Tag: finance

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freecreditreport.com not worth the jingle

Mark Cathcart

If you’ve been following along my various blogs, you’ll know since moving to the US I’ve been totally focussed on getting my credit rating in shape. Despite showing up with a letter of referral from my UK bank in 2006 that I’d been a total rockstar managing the mortgage on a $1.2 million dollar home loan, I couldn’t get so much as a contract cellphone. Credit ratings are everything. I didn’t have one. So I’ve tackled this over the past 7-years like a religious zealot. Monitoring it, bumping my rating up to 771/748/771 on my 3-Bureau report. Feeling good, Oh … Continue reading freecreditreport.com not worth the jingle

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Hate Mail

Mark Cathcart

One thing I’ve grown to hate in my last 9-years in the USA, and increasingly in Austin as I’ve lived at the same address for 7-years, is the scam and fake mail that arrives at regular intervals. There are those “official” looking envelopes that include seals, official government like crests and demand attention and immediate opening and often a response. I got a letter today from the Worth Finance Corp. They apparently have offices all over central Texas. They at least got my information from Transunion Credit, who pre-screened me. Right at the top of the letter it says “It’s … Continue reading Hate Mail

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Labor day (don’t celebrate)

Mark Cathcart

It’s fitting, or perhaps not, that as May 1st is supposed to be International Labor day, we are experiencing modern record lows in employment in the USA, protests over austerity in many European cities, I watched news from Madrid and Greece where the protests were attended by a mix of people and ages, and Italy where there were youth protests and direct action[2nd half, episode 4, HBO Services 4, Love&Rockets]. Meanwhile in Bangladesh, the collapse of the clothing factory is now officially “one of the worst industrial accidents in world history”, already has some 390 dead, with more bodies being dug out … Continue reading Labor day (don’t celebrate)

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to Tax or Not to Tax…. debt is the question

Mark Cathcart

Sat watching the BBC News tonight, my heart rate raced a few beats higher as I watch the Chief Accountants from Apple, Google and Starbucks in the UK defend their accounting process which has meant they’ve largely avoided paying UK Corporation tax, and particularly the hapless public policy wonk from Amazon.com, Andrew Cecil. I’m glad I’m not working at Google in the UK, who at least as far as their management seemed to be concerned, don’t “innovate” in the UK. oops. Interestingly I used to work with Nelson Mattos at IBM, I wonder what he thinks now? Starbucks came in … Continue reading to Tax or Not to Tax…. debt is the question

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More stupid marketing

Mark Cathcart

While I am at it, here is another great example of “stupid marketing”. In this case, either the marketers were dumb, or they were addressing the “stupid” customer, in this case for Barclays bank. They sent me an offer for their exclusive “black card”. It costs $495 for a years membership. It’s main benefits are free flights, any airline, any time, any where and airline lounge access. As can be seen here, for 25,000 points level you can get a $500 flight voucher. At which point, you spent $495 plus enough to rack up 25,000 points.. Who is stupid now? Continue reading More stupid marketing

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TED and Job Creators

Mark Cathcart

Over the past couple of years I’ve watched a few TED videos, they are often educational, always informative and sometimes even entertaining as well. This one showed up in a Yahoo most watched/recommended list on a sidebar on a web search… I’d never heard of Nick Hanauer, but wikipedia and google search have, and he is is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist and author of the book, The True Patriot. Nick adds a great link to the chain in so much as I’m able to explain why the current argument over tax in the US positions the 1% incorrectly, but it … Continue reading TED and Job Creators

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Fiscal fairness, take the money and run

Mark Cathcart

Early this month I posted this entry on “fiscal fairness” about paying taxes. This week two items have come up that show why the tax avoidance situation has become unsustainable here in the US and in the UK. First up in the US in the story that Facebook founding backer Eduardo Saverin’s renunciation of his U.S. citizenship. It really doesn’t matter what he says, Eduardo benefit from the system in place here in the US, and now he is about to get billions of US$ from the Facebook IPO, On advice of counsel, he’s established residency in Singapore, where there is no capital-gains tax. … Continue reading Fiscal fairness, take the money and run

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Money too tight to mention, credit no longer matters

Mark Cathcart

I’ve finally had a financial epiphany. Since the summer of 2004 I’ve been totally focused on getting a perfect credit rating after I got turned down by AT&T for a lousy monthly cellphone contract as I had a -3 credit rating, despite owning a big house back in the UK and having a near perfect credit rating there. Anyone that reads my rambling will know that until recently I was still anal retentive about this. Especially since I paid off my mortgage and much to my horror, my credit rating dropped. It dropped last month as well and is down from a high … Continue reading Money too tight to mention, credit no longer matters

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Edit to the credit

Mark Cathcart

Some of you know I’ve been on a crusade to get the best credit score I could after arriving here in the US and getting refused a cellphone because I had a -3 rating, ie not-known, does not exist. Over 4-years I managed to get my credit rating to 730, and over the last 2-years I managed to get it up to 781. One thing they tell you in all the credit score get rich quick schemes is that your credit score isn’t a measure of how much money you have, it’s the ration of debt to credit and your … Continue reading Edit to the credit

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The Bike Through Bank

Mark Cathcart

So, as I pulled into the drive through ATM at the Amplify Brockton Branch yesterday to deposit two checks, worth combined less than $2, something grabbed my attention out of the corner of my eye. Yep, there was a guy on a bicycle in the drive through bank. Apparently it’s not all that uncommon, all I know is I laughed hard until I started to try to deposit the checks. Here is a zoomed version. Continue reading The Bike Through Bank