Your third example should go under the distinction of statements you disagree with.
There are plenty of reasons why Instagram may be worth $1 billion that are not outrageously, astonishingly wrong. Not least of which is because that's what Facebook paid for it two years ago. Instagram has grown significantly since then, as has FB's valuation. I'd speculate Instagram could go public today at a low multi-billion valuation.
Of course it is. I've done it before, it's not particularly difficult after an adjustment period if you work a desk job with Internet access.
Anyway, if you're seriously considering cutting off at-home Internet, take a look at FreedomPop's free plans, limited to 500MB-1GB of data or something per month. I haven't used them personally, but it could be an inexpensive way of reducing the allure of an unlimited Internet funnel.
You still need to be an accredited investor to take part in these potential general solicitation rounds (net worth above $1 million, minus primary residence, or annual income of more than $200,000), right?
Age 29 the first with regular speed of clicks. Age 53 the second time taking lots of time between clicks and being more careful to click the center of the circle.
Sure, money managers have a significant interest in lying about their likelihood of outperforming market averages (6.6% real return in the last 100 years, by the way, not 5%), but their fees don't mean that "compound interest is a lie."
Compound interest isn't magic, it's just pretty simple math.
There are a lot more options that I can take into account using the NYT version (ownership costs, HOA fees, specific mortgage rate, length of mortgage, rate of return of other investments, etc). How is this calculator better? Just because it’s simpler?
Response from Groupon:
“Mr. Nels[e]n initially approached Groupon and our merchant advisors structured a deal to best encourage overspend and help his business grow. We also required Back Alley to cap the number of Groupons sold to ensure the feature was in the best interest of both consumers and the merchant. We scheduled his feature on his terms, on a date he selected, under a contract he reviewed and signed. According to our records, only 132 Groupons, or 18% sold, have been redeemed since Back Alley ran two months ago, and Mr. Nels[e]n has received 2/3 of his share of the revenue to date. We always hate to hear that a local business has decided to close, but the math does not point to Groupon as the cause.”
There are plenty of reasons why Instagram may be worth $1 billion that are not outrageously, astonishingly wrong. Not least of which is because that's what Facebook paid for it two years ago. Instagram has grown significantly since then, as has FB's valuation. I'd speculate Instagram could go public today at a low multi-billion valuation.