Banking . . . Bank Of America, TD BankNorth, Northwest Community Bank or Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union

Hi all,

I just managed to get a 5% checking account from Nutmeg State - Bankingawesome.com.  They are great, but have some limitations because they're a small bank.  So, what I've determined for my personal banking:

a) I will keep Nutmeg and have direct deposits sent there.  Their online (and especially mobile) banking is a bit clumsy/clunky, so I don't want to do ebills there.  However, you can't beat 5% fdic insured up to 10k.

b) I will keep TD banknorth as my online banking/billpay/day to day customer service bank, since they are big enough to have decent online features and good customer service.

c) I will discontinue most, if not all, Bank of America business, as soon as possible.  They were totally unhelpful in a variety of bad situations, and have charged me at least $500 in fees.

d) Research, rinse, repeat.  I'm sure Nutmeg will eventually discontinue their promotional offer, or another small FCU will come up with a better one, or the banking industry will change.  As difficult and problematic as changing banks can be, it is worthwhile every once in a while.

Features I need in a mobile app:
a) mobile check deposit,
b)fingerprint access like paypal
c)easy billpay

Features I need in a bank:
a) Friendly, quick service.  Every time I go to BOA, I'm greeted with long lines and unfriendly people.  Whenever I go to TD, they give me a smile, a lollipop and friendly advice on how to resolve my situation.
b)Hours that are extended, or ways to still conduct business at weird hours.
c)Grace - without huge fees.  This is one of the reasons BOA lost to TD - every single time I overdraft, they charge $35.  Like a poor tax in monopoly, this just worsens the situation.  Clearly, I've been in a hospital and unable to pay my bills.  THAT'S WHY I OVERDRAFTED.  OOOH, I KNOW . . . . CHARGE ME MORE AND I'LL BE MORE LIKELY TO PAY YOU.  How does that make sense in a business model?  If you scathe the people you are hoping to retain as customers, why would they come back to you.  Once burned, twice shy.  In contrast, TD nicely reminds you that you're over the limit, but still allows the purchase to go through.  This allows for less public humiliation, and the ability to recover from financial hardship.  It also ensures a loyal customer.

So, to sum up: Bank small and local if possible (Northwest Community Bank and Nutmeg Financial Credit Union).  If they can't provide the services you require, choose a big bank that acts like a small bank (TD).

 More BOA.

So.  This happened to me.

I always thought that the “poor tax” in monopoly was a farce.  But it’s legit.  Bank of America does it to its customers with some regularity.  Let me set the scene.

A math teacher is out on medical leave for several months.  He tries his best to pay his bills, but has no access to billpay and therefore doesn’t see that they’ve arrived.  Therefore, he is underwater.  Like a lot.  It must be mentioned here that he also tries to do a lot of good in the world, and that this has also hit his bank account.  

Cumberland Farms has a direct link to his checking account to pay for gas.  It saves a few cents on gas ($0.10/gallon) by directly debiting the bank account, bypassing the credit card companies.

On Dec. 4th, he pays for $31 of gas at Cumberland.  They ask BOA for the funds, and they say insufficient funds.  THEN they charge an overdraft fee of $35 (more than the gas).  So Check link calls, asks for $51 because of their processing fee.

In all, one bank screwed me for nonpayment and a negative balance (how can it be BOTH?) and another place charged $20 to collect the debt incurred when the first bank refused to pay.  They’re basically jerking each other off to the tune of $55 for a service worth $31. 

Tech Support . . . why companies do it wrong (and linux)

Hi all,

I recently had to call tech support for IBM/Lenovo for my yoga notebook.  Why on earth would you employ tech support for IBM/Lenovo who cannot speak the language of the caller?  I spent literally 12 minutes giving her information.  We had to resort to military code instead of saying letters . . . i became india, l for lion was not understood by the support specialist, r became romeo (but said "raaaaaaaamiiiiiiiiiah").  I eventually spoke using a robotic monotone . . . but I think my android operating system does a better job with voice recognition than did this human.

I am not faulting the human.  Let's be clear here - this is not a 'Merica post.  I just believe that people who are hired to do tech support need to be good at communication.  I am sure that to her, my accent was very difficult.  Maybe the solution is that I learn to speak her language.  However, to be effective at communication it is required that people speak each others' languages.  Or, she should be on a chat so that we are both reading English words.

At any rate, it was a very frustrating 15 minutes.  I think one of the most wasted assets we humans squander is time.  I hate not being productive, or using my time poorly.  Spelling my name for 12 minutes, in order to do data entry into the lenovo system, all to have a windows 10 boot disk sent was a poor use of my time.  I wish IBM/Lenovo would just do it more effectively/efficiently.  It makes me want to just run linux instead . . . and I might.  There are none of the headaches that come pre-installed with windows if you run linux.  There are also no (or very very few) viruses.

Have a good day,

P

Rocktimists, manic optimists, manops, bates

Hi all,

Shameless self promotion here.  I've decided to play a show in Hamden at The Space on Dec 2nd.  I need to bring a wrecking crew, so please consider buying a ticket and coming.  I'm hoping to resurrect the kind of situation we used to make happen for Waiting for Sully and the Manic Optimists . . . I promise that 20% of my profit from the door will go to charity (specifically the gr8fullyfeclub).

Thanks, and hope to see you there!

Mark

s'more (money at Amazon)

Hi all,

I just discovered this neat app that actually pays you to add ads to your lock screen on android.  I'm sure it's not much, but anything is better than nothing.  So.   Essentially, you install s'more, swipe up instead of sideways to enter your phone past an ad, then they send you amazon gift cards.  If you get annoyed, just uninstall the app.  Since I've got 2 phones going right now (one for school/nonprofit @gr8fullyfeclub and band Rocktimists, one for personal) I get twice the rewards.  Theoretically, this means some cash towards Amazon in exchange for my cell phone bill (which is hefty).  Anyhow, I like this and Cumberland smart pay - they give me free coffee and ten cents off per gallon, every fillup.  Sometimes they throw in chocolate or sodas too. 

Happy saving,

~Mark

Bottles and Cans (captain planet)

Hi all,

I wish everybody would just collect garbage.  I know, it's grotesque, it's demeaning, it's icky.  However, if all of us did it, we'd be just a bit richer.  And the countryside would be too.  Instead of making America Great Again, let's make America Clean Again.  That might get a bit of greatness too, but it will also get us closer to a few more bucks in our pockets.  Just think . . . $0.05 per can times 20 a day is a buck in our pocket.  It also leads to cleaner roadways.  Then, multiply by 365.  If every American who gave a damn had an extra $365 a year, we could contribute to charities or build our personal wealth.  It's an example of how one hand washes the other, washes the face.

Anyway, consider recycling.  Then consider how it might make our world just a bit better everyday, and your wallet a bit fatter.  I'm using it this year to fund my classroom supplies.  So far, we've collected about $0.30, but I've got kids collecting around the school, so we're going to keep building the funds until we can afford things that are nice for my classes (like fancy tissues, hand sanitizer, and lotion).

~Mark

#gr8fullyfeclub
@gr8fullyfeclub

Wood Heat

Hi all,

It's me again.  This one isn't necessarily about smart phones, but it does involve free.  I use Craigslist Free quite often to make sure I get as much free wood as I can.   I also pick up whatever I see on the side of the road next to state parks, land that isn't used etc.  Usually this makes the residents happy, but if I'm not sure I ask the property owners first.  The best are people who have already split and seasoned the wood, but don't like heating with wood anymore.  Anyhow, happy reading and I hope you all stay warm this winter!
~Mark

p.s. - @gr8fullyfeclub

Free things to do that are amazing

Hi all,

I've taken a break from this for a while, but I think it's a good time to get back to it.  I've been working on a nonprofit called the gr8fullyfeclub (@ and #) and though it's been fun and leads me to great life experiences, it isn't generating any money yet.  That's ok - I've figured out how to not have it cost a ton anymore. 

Here's an example.  I had a spare $200, so I went to McDonalds in Hartford, near Jennings Road.  I happen to know that lots of people go there who can't afford to eat much.  I got a rewards card, then put few bucks on it.  Then I linked it to a few other cards, so that everybody was earning rewards.   I could have eaten a really fancy dinner for 200, but instead I got lots of people some food.  Everybody hungry at that McDonalds got to eat that day, and I got a lot of positive feedback.  It felt a lot better than a fancy dinner.  Not free, but worth it.  I've spent $200 on much stupider things.

There are also lots of free things that are great fun.  Many hikes, walks and drives are nearly free (excluding gas).  You can also, for the price of groceries, have a bbq at a dam or on the Appalachian trail (or similar). 

Happy do-gooding!

Also, the McDonalds thing is an example of two economic theories I'm positing.  1) Spending money on others like this can make you happier and 2) Trickle up economics can work when people help other people in a directed manner.  It is the way we can make the middle class viable again.

Have a great day,

Mark