Archive for the ‘TILE Cool’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Debt and the Presidents of the United States

Friday, April 15th, 2011

If you’ve ever watched the news, you probably know that every problem facing our nation is all one person’s fault: the president.

Well, that’s probably not fair.

This neat-o infographic shows the net worth of every U.S. president and the national debt when they entered and left office. It’s a great perspective during this particular time of budget crisis and finger-pointing.

Do you see any patterns? Is the federal deficit tied to a president’s money-management skills? Wealth? Or something entirely different (like, uh, wars and recessions)?

presidents-and-debt.png
(via credit sesame)

If we need more money, why can’t the government just print more?

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.

pet-costs.png

(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.

un-cane.png

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

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

a-rod.png
(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?

The Industries That Won’t Come Back

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

after-hours-tuxedo-rental.jpg
(photo credit: gruntzooki) For all your after hours tuxedo rental needs.

The recession has caused a lot of problems for our economy, no doubt. But some industries look like they’re just not going to pull through. Specifically, these ten:

10-dying-industries.png
(from The Wall Street Journal)

Good old supply and demand at work. Why buy a newspaper when you can get your news online for free? Why pay for photofinishing when most of your snapshots don’t make it past Facebook?

Are YOU still spending money in any of these industries?

(Bonus points if you can find an industry on this list that wasn’t at least partially laid to rest by the Internet!)

Putting Energy (and Investment) to Good Use

Friday, April 1st, 2011


(photo credit: Evan Prodromou)

We all know that carbo-loading is essential for running a marathon (or staying up all night writing papers/ playing video games). So why expect lasting social change to run on a cookie here, a handful of peanuts there?

“45% of the population of rural India live in villages with no electricity.” So it was only a matter of time before capitalist do-gooders found an opportunity to profit from lighting up the countryside. Providing affordable clean energy solutions is potentially a $2 billion industry in India alone. And it’s not just the entrepreneurs who profit: locals suddenly have light to study and work by, cleaner air and water, and a new job market for selling and repairing solar lanterns and other green gadgets.

Sounds like a pretty neat social venture to us. What do you think?

When it comes to supporting causes you care about, are you more likely to fund emergency projects, like disease and hunger relief, or longer-term strategies for change, like electricity?

The Dutch Sandwich & The Double Irish: How Google Saved $3 Billion in Taxes

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

We’d never heard of a Dutch Sandwich (mmm… sandwich) or a Double Irish before reading this article about how multinational corporations avoid paying U.S. taxes.

But then, we don’t have hundreds of highly-paid tax experts and lawyers working day in and day out to help us find and exploit loopholes in the tax code.

But guess who does? That’s right. The Googles, the Facebooks, the Pfizers, and the Microsofts of the world. General Electric alone currently has 975 people on staff to ensure it pays the least amount of tax possible while still not technically breaking the law.

They must be doing a pretty good job, because last year, G.E.’s U.S. tax bill was $0.00.

It pays to have smart people helping you make decisions.


(photo courtesy of Google)

How are you when it comes to saving money? Time to revisit that budget?

Click here to learn more about the wild and wonderful world of taxes!

$74 Billion Still Buys an Awful Lot…

Thursday, March 24th, 2011


(photo credit: clagnut)

Carlos Slim (is that really his real name? Googling… his real name is Carlos Slim Helú, which is still kind of funny) is officially the richest man in the world, with a net worth of $74 billion.

That’s more than 6% of Mexico’s entire GDP!

But being the world’s richest man in a country as poor as Mexico isn’t easy on your rep. Unlike Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, America’s wealthiest citizens, Slim hasn’t really focused on philanthropy.

Which led Cyntia Barrera Diaz from Reuters to ask, “What could you pay for with that kind of scratch?”

Here are some gems from the list she came up with:

  • - Enough tortillas for all 112 million Mexican citizens for 11 years
  • - NASA’s total budget for the next four years
  • - Mexico’s entire public education budget for ten years
  • - 1,617 25-carat pink diamonds

What does Carlos think about giving away his money?

“Wealth is like an orchard. You have to share the fruit, not the trees.”

What would YOU do with $74 billion?

Smart Philanthropy in the Wake of a Disaster

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011


(photo credit: Kei!)

When something really bad happens in the world, we all feel hurt. And helping each other out is one of the best ways to alleviate that pain. But that common sense advice about not shopping when you’re hungry and not investing when you’re anxious also applies to giving.

Saundra Schimmelpfennig at the Chronicle of Philanthropy shared some advice on how to give smart in an urgent time of need. She encourages “disaster philanthropists” to think carefully before pledging their money to an emotionally compelling cause.

Here are some of her points that we think are especially important:

  • Make sure the organization you’re donating to actually has permission to operate in the affected area. (This is a no-brainer, but some governments refuse or limit access to foreign aid organizations.)
  • Consider giving to organizations that were operating successfully in-country before the disaster. They may have more resources and connections than many of the big-name international nonprofits.
  • Don’t be sucked in by projects that tug at your heartstrings. Sure, donating to an animal shelter seems like the natural thing to do after seeing this picture, but does directing your resources there really address the most critical needs on the ground?
  • Give aid organizations the freedom to choose what your donation pays for. They know better than you what the most important projects are.
  • Don’t forget about the disaster as soon as the news outlets do. Most of the expense and hard work happens after the initial emergency relief efforts end. Rebuilding houses, schools, communities, and lives can take years. Your donation will mean just as much in six months as it does today.

Ready to make an impact? Text a friend and ask them to donate with you. With two researchers on the job, you can probably find a perfect organization – and double your donation in the process!

Want to help? Stop talking and roll up your sleeves.

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011


Japan 2011 © JIJI PRESS

Even when disasters happen in far-away places, you can still help. Donating money is a great place to start, but don’t stop there. Hosting a fundraiser is as easy as inviting some friends over for lunch or making a page on crowdrise.org.

And Alanna Shaikh says that volunteering in your hometown is a lot more valuable than you might think:

“There is a lot of work at aid agency headquarters that can be done by committed volunteers, and that work often has a huge impact. Everything that a volunteer does pushes down overhead costs and frees up money for the organization to spend on international relief.

I was an Oxfam American volunteer back in the day, and I helped transcribe field interviews for qualitative surveys, edit and format documents, and prepare press releases. It was interesting work, and it was part of what led me to the work I do now. At International Medical Corps, our volunteers drafted situation reports, answered correspondence, and did literature reviews, among other things.”

Check out DoSomething.org, idealist.org, or the website of your favorite aid organization to get some ideas.

The Invisible Economy

Friday, March 11th, 2011

woman-sweeping.jpeg
(photo credit: mi55er)

How much is an hour of bathroom cleaning worth? What about 24 hours of child care? How much would you be paid to do these things in another person’s home?

How about in your own home?

According to a new international study, the “unpaid economy” - jobs like food shopping, washing up, and getting the kids to bed – would represent about a third of a nation’s total economy if it were paid.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development looked for signs of gender equality in this unpaid work, which was traditionally done only by women.

They found that even though men have come a long way toward helping out with these tasks, they’re still not likely to spend as much time on them as women do… even if they’re unemployed.

Bring THAT to your next macroeconomics class.

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »