Every day we live our lives chasing the almighty dollar. Every day we work hard to make money and we strive to have more of it. It is this endless pursuit of money that I want to write about today.
I want to ask you a question, would you be happier if you had more money? In order to answer this question, one must ask what happiness is. In my opinion, true happiness comes from love – and as the Beatles said, money can’t buy you love.
Think about presents given to you on your previous birthdays. Do you value the expensive presents more than the cheaper yet thoughtful ones? Think about your memories. Do you value the memories of your luxurious getaway more than the memories of spending quality time with your family? Happiness is free.
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There are a lot of financial predators out there. Companies everywhere are looking to balance out losses from the recession and figure a good way to do that is to bite off a few extra bucks from the consumer. They figure if it’s just a few bucks here and there nobody will mind or even notice.
Some are flat out scams while others are labeled as offers, upgrades and insurance which are offered supposedly for your benefit. If you’re not careful, you can end up being the victim of these casual and simple rip-offs. Here a few situations where you should put your guard up:
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Regifting is a bit of a social taboo. Someone has taken the time to buy you a present. You then take their present and give it to someone else. Is this ethical? Is it tacky? Does regifting show a lack of social etiquette? Does it show just how cheap you are?
But regifting is practical, it makes sense. You give away the things you received as a gift that you didn’t want. So in theory, everyone is happy. Unfortunately society has norms we all must follow. So is re-gifting ever okay? In my opinion, it is okay to re-gift, but only if you follow these simple rules of re-gifting.
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You’ve undoubtedly seen these Coin Star machines at your local grocery store. The concept seems genius. It solves a problem many people have. People have coins, people want bills. The machine accepts your loose change and gives you dollars (a receipt that you take to the clerk and then you get your dollars).
You didn’t think this service was free though, did you? They charge 9.8%. This means that if you bring in a big jar full of $100 you’ll only get back $90.20. Since coins are real money, what they’re doing is trading your money for other money. That’s like giving someone 11 $10 bills and getting back a $100 bill.
So is this a savvy business idea or a plain rip-off?
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In today’s economy, a paycheck that used to cover a family’s needs often is not enough anymore. And what happens when the transmission goes out on the car, an unexpected medical expense crops up, or some other catastrophic event occurs? More and more people are turning to payday loans to bridge the gap, but who is winning in the long term?
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Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater quit his job recently in quite the dramatic fashion. He cursed at a passenger over the intercom, grabbed a beer, deployed the emergency chute and slid down after 28 years of service. That got me thinking, how can you quit your job in style? Here’s a few tips to get you thinking..
1. Know what you’re going to say and do before you do it and fully think it through beforehand.
2. Make your comments short and sweet. Don’t rant and rave for too long. Make it clear you are quitting and are not being fired.
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For a long time in American history, the richest of rich would give their wealth to their heirs after their passing, creating plenty of trust fund kids who never had to work a day in their lives. Two of the richest men in the world are changing that trend. Billionaires and philanthropists Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have pledged to donate half of their fortune to various charities. Recently news came out that more billionaires have pledged to share the wealth. Notable names in the list include David Rockefeller, Michael Bloomberg and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
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Build a relationship with your consumers. Under promise and over deliver. Gain their trust, because when you do, you’ll have a long term customer who can continue to buy from you. Getting the quick buck usually involves using shady business practices and offering bad products/services. By being up front and honest, you won’t make money quickly, but will make much more in the long run.
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