I love December. Christmas. Good tidings to you and all of your friends. And, for the second year in a row, the Consumer Desperation Index falls. It does my heart good to see less fraud going on, as far a check cashing goes, during the holidays. Perhaps it has to do with the typical uptick …
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November Desperation Index rises to 110 0
The Consumer Desperation Index increased in November to 110, and is up 7 points from a year ago. This trend is not good. This is the first time in seven months that the index was HIGHER than last year at the same time. The constant creep up is somewhat foreboding. As we all wonder what …
Read MoreMore than 80% of the World’s Payments are still Cash & Checks 0
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/12/09/visa-the-enemy-is-cash-video/ While much of this interview with Visa is focused on the emerging market opportunity, the implications are loud and clear state side too. The overall message here to me is that the big opportunity isn’t to steal share from the other credit card players, but rather, to convert the more than 80% of payments …
Read MoreMounted, Armed and Underbanked 0
Yesterday in NYC one of my directors was in the lobby of his son’s high rise condo in downtown Manhattan, near the NYSE. They were moving in and spending a lot of time in the lobby. In the middle of the day a NYC Mounted Police Officer rode his horse right up to the front …
Read MoreI Need it NOW 0
Even though I talk about the underbanked every day, sometimes it just takes a personal experience to truly remind me of what this is all about. That experience for me happened a few weeks ago when I hired Carol (I’m making this name up to protect the innocent), a local horticulturist (landscaper) to help me …
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