Thursday, 13 May 2010

Monday, 03 May 2010

  • Cell Phone Credit Transactions: Are they safe?


    An article in the New York Times profiled a new technology that allows credit card payments to be processed through cell phones. Square, for example, makes a dime-sized device that attaches to an IPhone or IPad to instantly accept credit card payments.

    This new technology is especially useful to small businesses such as roadside stands and sidewalk sellers, who can generally only accept cash. One example in the article is of a sidewalk painter named Joe Mangrum, who has started accepting credit card payments with his IPhone. He says his sales have increased substantially because people can pay on the spot whether they are carrying cash or not.

    While this seems a little sketchy, apparently fraud protection offered by credit card companies is the same as when the card is used at the cash register. Some of the new companies say security against fraud might even be improved because they provide e-mail receipts, and those from Square include photos and a map of where the transactions were made. However, if there was sketchy business going on, it's doubtful that a thief would set up shop in the same place very long.

    Other blogs seem to be asking if you would feel comfortable accepting payments on your cell phone, but I want to hear from the consumer side.

    Would you feel comfortable using your card with someone's cell phone? Do you think there are more risks than in store transactions?



Friday, 16 April 2010

  • Does An Engagement Ring Have to be a Diamond?

    There's something classic and elegant about a diamond that makes it the picture perfect engagement ring. Or at least that's the image diamond companies have been feeding us all our lives, so maybe it's only because of good marketing that everyone feels like a diamond is the required jewel for the job. After all, a diamond is forever, right?

    The thing that bothers me about diamonds is their association with conflicts in the past. For example, as we all should know now after the movie Blood Diamond, the sale of diamonds funded the brutal military regime in Sierra Leone, where people were forced like slaves to dig for them.

    What the movie really didn't emphasize is the people wearing these diamonds had no idea about what they were supporting by buying them. And many were sold by reputable companies like De Beers. The risk is that as long as valuable jewels are to be found in areas of conflict, there will always be a risk that they will be used to fund such atrocities.

    Anyway, off my soapbox, I do think they are beautiful and would love a diamond engagement ring. But I would also feel guilty. And cubic zirconia is almost indistinguishable and a lot cheaper. In fact there are a lot of jewels that are a lot cheaper - a couple could save more for a honeymoon or down-payment on a house.

    But there's some element of cheapness that goes with it, right? Like if you don't get a diamond, he doesn't really love you. Is this stigma just a result of years of successful marketing? Does advertising have that deep an effect? I think I would wear a cubic, but then defensively emphasize the reason why it's not a real diamond.

    Ladies, would you feel gypped if you didn't get a diamond? Guys, would you feel comfortable buying anything else?


Tuesday, 06 April 2010

  • Does Your Hair Color Affect Your Salary?


    We've all heard that blonds have more fun, but apparently they make more money as well, according to a study by the University of Queensland. Not only do blonds marry men who earn 6% more than the husbands of other men, but they themselves earn 7% more than women of other hair colors according to this study.

    I think it is a bit out of date at this point, but there has been a traditional preference for blond hair over brunette. There are still active stereotypes of blonds as dumb and fun-loving and brunettes as smart and boring. And of course, there are men who prefer blonds over brunettes.

    But there is the opposite as well. Two of my ex-boyfriends did not like blond hair at all, which I guess explains why they were with me. One of my good friends only likes girls with red hair and freckles.

    Courtney Dunlop, the author of the original article where I read about this study on Stylelist.com, attributes the difference in salary to the boost in confidence women may feel when they bleach their hair because of the traditional perception that blond is more attractive.

    What do you think could be a reason for this salary difference? Do you think perceptions of beauty related to hair color are changing as we are shown more diversity in pop culture?

  • Prepaid Credit Cards: Perfect for Building Credit, If You Can Get One


    Building credit can be a huge pain in the you know what. It's kinda like building job experience. You need experience in order for them to trust you, but how do you get that initial experience?
    And the same is true with bad credit. How can you improve if no one will give you the chance to rebuild your credit? If you're a student, you can generally get a student card, but it took me a few years to even be able to get that.
    One solution to this is a prepaid credit card. I remember when I was first building credit and Capital One was advertising prepaid cards. But the crazy thing was I even got rejected for that card. My boyfriend at the time got it, however, and he had bad credit, as in he had defaulted on multiple credit cards.
    So why is it that bad credit is better than no credit? They say the known risk is preferable to the unknown, which may be true in love and war, but credit? come on.

    Anyway, things might have changed since then as it has been a couple of years since I was a freshman, okay more than a couple.

    What obstacles have you faced in building your credit score? Don't a lot of the rules seem counter-intuitive?

Kat

  • Visit Kat's Dollarish Site
    • Name: Kat
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 2/22/2010

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