Book's Contents
Contents of
THE POWER OF CASH: WHY USING PAPER MONEY IS GOOD FOR YOU AND SOCIETY
by Jay L Zagorsky
Preface
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction and Overview
Shift away from Cash
Why the Shift?
Key Question – Is the shift good?
The Synopsis: A Dozen Reasons Cash is Powerful
Conclusion
SECTION I
Is Cash Disappearing?
CHAPTER TWO
Is Cash Disappearing? The Case of Spending
Cash Use around the World
Why Do Some Places Use Cash More Than Others
Trends in Paper Money Use
Who is Leading the USA Shift?
Is Cash Still Used for Small Payments?
Conclusion
CHAPTER THREE
Is Cash Disappearing?: The Case of Savings
Trends in Paper Money Holdings
Other Countries
The Changing Mix
What It Means
Conclusion
SECTION II
Cash Provides Society with Resilience
CHAPTER FOUR
How Do Cashless Payments Work?
Communication Disruptions
Electricity Disruptions – Understanding Power Grids
Number of Electricity Disruptions
Environmentally Friendly
Computer Security
Conclusion
CHAPTER FIVE
Natural Disasters Prevent Cashless Payments From Happening
Trend in Natural Disasters
Floods: An example from China
Hurricanes
Fire and Drought
Volcanic Eruptions
Solar Storms
Conclusion
CHAPTER SIX
Paper Money Boosts National Defense
Modern Examples
Counterfeit Money – Destroying faith in the currency
Power
Moving Money
Destroying Faith
Are Transactions True?
Conclusion
SECTION III
Cash Helps People
CHAPTER SEVEN
Using Cash Helps Control Spending
Do People Spend More?
Impulse Control
Visualization
Endowment Effect
The Budget Constraint
Conclusion
CHAPTER EIGHT
Other Reasons Why Using Cash Helps People
Using Cash Saves Money
Using Cash Keeps You Healthier
Cash and Math Skills
Tipping
Nickel and Dimed
Conclusion
CHAPTER NINE
Using Cash Keeps Your Life Private
How Private is Data Collection and Distribution?
Who needs Data Privacy?
Privacy within Households
Spousal and Partner Abuse and Infidelity
Privacy Between Households and Businesses
Households and Businesses Versus the Government
Problems of being Incorrectly Identified
Potential Solutions
Conclusion
CHAPTER TEN
Using Electronic Payments Boosts Prices
Merchant Fees
How Companies Price
Merchant Views
Surcharging and Steering
Custom Pricing
Examples of Custom Pricing
Conclusion
SECTION IV
Cash Helps the Vulnerable
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Eliminating Cash Hurts the Poor
Exclusion from Stores
Reduction in Charity
Legal and Other Solutions
How the Poor Subsidize the Rich
Unbanked and Underbanked
The Unbanked Pay Extra Fees
How Many Unbanked are in the World?
Unable to Pay for a Phone
Conclusion
CHAPTER TWELVE
Cash Helps Immigrants, Refugees, and Tourists
Vulnerable Tourists
Dynamic Currency Conversion
Foreign Exchange Rates and Black Markets
Conclusion
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Cash Puts Limits on Central Banks Hurting the Elderly
The Power of Interest Rates
Negative Interest Rates
Paper Money Is a Brake
Savings Problems
Cash Limits the Damage of Bank Runs
Real Interest Rates
Conclusion
SECTION V
Cash Is Not Causing Crime, Terrorism, or Tax Evasion
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Does Cash Make More People and Businesses Victims of Crime?
Fraud, Scams, and Identify Theft
The Amount of Stolen Cash
Cashless Ways to Commit Crimes
Credit Card Crime
Debit Card Crime
Does the Cashless Society Reduce Bank Losses?
The Case of Sweden
Conclusion: How to Avoid These Types of Crime?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Does Cash Facilitate Corruption, Terrorism, or Organized Crime?
Corruption
Corruption Data
The Case of Sweden
Terrorism
Organized Crime
Conclusion
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Does Eliminating Cash Reduce Tax Evasion?
India’s 2016 Elimination of Most Cash
The Tax Gap around the World
USA's Tax Gap
Electronic Tax Filing
Inflation Tax
Can Tax Evasion Be Reduced Without Getting Rid of Paper Money?
Conclusion
SECTION VI
Control
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Cash Prevents Government Control
Shutting Off Bank Accounts
Digital Currency
Government Control of the Unbanked
Currency Transaction Reports
Conclusion
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Can Businesses and Governments Refuse To Take Cash?
Are there laws forcing businesses to take cash?
Trying to Pay The IRS with Cash
Why does the IRS not want cash?
Conclusion
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Who is Pushing the World to Go Cashless?
Credit and Debit Card Company Incentives
Credit and Debit Card Company Growth
Smaller Credit Card Companies
Banks’ Incentives
Government’s Incentives
High Technology’s Incentives
Retailers’ Incentives
Financial Technology Incentives
Conclusion
CHAPTER TWENTY
Conclusion: What to Do to Ensure Cash Does not Disappear
Individual Actions
Collective Advocacy
Bureaucratic Fixes – ATMs
Inflation Adjustment For Currency Transaction Reports
Bring Back Large Bills
Legislation Designed To Ensure Stores Take Cash
Sin Purchases
Other Sin or Vice Purchases
Year-End Bonuses
Military Pay
Mandatory Preparedness for Financial Companies
The End
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index