Oh there's a big surprise! That's an incredible - I think I'm going to have a heart attack and die of not surprise! - Iago (from Aladdin)

From the Washington Post article, "How Rich People Spend Their Time" -

"People who make less than $20,000 a year, for example, told [Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist] Kahneman and his colleagues that they spend more than a third of their time in passive leisure -- watching television, for example. Those making more than $100,000 spent less than one-fifth of their time in this way -- putting their legs up and relaxing. Rich people spent much more time commuting and engaging in activities that were required as opposed to optional. The richest people spent nearly twice as much time as the poorest people in leisure activities that were active, structured and often stressful -- shopping, child care and exercise."

I wouldn't say that I "hate" people who watch a lot of TV, but it sort of disgusts me. Maybe that's putting it a little strongly. Hate the sin, love the sinner. Some smart dude said that once. I feel sorry for them, really. George Carlin, the late comedian, said this in an Esquire article once - "I wish that we could measure how much the potential of the mind to expand has been stunted by television." So do I, George. So. Do. I.

Men's Whealth

Well, well, well. Men's Health now has a section called "Men's Wealth". I know, they totally forgot the "h" in "whealth". Also called "Fit Investor", the section has everyday personal finance tips. I think it's new, but I haven't checked the site in a while.

Something I read today was a piece urging people to trade in their debit cards for ATM cards that don't have the debit capability. The author makes the point that you should really just use cash or a credit card, and I agree. The risks of fraud and transaction fees are too great. Read that article here, if you like.

Consumer Value Stores and the New Whealthwatchers.com

That's what "CVS" stands for. Bet you didn't know that.

I bet you also didn't know that CVS now marks with an "F" each item on your receipt that is HSA or FSA eligible. That is to say, it's tax-deductible if you own a Health Savings Account. I didn't know that either, until I received an excited phonecall about it from my future sister-in-law. I did know the CVS thing, though. I win.

Here's an article about it.

Oh, don't get confused by the fact that Publix puts an "F" next to all the food items on your grocery receipt.

Also, check out the new look of whealthwatchers.com. It's under construction, but it looks pretty awesome.

We're Number 2! We're Number 2!

Australia has actually beaten us at something other than croc wrestling and boomerang making -

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23893557-662,00.html

Thank You for Flying and Not Smoking

My brother, his fiancee and I flew from New York to Miami yesterday. One of their suitcases was weighed down with loot from her wedding shower, and after throwing it on the scale, it was determined by the airline dude that there would be an additional charge of $50 since the bag weighed more than 50 pounds.

Well, they took some stuff out of that bag and put it in a lighter one, but as we walked away, my brother said "well, I weigh a lot less than many of the passengers on this plane". That's a very good point, and as I have said for years, that is exactly the kind of thing people should expect (along with lawsuits against fast food restaurants for serving unhealthy food, or denying entrance to those restaurants for the obese) And it's already being considered by the airlines. Pretty hard to imagine weighing the passengers at check-in though, isn't it? Or is it (they did it in the 1970s)? This is all related as the nation and world struggle to balance growing prosperity and consumption with diminishing resources and new challenges in our global marketplace.

Here's an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about some of the anti-smoking policies employers are enacting. In the past few years, employers have tried to encourage employees not to smoke with positive incentives, but in many cases those have turned to punitive measures. In a case mentioned in the article, an employer even told employees they had to stop smoking or they would be fired. He enforces that policy by having their blood tested at random. He has even gone so far as to monitor their spouses, as well.