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Facebook, Inc. [stckqut]FB[/stckqut] has released its third quarter earnings and the numbers look solid on all fronts. That may not be a surprise after the other online and tech earnings we have seen. Still, Facebook reported that revenue was $4.501 billion — up from $3.203 billion last year, and above the $4.37 billion consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters.

Facebook’s adjusted earnings were $2.41 billion with an adjusted operating margin of 54%. That compares to $1.459 billion and 57% a year earlier. The adjusted earnings per share (EPS) was $0.57, versus $0.43 EPS a year ago and versus the consensus estimate of $0.52 EPS.

Of the $4.501 billion in revenues, some $4.299 billion was in advertising – up 45%. Facebook’s total costs and expenses rose by 68% to $3.042 billion. Excluding the impact of year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates, the company showed that total revenue would have increased by 51%.

Source: Facebook Posts Stellar Earnings, Even With Rising Costs, and Dominates in Mobile – Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) – 24/7 Wall St.

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The more low-key of L Brands Inc.’s [stckqut]LB[/stckqut] brands is ready to be thrust into the spotlight.

During a Tuesday conference for stock analysts, the Columbus-based retailer and owner of Victoria’s Secret said it is putting more investment into its more than 1,600-store Bath & Body Works chain, including rolling out more White Barn candle shops, the brand it quietly revived last year.

CFO Stuart Burgdoerfer said the remodeled stores are producing a 25 percent increase in sales, so next year the company is looking at 39 new stores with 150 remodels, most of which will have a White Barn.

CEO Les Wexner stressed the importance of finding growth within existing stores and real estate. He talked about being able to change stores to stay with the customers of the day and preserve those real estate investments the company made in new stores 10 to 15 years ago.

“This is way bigger than the Internet,” he said, noting that analysts always ask him about Internet sales. “It’s not as sexy, but to remodel a 10-year-old store and be able to get a 25 percent lift? … 5, 7, 10 percent would be remarkable.”

Source: L Brands plans to invest more in Bath & Body Works, White Barn brands – Columbus – Columbus Business First

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How can people get their spending under control?

Ask most people, and you’ll get the same answers. They should set budgets. Cut back expenses to better match incomes. And monitor their purchases to keep themselves on the straight and narrow.

Yet all too often when people try to take those steps, they fail. Before they know it, the bills pile up and they end up right back where they started.

Researchers are beginning to discover why you can break your budget despite getting all the basics right. Why? What drives us to spend too much even when we seem to make all the right moves?

Researchers are just beginning to understand—and the answers seem to lie in psychological impulses and blind spots that are tough for people to recognize, let alone overcome, in their day-to-day lives.

People’s mental wiring, for instance, is great at forecasting future income but terrible at imagining future expenses, leading us to set unrealistic budgets. How we think about our emotional resources also matters: If people imagine willpower as something that’s limited, they feel the need to reward themselves with things like impulse purchases when they accomplish a goal. And sometimes people unconsciously place such a high value on seeming financially responsible that they end up making choices that cost more money—like making big purchases on credit instead of tapping savings.

Here’s a look at what science is uncovering about our hidden impulses to spend and save, and how we can correct some of our worst mistakes.

Source: The Hidden Reasons People Spend Too Much