Thus, I decided to officially give myself some time off now, and to let you know about it so you don’t wonder if this site has been abandoned completely or not. No, it hasn’t. I will be back. 

But don’t expect anything before April. 

Best, Daniel

While I do not want to advocate changing your checking account every month to keep up with the latest rate changes, I am still amazed at the number of customers regular retail banks have that offer nothing or so little in interest rates on their checking accounts. Bank customers must be a very loyal (or lazy?) bunch, otherwise most of the (especially larger) banks could not sustain offering such lame terms. What should as decent checking account offer in 2008? I believe at a minimum the following:

1. FDIC insurance
2. Free
3. ATM reimbursements
4. High interest rate yield (how about up to 6% right now?)
5. Online access and transactions exportable into money software (such as Quicken, Money etc.)
6. Free debit card

Some of these features are often linked to fulfilling certain conditions, such as a certain number of transactions, debit card purchases, regular incoming wire deposit (salary etc.). If you don’t have any of these features you might want to check out some of these sites:

• https://www.checkingfinder.com/
• http://www.highyieldcheckingdeals.com
• http://www.bankrate.com

I am currently banking with EverBank, and am fairly happy with it, but I am considering a change given they are offering only half of the highest rate available right now. I value though that there are no strings attached to the account (no minimum anything). The ATM reimbursement is a bit cumbersome though, as you need to send them the ATM slips in via their bank by mail envelopes (provided). Also, incoming wire transfers are free. Outgoing ones are $50 and thus a rip-off, but very fast. I sent money to Germany in the past and it arrived within 72h.

In any case, paying for checking should be a thing of the past, and you should at least get a somewhat decent interest rate on your checking account, otherwise, you might consider looking around for something better.

It’s a bit like imagining a world without iPod’s and iPhone’s and without the Internet (what were people doing all day?). Technological advantage is one thing though, while cultural change usually needs more time to really get beyond the “accepted” or “tolerated” stage into the truly “normal”. So, my personal judgement is we have not reached the normal stage here, indicated by a rate of only 41% of white voters who voted for Obama.

On the ride home the other day I listened to NPR’s Fresh Air program and PBS’s Bill Moyers commented on the election and the society today. I have to say, even with just 41%, we have come a long way. It’s time to reflect and enjoy this moment and not rush to fast into the daily business. Who knows if this would have been possible in Western Europe. While they are all cheering now that the Bush era is over, are they all ready to vote for “their own Obama” in their country?

Congratulations, Mr. President-Elect Barack Obama!

You can also see John McCain’s concession speech, which was also very impressive:

Well said, it’s time for a new era now. I guess there are enough problems to be solved.

Total Federal Burden
$52,700,000,000,000

Every American’s Share
$175,000

So it’s time to save some cash. It has gotten so bad that, that more and more people are trying to create more awareness and do something about it. There is even a movie about it, supported by people like investor Warren Buffett.

Download yourself the citizens guide to understand more about this.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

Here is one on the more entertaining side, but very fascinating and simply amazing from a Math perspective. In “MatheMagic”, in a lively show, mathemagician Arthur Benjamin races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares, solves another massive mental equation and guesses a few birthdays. How does he do it? He’ll tell you. Sit back and enjoy:

Despite that, the situation in the hospital required some attention. Not that the hospitals are not well equipped, but there is something to say to the fact that hospitals in Germany are vastly understaffed these days. It was an eye opener, and will result in another blog post soon. Anyway, I am back, so expect some more content soon.

What Part of Legal Immigration Don't You Understand?

It’s so simple, right? Just pick one of the paths that fits you best and you are almost in…

I have to say, after watching Cramer for a few days in a row now, reading the WSJ, and digging through various sites on the Internet, I thought this was probably the best summary I have heard so far. I highly encourage you to spend the 40 minutes and listen to the interview, as the $700 billion bailout come out of your pocket if you are here in the U.S. and the crisis has most likely affected you already, no matter where you are.