RISE credit is still rising with an offer for a 224.36% interest rate

RISE credit wants to offer another me another loan.  The "IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES" says:

The APR for an example installment loan of $2,600 is 224.36% with 36 bi-weekly payments of $236.37... The loan agreement and, for Texas and Ohio residents, the credit services contract you must sign in order to accept this offer, contains an arbitration provision that may limit your legal rights, including your right to go to court, to have a jury trial and to participate in class actions."

The provisions about limiting your rights should be a big warning sign about whose interests they are really trying to protect.  What does it say when companies are able to make a living with these kinds of "products"?  It means there are actually people out there who go for these kinds of deals.  Maybe some people can't tell when something is practically usury. Maybe it says more about my credit rating when I get these kinds of offers in the mail.

RISE credit wants to offer me a loan with an APR of 174.54%

Another letter in the mail, from RISE credit.  From their letter:

"The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for an example installment loan of $2,600 is 174.54 % with 36 bi-weekly payments of $193.16..."

What's the return? Chase offers $200 for a new savings account

JPMorgan Chase Bank sent me a promotional offer in the mail this week:

Enjoy $200 on us with a new savings account

Sounds nice doesn't it?  Let's check the fine print:

Open a Chase Savings account, deposit a total of $15,000 or more in new money within 10 business days, and maintain a $15,000 balance for 90 days.

So they want to hold onto $15,000 of your money for 3 months, and they'll give you a $200 bonus.  That works out to a 1.33% return after 3 months.  Hold the phone, you say?  What about the interest they pay on the savings account?  At the time of this writing, that happens to be 0.01%.

I finally realized how insurance companies make money

Where I live, state law requires car drivers to have, at a minimum, liability insurance. This means that the insurance company will handle paying for damages you cause (up to a certain amount, exclusions apply, etc) if you cause an accident.

One night while turning through an intersection, the car next to me crossed the line and grazed the side of my car. I thought it was pretty obvious whose fault it was, and continued through the intersection to pull over by the sidewalk.  There were no witnesses. We exchanged information and went our separate ways. My insurance company talks with me and I tell them how the other driver grazed the side of my car.  The other guys' insurance company calls me up and tells me I was at fault. Net result? My insurance company and his insurance company both just deny each others' claim.