Serpent in the Garden of Internet

08/13/21 • 15 min

Once upon a time ...the garden of internet was an unspoiled, innocent, open playground for all of us. It held so much promise. There was an Apple in this garden too. Beguiling, tasty....And then the serpent appeared! The fault lines from the offline world, the typical human failings showed up here too, and even a bite of the mighty apple has not been enough to restore the internet to its pristine state.
Welcome to the 12th episode of WhatTheFs, my weekly take on Fads, Films, Finance & Fun, with Friends! In todays episode, called the Serpent in the Garden of Internet, I bring to you two items that showcase, what else, the serpent.
In What The Film, a Netflix limited series that is based on the exploits of the notorious conman, Charles Sobhraj, who prowled, defrauded and killed unsuspecting victims in the hippie trails of South Asia during the 70s! A larger than life figure for those who grew up in India and heard about his dodges, frauds, capture, and escapes, his backstory and the extent of his evil needs to be seen to be believed.
There is another reason why I chose this series for today’s episode! Sobhraj lured and defrauded his victims back in the days before mobile phones & internet, but there are parallels and lessons for us in todays world, in the age of the internet.

In the What The Finance section, I am touching upon What The Fraud....the frauds, scams & hacks that have permanently taken away the innocence and promise of the Garden of Internet! Sprinkled with some tips and suggestions to make sure you and your family never become a victim.
Serpent in the Garden of Internet: Hope you find this episode useful...and if you do, pls do share with your friends & social circles, and do drop me your inputs, experiences & feedback on the topic so we can all learn from each other!

This is Rak, signing off on the latest in WhatTheFs, my Weekly Take in Five on Fads, Films, Finance & Fun, with Friends!

Here are the links to subscribe to it on all major podcast directories, and share it with your friends...
Buzzsprout: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1721890.rss
Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whatthefs/id1570521351
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/49d8IxKEcCOoFK4vhgyFmH?si=EFpQKn-xSzGGBiKY7HZGug&dl_branch=1
See you again next week...till then, happy listening!

This is Rak, signing off on the latest in WhatTheFs, my Weekly Take in Five on Fads, Films, Finance & Fun, with Friends!

Previous Episode

In Dire Straits? Here's Money for Nothing, College for Free!

Welcome to the Eleventh episode of WhatTheFs, inspired by and with apologies to Mark Knopfler & the Dire Straits band!
Never have I ever sung publicly before, maybe not even in private 😔, but this knock-off on their popular song contains a simple but relevant message on how to use the power of long-term investing & compounding to get money for college, for free.
For an average person in the US, and even globally, college fees & expenses for their kids are the second biggest spending they would do in their lifetimes, right after investments in their home. Currently, four years at a top-notch private school can set a family back by close to a quarter million dollars per college going child, as not everyone is eligible for grants or aid! That's a significant amount and can come as a nasty surprise if you are not prepared for it, leaving you scrambling at the last minute, dipping into regular savings, retirement funds, or seeking student loans.
It is August, time to make tuition payments for colleges in the US, and I was thinking about how useful our 529s (savings vehicles in the US specifically designed for college, now even school, funds) have been in helping with our boys' college fees. We started investing in these as soon as they were born, and while we may not have maximized it every year, I am happy to confess that what I tried to sing (more like screeched! - sorry Mark :-), is something we have personally benefited from greatly.

So how does this College for free thingy really work? I made some assumptions, did some simple math, and have explained those in this episode too! Assuming you start as soon as they are born (you can start later too) using the 529 route, and invest regularly in aggressive stock-weighted options, your money can grow in 20 years to provide you with gains & earnings that alone are sufficient to pay for four years of college in a private school! All your gains are tax free if used for higher education...and in some states, you also get breaks for investing in the state plans.
There are other options for saving & paying for college, and I have only focused on the main one, the 529s. You can find more details, information, comparisons etc at this excellent site savingsforcollege.com
Money for Nothing, College for Free: Hope you like this episode...pls do share with your friends & social circles, and do drop me your feedback and review comments!

This is Rak, signing off on the latest in WhatTheFs, my Weekly Take in Five on Fads, Films, Finance & Fun, with Friends!

See you again next week...till then, happy listening!
Here are the links to subscribe to it on all major podcast directories, and share it with your friends...
Buzzsprout: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1721890.rss
Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whatthefs/id1570521351
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/49d8IxKEcCOoFK4vhgyFmH?si=EFpQKn-xSzGGBiKY7HZGug&dl_branch=1

Next Episode

Buy, Borrow, Die? Better Call Rak!

Welcome to the latest episode of WhatTheFs, lucky episode number 13! WhatTheFs episodes are my weekly take on fads, films, finance & fun, with friends, and have been dropping regularly every friday. I do know they have become sort of a weekly ritual for some of the committed listeners and their families, so thanks for your support.
I strive to keep in touch with whatever the F is happening around the world, so that five minutes with me over the weekend should make your next five days happy, make you money, or both! Paanch taaza minute mein paanch din ka jaaykedaar mazaa.

In today’s episode, titled Buy, Borrow, Die? Better call Rak...I am delighted to share with you two items that are BOATs - Best of All Times. A streaming series recommendation that ranks amongst the very best, is a totally bingeable series on par, and dare I say, even better than its predecessor ‘sequel’. And the ultimate estate management, tax savings & capital gains avoidance strategy called Buy, Borrow, Die! And why the Biden Tax Plan could be like the Taliban :-)

A bonus lawyer joke is in there too ;-) It's all good, man!
I enjoy putting these episodes together every week, and I do hope you enjoy listening to them. If you do, please also share with your friends & social circles and recommend they subscribe too. Hearing back from you on my newly launched Facebook Page What The Fs will also help me make these better aligned to listener tastes.

Here are the links to subscribe to it on all major podcast directories, and share it with your friends...

Buzzsprout: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1721890.rss

Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whatthefs/id1570521351

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/49d8IxKEcCOoFK4vhgyFmH...

@What_TheFs is my twitter handle...hope to see you there too.
Bfn...Till next week then!