The Markets May 7, 2008

What's in a Name?

You can file this one under “people with way too much time on their hands.″
Reported by

Stockpickr.com, which calls itself the “popular online stock idea network’, has announced the launch of NameFolio. It’s an application designed to run on the Social Networking site Facebook.

Adding the application to one’s Facebook profile generates a mock portfolio (the aforementioned NameFolio) – which, in turn contains 1000 shares of each company whose ticker symbol is found within the name of the account holder. What’s the point of that? Well, the folks who have developed this “tool’ say that it allows users to “compete’ against their friends by determining the…wait for it…valuation of their names.

So – the application – which randomly picks stocks whose tickers match the letters of your name – in random, and changing groupings, shows you what the total value of 1,000 shares of each of the companies in the random and changing grouping is worth. And what your “friends’ name portfolios are worth – and, as it turns out, what the American Idol finalists are worth – – – and the Presidential candidates.

It changes every day of course – but at the market’s close yesterday, the Clinton portfolio was worth $172,000, just ahead of Obama’s $166,040 – and both well ahead of John McCain’s $100,500 – as follows:

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Hillary Clinton is worth $172,000 (as of May 7)

TickerMy StocksLast
HILLDOT HILL SYS CORP 2.65
AAGILENT TECH INC 31.75
RYROYAL BANK OF CAN 47.97
CLIMACK-CALI REALTY 38.10
NTNORTEL NTWKS CP H 8.31
OREALTY INCOME CP 24.64
NNETSUITE INC 18.58

Barack Obama is worth $166,040

TickerMy StocksLast
BABOEING CO 84.98
RACKRACKABLE SYSTEMS 12.02
OBONEBEACON INS GRP 18.54
AMAMER GREETINGS CL 18.75
AAGILENT TECH INC 31.75

John McCain is worth $100,050

TickerMy StocksLast
JJJ SNACK FOODS 28.15
OREALTY INCOME CP 24.64
HHOOPER HOLMES INC 0.80
NMNAVIOS MARITIME 13.49
CCAMFS CALIFORNIA IN 11.71
ININTERMEC INC 21.26

As for Nevin Adams….well, my name-based portfolio was ahead of them all – $187,610, based on a holding of:

TickerMy StocksLastChange %OpenDay’s RangeVolume
NENOBLE CORP 61.79-0.4763.2461.59 – 63.795,695,175
VVISA INC. 88.50+0.9788.8387.66 – 89.8425,104,956
ININTERMEC INC 21.26-0.5521.8821.12 – 21.97746,169
ADAMADAM INC 6.90-0.146.976.87 – 7.0616,625
SSPRINT NXTEL CP 9.16-0.039.668.97 – 9.7371,281,040
Data & Research May 7, 2008

SPARK Releases Final Best Practices for 403(b)s

The SPARK Institute released final versions of its "Best Practices for 403(b) Plans" and a sample Information Sharing Agreement (ISA).
Reported by

SPARK general cousel Larry Goldbrum said that in order for these documents to achieve their intended purposes, they will have to be widely accepted and followed. The documents are available on The SPARK Institute’s Web site (www.sparkinstitute.org/comments-and-materials.php).

Best Practices for 403(b) Plans Information Sharing—Minimum and Comprehensive Data Elements summarizes what information will be shared among affected parties. (See SPARK Issues Proposed Best Practices for 403(b) Info Sharing.)

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The sample ISA provides a set of sample contractual provisions with bracketed alternative or optional text and italicized user notes, and a list of the data elements and information that SPARK Institute members have collectively agreed upon as minimally necessary for issuers and vendors to exchange. (See SPARK Seeks Comment on 403(b) Information Sharing Agreement.)

According to Goldbrum, SPARK is developing additional best practices that will help vendors and 403(b) sponsors resolve how to share the necessary data.

In addition, the Institute said it is creating a sample Request for Proposal (RFP) specifically for 403(b) plans. “We have heard from our members that RFP volume is high and many 403(b) plan sponsors are using the SPARK RFP Guide which was developed for 401(k) plans,” said Goldbrum. “Since that document is not intended for use by non-ERISA plans, we are developing a new version designed specifically for the 403(b) market and expect to make it available to the public shortly.’

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