Credit Card Fraud

Grant Nauman
27 January 2020

Credit Card Fraud 

As we become adults, you may get a credit card from the card company or your bank and hoping it never happens to you that you become a victim of credit card fraud. Credit card fraud is the most common type of identity theft and can happen at any time. Most importantly, at some point in your adult life, it could happen and you should know what to do if you’re a victim of credit card fraud or in that situation. 

Background Info
Credit card fraud is when someone uses your credit card or credit account to make a purchase you didn’t authorize. Every year, millions of Americans become victims of credit card fraud that costs the national economy billions of dollars. Credit Card Fraud can happen in different ways such as if you lose your card or it was stolen, it can be used by someone to make purchases or other transactions, such as withdrawing money from your savings or checking account, either online or in-person. Another way it can happen is that a fraudster can also steal your credit card account number, PIN and security code to make unauthorized transactions, without needing your credit card present. 

Even though your credit card is safely in your wallet, it’s important to monitor all your credit card accounts regularly. What you should do if discover that someone has made unauthorized charges on your credit card account, you should:

• Right away contact the credit card company because if you don’t you could be charged with paying more money than you usually do and can be held responsible for $50 of any fraud charges.
• Change your online passwords and PINs to prevent any damage caused by the fraudster. 
• Closely monitor your account activity and purchases because this can be especially helpful if you’re not sure how your info was compromised. 
• If you notice any fraud on your bank statements then contact your bank immediately. 
• Lastly, request a copy of your credit report, there’s often signs of fraud such as new accounts that don’t recognize and will show up on the credit card statement first. 

These are the actions or steps to take if you become a victim of credit card fraud.

  

Statistics show that in 2018, $24.26 billion was lost due to payment card fraud worldwide not just in the United States. The United States leads as the most leading country for credit card fraud with 38.6% of cards that were reported stolen or lost by criminals in 2018. In the past 4 to 5 years the graph has increased overtime for the number of credit card fraud reports in the United States and continues to increase over time. Credit Card fraud is the most common and popular kind of identity theft and makes up 35.4% of all identity theft reports. People who are in there ’30s have the highest number of credit card fraud reports which is 40,182. Those are some of the statistics on Credit Card fraud. The most common states California, Georgia, and Nevada for the most on reports of credit card fraud. In Wisconsin, 64 reports per 100k population and the total number of reports in Wisconsin is 3,731.

Credit Card Fraud Punishment
If you were to ask someone what the punishment is for Credit Card fraud it all depends on what state you live in because different states have different laws in prosecuting and classifying it. It can lead to a minor offense meaning you pay a small fine, rarely jail time. A minor offense typically includes stealing the cars but not using it. If it was a misdemeanor, then it’s a combination of a higher fine such as $1,000 or so and sentenced up to one year in the county jail. A misdemeanor in most cases is when the scammer uses a small amount from the stolen credit card such as $500. Now, if it was a felony it would be the most serious crime that often comes with the highest fine ever such as $25,000 and 15 years in prison. So, if you find someone’s card on the ground turn it immediately to the police department and won’t be arrested for Credit Card fraud.     


In the future, if you ever become a victim or experienced credit card fraud then you know what to do if it happens and you’re protecting your credit account from your bank or card company and also not paying at least $50 if someone made unauthorized purchases.

Works Cited

Hg.org, www.hg.org/credit-card-fraud.html.
“Credit Card Fraud Statistics.” [Updated October 2019] Shift Processing, shiftprocessing.com/credit-card-fraud-statistics/.

“Credit Card Fraud: What to Do If You're a Victim.” Experian, 21 Sept. 2018, www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/credit-education/preventing-fraud/credit-card-fraud-what-to-do-if-you-are-a-victim/.

Dukovski, Kliment, et al. “What's the Punishment for Credit Card Fraud?” Finder US, 12 Nov. 2019, www.finder.com/credit-card-fraud-punishment.

“Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud Statistics for 2019.” The Ascent, www.fool.com/the-ascent/research/identity-theft-credit-card-fraud-statistics/.

Recessions and Fraud

Written by: Ian Young

Recessions are a natural part of the business cycle, because what goes up must come down, and nothing lasts forever. Now a lot of people think recessions don’t have a good side, that they are a necessary evil. This is a legitimate argument, since aggregate output and spending of the country drops, investor’s confidence in the markets tumble, and in severe cases deflation becomes present and worrisome. However I am an optimist, and I believe if you look hard enough everything has a silver lining, and I found one for recessions. Stories of fraud come forward into the limelight, and if you ever have had an extended conversation with me you know that I love hearing about fraud cases. Recessions have two ways about bringing fraud forward; they cause the collapse of investing fraud which prompts investigations, and they provide motivation to people to commit other types of fraud.



The 2008 recession caused the collapse of more than 150 different ponzi schemes, including those of Allen Stanford, Tom Petters, Scott Rothstein, Marc Drier, and, you guessed it, Bernie Madoff. The question though, why could the recession stop Bernie Madoff when Harry Markopolos, a person who was informing the SEC of Madoff’s questionable “investment” firm for nearly a decade, couldn’t? The reason is this: people don’t question where their returns are coming from during times of prosperity. Bernie Madoff claimed to use a “Split-strike conversion” technique of investing, which, cards on the table, I don’t completely understand. But the only thing important to understand is that the strategy revolves around stocks, so when the stock prices started to tumble in 2008, a lot of people wanted to sell their investments and convert back into nice stable cash. There was only one problem, there was no cash or investments. The reason why the recessions are so efficient at exposing ponzi schemes is because ponzi schemes are like fires, they constantly need more fuel to stay burning, and the bigger they are the more fuel they need. Since the recession decreases consumer spending it takes away the fuel from the fire, and then it’s lights out for ponzi schemes.

While recessions take away fuel from ponzi schemes it provides it for the “accidental fraudster.” The “accidental fraudster” is a term coined by fraud examiners for people who are completely law abiding citizens, except for maybe a speeding ticket or two, until they commit fraud out of the blue. Make no mistake though, it is no accident that these people commit fraud. The reason why is because all cases committed by accidental fraudsters have three aspects in similar, and these three aspects form what is called the fraud triangle. The first aspect is perceived opportunity, and this is an opportunity for the person in question to commit fraud and get away with it. The next aspect is justification, this is what people tell themselves so they can sleep at night knowing they committed fraud. The final aspect is perceived pressure, because no rational human being steals money when life is great, they steal money because they think it is their only option. A good example of a pressure would be, oh I don’t know, say a recession? That is right, so not only will you see headlines of fraud in newspapers, but if you get lucky, you might just see it in your workplace too. Hopefully though, it won’t be you committing the fraud, because that is just unethical.

So the next time a recession hits us, don’t get yourself down. Instead make yourself a glass of hot apple cider, cozy up on the couch with a nice warm blanket, put on the smooth jazz of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, grab the business section of your favorite newspaper, and read all about the crazy fraud cases that come to light.

Works Cited

Anderson, Curt. “The Recession Exposed Ponzi Schemes in 2009.” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 29 Dec. 2009, www.richmond.com/business/the-recession-exposed-ponzi-schemes-in/article_c61db748-8257-5e4c-97ad-5e9ad4b451e7.html.

London, Adam Smith /. “The Reasons Fraud Spikes in a Recession.” Time, Time Inc., 20 May 2009, content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1899798,00.html.

Parten, Constance. “Diary of a Scam: The Fall of Power Attorney Marc Dreier.” CNBC, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2011, www.cnbc.com/id/42572204.

PricewaterhouseCoopers. “US PwC.” PwC, www.pwc.com/.

Rice, Douglas. “Invest Like Madoff - Without The Jail Time.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 18 Nov. 2019, www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0809/invest-like-madoff---without-the-jail-time.aspx.

Vardi, Nathan. “Allen Stanford Convicted In $7 Billion Ponzi Scheme.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 8 Mar. 2012, www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2012/03/06/allen-stanford-convicted-in-7-billion-ponzi-scheme/#63bbdb1d5388.

Best Financial College Decisions

Best Financial College Decisions
Hunter M. Mason

In today’s society, it is highly uncommon for younger generations to not attend a form of college, whether that be a community college, technical college, or a University. This is due to the amount of high paying jobs and careers that require a bachelor, associates, or even a master’s degree. However, with the amount of high paying jobs that come from a college degree, it is important to consider the amount of money that must be spent on college tuition as it can reach an outlandish amount of money for the vast majority of people. Making wise financial decisions is especially crucial when considering which college would, in the long run, be most beneficial depending on the career path that is chosen.

The most important first step is finding a college that is comfortable, affordable, and most of all one that fits all the requirements for the education that will ensue for the next four years of your life. The best option for a Wisconsinite is staying within the home state. This serves as two purposes, not only for comfortability but also makes colleges much more affordable than if someone decided to go out of state. Staying and going to college in the state you grew up in allows you to stay relatively familiar with your surroundings and even gives you countless more opportunities to continually visit your family members. Thus, allowing you to feel more relaxed and at ease. As I stated previously, this isn’t the only thing that will make you feel more relaxed. The knowledge that the college tuition was spent at a lower cost, will significantly boost your morale when attending that desired college. Finally, making sure the college has all the desired requirements is an essential part when making the final decision on which college you should ultimately attend.



As of currently in the United States, the average cost for a public University is $20,000 per year for each student and the average cost for a technical/community college is around $5,000 per year. The amount of money it takes to get into a great University and to get a great education sadly isn’t available to everyone, but attending a technical/community college isn’t a bad idea at all. Right now, 70% of students end up with some amount of debt after they leave college, and on average it will take each student 21 years to pay that off. That’s why it’s extremely essential to find a college that is in your price range, so when you get out of college you don’t have to pay off as much debt and spend a heap loads amount of money.

Along with this, finding the perfect major in high school by doping extensive research before you go to college is a great way to get ahead of the game. On average, 80% of college students end up switching their college majors at least once at some point. Doing this isn’t a terrible idea, and will, in the long run, make you a happier and more engaged person during your work career. Although, by switching your major, you’ve essentially wasted time and money into something that you will never get back. By getting ahead of the curb, doing extensive research, and possibly even job shadowing before going into college, you have eliminated much of the possibility that you will switch majors and lose money.

Losing money is something that no one wants to do, and at this age, you only want to think about continually gaining, improving, and saving money in the future. Going to college is a huge investment, but it is highly important to get a great education to get a dream job and career. Nine out of ten jobs currently go to those with a college degree. That gives you only a 10% chance of not going to college and boosts it up to 90% from just attending and getting a degree from college. College is extremely important, and from this information, it should everyone who is thinking of going to college make the right financial decisions.

Works Cited

Goldstein, Steve. “Nine out of 10 New Jobs Are Going to Those with a College Degree.” MarketWatch, 5 June 2018, www.marketwatch.com/story/nine-out-of-10-new-jobs-are-going-to-those-with-a-college-degree-2018-06-04.

Hayes, Abby. “14 Things Every High School Student Should Know About Money.” The Dough

Roller, The Dough Roller, 3 Dec. 2019, www.doughroller.net/personal-finance/13-things-every-high-school-student-should-know-about-money/.

Song, Justin. “Average Cost of College in America: 2019 Report.” ValuePenguin, ValuePenguin, 8 Dec. 2019, www.valuepenguin.com/student-loans/average-cost-of-college.

“Supply and Demand of College Degrees: 101.” ChicagoNow Is Full of Win,
www.chicagonow.com/college-scoop/2016/07/supply-and-demand-of-college-degrees-101/.

“Why Do so Many People in America Have Student Debt?” Marketplace, 2 Oct. 2019, www.marketplace.org/2019/09/30/70-of-college-students-graduate-with-debt-how-did-we-get-here/.

Is Amazon Downsizing

Is Amazon Downsizing
Drew Drazy

Amazon has recently laid off more than a hundred employees in an Ohio third party delivery service. This is reportedly only the beginning of a 925 employee “mass layoff” by the company. When it comes to a massive company such as Amazon, you may wonder why they would want to downsize their employee numbers with the Christmas season right around the corner. From a consumer standpoint, more employees is often associated with increased productivity and higher quality customer service. When observing this situation from a economic stand point, there may be a major problem on their hands.

One explanation could be decreasing marginal benefit with every new employee hired. The company may have over estimated their needed amount of employees and are now experiencing negative side effects. Imagine that you are trying to assemble lego pieces from a normal sized desk. Easy, right? Now add 10 more people to the desk with all of them trying to assemble pieces. Your arms would begin to run into one another and you may even grab the same piece as somebody else. A similar situation could be happening within Amazon. To apply it to the context of the article, there may be too many drivers and not enough vans to drive due to a surplus of employees and a shortage of vans.



Another explanation could be the introduction of automation in both production and delivery. When Amazon’s first warehouse opened in 1995, workers walked an average of 30 miles a day, sometimes more. Today, the average is more in the range of 10-20 miles a day. This is partially due to complaints by the employees which resulted in automation to reduce human labor. Because robots and machine are exponentially more efficient than humans, we may see the company makes changes in the direction of completely removing human labor from their warehouses all together. Machines and robots have always been seen as the way of the future for decades. Is it possible that we are at the point where we will more commonly see more robots than humans in the workplace? This would also eliminate another cost by removing the salaries of their workers and covering their healthcare.

Works Cited

“More than 100 Ohio Workers Laid off after Amazon Ends Contract with Third-Party Delivery Company.” WKYC, 14 Oct. 2019, www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cuyahoga-county/more-than-100-ohio-workers-laid-off-after-amazon-cancels-contract-with-delivery-company/95-5f8cfa60-48dd-4587-93f9-42b99e1b5c89.

Spitznagel, Eric. “Inside the Hellish Workday of an Amazon Warehouse Employee.” New York Post, New York Post, 15 July 2019, www.nypost.com/2019/07/13/inside-the-hellish-workday-of-an-amazon-warehouse-employee/.     

Dastin, Jeffrey. “Exclusive: Amazon Rolls out Machines That Pack Orders and Replace Jobs.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 13 May 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-automation-exclusive/exclusive-amazon-rolls-out-machines-that-pack-orders-and-replace-jobs-idUSKCN1SJ0X1.

French vs. US Health Care

Written by: Jival C.


There has been a lot of heat about health care and it’s efficiency in the US. From Bernie to Warren to Biden, the topic is numero uno in importance. Why? Well because our system is abysmal compared to other developed countries. 




Looking at this graph we spend almost 3X per person on health care than our friends across the pond. If we are paying a higher price we should receive better health care. If only that was true. If it was this argument would have ended much sooner. The fact is that we receive average or worse health care but pay the most.  We have fewer doctors per person,MRI’s per person, than other developed countries according to NCBI.gov.The survivability of many procedures are also lower in the US. We even visit the doctor 3X less than Germany and 5X less than Japan, but pay more than them, according to the US National Institute of Health. The statistics are given by our government, criticizing themselves; That’s how you know the situation is dire. We all understand how the US health care system works but for a recap, let me explain. The US health care system is provided by many large organizations owned privately. 60% of hospitals are non-profit, 20% for profit and the rest is government owned. There are 3 main insurance sectors, private, medicare and medicaid. Medicare is eligible for all 65 and over and is administered by the national government. Medicaid is meant for the poor and is administered by the individual states and the national government. Medicaid and Medicare cost 9% of our gdp, the same percentage as the UK's NHS but that funds 90% of their population while we only provide insurance for 35%. 



France is considered to have the best health care in the world and is a great model for a country like the US. They insure everybody in the country, even immigrants. There is a copay of 20% but the prices are negotiated so you may only pay 10-20 euros for the copay while the rest of the bill is incurred by the government. The US has a problem with accepting completely socialized health care, France provides a middle ground. Their system is a combination of the Bevridge model,completely run by the government and the Bismarck Model, government funded and tight control but made up of several non-profit private insurance groups. The French have not completely taken control of their health care as most doctors are private and 40% of their hospitals are privately run. Another factor that makes this type of government not completely Bevridge model is that they have several insurance funds instead of just one fund, so basically several insurance companies. They compete with each other and that stimulates growth.These funds are funded by taxpayers and companies.


The French also have a card called carte vitale which identifies you and allows your entire medical history to easily transfer over to different hospitals and doctors. That happens often in France as you get to pick any doctor and none of them can turn you down. The wait times in France is less than the wait time in the US as well which makes a good argument for this system. This system is expensive for global standards but compared to the US it is very cheap. France uses 11% of gdp while US uses 17%. Even though they are paying less their system is ranked better and has better results even with their chronic addiction to cigarettes. This system shows that universal health care can be done well and without a government run system, it provides something Americans are familiar with--choice in insurance funds-- and then provides something Americans can be pleasantly delighted about--complete freedom of choice of doctors.

The inelasticity of healthcare makes it an industry better accomplished with government intervention. That is why the French healthcare system is so effective, it keeps the good of the private insurance,choice, and gives you the benefits of public insurance, choice of doctors and cheaper insurance. If the US implements a system like this, we would save about 1 trillion dollars every year, with that kind of money our debt

Works Cited

“Five Countries - Health Care Systems -- The Four Basic Models | Sick Around The World | FRONTLINE.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/models.html.

“Health Care Reform: Learning From Other Major Health Care Systems | Princeton Public Health Review.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, pphr.princeton.edu/2017/12/02/unhealthy-health-care-a-cursory-overview-of-major-health-care-systems/.

“Health Care in France.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_France.

“Health Care in the United States.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States.

“How Does the U.S. Healthcare System Compare to Other Countries?” Peter G. Peterson Foundation, www.pgpf.org/blog/2019/07/how-does-the-us-healthcare-system-compare-to-other-countries.

MorabitoCM. “France's Health-Care System Was Ranked as the World's Best-Here's How It Compares with the US'.” CNBC, CNBC, 11 June 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/05/17/france-versus-the-united-states-how-the-two-nations-health-care-systems-compare.html.

Renting vs. Buying

Renting vs Buying: What’s better for you?
Emily Brandenburg

The future is coming at a rate much faster than any of us can really comprehend, and before we know it, we’re going to be in college and thinking about how to be a functioning adult once we’re done. If you’re not going to college, it’s coming even sooner than you think. It’s a pretty terrifying thought, at least to me, but I’ll be here to help you begin to decide what you might want to do once you’re out of college, or at least the dorms, and looking to find somewhere to live.

Now, this house, apartment, or condo might not be where you’re going to live the rest of your life, and that’s perfectly reasonable. However, it’s gonna be a place you’re living in for a sizable portion of your new adult life, and you need to make sure it’s a good place to be. So, let’s assume you’re faced with an option: to rent this beautiful home, or buy it. Sure, it might be a one time offer, and this house might really be what you want to start a whole family in, but is it really in your budget, or even your best interests?

According to Dave Ramsey, you’re not ready to buy a house until you’re completely out of debt. Assuming that you go to college, the majority of us are going to have to pay for at least one year out of pocket, which means you’ll also most likely have to take out loans, resulting in the dreaded debt. In any case, if you have any sort of debt, whether it be for college, a car, or really anything that you might use it for, it’s not a good idea to buy a house.

However, if you don’t plan to go to college and/or have no debt, there are still more factors at play in your decision. For instance, if you’re not sure where you’re going in life, listen to the advice of Jennifer Franklin; she says “if you’re moving to an unfamiliar city, have an unstable job situation or don’t know what neighborhood will feel like home, renting for a period of time can be a great option”. This is an excellent nugget of information to think about. You need to be in a stable mindset to buy your own home, and know that this is where you want to stay for a long time. If that’s not a definite answer for you, then consider renting instead.

There are economic advantages and disadvantages to these decisions as well. When it comes to buying a home, you have a chance to increase your wealth. What I mean by this is that you can use the taxes you pay for your house, whether it be mortgage interest or simply property taxes, you have the opportunity to use those as deductibles. That means you don’t have to pay as much tax as you would previously. However, there’s a lot more fees involved as well that you don’t have to pay by being a renter. As a renter, you just have to pay your renter’s insurance, but as a homeowner, you need your homeowner’s insurance, homeowners association fees, property taxes, and a higher utility bill.

When it comes to renting, it’s much better in today’s market to rent than buy. According to CNBC, “the monthly costs of buying and owning a home that you occupy are up 14 percent over the past year, more than three times the annual increase in rent rates nationally,'' which isn’t a good thing. That means homeowners are spending much more than usual on their bills, which isn’t good for the economy since it results in less money being spent on goods and services. There still contains the disadvantages of not being able to do what you want in terms of customizing and decorating, as well as monthly payment being likely to increase.

As always, no decision can be made without at least some tradeoffs involved. There’s the advantages of buying your own home and having complete privacy and freedom to do as you please, also bringing the disadvantages of higher monthly costs. There’s also the advantages of renting such as having more flexibility in where you want to live and not having to pay for utilities, and the disadvantages of inflation having a large control over your renting cost and not being able to fully customize your home. This is a decision you’ll have to ultimately make yourself, but I hope that I’ve helped you begin to think about it before you’re stuck in this situation!

Works Cited
DianaOlick. “It's Better to Rent than to Buy in Today's Housing Market.” CNBC, CNBC, 11 Sept. 2018, www.cnbc.com/2018/09/05/its-better-to-rent-than-to-buy-in-todays-housing-market.html.

Franklin, Jennifer Bradley. “Renting Vs. Buying A Home: Which Is Right For You?” Bankrate, Bankrate.com, 8 Oct. 2019, www.bankrate.com/real-estate/renting-vs-buying-a-home/.

Ramsey Solutions. “Should You Rent or Buy a House?” Daveramsey.com, Dave Ramsey, 27 Apr. 2019, www.daveramsey.com/blog/buy-vs-rent-myths-busted.

Minimum Wage

Dylan Powers

The minimum wage is designed to be the minimum amount an individual would need to survive in the American economy. Hence the name, “minimum” wage. Some people feel that it should be able to support a family. However, according to the Legal Information Institute of Cornell Law School, “The minimum wage was designed to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees.” Later, it presents an alternate purpose. Neither listed purpose mentions families or dependents. If you have a dependent, not only do you get a tax cut, but there are programs meant to help low-income families. For example, the Dependent Care Assistance Program and the Dependent Care FSA (Flexible Spending Account). Even given this, the current minimum wage is far too low for the cost of living in almost all areas. There is legislation that will raise the minimum wage, however this raise is far too dramatic and will hurt the economy overall. There is a middle ground where we can raise the minimum wage without hurting the economy.
All past minimum wage increases have been nominal and gradual. From 1990 to 2009, the minimum wage was increased by $3.45/hr. That is approximately $0.18 per year. If the minimum wage were to be increased from $7.25/hr to $15/hr by 2024, assuming nothing would happen until the start of 2020, the annual average increase would be about $1.94 every year. That is a 1078% larger increase every year than the increases between 1990 and 2009. Plus, there hasn’t been an increase in the minimum wage for 10 years, therefore the market is not used to regular minimum wage increases. Between the drastic increases and the surprise effect on the market, an increase to $15/hr by 2024 would have an overall negative effect on the economy. Furthermore, as you can see below, adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage has actually been decreasing overtime.



Therefore, a more middle-of-the-road approach is required. The definition of the minimum wage is to provide the minimum that one person needs to maintain a normal standard of living. The definition of a living wage is a wage that is high enough to maintain a normal standard of living. So why are they not one in the same? Who knows, but they should be. There should be legislation that ties the minimum wage to the living wage of the area. It is important to ensure that it is tied to the living wage of the immediate area because the cost of living in California is much higher than in Wisconsin. If this legislation were to be introduced, the minimum wage in Wisconsin would be raised to about $11.50 on average; and in California it would be raised from $11 to about $15 (Living Wage Calculator, MIT).
Some would argue that in high cost of living areas, the minimum wage would have to be raised to $15 anyway, so why not raise it to that across the board. The first part of their argument is correct, however they do not consider an important fact. The minimum wage of high cost of living areas has already been raised above the federal minimum wage in order to attempt to combat the low income problem. In California, the minimum wage would only be raised $4/hr. This is true for moderate cost of living areas as well. As seen above, Wisconsin’s minimum wage would only be raised about $4 on average. Others argue that raising the minimum wage would cause massive job loss. Not only does history show that there is very little significant job loss after a minimum wage increase, recent studies conclude similar truths. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan governmental organization, conducted a study researching the job loss effects of minimum wage increases. They found that raising the minimum wage to $15/hr would cause 1.3 millions jobs to be lost, a significant number. However, “A $12 minimum wage, for example, would lead to median job losses of 300,000. A $10 hourly minimum could trigger about 100,000.” This shows an exponential decrease. This study was conducted assuming a flat increase of the minimum wage across the country, which is far inferior to the legislation proposed above. Not only that but the Washington Center for Equitable Growth claim that the CBO used, “flawed theoretical foundations and outdated research”. Even if the worst case scenario came about and 300,000 jobs were lost, that isn’t actually all that bad. Losing 300,000 jobs would result in a 0.1% more unemployment. Overall, this does not hurt the economy because full employment is about 4%-6% and the current unemployment rate is 3.5%.












Works Cited
Campbell, Alexia Fernández. “A $15 Minimum Wage Could Lift 1.3 Million out of Poverty - and Cost 1.3 Million Jobs.” Vox, Vox, 8 July 2019, www.vox.com/2019/7/8/20686392/federal-15-minimum-wage-raise-the-wage-act.

“Dependent Care Assistance Program.” ConnectYourCare, 27 Sept. 2019, www.connectyourcare.com/dcap-dependent-care-assistance-program/.

“Dependent Care FSA.” FSAFEDS, www.fsafeds.com/explore/dcfsa.

“History of Federal Minimum Wage Rates Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938 - 2009.” U.S. Department of Labor, www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/history/chart.
“Living Wage Calculator.” Living Wage Calculator, livingwage.mit.edu/.

“Minimum Wage.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, www.law.cornell.edu/wex/minimum_wage.

“Research Shows: Raising the Minimum Wage Does Not Spell Job Loss.” Equitable Growth, 10 July 2019, equitablegrowth.org/research-shows-raising-the-minimum-wage-does-not-spell-job-loss/.

Zipperer, Ben. “Gradually Raising the Minimum Wage to $15 Would Be Good for Workers, Good for Businesses, and Good for the Economy: Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor.” Economic Policy Institute, www.epi.org/publication/minimum-wage-testimony-feb-2019/.

Do Not Buy GIft Cards As Gifts

Do Not Buy Gift Cards As Gifts
Written by: Nathan Malone

Gift cards are a huge waste of money and you should never buy them as gifts. One reason why is that a lot of people never end up using them, almost one in three people that is that never actually use them. This is a shocking number saying that if the average gift card that every person buys is $25, then for every 3 gift cards that a company sells, the company actually gains $25 even though they never had to give up anything up in return. And that is saying something because according to a report made by CBS in 2014, Americans can spend as much as $32 billion dollars on gift cards every year, which in turn gives these corporations more than $10 billion dollars a year on products that they sell but never actually lose product on.

Another reason why you shouldn’t buy gift cards, is that these are literally the gift that is saying “I forgot about you so here spend this $25 on this one company that you don’t get a choice about”. And I know it’s the thought that counts, but if you are just going to throw away your money and turn it into a different form of money that can only be spent at one place, wouldn’t it be better to just take them out to a nice dinner instead of buying them a gift card for dinner. And even with that if you give someone for example a $25 gift card, most things don't cost exactly $25. So most recipients either won’t be able to get the full value out of their gift cards or they will want to get the full value out of their gift cards, which will just end with them spending money out of pocket and giving more money to these companies that are using gift cards to make more money in the first place.

A third reason that these gift cards are bad for people to be buying is that sometimes these companies that are taking your money and turning it into their own “currency” that can only be used at their company. Not only that but there are even some times where companies have the audacity to even put expiration dates on these gift cards. These expiration dates are just another money grab, because if the recipient doesn’t notice them at all the company will be able to once again just snatch up the money of the consumer without them being able to spend a dime of it.

So the next time you think you should buy gift cards as gifts, think again and instead take them out to a nice dinner that they can appreciate the time with you or ask them something they would like but never feel like it would be worth it to purchase. Just remember it’s the thought that counts, so if you find something quirky to buy them just go for it.

Works Cited

CBS News. “Why Retailers Love Gift Cards but You Shouldn't.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 19 Dec. 2014, www.cbsnews.com/news/why-retailers-love-gift-cards-but-you-shouldnt/.

Lutz, Ashley. “3 Reasons Gift Cards Are a Waste of Money and You Should Never Buy Them.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 13 Dec. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-never-buy-gift-cards-2016-11.

Young, Scott H. “10 Reasons Gift Certificates Make Horrible Gifts.” Lifehack, Lifehack, 21 Nov. 2013, www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/10-reasons-gift-certificates-make-horrible-gifts.html.

The Importance of Creating and Maintaining A Budget

The Importance of Creating and Maintaining A Budget
By TJ Chadwick

Soon we will all be out of high school and into the real world. If we have no plan for how to manage our money, then how are we going to get by on our? First of all, what is budgeting and why is it important? Budgeting is the idea of mapping out all of the money you are making and the money you are spending, to figure out where to allocate your money to make sure that you have enough to support yourself and do all of the things you want to be able to do.

Income with taxes
Insurance


Investments
Stocks and Bonds
Planning to purchase a home
Purchasing a vehicle
Emergency funds
Extra spending for activities

There are countless of things that should be included in your budget, but these are some of the biggest ones.

We know budgeting is one of the most important things to do to help support yourself, but only about 41% of Americans actually create and use a budget. Most of those who choose not to create a budget cite low income as their biggest reason. While low income may make investing in your budget more of a problem, it is not impossible to still create and maintain your budget. Saving 10% of your paycheck is a great way to start with your budget, but that number can vary to whatever works from person to person. Making a budget is not easy in any way. Getting everything you need included within your budget is a tough task. However, the benefits in the long run of creating and maintaining your budget will help you maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Works Cited

And though some of us can legitimately point to low earnings as a reason for not saving. “Nearly 3 in 5 Americans Are Making This Huge Financial Mistake.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, money.cnn.com/2016/10/24/pf/financial-mistake-budget/index.html.

Bell, Amy. “6 Reasons Why You Need a Budget.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 18 Nov. 2019, www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1109/6-reasons-why-you-need-a-budget.aspx.

Pant, Paula. “How to Manage Your Budget Using the 50/30/20 Budgeting Rule.” The Balance, The Balance, 22 Nov. 2019, www.thebalance.com/the-50-30-20-rule-of-thumb-453922.

How much has Legalization of Marijuana Helped Illinois Economy?

How much has Legalization of Marijuana Helped Illinois Economy?
Written by: Aiden T.

On May 31st, 2019 Illinois governor J.B.Pritzker signed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act which took effect January 1st, 2020. According to a study, funded by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University, the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act could potentially generate 525 million in new tax revenues. With this bill Illinois tax payers could save 18.4 million in incarceration costs, legal fees, and law enforcement fees.   Whiten the first week of the new year 11 million was spent on cannabis products, 3.5 million was spent on just the first night new years.

From a financial aspect this legalization act is shaping up to be huge, but how does it affect states surrounding Illinois? “Weed Tourism” is the act of traveling to a state that has legalized marijuana use. Wisconsinites are already traveling to Illinois to take get a piece of the action. Is Wisconsin missing out on an opportunity? An Opportunity that could potentially build a stronger economy. I would say yes, so far California has made 2.7 billion in marijuana sales, Colorado 1.2 billion, Washington 943 million, Michigan 633 million. These are just some examples of the amount legal states have brought in. Not to mention the amount of individuals that no longer need to go to the black market to purchase marijuana.  Yes, the legalization of cannabis does have some down sides, the thought of minors getting there hands on it is a scary thought, but the average age teens start smoking is 16, but with regulation hopefully the government can have more control over underage users.

All in all the legalization of cannabis has its pros and cons but from a financial point of view it’s kind of a no brainer in regards to legalization. 

Works Cited

Berg, Austin, et al. “Illinois Cannabis Taxes among Nation's Highest, Could Keep Black Market Thriving.” Illinois Policy, 9 Jan. 2020, www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-cannabis-taxes-among-nations-highest-could-keep-black-market-thriving/.

Schulte, Sarah, and Wls. “Illinois Marijuana Sales: Millions Spent in 1st Week, but Supply Shortages Cause Some Concern.” ABC7 Chicago, 9 Jan. 2020, abc7chicago.com/5827924/.

T, Buddy. “Kids Might Start Smoking Pot Earlier Than You Think.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 24 June 2019, www.verywellmind.com/at-what-age-do-children-generally-start-smoking-pot-63541.

Wood, Rebecca. “Illinois Expects Economic Impact Following Marijuana Legalization.” The Daily Illini, 12 July 2019, dailyillini.com/news/2019/07/12/illinois-expects-economic-impact-following-marijuana-legalization/.

The Funding of Science

Kendall Terhaar

Research positions are generally considered in the highest echelon of scientific advancement. You are no longer considered an auxiliary when you’ve reached that point: you aren’t interning, or TAing. You are taking steps to study and research a medicine, or a process, or a theory. The importance of these jobs can’t possibly be overstated, which begs the question: who pays for this research?

The short answer is that all of us pay for scientific research. All of us have heard of scientific grants - whether it be from a TV drama about a character on the cusp of getting his or her funding cut is besides the point - so the answer here seems simple. Grants are given by a company almost as a commission, to which the scientific firm or lab will conduct research into. Sometimes, instead of companies asking for research, the government will, in which case the funding comes from public taxes. So, yes, just by going out and buying a Snickers bar, you may be contributing to a wide variety of causes. A lot of people buy Snickers, which results in a pretty hefty amount of cash rolling in for research.

There has been a trend downwards in overall scientific funding, with the federal government spending on science apexing in 2010 at about $160 billion and reducing to $140 billion a year on average since then, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. However, there have been significant trends upwards in spending on biomedical sciences, and more slight increases in spending on engineering projects and computer science, as the graph to the left represents. In fact, non-defense research spending has actually decreased at a slower rate than defense research spending.

Funding wasn’t always this way. In fact, for most of history, funding was a hurdle solved by connections: if you knew a rich guy who was willing to give you money, then voila, you had money. However, not every scientist knows a Bill Gates willing to support them with hundreds of thousands of dollars to research. This more publicized funding system we have nowadays surely helps out the small guy, but it does introduce some bias. Don’t get this wrong: asking a rich friend for money essentially because they like you is the definition of using bias. But in a system meant to reach everyone, what we have today is close, but not perfect. Companies can still pick and choose, and while having specific people they return to is just a system where they function as the client (eg. the free market), the detriment comes as they know how certain experiments can be conducted to give certain results. Trusting every single scientific research project results in falling into this bias yourself, which should be watch out for.

Scientific funding is half the battle for a large population of professionals out there. They cannot conduct research without it, yet getting it approved is difficult, to say the least. The systems in place aim to help all, and while it’s never necessarily perfect, no system is. Thus, this is an overview of scientific funding, and I hope it demystified the process, if only slightly.



Works Cited
Who Pays for Science?, undsci.berkeley.edu/article/who_pays.

Wetzler, Lee, et al. “The History and Future of Funding for Scientific Research: The Brink.” Boston University, 6 Apr. 2015, www.bu.edu/articles/2015/funding-for-scientific-research/.

Spending: When is it okay to splurge your money?

Spending: When is it okay to splurge your money?
Written By: Sophie Bartos

Saving your money is very important. Whether it is using coupons to get deals on food, or saving up for retirement, they can all make your life so much easier. But, there are times when it is necessary to spend the extra money. When it starts affecting your health and safety, going for the cheapest option isn’t the best in this case. For example, you go to the grocery store, and buy the cheapest food options with coupons you have saved. You figure you are saving loads of money.  But is it worth risking your own health? Buying low quality food for cheap is a good way to save money, but in the long run, you wouldn’t want to develop health problems, like obesity or cancer. This would actually cause you to spend way more money on healthcare later in life. 

Another important feature worth the extra expenses is a mattress. As humans, we spend about a third of our life sleeping. It is important to get a good night's sleep, because it affects our mood, and everyday functions. It isn’t worth feeling terrible the next day, and buying a good quality mattress is more beneficial in the long run. Another important feature to mention is clothing. Buying expensive designer clothes that don’t fit, or a load of low quality clothes that will be worn out in a month are not good options if you want to get the most out of your money.

Financial expert Stefanie Conell says that “Most of us spend money on things that we don’t really care about at the expense of the things we do without realizing it” This shows that it is important to understand the value of the items you're buying and the meaning it brings to you.  Focusing on quality over quantity is better than having extra junk in your house that you don’t use or need. To make sure that you make the most of your needs, tracking how much you spend by hand, or using an app is helpful to see if your are meeting your priorities.

Works Cited:

Fox, Michelle. “Guilt-Free Shopping: These Eight Things Are Worth the Extra Money.” CNBC, CNBC, 11 July 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/07/10/eight-things-that-are-worth-paying-more-money-for.html.

Noble, Audrey. “6 Expensive Things That Are Totally Worth the Money.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 9 Jan. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/expensive-things-that-are-worth-the-money-2018-6.

Wage Increase vs. Inflation

Written by: Jared T.

As recently as 2012, just 7 years ago, wages were growing like they should, at a touch under 4% per year. The rapid dive meant that by June 2014, 2 years later, they were growing at 3%, the lowest rate since the last recession. Then in 2017 they were growing at just under 2.7%; The lowest since the Great Depression in the 1930s.

Yet we aren’t in a depression, or even in recession.  People keep buying houses and other things as if wage growth will recover. It needs to recover to make those house payments and car payments manageable.                         


             
Another factor to consider is Inflation. In the past 10 years, inflation on average has always been increasing year to year. In 2012 the average inflation rate was at 2.1%. Then in 2014  the average was at 1.6%. And in 2018 it was increasing at 2.4%.


To determine your actual wage increase you subtract average inflation from your wage increase. So in 2016, wage increase and inflation combined, the actual wage increase was only 0.3%. Which is very low considering that it was at  1.4% back in 2012. This sudden change in wage increase didn’t affect the unemployment rate, because many companies were still hiring and weren’t laying off.


Certain careers or jobs however still see more pay increase than others. Most of the time it depends on the industry or the company that you work for. Many of the trades, like electrical, plumbing, and carpentry are seeing a lot more  than average pay increase.  This is because there is a higher demand for them with new houses and companies being built. Wage increase also depends on where you live, people in california may see a higher wage increase due to the cost of living there.

As of May 2019 the wage increase rose to 3.2% from last year. With the average Inflation being 1.7%, that means the real wage increase is 1.5%. The average wage increase is slow rising back up which helps many families that have a lower income. With the recent wage increase, it is mostly benefits the lower income salaries. This is because of many states or cities  are increasing the minimum wage. In the past, the wage increase was more for the middle class to compete with their competitors wages, now that they have evened out, the middle class is now seeing mostly the average pay increase. With that being said if the wage increase continues to rise, once you enter the workforce, you will see a good wage increase.

Works Cited

“Bureau of Labor Statistics Data.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUUR0000SA0L1E?output_view=pct_12mths.

DeSilver, Drew. “For Most Americans, Real Wages Have Barely Budged for Decades.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 7 Aug. 2018, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/08/07/for-most-us-workers-real-wages-have-barely-budged-for-decades/.

“Real Average Hourly Earnings Increased 1.3 Percent over the 12 Months Ending March 2019.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16 Apr. 2019, www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/real-average-hourly-earnings-increased-1-point-3-percent-over-the-12-months-ending-march-2019.htm?view_full.

How do human needs and wants impact the natural environment?

Kennedy Osterman
Blog Post
A2 Personal Finance

We have our basic human needs food, water, and shelter. People nowadays are apart of a materialistic and consumer-based environment to meet these wants there are factories built to mass-produce products that people want. With the increase in the number of factories, there is an increase in pollution. Factories are a major contributing factor to water pollution across the globe. With all the illegal dumping of gases, contaminated water, chemicals, and heavy metals into waterways then affect marine life and the environment as a whole.

As humans when we go to the store we want paper towels, chocolate, gum, milk, etc. When shopping we want new clothes like jeans every so often. For Christmas and birthdays, we want objects like legos, bowling balls, clothes, food. All of those items come from factories and the more we want and buy the more they will make cause the need for more factories to produce and more pollution because of the increase in factories.

Not only with everyday items but with everyday food. According to Food Empowerment Project: “4.5 percent of all human-induced emissions play an important role in climate change with beef and cow milk production accounting for the majority of emissions”. Fast food has been a big part of humans everyday life from grabbing a quick bite before work or being too lazy to cook dinner. The way our world works today and the way that it is going to in the future is a scary thought. Knowing how much technology is changing and making improvements will allow fewer jobs for people. It will create more factories and more waste. People are coming up with new inventions every year and sooner or later there will be self-driven cars making us even lazier. Adding more fast-food restaurants and more trash being put in the ocean. Despite all the negative going on, little by little people are coming up with ways for us to impact the environment for the better. At lunch, we throw out our food away in correct bins (trash, recycling, compost). In our classrooms or public places there’s the use of trash cans and recycling bins. People don’t like paying much for their electricity bill. Making sure that we shut off lights in rooms we are not in can help that. We have kids enjoy riding with others, so carpooling with others to save gas. All these positives are slowly getting more people inspired to create change. However, we still have a lot of negatives and the big reason for that is because people are buying their wants and needs but not realizing how much they are impacting the environment.

Works Cited

“Fast Food.” Food Empowerment Project, Food Empowerment Project, 2019, foodispower.org/access-health/fast-food/.

McFadden, Christopher. “11 Factory Processes Used to Make Some of Your Favorite Products.” Interesting Engineering, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2018, interestingengineering.com/11-factory-processes-used-to-make-some-of-your-favorite-products.

Are Budgeting Apps Worth It?

Are Budgeting Apps Worth It?
By Elliot Mueller

We have learned lots of information throughout the course of personal finance. One of the topics I learned a lot about were the various budgeting apps and their features. I will cover some of the most popular budgeting apps, discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and give my overall opinion on whether or not they are worth using.

There are plenty of budgeting apps and platforms available on the market. All of these apps offer a similar service; creating a personal financial budget based on your income and life circumstances. These budgeting apps tell us where we can cut down our spending, and which categories could use more of our financial attention. In these apps we can put in future financial goals, and it will show us what is necessary to complete these goals. There are plenty of options when it comes to picking the right budgeting app. According to NerdWallet the top three budgeting apps for 2020 go in this order; Mint, YNAB, EveryDollar.

Each of these services have their strengths. Mint is “the best” because It automatically updates and categorizes transactions, creating a spending plan. Users can add their own categories, track bills, split transactions and set budgets that alert them when they have gone over their planned amount. The service also provides free credit scores. Along with all of this, the service is free. YNAB is a close second. It is for the committed user. It requires money to budgeted down to the dollar and is very precise, it also costs 84 dollars per year. While costly it is the smoothest software and most glitch-free program available. Finally, Everydollar is third best because it connects directly to your bank account. It uses a method where your expenses match your income exactly. For a more streamlined process you can upgrade to EveryDollar Plus. This costs 129 dollars annually. This easily the most expensive budgeting app in the top three.

Finally, I believe that it would be very smart to use a budgeting app. When I enter the real world and start earning an income I certainly plan on using one of these apps. They do all the hard work for the user and I think they are very handy when it comes to making the right financial choices. Personally I would choose mint because it is cost free and the best overall app. Overall budgeting apps are certainly worth it and I recommend them to anyone looking to properly manage their money.

Budgeting

                       Written by: Ava W. 

We are all getting prepared to live on your own in the next year or so, and it is going to be a completely new experience for us to have to budget all of our expenses. It is crucial that we budget correctly, and don’t leave out any expenses. Otherwise, perhaps you don’t end up putting as much money aside as you want to, or you even might not end up saving at all. 32% of Americans don’t have any money in savings, as shown on the pie chart (left). This is why it is absolutely crucial that all of your annual expenses are properly budgeted for. Putting money aside to save is very important as it can help you reach financial goals, it can allow you to be more relaxed about your financial situation, and it can make you prepared to deal with any emergency situations that may arise.

Expenses that you could be forgetting to make room for in your budget:

• Household Maintenance: 
• The general rule is to save 1% of your houses price every year to be prepared.

• Annual checkups, doctors visits and dentist appointments
• These costs can vary based on your health insurance coverages, but be aware that these appointments will need to be accounted for

• Gym memberships, grocery store memberships, any and all subscriptions
• These costs also vary based on which subscriptions and memberships you decide to sign up for.
• Oil changes, tires
• Tires only need to be replaced around once every ten years, but it can be costly, moderately priced tires can be up to $1,000 dollars to replace all 4. Oil changes are definitely cheaper. Make sure to budget for other car repairs that may occur throughout the year as well.
• Hair cuts
• Haircut prices for women average about $43, while a man's haircut averages $28.
• Medications/vitamins
• These are very important to budget for, as medications can be crucial to one's health, and they can become so routine that you forget they are something you need to be prepared to buy on the regular.
• Fines, speeding tickets, parking tickets, library fines
• Fines are sometimes unavoidable expenses, and they can be fairly pricey depending on what the fine is for. So it is crucial to make room in your budget for them.

It is definitely crucial to budget properly, so that you can end up financially comfortable, and responsible, and not end up being one of the Americans to the right.

Works Cited

Lam, Jackie, et al. “How to Budget for Living on Your Own for the First Time.” MintLife Blog, 23 Oct. 2019, blog.mint.com/how-to/how-make-budget-living-alone/.

Michelle, et al. “Are You Forgetting to Budget for These 50 Expenses?” Less Debt, More Wine, 28 Sept. 2019, www.lessdebtmorewine.com/are-you-forgetting-to-budget-for-these-expenses/.

Ramsey Solutions. “16 Easily Forgotten Monthly Expenses.” Daveramsey.com, Dave Ramsey, 9 Jan. 2019, www.daveramsey.com/blog/easily-forgotten-monthly-expenses.

The Benefits of Leasing a car vs Buying a car

The Benefits of Leasing a car vs Buying a car.
Written by: Eric T.

There are so many pros and cons to everything we do in our daily lives. In fact the decisions we make are all based on what we believe will be the better option in that moment without thinking of the end result. When it comes to cars there are two options. You can decide to buy a brand new car or you can lease a car. Although one path may sound better does it really benefit you in the long run?

When buying a car there are pros and there are cons. The pros are that you pay for the car straight up. There are no monthly payments, but if you get a loan from the bank then those loan payments will be much greater and cost more than monthly lease payments. The reason for this is because you are paying off the vehicle as a whole. Once the payments are done then you own the car and you can decide to sell the car or trade the car in the future. Then there is leasing a car. Leasing a car requires payments monthly, but those costs will almost always be cheaper than loan payments. When the payments are done you have a couple of decisions to make. You can lease or purchase another vehicle or you can finance the vehicle that you have just finished leasing. These options have many pros and cons, but it all depends on what best fits you and your past record.

Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

  Reagan Hodson

People have claimed that Starbucks is the best coffee to be around, you see people posting all around the world with their pretty starbucks cups, you drive past a Starbucks every morning the parking lot is packed along with the drive thru. This is how many people start their day COFFEE. But my question is why do so many keep going and spend 4-6 dollars on a cup of coffee every morning when you could go to Dunkin' Donuts and buy a coffee for 1-2 dollars?

Dunkin’ Donuts opened in 1950 and are selling 5,184,000 cups of coffee a day this number includes at every location, compared to Starbucks who opened in 1971 and is selling 10,958,904 cups of coffee a day. Starbucks is selling almost double the amount of Dunkin’ Donuts. But why if it’s so expensive?

According to spoon university a lot of people buy Starbucks for the name of it or their famous holiday cups. Seems silly right? Starbucks claims that they roast their coffee beans till they’re burnt making the coffee have a stronger taste that those crave. If you've ever tried Starbucks coffee then Dunkin’ Donuts you can see the difference by how much stronger starbucks coffee tastes. But is it worth going and spending 4-6 dollars a day for a little stronger coffee? People who go to starbucks every day for a whole year are spending 1,825 dollars a year on coffee without coupons and rewards, that could pay for your rent for a couple months. If you truly wanted to save money you would sacrifice your stronger coffee for still coffee but a few bucks cheaper saving you 1,095 dollars, or invest in a coffee maker for 55 dollars a bag of coffee beans can cost from 8-16 dollars making you 68 cups of coffee in one bag normally, costing you in total 103 dollars with the coffee maker included for the year. That would save you 1,722 dollars. 

Coffee is a true addiction that people have in America and all over the world. You can still get your coffee every day and save so much money by just switching over to Dunkin’ Donuts of even buying a coffee maker. It’s okay to treat yourself every once in a while or if you like the holiday cup that month get it. But do you really need it every day? Will you take the challenge and make the change or will you stick with starbucks for the holiday cups?