Money Nightmares September 20, 2017 Lifestyle, Savings, Spending Jamie Burgess In the dream, she was scolding me: “You’re spending more than twice your income every month!” I could see the laptop on the table with my bank accounts on the screen. “But Grandma!” I insisted, “Look at the numbers, that can’t possibly be true!” I was getting upset. I hated to be accused of financial Keep Reading
Equifax Data Breach: What to Do Next September 14, 2017 Industry, Preparation, Protection, Regulation Sean Collins There is no doubt that you’ve heard of the massive data breach at Equifax, between mid-May and July 2017, that was made public last week. In light of that, we’ve consulted with our team of financial and credit experts to make it very clear what is at risk and how you should respond. What happened Keep Reading
The Fintech Industry Won’t Save You July 25, 2017 Industry, Regulation, Savings, Spending Ben Luthi The Fintech Industry Won’t Save You As the fintech industry has expanded, hundreds of companies have been clamoring to help consumers manage their money. Millennials are usually the target market. But while fintech companies have gotten good at selling financial products, that doesn’t mean they’re actually helping people. According to the National Foundation for Credit Keep Reading
The Current State of U.S. Financial Literacy June 13, 2017 Industry, Preparation, Regulation Priya Iyer Across the U.S., we celebrate financial literacy and awareness during specific times of the year. Last month, for example was National Financial Literacy Month. But many advocates, the government, and even research studies show that one-off or annual pushes for financial education are not enough. Richard Corday, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Keep Reading
June 2, 2017: The Mother of Invention is a Worthy Purpose June 7, 2017 Cinch, Mindful Musings, Uncategorized Sean Collins I am stunned, daily, by the capabilities of our team here at Cinch. It is a good-sized team — 35 folks — with amazing academic and work credentials ranging from design to artificial intelligence to econometrics. And everything in between. It’s not only the individual capabilities that amaze me (which are stunning, particularly to a Keep Reading
A Case for Subscription Services June 6, 2017 Cinch, Industry Priya Iyer If you’ve noticed a growing number of subscription-based services popping up around you, you may be on to something. Subscription-based services are making a comeback in a range of industries, and you may begin to see the same in the FinTech industry soon. In the past, companies that have been the first to shift to Keep Reading
Series: How Your Credit Report Information Is Being Used May 31, 2017 Cinch, Industry, Regulation Priya Iyer In my last two posts, I’ve explored a lot of what you might want to know about credit reports, credit scores, and what all of this means for you as a consumer. Now, for the grand finale of posts on credit reports (exciting stuff, right?)! There are an ever-increasing number of ways your credit report Keep Reading
A Trump-date. May 10, 2017 Industry, Regulation Priya Iyer When Trump was inaugurated in January, I saw article after article on the potentially crippling changes the new administration might make that would affect the FinTech industry. After reading what the experts had to say, I wrote about the potential of the administration to weaken or dismantle several regulations. Since then, I’ve mostly heard crickets Keep Reading
Behavioral Science in FinTech: Why Now? April 26, 2017 Cinch, Industry, Savings Priya Iyer Dan Ariely. Esther Duflo. Steven Levitt. Do any of these names ring a bell? These are some of the people who have spearheaded the field known as behavioral economics — a discipline that studies the effects of psychological, social and cognitive factors on economic decisions. Behavioral economics can be applied in a countless number of Keep Reading
April 7, 2017 — Mission: Validation April 10, 2017 Cinch, Mindful Musings Sean Collins Part of my job at Cinch is to reach out to influential third parties that are aligned with our purpose of increasing your financial health and best outcomes. We started that process nearly three years ago with our initial outreach to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or the CFPB. That’s the government regulator for most Keep Reading