"Faster, Cheaper, Better"

It’s a jet flying into the perfect blue sky with turbo propulsion.  That is, it’s a 100 dollar bill folded paper airplane, well shadowed as if it was flying up into the beautifully shining sun, folded so that the 100’s are very clear.  It may be seen as a jet propelling through the air toward a vacation destination, an F22 going into battle for financial success, or maybe just your money flying away!  But next to the words in big, bold, yellow capital letters are the words:  “Faster, Better, Cheaper.”  Inside this edition of Money, the cover story pulls the verbiage from the cover:  “Faster, Cheaper, Better” and relates it to budgeting, setting up a portfolio, selling your house, trading stocks, investing, planning a vacation.  It is a collection of smaller pieces about each of those areas organized by the theme of “Faster, Cheaper, Better”.   The authors introduce that they are attempting to appeal to different types of people.  Those “crave{s{ extra time, even if you have to spend a little more money to get it” will look at the advice under the “Faster” headings (52).    “Cheaper” tips are for frugal people who are “willing to do more legwork or cut some nonessential corners to maximize savings” (52).   And those looking at the “better” tips are the perfectionists, though there’s little definition of what a perfectionist might look like.    There are many graphics throughout the article including a bar and line graph.  However, I found the best images to be of a revved-up piggy bank.  It’s souped up with extra horsepower (pun intended), with mag wheels and a turbo exhaust system.  This image is repeated in some of the sections, first as it crashes through a fire ring with the title “Set Up a Moderate-Risk Portfolio” (55).  Then it’s in the driveway of a house in the “Sell Your House” section (56), and on an island wearing a sombrero with various needed beach articles surrounding it (63).  I find it interesting that the image inside the article was not the same image used on the cover.  Though the cover image did catch my eye easily, the piggy bank worked quietly effectively, as well. 

Rosato, Donna, Penelope Wang, and Susie Poppick. "Faster, Better, Cheaper." Money July 2011: 52-63. Print.