American Consequences - April 2020

a vendor cash. Everyone gave me and the money I was handing them the “stink eye.” It may be the only time in my life I’ve ever seen someone have a look of disdain for a $20 bill. But whenever I handed them a credit card, they didn’t seem to mind at all. I get it, money is handled by a lot of people and carries a lot of germs. If you want to avoid social contact, dollar bills are not your friend. But with electronic payments, the contact can be avoided completely. Individuals can tap their credit cards – American Express (AXP), Mastercard (MA), or Visa (V) – directly on the reader, or they can swipe it through a payment processing device like Square (SQ). Even better, services like PayPal’s (PYPL) Venmo or Apple Pay (AAPL) can be used to pay with your mobile phone.

specific goods they found on Amazon. Naturally, that’s where we’ve gone to get these items. Amazon’s importance and usefulness has only increased. It’s practically becoming a backbone of infrastructure in our country. Besides Amazon, Kroger (KR), Walmart (WMT), and Target (TGT) all offer services to maximize your social distances via home delivery or curb-side pickup. THE FUTURE OF MONEY To conduct any transaction, there’s one constant – payment for services rendered. Most of us grew up paying in the form of cash, check, or credit card. While all of these methods are still applicable today, there’s another form of payment that’s on the rise – electronic payments. More and more, vendors find it easier to accept. As the outbreak began to take hold in the U.S., my family and I were visiting my wife’s parents in Key West, Florida. They were there for the month of March. They’ve been staying at the same place for 16 years. We have many of the same routines every time we visit. But one thing I noticed this time around was the look I got whenever I tried to hand

THE VIRTUALIZATION OF WORK AND PLAY

Then there’s the remote classroom and work angles we discussed earlier. Considering the shelter-in-place orders, it’s hard not to find a family that isn’t doing this. And all of this requires platforms by which people can connect. The company that jumps out the most to me is Zoom Video Communications (ZM)...

Most of us grew up paying in the form of cash, check, or credit card. While all of these methods are still applicable today, there’s another form of payment that’s on the rise – electronic payments.

American Consequences

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