OneShare Blog: Claiming Ownership

There’s an unquestionable aura about a company whose stock gains over 200% in ten years. Warren Buffett, envied by many, respected by most, is the mastermind behind Berkshire Hathaway. And now, with graduation season just around the corner, OneShare’s proud to offer Berkshire Hathaway Class B stock. Following a January 2010 50-1 split, the new Class B shares – available at just $82 a pop (in comparison to over $123,000 a share for Class A!) – make Berkshire Hathaway

once again accessible to more than the very wealthy.

Here are some fun facts about our illustrious new offering:

• The company traces its roots to a textile company called Valley Falls, founded in 1838
• In the past few decades, it has closed all of its remaining textile operations (the last one closing in 1985)
• Holdings now include GEICO, Fruit of the Loom, Dairy Queen, and Kirby vacuums (among many others)
• At nearly 27,000 participants, Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting is among Omaha, NE’s largest events (rivaled only by the College World Series)
• Even as a child, Warren Buffett had an entrepreneurial spirit, going door-to-door selling chewing gum, Coca-Cola, or weekly magazines
• By the time Buffett graduated college at 19, he had already accumulated what, by today’s standards, would be comparable to $90,000 of wealth

If you’ve been wondering what to get an upcoming graduate, this may be just the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Inspire them with the success of one of America’s greatest investors with a share in Berkshire Hathaway.

Open an account with ShareBuilder by March 1, Get a $50 account bonus   At OneShare, a distinct subsection of our market has always been stock for kids. The tangibility of a framed share can be the perfect way to spark a young person’s interest in savings and finance. Now, through our partnership with ShareBuilder, OneShare customers have the chance to take the next step.

Scott, one of our resident Parent Investment Experts for OneShare Investments*, opened ShareBuilder accounts for his two boys a few years ago:

“The younger one – who was only 11 at the time – chose shares in India and China since he has friends from both countries. His timing and choices turned out well. Now he hopes to have enough money for a trip to Europe after he graduates from high school. Having a particular goal in mind has helped motivate him to save. Later, he’ll look back on his trip and know that it was something he saved for himself. It’s been a great opportunity and a valuable lesson.”

If you’ve been meaning to start a brokerage account, for yourself or for a child, this exclusive offer through OneShare may be the opportunity you’ve been looking for. When you open a new account with at least $50 by March 1, you’ll get an extra $50 account bonus. Buy more shares for only $4 per trade. There are no minimum balances, no inactivity fees, and no account maintenance fees.

Click here to start building your shares!

Questions? Email our Investment Team at < info at oneshareinvestments dot com >

* Another great way to save for kids

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and if you missed last month’s special on 1-800-Flowers.com, create lasting memories with this month’s Shutterfly. Founded in 1999, Shutterfly lets you upload an unlimited number of photos at full resolution. You can share photos online, or print them to personalized greeting cards and photo books. The Shutterfly mission is “To build an unrivaled service that enables deeper, more personal relationships between our customers and those who matter most in their lives.” It aims to make the world a better place by helping people share life’s joy — you can’t get much more lovey-dovey than that. Here are just a few more reasons why Shutterfly, as our featured share for February, helps you share the love:

• Shutterfly is the leader in online photosharing revenue, claiming  a whopping 34% of the total market
• Shutterfly engineers were the first to introduce the “photo book in less than 5 minutes for less than $15″ concept with their “Simple Path”, which automatically lays out digital photos on photo book templates
• Social networking sites have become increasingly popular for sharing photos, but Shutterfly’s focus is on quality: the average Shutterfly image is 1.5 megabytes, while the average size on most social networking sites is 40 to 50 kilobytes — about 1/30th the size
• While many similar sites are subsidiaries of larger companies, Shutterfly remains a standalone public company

Your framed stock certificate’s sitting pretty on the wall of your study or on a shelf in your den, and one day you pause to think: what do all those numbers and signatures mean? It’s our “Anatomy of a Stock Certificate” post to the rescue. Here are some of the most prevalent terms demystified:

• Stock Number: This code is unique to each stock certificate – it’s like a one-of-a-kind fingerprint for your shares. It’s used to track stock when it’s traded and sold.
• Par Value: While the concept’s seldom relevant with today’s market regulations, the “par value” refers to a minimum trading price set by the company. Nowadays, you’ll seldom see more than $.01 (and often you’ll see “no par value” at all).
• Number of Shares: If you got your share through OneShare, chances are pretty high you’ll have a nice no-nonsense “1” in this space – but the number can generally be in any amount (within reason)
• CUSIP Number: Another unique identifying number, this one’s issued by the Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures for certificate tracking purposes.
• Bank Note Manufacturer: Credit where credit is due: this is the name of the manufacturer who produced the special stock-certificate-grade paper for your certificate.
• Signatures: Most certificates are signed by representatives from within the company – usually a CEO or Chairman of the Board – as well as by the registrar. The registrar signs the document when the stock is issued, making the whole process official.
• Stock Date: This is your stock’s birthday! It’s the day your share was officially transferred to your name.

How about you? Is there anything you’ve always wondered about on your stock certificate?

The numbers are in: we have our top-ten sellers for 2009. Around the holidays, we get a lot of publicity on our My First Stock program – including Chicago Sun-Times, BusinessWeek, ABC News (plus expired articles in the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Forbes Magazine, and local evening news programs across the country) – and with good reason. A single share of stock in the tangible (and often colorful) form of a framed stock certificate is a great way to introduce kids to the idea of smart investing.

But, “stock for kids” just doesn’t capture the full picture. OneShare is about a lot more than that. From the outset, OneShare stakeholders have been a breed apart. These aren’t investors looking for a quick buck. These are people invested in the culture and the success of the brand itself. Time and time again, customers report back to us that their OneShare stock certificate – whether received as a gift or purchased for themselves – has been the best piece in their one-of-kind collection, or the crowning showpiece for their lifetime dedication to a particular workplace. But don’t take my word for it. Find out what past customers have said about 2009’s Top Ten: Read the rest of this entry »

What do coffee, fashion, technology, and teaching children to read all have in common? They’re just a few of the interests covered by our 34 new OneShare companies. With popular brands focused on food, robotics, make-up, or television, OneShare just got a lot more personal. Browse our entire list for the “new!” marker or go directly to customizing your share:

Roy Disney may have been behind the scenes, but he was a star none the less. The nephew of Walt Disney and the son of Disney co-founder Roy Oliver Disney, Roy passed away on Wednesday, following a year long battle with stomach cancer. Disney’s been OneShare’s perrinial favorite from the start. So in tribute to Roy, who served the Walt Disney Company in some fashion nearly his entire adult life, our company feature for today is Disney:

• The Disney clan harks from a region of France known Isigny-Sur-Mer, hence their original name: D’Isigny
• Walt Disney was once fired from a job at the Kansas City Star because of “lack of creativity”; when Disney later acquired ABC, the Kansas City Star was among the holdings
• Walt first considered the name  “Mortimer” for his beloved mouse; while his wife sold him on Micky instead, Walt revived Mortimer for a number of later characters, the most famous of which was introduced in 1936 as Micky’s rival
• According to legend, Jackson Polluck was plagued by the Mickies – splotches of paint resembling the familiar circle framed by two smaller circles
• Roy was an avid sailer – in fact he holds several speed records, including a record time between Los Angeles and Honolulu
• Roy and his current wife Leslie DeMeuse co-produced a sailing documentary called “Morning Light”

In the words of Lion King’s Mustafa: “Look at the stars. The great kings of the past are up there, watching over us.” RIP Roy Disney.

What does it mean to be a shareholder? You might say “pride of ownership” tops your list. And to that, we’d say kudos. But what about the tangible stuff? The ol’ nuts and bolts? How is owning a share of Disney stock different than, say, a framed Disney poster? That’s where the OneShare Start-Up Kit comes in – the one-stop shop for your most burning shareholder questions.

The OneShare Owner’s Manual details what it means to be a shareholder, from voting rights and annual reports to more lighthearted tips like how to install and care for your new stock certificate. The Quick Reference Guide is our roadmap to ownership. For stock as a gift, it’s a great way to say “You have your very own stock certificate on its way!” Read the rest of this entry »

The Featured Share for December is… [drum roll please]… Burger King! Heralding from Miami circa 1954, the home of the Whopper is now the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. And it’s still growing!

Here are few quick facts to whet your appetite:

• The Whopper was first introduced in 1957 at $0.37
• Burger King heralded in the era of themed partnerships with their 1977 Star Wars glasses
• Scour YouTube for early 80s Burger King commercials starring Buffy’s Sarah Michelle Geller
• Does “your way” include beetroot or fried egg on your burger? These are just some of BK’s international options
• In Australia, Burger King is known as Hungry Jack’s

Looking for a Whopper in a burger joint with more than the average chic? Try one of Burger King’s new Whopper Bars – where you can take “your way” to a whole new level. Choose from A.1. Sauce, smoked bacon, onions, and guacamole. Or choose from twenty-two designer Whopper options. Find out more here.

And for this whole month, you get $10 off Burger King stock at OneShare!

OneShare is expanding its offerings! We’ve added 32 spanking new stocks in the past month: