World Biz Info
The source of the best business, financial and legal news
web www.worldbizinfo.com
Business Informations

Ethical Finance: Who Benefits From Our Spending?


On one hand consumers are being universally criticised for running up significant amounts of debt on credit cards, yet conversely many companies are capitalising on the growing credit card debt, from charities and political organisations to football clubs, the Association of Surgeons and somewhat ironically ActionAid, an international development agency whose aim is to fight poverty worldwide.

Financial comparison site moneynet.co.uk provided 226 credit cards in a general credit card search, from which the consumer could choose a product to suit their lifestyle, as well as their wallet. Credit cards with charity branding involve many major organisations including Amnesty International, Christian Aid, WaterAid, RSPB, Save The Children, the Ramblers Association, Oxfam, Greenpeace, the Vegetarian Society, RSPCA, ActionAid, Children In Crisis, Help The Aged, Tearfund and the Terence Higgins Trust.

Perhaps it is fair to say that if people are going to spend on plastic, they should be helping charitable organisations on the way and should they feel inclined to contribute to a political institution, donating a small % of each transaction is a convenient method. If most consumers were ethical spenders, then associations between transactions and third party beneficiaries would inherit this quality, but as debt spirals out of control, is it responsible or ethical that someone should benefit at the cost of someone else?

Although it is standard for most card providers to offer an introductory free period, the consumer may be hit by a more substantial annual percentage rate (APR) later on the year, with some providers, such as ASDA charging a massive APR of 28.8%. Even ActionAid charges an APR of 17.9%, rescuing the developing world at the expense of the developed.

For further information about credit cards and details on specific providers:

http://www.moneynet.co.uk/
http://www.eiris.org/
http://www.creditaction.org.uk/
http://www.moneybasics.co.uk/mb/site/Home.html

Rachel writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla: http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/

Rachel drinks Guinness and has the Best Hits of 1987 in her music collection.

Cashzilla is an Aries. He has a flamboyant character and a tongue that could heat up any conversation. If Cashzilla was an A-Team character, he'd be Murdock.


MORE RESOURCES:

New York Times

Credit default swaps - no central exchange, no regulator and no ...
The Age, Australia - 16 hours ago
The Big Four banks are all exposed to the default of Lehman Brothers via credit default swaps (CDS) - a noxious bull-market derivative that threatens more ...
Lehman CDS auction fears allayed Independent
guarantee lifts confidence NEWS.com.au
Stormy Weather In The Credit Default Swap Market Resource Investor
The Market Oracle - Wall Street Journal
all 270 news articles


Seattle Post Intelligencer

Credit card market tightens
Tampabay.com, FL - 5 hours ago
By James Thorner, Times staff writer Will credit cards land the next punch to the gut of our bruised financial system? As home values fall and unemployment ...
Is the era of easy credit over for the long haul? The Associated Press
Are Credit Cards The Next Credit Crunch? Consumer Affairs
CreditCardCity.com Launches Credit Card Blog to Keep Consumers ... PR Web (press release)
BusinessWeek - PR Web (press release)
all 206 news articles


Times Colonist

Fear Factor
Slate - 15 hours ago
The right blames the credit crisis on poor minority homeowners. This is not merely offensive, but entirely wrong. In 1907, one man saved us from financial ...
Who killed Wall Street BusinessWorld Online
Stock markets end week of credit crunch worries Newsday
High anxiety rules Wall Street as global credit crisis deepens Emirates Business 24/7
The Associated Press - RightSide Advisors
all 2,342 news articles


Sify

Wall Street stocks soar, Dow gains 936 points
CTV.ca, Canada - 3 hours ago
Wall Street bounced back Monday from a week of falling stocks, after North American and European leaders agreed on plans to tackle the worldwide credit ...
G7 vows to fight credit crunch but details sketchy Reuters
G7 Offers Guidelines for Staving Off Crisis TheStreet.com
G7 pledges to battle financial crisis The Associated Press
all 174 news articles


Vancouver Sun

FOREX-Dollar, yen fall as credit markets ease; euro rises
Reuters - 9 hours ago
"The whole idea that the dollar is benefiting from frozen credit markets is now starting to dissipate," said Brian Dolan, chief FX strategist, at Forex.com ...
New global crisis plans should thaw credit markets Reuters
FOREX-Euro, sterling rally as Europe pledges to rescue banks Reuters
all 29 news articles


Auto sales about same as last two months: Ford
Reuters - 11 hours ago
"Obviously the situation that has gone on in the credit markets over the past week and in the stock market doesn't help matters," Fields said. ...
Video: Money Minute: GM, GE, Oil AssociatedPress
CREDIT WATCH HITS GM, FORD Globe and Mail
US automakers face worst crisis in their history Taipei Times
Minyanville.com - Detroit Free Press
all 630 news articles


Maxim: AmTech Upgrades, Credit Suisse Downgrades
Barron's Blogs - 14 hours ago
On the other hand, there’s Credit Suisse’s John Pitzer cut his rating on the stock to Neutral from Outperform. “While we had previously expected MXIM to ...
Downgrading Maxim Integrated Products to Neutral; lowering price ... RTT News
Maxim shares jump with rest of Wall Street Forbes
Maxim Integrated Products Expects Q1, Q2 Revenue Below Consensus ... RTT News
all 32 news articles


Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union Gets Approved for $500000 in ...
MarketWatch - 9 hours ago
Dale Schumacher, CEO of TBFCU said, "With headlines focused on the $700 billion bailout plan, we are one of the few credit unions in our community that was ...
US Plans $250 Billion in Bank Equity, Person Says (Update2) Bloomberg
all 10 news articles


Emirates Business 24/7

GM Likely to Seek Direct Loan From Fed
Barron's - Oct 12, 2008
Reserve Banks currently do not establish an interest rate for emergency credit, but Regulation A specifies that such a rate would be above the highest rate ...
Credit unions ready to lend: As banks tighten credit, credit ... Crain's Detroit Business
Credit markets see a few, tentative signs of thaw The Associated Press
Banks must reveal full exposure to sub-prime Telegraph.co.uk
Baltimore Sun - The Market Oracle
all 1,182 news articles


SAFE Credit Union customers to test Intuit online program
Bizjournals.com, NC - 8 hours ago
SAFE Credit Union in Sacramento is being tapped as a test institution for a new online program by Intuit Inc. called FinanceWorks that allows the credit ...

credit - Google News

home | site map
© 2006
web www.worldbizinfo.com