For the office: I use business cards as a standard way for people to know how to reach out to me, and the cards I receive in exchange are used to help me remember who I've met, when, and what we talked about. Once we've parted ways, I write important tidbits about the person, dates, etc. on the the back of the card and file it away.
Outside the office: I don't use them so much for my own personal information, but I'm sure I could put them to great use for ventures unrelated to my current employment...it's all about upward movement, right?!
Thanks! I agree, the Tweets were shocking. I loved how the pf blogging community came together to support each other though. I think you are right, she saw something she worked hard on getting criticized and she didn't take it well. I can relate to that, I get upset when something I work hard on gets criticized. But I think as everyone has seen through this, there are ways to handle criticism and ways not to handle it.
Can someone please explain to me how this differs from a regular chequing account that doesn't come with an overdraft? I pay the same amount for my account, get the same features and enjoy the same knowledge that I can't over draw because there's no ability to... are people that desperate to get accounts that have celebrity names attached? because that's sad.
Yes, that's what I meant when I called it "voluntary" slavery—it's really on the choices each individual makes.
And yet, I think the system is structured in such a way as to make us much less free.
It's tough to get a degree without going into debt—much tougher than it was thirty years ago, when I got mine. And once you're in debt, your options are much narrower.
A recent grad who's broke can probably get by on almost no income at all, at least for a while—sleeping on couches or spending a winter in some relative's summer cottage. That's not the way most people want to live their whole lives, but it's long enough for someone with aspirations to some life other than a regular job to try to make a go of it. But a recent grad who has even just a few thousand dollars in student loan debt doesn't have that choice: he has to earn enough of a surplus to cover those debt payments, and that means a job.
It's possible to escape. I largely have. But society provides no support for people who want to avoid the voluntary slavery of what Dmitry Orlov calls the "iron triangle of house-car-job" where each of those elements supports—but also requires—the others.
I want to remind people that there are other options. They may require that you live at a lower standard of living, that you avoid debts that most middle-class Americans incur without even thinking about them, that you deviate from social norms about what counts as "acceptable" housing, and so on. I wish they came with more support from society, but they do exist at some level, and people are free to choose them. But there is so little support from society that it never occurs to most people to even consider them.
I do like the concept behind The Credit Project. Whether or not it will move from a project to a reality is another story. Like you mentioned, there are probably other solutions Suze could come up with to help people build their credit. It may be a good idea for her to work on those solutions as a back-up plan should The Credit Project not work out.
Whatever happened to "Personal Responsibility"? I see people every day who are getting into debt with the choices that they make, but that debt is a result of THEIR OWN CHOICES. If you want to be out of debt, it is possible, if you want a better life, it is possible, you have to make wise choices that reflect those goals. If you continue to make choices to please yourself, without thinking of the future at all, don't complain. I know this is a statement that doesn't apply to everyone, but a vast majority of the United States lives in wealth that most of the world could only dream of. Clean running water, 3 meals a day, those are things that a lot of the world would love to have and we take it for granted. We have expensive cell phones as a "necessity" now and all the latest technological gadgets that we don't "need" but that we "deserve". We think nothing of spending hundreds or even thousands on presents for our family even if we can't pay for them and must go into debt because, "we deserve a good Christmas morning". Living with the results of choices like that are not fun, but they are a big part of learning personal responsibility.
I just had to use my MBI from Autoland for a power steeritn pump. The total bill was $260 and I had a $100 deductible. Of the balance of $160 they only paid $107 because they wanted the auto shop to use MBI's part supplier. In my opinion, it's not right to tell the auto shop to use a specific place or we're not going to pay for anything over the cost of our part supplier. As it is, the part was $160 but if I had taken my car to the dealership just the pump was $264 so I can just imagine my out of pocket exspenses would have been far greater than the extra $53 I had to dish out. So is it worth it? Not in my opinion. Just like any other insurance, they're going to do any thing they can to avoid paying their portion of the claim. Will I ever buy another MBI? HELL NO!!! Especially from Autoland!
Something I read when looking to remove the groundhog that resides under my porch . . . when fencing off an area, you don't have to dig down and bury the fence. If you set up the fence in an L-shape, with enough extending out, the animal simply cannot dig down far enough to get under. Also, if you are concerned about trapping an animal in its den or separating a mother from young, you can create a flap in the fence that only swings outward. In that manner, you create a one-way exit that allows an animal to leave but not return. If employing this method, I'd hold off fencing until the young would be old enough to exit without mamma's help. Just a suggestion for anyone else coming along.
I guess I don't see this as an absolute. There's a lot of space between "completely self-sufficient" and "this is the only job that pays enough to cover my expense—if I lose it, I'm screwed."
I was always a lot more comfortable when economic and business conditions were such that I knew I could quickly find another job. And when economic conditions were otherwise, I took steps—I boosted savings, I cut debt, and I tried to broaden my skills and strengthen the network I'd need to find a different job.
Even a few little steps back make you more secure. That's what I'm hoping people will come to understand. Since slavery imposed by violence has been banned, people are now only enslaved by their own fears and desires.
I have used business cards from time to time, when it was needed for the type of job I had--meeting people regularly, giving people a way to contact me in the future, etc. Right now, I don't have a lot of business interaction with people in person--mostly do my work through the internet--so I don't currently use them.
Card fees are better than some. For the unbanked, though, a better option would be a card which carries the option of interest-bearing savings with direct deposit. Orman's card will also have the usual $3.95 fee to load the card, if direct deposit is not an option.
Those on government transfer payments can get a US-sponsored card with extremely limited fees. Otherwise, a prepaid debit card should be used only for Internet purchases, to limit liability from criminal activity.
This really doesn't apply to anyone unless they are completely self sustaining. If you sell or barter any of your goods or talents, your "enslaved" to who ever you deal with. Being employed only "enslaves" you to your employer in exchange for money on which you spend on things to "enslave" others who provide you with what you need or want.
Selling everything I owned over 5 years ago to travel full-time was one of the most freeing (and also initially most difficult) things I ever did. I ended up keeping a few boxes of things I couldn't bear to part with, and when I recently revisited those boxes, I realized I didn't even need that much stuff, and I got rid of half of it!
In so many cases, it's the "stuff" that dictates way more about how our lives play out than it ever should.
Yes, in addition to Mint, there are credit cards that help track the different ways you spend your money by categorizing expenditures. I've found that I do a pretty decent job sussing it out on my own (also, my current bank accounts don't work with Mint.com). But it's a great (free!) program, so well worth looking at.
Wow, how insecure does she have to be to go and call Phil an "idiot"? I've never been a terribly big fan, but that's petty behavior from a multi-gazillionaire like Suze.
Electronic equipment is the biggest clutterer in our house, and it's the worst since 90% of it is my husbands, so it's not like he will let me actually prune any of it!
Haha, that's a great answer!
I can't remember the last time I saw a Rolodex!
That would be cool if there were an easier way to get information from a card into a contact list.
That is awesome Gary! It's a great picture!
For the office: I use business cards as a standard way for people to know how to reach out to me, and the cards I receive in exchange are used to help me remember who I've met, when, and what we talked about. Once we've parted ways, I write important tidbits about the person, dates, etc. on the the back of the card and file it away.
Outside the office: I don't use them so much for my own personal information, but I'm sure I could put them to great use for ventures unrelated to my current employment...it's all about upward movement, right?!
Hopefully the plan to have interest rates on the savings accounts associated with the card will come to fruition.
Thanks! I agree, the Tweets were shocking. I loved how the pf blogging community came together to support each other though. I think you are right, she saw something she worked hard on getting criticized and she didn't take it well. I can relate to that, I get upset when something I work hard on gets criticized. But I think as everyone has seen through this, there are ways to handle criticism and ways not to handle it.
Can someone please explain to me how this differs from a regular chequing account that doesn't come with an overdraft? I pay the same amount for my account, get the same features and enjoy the same knowledge that I can't over draw because there's no ability to... are people that desperate to get accounts that have celebrity names attached? because that's sad.
Yes, that's what I meant when I called it "voluntary" slavery—it's really on the choices each individual makes.
And yet, I think the system is structured in such a way as to make us much less free.
It's tough to get a degree without going into debt—much tougher than it was thirty years ago, when I got mine. And once you're in debt, your options are much narrower.
A recent grad who's broke can probably get by on almost no income at all, at least for a while—sleeping on couches or spending a winter in some relative's summer cottage. That's not the way most people want to live their whole lives, but it's long enough for someone with aspirations to some life other than a regular job to try to make a go of it. But a recent grad who has even just a few thousand dollars in student loan debt doesn't have that choice: he has to earn enough of a surplus to cover those debt payments, and that means a job.
It's possible to escape. I largely have. But society provides no support for people who want to avoid the voluntary slavery of what Dmitry Orlov calls the "iron triangle of house-car-job" where each of those elements supports—but also requires—the others.
I want to remind people that there are other options. They may require that you live at a lower standard of living, that you avoid debts that most middle-class Americans incur without even thinking about them, that you deviate from social norms about what counts as "acceptable" housing, and so on. I wish they came with more support from society, but they do exist at some level, and people are free to choose them. But there is so little support from society that it never occurs to most people to even consider them.
That's why I write about it.
I do like the concept behind The Credit Project. Whether or not it will move from a project to a reality is another story. Like you mentioned, there are probably other solutions Suze could come up with to help people build their credit. It may be a good idea for her to work on those solutions as a back-up plan should The Credit Project not work out.
The hypocrisy is so deep, I had an overwhelming urge to immediately check my credit report. Suzy.....really?
Andrew -- Hoarders has the same effect on me. Nothing else is quite such a motivator!
Whatever happened to "Personal Responsibility"? I see people every day who are getting into debt with the choices that they make, but that debt is a result of THEIR OWN CHOICES. If you want to be out of debt, it is possible, if you want a better life, it is possible, you have to make wise choices that reflect those goals. If you continue to make choices to please yourself, without thinking of the future at all, don't complain. I know this is a statement that doesn't apply to everyone, but a vast majority of the United States lives in wealth that most of the world could only dream of. Clean running water, 3 meals a day, those are things that a lot of the world would love to have and we take it for granted. We have expensive cell phones as a "necessity" now and all the latest technological gadgets that we don't "need" but that we "deserve". We think nothing of spending hundreds or even thousands on presents for our family even if we can't pay for them and must go into debt because, "we deserve a good Christmas morning". Living with the results of choices like that are not fun, but they are a big part of learning personal responsibility.
I just had to use my MBI from Autoland for a power steeritn pump. The total bill was $260 and I had a $100 deductible. Of the balance of $160 they only paid $107 because they wanted the auto shop to use MBI's part supplier. In my opinion, it's not right to tell the auto shop to use a specific place or we're not going to pay for anything over the cost of our part supplier. As it is, the part was $160 but if I had taken my car to the dealership just the pump was $264 so I can just imagine my out of pocket exspenses would have been far greater than the extra $53 I had to dish out. So is it worth it? Not in my opinion. Just like any other insurance, they're going to do any thing they can to avoid paying their portion of the claim. Will I ever buy another MBI? HELL NO!!! Especially from Autoland!
Something I read when looking to remove the groundhog that resides under my porch . . . when fencing off an area, you don't have to dig down and bury the fence. If you set up the fence in an L-shape, with enough extending out, the animal simply cannot dig down far enough to get under. Also, if you are concerned about trapping an animal in its den or separating a mother from young, you can create a flap in the fence that only swings outward. In that manner, you create a one-way exit that allows an animal to leave but not return. If employing this method, I'd hold off fencing until the young would be old enough to exit without mamma's help. Just a suggestion for anyone else coming along.
I guess I don't see this as an absolute. There's a lot of space between "completely self-sufficient" and "this is the only job that pays enough to cover my expense—if I lose it, I'm screwed."
I was always a lot more comfortable when economic and business conditions were such that I knew I could quickly find another job. And when economic conditions were otherwise, I took steps—I boosted savings, I cut debt, and I tried to broaden my skills and strengthen the network I'd need to find a different job.
Even a few little steps back make you more secure. That's what I'm hoping people will come to understand. Since slavery imposed by violence has been banned, people are now only enslaved by their own fears and desires.
I have used business cards from time to time, when it was needed for the type of job I had--meeting people regularly, giving people a way to contact me in the future, etc. Right now, I don't have a lot of business interaction with people in person--mostly do my work through the internet--so I don't currently use them.
Card fees are better than some. For the unbanked, though, a better option would be a card which carries the option of interest-bearing savings with direct deposit. Orman's card will also have the usual $3.95 fee to load the card, if direct deposit is not an option.
Those on government transfer payments can get a US-sponsored card with extremely limited fees. Otherwise, a prepaid debit card should be used only for Internet purchases, to limit liability from criminal activity.
This really doesn't apply to anyone unless they are completely self sustaining. If you sell or barter any of your goods or talents, your "enslaved" to who ever you deal with. Being employed only "enslaves" you to your employer in exchange for money on which you spend on things to "enslave" others who provide you with what you need or want.
Selling everything I owned over 5 years ago to travel full-time was one of the most freeing (and also initially most difficult) things I ever did. I ended up keeping a few boxes of things I couldn't bear to part with, and when I recently revisited those boxes, I realized I didn't even need that much stuff, and I got rid of half of it!
In so many cases, it's the "stuff" that dictates way more about how our lives play out than it ever should.
High interest rates, late fees - it all adds up!
Yes, in addition to Mint, there are credit cards that help track the different ways you spend your money by categorizing expenditures. I've found that I do a pretty decent job sussing it out on my own (also, my current bank accounts don't work with Mint.com). But it's a great (free!) program, so well worth looking at.
Wow, how insecure does she have to be to go and call Phil an "idiot"? I've never been a terribly big fan, but that's petty behavior from a multi-gazillionaire like Suze.
Electronic equipment is the biggest clutterer in our house, and it's the worst since 90% of it is my husbands, so it's not like he will let me actually prune any of it!
You didn't want a light-saber? Good god, man.