Archive for the ‘Spend Page’ Category

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Online Shopping Gets Smarter [Than You]

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011


(credit: Unhindered by Talent)

Guess what? Retailers are getting smarter and smarter when it comes to separating you and your cash (or credit card info, to be more precise).

First there was members-only designer discount site Gilt Groupe, with time limits for checking out with your items. Then we saw the daily deals companies like Groupon and LivingSocial. There’s Rent the Runway, where you can rent a hot little piece of couture for an event for under $200.

And now, for a mere $30 monthly subscription fee, online shops like JewelMint will get to know your tastes and offer up pieces it’s sure you’ll like. All based on an algorithm. This is in some ways even cooler than the computer from Star Trek: The Next Generation that made Captain Picard all those cups of tea with a simple voice command.

The online shopping world will surely continue to evolve, getting cooler, more convenient, and quite a bit more manipulative in the process. So don’t forget to bring your brain when you go on your next online shopping spree.

Think you’re a conscious consumer? Take our Where Does the Money Go? challenge!

Student Loan Debt Exceeds Credit Card Debt for the First Time in History

Friday, April 29th, 2011


(credit: scui3asteveo)

Q. What’s the difference between defaulting on your student loans and defaulting on your credit card debt?

A. If you fall into a hopeless debt spiral because you can’t pay back your credit card company or your mortgage, you can declare bankruptcy and get a clean credit slate after a few years. If you default on your student loans, you can never escape. Ever.

Unfortunately, it looks like a lot of college grads are about to find themselves with a black mark on their permanent records. Your credit history, unlike that mythical permanent record your teachers threatened you with in 4th grade, can really affect your opportunities in life. It can determine whether or not you get a credit card, a school or car loan, or a mortgage on a new home. Some employers even check credit reports to get the dirt on potential new hires.

Check out this article on good.is for more fun details and a glance at the ever-increasing Student Loan Debt Clock!

See also: this depressing article on “mal-employed” college grads.

Also see also: this list of the “20 most useless college majors,” which shows the limited mid-career earning potential for chemistry majors, among other obvious low-paying career tracks (hello, art history scholars!) Of course, being “useless” financially doesn’t mean your degree of choice won’t make your heart soar like an eagle. We recommend you use your own criteria for success when making major career choices. And don’t default on your student loans.

What Does Money Mean to You? Meet the Author of “Moolala”

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Bruce Sellery is cleaning up Canada, one bumbling financial amateur after another. He’s a journalist, an author, a public speaker, and a consultant. His “thing” is figuring out what you really need and want in order to set up your financial life in the best way possible. (Sound familiar?)

Please enjoy this Skypetastic interview, beamed to us LIVE from Bruce’s HQ in Canadia:

>> TILE brings you exclusive opinions, explanations, and interviews from experts in every industry. Have a burning question or an expert you’d like to see interviewed? Just Ask TILE!

Sesame Street Bigwig Elmo Explains Personal Finance

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

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[annoying voice] Hi, I’m Elmo! I know more about personal finance than most Americans, and I’m a 3-year-old puppet!

At least, that’s the premise. The hope is that this cuddly little red carpet sample will start American kids early on the path to having the first clue about managing their money.

If you consider your financial life to be on par with a 3-year-old’s, or you’re having a really hard time saving up for that stupendous ball, you should definitely watch Elmo’s new spending, saving and sharing video series. But let’s get real: you should also be spending more time on SPEND.GROW.GIVE.

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ELMO’S CELEBRITY SCRAPBOOK

With friends like these, you must have your life in order…

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Close your eyes. Breathe in. Now visualize your taxes:

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

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This is a pretty neat Eyebeam/ Google project. They offered money and fame (okay, just money) to the person who could come up with the best way to help you understand where your tax dollars are going, and then had a jury full of design types choose the best.

Click here to play with the “Grand Award Winner” of the interactive visualization competition, and see the rest of the winners and finalists here.

You just enter your approximate yearly income and your filing status, and the site estimates how much federal tax you’ll pay based on what tax bracket you’re in. Then it breaks down where all of that tax money you pay during the course of a year actually goes. For example, do you know how much of your paycheck goes toward funding the Department of Agriculture?

Do you even know what tax bracket you’re in? (If you don’t, you can find out here.)

If you want your dog to wear designer sunglasses and a track suit,* it’s going to cost you.

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Most people realize this too late, but some things you buy will end up costing you a lot more than the purchase price. Cars need gas, insurance, and fuzzy dice; clothes need cleaning and bedazzling, and pets need everything from pet insurance to grooming to a collection of bad-ass spiked collars.

And let’s face it: some of those things are really impulse buys that wouldn’t be an issue if you didn’t buy the thing in the first place.

Here’s a chart that shows how much money different pets will cost you over a lifetime. Click through to see which pet is the most expensive – it’s pretty surprising.

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(click to see the whole thing)

That’s why it’s so important to have some kind of budget. Without a plan, there’s no telling where your money might end up.

Do you know where your money goes every month? Take our budget challenge to see how your predictions stack up with your actual spending!

*Dressing your dog up might also cost you friends.

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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:

Face it: Your future depends entirely on your Algebra II grade

Thursday, April 7th, 2011


(photo credit: stuartpilbrow)

Apparently, Algebra II is one of the best predictors of a student’s success in college and beyond. (You know, that great beyond where you actually have to get a job?) Several studies show that people who have made it through Algebra II tend to do better in college and end up in higher-paying careers.

Now, nobody’s going to say that algebra is easy, but although it may be the basis of rocket science, it is not, in fact, rocket science. And once you learn it the first time, you don’t really have to learn it again.

We’re willing to bet that students who spend a little time learning the basics of personal finance also tend to end up in those higher-paying careers. So unless you want to be this guy, maybe it’s time to hit the books.

Books? Worry not – you can learn your maths and watch videos on the Internet at the same time!

How much does A-Rod make just for being A-Rod?

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

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(click image to see the whole thing)

Highlights:

  • - Every time Alex steps up to the plate, he earns $59,000
  • - A-Rod has the largest ever MLB contract package, worth $275 million over 10 years
  • - Even though he makes less money than A-Rod, Shaq makes way more money in endorsements

This may explain why every pro athlete seems to have their own foundation…

How much could A-Rod buy?

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