Welcome to the Trading Floor, the place to exchange your knowledge and ideas with Marketplace. You can advise us about stories we’re working on, discuss the news of the day, and find out what we’re learning from members of our Public Insight Network.
In 2008, U.S. cell phone users sent more than one trillion text messages. Text messaging is a growing source of revenue for mobile phone providers, especially as pay-per-text rates have doubled in the last couple of years.
Marketplace wants the scoop on what you pay for text messages, if you’ve ever complained about the rates, and if you’ve ever had to justify your texting to your parents, your partner, or even your boss.
Share your insights here. And to keep it fun, why not write an SMS love text to your provider?
From the Public Insight Network:
“AT&T, have you no shame? We all know a text is data by another name.”
—Daniel Rosan, Somerville, MA
“Charging me for unused capacity on your network is silly. Receiving texts should be free, and sending them should be cheaper than talking.”
—Sarah Katz, Madison WI
“It’s not fair to pay for all incoming texts. There should be a block feature so I wouldn’t have to pay for spam or texts I don’t want.”
—Wendy Bolton Brown, Richmond, VA
“Why is texting so expensive? I download 100s of MBs of data every month for $30, but my <1 MB of texts costs me $5.”
—Joel Creswell, Madison WI
Help us tell the stories that will compel you, and give you the information you need. And, while you’re at it, why not be a guinea pig in a little word association game too! Click here to share your insight and ideas.
Sure, it’s easy to lose sleep in stressful economic times like these. But what about when you finally DO catch some zzzzs?
Marketplace wants to hear how the recession is affecting your subconscious, once the lights are off and you’re asleep. Have you had any surreal dreams, or scary nightmares, where the economy played a role? Maybe you found yourself being chased down the street by a giant credit card? Or your boss was wearing a gorilla suit when he told you about the latest round of lay offs? And was that Timothy Geithner who just showed up at your dinner party, in a toga?
Dads often act as their household’s Secretary of the Treasury: they pay the bills, decide on expenditures and occasionally bail people out. And they also act as financial advisors, teaching personal finance habits directly and by example. To celebrate Father’s Day, Marketplace Money wants to hear about the financial lessons you learned from your father and whether they worked or not.
The number of Americans enrolled in Health Savings Accounts is growing quickly. But even if you’re in one, do you know how it works?
And don’t think I’m not asking from personal experience: I received a document from my HSA recently that confused the heck out of me — and then I realized I had no idea if I was using my HSA funds correctly… or even legally!
Have you received documents from your HSA that confused you, too? Marketplace Money is collecting your questions about health savings accounts (HSAs). Tell us what made you scratch your head — and share the documents with us too, if you want.
The word is greenwash. What is it? Dictionary.com calls it “the dissemination of misleading information by an organization to conceal its abuse of the environment in order to present a positive public image.”
A bottled water company that claims “green” even though its water is shipped across the planet… Food producers that can’t quite claim “organic” and then put “natural” on their labels… “eco-friendly” 5,000 sq feet homes… suspiciously subtle wording of advertisements…
Have you encountered anything like these — or more subtle examples — in your local area or field?
Be our eyes and ears in your field and in your community, and let us know what greenwash is on your radar. (Greenwash Brigade standing by!)
We’ve been hearing a lot about the “American Dream” lately. Whether it’s still attainable, how its definition might need to change, etc. But what are Americans actually dreaming about right now? The recession’s got to be affecting more than just our waking lives.
Is Tim Geithner wearing a toga in your subconscious? Any nightmares where you’re naked at the bank? (Or maybe that’s just me….)
Okay, maybe it’s a stretch. Or maybe it’s not! Desperate times can call for desperate measures, and for someone looking to protect their job, family or business these may well be desperate times.
We’re looking for stories from you — our listeners and our Public Insight Network — of any time you’ve been motivated for financial reasons to make a morally or ethically questionable choice.
You can leave a comment on the blog, but if you want to talk to us privately (and so we have the info we need to contact you if we have questions), use this questionnaire instead. Tell us: will your morals survive the recession?
We’re curious if you’re looking at your resume different lately. Have you tried to emphasize — or conceal — certain parts of your experience? Have you removed some qualifications for fear of appearing overqualified? Have you outright lied?
And no matter your strategy… the key question is… has it worked?
Nearly 10 million U.S. homeowners are having trouble making their mortgage payments. Tanya Ott profiles one Birmingham, Ala., family that has that problem, times three.
A new year means it's time for New Year's resolutions. How have you resolved to keep your finances in order this year? We present the financial goals and plans of some of our listeners.
Overheard on the Trading Floor
What's your job hunt story?
brennan m. said: I’m 39, I haven’t had a real job since I was 20! love comes first!!! [no I’m not in any... More
What's in the new GI Bill for you?
Herb Gart said: I am not eligible for the GI Bill but it is important to me. The health of our nation rests... More
Has the recession forced you to start over?
Fred said: The recession has not forced me to start over, but it has forced me to scale back on my personal... More