Zack Miller's  Instablog

Martha Stewart was a billionaire in 2001.  She floated her own media firm, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, on the New York Stock Exchange in 1999 and witnessed her stock price double just on the first day it began trading.  Her T.V. shows combined with magazines and a home furnishing line were just hitting their stride.  She was the queen and dominated the smart, simple and fresh themes that she presented in her suggestions for lifestyle, cooking, and organization.

kaChing announced yesterday (rather quietly — strange) that they have indeed — after months of discussion — launched their investment management arm.  What that means is that investors can open up an Interactive Brokers account to mirror the activities of portfolio managers on kaChing.

Interesting data regarding mass affluent investors coming out of the Spectrem Group, as reported by Investment News today.

Everyone’s out reporting that Bloomberg, after being rumored as a suitor to pick up trouble biz mag, BusinessWeek, actually closed the deal for a rumored $5 million, an assumption of debt that amounts to over $30 million and a burn-rate of over $800,000/week.

I’ve never hid my growing admiration for investment mimicry.  While much ink is spilled daily by pundits recommending this and that, I’ve come to the realization that most of this is just emotionally-driven noise.

Pro athletes are notoriously bad investors.  Once bright starts worth millions of dollars are frequently left destitute within just a few years of retirement.  Put simply, these pros completely blow it when it comes to investment management.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.