My notes as I explore various business and financial topics

Thursday, April 28, 2011

How many feet are in a mile? Quickly now!


There are 5280 feet in a mile. How about, how many inches are there in 18 feet? The answer is 216 inches.  I just read an article on "Why America Should Use the Metric System" by Deborah-Diane in which the author lists several reasons on why America should switch to the metric system.  Its factor of ten makes the metric system more intuitive to learn and work with.  Plus, just about every country in the world, except for the United States, uses it.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Giants Google and Facebook join the group discount coupon market



Ever since Groupon turned down their 6 billion dollar acquisition offer, we were wondering what Google's next move would be.  It was inevitable that they would enter the market, either by buying a major Groupon competitor, such as LivingSocial or by starting their own service, now in beta as Google Offers.  Now Facebook as jumped in with Facebook Deals, which offer discount coupons in five cities (San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta and San Diego).

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Closing my 19 year old Chase, Wamu, Great Western bank account




Well it looks like I will be closing my 19 year old Chase, Wamu, Great Western checking account. Although I tried to meet their requirements and increased my direct deposit amount to their $500 or more requirement, I was still being charged a $10 a month fee.


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Unites States is one of the richest countries in the world . . .

Wait a minute . . . according to the CIA Word Factbook, with an account balance of -561 trillion dollars, there are 191 countries richer than us :(

Friday, April 15, 2011

Why Does Bank of America Suck so Bad?



Ever since I started blogging about business and banking, BofA has consistently come up as the bank that people hate the most.  I've always wondered why?  I've had free checking with BofA for eight months now (and rec'd $75 bonus to open it) and enjoy their free Museum perk.  A quick search reveals that many customers are annoyed at their excessive fees