Cultured Shock

Spending That Extra Cash

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:40:47 +0000

College students go off to school for their freshman year assuming their scholarships and loans will cover all of their expenses, only to find themselves faced with the shocking reality of the cost of textbooks. Most colleges and universities do not include the prices of textbooks in their “Tuition and Fees” section of the school handbook, and while they do disclose that fact, it is usually not noticed. This is a huge problem for many students suddenly faced with a need for up to $1000 more per semester for books than they have budgeted for.

Thankfully, there is a solution: renting textbooks from a reliable vendors. You can choose to either rent physical copies of the books you need, buy used copies, sell back your books, or opt for ebooks. This saves people hundreds of dollars a year in college expenses. Want more data? Check out the infographic here:

Source: eCampus.com

Big Mac Index

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:09:51 +0000

Economy is the word, and in the world of business and personal finance, when there is an economic downturn such as the globe has experienced in the past four years, people need to find some markers for judging the impact of damage to global markets. In other words, we need something that’s part Wall Street, and part Main Street, to gage it by. Thankfully, there’s an answer: The Big Mac Index.

Who would believe that the going price of a McDonald’s Big Mac could be any kind of reliable indicator of the strength of a country’s economy, and according to physician care direct, it even affects the cost of health care? And yet, that is just what financial analysts say is true. The cost of a Big Mac says some surprising things about the State of the Union. Let’s have a look:

Save on Textbooks

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:10:21 +0000

The cost of textbooks for the average US college student per year is about $900! Some pay more, some less, but either way that’s a whole lot of money. Not only are textbooks bulky, heavy, and hard to get your money back for when you’re through with a course — but generally, most students report that they only use those text books for short periods of time during a class, for only select bits of information. The rest is pretty much useless. Could there be a textbook racket going on in higher education? Who knows. But what we do know for sure is there’s a viable alternative, in open source.

If you know where to find them, text books are available online either very cheaply, or even for free. Most of the original sources used to compile college textbooks are already in the public domain in one form or another, and the same information you get from $900 worth of books is just a few clicks away for someone savvy. This infographic shows you the comparative costs of traditional textbooks versus the open source books movement and other alternatives. Better study up if you want to save some cash.

Phone Finance Budget

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:34:00 +0000

Starving for the newest tech but can’t afford to even fill up your gas tank? I know how you feel so I want to share some budgeted ideas to help with your finances.

One of the biggest budget killers are the things we use all day, every day, but never like to figure in. The horribly expensive cell phone plan. While there are alternatives they are usually mediocre at best. However, I found one that stands above while saving the most money: Straight Talk! Now I know what you are thinking; “Oh god. You mean that plan from Wal-mart?” Well, how about this. The service is through Verizon, you can now get a great touch screen droid for cheaper than most phones, and–oh yeah–did I mention that it is only $45 a month versus the $90 something you have to pay directly through Verizon. If you ever don’t want the service or you have unexpected expenses and can’t afford your phone for a couple months; no problem! Because it is technically a “Go Phone” you pay for the service by buying a prepaid card. $45 for unlimited everything and it lasts a month. They have other options as well but come on, who doesn’t want a droid, right? Better yet for $15 dollars at the initial purchase of the phone you can cover your phone for accidental damage for up to 18 months and as long as it isn’t lost or stolen, you can get another phone of equal or lesser value for free. Considering there is always that one person who has the worst luck when using their phone; this is a big help!

Let’s figure this up.

Verizon Droid : $45 monthly unlimited everything (including data) : No hidden charges or fees : No questions asked 18 month insurance for $15 : No hassle cancellation/service hold : Services available anywhere a Wal-mart is 24/7

VS.

Verizon Droid : $90-110 monthly plan : Hidden charges and Fees : Monthly insurance costs and additional charges depending on issue : Additional charges for holding service and full charge for cancellation : Credit checks/additional start up costs : Service only available at Verizon stores M-F business hours (No holidays)

Financial Markets Explained

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:25:07 +0000

The following video/slideshow presentation by Hamilton Lin is an introduction to understanding the financial markets. Lin, CFA, is acting president of a corporate training firm that instructs on the fundamentals of financial analysis, modeling and valuation. Clients include prestigious firms, some of the world’s largest investment banks, countless boutique investment banks, buy-side asset management firms, research firms and commercial banks like Banc of America Securities, Capital Group, CIBC World Markets, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Dow Jones, Fidelity, GE Private Equity, Greenhill, JPMorgan Chase, Loomis Sayles, TD Securities, and TIAA-CREF. Lin has a vast background in investment banking and mergers and acquisitions in diverse industries. His experiences range from oil & gas to insurance and asset management and other related areas of the financial fields.

Enjoy the video, and as always, your comments are invited.

The Cost of Kids

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:13:02 +0000

Kids cost a lot of money to raise; but it might still be surprisingly less than what you think it costs. From the time a child enters the household, expenses begin racking up, and from age 0-17, the average single parent will have spent about $149,000 on one child, while the average husband and wife will have spent closer to $160,000 on the same child. The information is quite staggering and eye-opening. Some bank calculators rate the cost of raising a child as being more like $190,000. Here is an interesting infographic that outlines some of these costs and what people can expect. Click to make the infographic larger. Happy reading!

Spending Tech Dollars

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:57:35 +0000

If you knew that Amazon.com was going to bring forth the next big thing in tablet computing before Christmas season this year — 2011 — would you consider giving up your iPad? Or your hopes or plans for buying an iPad? Maybe not, or maybe so when you consider that Amazon, the maker of the world’s first and insanely popular modern ebook reader, is on the verge of something big in terms of book borrowing. Imagine a Netflix-like service, but for digital books instead of movies! Yes, it would be like a digital book rental service, and it is expected to really take off when it launches. There is always the possibility, too, that Amazon will pave the way for public libraries to make the upgrade to loaning ebooks, through special licensing of course, and using Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader. These are exciting times for books, and also for tablet computing.

An Amazon tablet could be about 7″ and would be powered by a version of Google’s Android operating system for mobile devices. What makes it extra special is it’s anticipated price: $249! That’s is a couple hundred less from the start than Apple’s iPad, and is priced similarly to existing high end Kindle readers. It will simply have so many more options, people are expected to purchase the tablet in droves. Amazon, however, is simply calling the tablet “Kindle.” No special name. It’s being treated more like an upgrade to existing Kindle technology, even though it’s running Android and is clearly quite something more than the sort of Kindles we’ve come to love and know. On a slightly disturbing front, one person from TechCrunch who claims to have held and used the device claims there is no e-ink anymore in this new Kindle; everything is color screen and backlit. I guess we will have to wait and see where people choose to budget their computer spending dollars this Christmas season.