Archive for the ‘TILE Cool’ Category

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“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

India May Eliminate Tax Returns For Salaried Citizens

Thursday, January 27th, 2011


credit: vlima.com

Someone must have heard about the 6.1 billion hours Americans are spending slaving over their tax returns every year, because India is considering whether or not to simplify its tax system and allow roughly 17.5 million taxpayers to skip the tax return filing from now on.

Of course, this break wouldn’t apply to everyone. To qualify, taxpayers would have to be salaried (which means you are paid annually, not hourly, so that your employer and bank can accurately report your earnings to the government), and you must have no additional source of income.

In the U.S., people spend a lot of time trying to reduce their taxes by claiming deductions for things like charitable donations and education expenses. If India eliminates this process for half of its taxpayers, does that mean they don’t offer the same kind of tax breaks?

From the department of how you spend your time… 6.1 billion hours spent filing taxes every year!

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Scary stuff. Really makes you appreciate the accounting profession, right?

Have you ever filed your own taxes? How long did it take you?

What Company Logos Are Really Trying to Tell You

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

body-wisdom-logo.jpeg

You know how things aren’t always what they seem? Well, take a look at these companies’ logos.

A company creates a logo to help you remember their product, but also to make sure you think of it in a certain way – whether you know it or not. This is one of the ways that a company helps build their brand, which is what makes them different from everyone else who’s selling the same thing.

Check out the link to see what we’re talking about!

As Seen On the Web… The Future is Gray, Small & Female

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Paul Kedrowsky speaks at MIT about how the facts of life – namely, the effects of aging – are going to totally transform our society.

We think it’s pretty neat, and it makes us wonder what the economy will look like when the nation’s purse strings are controlled mostly by older women.

Mystery solved! Arkansas has approximately the same GDP* as Kazakhstan.

Friday, January 21st, 2011

state-country-gdp-graphic.png

But seriously. We all know that the U.S. has the world’s biggest economy, but have you ever considered how it really compares to other countries? Even after the recession exploded America’s financial system, you can still fit at least 50 smaller economies within its borders.

How do you think your state stacks up? Click to play with the map and find out.

*In case you forgot, the Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is the measure of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year. It’s an easy way to get a sense of that country’s economic activity.

Chuck Norris Invented Personal Finance

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

“Let me give you some advice.  Put your money in the bank, and forget about it.”

-Chuck Norris

As much as we hate to disagree with Chuck Norris (and are definitely expecting a round-house kick to the face after this post), here at TILE we know that saving money in the bank is only part of being responsible for your financial life. It’s just as important to learn how to make smart investments and get involved in causes you care about – doesn’t Chuck Norris know about spendgrowgive.com?!

Silly question – Chuck Norris knows everything.

(reblogged from moneyisnotimportant)

Super Weird Facts about Money

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

dollar-snail.jpg
credit: RangerRick

Did you know…

- $1 bills have an average lifespan of 22 months, but coins can stick around for as long as 30 years!

- U.S. “paper money” isn’t paper at all – it’s actually made of 25% linen and 75% cotton, the same materials you make clothes out of! Money shirt, anyone?

- Scientists have identified 93 different types of bacteria living on dollar bills! Better have some hand sanitizer handy when you hit the ATM.

- 35 million new bills are printed every day, which adds up to about $635 million dollars. But don’t worry, the government isn’t adding $635 million dollars into the money supply every day – 95% of those bills are used to replace money that has gotten worn out or damaged and needs to be retired.

- Some new Euro coins have so much nickel in them that they cause people to break out in an allergic reaction. Talk about having money problems!

Now you know.

Do you spend real money on unreal things?

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Apparently a lot of teens do! Check it out: http://bit.ly/iiJFbK

Does thinking luxuriously impact your decision-making abilities?

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

mr-burns.jpg
credit: lisatozzi

You know how some medications say “do not operate heavy machinery or make important decisions while taking this medication?” Well, according to a new study conducted by Harvard Business School, it might not be the best idea to make certain decisions while thinking about your next big bonus either. Especially if those decisions impact other people – like your boyfriend or girlfriend, your sibling, your friend, your co-worker.

Here’s an excerpt from the study:

  • People who were asked to think about luxury before a decision-making task were more likely to endorse self-interested decisions that might potentially harm others.
  • Although luxury does not necessarily induce people to harm others, it may cause them to be less considerate.
  • Limiting corporate excesses and luxuries might be a step toward getting executives to behave more responsibly toward society.
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