Archive for the ‘Spend Page’ Category

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Cool: Study Ranks Indie Business Saturation Across the U.S.

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

How many independently-owned businesses are there in your city?

The Indie City Index looked at all the metropolitan areas in the U.S. to come up with a rank of which areas are great places to put a strip mall full of chain stores, and which places would rather support a family business.

Read about the study and about the importance of strong local economies here.

Have you seen any “Buy Local” signs around your town? Well they’re all over the place, and it turns out they actually work. In places with “buy local” campaigns, residents spend more money at locally-owned stores.

When you spend $1 at a corporate chain, only $0.15 of that money stays in your town. But when you spend that same $1 at a local store, $0.45 stays local. That’s a pretty big difference when you consider all the financial troubles local economies are facing these days.

The thing about an economy is that every financial transaction is somehow connected to every other financial transaction. And all those financial transactions are connected to the economic, political, and social health of an entire nation, which is connected to the rest of the world.

Something worth thinking about the next time you’re itching to spend a dollar.

Movie Ticket Prices At An All-Time High, To No One’s Surprise

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

“If you thought it was getting more expensive to go the movies, your hunch was right. The average ticket price at theaters in the U.S. last year rose to an all-time annual high of $7.89, up 5% from $7.50 in 2009, according to the National Assn. of Theatre Owners. In the fourth quarter, the average price was $8.01, up 5% from the year-ago period.”

What do you think?

Can you believe they’re still cheaper than they were in 1970? (When you factor in inflation.)

Is Prada Stock Better Than A Prada Bag?

Monday, February 7th, 2011


credit: amandabhslater

After 10 years of talks, Prada is going boldly forward where no other Italian company has gone before: the Hong Kong stock exchange.

  • The company wants to expand its operations, and that means it needs cash. So it’s going after an initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong to raise money from investors.
  • The IPO is expected to do well because of a favorable economic climate and the designer’s excellent reputation.
  • If it follows through with the IPO, Prada will be the first European luxury brand listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Facts & Figures

  • Prada was founded in 1913
  • Founder Mario Prada’s granddaughter currently owns 95% of the company

Best Quote

“Confident in the future development of the group, we can now face the coming challenges with serenity and seize the best opportunities offered by the international capital markets.” – Prada Chief Executive Patrizio Bertelli

What do you think?

What do you do when you need cash?

Grow your own shoe trees!

Monday, February 7th, 2011


(photo credit: Яick Harris)

No, not like that. Like this:

A Dutch company called OAT has invented shoes made of… oats.

Instead of living in a garbage dump (or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch) for the rest of eternity after you’ve worn them out, these kicks will break down like any other normal organic substance.

And then – here comes the good part – the seeds that have been hiding inside of the shoes all along will come to life and grow trees! Shoe trees.

Do you already do something clever with your old sneakers? Plant flowers in them? Use them to insulate your attic? Save them for special shoe-throwing occasions?

Thanks for the tip, GOOD.

What If China Says “Sorry, Pay Up” to U.S.?

Friday, February 4th, 2011


credit: Lars Plougmann

Is there a “Plan B?”

  • Countries like the U.S. sell government bonds to raise money. Bonds are a form of debt – when the bond-holder cashes in their bond, the government has to pay them back with interest.
  • China is the biggest buyer of U.S. Treasury bonds, which means that if it suddenly sold off a lot of them, it could screw up the entire U.S. market.
  • A dramatic change like that would also hurt China’s economy, so there are probably only two situations in which China would consider selling off that much U.S. debt:
  1. China and the U.S. get into a serious fight. Like, a military-style fight, probably over resources in Asia
  2. China starts to think the American dollar is going to totally tank, and gets out while it still can
  • So what’s Plan B? There is no official plan, but the U.S. government would probably start asking its own citizens and its friends around the world to buy a whole lot of bonds. And the Fed would have a much bigger problem on its hands than the recession.

Facts & Figures

  • China is the United States’ biggest creditor in the world
  • If you include Hong Kong, China holds almost $1 trillion in U.S. debt

Best Quotes

“I worry that we could be at a tipping point.” – Eswar Prasad, economist at the Brookings Institution, former IMF official

“The U.S. government should have and maybe still could call on the people of the U.S. to invest in U.S. debt…. What we need to do is have a plan that’s reasoned, reasonable, can reassure our foreign lenders and also demonstrate to the American people that Washington can get something done” – David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General

What do you think?

How has your life been affected by the rise of China?

Think you can out-Batali Batali?

Friday, February 4th, 2011

According to this surprising breakdown of the costs of opening a high-end restaurant in San Francisco, you could easily drop $2,697,000 before your first customer even walks in the door!


credit: cyclonebill

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.)

Whoa – Credit Card Fees Higher Than Ever!

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

“NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Interest rates are now hovering near record highs, at an average rate of 14.72%. And if your credit is bad enough, you could even end up with a rate as high as 59.9% APR.

That’s because while the CARD Act helped crack down on certain fees and requires more disclosures, it didn’t cap every credit card holder’s worst enemy: interest rates.”

What do you think?

Do you know how much interest your card company will charge you for a late payment?

Eighth Grader Throws an App at Angry Birds

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

(Photo by Paul Fraughton | The Salt Lake Tribune)

Heard of a little app called Bubble Ball? Well, if you’re Robert Nay, you created it. Between gym class and dinner.

4,000 lines of code and 4 million downloads later, Bubble Ball has become the #1 free app on the iTunes store. Since the app is free, 14-year-old Mr. Nay is still just a relatively normal (if hyperintelligent) kid.

Way to go, dude!

Madoff Clients Sue Owners of the Mets – “They Should Have Known”

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

“The trustee representing the victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from the owners of the Mets, alleging that they, as longtime and successful investors, knew or should have known Madoff was operating a fraud, according to two lawyers involved in the case.”

What do you think?

Should the Madoff clients that made money be forced to pay the clients that lost money?
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