The AP reports that hundreds of Bernard Madoff’s personal items are going up for auction at the Sheraton New York Hotel, courtesy of the U.S. Marshals Service. Madoff is just beginning his 150-year prison sentence for ripping off investors in the biggest Ponzi scheme ever.
Snatch up those limited-edition monogrammed velveteen slippers before they’re gone! Also available: a 10.5 carat diamond ring owned by Bernie’s wife, Ruth, and a “like-new” Steinway piano. (Thanks, msnbc.com)
They say lifelong habits start early. But what does that mean when it comes to sharing financial information on social media sites? See the full report here (in a new window).
(via visualeconomics.com)
SpendGrowGive helps you understand where your money goes. But do you ever wonder what the rest of America is spending on? As usual, there’s a handy infographic explaining it all! Click to see the full-size version in a new window.
(via creditloan.com)
Those crazy kids at NPR spent $1,000 on an adorable toxic asset named “Toxie” to teach us all a lesson about the subprime mortgage disaster. And then they made a 3-minute cartoon about it. It’s really good:
(via npr.org)
Did you know that 1 out of every 10 American workers is a nonprofit employee?
No? That’s because you haven’t watched this video… yet. Teacher and nonprofit director Ben Klasky put together this brief history of everything nonprofit, and we think it’s an awesome and extremely lazy way for TILE philanthropists to understand the world they’re giving in.
(via philanthropy.com)
We here at TILE don’t condone LOLcats. We think they’re stupid and annoying. But somehow this illustrated legend of how they came to be is still fascinating: onlineeducation.org/lolcats
Apple’s new Privacy Policy (which you’re required to agree to in order to download anything – including apps – from iTunes) has some spy vs. spy stuff going on. The policy basically says that Apple is allowed to anonymously track and store every single move your iGadget makes – in other words, every move you make. Since no one actually reads the updated Privacy Policies, we thought we’d share the creepy new world of iSurveillance for you lucky iUsers out there!
Here’s the part in the new policy that talks about it:
(via consumerist.com)
Gavin Potenza created this graphic to illustrate some of the world’s great oil spills. We’re not sure if having a smaller drop of oil on the map actually makes the Deepwater Horizon spill better than any other spill, but so far it’s smaller than some of the other disasters…
(via psfk.com)
Remember when all those banks were failing in 2009? Well things have only gotten worse in 2010, as you can see. What’s really scary is how much money these struggling banks control (in green).
Check it out, reflect, and then you can get back to stimulating the economy with your reckless summer spending.
(click on the image to see the full-blown version of the graphic)
Need a distraction? Here’s a fun game:
Visa and the NFL (for some reason) have teamed up to create Financial Football – a fast-paced, interactive game that tricks you into learning money management skills! Teams compete by answering financial questions to earn yardage and score touchdowns. Finally, a safe, helmet-free football that mom can be proud of.
If football’s not your thing, you can also play “Financial Soccer” or “Road Trip to Savings.”