Its only taken a couple of years but it looks like we are finally going to take a few small measures to protect consumers over the benefit of large financial institutions. I for one, doubt that we’ll ever be able to make any laws with teeth until and unless we change the ability of special interest groups and lobbyists from influencing our law makers via cash.  That said, let’s take a look at the highlights of the bill.

Consumer Help

1. Your free credit report comes with an actual score this time!

2. Debit card swipe fees will be limited to save you some cash.

3. A consumer agency inside the Federal Reserve is being created to stop unfair practices in consumer loans.

4. Protection from lenders and yourself – no more unverified income loans.

5. The unemployed will get some mortgage help.

6. Tougher rules on those who sell Fixed-equity annuities

Breaking the Banks

1. New 10-member council to keep an eye out for major problems in the system.

2. The ability to break up big banks that threaten the system.

3. Greater checks on the Fed

4. “Skin in the Game” – if a bank sell a mortgage back security, you have to keep some of them to ensure you aren’t selling junk.

5. The banks have to pay for the bill! 19 Billion

Other Important Measures

1. Derivative regulation and forcing open derivative trading

2. Spinning off Swaps

3. Independent credit ratings – separate the ratings agencies and the firms needing ratings.

4. Watching executive pay

This question just came up at lunch with my friend Mike. Buddy Guy, the musician, came on Sirius radio channel 74. And Mike said this is Eric Clapton’s favorite guitarist. I thought – shouldn’t Eric Clapton be Eric Clapton’s favorite guitarist?

Are you your favorite at what you do? I’m probably not my favorite web publisher, but I like what we write about, or else we wouldn’t write about.

I think the point is two-fold. First, we should always strive to be better at what we do. To achieve a higher level of excellence in whatever interests you. Second, that there will always be someone, no matter what level of success you achieve, that inspires you to be better.

The respected and influential magazine Consumer Reports has released their list of the 10 best cars. Categories include “Best Overall” and then various sedans, SUV’s, family cars and pickups. Some of these aren’t too tough on your wallet and all reliable and enjoyable to drive.  I’ve owned two of the cars on this list: the VW and the Infiniti.  Both are fun to drive. If you are in the market for a new car, you may want to try one of these:

1. Lexus 460L
2.  Nissan Altima
3.  Hyundai Elantra SE
4.  Volkswagen GTI
5.  Subaru Forester
6.  Chevrolet Traverse
7.  Toyota Prius
8.  Infiniti G37
9.  Mazda5
10.  Chevrolet Silverado

 See the original article, with photos, on CNNMoney.

Personally, I’m starting to find Google really creepy.

When I’m emailing with my friends, ads, related to my supposedly private email conversations, pop up along the sides. It’s creepy.

But not nearly as creepy as Buzz.

What if you’re in hiding from a creepy ex-boyfriend who wants to kill you? Well, thanks to Buzz, he’ll now be able to find you — easily. He’ll be able to see if any friends that you have in common are emailing you, simply by clicking on their profiles. Google automatically signed their users up for this. They didn’t ask.

Here is a fantastic article on how you can stop people from seeing your “followers” (the people you email and chat with), but what about all of the people who are following you? If they don’t want to make their follow list private, you’re screwed. The Business Insider brings up other situations that could be compromised by Google Buzz: doctors and patients, journalists and sources, anyone trying to get out of a bad situation and get help.

Does Google even care that they may be putting people in danger? Sure, they’ve made it easier for people to opt out (they added a link) but hey, maybe they should have people opt in instead.

This week’s YoungMoney.com article, “The Economic Homeless,” solidified my anger over the fact that it is so much easier to send donate money to help Haiti then it is to help people in this country. As stated in the article, text message donating is easy, it only takes a few seconds and you only are asked to give a little bit of money; so why doesn’t the American Red Cross or other charities have the same system of receiving text message donations?
This country is usually pretty good about coming together after a disaster. After 9/11 we saw an outpouring of patriotism and heroics; the country also came together after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild New Orleans. But, when a problem is ongoing instead of a big reality-shattering disaster, it is much too easy for us to ignore it.
More money has been donated to help Haiti because of the ease and efficiency of text message donations. We should be able to send text message donations to help people here too.

If they were giving out gold medals to Olympic sponsors for sustainability, Coca-Cola would surely take home the gold.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Coca-Cola is planning on becoming the first zero-waste, carbon-neutral Olympic sponsor. The Olympics have always been at the forefront of the green movement. Now, they are looking for sponsors who are willing to do more than just through down millions of dollars, they are looking for companies to also be sustainable.

The Coca-Cola Company is the longest continuous corporate supporter of the Olympic Games, and has been a sponsor since 1928.

Coca-Cola began implementing recycling efforts during the 2000 Athens Olympic Games, and later evolved with eco-friendly coolers and shirts made from plastic bottles. After sponsoring the Vancouver games in 2006, Coke found that the Olympic Torch Relay staff and Olympic Games staff “recycled bottle” shirts proved difficult when it came to standing up to low temperatures and large amounts of precipitation. Finding a supplier with the right technology to produce the shirts was an extra step in its sponsorship process. However, Coca-Cola keeps moving forward—they are one of the first companies to receive a “sustainability star” from the Vancouver Winter Olympics committee for the upcoming 2010 Olympic Games. In addition to making the Olympics committee happy, they are also giving consumers what they want. Expectations for sponsors of big events are rising and Coke believes their zero-waste sponsorship will surely raise the bar.

According to PlasticsNews.com, at the 2010 Olympics, “visitors will find café furniture made from pine-beetle-salvaged wood, drink out of bottles made from 30 based plant-based materials, and their beverages will be delivered via hybrid vehicles and electric cart. All are elements of Coca-Cola’s first zero-waste, carbon-neutral sponsorship.”
Some of Coca-Cola’s green goals:
1. Ensure that at least 95% of its waste materials is diverted from landfills
2. Arrange for all recyclable materials such as shrink wrap and cardboard trays to be sent to a recycling center in Richmond, BC
3. Collect and recycle 100% of the single-serve plastic bottles from beverages consumed in Games’ venues.
4. Use hybrid delivery vehicles
5. Arrange for all staff uniforms to be made out of recycled bottles

Read more about this at Advertising Age.

What do you think? Is having sustainable, carbon-free corporate sponsors at the Olympic Games important to you?

By Ellen Underwood

American’s United for Change has released a new ad… equating Wall Street with a bunch of slop hungry pigs.

What do you think? Is it time for Obama to get tough on Wall Street?

The airlines have always had a hard time making a profit. Plenty of airlines have gone bankrupt over the years, feel free to google “bankrupt + airlines” — there is no shortage of results. According to MSNBC.com, “In the United States alone, the Air Transport Association records at least 100 airline bankruptcies since deregulation in 1978.”

So what will the fall out be after the drop some airlines witnessed in 2009? According to the International Air Transport Association, both international passenger demand and freight has dropped off. We’ve already seen Japan Airlines fall into bankruptcy this month and American Airlines, a partner of Japan Airlines, lost money in the fourth quarter as well. One of the causes of the drop off in international passenger demand appears to be a mixture of business travelers staying home as well as vacation travelers. 

 Even with less passengers, some airlines have been able to do well. Southwest Airlines saw a profit in 2009. Thanks to the airlines “bags fly free” campaign, it has increased its market share by 1 percent and now serves more passengers than any other U.S. airline. They have even added service to four new airports and given their employees raises.

Other airlines that reported profits include Airtran and Continental.

Wanting to get the most value for your money is nothing new. During hard economic times, most people want to stretch each dollar to its maximum potential. This is especially true whenever talking about a big expense, such as the cost of a college education.

Unfortunately, individual families aren’t the only ones who need help, state schools are also facing troubled times. Higher unemployment means less taxes being paid, and a higher demand for state services. Higher education budgets have been cut. According to Yahoo! Finance, “Universities that once relied on the income from fat endowments have yet to recoup multimillion-dollar losses to their portfolios. Families continue to apply for financial aid in record numbers. Meanwhile, enrollment at state institutions has spiked as more students go public and more people overall seek college degrees.”

While tuition has been on the rise, the quality of many of these schools has suffered. Public universities have cut operating costs which leads to bigger classrooms, part-time instructors, and limited enrollments.

Yahoo! Finance has put together a list of the “Best Value in Public Colleges 2009 – 2010.” My alma mater, University of Maryland, made the list! Along with some other really good schools, such as UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Virginia, and William and Mary, schools that are known as the ”Public Ivies.”  Here it is:

1. University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
2. University of Florida
3. University of Virginia
4. College of William & Mary (Va.)
5. Binghamton University
6. University of Georgia
7. University of Washington
8. University of Maryland, College Park
9. SUNY Geneseo
10. North Carolina State University

With California’s 15 percent mid-year tuition hike and the expected second hike of 15 percent coming this summer, it is no surprise that most of these schools are on the east coast.  Read the full article.