Gov’t launches new website for student loan borrowers + MORE Apr 28th

SEOUL, South Korea – Samsung Electronics recorded a better-than-expected profit in January-March, as an early debut of its flagship Galaxy smartphones boosted sales of high-end phones despite flat growth in the overall smartphone market.
The South Korean company said Thursday it earned 5.3 trillion won ($4.6 billion) in the last quarter, up 14 per cent from 4.6 trillion won a year earlier.
That’s above the average forecast of analysts polled by FactSet of 4.7 trillion won.
Sales rose 6 per cent to 49.8 trillion won ($43.4 billion) from a year ago while operating profit was up 12 per cent to 6.7 trillion won, broadly in line with the company’s earnings guidance earlier this month.
Samsung Electronics launched the latest versions of its flagship Galaxy smartphones on March 11, about a month earlier than its new phones launch last year. The updated Galaxy S7 models sported new features such as expandable storage space and water resistance but were cheaper than previous versions…

TOKYO – Japan’s central bank opted Thursday not to expand its massive stimulus policies to boost growth, apart from channeling extra support for financing disaster recovery efforts on the earthquake-stricken southern island of Kyushu.
The Bank of Japan said it would provide up to 300 billion yen ($2.75 billion) in zero-interest rate loans to financial institutions in the disaster-affected areas.
But it left other aspects of its asset purchases and interest rate policies intact.
The announcement followed news that factory output rose in March while core inflation and consumer spending fell, underscoring a lack of confidence among households whose buying power remains the key to sustained growth.
The data had raised expectations that the Bank of Japan might tweak its stimulus efforts to prop up the recovery of the world’s third-largest economy.
Disruptions from twin earthquakes that struck on April 14 and 16 in Kyushu, killing 49 people, accentuated concerns over stalling growth, with some economists forecasting Japan may have returned to recession in the first quarter of the year…

(Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)
In the wake of Prince’s death last week, a surprising piece of information has surfaced about the late singer-songwriter’s will: namely, that he possibly didn’t have one. According to E! News, the musician’s younger sibling has taken legal action to ensure that his estimated $300 million in assets is distributed.
That someone with so much wealth could not have taken the necessary steps to ensure that his intentions for his estate were legally carried out is somewhat baffling. The simple truth is, drawing up a will is a key part of sound financial planning—it’s the first and most important step in protecting those you love.
In fact, most people don’t realize that without a will your spouse doesn’t automatically inherit your estate upon your death. Dying without a will—known as “dying intestate”—means the government may get to decide who your beneficiaries are and how your assets will be divided up…

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (AP) _ Novadaq Technologies Inc. (NVDQ) on Wednesday reported a loss of $7 million in its first quarter.
On a per-share basis, the Mississauga, Ontario-based company said it had a loss of 14 cents.
The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for a loss of 18 cents per share.
The imaging products maker posted revenue of $17.7 million in the period, matching Street forecasts.
Novadaq shares have fallen 2 per cent since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, shares hit $12.49, an increase of 1 per cent in the last 12 months.
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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on NVDQ at http://www.zacks.com/ap/NVDQ
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Keywords: Novadaq Technologies, Earnings Report
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WASHINGTON – The Department of Education has launched a new website to help people with student loans find a repayment option that best suits their needs.
The move is part of an effort the Obama administration is undertaking to enrol an additional 2 million people into repayment programs such as the Pay As You Earn program, which caps monthly student loan payments at 10 per cent of income.
Federal student loan debt exceeds $1.3 trillion, and about one in seven borrowers default on their loans within three years of beginning to repay them.
The Government Accountability Office found last year that many eligible borrowers don’t participate in the income-driven repayment programs, in part, because the department doesn’t consistently notify them of their options.
Education Secretary John King told reporters during a conference call that he’s still paying off loans he took out as a graduate student. He said the debt can be daunting, but is not necessarily a bad thing because college is the single best investment people can make for their future…