821,000 households opted out of the banking system from 2009 to 2011.
More Americans have limited or no interaction with banks in the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in history. Instead more people are relying on check cashers and payday lenders to manage their finances, according to a new federal report.
Continue reading… “Growing number of Americans are opting out of the banking system”
There are other ways to generate a return on capital—and help move the economic recovery.
Over the past 24 months It is well known that America’s largest companies have been stockpiling cash over at alarming rates. It has been estimated from $1.5 trillion to $2.8 trillion. And at first blush, who can blame them? With interest rates at historic lows, market volatility, political uncertainty, the European crisis, severe commodity price fluctuations, and other unpredictable market conditions, corporate brands and executives have been understandably inclined to sit on the sidelines.
Continue reading… “Putting sidelined cash to work to help move the economic recovery”
Eliminating some unnecessary expenses and keeping an eye out for ways to save can help keep precious dollars at home.
The golden years of many retirees have been tarnished by low returns on investments and smaller nest eggs than they’d hoped. Meanwhile, longer life spans, increased expenses — particularly rising health care costs — plus a volatile stock market and low interest rates on savings have baby boomers facing tough choices.
Continue reading… “Cutting costs a new pasttime for retirees”
Kickstarter is a crowdfunding site.
When it comes to getting your big idea funded by strangers size matters.
Three of the most populated metro areas in the U.S., New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, are the top three Kickstarter cities in America when it comes to total funds raised, according to data compiled by ThingsWeStart.com. Chicago, Austin, and Boston also make the top 10 list.
Continue reading… “Top Kickstarter cities in the U.S. (Infographics)”
Monte die Paschi Bank
The Monte die Paschi Bank, tucked away in this Tuscan city, is the world’s oldest bank. It has survived the Borgias, pestilence and too many wars to count. Now, a mundane foe has proved far more dangerous: Italian government debt.
Continue reading… “Future of the world’s oldest bank uncertain”
The average down payment for a house is 20%.
How long will it take you to save in order to afford a home? We calculated how many years it takes to save enough for a down payment in the 100 largest U.S. metro areas, factoring in both local average wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages and local housing prices based on the median asking price per square foot of homes listed on Trulia.
Continue reading… “How long will you need to save for a down payment on a home in your city?”
Where do small business owners get the money to expand their businesses? Many entrepreneurs, policy makers, and academics have wondered about that same question but thanks to the efforts of researchers at the Census Bureau, we know the answer.
Continue reading… “Where small business owners get the money to expand their businesses”
A new upsurge in funding in Canada.
Canada has been known to regularly bleed startups and entrepreneurs, who flock south to seek superior funding opportunities south of the border in hotspots like Silicon Valley and New York.
Continue reading… “Canada’s tech startup funding on the rise”
To maintain living standards into old age we need roughly 20 times our annual income in financial wealth.
In 2010, 75 percent of Americans nearing retirement age had less than $30,000 in their retirement accounts. Downward mobility in retirement is a looming reality for both middle and higher-income workers. Forty-nine percent of middle-class workers will be poor or near poor in retirement, living on a food budget of about $5 a day.
Continue reading… “49% of middle-class workers will be poor in retirement”
Futurist Thomas Frey: In 2003 the DaVinci Institute produced a landmark event called “The Future of Money Summit” which took place at the Omni Hotel in Broomfield, CO. One of the featured speakers was Bernard Lietaer, chief architect of the Euro.
Continue reading… “Peter Thiel’s Quest for Creating a Viable Global Currency”
Many workers who have lost their jobs have defaulted on 401(k) loans.
The number of displaced workers has risen dramatically since the start of the Great Recession, and this year a third of them had to raid retirement savings to make ends meet.
Continue reading… “35% of laid-off workers have raided their retirement savings”
Psychology has only recently begun seriously investigating how having money, that major marker of status in the modern world, affects psychosocial behavior.
At the University of California, Berkeley two undergraduate students are playing a Monopoly game that one of them has no chance of winning. A team of psychologists has rigged it so that skill, brains, savvy, and luck—those ingredients that ineffably combine to create success in games as in life—have been made immaterial. Here, the only thing that matters is money.
Continue reading… “More money makes people less human: Study”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.