The 404 Ep. 1059: Where Facebook fizzles and we're happier for it
The 404 Ep. 1059: Where Facebook fizzles and we're happier for it
2012-05-23
it's Wednesday May twenty-third 2012
it's the 404 show on CNN TV I'm Jeff
Bakalar and I'm Justin you and this is
the show where Facebook fizzles and
we're happier for it oh and I man chill
and I'm everybody's and don't forget it
I you know last time when I was on we
were talking all about the facebook IPO
remember we got some questions about
buying the facebook IPO and we got
questions even when you were gone as
well like whoa shouldn't I buy it and
what did I say boring old answer yeah
we'd chill out yeah this thing is all
hype yeah and it could have listened to
put if it had gone up five bucks or
eight bucks everyone would have said you
don't think that I should have gotten in
but it's a long way between now and then
you know the stock fell so in the first
day of trading right it goes up a little
bit right 23 cents the next two days
goes down eighteen percent it's a lot
that's a big number the high 18 it
doesn't take a big economist to realize
that that sucks or a social media genius
it realize that's a big-time thumbs down
right so dislike this thing the dissing
and disliking is all over the place so
now the news today which is coming out
of so this is what I love when our
worlds converge because the news is
really interesting first of all you know
that there was a huge technological
glitch on the Nasdaq the first day of
trading it's like let's say you were
knew that you were gonna have the
biggest offering you know are the second
biggest offering an American history huh
wouldn't you be prepared probably test
out the machine let's see if this works
or is it related do you think it's a
coincidence um it is I think it is a
terrible coincidence yes there's a
conspiracy theory now saying that it's
because they rigged the machine to
automatically post his facebook status
to post mark zuckerberg facebook status
at the same that's got wonder now
anything is loaded with orders they
completely blew it the technology broke
down yeah now there's a new lawsuit
where investors are saying we're going
to sue the Nasdaq because here's what
happened it's kind of like you know the
worst case scenario if you're a trader
you're working in a big firm you're
managing money
say alright I put an order in which said
I own facebook at 38 I put an order in
to sell my shares at 45-42 whatever it
was then I decide you know what forget
I'm going to cancel the order i'll just
have it so you canceled the order but
you get no confirmation that your orders
cancelled you don't know whether you've
sold it or not you don't know whether
you're long it or flat and these people
there's some people who lost real money
in this for real and they're going to go
after the Nasdaq to see if they can get
compensated for that loss that's one
thing the second thing something they
have a case though totally yeah
absolutely now the second thing that's
happened is now there's this whole story
about the underwriters right the bankers
who put the deal together they are now
being accused of some shenanigans I love
that word shamanic I call shenanigans
okay yeah she it was a shenanigan um
here's what the use of the accusation is
now the company's out on the road show
and is getting inferences oh my god
there's a ton of demand everybody wants
it and at on may nine facebook amends
its s-1 filing with the SEC and in that
filing it basically says there's there's
a very small note about how their
results may fall in the next year some
revenue could be lower okay and and and
it's not exact and it's not like a
science the numbers aren't in there that
it's sort of innocuous but it definitely
ratchets down the expectations at the
same time Facebook executives allegedly
decided they wanted to really make sure
that they got 38 bucks a share they
wanted the price to be 38 and they added
more shares to the offering so now all
of a sudden we have a whole bunch of
things happening at once we have the
company saying maybe our numbers aren't
quite as good we have the company saying
to the investment bankers we want 38
bucks a share we want to sell our shares
in it and we're going to sell more
shares so there's tons of supply now the
underwriter is led by Morgan Stanley say
great because everyone says they want a
ton of this at the same time at morgan
stanley there analyst says that he is
downgrading his expectation
for facebook's revenue you don't write a
report because when you're on the road
show you're prohibited from putting a
public report out you're allowed to have
verbal conversations with clients during
the road show during with the
institutions that are buying this not
little retail investors eighty percent
of the people who are buying shares are
institutions that can mean a hedge fund
it can mean fidelity our mutual funds
true that's where most the offering is
so now people are freaking out there
saying wait a minute are you saying that
Morgan Stanley tapped the shoulder of
the big guys said listen don't go crazy
with us because the numbers aren't
looking so good but the little guy who
is the retail investor like you and me
who may have bought a few you know a
little bit of the opening didn't know
that information so so it's basic it's
not insider trading it but it feels like
that I spoke to a couple of securities
lawyers this morning preparing for my
show appearance here on the 404 and they
said there's something kind of
interesting which is is disturbing if
it's true but two different people said
to me you know the rules of an IPO are
rigged against the little guy always
right I said wait a minute what do you
mean I thought everybody gets the same
information it's the same filing they
said yeah but you know the underwriters
are allowed to talk to the institutional
clients but they're not supposed to talk
to the retail investor during the road
how is that fair and they said but
that's the rule and I'm like really I
got to check that out I wasn't so sure
and I haven't found out but two
different attorneys at two different law
firms told me that so I'm inclined to
think that they may be true I don't
understand how that could be fair well
because basically an IPO is really for
the benefit of two types to people the
people selling the shares and the
institutions coming in and buying those
shares now the institutions
theoretically would be nice if like the
guy at fidelity who got the tap on the
shoulder don't buy so many shares told
the people in their brokerage accounts
hey we just got this tap on the shoulder
we're going to tap you on the shoulder
small investor but evidently you're not
supposed to talk to retail investor
during the roadshow but you can talk to
the institution privileged information
that's what it should trickle down let's
see
terrible I guess what I'm wondering is
is it typical for a company like
Facebook to amend their as one filing
saying that they might not have a good
quarter in the future it is not typical
and that was the other that was a big
tip off a lot of people said even
without there being any verbal
communication between Morgan Stanley the
fact that more that you know that
institutions these big players said wait
a minute they amended their filing it's
the going out at the top of the range
and they're adding too many shares to
this offering so what I understand from
some hedge fund guys is they got the
shares at 38 they blew him out at 40 41
42 and they went short at 42 meaning
they sold shares and bet against
facebook driving it all the way down and
yeah the first day it closed at you know
3823 but the second day which was after
the big underwriters sort of stopped
buying the stock they the floodgates
open it's really interesting all right
it's cool it I mean it's sort of like a
crazy story right forced me to really
try and learn as much as I can about the
whole thing because it's the first time
where I understand why things are
happening seriously and it sounds
pathetic it took me 30 years to
understand the like stocks didn't aunt
Jill then I didn't I've only had an
angio for a couple years right uh
Chairman wants to know did Zuckerberg
lose two billion dollars through all
this on paper on paper right but
remember what happened he gets shares he
sold some shares for himself 38 bucks so
that's that's perfect he gets that money
it's off the table the rest of the
shares that he rate retained went down
and on paper yeah it looks like he lost
two billion dollars big deal round a
year 18 billion to 16 billion comp
change uh how about a girl though you
think she's signed a prenup no wife is
it what are you crazy if I would I mean
I don't know he's here's I he's an
unconventional dude okay here's the deal
you cut with her you say honey I love
you moving together forever right have
there been part of the recent Harvard
since Harvey right so uh you know you've
been part of the ride I'm a total loser
geek you took a shot at me and now I was
the loser was then paid all right Jesse
Eisenberg
portrays him as this sort of freddie was
so okay let's just take you totally
Jarek yeah sure and so let's say that
that's true okay so she she finds the
love in him she sees the beauty in that
of dollars through the acne okay so now
he's worth 18 be right and he says till
we're getting married I love you no
matter what whatever happens if we get
divorced we don't get divorced Oh sign
this paper you get 5 billion we walk
away you're done mmm that's it I'd sign
that in a second course you would five
brain how to do it for a billion i'm not
a dude for 500 don't sell yourself short
haven't I taught you anything that's
true a billion at least a billion at
least I want to know to put up with them
I want to know what what happened with
that there had to be a prenup there had
to be had to be I mean too much please
it says I'm lawyer DUP to his yang you
think about it if he did you know if you
didn't do it and they broke up she Jeff
automatical California oh woe is me a
billion dollars I mean but you know
California community property state bad
place to break up after you after you're
in the black for so much money does it
matter doesn't matter I don't know Paul
McCartney seems to not care he seems to
keep getting married and breathing ah
they're giving his money away i don't
care listen every time i literally need
to get married and divorced a hundred
and fifty thousand holdings for it to
start affecting his bank flow I don't
listen I am NOT a you know I've never
signed a prenup in my life no I probably
should have given my track record oh I
always cost me money to get out of these
relationships yeah hey that much well
I'm not ever on the receiving end of
that sure for some reason but um I can
understand that if you're worth 18
billion dollars you say you know what
let's just do this let's paper it up
let's get done he also as you say he
made me so unconventional anybody might
not care who gives yeah I don't think he
really cares I'm worth this you're worth
this who cares and I think his attitude
comes through in what's all sort of
happening right now and I think it was
like you know the drama was sort of
boiling before it went public and now
that it is it's just sort of overflowing
so there's a big rumor now on the street
that he's like some one of the analysts
said you know this guy's Zuckerberg such
an egomaniac the reason he priced it at
38 is that he wanted a market
capitalization of one
billion-dollar just have that nice i'm a
number like he's a lunatic he's a little
bit of a lunatic I mean who knows if
that's true or not there was an article
in the wall street journal this morning
about the chief financial officer of the
firm and whose name is escaping me right
now but who sounds like a like a
micromanaging megalomaniac and so it
sounds like he really pushed the
underwriters around quite a bit so look
you know what there's egg on the face of
everybody nobody wanted to see this
thing go down eighteen percent i think
the ideal scenario was it goes out of 38
it goes up you know to 42 it settles at
40 chills out for a while yes I i think
this eighteen percent dump is quite
surprising it's bad for the company's
bad for nasdaq it's bad for Morgan
Stanley as bad for all the underwriters
but you know what it's early days yeah
few days n we got a net what's the
trading at right now Justin I mean
Anthony 32 in 1832 dollars 18 cents so
it's up about three and a half percent
percent right yep where it so call I'm
and back up that hill it's still stumble
it's stumbled out of the gate I mean
it's stumbled that you know it's funny
the first day of trading when I saw the
first hour I said oh oh something Bad's
happening you know I'm an old this is
that what you see when you look at the
tickers ya see what like the people in
the matrix C yes you know tonight oh
they do I divine it my father calls tape
reading that's amazing so you see like
the volume you see the types of orders
that are placed you see that the the
volume on the sell side starts to
accelerate pretty quickly amazing while
you see what I see when I look at like
the box score yeah hockey game that's
right I look I can tell by the way I
just want to be clear with everybody
that last time I was on it wore red
after the devil's one okay alright so
there was no game last night that's why
I'm not wearing devil's red I'm very
anxious about tonight you're not you
think you're anxious i feel that Jeff we
need to have an intervention with him if
something doesn't go his way it's gonna
be bad if things don't work out it's
just letting everyone know say they're
right now like the best case scenario
for you right now is that they win
tonight and they take it in at home
course right of course you don't want
them to lose tonight and win the last
two and they have to win in the garden
although going to be fun if they
wouldn't be fun
let's win tonight okay okay we digress a
little it's just off man is it tough it
is tough so anyway I'm glad that most of
our fans here did not buy facebook
because you know what why yeah I don't
think anyone did and we relay that same
advice that you gave us the a couple
weeks ago when you were sort of like
wait play the waiting game see what
happens um and it turned out to be good
advice of course that I should expect
anything less right exactly so I'm sort
of sick of the Facebook story I do I did
tweet this yesterday that is like it's
like enough already all right fine but
will you humor us for for a couple more
moments um interesting uh read here from
technology review which is published by
MIT headline is called the Facebook
fallacy all right yeah written by
Michael Wolff for all its valuation the
social network Facebook is just another
ad supported site without an earth
changing idea it will collapse and take
down the web Wow strong words basically
up to sort of summarize what this guy's
saying he's basically saying that all of
this was just way over night and at the
end of the day it's all about
impressions and CPM ok so like that so
guess what like that is true I agree
with that and we know that because we
know that there was only twelve percent
of their revenue that didn't come from
ads all right you're right so but but
that said we work for a company that
makes a crapload of money on advertising
it's called CBS but don't you think that
our ads arm even though even though
Facebook knows more about you than your
own mother right there's still something
about you know this sort of abstractness
and randomness of facebook ads and the
way that they're built into the site are
much less appealing than they are on
retail or other sites like our own like
somebody's much more client to click us
and add-on seen it and they are on
Facebook I guess so but I would be I'd
be a little bit nervous about saying the
death of display you know the reliance
on display is there going to be their
death knell because I keep looking at
the TV model which is you know everyone
said nobody is watching television this
is model as going away and yet you know
i look at the CBS earnings and it
astounding how much money you make from
advertisers so i agree i'm not look you
know me i'm not a facebook fan i just
didn't because you told me to do it
frankly by the way both of you but
seriously it's still a different
experience in a commercial on TV is so
much different than just having in you
know and right because 11 relies on you
proactively make something happens the
other one is coming but person right
it's passive so but that said there is
so much information there's mining of
information and there is technology
explain to me what is this called when
like you can login to other sites
through facebook what's that called
again uh what do I don't know I can't
open graph yeah at that some some of the
analysts said to me that's actually a
very killer valuable valuable value and
and and that there is there is much to
be said about Facebook I think they know
they can't be a display advertising
model forever but I also wouldn't sell
them short no I wouldn't I'm not saying
that but I'm what I'm saying is that and
I agree their technology is where they
really you know have sort of like a
corner on the market there um I also
think that just like Twitter their
primary sort of go to characteristic is
this data that right have they owned so
much data like Twitter no twitter has
basically become you know this sort of
the stenographer of life on Earth you
know what I mean we're just like
everything first of all I love that you
use the word stenographer because Justin
do you know what a stenographer is a
little person who sits in the fourth
quarter why is he little why are they
little there was a little fingers little
finger yeah hi typewriter they're tight
free shorthand i love that i just really
it's the life like what that now twitter
explains everything when you want to
know if something's happening it's those
entertain of life it really is exactly
why were too sick x and out uh but yeah
that's that's sort of what it is so
their value is deep but they still
haven't really harnessed that and blown
the doors off eternity I have to say
that you met guys been made a little bit
younger when this was all happening but
I felt like we had these very similar
around Amazon where people would say
okay I get it they've got tons of people
come in there but they're just not
making enough money and not making
enough money and it's just books and all
of a sudden you saw that Amazon became a
much more valuable company because of
the way that they could bring other
items in and they did become sort of
this amazing retailer of everything
right laid the groundwork and then
reenable so the question really is
you're still making the same bet do I
believe that this management team can
has now laid the groundwork for
something really awesome in the future
and we don't know yet and hence why I
would never buy the stock it's well it's
crazy though because they're getting
close to a billion users right they have
more than 900 million now so it's like
all right they're gonna run it's like
are they running out of time to really
make that really I mean you guys are
more of the experts about that than I am
I mean did you but you know but some of
this is somewhat is habit right you know
I'm on facebook what will replace that
mode of communication I mean so far
there's always been something new right
you know right historically speaking I
know the Internet is still technically
in his infancy right I got in the grand
scheme it's sure will there be something
new I don't know well you know you g
funny you bring up the internet why
you're saying that that there's some
people who think there's bad things
happening in the internet it's crazy all
right transition um did I blow your did
I don't know that's not her a perfect
segue we talked about this but last week
Justin two weeks ago two weeks ago they
were selling tickets for it oh they were
selling tickets on the Internet yeah
well now anyway uh more than 40,000
ultra-orthodox Jews came together in
protest of the internet and this happen
i believe over the weekend or last week
not uh not on Shabbat I'm sure no at
Citi Field it was probably like a Sunday
afternoon can you do it sunday after
church is that kosher yeah yeah yeah
Sunday's good Saturday bad Saturday bed
uh forty thousand Jews they show up at
Citi Field where the Mets play and I'm
sure that the will plans charge him a
pretty penny to rent out the stadium I
need all that they need all the cash
they can get and basically they were
there to protest the
rules of the internet okay okay but what
why wretch my head on this its just oh
it's a little strange arm you know it's
to me you know i mean did is this not
like this is you know one guy sort of
leading it's 40,000 people that show
that okay now Justin don't say anything
during this segment because you will be
seen as anti-semitic yeah there's yet
not very very carefully i can speak
freely yeah we come off a
self-deprecating self-hating gia that's
it well let me go let me be clear that
these these types of jews would not
consider us jews know they was spitting
our family Oh Terry would they would
literally yeah is a disturbing idea that
you can have a 40,000 people who
basically want to sort of try to put a
genie back in the bottle or go back in
time now I'm not saying that there's all
beautiful content on the web it's
disgusting an awful we all know that
right you would think that there would
be a more constructive way that they
40,000 people could come together and
saying you know we don't like that world
wide interweb that Al Gore created and
instead say come out and do something
really positive and say you know here's
what we think would be great if we get
you know we want to do something where
parents are monitoring their kids or
whatever it is you know like doing more
education and saying there's so much
amazing glorious information from the
web and there's a lot of crap let's try
to avoid the crap but to just say
denounce the internet yeah I hate the
phone exactly i don't want phones and in
and that's and as the point is gonna
bring up it's the same thing like pick
your poison you know as we evolve and
move on there's always going to be
something new that's a book the internet
it's a big deal it's changed everybody's
life absolutely for better or worse it's
changed everybody's life and people we
as humans we just you know we adapt with
that it's part of our evolution and okay
and then like you know there's always
going to be a downside there's nothing
more like pure and i mean and i guess
for these guys you know the the purity
would be to be back in a shtetl in you
know in eastern europe and not have
electricity that would be fantastic also
but i don't see a lot of them i mean on
the Sabbath they don't you know drive
but i don't see a lot of
saying I don't want to be in a car I
don't want to use a telephone I mean
it's ridiculous it is ridiculous because
like we said there are so many sort of
almost hypocritical elements to daily I
mean this thing was was this organized
just by word of mouth maybe I don't know
maybe I doubt it but you know if you
know you look at all these photos and
you see these guys they're on their cell
phones you know they're embracing other
technologies I'm sure I am positive when
the phone became mainstream not the cell
phone when the landline phone people
were losing we're never going to leave
the house look what happened television
radio same thing I mean was there is a
similar sort of gathering after you know
cable TV became prevalent we are all
watching that great stuff on Channel J
exactly exactly uh I it to me it's it's
it's a little upsetting good you guys
think that a big part of this is
probably arguing for accountability and
just giving people information on how
they can browse the internet safely with
their families like it probably wasn't
really a protest I don't know I mean the
question is if they did that okay maybe
but it was just the anti I'm never into
just the anti i just don't like this
will tell me what you do like what can
we do with it it's here well everyone
knows it's bad stuff only in right of
course we look for constant exactly
right exactly no zone it's all your
bookmarks there so um you know the verge
had a write up about this they sent
excuse me they sent the guy who quit the
internet to go here right that's awesome
which is actually perfect um there's
basically a couple talking points that
the verge brought up and I've you know
all due respect this is really a really
good writeup so they sort of categorized
it in a few talking points number one
the internet is full of filth okay and
it is but you know what so is planet
Earth I know right what I mean like is
it better to have it on the internet or
is it in a better in a strip mall would
you rather now exactly would you rather
be exposed to it in time square in point
blank range or through the privacy of
your own home all right number to the
internet changes who you are okay
everything changes who you are living
your life as a human your day-to-day y z
internetu that it's your responsibility
be who you are yeah yeah of course um
you know I Macanese guy
damn it I just you know I just don't I
just don't understand I'm decay you can
no you please speak freely yeah speak
freely because just like I love it's
like this organization you can speak
freely that's right right so everyone
has their own opinion I mean what to me
I sort of think they're just a little
misguided was there more beyond they
said the it's Philip smart that was
their two main talking points and it
changes who you are it changes who you
are and you know a lot of beliefs in
ultra-orthodox judaism is is sort of
this almost isolation uh and having like
a very private relationship with God
right and um you know it's just I to me
what about looking at it say like wow
how cool is it that you could bring
ultra-orthodox Jews from all over the
world together and come to like your
website and learn more and have people
understand about what you do in other
words if it's all negative it's easy to
discount and if they're more balanced
then it's easier to say hey maybe
they've got a point there some of this
is kind of crap everyone knows it's crap
but you know it just you know of course
they wouldn't say anything about like oh
we're worried about girls being
exploited on the internet because they
really don't see women as anything know
as you know as equals they do not is why
they weren't at this conference right on
Syria woman there's a lot of problems
there's a lot of problems I just
attended a Jewish woman in the room I'm
but it's just it's upsetting it's
upsetting and it and and the publicity
of this paints a very negative picture
of Jews I know you know it's always way
me you know like when there's a guy
arrested on Wall Street and he's Jewish
my mother will call me up and said oh
he's Jewish hahahaha it's obviously
brought us back another ten years right
this were some fundamentalist XYZ group
they weren't you would that was not Jews
I don't think I'd be reacting as
strongly I really is it I definitely
agree with you Jeff that there's this
feeling like you know I'm a whatever
lame Jew but I know that but but it's
like oh really it has to be the Jews who
are being like kind of weird about this
I don't know look it's not as bad
nowhere near as bad as like a Westboro
Baptist Church sort of thing right you
know where it's just maniacal lunatics
all right
understand this is extremism yeah but it
is what it is is the most for the
doctors yet yeah there's a lot of them
they weren't breaking the law they were
doing anything there's the you know but
at the end of the day it just it's
upsetting as someone who is Jewish and
is very much um involved in the internet
and loves porn and understand and look
and understands that it's a natural
evolution of human communication and
interaction that's and you know and it's
an unavoidable sort of progression it's
sort of a seems to me also it's a
cop-out because you did okay you don't
blame technology you blame the human
beings and how r use it and so let's
figure out how to help people use it
better which by the way someday I'm
gonna make I think I might have to bring
my nephew in here for a broadcast before
he goes to college so you guys can scare
the crap out of him about what he puts
on like Facebook and my life in college
you've already made you bet I've already
said I already said dougie you know um
you're gonna have to be careful in
college because you guys you're gonna
put stuff up you do this you do that and
I think he's kind of blowing me off a
little bit and I'm like hmm I know the
just the men to do this you know they uh
there's a couple interviews on the post
here and they're talking about how you
know the internet breeds hate and it
breeds all these terrible things yeah it
does okay it's not the first time we've
ever seen that and if you look at the
world history some pretty awful terrible
things have happened when there was no
internet yes some pretty god-awful
terrible yep you know things that no one
ever thought would happen I would say
that the thing that is very interesting
and unique about the Internet in terms
of both kids and now you know as an
adult who has who blogs is the anonymity
of it is very interesting like people
can say nasty stuff you're and be
anonymous which you know I'm I get it
like you're was fine you don't want to
use your real name I get it but that's
the one part of it like I wish that we
could somehow figure out how to make
sure that it was if you're going to say
something nasty in a comment and a blot
out the facebook thing is with a logging
in a lot of websites only let you log in
if it's you right and and then exactly
and that we know who you are and we know
if you're talking trash about something
that you know
and i also think a statement like that
on unit carries so much less weight than
it doesn't in real life oh yeah well you
know it is what it is I'm very curious
to hear what people have to say about
this call us up 866 404 seen it or email
us arm at the 44 @ sina com we don't
even have time to get the questions or
anything like that what you want to do
11 you only one okay let's do one in
them and then watch it wait we're going
to say goodbye because they got to blow
me off for lunch okay guys so just I've
to go bunch at fault are you gonna just
and i might go get a salad by oh I can't
do it without you and Richard forget it
okay cool okay you wanted that all right
let's uh let's maybe do you have one
that you want to get you go first okay
let's uh let's get to one that we have a
rundown this is from Derek okay I
recently started my first job out of
college and I have two questions about
retirement my old work study job with my
school has a defined contribution plan
yep and they're also closing my account
because I'm short of the minimum account
balance would be better to roll it into
a new IRA on existing account and just
so you know he has both an IRA which he
no longer contributes to and a 401k
that's with his new zealand okay what's
now and there's like a two-part thing
that what's a good distribution for 401
k investments i'm currently contributing
sixteen percent of my sounds oh baby
sweet plus is a percent company match
and have eighty percent going into
growth portfolios and twenty into a
balanced index fund this is from derek
what should he do here we go Derek I
don't know how old you are you're taking
too much risk in your portfolio let's
start there so you should probably be
instead of eighty percent growth in
twenty percent balance index make it
more like 6040 6535 something like that
you don't need to take that much risk
you can take risk because you're young
obviously roll over the old retirement
account into your existing IRA account
um and you know just so you can have it
all in one place and chances are because
people move around more I'm more
comfortable saying you know you'll end
up probably with one big fat IRA account
make sure that IRA account is held in a
place that has no load index mutual
funds I'm talking about Vanguard
fidelity t rowe price
on Charles Schwab something that's
really cheap for you to be investing in
no load index funds that's okay all
right great Aaron from Champaign and I
guess this will be our last one cuz
we're really running time a few
appearances ago it was brought up that
you should never close a credit card due
to it apparently harming your credit
score right this episode was taped
literally the day after I closed one of
my two cards I closed the due to the low
limit and the fact that I was using my
new discover card mainly for cash back
bonuses because he spent so much on gas
and stuff like that okay uh his discover
card has a limit of 3,500 so he's gained
2500 available credit just from this one
card did closing that smaller one
thousand dollar limit card hurt his
credit that much he nearly freaked out
when I heard that closing I was a bad
idea no don't freak out uh he hardly has
any debt and paid off a car and paid off
his car nearly a year ago okay good news
is this did not harm you that okay what
harms you the most is missing bills when
you don't pay your bills when you miss a
payment when you're late on your credit
card or your mortgage or utility so a
missed payment is much more diverse much
worse so what we're talking about when
you close out cards is that it the
amount of available credit is part of
your credit score so the reduction of
losing that thousand yeah maybe as you
said he said offset by having an
increased credit limit but in general do
yourselves a favor and if again I don't
think this is a big deal so please don't
freak out about it but because it
already happened and who cares we're
over that right it's in the past pay
your bills keep doing what you're doing
if possible in the future if you're
don't use a credit card just pop it into
your desk drawer don't use it cut it up
yeah you can cut it up and and not worry
about it the only thing is if they start
charging annual fees for that card they
have different decisions so if that's
the thing there's some cards that do
charge annual fees I feel like you gonna
be a little loony to keep that gun right
yeah probably but you know it depends if
you are about to go if you were going to
just about to buy a car with a car loan
or by go get a mortgage i would say
before you cancel it get that loan in
place be
the rules right now about getting credit
are so maniacally crazy that things like
this matter so you just don't use want
to have a nice healthy credit score i'm
sure he still has a great credit score
all right good to know you're you're
okay Erin don't freak out too much I
thought that must kill him we're like
don't ever get the Gregory's lycra nips
as the envelope was dropping in the mail
alright don't worry he's okay he's okay
all right good to know thank you so much
for being here Jill always a pleasure
I'm gonna miss you in two weeks I'm
going to visit the Queen of England okay
that's right have fun on your on your
London trip that's gonna sound awesome
uh and then yeah I wouldn't I won't be
here anyway either III is a two weeks
away yeah also in a month we have lunch
yes okay all right month lunch well cats
are away Oh terrified I'm simply
terrified of that picture that's true
thanks again to Jill follower on twitter
Jill on money alright what else have you
got it always a place love it love it if
you have financial questions asked Jill
at moneywatch.com I'll bring onto my
radio show we'll get you all on the
terrestrial radio folks yes that's not a
step backwards it's a lateral step okay
maybe a step backwards but it's fun no
it is fun alright that's where you can
check Jill out we will be back tomorrow
with a brand new show until then I'm
Jeff Bakalar I'm Jill Schlesinger and
I'm Justin you it's the 404 high-tech
lowbrow have a great wednesday we'll see
you tomorrow
you
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