Microplace. Make small loans to Third World business
Bob Morris @ Oct 25th 2007 11:39 - Category: Unfiled
This sounds great until you read the small print. Microplace allows you to make tiny ($30-200) loans to deserving small Third World enterprises, something which should certainly make one feel warm and fuzzy.
But the loans are not made directly so you don’t know who gets the money. Plus, you buy investments from third party issuers who then charge 18-60% interest while returning 1.5-3% to you.
Bzzzt. Sorry, but why the predatory interest rates? Drop the interest to 5% and then you’ll have something genuinely worthwhile, seems to me.
Kiva.org is quite the opposite. You make microloans loans to th struggling, but earn no money for doing so. Now that’s warm and fuzzy.
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