course not! I just want to know more about my father’s life, that’s all. I never really knew him too well; he wasn’t home often. Was always off on ‘business.’ I want to know what kind of business he was doing that got him involved with a guy like this St. Jimmy character. Ferguson: [gives some kind of back story involving something illegal but with good intentions that I’ll make up later]

JOHNNY GETS A JOB [He tries to move on, and gets himself a job working at a bookstore. He’s still depressed, understandably.]

JOHNNY MEETS JENNY [Johnny meets Jenny at the bookstore. They start talking, and end up going out on a date.]


TALKING ‘BOUT ST. JIMMY [Johnny tells Jenny about his family while they are on a cliff overlooking the bay at night. Jenny has heard of St. Jimmy, but mostly about the good that he has done. She never did trust him. Says so. Et cetera.]


JENNY’S ENCOUNTER WI/ THE SAINT [Jenny meets St. Jimmy at the knife and gun shop. St. Jimmy is getting his Luger cleaned, fixed, etc. Something wrong with the trigger, it jams sometimes. Jenny is getting some knives. They start talking. Jenny brings up Johnny’s family, St. Jimmy doesn’t like her. He talks about business. Jenny storms out, St. Jimmy buys some ammo.]


JENNY’S DEATH [Jenny dies for saying what she said to St. Jimmy. Johnny finds her dead body, much like ha found his family. Also finds a note on a table, that Jenny had written, saying that she might be in danger, had talked to St. Jimmy, etc.]


JOHNNY MOURNS; DECIDES [Cops come, question Johnny. He mourns for Jenny. He walks away, and makes up his mind to find St. Jimmy and kill him.]


JOHNNY JOINS THE MOB [Johnny asks around and finds out where the mob can be found; where St. Jimmy helps out the homeless who want help. He goes there, finds the Saint, and offers to join him. Says he wants to help, and has a keen eye for business matters. St. Jimmy doesn’t trust him, but allows him to join. Johnny doesn’t let St. Jimmy know who he is or who his family is, gives a false identity.]


JOHNNY GETS ON THE SAINT’S GOOD SIDE [Johnny saves St. Jimmy’s life; he wants to kill him himself. St. Jimmy sees this as Johnny risking his own life to save his, and decides he can trust Johnny.]


THE FIRST JOB [Johnny goes on his first job in the employ of St. Jimmy. Does well to impress St. Jimmy and convince him that Johnny has nothing but good intentions.]


TALKING WITH SAINT JIMMY [Johnny talks with St. Jimmy. St. Jimmy likes him more and more. Johnny still hates him, but pretends to like him. The power of the mob tempts him, but he refuses. He sees the mob as small, and his family’s death and vengeance as huge. He has begun to go insane already, and begins to have delusions.]


ST. JIMMY TALKS WITH GOD [St. Jimmy is starting to feel remorse, has for a while. Talks with his God, tries to atone. Et cetera.]


JOHNNY PLANS [Johnny, in the midst of his madness, becomes more and more manipulative, and schemes and plots St. Jimmy’s demise. Finds evidence that his father was a murderer, thief, etc., and that St. Jimmy is more moral than his father, but is set on avenging his family anyways. He hears voices. They tell him to kill St. Jimmy, and how to do it.


ST. JIMMY DIES [In this scene, Johnny’s plan is about to come to fruition. He and St. Jimmy are at the edge of the bay, and St. Jimmy is talking, facing the bay. Johnny has a garrote hidden in his coat. He is not listening to St. Jimmy, he is listening to the voices in his head. As he is about to pull out the garrote and kill St. Jimmy, St. Jimmy turns, and says to Johnny: “Goodbye, Jonathan. You’ve been a good friend.” He pulls out his Luger, puts it under his jaw, and shoots himself. His brains fly out into the bay. The voices in Johnny’s head fall silent and he stands there, shocked and stunned, agape. St. Jimmy’s bodyguards rush past him to grab St. Jimmy’s dead body, a commotion ensues. Johnny leaves without saying a word.


JOHNNY WALKS AWAY [In this scene, Johnny walks through the alleyways of the city, and hears the homeless talking about St. Jimmy in glowing terms. He announces what has just happened, and keeps walking. He walks to an abandoned warehouse and hangs himself, having no purpose left.]


THE FUNERAL II [Johnny’s funeral. His friends are there. They weep for him. Denouement-type stuff. This scene not necessary, could be deleted. Could instead end with the instant of Johnny’s hanging.]


END CREDITS

Katie's Demon A screenplay by Brian Pait

Dramatic Personae:

Katie: A weird green-haired girl with no friends. She has odd interests and is lonely. Other people make fun of her or avoid her. She tries to summon a demon to be her friend.

Kent: A nyx, summoned by Katie, who takes a very long time to arrive

Rolf: An art student who Katie meets at art school.

Popular girls: Popular girls. They dress alike and make fun of Katie.

Katie’s dad: Katie’s dad. Duh.

Teacher 1: Katie’s Ancient World History teacher. 

ACT I

Scene 1

School. Katie, walking. She is wearing a black shapeless hat and a faux army jacket wi/zippered pockets. The jacket is closed. She has black cargo pants on. She has hair that is naturally a rather dark brown, but it is dyed green from just above the bottom of the hat downwards. She has brown eyes and glasses with black rectangular frames. Her hair is just a bit shorter than shoulder-length and untied.

She walks into class, sits down. Nobody talks to her, or even looks at her. She looks at other students, says nothing. Gets out her supplies. Class starts.

Teacher 1: Alright class, let’s begin. Today we are continuing learning about the Sumerians. Can anybody tell me what kind of religion they had?

Katie: (hand shoots up) They had ziggurats for temples, each of which was controlled by an Ensi associated with each divinity. The various deities were part of a pantheon known as the Anunaki, which translates to “Heaven and Earth.” The main gods were An, Enlil, Enki, Ninhursag, Ashur, Ninlil, Ninurta, Marduk-

Teacher 1: (interrupting Katie) That’s enough Katie. I wasn’t looking for a lesson on theology. All I wanted was to see if you all remembered that the Sumerian religion was polytheistic.

Several students snicker; a group of like-dressed girls laugh at Katie. She slumps in her chair as the class continues, lowering her eyes to her desk. [Show desk, with paper sticking out of binder with the title Demonology: A Complete Practical Guide to (the rest is covered)].

Scene 2

Cut to scene in hall, students exiting class. Katie is shoved aside by the “popular girls,” and she drops her books. The printout on demonology falls out. A blonde girl sees it.

Blonde girl: (sarcastically/patronizing) Are you going to summon a demon to bite me, um… whatever your name is?

Other girls laugh as Katie snatches up the printout, and they continue walking as she glares at them. Nobody helps her pick up her books. Cut to Katie walking out of school, then to her on the bus, then entering her home.

Scene 3

Katie’s dad: Hi, Katie! How was school?

Katie: (irritated) Fine, Dad. I’m gonna go study in my room, okay?

Katie’s dad: Okay. Just holler if you need anything.

Katie walks into her room, tosses her bookbag onto a bed (really just a mattress, some blankets and some pillows on the floor). Shot of the demonology thing sticking out, then shot of the room. There is a poster of Anton Szandor LeVay on the wall, one of Einstein sticking his tongue out, etc. The room is messy. There is a filing cabinet, a desk with a computer, a cheir by a window, random other things. Shot of Katie from the door as she sits down at the computer and starts clicking and typing. Shot of computer screen: Shows an article on Satanic Spellcasting: Hurling Curses and Hexes For Beginners. Shot of Katie’s face from the side. She mutters to herself.

Katie: Stupid girls. They wouldn’t even know an Allu from Asag. I bet the worst thing they have to worry about is how to decide which boy to say ‘yes’ to first. Types furiously for a few more seconds, glances at bed, looks back at computer screen and looks at bed again. Shot of the demonology printout sticking out of her bookbag. Shot of Katie’s face, looking thoughtful.

Scene 4

Cut to scene of same room, but cleaned up and darkened. It is lit by a bunch of black candles and one white candle. Katie is dressed in black and holding a piece of paper with writing on it.

Katie: (in a confident, commanding voice) Ilasa micalazoda olapireta ialpereji beliore: das odo Busadire Oiad ouoaresa caosago: casaremeji Laiada eranu berinutasa cafafame das ivemeda aqoso adoho Moz, od maoffasa. Bolape como belioreta pamebeta. Zodacare od Zodameranu! Odo cicale Qaa. Zodoreje, lape zodiredo Noco Mada, hoathahe Saitan! Come forth spirit, and guide me! Aid me in my plight! Be to me as I would to you! Hail Satan! Shemhamforash!

She lights the paper with one of the black candles and drops it in a dish, then watches it burn. She waits. Nothing happens for a while. She looks around. Nothing happens.

Katie: Hello? (Pause.) Hello? Any… spirits around here? (Waits for an answer. None comes. She sighs.) Oh, well. I guess it didn’t work.

Katie blows out a candle, and scene ends abruptly.

END OF ACT I

ACT II

Scene 1

Begin with Katie going to school again. She's wearing an outfit similar to the one she wore the previous day, but the faux military shirt is a reddish color today instead of greenish. The popular girls talk in whispers, all look at Katie, and laugh. Katie glares at them and continues walking. Cut to art class. Teacher 2 is taking roll. One guy up near the front of the class [Rolf] keeps looking back at Katie. Katie begins staring at him, wondering why he keeps glancing back at her. He is looking at her when the teacher calls his name.

Teacher 2: Rolf? Rolf? (knocks on Rolf's desk; he turns with a start and looks at the teacher) Pay attention, Rolf. I almost marked you absent.

Rolf: Y-yes ma'am.

The teacher continues to take roll. Rolf glances back at Katie again, gives her a shy smile, then turns back and does not look at her again.


Stock Market Game: www.stockmarketgame.org Username: CLA_14_ZZ1331 Password: SJB25091

Stuff for Econ homework (Investment Questions): 1. The growth and fluctuation in the financial markets and the economy’’s business cycle are both normal parts of any capitalistic system’’s (U.S. etc) economic cycle because the market and economy are always changing 

     Business cycle: A sequence of economic activity typically characterized by    recession, fiscal recovery, growth, and fiscal decline.

2. a) Questions and answers regarding oneself when investing: 

     When do I need the money? What do I need the money for? I need the money in  about 10 years after all my education is done with, and I start to work/have a  family.  How much do I plan to make? Hopefully around half a million to a  million dollars. 

    b)  The reason for investing in the first place would be to have extra cash, and another  source of income.

3. Portfolio: a personalized investment plan dependent upon an individuals Investment Horizon. It is largely based off of growth stock, growth and income, and income/inflation protection. Portfolio’s help organize ones goals while investing. Having a portfolio will help me visualize how long it will take to obtain my goal. 

     Risk Tolerance: An investor’s ability to handle declines in the value of his/her  portfolio.


4. What is a Mutual Fund?

How do Mutual Funds work?

A mutual fund is a company that pools investors’ money in order to make multiple types of investments, known as a portfolio. A professional investment manager, who buys and sells securities for the most effective growth of the fund, manages the mutual fund. As a mutual fund investor, you become a "shareholder" of the mutual fund company. When there are profits you will earn dividends. When there are losses, your shares will decrease in value.

b. How do I make money from my Mutual Fund Investment (capital appreciation, capital gains, dividend income 

     Capital appreciation: A mutual fund that attempts to increase asset value primarily through investments in growth stocks. The heavy investment in growth stocks increases the risk associated with these types of funds. 

     Capital gains: The amount by which proceeds from the sale of a capital asset exceed the original cost. Dividend income

c. Why should I invest in Mutual Funds (professional money management, diversification, variety of investment choices, low minimum investment, liquidity)? 

 Affordability. Mutual fund investing is affordable because initial investments in most funds are reasonable, and the requirement for additional investments is usually even lower. 

     Diversification. An investment in a mutual fund generally includes a number of different securities. For example, diversified stock fund portfolios usually hold an array of stocks representing different companies, different industries and perhaps even different nations. 

     Liquidity. It's easy to withdraw some or all of the money you've invested. Typically, you can get your money within one week.


5. What are some time-tested strategies for mutual fund investors? 

     a. Pay yourself first

           Putting money directly away into a mutual fund to accumulate for later  b. Diversity to help reduce risk

           Diversification can help reduce the financial risk inherent in investing. If    one investment decreases in value, another investment in the portfolio may   increase. 

     c. Reinvest your earnings

           In a mutual fund, you may choose to reinvest your earnings automatically    to buy more shares. When you reinvest, not only do you have the potential    to earn money on your initial investment, you may also have the     opportunity to earn money on the dividends and capital gains you     accumulate. 

     d. Keep a long-term perspective

           The longer the fund is kept the more money one can make.


6. What does it mean for your money to compound? 

     What is the Rule of 72? 

           A rule stating that in order to find the number of years required to double  your money at a given interest rate, you divide the compound return into 72. The  result is the approximate number of years that it will take for your investment to  double.


7. Annuities allow people to accumulate tax-deferred funds for retirement. Eventually, an annuity will guarantee an income if the investor desires payable for life or for a specified period of time. Banks offer various rates and returns on annuity investments.


e. Fixed annuities are insurance contracts in which the insurance company makes fixed dollar payments to the annuitant for the term of the contract, usually until the annuitant dies. The insurance company guarantees both earnings and principal. A variable annuity is an insurance contract in which, at the end of the accumulation stage, the insurance company guarantees a minimum payment. The remaining income payments can vary depending on the performance of the managed portfolio.

8. A good time to invest is as early as possible; the earlier money is invested, the more time it has to grow. a. By starting early, one gives his investments the chance to increase as much as possible for as long as possible. b. If one chooses to wait before investing, the money he invests will not have as much time to grow if he had invested money earlier. Because of this, the investor will have less invested money in the long run than if he had invested earlier.

9. Stocks are types of security that signify ownership in a corporation and represent a claim on part of the corporation's assets and earnings.

There are two main types of stock: common and preferred. Common stock usually entitles the owner to vote at shareholders' meetings and to receive dividends. Preferred stock generally does not have voting rights, but has a higher claim on assets and earnings than the common shares. For example, owners of preferred stock receive dividends before common shareholders and have priority in the event that a company goes bankrupt and is liquidated.

Also known as "shares" or "equity."


10.) It is a good idea to invest in stocks because it is a great opportunity to increase the amount of money you have. Also, you are not only helping yourself, but other businesses as well.


11.) One way to make money is to invest in a company that pays dividend. Dividends are profits that are later distributed to the shareholders of a particular stock. You can also make money by watching out for bad news, looking at strong balance sheets, looking at portfolios of companies who have done consistently well, knowing when to drop a stock when it's doing consistently bad, and basically doing a lot of research.


12.) You can simply track your stocks by going onto finance.google.com, finance.yahoo.com, or any other financing website. You may have to create an account with one of these websites, but once you have that done you can create a stock market portfolio. This will keep you up to date on what's happening with the stocks you invested in. 

     a.) Dow Jones Industrial Average - is a price-weighted average of 30     significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the     NASDAQ. The DJIA was invented by Charles Dow back in 1896.

     b.) Standard and Poor's 500 Index - An index consisting of 500 stocks chosen for    market size, liquidity and industry grouping, among other factors.

     c.) NASDAQ Composite - An index that covers the price movements of stocks    traded on the NASDAQ stock market.


13) Why should I invest in stocks? 

           Over time, stock investments have the more potential to grow more rapidly  than other options available such as a savings account. Prices of stocks change,  rise and fall, but the general trend is one of growth that outperforms any other  option. Essentially, a stocks growth potential is unlimited, so although it is a risky  investment, there is a possibility you will make a great deal of money, depending  on your investment.

           A. is there an opportunity to beat inflation?

                 Yes. If you invest in inflation protected annuities, then you are     guaranteed a real rate of return at or above inflation. You can also     invest in mutual funds, meaning that the actual stocks your money     is invested in will be diverse and not likely to be affected by     inflation much.

           B. Historically, what is stock ownerships long-term performance? 

                 For a 30 year period of time, the average rate of return is nearly 12     percent of the original investment. Because this is only the average,    there is a trend in growth and often the percentages of return are     very high.

14. What are the risks of investing? 

     A) Financial or company risk

           When investing in companies, you place your trust in their performance,    but there is a risk that a company will not perform well and will ultimately   have inadequate cash flow to meet its financial obligations. If the company   goes into debt, or goes bankrupt, your investment is lost.

     B) Market Risk

           When investing in stocks, your faith is also put into the performance of the   market itself. The value of your investment can actually decrease because    of the overall market performance

     C) Economic Risk

           Just as the value of an investment changes with the market performance, it   changes with the economy. For example, if the economy enters a recession   after you’ve invested in stocks, the value of your stocks is very likely to    decrease.

15. Can investing in stocks through mutual funds help reduce risk? 

     Yes. Because mutual funds spread money invested among many diverse stocks,  severe changes in specific market sectors have a lower impact on the overall  growth performance. Because mutual funds pay dividends, they are a more  reliable option for constant income and growth.


16. What are my Stock Mutual Fund Choices? a. Balanced funds A mutual fund that invests its assets into the money market, bonds, preferred stock, and common stock with the intention to provide both growth and income. Also known as an "asset allocation fund". A balanced fund is geared towards investors looking for a mixture of safety, income, and capital appreciation. The amount the mutual fund invests into each asset class usually must remain within a set minimum and maximum.


b. Growth and income funds A mutual fund whose aim is to provide both growth and income, often by investing in companies which have earnings growth as well as dividends.

c. Growth funds A diversified portfolio of stocks that has capital appreciation as its primary goal, and thereby invests in companies that reinvest their earnings into expansion, acquisitions, and/or research and development. Most growth funds offer higher potential growth but usually at a higher risk.

d. Aggressive Growth funds A mutual fund that attempts to achieve the highest capital gains. Investments held in these funds are companies that demonstrate high growth potential, usually accompanied by a lot of share price volatility. These funds are only for non risk-averse investors willing to accept a high risk-return trade-off. Also commonly referred to as a "capital appreciation fund" or "maximum capital gains fund". Aggressive growth funds have large betas, which means they have a large positive correlation with the stock market. They tend to perform very well in economic upswings and very poorly in economic downturns. An aggressive growth fund may also invest in a company's IPO and then quickly turn around and re-sell the same stock to realize large profits. Some aggressive growth funds also invest in options to boost returns.

e. Sector funds An investment fund that makes investments solely in businesses that operate in a particular industry or sector of the economy. Because the holdings of this type of fund are in the same industry, there is an inherent lack of diversification by sector associated with these funds. These funds tend to increase substantially in price when there is an increased demand for the product or service offering provided by the businesses in which the funds invest. On the other hand, if there is a downturn in the specific sector in which a sector fund invests, the fund will face heavy losses due to the lack of diversification in its holdings.

17. What is the relationship between risk and reward? Higher risk leads to higher potential return and vise versa.

18. What is a bond? A debt investment with which the investor loans money to an entity (company or government) that borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a specified interest rate.


How a bond works: The indebted entity issues investors a certificate, or bond, that states the interest rate (coupon rate) that will be paid and when the loaned funds are to be returned (maturity date). Why should I invest in bonds? a. Safety of principal: The assurance that a person's principal, or initial investment, will remain the same over the life of the investment.

b. Diversification: A risk-management technique that mixes a wide variety of investments within a portfolio. With a more diverse portfolio, mistakes made in one investment can be canceled out with positive happenings in others.

c. Long-term Appreciation potential: In the long run, you will be glad you invested.

What are the different types of bonds? a. Money Market Instruments: a financial market for short-term borrowing and lending, typically up to thirteen months.

b. US Government Securities

i. US Treasury Bonds: usually issued in thirty-year maturities, and pay interest twice a year.

ii. US Treasury Notes: called T-Notes, earn a fixed rate of interest every six months until maturity. Notes are issued in terms of 2, 3, 5, and 10 years.

iii. US Treasury Bills: T-bills are sold in terms ranging from a few days to 26 weeks. Bills are sold at a discount from their face value.

c. Corporate Bonds: A debt security issued by a corporation, as opposed to those issued by the government.

d. Municipal Bonds: A debt security issued by a state, municipality, or county, in order to finance its capital expenditures.


22. How are bonds rated? 

   -Bond ratings measure the riskiness of bonds (that is, the chance that the issuer will be unable to make interest payments or repay the principal). The riskier a bond, the lower its rating. Bonds with more A's are less risky than bonds with fewer A's, and the highest rating (for Standard and Poor's) is AAA, or triple-A.

23. What are junk bonds? 

   -Junk bonds, also known more respectfully as high-yield securities, are debt instruments that are issued by corporate borrowers and which the major bond-rating agencies say are less than "investment grade." A corporate bond is considered "junk" if it is rated as BaA or lower by Moody's or Ba3 or lower by Standard and Poor's bond-rating services.

24. What is the relationship between interest rates and bond prices? 

   -The basic relationship between the price of a bond and prevailing market interest rates is an inverse relationship.

What does duration have to do with a bond fund’s volatility? Duration: The measure of the price sensitivity of a fixed-income security.

Volatility: the amount of uncertainty or risk about the size of changes in a security's value.

26. What types of Bond Mutual Fund choices do I have?

a. Money market funds: a type of mutual fund that invests in short-term (less than a year) debt securities of agencies of the U.S. Government, banks and corporations and U.S. Treasury Bills.

b. US Government Income Funds: focuses on bonds issued by the U.S. government and its agencies.

c. Tax-Free Income Funds: Maximum current income that is exempt from federal income tax the extent consistent with prudent investment risk.

d. Corporate Bond Funds: Bonds issued by corporations.

e. Strategic Income Funds: pursues high current income and capital growth by combining investments in corporate, high yield, international, and government bonds.

f. High Yield Bond Funds: a bond that is rated below investment grade on its date of issuance (junk bond)


What is the difference between investing internationally and investing globally? Investing internationally: investing in countries outside of the US.

Investing globally: investing all over the world, including the US.


28. Benefits of Owning Foreign Stocks ?

There are several benefits to owning foreign stocks, including: 

     Globalization. Business happens all over the world and opportunities have followed. There are many opportunities in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, as well as the Pacific Rim for investment. 

     Diversification. There are times when the U.S. markets and economy may not offer the best alternatives for investment dollars. Looking abroad gives you other choices and spreads some of your risk over a wider geographic area and multiple economies.  Uncommon returns. While there is risk involved, foreign stocks may offer the chance to participate in extraordinary gains in rapidly growing economies.  



 29. International and Global Mutual Fund Choices are: 
a) Global funds: bonds or stocks in the U.S. as well as in other parts of world. 
b) International funds: stock and bond investment in companies outside of U.S. 
c) Emerging Market Funds: invests mainly in the economy of          developing countries. 

     d) Regional Funds: investments are in one specific region of a  
    country.
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