Spending and Saving
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Mickey Rourke, Avatar of Excess. Or Angel of Redemption?
Through the extraordinary arc of his career, Mickey Rourke has personified our obsessions, our excesses, and now, finally, the possibility of our redemption.
Way back in the mid-eighties, in 91/2 Weeks, he cast his knowing gaze on Kim Basinger, playing an arty type who works for peanuts in a SoHo gallery. New York City is grey and gritty, filled with predatory squeegee men and homeless bodies that the resigned masses hopscotch over on their morning commute…
Traveling Tight: Hedge Your Health
Tough economic times may tempt you to dispense with insurance when you plan your getaway. Please resist! The quickest way to compromise your bank account, not to mention your sanity, is to start thinking of insurance as a luxury.
The main travel insurance plans available are trip insurance and travel medical.
Signs of the Recession: Candy Crunch
Here’s one fresh perspective on this economy, spotted at the Austin, Texas, farmer’s market:
Chocolatier Tom Pedersen is founder of Cocoa Puro and producer of chocolate-covered cocoa beans, one of the most addictive sweet snacks ever bagged. Despite that, his business has taken a hit. “It seems everyone thinks the world is coming to an end so there’s no point in buying chocolate,” Petersen says. “I’d think the opposite would be true.”
Forget the Benjamins. Hamilton is Back.
We’ve just been poking around the West Indian island of Nevis, the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton. This man knew a little something about money, and there’s a renewed interest today in his prescient ideas about the American economy.
Alexander Hamilton was the first US Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and a bit of a rake. He was a thoroughly modern man who envisioned a strong federal government and a strong treasury, a national banking system, a stock market and foreign trade policy that balanced openness with protections…
Plane Folly
This year, Stephen Schwarzman’s birthday was a much more modest affair than in 2007, when he cemented his position as poster child for hedge fund excess. His 60th birthday bash was said to have cost $3 million and included a performance by Rod Stewart.
Yesterday, we’re told, Blackstone Group employees were invited to a giant boardroom for a brief roast and some cake. But it wasn’t all humble pie. Huge flat-screens in the rooms displayed the birthday invitation—a map showing the many miles Schwarzman had traveled in the last year, complete with cute little pictures of private planes.
Simple Ticket Savings
Kiplinger’s just released a story on how to easily save $50 a day, or a total of $18,250 a year. It won’t change your life–several of the tips we’ve heard before (like buying energy-efficient light bulbs); many others don’t apply to urban dwellers who take a lot of public transportation and don’t eat at Cheesecake Factory.
But this one about event tickets was a pleasant surprise.
Recession Briefing 2.16
What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.
Anna Wintour: “Value is In” (WSJ)
When the editor of Vogue rails against consumerism, the economy must be in a tailspin.
Job Losses Pose a Threat to Stability Worldwide (NY Times)
Worldwide job losses from the recession that started in the United States in December 2007 could hit a staggering 50 million by the end of 2009. High unemployment rates have led to protests in countries as varied as Latvia, Chile, Greece, Bulgaria and Iceland and contributed to strikes in Britain and France.
White House Dampens Stimulus Expectations (Reuters)
Aides warned Americans on Sunday not to expect instant miracles from the $787 billion economic stimulus bill he will sign this week, but said it would help eventually.
For Valentine’s Day, Fudge It
As a complete sap, I’ve always found Valentine’s Day annoying: why designate only one day a year to romance? This year, that designated day is under more stress than usual: you can barely imagine splurging on something nice to wear to a dinner out, much less $65 on a few dozen red roses.
Homemade gifts might make you wince, but not all such crafts need be as hokey as the cut-out heart card you made for your mom when you were a kid. We have something you can make in 15 minutes, for under $15, that doesn’t involve a doily or anything else cheesy.
January Shopping Surprise
If you’re like me, the holiday shopping season went a little like this: Get the gifts for family and friends, but instead of the usual “one for them two for me” approach (that’s a joke, Mom! Really, it’s a joke!) I had my eye on January for my personal shopping holiday.
For those who could afford it, the retail landscape portended a shopper’s dream. Today the numbers have come in — total retail sales rose 1 percent in January, the first increase in seven months.
Paid Testimony
What’s a day’s pay for being spanked by Barney Frank? If you’re Lloyd Blankfein, about $250,000.
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