By most accounts, the commercial Internet was born in 1995 - the same year as today’s high school seniors. That makes this Taylor Swift and Snapchat-loving generation of teens the first wave of Americans who have literally never known life without the modern web.
So if you’d expect anybody to feel more at home spending money online than at a brick-and-mortar store, it might be them. But you would also be wrong. The investment bankers at Piper Jaffray & Co., which has long tracked teenager consumer habits, recently asked more than 5,000 teens whether they prefer to do their shopping on the Internet or IRL. read more »
FORT WORTH, Texas — Millennials struggling to get a foothold in a challenging economic environment are looking to a range of financial services providers for lower, more transparent fees and convenient access to their money, according to a new study released by Think Finance, a leading developer of online financial products that bridge the gap between payday loans and credit cards.
The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive, on behalf of Think Finance, among 1,021 Americans ages 18 to 34, and found that Millennials are using a mix of traditional and alternative financial services to meet their needs. While nearly all (92 percent) Millennials report that they currently use a bank, almost half (45 percent) indicate that they have supplemented banking services with some form of alternative financial product or service (e.g., prepaid debit card, money transfer service, check cashing, pawn shop, payday loan, etc.) within the past year. read more »
Visa Inc. sued Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in a bid to stop the world’s largest retailer from bringing price-fixing claims over merchant swipe fees.
Wal-Mart is among more than 7,000 retailers that dropped out of a multibillion-dollar settlement with Visa and MasterCard over the fees, which are charged to merchants when consumers pay with credit cards. In a complaint made public June 14 in a New York federal court, Visa said it wants to prevent “the continuation of endless, wasteful litigation between the parties.”
“Put simply, Visa seeks finality in its dispute with Wal-Mart,” the Foster City, Calif.-based credit card firm said in the complaint. read more »
The Building a Sustainable Economy (BASE) Bainbridge Lecture Series will feature a presentation by entrepreneur Michael “Luni” Libes on June 21, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Bainbridge Library.
His presentation will explore the similarities of philanthropy and social purpose investing through stories from Luni’s Fledge program, helping “impact” entrepreneurs with their business planning and launch. A reception will follow the lecture. Space is limited for the free event, and anyone who would like to attend should register at bainbridgeinvest.eventbrite.com. read more »
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) has issued dates for filing its recreational marijuana draft rules. The current timeline does not list specific dates. Instead it notes milestones as falling early, middle or late in a given month for the remainder of 2013.
Timeline
June 19 - Board work session on proposed rules (schedule will be posted here soon);
July 3 - Board files official draft rules (CR 102) with the state Code Reviser;
Aug. 7 - Public hearing on draft rules;
Aug. 14 - Board adopts rules; read more »
Bicycles for Humanity, a 501(c)3 charitable organization that ships bicycles to impoverished regions to improve people’s lives through transportation, is holding a collection drive June 22.
Bicycles and spare parts may be dropped off at Bethany Lutheran Church, 7985 Finch Road NE on Bainbridge Island, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The bicycles must have good frames, although the tires and remainder of the bike may be in any condition.
Bicycles for Humanity has no paid staff, as 100 percent of the work is done by volunteers. The donated bicycles will be shipped to South Africa to help people such as AIDS patients and orphans, children so they can get to school, and adults so they can get to work. read more »
WASHINGTON — Pressured by consumer-protection regulators, the Federal Housing Administration is expected to end one of its most controversial practices: charging borrowers interest on their home mortgages for weeks after they’ve paid off the entire principal balance.
Though FHA officials declined to discuss the matter, the agency will have to eliminate its long-standing policy of collecting a full month’s worth of interest — hundreds of dollars extra in many cases — even when borrowers terminate their loans earlier.
For instance, if you pay off your FHA loan July 3 in order to buy a new house with a conventional mortgage, the FHA will demand interest charges on your mortgage through July 31, collecting it out of the settlement proceeds. read more »
PR Newswire
SEATTLE — Horizon Air and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) announced they have reached tentative agreement on a new five-year contract for the carrier’s nearly 500 flight attendants.
“This tentative agreement reflects the hard work and cooperation by the negotiating committees for AFA and the company,” said Diana Shaw, Horizon Air’s vice president of customer service. “By working together, Horizon and AFA were able to create an agreement that recognizes the hard work and excellent customer service our flight attendants provide to our customers and meets the goals of the company.” read more »
When it comes to drinking water, Portland is an odd duck. Since 1956, voters have consistently rejected adding minuscule amounts of fluoride to their water supply to prevent tooth decay. They again flocked to the polls in May to kill the latest ballot measure.
America is a fluoride nation. In 1945, Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first city in the world to add fluoride to its water supply. As of 2010, the nation’s 30 most populous cities include fluoride in their water supply.
More than 220 million Americans drink fluoridated water every day — except for the 900,000 Portlanders who draw their drinking water from the Bull Run River flowing from Mt. Hood. read more »
