After paying the rent at the beginning of the month I noticed my supply of checks was nearing its end. I bought just one batch when I opened this account: Five years ago.
Bill-pay services and debit cards have taken away a lot of the need for checks (and replaced them with a more secure and verifiable form of payment). Itâs still strange to think back on the days when you didnât dare think about leaving town without your checkbook. Not only do I go away for weeks at a time without one, I often skip town without any cash in my wallet.
Anyway, there are some things I canât pay online, so I guess Iâll fork over the $12 or whatever and get a new set this week. But considering that this batch of, what, 500? lasted me more than five years, how long will the next set go? I set the over/under at seven.
And on that note:
The man credited with inventing the ATM has died. John Shepherd-Barron says he got the idea from a candy vending machine, âbut replacing chocolate with cash.â His magical, Wonka-like thinking transformed many aspects of personal banking and consumer purchases as we know it.
Tiger Woodsâ soon-to-be ex-wife is said to be seeking a $750 million divorce settlement. Woodsâ net worth was most recently estimated at $600 million by Forbes, and his combined gross earnings as of 2009 were just over a billion.
Got an iPhone? AT&T is going to raise its âearly termination feeâ for smart phones to $325, up from $199. Is there some reason this bullshit isnât illegal by now?
