I'm in New York for work this week, so I walked down to Zuccotti park last night to check out the general assembly for the Occupy Wall Street movement. Some thoughts and pictures are on my Google+ stream. Since it's a public post, you shouldn't need a Google+ account to view that though. If that's not the case, please let me know.

This short article about credit card companies getting rid of customers doesn't say anything new, but it catalyzed an interesting analogy for something I've been thinking about for a while ( Read more... )

mackys asks What is a reasonable estimate for the ACTUAL value of the mortgage-backed "junk" securities that $810 billion of my tax dollars bought?
The answer to that question has fluctuated every few days recently, so note that everything I say could be wrong soon.

First, a timeline.

1. US Financial System: OMG! We paid way too much for all these ( Read more... )

My submission to failblog_rss:

( Read more... )

Today's Fresh Air program featured an interview with Bob Sullivan, author of Gotcha Capitalism: How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day -- And What You Can Do About It. He talked about arbitrary fees charged by banks, cell phone companies, cable companies, and others that can make up a major percentage of their profits. It sounds like a very ( Read more... )

I always forget to announce this well in advance, but this is a reminder that tomorrow is Buy Nothing Day. Participate by not participating!

When making a purchase at Borders bookstore, customers typically receive a coupon good for a limited period of time roughly a week ahead. This is an interesting practice, encouraging repeat purchases while discouraging multiple-item purchases. It plays on the American belief that it's not how much you spend, but how much you save. Sales and ( Read more... )