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Andrew Tobias

Money and Other Subjects

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Andrew Tobias
Andrew Tobias

Money and Other Subjects

Free Stuff

April 10, 2001February 19, 2017

John Dicks: ‘Regarding the recent comment on the Handspring Visor through CSFB Direct (then DLJ Direct) — I, too, opened the account and got the Visor (and never used it and subsequently got rid of — it makes a good gift). Anyway, I noticed that the rate paid on the money market account averaged about 2.75%. I’ve closed the account, but certainly see how they could afford to give away the Visor!’

☞ That 2.75% put you about 30% ahead of most folks in the same time period – coulda been worse! (And seriously, by giving up 2% for 6 months versus something safe-but-higher-yielding, you gave up about $50 on $5,000. Not too bad for a Handspring Visor.)

Michael Young: ‘Based on their handling of my ‘free Handspring Visor’ account last year, I would never do business with DLJ Direct again. After opening my account, I expected to receive instructions on how to fund my account, but I never did, so I had to call to find out. {Of all the things associated with opening an account, you’d think this is the one they’d make an effort to get right!) While I was on the phone, I asked whether I’d still be eligible for the free Visor. There was no indication I’d signed up through a promotion – their web page was having troubles, they said – but they promised that they’d put in the promotion code. Several weeks passed, so I called to make sure the promotion code got entered after all. Of course, it had not. More promises. It took three more calls before it actually shipped (and then two more to FedEx, who found a wonderfully creative place to hide the box). Nice gadget, though. I might even buy some add-ons.’

Gary Krager points us to a free Palm m100 when you open a Citibank checking account with $2,500 or more.

And how about a little free cash? Allan Tanner, from Wichita, directs us to an online offer from TD Waterhouse. ‘If one opens a brokerage account or even a bank account (they have a bank, too) with at least $1,000, they will add $100 to it. Sounds like a good deal to me. Even if you earned nothing else on the $1,000, as I figure it, you’d be getting a 20% return for those six months.’

☞ In percentage terms, the return on investment is indeed awesome. If only they’d let you do it with bigger money – say a $2,500 gift for keeping $25,000 on deposit for six months. Ah, well.

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