Have you ever tried to give someone information and they start to act like you are trying to sell them something? Maybe I am overreacting (which I normally do), but it seems to me that I can’t give any advice or even volunteer information without the, “Don’t sell me your Amway crap,” look on their face. You know the blank when will this be over look and their response is patterned like this, “Oh, well this is how I do it…” and then they finish off with, “and it works well for me.” Even if what they just said is super retarded and completely lacking common sense, they still stick to how they do their thing.
Here is the situation that kind of sparked these thoughts in my head. I hitched a ride home with a classmate and we were chatting about this, that, and the other. We got on the topic of buying a house and I mentioned how hard it was to buy one without having a good down payment. My classmate said that he puts aside some money every paycheck and has done so for sometime. He has a good amount saved and plans to use it for that down payment we were just talking about. So, this is where I start to volunteer information, or this is where, according to them, my sales pitch starts. I told him that some banks offer savings accounts online. The accounts can be links to your existing checking account at what ever bank you have. Once they are linked the money can be transferred from bank to bank using the web site of the savings account bank. The main reason anybody would want one of these accounts is because many of them offer a 4.50% interest rate. Most banks like B of A and Washington Mutual only offer 0.40% or 0.50% for a savings account. Another sweet thing about these online accounts is that they are liquid, so you still get that great rate. Well, maybe this does sound like a sales pitch, but what do I have to gain from telling anyone about these accounts? Jack squat is what I have to gain. So, I tell my friend all this stuff, with enthusiasm I might add. I got this crappy response, “well I have the money in a 9 month CD at Bank of America earning 1.blah blah and that works well for me.” All I could think of is how stupid he sounded. Let me see, either I could get 1.70% and lock it away for 9 months or I can get 4.50% and move it when ever I want… Hmmm…now that is a hard one.
I am not looking for a praise for my good services. All I would hope for is a, "That is interesting, I might look into that." Is that to much to ask?
This example might not work for everyone, but I hope you get my point. People (including myself at times) are stuck in their own world. Change is hard, especially when it comes to finances, and often people go into auto pilot. It drives me bonkers how some people can't reach out for something better.
I don't know, maybe it’s just me.
4 comments:
I often look at people with the "I wish you would shut-up" look as well.
Anytime you want help call me up YO!
Geoffy G
I know what you mean about playing the market. I have no money to play there anyway. These savings accounts have a good enough rate for the little money I have.
Finances are often that way. People are always afraid that there is some catch and aren't willing to read the 6-point font covering 5 legal-sized pages of unintelligible legalese in order to find it.
I know all too well the "oh it works for me, now leave me alone about it" as a Linux user. People come to me all the time because I got labeled a "computer guy" a long time ago. People always complain about viruses and pop-ups, etc. I tell them to save money and time in the long run and buy a Mac or use Linux for free.
People just look at me like I have two heads and one of them is speaking Greek. It's the same look I would get from the 45-year-old woman who doesn't want to hear anything from a kid talking about a "cult" she should join.
People: You can't live with them and you can't live with them.
Well said Shawn.
Post a Comment