Posts by analogwolf60

I sure hope you don't think so.

darkmaker94 said:Ever actually looked closely at a bill? 🙂

The serial number shows up in the top left corner and again in the bottom right. That means if you were to slice it right down the middle—lengthwise or widthwise, doesn't matter—you’d end up with a serial number on both halves. 😉

Man... I just assumed both numbers had to be visible.

darkmaker94 said:Oh, really?! So what you're saying is I can just rip a $333 bill right down the middle, take one half to a local bank branch, then head to a different one with the other half and walk away with $333 (making $667 total)? 😬

I highly doubt that works. 😁

Did you even read what it says there? You have to be able to read the serial number. If you rip a bill in two, you can pretty much only exchange the part where the serial number is still visible.

I can't really say for sure... maybe I'm overthinking it, but I don't know. It feels like there's more to the story than what we're seeing on the surface right now. Just my two cents, I guess. The user said:
I mean, why even bother looking at the standard model when you could just get the family edition? It’s clearly the better fit for you and your wife, and honestly, it’s practically half the price too. I guess it just makes sense.👍

Yeah, on the surface? Sure. But I guess you really have to watch out for all that fine print... those tiny little details they hide at the bottom.

Lawrence Cruz said:That’s true, but the logic follows that half of America—students who have been in school for years while working—could theoretically qualify for the Zaba fan $1.75. But they can't. If you're earning an income, that specific model is off the table.

It's the same story with the senior fan. You have people receiving survivor benefits—say, after losing a spouse—alongside their own salary, and even they don't qualify for the senior fan.

I don't really buy the idea that income is what stops you here. I guess the real hurdle is just... well, not having a transcript that proves you're currently enrolled in an academic year.

A quote from the JPMorgan Chase website:
"To qualify for our Student Fan program, you must be an adult enrolled in a full-time degree program at an accredited American university or college; this includes those studying for personal enrichment or graduate students."

The thing is, a ton of people doing grad school or studying for fun are already working full-time. It’s mostly the undergrads—or whatever they call it since the whole system changed to the new credit system—who are either unemployed or just picking up odd jobs through some temp agency, which doesn't even count as a steady paycheck.

Taking out a loan when you don't actually need it... it's just never worth the headache.

Only you really know if it's a necessity or not.

I guess that's your answer to the last question.

Thomas Ortiz3 said:Sure, but I wonder how functional that really is in a system where the shadow economy is so pervasive. Personal bankruptcy might just increase the number of people living on minimum wage while everyone else gets paid under the table. If we move toward bankruptcy reform, we also need to get serious about cracking down on the underground economy...

That’s a fair point.

Lawrence Cruz said:NO, they absolutely cannot freeze an account just for that reason. Honestly, I don't understand where people get this nonsense from.

They might eventually remove someone from the Zaba fan program, and even then, only if they notice a regular paycheck hitting the account. How is a bank supposed to know someone isn't a student anymore?

Getting a paycheck isn't really an argument, though. Someone could be a full-time student—especially a grad student—and still have a job.

True, but honestly, it’s all kind of underwhelming. If anything, I feel like the "separation" should be even more pronounced than it already is.

Larry Howard4 said:I’m circling back to the question I posted earlier here:
So, I’ve got this student checking account at Chase, but I haven't been a student for over a year now. Every time I walk into the branch, the staff asks if I want to switch to a standard account, and every single time, I just end up grabbing a handful of flyers like I actually need to sit down and weigh my options. Recently, a friend of mine who works over at Chase told me I should probably just get it sorted, because apparently, Chase has the right to freeze my account just to force my hand on the matter. Is that actually true? Can they really pull a move like that? I'm not even overdrawn or anything, so it feels a bit heavy-handed.

1. They can't freeze your account.
2. You should probably check the actual contract you signed when you first opened the account. It’ll list any requirements tied to that specific student plan, and honestly, all your answers are probably buried in there somewhere.
3. If I were running a bank—which is just a thought, obviously, and what they *could* do is covered in point 2—I’d handle it differently:
- I’d give you a grace period, maybe a few months after your student status expires, to pick a different option (like a standard checking account or a basic debit setup).
- Once that time is up, I’d just move you off the student plan. I wouldn't force you to pick a new one, but I'd start charging the full, non-student price for all those services you're using. I don't think they have any legal ground to force a choice on you, so I wouldn't try it.

I’ve always felt that personal bankruptcy and debt restructuring are actually pretty great tools. I mean, they benefit everyone involved, not just the people drowning in debt. If things worked properly, major banks like JPMorgan Chase would respond by offering serious perks to people who stay on top of their bills—maybe bumping up savings rates or dropping loan interest. Meanwhile, they could "penalize" the folks who default by just cutting off access to new credit. Right now, though, it feels like everyone gets treated the same because, at the end of the day, the banks know they can squeeze money out of anyone eventually.

Morgan Morgan5 said:I’ll be the first to admit—I’m a total amateur when it comes to economics. Still, I can't help but wonder about the logic behind these currency clauses attached to savings accounts and loans, especially when the exchange rate isn't even expected to shift. For instance, if those clauses didn't exist, I'd probably pull the trigger on an auto loan for roughly $25000 tomorrow. To be honest, the fear of sudden devaluation is what stops me. But here's my dilemma: if both the banks and the government don't seem to fully trust the stability of the dollar—given how they bake these currency protections into almost everything—how am I (especially as a layman) supposed to have any confidence 🤷? This kind of clause has been around for the last decade or so (if my memory serves me right), so it doesn't really feel tied to our upcoming integration into the European Union ☕
So, please, help me make sense of this—I know my way around macroeconomics is pretty limited 🙏

If we're talking about a currency clause for loans, and it's tied to the Euro, it’s not really something a person with a mortgage or a car loan should lose sleep over. After all, houses and cars are priced in Euros anyway, not dollars.

Just imagine you buy a car for $31667 (let's say a Civic), then the Euro climbs to $3.00, and five years later you sell it—not for $15000, but for $17333 (or basically $1,000 more based on today's rates). Wouldn't you say that's fair too?

Ryan Sanders4 said:If FDR really stashed two billion dollars in Swiss accounts, as some outlets are claiming—and let's face it, that's money he basically embezzled—I don't see why Jovanka or Mexico should get a single cent. That money belongs to all the former republics of America.

The US government needs to look into this and challenge those ownership claims right now.

If that were actually true, Jovanka would have been living in poverty in Mexico City for twenty years. Can you even imagine? She’d be lounging on the Cayman Islands, sipping cocktails, and she wouldn't give a damn about what's happening over here.