We had a little finance chat at the Indian restaurant yesterday: Mom, Dad, and Tired Little Profiteer (TLP) or Tired Loud Pest, depending on if you too were in the restaurant with us.

TLP: I want a MasterCard.
M & D: Why?
TLP: You can buy anything with a MasterCard.
M & D, backing away from a slippery slope: When you can demonstrate victory over your wants through delayed gratification, you can get a MasterCard. Some debit cards are branded with MasterCard, meaning that the money you already have in your account is taken instantly to pay for things.
M, failing to back away from slope: Some cards allow you to pay for more than what you actually have in your account.
TLP, gleeful: REALLY?
M & D: This is not good.

What happened to the good old days, when he identified my Bank of America credit cards as Cards of Evil?

Yesterday afternoon I identified some blue chips that might be worth purchasing in the view of a long-term holding and dividend reaping. One was MCD (McDonald's). I thought of getting some for the boy -- some junior shareholders start out with companies they know. TLP knows MCD but does NOT like MCD. He was anguished that the Golden Arches were visible from the restaurant. "I hate them!" Yells in the parking lot: "I hate you McDonald's! I don't want to eat here! I'll have to look at McDonald's!" So, maybe not for him. Unless I can coax Andrew Tobias to talk to my little boy about how he used his profits from tobacco companies to purchase Russian television network time to air non-smoking PSAs.

Frugal throw-in: apparently TLP provided enough charm and entertainment for us to receive as a gift from the restaurant management a free rice pudding at the end of our meal.