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There are many people who enjoy learning, but just not learning tech. I personally am able to learn what I need when I decide I need it, but find the learning process as if my brain was trying to swim upstream. I also don't find it interesting, whereas I could read, say, foreign policy discussions or learn about history all day (and do).
Maybe I'm more interested in learning old things! There is more to learning than knowing how to voice-to-text, however handy that might be.
I'm sorry I didn't mean there are not other types of learning. You are right it's what your interested in
My friend who travels to Europe for long trips 4 or 5 times every year hasn't used American Express Travelers Checks in at least 18 years or longer. Money is all done by credit cards.
My mom is 76 and she manages all of my parents' accounts on-line, pays all the bills on-line now, order from Amazon and other retailers on-line as well. She did succumb to a few scams but nothing too bad. I have to stop by every few weeks to answer a few questions she has but overall she is managing OK.
Now this did not happen all by itself. My younger brother spent a lot of time teaching her how to use the computer and on-line banking. Actually, she found that using a tablet was a lot easier. He did this mainly to save both of us time. My mom was not able to keep track of all the papers required to manage their accounts and pay the bills. Before switching to on-line banking, she would regularly lose some bills and would get late charges. Switching to on-line banking and Internet saved us all a lot of time. Skype saved her money and time when talking to friends & family in different countries...
My friend who travels to Europe for long trips 4 or 5 times every year hasn't used American Express Travelers Checks in at least 18 years or longer. Money is all done by credit cards.
I know there used to be fees sometimes, and issues with exchange rates with credit cards. Not sure if that is the case anymore.
Though EU may be different, I was traveling to Asia, and a lot of times having traveler checks was better. Oh! I think we did traveler checks when taking a larger amount of cash to Vegas.
Got curious and looked up the issue:
Just because your credit card works fine in the States doesn’t mean it’s the best option for traveling abroad. There are several features you should look for in a credit card to take overseas, but two stand out — EMV capability and no foreign transaction fees.
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My mom is 76 and she manages all of my parents' accounts on-line, pays all the bills on-line now, order from Amazon and other retailers on-line as well. She did succumb to a few scams but nothing too bad. I have to stop by every few weeks to answer a few questions she has but overall she is managing OK.
Now this did not happen all by itself. My younger brother spent a lot of time teaching her how to use the computer and on-line banking. Actually, she found that using a tablet was a lot easier. He did this mainly to save both of us time. My mom was not able to keep track of all the papers required to manage their accounts and pay the bills. Before switching to on-line banking, she would regularly lose some bills and would get late charges. Switching to on-line banking and Internet saved us all a lot of time. Skype saved her money and time when talking to friends & family in different countries...
I think I am like your mom. I learned technology as I needed it. I’m still learning. I don’t think I have ever run out and bought the latest gadget “just because.†For one thing, I have to justify buying the devices that go along with it with my budget. But when I believed technology would be helpful or a better choice I was always eager to learn to obtain and learn it.
I know there used to be fees sometimes, and issues with exchange rates with credit cards. Not sure if that is the case anymore.
Though EU may be different, I was traveling to Asia, and a lot of times having traveler checks was better. Oh! I think we did traveler checks when taking a larger amount of cash to Vegas.
Got curious and looked up the issue:
Just because your credit card works fine in the States doesn’t mean it’s the best option for traveling abroad. There are several features you should look for in a credit card to take overseas, but two stand out — EMV capability and no foreign transaction fees.
Amex charges 3% foreign transaction unless you have one of their annual fee cards that does not charge. Discover does not charge a transaction fee in most countries (but their acceptance in not as prevalent as Amex and Visa). I recently received an email from Citi, where we have a Costco Visa, stating that the card would no longer have a foreign transaction fee.
Those fees are for transactions in foreign denominations. We've occasionally found foreign vendors who do enough business with Americans that they have a PayPal account in dollars, and we've used that with no fee.
When I was in my early 20s I had a job as a bank teller on 17th and K Street in Washington, DC in the early 1970s. All of the customers in my branch were businesses or executives/workers for large companies/offices who had personal accounts close to work rather than home. We even had some "celebrity" customers like Arthur Ashe, Jeanne Dixon, William Ruckelshaus and George Meany. A Madam got the royal treatment.
I also lived in DC (upper Connecticut Ave. across from the zoo) at the time. One day, they called me at home before work and asked me to go to the branch closest to where I lived, just for the day, because they were understaffed on the day people got their Social Security checks (before direct deposit was popular).
It was like being in Bizarro World.
The complete opposite of my regular branch, the customers of this branch were mostly elderly or housewives.
All of the "old people" came in and wanted to cash their Social Security checks but they didn't want any bill bigger than $5. Instead of handing me a deposit slip (for the amount they wanted to deposit in their SAVINGS Account) and the Social Security check (with the expectation of cash to take home, for the remainder), plus a list of money orders, they first cashed the whole check (remember, no bill bigger than a $5). Then they handed me a savings account deposit slip for a very small amount (like $20) and handed me back 4 of the $5 bills I just gave them. Then, they counted out the bills they just received from me to purchase money orders, only instead of giving me a list of all of the money orders they wanted, they did it one at a time counting out and paying for them with the cash I just gave them. They were at your window forever. They didn't believe in checking accounts, apparently and everything had to be done sequentially.
It was the longest day I ever spent at work.
(The bank no longer exists, btw.)
The point being, today it may be a reluctance to embrace technology but back then it was a reluctance to embrace checking accounts and "old people" who had a routine and stuck with it while the rest of the world changed around them.
When I was in my early 20s I had a job as a bank teller on 17th and K Street in Washington, DC in the early 1970s. All of the customers in my branch were businesses or executives/workers for large companies/offices who had personal accounts close to work rather than home. We even had some "celebrity" customers like Arthur Ashe, Jeanne Dixon, William Ruckelshaus and George Meany. A Madam got the royal treatment.
I also lived in DC (upper Connecticut Ave. across from the zoo) at the time. One day, they called me at home before work and asked me to go to the branch closest to where I lived, just for the day, because they were understaffed on the day people got their Social Security checks (before direct deposit was popular).
It was like being in Bizarro World.
The complete opposite of my regular branch, the customers of this branch were mostly elderly or housewives.
All of the "old people" came in and wanted to cash their Social Security checks but they didn't want any bill bigger than $5. Instead of handing me a deposit slip (for the amount they wanted to deposit in their SAVINGS Account) and the Social Security check (with the expectation of cash to take home, for the remainder), plus a list of money orders, they first cashed the whole check (remember, no bill bigger than a $5). Then they handed me a savings account deposit slip for a very small amount (like $20) and handed me back 4 of the $5 bills I just gave them. Then, they counted out the bills they just received from me to purchase money orders, only instead of giving me a list of all of the money orders they wanted, they did it one at a time counting out and paying for them with the cash I just gave them. They were at your window forever. They didn't believe in checking accounts, apparently and everything had to be done sequentially.
It was the longest day I ever spent at work.
(The bank no longer exists, btw.)
The point being, today it may be a reluctance to embrace technology but back then it was a reluctance to embrace checking accounts and "old people" who had a routine and stuck with it while the rest of the world changed around them.
This made me laugh! I'm going to be struck by lightning!
When I was in my early 20s I had a job as a bank teller on 17th and K Street in Washington, DC in the early 1970s. All of the customers in my branch were businesses or executives/workers for large companies/offices who had personal accounts close to work rather than home. We even had some "celebrity" customers like Arthur Ashe, Jeanne Dixon, William Ruckelshaus and George Meany. A Madam got the royal treatment.
I also lived in DC (upper Connecticut Ave. across from the zoo) at the time. One day, they called me at home before work and asked me to go to the branch closest to where I lived, just for the day, because they were understaffed on the day people got their Social Security checks (before direct deposit was popular).
It was like being in Bizarro World.
The complete opposite of my regular branch, the customers of this branch were mostly elderly or housewives.
All of the "old people" came in and wanted to cash their Social Security checks but they didn't want any bill bigger than $5. Instead of handing me a deposit slip (for the amount they wanted to deposit in their SAVINGS Account) and the Social Security check (with the expectation of cash to take home, for the remainder), plus a list of money orders, they first cashed the whole check (remember, no bill bigger than a $5). Then they handed me a savings account deposit slip for a very small amount (like $20) and handed me back 4 of the $5 bills I just gave them. Then, they counted out the bills they just received from me to purchase money orders, only instead of giving me a list of all of the money orders they wanted, they did it one at a time counting out and paying for them with the cash I just gave them. They were at your window forever. They didn't believe in checking accounts, apparently and everything had to be done sequentially.
It was the longest day I ever spent at work.
(The bank no longer exists, btw.)
The point being, today it may be a reluctance to embrace technology but back then it was a reluctance to embrace checking accounts and "old people" who had a routine and stuck with it while the rest of the world changed around them.
An enjoyable and amusing story.
I have been wondering for decades why people take so long to conduct their business. It probably bothers me more to waste other people's time than to waste my own time. I had a church bond that required submitting a coupon at regular intervals to collect the interest. The tellers always had to find someone to show them how to process this transaction. I vowed to never buy another church bond.
Cashing in a EE bond takes some time, but when I cashed my HH bond, it really took a while. Fortunately, the bank was not busy. I think I have about 12 years before I need to cash another EE bond. They no longer sell savings bonds at banks, and they no longer offer HH bonds at all. People younger than I am will probably never own a savings bond.
I took a package to the post office and requested media mail, tracking, insurance, and a signature required. The postman did not know if all of those services were available, but sure enough, the computer let him do it. I was still out of there faster than the other customers.
I took a retirement planning course. I had recently used the lawyer who spoke at the course for a will and financial and medical powers of attorney papers. When someone asked what this would cost, the price he quoted was considerably more than he had charged me. Of course, I got all of this done in one session, because I knew exactly what I wanted.
By the way, do people still have savings accounts? I can't imagine it would pay enough interest beyond the 0.03% I get on my checking account to be worthwhile.
I had noticed in my younger (very young) former coworkers that they didn't seem to know how to do anything but look at social media and text. That isn't "tech savvy."
I got my first Mac in 1987. I got email in 1996 when I didn't see any way to opt out, as people were only using email. I use a technology or function when I see a need for it, or when it does something where I can no longer opt out without missing out on something that matters to me.
I'll be ending my landline with my move next week. I don't plan to use my phone for more than a phone and texting in my new town. The laptop is best for everything else. I have no desire to carry a computer in my pocket or by my side at all times. Again, see no need. A phone in my pocket will suffice.
When my job went full-on electronic medical records last year, I was very pleased, because I loathe handwriting and have been typing as much as possible for years. Unfortunately, the instruction was terrible and the program didn't only get rid of handwriting, it added pointless work to most people's clinical days. They had a chance to get it right in the first place and I'd say didn't. Glad to say goodbye to EPIC!
Trust me, you will want the Weather Channel app or similar, living in Colorado. I remember getting stuck halfway to work (8 miles from home) during a sudden April snow storm just north of Denver. When I left the house, just a few flakes, nothing serious looking.
With my current smart phone, could have seen that coming.
Wayze is handy as well. Know in advance speed traps, congestion, construction, other manifestations of the "Anti-Destination Society".
But, yeah, I don't have any desire to "geek out" on my phone all day like so many kids do.
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