Archive for the ‘Health & Fitness’ Category

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Get Wellthy

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011


(photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography)

Trying to get wellthy? No, friends, that’s not a typo – according to consumer trend tracker trendwatching.com, a hearty lung capacity and rock hard abs are becoming as important a status symbol as, say, a sweet ride or a fancy new iThing.

Witness:

• People are increasingly ranking physical fitness and health as an important component of their happiness.

• Around the world, people are using more mobile healthcare devices and apps – most of which are purchased by consumers, not doctors.

• Tons of new fitness “toys” – Wii Fit, Sleep On It, the Fitbit – have been hitting the market lately.

Looks like you’ll have to literally keep up with the Joneses these days…

How Not to Make Major Financial Decisions

Thursday, May 19th, 2011


(photo credit: BaronBrian)

Looks like wealthy Russians (and, yes, wealthy lunatics everywhere) are spending their nest eggs on underground apocalypse-proof nests. After all, the world is scheduled to be laid to waste on December 12, 2012. Or May 21, 2011. Depending on which irrefutable evidence you’re looking at.

But this seems like as good a time as ever to point out that basing your financial strategy on the ancient Mayan calendar is probably about as smart as trying to time the market. Base human emotions – fear, anxiety, and greed, for example – don’t mix well with financial transactions. (See Frank Murtha talk about it if you don’t believe us.)

Wait. Can you time the market?

Hard Work Pays Off (In Designer Suits and Local Luxury)

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Gilt City is one of Gilt Groupe’s overachieving children. But instead of offering its members haute couture at a discount, G.C. serves up local luxury experiences (a gourmet meal here, a spa there) at special prices.

Team TILE visited their New York office recently, and Gilt City president Nathan Richardson was kind enough to sit down and chat with us for a few minutes.

Nathan has had a wild career, and it seems like his only regret is not learning Mandarin in high school. Impressive. He has some advice for you, so check it out:

Gilt Free Luxury: Gilt Groupe’s Co-Founder Talks with TILE

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson took her 5th Avenue fashion sense to the world wide web, and the result – members-only designer discount site Gilt Groupe – is changing the way luxury retail is done. She sat down with TILE to talk about the online sample sale phenomenon, and to share some advice about buying designer.

This Fall, Look Forward To High, High Prices!

Friday, February 18th, 2011


(photo credit: Thing Three)

“Most” consumer goods are about to get a lot pricier - food, clothing, appliances, you name it. Why? Commodities, demand, and labor! Here’s what that actually means for you…

  • The cost of raw materials, like cotton, wheat, and metal, has increased wildly in recent years. These raw materials are traded on exchanges kind of like stocks, but they’re called commodities. Just like stocks, the prices of commodities changes frequently.
  • When commodity prices shoot up, it’s more expensive for companies to make their products, and that cost gets passed on to you, the consumer.
  • Besides the price of materials, there’s the cost of people. Workers overseas now demand higher wages than they used to, and with more money to spend, there’s an increased demand for certain goods (like cars and meat). That all adds up to more expensive products.
  • Retailers have been holding off on raising prices to keep customers during the recession, but they say they can’t hold out anymore.
  • Will rising prices lead to inflation? Stay tuned.

Facts & Figures

  • Unemployment in the U.S. is still at 9%, and wages have risen less than 2% in the past year
  • Some brands planning to raise prices include: Nine West, Anne Klein, Victoria’s Secret, Polo Ralph Lauren, Whirlpool, Kraft, Starbucks, Sara Lee, Brooks Brothers, and Hanes
  • Inflation has been low – about 1.4%, but economists expect the rate to rise to 2.5% 2011

Best Quotes

“Consumers are not exactly in the frame of mind or economic circumstances to say ‘Oh, pay whatever they ask.’ There’s going to be pushback.” – Joshua Shapiro, Chief U.S. Economist at MFR Inc.

“These companies are constantly walking a tightrope on how far do I go. Do I offset with price or other cost cuts, or do I just take it and have it eat into my profit margins?” – Jack Russo, Consumer Goods Analyst at Edward Jones

What do you think?

Do you know what goes into the price of the products you buy? Did you ever imagine that the price of popcorn at the movie theater could be connected to weather in the Midwest and a commodites trading floor in Chicago?

Americans Open Wallets Wider Than They Have In Three Years

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

The financial times they are a’changing. At least, that’s what these new statistics would have us believe…

  • In 2009, the American GDP (gross domestic product – a measurement of economic activity) dropped more than it had in sixty years. But like a phoenix made up of economic statistics, it rose back up in 2010.
  • We can’t know the exact cause, but the numbers say that people earned a little more, saved a little less, and spent a little more than they had in recent years.
  • Since consumer spending makes up almost three-quarters of all economic activity in the U.S., this is good news. But there are still those issues around high unemployment and a trashed housing market…

Facts & Figures

  • Consumer spending represents 70% of all economic activity in the U.S.
  • In 2010, spending rose by 3.5% – 0.7% of that was in December alone
  • The last time spending rose that high was in 2007 (pre-recession)

What do you think?

Have you been spending more lately? Do you think the economy will recover faster depending on where you spend your money (at independent stores versus chains)?

(Check out this week’s Today at TILE for a closer look at signs of life in the economy.)

“Women want to tame him, but he has loved once, and now is lost…” Romance Publisher Harlequin Offering Personal Finance Books

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Our Canadian friends at The Globe and Mail reveal the latest trend in financial education:

Making personal finance books pink. You know, so girls will read them.

Harlequin, publisher of such romance classics as Alaskan Heat and Surrender to an Irish Warrior*, has already put out one book (The Frugalista Files: How One Woman Got Out of Debt Without Giving Up the Fabulous Life) and plans to publish more in the future.

Okay, we know men and women spend differently and even think about money differently. But will coloring personal finance books pink and talking about shoes really make finance matter for the ladies?

What do you think?

*Trahern MacEgan—his body is honed for fighting, his soul is black and tortured. Women want to tame him, but he has loved once, and now is lost. – eharlequin.com

2010 Health Care Law Being Challenged In Congress

Friday, January 21st, 2011


credit: Waldo Jaquith

The health care act of 2010 was revolutionary in its scope, but are its days numbered?

  • One of the first things Republican representatives did in the House this year was schedule a vote to repeal the sweeping health care bill passed last year.
  • Their effort to repeal the law isn’t likely to succeed, because of the power Democrats currently wield in Washington. But each party has made promises to its constituents, and keeping or destroying the health care bill is at the center of their obligations.
  • The official name of the proposal to end the health care act (in the House, anyway) is “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act.”

Facts & Figures

  • The health care bill aims to cover 32 million uninsured Americans
  • 26% of Americans want to repeal it
  • 25% want to repeal select parts of it
  • 41% want to keep the law as it is or expand it

What do you think?

How do you feel about the cost of implementing the health care bill? Would you be affected if you could no longer be on your parents’ insurance plan until age 26?

What You Should Know Before You Budget

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

evil-marketing-rays.jpg
Credit: apium

Sticking to a budget is more or less like sticking to a diet: It sucks, and you’re almost guaranteed to fail.

BUT! There’s another way. With a few simple tricks, you can take control of your spending and avoid feeling guilty all the time. Here’s what Tara Siegel Bernard from the New York Times has to say:

  • Let the robots take control. Set up automatic transfers to your savings and investment accounts. It only takes a few minutes. If your savings is being automatically transferred out of your spending account every month, you don’t have to worry about spending it!
  • Start at the finish line. What are you saving for? Saving is easier when you have a goal in mind (a vacation, a new car, an obscenely expensive pair of shoes). Figure out how much money you need and you’ll know how much money to have automatically transferred each month.
  • Separate the fun money from the serious money. If you have a phone bill or rent to pay, keep that money separate from the money you plan to squander irresponsibly at the mall. Obviously.
  • Brace yourself for big surprises. One of the easiest ways to muck up your budget is to suddenly spend a lot of money you hadn’t planned for. This one’s easy, though. Put a little extra away somewhere each month. You can use that to cover your surprise expenses without feeling like a total budgeting loser.

Best Quote:
“Ultimately, what we want our money to be is an energy source. It should help us get somewhere or do something.”  – Amanda Clayman, Financial Therapist (only in New York!)

In Exhibition Soccer Matches, Everyone Wins

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Practice in new climates isn’t the only reason teams are playing in distant locales.

  • More and more, national soccer teams are playing exhibition games (called “friendlies”) in unusual places, often far from home.
  • The practice is basically a money-maker for everyone: the agents that manage a team’s exhibition games try to maximize profit for the teams, the game broadcasters, and sponsors. They manage to make a pretty neat profit for themselves, too.
  • Teams are sent to play friendly matches wherever they’ll get the biggest audience – live or on television. Brazil recently played a friendly in Derby, England that was viewed live by only 13,088 fans but broadcast to 120 different countries.

Facts & Figures

  • In October, Argentina traveled to a friendly match in Japan, Chile traveled to Oman, and Brazil played Iran in Abu Dhabi.
  • Since June 2007, only one of Brazil’s 18 exhibition games has been played in Brazil.
  • As a result of their deal with sports rights agency Kentaro, the Brazilian soccer federation receives approximately $3 million.

Best Quote

“This is the new landscape of international football. Friendly games used to be a chance to try out new players or different formations. Nowadays they’re about making money, which means going wherever you’ll get the biggest audience.” – Tony Cottee, Football Analyst and Former Player for the England National Team

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