Similarly (and probably off topic), Amazon is not nearly to the scale of Walmart when you look at overall sales. Walmart's overall revenue is about 5x.
It may seem like Walmart is following the footsteps of Sears, but they are not out of the game yet. They need to face the innovator's dilemma head on and do it quickly because the broader issue is their e-commerce growth rate is declining instead of accelerating and the way people shop is fundamentally changing. They need to be dominant in e-commerce to be a dominant retailer in the future.
Walmart is better positioned than anyone to take on Amazon online. Their massive distribution footprint is a huge asset they are not leveraging. They need to morph into a logistics company and announce an all-encompassing same-day delivery service. They also need to completely re-haul their web/mobile UX.
I would gladly buy from Walmart. Amazon is just a lot easier right now. In the end, Amazon is not all that differentiated and if Walmart had some strong technological leadership, they could certainly close the e-commerce gap.
"In fact, roughly half of respondents to the ICBA survey say that overdraft fees constitute their most profitable non-depository and non-lending product, despite regulatory changes that have crimped their income potential."
The article is using median numbers. There are of course regional differences in real estate investment and I was thinking about doing a follow up article on that specifically. I tried to somewhat address this by saying
"There are many mistakes that people could make that would cause their real estate investment to be a less than favorable one. Rushing into home ownership, buying in a region that is failing economically, getting sucked into a loan that is less than optimal, or even being uneducated or less informed about your options could result in a negative outcome."
That's a great point. If you are willing to have a tenant living with you it would definitely be a way to leverage your real estate investment for a better return. I think most people aren't willing to do this though.
In my analysis I did include a 3% inflation rate for rent increases as well as property tax increases. The analysis is looking at the long term 30 year outcome of taking the net balance you have renting and putting it into a higher return investment. In many cases you can do better even though you're making rent payments.
LoanNow - Senior Software Engineer - Orange County, CA
PAYDAY LOANS ARE TRAPS
Imagine for a second that you have no credit card, your bank account is almost empty, and your car breaks down. You need cash and you need it fast.
You turn to a payday loan with an ABSURD 1000% interest rate that does NOTHING to rebuild your credit. Two weeks go by and your loan comes due. You're in the same situation, so your roll that loan into the next loan, and the next loan – the average cycle lasts 5 MONTHS and it’s a cycle that 12 MILLION Americans live in.
Over a quarter million payday loans are issued EVERY, SINGLE, DAY.
We think there is a better way.
INTRODUCING LOANNOW
We're a stealthy team of technologists disrupting a $15 billion slow moving giant of an industry. Everyone on our team codes and contributes on every level, front to back. We've built web scale products and helped scale them to tens of millions of daily active users.
We are ready to we go live with our beta and there will be nothing in the market that comes close. Every person we've showed it to smiles at how fast and easy we’ve made the lending experience.
But we’ve realized we need help to move even faster. We're looking for a teammate who can come in and contribute at speed on day one, and who is world class at more than one thing.
You’ll be working with a team of A-players who have graduated from some of North America’s top schools and stem from companies such as Amazon, Nike, Citrix, Specific Media and Myspace. As teammates we value commitment and accountability; honing our craft; building tools to create leverage; and seeking to learn from and understand each other.
The ideal candidates is brilliant, passionate, and uncompromising in their pursuit of building an incredible product that will positively affect the lives of millions of Americans.
At LoanNow, we believe we can change the world by helping people with less than great credit get back on track. Our loans reward you for good behavior instead of trapping you in an endless spiral of interest & penalties. And we make getting a loan faster and easier than anyone else!
We are a very well funded stealth finance technology startup based in Orange County, CA. Our founders have an impeccable track record, which includes back-to-back Inc 500 Fastest Growing Company accolades. Our technology team includes veterans from Amazon, Nike, Citrix, Specific Media and Myspace.
You’ll earn a secure and competitive base salary and stock options. We also offer employer-sponsored medical/dental/vision coverage as well as 401(k), life, and supplemental insurance options.
The $15B payday predatory lending space is begging to be disrupted. We are the ones who are going to do it.
Jody was one of my advisors. I was just exchanging emails with him last week and he was consoling me about our startup struggles. Having trouble making sense of this.
But yeah, no mention of TOR in that article.