Holiday Warm-Feeling Funtime.

I'd hate to be remembered as an angry young man, so here's a little penance for all the virtual yelling I've done today. These sound like awesome parents.

I went to the credit union today to deposit my Christmas bonus. I waited my turn behind a boy who was about four years old. In one hand he held a wad of cash, and in the other he held his account information. His parents watched from the side of the lobby.

“Why, hello,” said the teller when she saw the boy. He walked purposely to the counter. She leaned over and looked down at him. “What can I do for you?” she asked.

“I need to make a deposit,” he said. He stood on tip-toes, reaching up with the money and the account information.

“You need a stool,” the teller said, laughing.

...continued on Get Rich Slowly...

• Get Rich Slowly » You’re Never Too Young to Save

Stop Freaking Teasing Me.

So American Express runs this promotion every winter holiday season. Its called the wishlist, and basically consists of deeply discounted luxury merchandise in limited quantities. Like today its a 40 inch LCD TV and a blueray player for $1500. Very nice, but I'm not biting cause I have a big LCD TV and I'm not convinced that blueray will take. But next Monday they're selling three Porsche Caymans for five grand. Five grand... I can rummage that together. And I can sell my kidneys to make the insurance payments. But every year as thoughts of sugarplums dance through my head, Dee reminds me that I still have to pay the income tax on the MSRP that was discounted. Well, IRS, I can't pay you a third of fifty grand I didn't get. I can let you drive around in my car a third of the time. But you have to pitch in for gas.

Dammit American Express, why even tempt me with this crap?