The Friday Financial and Health Follies (FFHF) summarize the important (or just fun) financial and health issues of the week.
- Share the humor of the funny
- Make fun of the stupid.
- Highlight and explain new financial and health news-so you don’t miss it!
Friday Financial Follies
This weeks news has been filled with the Secret Service and one of its agents trying to stiff a self-described “escort”in Columbia. I hope their ‘protection’ skills were maximized-yes we are big on STD prevention here at The Millionaire Nurse. I also wonder if their expense account has been vetted for the purchase of drugs such as Viagra or Cialis…nothing like providing our agents the tools they need to do a great job.
Don’t let these stories cause you to become a cynic when it comes to federal government workers. I know many honorable federal employees who are sickened by this behavior. They don’t happen to work at the GSA, which has been embroiled in a scandal of it’s own. The folks at GSA are probably sending the Secret Service a thank you note for getting the GSA off the front pages.
Let’s get started with:
Financial and Health News:
Pricey Proms
The numbers are stunning. The average American family with teens plan to spend $1,078 on the upcoming prom. A 33.7% increase over last year. Yes, that’s just the average.
The least expensive prom cost!
Destination Weddings, Ikea Style
After a chance encounter, two years to the day after their first date at Ikea, the couple married in that same Ikea. They had reconnected over the meatball special, so what did their wedding guests eat? That’s right, meatballs. During their honeymoon to NYC, they plan to visit where? That’s right.
Fitness Counts At All Ages
Lack of physical activity linked to greater risk of Alzheimers.
Retire @ 53?
What svelte, buxom icon is facing her stiffest competition ever? It’s true, if Barbie doesn’t up her game, she may have to learn to play shuffle board and lose the spiked heels, or (God forbid) play with the grand kids. Earnings at Mattel, Barbie’s employer, dropped 53% in the first quarter. No word on Barbie’s 401k balance.
Teen Births
Teen birth rate at historic low, (but remains too damn high IMHO)
Budget Cutting California Style
Gov Brown will do without the annual report on the kangaroo population in Australia that a state agency has been required to track and provide to law makers. The budget ax will trim that tracking report and 717 others in an attempt to curb spending. Down to the bare bones in California.
Angry Birds hiding Trojan Horse
Angry Birds: Space had 10 million downloads in its first 3 days. Oops! A fake version of the game available through an android app contains malware and sucks your phone into a botnet under the control of malicious hackers.
$100 Reward For His Capture
Can’t make this stuff up. A Taliban leader, suspected of planning two attacks on Afghan security forces, walked up to a checkpoint and not only turned himself in, but asked for the reward. All he got was arrested.
Around the Blogosphere
Maria at The Money Principle waxes about ages and personal finances.
Over at The American Debt Project a financial epiphany arises from a few lines in The Hunger Games.
Suba takes the organizational basic and suggests a better version is a ‘Not to do List’ at Wealth Informatics
Nurse Keith from RnFMRadio writes at Digital Doorway about an interview on the show with Carol Gino. It’s all about compassion. Good show, good read.
James Altucher has an ebook at Amazon, 40 Alternatives To College, in which amazingly he gives you “40 alternatives to college.” He is passionate about the disgrace that is 1 trillion dollars in student loan debt in our country. Student loan debt levels beat credit card debt for the first time. I’m not as “against” kids going to college as James is, but I’m just as against going into enormous debt to do so. Take an extra year or so and work your way through school. You’ll learn a lot more when you’re paying your way, I promise.
Len Penzo does a Coke vs Pepsi vs generic cola taste test. Interesting stuff, you won’t guess the winner.
Carnivals
Financial Simplicity Carnival at Modest Money
Carnival of Financial Planning at Moms Plans
Carnival of Financial Camaraderie at Faith and Finance
The Life and Business Coach Carnival at Innovative Solutions for Positive Change
Yakezie Carnival at Money Q&A
Financial Carnival for Young Adults @ 20s Finances
Kings of Cash Flow @ Money Infant
Top Personal Finance Posts of the Week @ Personal Finance Whiz
Giveaways
$50 Sephora Gift Card Giveaway at Superfrugalette
Eric at Dollarversity is giving away Cold Hard Cash: $100.
Over at My Personal Finance Journey: $46.95 Giveaway – Community and Charity 10% Monthly Blog Income Give Back # 7 – April 2012 Edition
Jen at Master the Art of Saving: $25 Amazon Gift Card.
The Other Stuff
Thanks again for being a reader. Our readership continues to grow. You guys ROCK, (is that still ok to say???)
Dean and Cil both contributed to this garbagey enlightened material.
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Tags: financial and health news of the week, financial follies, important financial news this week, this weeks financial news
$1,000 on the prom! That’s madness. The good news is that we start our kids off early, showing them how to blow money irresponsibly right from the beginning.
Thanks for the mention about the 10% giveback!
no problem, good luck!
I am always amazed at the anger recent grads (or newly indebted) who quickly blame banks for their student loans and never look at the universities as a contributing cause in their new status as indentured servants.
Yep, student loan debt is a disgrace that colors many of us. The government, the schools, the banks, and most assuredly the students and their parents. Mindlessly borrowing money without a thought on paying it back is so silly and that debt load will be strangling young people for decades.
Makes so much sense – we are just limping to the end of one recession – but we are likely to live through at least three if not four in our lifetimes.