Consumerism Commentary

Can Tipping Change a Waiter’s Behavior?

A friend of mine once lamented publicly: "When did the standard restaurant tip change from 15 percent to 20?" Sure, I remember paying typically 15 percent for a… Read more...

Working From Home: A Benefit or a Distraction?

Marissa Mayer, the CEO of Yahoo, is looking to improve her company's performance. In a memo from the company's human resources department to all employees, Mayer… Read more...

The Wrong Reason To Become An Entrepreneur

I don't have the statistics pertaining to this, but I have a strong impression that many people dream about starting their own business, and many who do have this… Read more...

Credit Card Checkout Fees Are Here

I'm currently in California, visiting my mother, who as I mentioned in a previous article is in the hospital. While articles this week will likely be slow on Consumerism… Read more...

A New #Cut4Bieber: Justin Bieber’s Prepaid Debit Card

There's apparently a celebrity of some sort called Justin Bieber. I don't know much about him, but I might have heard a song of his one time. He might have been… Read more...

Plan for the Payroll Tax Cut Expiring in 2013

Missing from discussions about the so-called fiscal cliff is the option to continue the payroll tax cut. To boost the economy, President Obama and Congress introduced… Read more...

Back To Reality

by Luke Landes

This weekend, I arrived home from my California Vacation. It wasn’t exactly a Griswold farce, but the week had its share of zany moments. Now I’m back to reality — New Jersey — and things aren’t looking good: * The stock market hasn’t exactly been working in investors’ favor this year. * Mathew Emmert from ... Continue reading this article…

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Paperless Checking at ING Direct

by Luke Landes

I just visited my account online at ING Direct and was presented with a survey. They are considering rolling out a new product: Paperless Checking (or “Electric Orange”). The gist of it is it can be used for online bill pay and still earn a good rate for checking accounts. The survey mentioned that ING ... Continue reading this article…

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Joshua Tree

by Luke Landes

In the interest of posting more personal information, I’d like to share my experience at Joshua Tree National Park. From what I understand, due to the rain the desert is the lushest it has been in many years. I’ve been told I’m very lucky to have experienced the desert at the time I did. This ... Continue reading this article…

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Getting House-Purchasing Help From Parents

by Luke Landes

Many people I know are buying or have bought their first houses with help from their relatives. It’s great that parents and grandparents are able to help the new buyers out with getting their feet in the door that leads to a great wealth-building opportunity. There are, of course, some issues to consider if you ... Continue reading this article…

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401(k) Getting Whacked By The Market?

by Luke Landes

I’m sitting in a suite at the Renaissance Esmerelda in Indian Wells, California, not far from Palm Springs. It’s great to get away from reality for a few days, especially when family is covering the bill. I’ll be heading back to the Orange County area tomorrow, and back home to New Jersey on Saturday. I ... Continue reading this article…

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Off to Sunny California

by Luke Landes

In one hour, I’ll be leaving for southern California, where I’ll visit family and stay at Joshua Tree. Unfortunately, some of my time on vacation will be spent online since I’m in the middle of a course (Operations Management) for my master’s degree. I may end up blogging after all, but updates will be sporadic.

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Best. Deduction. Ever.

by Luke Landes

Marketplace is a mini radio show on National Public Radio. They air for a few minutes in the morning and a half an hour in the evening, after the markets have closed for the day. The program offers financial news and tends to have interesting discussions about the economy. As we’re coming down to the ... Continue reading this article…

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Friendly IRA Reminder

by Luke Landes

The deadline for funding IRAs for 2004 is coming up at the end of the week. If you haven’t maxed out your 2004 Roth IRA at $3,000 ($3,500 for anyone over 50 years old) then you have less than 72 hours to do so. At the same time, think about fully funding your 2005 Roth ... Continue reading this article…

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Wachovia Fees Going Up Again

by Luke Landes

Last September, I posted about Wachovia adding a $50 annual fee to its individual investor discount brokerage account. I was disappointed I couldn’t get it waived, so I decided that I would transfer my funds out in 2005 before getting charged another annual fee in September. The account termination fee was $75, so I’d be ... Continue reading this article…

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Your Looks Affect Your Income

by Luke Landes

After education and experience are factored out, good-looking, tall people simply make more — 5 percent more — than average-looking individuals. This study was released by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Not only did they discover that beautiful people make more than average, but below-average looks carry a 9 percent penalty. There could ... Continue reading this article…

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