Category: Blog Articles
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Magnetic Strips Put US Cardholders At Risk
As the fallout continues from the massive data breach affecting millions of Target customers nationwide, consumer advocates and cybersecurity experts point out that the Black Friday incident is only part of a larger problem: outdated card security features that make US-issued credit cards especially attractive to hackers around the world. Details about Target’s data theft…
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Target’s Account Hack highlights Weak Card Security Systems
Even if you aren’t one of the 40 million debit and credit card holders burned by the recent hack into the databanks of giant retailer Target, you may still be at risk for having your account information hijacked, thanks to weaknesses in the way credit card data is captured at the point of sale. Target’s…
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The Ven: A New Challenge to Mainstream Money?
While the Bitcoin keeps on making headlines with its inroads into traditional money markets, other kinds of digital monies are quietly following in the Bitcoin’s cyberfootsteps, proving that virtually any culture in the world can create its own functional currency system. The Ven, an eco-friendly digital currency, demonstrates how easy it is to challenge traditional…
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The Bitcoinvention Opens Doors to Asia
Amid controversy and criticism, the Bitcoin marches on. Though the digital currency is gaining ground around the world as a legitimate means of exchange, it’s being given an especially warm reception in the emerging economies of Asia. And the upcoming Bitcoinvention in Manila demonstrates how far the Bitcoin has come as a viable currency in…
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Is There a Bitcoin Backlash?
The clearest indicator that the Bitcoin is here to stay may be the fact that the digital currency has made enemies in high places. As the upstart coin continues its march toward global legitimacy, advocates of the Bitcoin have worried that it might become the target of government and financial institutions threatened by its growing…
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Financial Gifts Keep Giving for a Lifetime
Only fourteen states require a high school course in personal finance, says the Council for Economic Education – and just 22 require one in economics. That means the majority of young Americans are completely unprepared to enter a complex financial world filled with difficult decisions. So this holiday season, a finance-focused gift may be the…
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Fannie and Freddie Retreat, But Fees Advance
Among the many factors affecting the strength of the dollar and the US economic recovery as a whole is government involvement in the still recovering housing industry. As world markets warily eye the Federal Reserve’s ongoing bond buying stimulus plan, the government backed megalenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac embark on a drawdown of their…
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World Markets Watch the Fed’s Decision
World confidence in the US dollar continues to wobble. As the euro surged to the top of the currency markets in early December 2013, the dollar sagged, as investors look to current economic indicators for clues about what the Federal Reserve plans to do about its massive stimulus program. The euro and the dollar, linked…
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3 Costly Investing Mistakes
The road to financial success is paved with information – too much information. Would be investors – and anyone hoping to sustain – and build – assets are bombarded with options,, both legitimate and shady. And all too often, they end up losing a little or a lot, thanks to some basic mistakes that create…
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Can Floating Cities Change the World?
The future may be all at sea, if the folks at the Floating City Project make their vision a reality. And that reality is coming ever closer as crowdfunding for the design of the world’s first seasteading community gathers steam. It’s a concept that challenges many long-cherished beliefs about land, community and government that may…