That’s another article I’ve posted over at Global Nerdy. Read it and remember it, especially when you go Christmas shopping for high-tech goodies.
There’s a good chance you’ve seen this photo by now: Pictured seated from left to…
Here’s a collection of interesting memes, pictures, an cartoons floating around the internet that I…
Tap to see the source. This is yesterday’s daily New Yorker cartoon, created by Brendan…
C’mon, let it not be Asians this time. Last time was pretty bad. Here’s the…
Jon Stewart’s right, and we’ve been here before. Where we are now, I’ve been before…
View Comments
There's one product I get extended warranties on, and that's LCD screens. Until the average rate of pixel failure drops, I think that's a $40 bet worth making.
My friend's five-year-old daughter chucked a toy at his 19" LCD monitor and busted enough pixels to create a permanent bright green line on the display just two days after he bought it. He was pissed.
I guess I should preface such blanket statements with Scott Adam's favourite acronym: BOCTAOE, short for "But of course there are obvious exceptions". The New York Times article makes mention of one case: rear-projection TVs.
Perhaps I'll write a follow-up in which I cover those times when an extended warranty would be a good idea; it ties in nicely with an article on why I hate gambling that's been sitting in my drafts folder for ages.
I hope you mention certain types of investors in that gambling post, too. =) A lot of folks end up dumping a significant chunk of their life savings in a supposed silver-bullet solution and end up surprised when legislation or market turbulence wipes them out (hello, income trusts!).
The Globe had a bunch of columns quoting pitiful souls who lost 10% of their life savings, or tends of thousands of dollars, as a result of market action yesterday. The only silver bullet is a well-diversified portfolio to mitigate downturns -- there are no sure-thing investment shortcuts on the road to financial independence.