I have been accused of being everything from an old fogey to a young whippersnapper, and never has my age and skill set been more questioned than when it relates to the Internet and the tools it represents.
Obviously, I love the Internet. I'm on LinkedIn and FaceBook, I Blog (duh), and every now and then, I even Tweet. But I don't Digg stuff, I don't have a playlist on MySpace, and my old college photos of that embarassing incident with the goat better not show up on Flickr any time soon. I consider the Internet a tool for business, staying in touch with clients, colleagues and some friends, and most of all, RESEARCH.
I find that the flattening of the playing field when it comes to available data is probably the best aspect of the dub-dub-dub, and while my years of digging deep into obscure financial info are behind me, I do keep an eye on what's happening that effects my business-particularly information on interest rates.
If anything, there's TOO much data out there, and more often then not you're asked to provide some kind of contact data before you can get the information you're looking for. So for this month's Resource Post, I thought I'd separate some metaphorical wheat from the virtual chaff and show you a few spots where I keep an eye on the financial indicators around lending/borrowing. As always, read rebelliously and make up your own mind.
- For the official picture, if you can ignore the "Aint we cute, we got a website" nature of the government's online presence, the Dept of the Treasury has the 411 on interest rates. And if there's not enough there for you, head over the the Federal Reserve website. Also VERY handy if you find yourself needing some help getting to sleep. Just click the link to any of Chairman Bernanke's speeches and save a fortune on Sominex.
- For something a little more consumer friendly, as well as comparison shopping for things like credit cards and mortgages, I'm a fan of Bankrate. Plus, they have a lot of helpful calculators that don't require you to give them your contact data before making the calculations.
- While I think it's important for Rebels to think about their own situations before thinking in big, national terms, there is room for some counter opinions. So for data with a bit of a technical bent and analysis, more technical head to tradingeconomics.com
- And lastly, for the die-hard big picture people, if you're looking for worldwide stats at your fingertips global-rates.com has a wealth of data, including historic and in-depth American inter-bank numbers.
So, my Rebellious Readers, go forth and get informed! No more excuses!
Yours in Rebellion,
LARRY
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