Waiting for your coronavirus stimulus check?
If you haven’t received your coronavirus stimulus check yet, there’s a chance you’ll get it in the form of a prepaid debit card rather than a check in the mail. The Treasury Department announced Monday that around 4 million people who do not have their direct deposit information on file with the IRS will receive a prepaid debit card with their stimulus funds on it. “Prepaid debit cards are secure, easy to use and allow us to deliver Americans their money quickly,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement. “Recipients can immediately activate and use the cards safely.” The Economic Impact Payments are worth up to $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for couples, plus $500 for eligible dependents. Issued through Treasury’s U.S. Debit Card program, the Economic Impact Payment cards, as Treasury is calling them, are Visa debit cards that can make purchases online and at retailers, transfer funds…
Economic crisis recovery perceptions low: TRA
New Delhi: India’s crisis recovery perceptions are positive on the health front but lagging in terms of economic recovery, a white-paper by consumer insights and brand analytics company TRA Research said. There is a significant gap between the ongoing national lockdown in terms of decision making and implementation, and fears of long-term financial and economic impact are prominent among citizens, the white-paper said. TRA Research chief executive N. Chandramouli said: “There are also big gaps in information and knowledge about the coronavirus transmission. The misinformation is impacting attitudes and actions of citizens.” While consumer trust about India’s ability to combat the health crisis is considerably high, the belief that India will be able to combat the economic crisis is significantly lower, he said. The white-paper said within the Family Worry Index, the highest concern across cities was that the family may contract the disease, while job/business loss was the second…
Paul Volcker, inflation-busting economist who served under six presidents, dies at 92
“Volcker was the man who made America a country that was regarded as not willing to take inflation anymore,” one financial analyst said. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who guided economic policy for more than half a century and served under six presidents, died Sunday. He was 92. Perhaps best known in recent years for his work with President Barack Obama to pull the nation out of the depths of recession in 2008, Volcker was instrumental in setting speculative limits for financial institutions to cull risks that could bring down the financial system, a construct known as the Volcker Rule. “Paul A. Volcker was a giant among American public servants,” Thomas W. Ross, president of the Volcker Alliance, said in a statement issued Monday morning. “He was a man of great courage and integrity who committed most of his working life to the public good. Mr. Volcker was admired…
Most Generous People in the World – part 2
Last week we show you 5 most generous people in the world, moving on, we will show you top 5 most generous people in the world : 5. Charles Francis Feeney Lifetime donations: $6.3 billion Net worth: $1.5 million Generosity Index: 420,000% Known as the “James Bond of philanthropy,” retail magnate Chuck Feeney is on a mission to give away his entire fortune – and with his current net worth down to $1.5 million, it seems he’s succeeded. The Atlantic Philanthropies, Feeney’s foundation, supports education, science, healthcare, and civil-rights causes across several countries, including the US, Vietnam, and Bermuda. 4. Azim Premji Lifetime donations: $8 billion Net worth: $15.9 billion Generosity Index: 50% In addition to serving as the chairman of Indian consulting and IT company Wipro,Azim Premji is the founder and chairman of the Azim Premji Foundation, which works to reform India’s school and examination systems. The organization operates…
Most Generous People in the World – part 1
As 14th February is the day of love, what else is the love if not spreading your own wealth in the finance world? Pioneering American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie once set the standard for giving back: “No man can become rich without himself enriching others,” he said. “The man who dies rich dies disgraced.” Scores of the world’s wealthiest people have taken to his philosophy, donating their riches to hundreds of causes. We will show you 10 individuals who are the top philanthropists in the world. 10. George Kaiser Lifetime donations: $3.3 billion Net worth: $9.3 billion Generosity Index: 35% George Kaiser, chairman of BOK Financial Corporation, also founded the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which gives to educational, health, religious, social, and community-development-related causes, includingthe Tulsa Community College Foundation, Oklahoma City Educare, National Energy Policy Institute, the Tulsa Community Foundation and the University of Tulsa. In 2010, Kaiser joined the Giving…
International Finance Invest
With the new year is coming, our comitment to serve you with excellent quality and dedication for your business will never fade. There will be lots of new opportunity this year as we grow bigger and better than ever before. All of us in International Finance Invest give you a Happy New Year 2020! Work with us and make YOUR BUSINESS DREAM COMES TRUE!
How Financial Institutions Can Maximize Their Holiday Promotional Campaigns
The holiday season keeps growing more complicated for financial marketers. A swirl of new factors impacting retailing offers more ways than ever to promote credit services. Two key questions must be addressed: Should financial marketers spend earlier in the season to beat the crowd and actually connect with consumers before they tune out? Is there any advantage in targeting potential credit spenders by gender or generation? The answers are particularly important as competition for consumer credit comes from more directions than ever. A visit to the website of online point-of-sale lender Affirm, for example, shows how many brands popular with younger generations have partnered with this nonbank, nontraditional lender. In early 2019 Affirm announced a partnership with Walmart to offer its payment plans both at its stores and through Walmart.com. Say ‘Merry Christmas’ Before It’s Too Late Here’s a fundamental query: When does the holiday shopping period begin? You might…
Jamie Dimon says Sen. Elizabeth Warren ‘vilifies successful people’
Jamie Dimon is wading into the ongoing feud between Sen. Elizabeth Warren and American billionaires including money manager Leon Cooperman. Dimon, himself a billionaire thanks to his decades running some of the biggest U.S. lenders, was asked by CNBC’s Wilfred Frost if Democratic presidential hopeful Warren was anti-business. “You really have to ask her what she really means,” Dimon said in the interview, parts of which were scheduled to air on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” “She uses some pretty harsh words, you know, some would say vilifies successful people,” Dimon said. “I don’t like vilifying anybody. I think we should applaud successful people.” Warren has been chiding billionaires critical of her proposal to raise taxes on the ultra rich to help defray the costs of her ambitious plans to reduce inequality in the U.S. That has led to a public spat with Cooperman, who, among other things, has said that Warren…
China agreed with the US to cancel existing trade tariffs in phases
China’s Commerce Ministry said Thursday that Beijing had agreed with Washington to lift existing trade tariffs between the two nations in phases. Gao Feng, a spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry, said that both sides had agreed to simultaneously cancel some existing tariffs on one another’s goods, according to the country’s state broadcaster. The ministry spokesperson said that both sides were closer to a so-called phase one trade agreement after constructive negotiations over the past two weeks. One important condition for a limited trade agreement, Feng insisted, was that the U.S. and China must remove the same amount of charges at the same time. Fresh hopes for a phase one trade accord prompted U.S. stock index futures to rally Thursday morning, with Dow futures poised to open up more than 120 points. Market participants had expected the two economic giants to sign a deal later this month, after both Washington and…
Payments just got a lot easier in China
A few months ago, I got out of a taxi upon arriving at my hotel in Beijing. As mainstream credit cards are uncommon and rarely accepted here, I handed the driver cash. I couldn’t speak Chinese and he couldn’t speak English. He shook his head fiercely refusing the payment and pointed to his phone. He wanted me to pay through QR code — a popular method for payments in China. After much back and forth and me telling him I didn’t have WeChat Pay or AliPay, I handed the cash to the hotel door staff. The staff member didn’t have any cash on him to provide change (we decided to let it go), and he then used his personal phone to pay the driver through QR code. This inconvenient scenario is common for foreigners like myself visiting China — it’s not just with transportation. Even at American staples like Starbucks…