Quote from: Breneir Itravilatx on May 15, 2020, 04:09:30 PM
Burgermeister,

Can you share a bit more info about Varo? I am familiar with Ally Bank but not this particular institution.

Breneir

Varo Money is a app-centered "fintech" startup base in San Francisco, something like three years old, that just got formal regulatory approval to be a "real" national US bank.

That kind of background means I'm a little bit concerned that if we swapped to them, we could have troubles as a result of them going under.  Not lose-the-deposit troubles, since they're FDIC insured (that is, the US government backs depositors to $250,000, an amount we're well under), but still various possible difficulties involving access.  That made a switch not worthwhile given that it translated to a bit over $3/year in interest at our current balance, but if Ally cut rates again this year and if Varo Money stayed where it was, then it might have become worthwhile, which is why I was keeping an eye on them.

You might notice I used the past tense there.  They've dropped their rate to 1.41% since my last post, which not only means the immediate incentive went down, but indicates that they will indeed drop rates pretty much in concert with the overall market (including Ally) in the future.  Which isn't remotely surprising, but also means it's not worth the hassle of a switchover, or risks that might attend their going under.

In reaction to the US Federal Reserve's recent actions in cutting interest rates, Ally Bank is cutting the interest rate on the Kingdom's savings account from 1.5% to 1.25% effective tomorrow (following up a previous cut from 1.6% to 1.5% on March 13).

1.25% is still a solid rate for a savings account (better than the current yield on 20-year Treasuries), but I've done a little bit of shopping around other possibilities as a result, and am somewhat tempted by Varo.  I'm going to see if they cut their rates soon, or stick to the 1.61% they're currently quoting on their website.

So, you painted a Discordian icon and a Subgenius icon . . . and both with a lot of green.

Quote from: Ian Plätschisch on April 27, 2020, 09:51:47 AM
You know I am a sucker for graphs, so, given this graph, where would you make the cut off?

Well, I'd be tempted to use a fixed cutoff date of February 22, 1998.

Sure, I'll check in.

Ahah, partly my fault for posting so little  ;D

Did you get my email where I laid out the funds and a few approaches?  I've been fighting with the forum software.

The system wants me to include a secret code when I send a private message.  I don't know of one.  Help?

Quote from: Lüc on March 02, 2020, 04:56:28 AM(Also, am I seeing Istefan Perþonest officially reneging on his own "Perþonest Plan"? :P)

The purpose of Fiova was to give the Republic's citizens a room of their own in the Kingdom.  Both an outside evaluation (seen from their role in the recent governments) and an inside one (measured by their own willingness to go through with the F-F merger) suggest they don't need one anymore.

So, both as the designer of the "Perþonest Plan" and as the only person to ever be Cunstavál of Fiôvâ, I'm perfectly willing to hoist a "Mission Accomplished" banner and toast Fiôvâ at its merger and/or dissolution.  That the time for something passes is oft enough a signal of success, rather than failure.

Now that the attempt by Fiova to seize control of it has been thwarted, I suggest that we, the population of Benito, do everything possible to bring the secessionist canton of Florencia back into our provincial embrace.

One potential means to help secure that outcome, rather than seeing any further Frankenstein proposals like the previously-thwarted one by advocates of provincial mergers, would be to also back the dissolution of Fiova, in favor of restoration of the traditional border between Maricopa and Maritiimi-Maxhestic.