Pocketmint

Topic: Easy Behavioral Economics

1. To give great gifts, think like a behavioral economist

   13 December 2012

   For Jak’s last birthday, I gave him peace of mind. Also, sushi. Our mutual favorite restaurant in the area is Mashiko Sushi, way down in West Seattle. These days we eat out very rarely — a bit less than once per month — but we spend more time at Mashiko than anywhere else, in no […]

2. The credit card rewards system is gaming you

   8 October 2012

   Warnings against credit cards, while common, are almost always of the ‘don’t carry a balance’ variety. Over and over, we are told that as long as we pay off your balance each month and avoid fees and interest charges, we’ll come out ahead. I’ve noticed that bloggers in particular love to trumpet the advantages of […]

3. The secret to the new iPhone’s popularity

   14 September 2012

   So the iPhone 5 goes on sale in just one week. Here’s an early look at what people think of the improvements over last year’s 4S model: This cracked me the hell up. You’ve probably heard of ‘planned obsolescence’, where products are deliberately designed with a limited lifespan. There’s a bit of that with the […]

4. Salary negotiation: we’ve been doing it wrong

   27 August 2012

   For as long as I can remember, the standard advice to job applicants has been ‘never be the first one to name a number’ when it comes to negotiating compensation. Penelope Trunk, founder of Brazen Careerist, says so in no uncertain terms: … when it comes to discussing your potential salary, never give the number […]

5. Miswanting, and two strategies to counter it

   6 August 2012

   As part of my attempt to downsize our life, I’m culling my collection of clothes and shoes. As I ransack my closet and dresser drawers, I’m struck by the occasional item that was a complete misfire. There aren’t many of them, because I know myself pretty well, but I’ve run across a few things that […]