All signs are pointing to Apple releasing the latest iteration of its popular tablet this coming week. I gave in last year and purchased the original iPad, and I made this decision just days before the iPad 2 was announced. Now, tech geeks are expecting the iPad 3 to hit to streets this week. The iPad was my first Apple-branded product. I’ve never been a fan of Apple’s computers, with my objections stemming from everything from the keyboard layout to the graphical user interface. Nevertheless, I’ve used the iPad almost daily.
I won’t upgrade yet I’m satisfied with my original iPad, so I see now reason to spend money on the latest device.
Are you planning to buy an iPad 3?
Here are a few articles I’ve discovered recently that I’d like to share.
Neal from Wealth Pilgrim has reviewed the social lending website, Prosper. Peer-to-peer and social lending is an intriguing idea. I think tools like Prosper, helping borrowers and lenders work with each other without layers of third parties like banks, are needed. It’s slightly more efficient, but not free from regulation. Without a trusted party between borrowers and lenders, large-scale borrowing and lending would be risky. At the same time, most financial institutions have too much overhead.
Social lending isn’t perfect. I couldn’t loan money to a friend at a decent rate through either Prosper or Lending Club because the state in which he lives has anti-usury laws that prevented a loan at the interest rate he qualified for. I couldn’t easily and directly invest in a basket of loans through a service because the state in which I live wasn’t ready to allow this type of investment opportunity.
Jim from Bargaineering explains how to print USPS postage at home for free. I didn’t take this approach a few years ago when I was selling old text books online through Amazon.com; media mail rates was not available for online printing. Now that media mail rates are available, it is easy to save money printing postage online for those who ship books, CDs, and video often.
The latest Carnival of Personal Finance was hosted earlier this week on Well-Heeled Blog. The Carnival included a number of excellent personal finance articles, as well as my article about modifying your behavior to improve your finances. The Carnival followed the Little Price’s journey to financial enlightenment. It’s always fun to read a Carnival that has an entertaining theme.
Photo: Veronica Belmont
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Thanks to the Consumerism Commentary Community
This article was written by Flexo in Administration. 13 comments.
In just a short period of time, Consumerism Commentary will be entering its tenth year of existence. The site’s ninth anniversary is approaching, and I’ve been involved with the website longer than I’ve been involved with any other commitment in my life. Jobs and relationships have come and gone, but Consumerism Commentary remains.
I started the website in an effort to track my personal finances at a time when I was struggling financially, though I had already started a new path towards financial independence. Thanks to the readers early on who believed the website offered something unique, the growth of the community has been nothing short of amazing. Consumerism Commentary has changed character a little bit from those early years, when a blog was more about short, quick chronological updates and about sharing links to other interesting things found online. Last year, I solidified the website’s vision, mission, and purpose. While the owner of the site is now different, not much else has changed, and there are no plans to change anything in the near future, except for perhaps a more professional-looking logo and site design.
Thanks to all the readers who have continued to visit this website since 2003, our fans and friends on Facebook, and particularly those who continue to participate in discussions today. Thanks also to all the colleagues who have offered their advice and encouragement, and a big thanks to Jay Frosting (also known as Bryan J Busch) and Tom Dziubek who have held down the podcast fort for several years.
And if you’ve encountered any technical issues with the website recently, please continue to bear with me as the technical team continues to work out the bugs.
Last week, my article about The Rich and the Rest of Us by Dr. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley attracted the attention of the two men, and I’m working on scheduling an interview with the pair later this week. They are crusading across the country to elevate the issue of poverty and potential actions to move the United States is a better direction towards resolution. Do you have any questions for Smiley and West?
There are five types of purchases — well, more than five but these five are big — you should never put on your credit card. Every purchase you make is tracked by your credit card issuers and can be used against you if the companies decide you’re a higher risk than they originally thought. And they can change your risk profile based solely on the types of stores you visit.
The Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Musings of an Abstract Aucklander last week included my article about Sprint’s $300 million tax fraud lawsuit.
Adrian from 7 Million 7 Years talks about how it may be hard to believe that someone in New York struggles on an income of $350,000 a year, but he understands the perspective. Andrew Schiff, who works for a brokerage firm, earns this salary but “feels stuck” according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
Mike, the Oblivious Investor, argues that even an individual with a reduced life expectancy should wait as long as possible before collecting payments from Social Security. There are some specific circumstances in which it might be beneficial to claim Social Security benefits early, however. Mike explains within the article.
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