There is a lot os scrutiny on payday loans and what their purpose is. However, many turn to these short term loans because they have no other option. These loans are overly scrutinized as bad for a consumer because their listed APR, which really is not applicable to a short term loan that does not last a year. The Missourian pointed up some positive benefits to the payday loans. For instance, “Research from the Federal Reserve Board indicates that such loans are not “predatory.” Rather, by supplying credit where otherwise there would be none, they help borrowers by enabling them to avoid less-desirable alternatives, such as fees associated with bounced checks, late bill payments and utility reconnections.” If the Federal Reserve Board understands there is value added to these types of loans, why are so many politicians and consumers looking down on payday loans as a “bad” option? Have they never had a reason to get a short term loan for some unexpected expense???? Probably not….

Short on cash? Check out these 5 ways to see if you have some forgotten money lying around.

1. Check the federal government’s savings bond database: Apparently there is more then $17 billion worth of Series E savings bonds that have never been redeemed. Check out the Treasury Department’s savings bonds website to see if you have any unclaimed savings bonds you might have received between 1941-1980.

2. Check the Banks: There’s a possibility you might have an old checking or savings account that you simply forgot about or thought you closed. You can check with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.

3. Check with the FDIC: The FDIC protects your savings when a bank is in danger. If you can prove you had an account they will gladly return your assets.

4. Check with the IRS: Go online to the IRS website and click “Where’s My Refund” and you can check the status of any outstanding refunds after entering some basic personal information.

5. Check for unused gift cards: Many gift certificates don’t expire until 5 years from the purchase date. Take a look through your wallet or junk drawers and see what you come up with.

Leadpile is looking for additional Canada payday lenders and also publishers that can help us generate additional US and Canada payday loan traffic. If you are working in this industry, please reach out to us and we can get you up and going ASAP! Some of the main specifics we are looking for in the Canada payday loan leads are:
1. Customers that are employed
2. Customers that have a checking account
3. Customers that have direct deposit
4. Preferably customers that live in the providences of British Columbia, Alberta or Ontario

LinkedIn just announced they now have 100 million users on their website. The professional social networking site has been around since 2003. Out of the 100 million users, the majority is 44% U.S. users. Other countries that have shown substantial growth with users are lead by Brazil, Mexico, India and France. While 20% of LinkedIn users are in the service industry, 9% are in the high-tech business of some type. LinkedIn has been like the Facebook to many in the professional world and is continuing to connect people through out the world.

Big news from Pepsi this week as they announced they will stop using plastic to make their bottles! In an effort to go green, Pepsi has transitioned making its soda bottles from plastic to making them entirely out of plant material.

The bottles are made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks and other materials. Eventually Pepsi plans to use orange peels, oat hulls, potato scraps and other leftovers from its food business.

The company plans to test these new bottles in 2012 with a few hundred thousand bottles and once they are positive they can produce the bottles at the necessary scale, they will transition all products over.

After the huge hit of the iPad release in 2010, the iPad 2 was released for purchase this morning. 14.8 million iPads were sold in the first 9 months on the market, with a predicted 30 million to be sold in 2011. The iPad 2 is promoted to be faster, lighter and have rear facing cameras with the capability for video chatting.

The pricing will range from $499 – $829.

There are many out there that are considered the “unbanked” consumer, and I wonder if it is because they choose to be that way or they are not able to obtain a bank account? However, is there a scenario where more people should become “unbanked” because the cost of having a traditional checking account for instance is a lot higher than other alternatives? Some say that the better alternative for those that carry very low balances on their checking account is to have a pre paid credit card. This often times works just like a checking account, however the fees related to this type of account are far less than maintaining a checking account. Reuters.com reports that the average person who has to maintain a checking account pays between $218 and $314 a year, whereas a person with a pre paid credit card is paying between $76 and $261. For someone that is maintaining such a small balance that amount of difference is a BIG deal.
Bottom line- traditional banks are not your only option with regards to paying your bills and maintaining your money. Look at online banks and other options like pre paid credit cards and compare the fees they charge to maintain your own money.

Phone apps continue to become more popular as the use of smart phones continues to rise as well. New reports done by Forrester predict that smart phone apps will reach the $38 billion mark by 2015. Apple leads the app sales with their iPhone and  with a little over 80% of the market. Additional smart phones coming out such as the Android, Windows phone and Google also offer apps that will help contribute to the large amount of sales. Last year, apps made $1.7 billion reflecting a strongdemand for phone users.