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Tesla Inc (TSLA) Investors Mull Musk’s Cryptic Tweets Ahead of Earnings

By U.S. News & World Report

Tesla Inc (Nasdaq: TSLA) stock continued to drop today as its CEO’s surprisingly candid series of tweets about his stressful life and his mental health continued to reverberate on Wall Street.

TSLA stock fell 3.5 percent Monday and was down another percentage point today.

Tesla is led by founder and CEO Elon Musk, a visionary genius and entrepreneurial billionaire who is often compared to “Iron Man” superhero protagonist Tony Stark. He founded Tesla, which is now the largest auto company in the U.S. by market value; he is CEO of space travel company SpaceX, which hopes to commercialize space travel, and he is the brains behind the tube travel transportation proposal known as Hyperloop that would hurtle passengers underground from New York to Washington in less than 30 minutes.

He is also founder of nonprofit artificial intelligence research company OpenAI, founder of The Boring Company for advanced transportation tunneling and founder of Neuralink for developing brain-computer interface technology.

On Twitter on Sunday, Musk confessed to feeling pressure. “The reality is great highs, terrible lows and unrelenting stress,” he wrote in a tweet. “Don’t think people want to hear about the last two.”

A follower then asked if Musk is bipolar, to which he replied “Yeah.”

[See: 10 Ways to Invest in Driverless Cars.]

“Maybe not medically tho. Dunno. Bad feelings correlate to bad events, so maybe real problem is getting carried away in what I sign up for,” Musk wrote. “If you buy a ticket to hell, it isn’t fair to blame hell …”

It’s not the first time Musk’s words impacted TSLA stock. In July, Musk told the National Governors Association that Tesla’s “stock price is higher than we have the right to deserve.” That sent shares down 2.5 percent and cost his company $1.3 billion in market capitalization.

Then on Monday, Tesla dropped 3.5 percent after Musk warned that the electric carmaker would face “manufacturing hell” as it ramps up production of its new mass-market Model 3 sedan. Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi said Musk “sounds increasingly squeamish about the production ramp” for the Model 3.

Tesla delivered its first 30 Model 3s on Friday and is set to report second quarter earnings on Tuesday after the market close. Consensus Wall Street forecasts are calling for Tesla to report a per-share earnings loss of $1.81 on $2.6 billion in revenue on Tuesday.

However, given Tesla’s generous market valuation, investors will also be watching other key metrics as well. Automotive gross margin was 27.8 percent in the first quarter. Tesla previously guided for automotive gross margin to dip to 25.3 percent in the second quarter.

[See: 5 Automakers to Rev Up a Long-Term Investor’s Portfolio.]

Tesla has also called for capital expenditures to jump from $553 million in the first quarter to around $1.4 billion in the second quarter.

Perhaps most importantly, investors will be looking for updates to Tesla’s aggressive Model 3 production targets. Musk previously said he expects to deliver 100 vehicles in August, 1,500 in September and 20,000 per month by December.

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Tesla Inc (TSLA) Investors Mull Musk’s Cryptic Tweets Ahead of Earnings originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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