Grandpa,
Can you tell me the origin of these words and the appropriate use of them; (Grandpa chose not to publish the words and phrases).
Grandpa says: Can I? Yes. Will I? No. Profanity is not part of Grandpa’s chosen syntax. There is no appropriate use for these words, or phrases in a civilized society.
Grandpa,
I just opened my first savings account. The lady at the bank told me that I will be earning compound interest. I pretended I understood her but I really have no idea what she was talking about. I wanted to ask my teacher but am too embarrassed to let him know that I don’t know the difference.
Grandpa says: It simply means that your interest is figured out every day. Then it is paid periodically, such as each month or every three months. Compound interest is just a tool used by the bank to make sure you are getting the full amount of interest you earned and not just an average or close estimate. It works to your advantage as long as you keep saving money out of every check. Some may argue this point with me, but Grandpa says that the best way to build a good credit rating is to stash money into your savings account every payday.
Grandpa,
My wife and I are at odds. We want to buy a new car. We are offered 0% financing or $X cash back. I say to take the 0% financing, but she wants the cash back. Which is the better deal?
Grandpa says: Look at the life of the loan. How much total out-of-pocket would you pay for the car with each scenario. Cash back is just like taking out a personal loan for which you would be paying interest. Zero per cent financing means you are paying a higher price for the car to cover the kick back the dealer gets from the finance company. How desperate are you to get a new car this year? If it is a discretionary decision, find out what the dealership would charge for the car and related expenses and what your payments would be with either scenario. Then go to your bank and open up a new savings account. Each month put into that account the amount of the proposed payment. When you have made enough payments to your savings account to buy the car for cash, go buy the car. In this way you have received interest payments instead of making them. My grandfather taught me that it is better to shop with cash in your hand than your hat in your hand.
Grandpa,
In the Bible when Lot’s wife turned to look back at the city of Sodom, why did God choose to turn her into salt? Wouldn’t it have been more symbolic to just burn her as He burned the city?
Grandpa says: The symbol of salt is rampant in the Bible. In Judges 9:45 we read that when a city was captured, salt was spread around the land as a curse. Perhaps that was God’s intent. I can’t say.
Got something stuck in your craw? Ask Grandpa. Address your letters to Ask Grandpa c/o The Voice, PO Box 123,
Aurora, IL 60507 or send an E-mail to askgrandpa@thevoice.us.