• Baby, baby, baby! Bieber to promote prepaid debit card

    Kevin Winter / Getty Images

    Justin Bieber will promote a prepaid debit card via social media and develop a series of videos that will promote responsible spending.

    If Justin Bieber endorses a product, will teens buy it or convince their parents to get it for them? BillMyParents, a financial services company focused on teens, is banking on it. They’ve signed a deal with the pop star to endorse a new prepaid debit card to his legions of loyal fans.

    With 50 million Facebook fans and more than 32 million followers on Twitter, Bieber has enormous marketing power. As a “brand ambassador” for the SpendSmart card, the 18-year old performer will promote the card via social media and develop a series of videos that will promote responsible spending.

    “By combining our new teen prepaid debit card with Justin's vast reach and financial educational materials, we can empower countless families with teens to think about responsible spending in a new and better way,” said Mike McCoy, chairman and CEO of BillMyParents in a news release.

    Beiber will become the face of a new version of the SpendSmart card. BillMyParents has not announced a launch date for when that marketing campaign will begin, but its public relations firm said it should happen in a couple of weeks. At that time, the SpendSmart card will get a new design, but the product features and pricing will stay the same.

    SpendSmart is a prepaid debit card that can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted. Like most prepaid cards, it has a long list of fees:

    • Monthly fee: $3.95
    • Loading charge $0.75 to add money from a checking or savings account; $2.95 from a credit or debit card
    • ATM charge: $1.50 per withdrawal; $0.50 per balance inquiry
    • Inactivity fee: $3 if the card is not used for 90 days
    • Replacement fee: $7.95 if the card is lost

    Is this card right for your teen?

    “The good thing about a prepaid debit card is that you cannot go into debt,” noted Gerri Detweiler, personal finance expert at credit.com. “You can only spend what’s on the card, so for that reason it’s a great way to manage an allowance.”

    And this Bieb-endorsed prepaid card gives parents maximum control. They can sign up for text alerts every time the card is used or download a smart phone app that makes it easy to track the balance and see individual purchases. Parents can also temporarily freeze the card if they don’t like how the money is being spent and permanently block it from being used at some retailers.

    But there are other factors to consider.

    Bill Hardekopf, CEO of lowcards.com, doesn’t like most prepaid cards in general and questions the educational value of this card.

    “I’m not sure a prepaid debit card really teaches financial responsibility,” Hardekopf said. “I don’t know if this is the right way to go for a young person.”

    John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at SmartCredit.com, points to that monthly fee, which adds up to $47 a year. He doesn’t like the idea of teaching teens it’s smart to pay a fee to use your own money.

    “That’s a very dangerous message to send a young person who is basically at the beginning of their consumer credit lifecycle,” he said.

    Ulzheimer said it makes sense to pay an annual fee of $50 to have a credit card with a $25,000 limit because it gives you access to someone else’s money. But he said it is “unreasonable” to pay almost that much for a debit card where no credit is extended.

    Heartthrob singer Justin Bieber sings the song that catapulted him to stardom in 2010, "Baby," for fans on Rockefeller Plaza.

    Financial experts point out that prepaid debit cards do nothing to create a credit history or build a credit score because these transactions are not reported to the credit reporting agencies. To do that, you’d need to get your child a low-limit credit card, something you can control as the co-signer.

    “I like the idea of giving a young person a credit card with limits on it,” Ulzheimer said. “It’s almost like a credit card with training wheels. And teach them the proper way to use it, so when they’re out on their own they understand there’s a right way and a wrong way to manage credit.”

    The hot new plastic

    Demand for prepaid debit cards is skyrocketing. According to the Mercator Advisory Group, $57 billion was loaded onto these cards in 2011. That’s expected to top $168 billion by 2015.

    These cards are popular with people who don’t have or don’t want a bank account or who can’t get or don’t want to use a credit card. They’re endorsed by big name celebrities, such as Suze Orman, Magic Johnson, LilWayne, Russell Simmons, Alex Rodriguez, and George Lopez. And who can forget the Kardashian Kard, launched in 2010, with fees so high it was quickly pulled off the market?

    Right now, there are no government regulations on prepaid card fees, so the companies that issue them can charge whatever they want. 

    The bottom line

    The SpendSmart card is less expensive than some prepaid debit cards on the market. And it does have some nice parental control features. But there are money-saving alternatives.

    The new Bluebirdcard from American Express and sold by Wal-Mart, can be used fee-free if you stick to in-network cash machines.

    The Chase Liquid prepaid Visa debit card is another good choice. It has a flat monthly fee of $4.95.

    The Kaiku Visaprepaid card is free – there’s no cost to get it. The monthly fee is only $1.95 and you can use any of the 50,000 ATMs in the Allpoint network for free.

    And there’s always a conventional debit card that’s linked to a checking account. It can be used fee-free, aside from any bank charges for the checking account.

    “Maybe the lesson to teach your kids is that just because it has a celebrity name on it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best product for you,” said financial expert Gerri Detweiler.

    More information:

    Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website. 

    Pop star Justin Bieber, who has sold over 15 million albums worldwide, sings his hit that's number one on iTunes, "Boyfriend." The song's video has been viewed on YouTube over 44 million times.

     

     

  • Flatulent federal worker's reprimand is rescinded

    A redacted copy of the SSA flatulence reprimand letter was posted to The Smoking Gun website.

     

    It sounds like a "Dilbert" cartoon come to life, but the Social Security Administration has taken back a reprimand it gave to an employee who was written up for "passing gas and releasing an unpleasant odor" that created a "hostile work environment."

    The official charge was "Conduct unbecoming a Federal employee." More specifically, "On September 7, 2012, and continuing, you disrupted the work floor by passing gas and releasing an unpleasant odor."

    A copy of the letter, along with a picture of the employee at an amusement park standing next to an actor in a Pepe Le Pew costume, was published on TheSmokingGun.com.

    The letter included a timestamped log accurate to the minute, documenting 60 separate-gas passing incidents from the employee in his office in three months, or about 9 per day.

    The average person passes gas 14 times per day.

    Medical conditions such as Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and lactose intolerance, can cause sufferers to have chronic gas problems. The employee told management he was lactose intolerant.

    "You have submitted medical evidence that you have some medical conditions," the letter read, "however, nothing that you have submitted has indicated that you would have uncontrollable flatulence. It is my belief that you can control this condition."

    Several of the employee's coworkers in the "module," or work area, had complained to management about the smell. A supervisor, Deputy Division Director and a Module Manager all spoke with the employee on separate occasions about his need to control his flatulence. 

    "You said that you would try to pass gas and that you would turn your fan on when it happens," the Module Manager wrote of a discussion that took place on May 18, 2012. "I explained to you that turning on the fan would cause the smell to spread and worsen the air quality in the module."

    On August 14th the employee promised to purchase "Gas X" in order to limit his gas output.

    Another incident, dated August 15th, noted "you have continued to release the odor and it has become intolerable to work in the module creating a hostile work environment for all your coworkers."

    The letter quoted guidelines from the "Annual Personnel Reminder" and "2012 SSA/AFGE National Agreement" which the Module Manager claimed the employee had violated, including "courtesy and consideration while dealing with coworkers" and "refrain from coercive, intimidating, loud or abusive behavior."

    If the "misconduct" was continued after the reprimand letter, it could lead to "more severe disciplinary action...including, removal from federal service."

    Reached for comment, SSA spokesperson Mark Hinkle told TODAY, "A reprimand was issued to the employee; however, when senior management became aware of the reprimand it was rescinded on December 17, 2012.  The agency cannot comment further due to privacy concerns. "

  • The 4 steps to thinking yourself rich? Steve Seibold shares them

    Ben Popken

    Steve Siebold says the secrets to wealth can be found within the pages of his book that he will sell to you.

     

    The reason that the middle class stay in the middle instead of moving up in the world is because they're afraid of money, says multi-millionaire Steve Seibold.
    He was teaching tennis lessons for a living and $50k in debt when he graduated college. Wanting to pull himself up, he began a 29-year journey of interviewing the rich and learning their secrets. What he says he found is that wealthy people fundamentally think about money differently than regular folk. The good news is that us common-born can change our station in life simply by changing the way we think about money, the premise of Siebold's new book, "How Rich People Think."
    In our TODAY Money live chat, a reader asked Siebold how they as a recent college graduate should invest their $2,500 in savings.

    SIEBOLDI would invest the $2,500 in yourself through personal development. Read books by rich people, attend their seminars and study them like a scientist. That will prepare you to be rich.

    TODAYSo the way to get rich is to pay rich people to tell you their secrets ... a little self-serving, no? In any event, what about the advantages the wealthy are typically born with, like an inheritance, higher education, and social connections. Don't those give them an insurmountable head start over the common born?

    SIEBOLD:  2/3 of millionaires are self made, 1/3 are inherited, I interviewed the self made and anyone with a great idea can catch and pass them.

     

  • Taco Bell, and teen, draw raves for thinking outside the buns

    Lots of people post requests on company Facebook pages. Not that many companies respond to those requests like Taco Bell did.

    The news this week that Taco Bell agreed to produce a custom-made bathing suit for a teen athlete after the teen posted a plea on their Facebook page mostly drew raves from Life Inc. readers.

    Fifteen-year-old swimmer Ryan Klarner asked Taco Bell if the company would produce a custom Speedo with the words “think outside the buns” written on it.

    The company, a division of Yum! Brands, responded by asking what size he wore and what his address was. Then, the company sent him two Speedos, featuring the company’s old and new logos.

    Many applauded Taco Bell’s marketing savvy in agreeing to make the Speedos, which they noted amounts to relatively low-cost publicity for the company.

    “Awesome. Without a shadow of a doubt, this increased my respect for Taco Bell,” one reader wrote.

    Others were happy to see a teen succeed – and to read a happy story for a change after so many weeks of political strife and fiscal cliff woes.

    “Wow! Thanks Taco Bell! A happy story with kids doing great things asking for little... No "Cliffs" or "Crisis" or Red and Blue conflicts... A happy story! Hope the kid did great at his meet!” another reader wrote.

  • Why being bored at work isn't such a terrible thing

    Don’t dread tedious workplace assignments like reading reports or sitting through meetings — they’re making you more productive.

    Boring, monotonous tasks help you become a better problem-solver, new research finds, because our brains use that unstimulating “down time” to branch out and think in more creative ways.  

    “Boredom has always had such bad press, but some boredom is possibly good... especially if it gives us the opportunity to daydream,” said Sandi Mann, senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire in the U.K. Mann's research was presented this week at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychology.

    “Being able to have that down time when you let your mind wander can be great for creativity,” Mann said.

    Americans are getting less creative overall, according to a landmark 2010 study. Kyung-Hee Kim, an associate professor at the college of William & Mary’s School of Education, analyzed results from creativity tests and found that our creativity has been on the wane for more than 20 years now, even though IQ scores are climbing.

    Experts say one reason for our collective dearth of creativity is the increased stimulation we get in our everyday lives: We can watch Netflix while we wait for a bus and play Angry Birds when we're stuck in a checkout line.

    No one likes being bored, but it's a mental state we shouldn't be so quick to eliminate. The reason we get bored is that our brains don’t have enough neural stimulation, Mann said, and the act of daydreaming is the mind’s attempt to self-stimulate.

    Related story: Meetings can make you, uh, stupid

    Subjects in Mann’s experiments who were assigned boring tasks, like reading or copying down phone book entries, performed better on a subsequent creative task — coming up with as many different uses for two Styrofoam coffee cups as they could — than those in a control group.

    Reading something boring increased creativity more than writing something boring, Mann found. She theorized that the more passive nature of reading lent itself better to daydreaming.

    “Once we’re allowed to daydream, our heads are free to think in different ways,” Mann said, which leads to more creative problem-solving.

    But your boss might not see it that way. “In the workplace, daydreaming is not considered a positive,” said executive coach Lisa Garcia Jacobson. You can’t stare off into space at meetings or otherwise visibly display your boredom. “[You] have to practice it in a focused way,” Jacobson said.

    If you’re trying to solve a problem at work, spend some time on a task that doesn’t require much concentration, skip the audiobook on your ride home or take a short walk (and leave the smartphone behind) to alleviate a cognitive logjam, Mann suggested. “Definitely, if you’re looking for a solution to something, giving yourself the opportunity to let your mind wander a bit will probably help,” she said.

    Another thing that could bring you to a solution faster: Cut out the multitasking, Jacobson said. Studies have shown that when you try to focus on too many things at once, they all get the short shrift.

    Focusing on the task at hand, even if it’s mind-numbing, is a better alternative. You’ll get the job done more effectively, and if a part of your mind does start to wander, those unscripted thoughts could be the key to solving your next workplace challenge.

    Do you get bored at work?

    Results with 13 short comments
    Total of 1,899 votes - click on the "Display Comments" bar below to sort comments

    82.9%
    Yes
    1,575 votes
    10%
    No
    190 votes
    7.1%
    I wish I had a job to be bored with!
    134 votes
    Display Comments:
    Yes

    bored enough to read this article.

    • 17 votes
     - 2:57 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
    Yes

    The life of the creative person is led, directed and controlled by boredom.

    • 1 vote
     - 3:15 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
    Yes

    I'm grateful for the days that I'm actually busy. I hate how slow the time passes when I'm not busy - and bored!!

    • 1 vote
     - 3:51 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
    Yes

    It can extremely tedious sometimes doing the same thing every day, every week, every month. Very little excitement to break up the monotony

    • 2 votes
     - 4:12 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
    No

    That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

       - 4:15 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
      No

      Frustrated but not bored

         - 4:33 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
        No

        lucky to have a job i enjoy

        • 1 vote
         - 4:37 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
        Yes

        That is why I am here on MSNBC reading this and other articles! LOL.

        • 2 votes
         - 4:38 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
        No

        I can barely keep up with everything I have to learn.

           - 4:39 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
          Yes

          more like my Brain needs a 15 minute break a couple of times per day.

          • 1 vote
           - 4:45 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
          Yes

          boredom gives me time to look for another job where hopefully I won't be as bored.

             - MsKat
             - 4:47 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
            I wish I had a job to be bored with!

            Another bonus to being bored at work, is with those of us who will go looking for -something- productive to do, gets the little things done

               - 4:54 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
              I wish I had a job to be bored with!

              Surely, though, there can be too much boredom at work. You need to keep your skills and talents at work, too, or you are wasted.

                 - 5:34 pm EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
              • Worried about missing work if you or your kids get the flu?

                The news that the flu season could be the worst in years is likely to make many workers very nervous, especially since the job market is still relatively weak.

                Do you worry about being able to afford to take time off work if you or someone in your family gets sick?

                If you have paid sick leave, are you worried that actually taking a sick day or two will be a mark against you?

                If so, we want to hear from you for an upcoming story. Send us an e-mail telling us a little about your job and your family, and why you’re worried about calling in sick. Don’t forget to include contact information so we can get in touch.

              • Fans react to Monopoly's token vote: Don't touch a thing!

                Hasbro may have underestimated their fans’ loyalty to Monopoly. An announcement that the company will replace one of the iconic game’s tokens next month with a fan-selected newbie has Monopoly players everywhere clamoring.   

                The worldwide Facebook vote asks fans to decide which classic game piece should go, and which new token should be added.

                We asked TODAY's Facebook fans to weigh in: Which of the pieces on the chopping block – the car, thimble, boot, Scottie dog, battleship, hat, iron or wheelbarrow – would they save?  

                Many nostalgically voted for the pup:

                Christine Bishop-Maul
                The Scottie Dog was always my favorite!

                Rose Pfisterer Evard
                Save the Scottie, add a Kitty!

                Kate Mata
                Keep the dog! Everyone always wanted to be the dog! Lol!!

                Leslie Rogers
                I love the dog so save the dog.

                Lisa Best
                the Scottie is my piece don't do away with it

                Lara Nardell
                Save The Scottie!!!!

                Others had no problem offering opinions on which token should get the ax (our condolences, thimble and iron):

                Harold Jones
                Thimble needs to go!! Go take it. Away!

                JoElla Miller-Zimmerman
                Send the thimble to jail!

                Melanie Patterson
                Get rid of the STUPID thimble. I always wondered about that piece.

                Nancy Nagy
                the iron needs to be flattened...and hello kitty!

                Lesia Burnett-Sharpensteen
                 Leave it be...Although no one ever wanted the iron...

                The overwhelming majority, though, asked that Monopoly stay exactly as it is:

                Rebecca Grimm Bailey
                Why change it up??? It's classic and represent the era from whence it came!! Change is good, but not in this case. Love Monopoly!

                Judy Hayes Nelson
                Please, please do not take away from our historical heritage this great classic game. Leave it alone and just add another token and more funds so that more can play. This is our family "tradition" game that all play including the young ones. A new token or two would be great!

                Meghan O’Brien
                Don’t get rid of ANY!!!!!!!!

                Cordie Myles
                Don't change any of the piece just add more. My children and I play monopoly daily and I won a lot of money playing with the wheel barrel. Don’t change anything.

                Elizabeth Rodriguez
                Why even change? This is a classic game. Leave it alone!

                While some fans were overwhelmed by the idea of change, others offered alternatives to the current replacements in consideration:

                Mary Stanley
                Keep the Scotty! Don't lose any of the originals. Not sure if I like the new ones. How about a tiny lap top?

                Daniel Collins
                Make one of the pieces a Twinkie!!!!!

                What do you think? Should the Scottie stay and the thimble go? Or is Monopoly too iconic a board game to touch? Visit our Facebook page and let us know.

                And remember to mark your calendars: Hasbro will reveal the new token exclusively on the TODAY show on Feb. 6. 

                More on TODAY.com:

                 

              • Post-election, conflict between rich and poor subsided somewhat

                More than half of Americans see a strong conflict between the nation’s rich and poor people, but the rift appears to have decreased somewhat since a year earlier.

                A new Pew Research survey finds that 58 percent of Americans see a strong or very strong conflict between rich people and poor people, down from 66 percent in late 2011.

                The latest survey was conducted in late November and early December of 2012, just weeks after a contentious presidential election that touched heavily and repeatedly on the gap between rich and poor people in America.

                Still, the researchers said the data did not point to a clear explanation for the decline from a year earlier. And, the researchers noted, the percentage of people who do see significant strife remains much higher than when they asked the question for the first time in 2009.

                The gap between rich and poor was a common theme during the heated presidential campaign. President Barack Obama made raising taxes on the wealthy a mainstay of his efforts to get re-elected, while Republican contender Mitt Romney, one of the wealthiest presidential candidates in years, was forced to fight accusations that he was out of touch because of his wealth.

                Both candidates argued passionately that their plans would help the nation’s middle class, which has struggled for years amid a deep recession and weak recovery.

                The survey also was conducted as a fierce battle was heating up over raising taxes on the wealthy to avoid the fiscal cliff. After a protracted debate, Congress struck a deal to raise taxes on individuals who earn $400,000 a year, and households with income or $450,000 a year or more, as part of the fiscal cliff deal.

                Although the percentage of people reporting strong conflicts between rich and poor lessened, it’s clear that the wealth gap remains one of the nation’s most divisive issues. The Pew research found that the conflict between rich and poor remained a bigger rift than other social conflicts, such as those between blacks and white and those between immigrants and people born in the United States.

                Still, a higher percentage of people – 81 percent – saw strong conflicts between Republicans and Democrats.

                Those closer to the top and bottom of the income scale were more likely to see class conflict. The Pew researchers said 60 percent of people with family incomes of less than $30,000 or more than $75,000 a year saw strong disagreements between the classes.

                Income inequality has generally increased in recent years, as many Americans have seen their financial situation sour because of the housing bust, high unemployment and other woes. Median household income is 8.9 percent lower than it was at the least peak in 1999, according to the U.S. Census  Bureau.

                The gap between rich and poor also has sparked social movements such as Occupy Wall Street, which focused on the top 1 percent of Americans by wealth.  

                Do you see a strong conflict between rich and poor people in America?

                Results with 16 short comments
                Total of 650 votes - click on the "Display Comments" bar below to sort comments

                81.7%
                Yes
                531 votes
                15.5%
                No
                101 votes
                2.8%
                I'm not sure
                18 votes
                Display Comments:
                No

                I see a conflict between people who work hard for their money and politicians who want to take it from them to give to lazy people.

                • 5 votes
                 - 4:22 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                Yes

                And Obama is the leader of the movement. That's shameful that the leader of the USA would be the head of such a movement.

                • 3 votes
                 - STexan
                 - 4:25 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                Yes

                They and corporations still wield proportionately way too much influence in our government. This needs to be addressed.

                • 6 votes
                 - lngsd
                 - 4:29 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                Yes

                If you want to move the wealth around easier, just remember you catch more flies with sugar than vinegar; and the rich like praise too. ;)

                   - 4:38 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                  No

                  I see a President who made every effort to demonize the rich in order to win an election.

                  • 3 votes
                   - 5:23 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                  Yes

                  Greater amounts of have been concentrating into fewer and fewer people/families. This is bad for America!!

                  • 4 votes
                   - 6:14 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                  Yes

                  Tax breaks for "job creators"? Where are the jobs?

                  • 3 votes
                   - 8:35 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                  Yes

                  Anger has moved on to more pressing issues but the problem of rich vs poor is worse than ever now

                  • 4 votes
                   - 9:07 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                  Yes

                  We need to permanently Balance the U.S. economy and the Income Gap by EXPANDING the Living Wage Law.

                  • 3 votes
                   - 9:40 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                  Yes

                  Class envy has been exploited by certain politicians to further their own personal ambitions.

                  • 2 votes
                   - 9:59 pm EST on Thu Jan 10, 2013
                  Yes

                  Any time income inequality peaks you can expect there to be a rift.

                  • 1 vote
                   - 2:30 am EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
                  Yes

                  Read "Winner Take All Politics" if you want to know why this happened and is still happening.

                  • 1 vote
                   - 5:01 am EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
                  Yes

                  The numbers speak for themselves. The increasing distance between upstairs and downstairs fully reveals a new American aristocracy.

                     - Mark440
                     - 7:31 am EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
                    Yes

                    With the Fed and Feds shovelling the peoples money to the rich to keep them rich this be the norm for a while to come.

                       - 8:04 am EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
                      Yes

                      It's worse than ever. Robin Hood aka Obama continues touting taking from the rich and giving to the poor - though they wind up with nothing

                         - DrMan
                         - 8:21 am EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
                        Yes

                        The game is rigged. Them that has the gold makes the rules. Let's go to work on tax loopholes that favor the rich and corporations.

                           - 8:29 am EST on Fri Jan 11, 2013
                        • Career advice for Miss Alabama USA (and other accidental stars)

                          Two days after the BCS championship, the biggest story from the game has not been Alabama's win, but comments made about Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron's girlfriend as she watched from the stands. Katherine Webb, who is Miss Alabama USA 2012, talks about her overnight fame, saying she's not offended and thinks people have been "unfair" to the commentators.

                          Katherine Webb achieved Internet stardom in a roundabout, awkward way, but career coaches say the incident could propel the beauty queen onto bigger and better ventures.

                          College football stirs passions, but usually not the kind Brent Musburger expressed when he waxed poetic about Webb’s appearance on Monday night during the University of Alabama’s victory in the BCS title game.

                          For Webb, Miss Alabama USA 2012 and girlfriend of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, the attention and a subsequent apology from ESPN for Musburger’s remarks turned into a social media blowout, with her number of Twitter followers spiking to more than 254,000 from a little over 2,000.

                          Webb easily could take advantage of her overnight fame as a springboard to celebrity status, and she wouldn't be the first. "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson was discovered back in 1989 during a BC Lions football game in Vancouver, when a camera scanning the crowd projected her onto the Jumbotron. Other fans’ reaction, plus her lucky choice of a Labatt T-shirt, landed her a gig as a spokesmodel for the beer, and the rest was history.

                          Webb should ask herself, “What does she want to create?” said Elene Cafasso, founder and president of executive coaching firm Enerpace. “Does she want to parlay this into her own business?”

                          Webb has already gotten at least one offer. Donald Trump tweeted, “We are going to ask Katherine Webb to be a judge at the Miss USA Pageant coming up in Las Vegas.”

                          In an interview with TODAY's Matt Lauer on Wednesday, Webb said she was “flattered” by Musburger’s comments and didn’t find them derogatory, but she seemed eager to deflect the spotlight. “I’m honestly really shocked,” she said. “We need to draw back our attention to who the real winners are, and that’s, you know, the Alabama football team.”

                          “That’s not surprising, even if you like the attention,” said James Bailey, psychologist and professor of leadership at George Washington University. “It could be a little overwhelming” to get this kind of social media-fed notoriety, especially since Webb had no control over the situation.

                          So far, Bailey said Webb displayed a measured response to the hype and was probably figuring out what to do next.

                          Career coach Brenda Griffin agreed. “It did come out of nowhere. She was just at a football game,” she said. “What she’s doing, I think, is preparing herself for more.”

                          At 23, Webb is familiar with being in the public eye thanks to her pageant participation, and that could be an asset, according to an article about overnight fame written by Northeastern University associate psychology professor C. Randall Colvin. “People who pos­sess a well-​​formed and mature iden­tity will be less likely to suc­cumb to the pit­falls of fame and instead might use their fame to benefit others,” he said. 

                          “Doing good for others...my objective for all this media madness,” Webb tweeted.

                          Webb could take Trump up on his offer and become more involved in the pageant world, or she could lend her fame to Alabama’s football program. “I’ll do whatever I can to help the team out and support A.J.,” she told Lauer. Griffin said Webb could parlay her Twitter fame into a platform for advancing a cause or interest close to her heart, or she could use the interactivity of the Internet as a kind of litmus test.

                          “A good way is to tweet about various topics and see what kinds of responses you get,” Griffin suggested. “You can measure engagement in that way, to see what people are really interested in.” 

                          Related content:

                           

                           

                        • Wealthy spoil their kids, even if they don't intend to, survey says

                          CNBC's Robert Frank reports on the great paradox facing millionaire parents: how to avoid spoiling their wealthy children.

                          It's the rich parent's paradox. The wealthy want their kids to have middle-class values. To be humble, hungry and hard-working and to know the meaning of earned success.

                          But they also give their kids nearly everything they want: from cars and house payments to college educations and travel.

                          Wealthy parents know they can't have it both ways. And yet, they still try.

                          A new survey from PNC Wealth Management found that 82 percent of American millionaires said that their kids should be responsible for creating their own wealth. That's up from 65 percent in 2007.

                          More than 80 percent also said that raising successful, hard-working children is their most important goal.

                          More from CNBC: The costs of competitive kids

                          They want, in other words, the same middle-class childhood they had themselves. The survey found that 75 percent of the millionaires said they grew up in an "average" financial situation. Only 12 percent grew up well-off and 12 percent grew up "poor."

                          But when it comes to the lifestyle they're actually giving their kids, millionaire parents are anything but average.

                          They study found that half of them are leaving their kids more than $500,000. Fully 61 percent plan to pass along a "substantial" inheritance to their kids. That's not to mention the financial support they give them along the way.

                          More from CNBC: 'Rich kids of Instagram': Overserved and oversharing

                          "It's a conundrum," said Stephen Pappaterra, managing director of wealth planning for PNC Wealth Management. "There does seem to be a gap. They want their kids to be responsible and self-sufficient and independent. At the same time they're dealing the practicalities of their economic situation."

                          Pappaterra said that wealthy parents want their kids to make it on their own, but they also know that economic opportunities today may not be as plentiful as they used to be. Hence, the need for more help. Kids today also feel more entitled to support and material comforts, he added.

                          "If they grew up in an affluent town, they might expect to have their college paid for, along with car payments, and other things," he said.

                          So while wealthy parents may want their kids to be middle class, their economic reality is decidedly different.

                        • Monopoly is sending a game piece to jail, permanently

                          Monopoly is sending one of its tokens directly to jail forever  without passing go, without collecting $200.

                          The iconic board game is asking its Facebook fans to vote for their favorite game piece, including the car, thimble, boot, Scottie dog, battleship, hat, iron and wheelbarrow.

                          The one that receives the fewest votes will be voted off the board next month. 

                          It seems everyone has a personal connection to Monopoly’s signature game pieces. Savannah gushed on the show Thursday morning, urging viewers to cast their votes and revealing her loyalty to the thimble – but then admitted that she also likes the iron (a token likely to get voted off, according to our tally).

                          Joining in on the nostalgia was Natalie, who said that she and her sister used to fight over who would be the Scottie dog as children.

                          Do you have a signature game piece? Tell us on Facebook!

                          https://apps.facebook.com/saveyourtoken/

                          Hasbro is asking their Monopoly Facebook fans to vote for a new token.

                          As of Jan. 9, the dog and the car have garnered the most support. Fans of the wheelbarrow and hat may need to select a new game piece. 

                          But out with the old and in with the new: Monopoly will replace the shunned piece with a cat, diamond ring, guitar, helicopter or toy robot.

                          This isn’t the first time Monopoly has introduced replacement tokens. According to Hasbro.com, the lantern, purse and rocking horse got the ax in the early 1950s, making way for the dog, wheelbarrow and the horse and rider (the horse eventually got booted from the box, too).

                          Hasbro's promotion hearkens back to M&M’s marketing stunt in 1995, when the the tan-hued chocolate candy was nixed and fans were asked to vote for a new color (the verdict was blue).

                          Hasbro will reveal the new token exclusively on TODAY on Feb. 6. Be sure to watch! 

                          More on TODAY.com:
                          Star Wars figures, dominoes enter Toy Hall of Fame
                          Dangers on the toy shelves: Dora's guitar, balloon launcher
                          Teen: Boys want an Easy-Bake Oven, too

                        • Taco Bell's Cool Ranch tacos: co-branding genius

                          Taco Bell

                          Fans instantly got that Taco Bell was teasing the Cool Ranch flavor of the Doritos Locos Tacos. Typical responses to the Facebook post read, "There is a god," and, "Please let it happen I have been waiting for this moment for years." Taco Bell confirmed that Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos will be released in 2013.

                          Last week, Taco Bell dropped a diptych on their Facebook wall that got over 132,000 likes and in excess of 12,000 comments. “Anything could happen in 2013,” read the text above the photo. On the left, a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. On the right, a taco.

                          “I'm absolutely stoked,” for the new Cool Ranch flavor of the Doritos Locos Taco, a taco inside in a shell made from a Doritos chip, Robert Checkal, 25, a public relations account executive in New York City, told TODAY. He found the first nacho flavored Locos taco “surprisingly delicious,” he said. “You think, it's probably terrible for me, it looks nasty, but it sounded new and exciting.”

                          It sounds like a gag-inducing gimmick, but experts say it’s sheer brilliance.

                          Dino Baskovic, 38, adjunct professor at Lawrence Technological University in Michigan, tried the Nacho Doritos Locos Taco the first day it came out.

                          “Co-branding” like the Taco Bell/Doritos partnership represents a delicate alchemy where the qualities of two different brands are fused together and something greater than the sum of its parts is teased out. A special kind of something that also happens to pay a nice licensing fee dividend.

                          There have been successes like Eddie Bauer edition Ford trucks, and recently Jimmy Choos designed some Uggs. The annals of marketing history are also littered with brand extension fails. Remember McDonald’s venturing into apparel in the '80s? 

                          This co-branding endeavor, though, is a no-brainer. Essentially Taco Bell is just changing up who supplies their crunchy taco shells, and to a supplier with which they share a corporate family history. Pepsi-Co spun off Taco Bell as part of Yum brands, and owns Frito-Lay, which owns Doritos.

                          The chain also already exclusively sells Pepsi at the fountain. Taco Bell gets buzz, sales, foot traffic and upsell opportunities. Doritos gets to plow a huge volume of their chip product in a restaurant setting. A Doritos Locos Taco runs $1.29, and $1.69 for a Supreme. A regular crunchy taco costs $.99, and a Supreme costs $1.39.

                          Robert Checkal

                          The Doritos Locos Taco is a taco inside in a shell made out of Doritos® chip material.

                          Macy Koch, a social brand strategist in Iowa, whose friends love Taco Bell so much they go there for their birthday parties, doesn't care that the Locos tacos cost more. “I don’t even look at the price,” she said.

                          “If Taco Bell just said ‘We're offering nacho and cool ranch flavored tacos,' I don't think people would care,” said Ronald Goodstein, an associate professor of marketing at Georgetown University. Nor would it would move the needle if the chips were instead made by, for instance, Utz.

                          But are diners eating the actual flavor, or are they eating the brand?

                          “It’s the same,” Goodstein said.

                          At this point, “Doritos” is a flavor, one that consumers are apparently excited to have surrounding their taco.

                          However, Jake Hamilton, a 23-year-old web developer in Indiana — and self-described fast food connoisseur — is cool on Cool Ranch. The Locos Taco's "dusty shell doesn't have any of the same flavor as a real Doritos chip," he said.

                          I recently sampled a Locos Taco and likewise found the Doritos dust on the crunchy shell was much less concentrated than a regular Doritos chip. I believe as a result it packed a more muted flavor than I expected. Still, I ate the whole taco. Then I tried it again on two separate occasions weeks later. Just to be sure.

                          When a CivicScience online poll with a sample set of 2,503 conducted last week asked “How likely are you to try Taco Bell's new Cool Ranch-flavored Doritos Locos Tacos?” only 6 percent said “very likely,” and 73 percent said “not at all likely.”

                          However, when the sample set was filtered for self-identified “Taco Bell Lovers,” 36 percent said “Very likely.”

                          “It's the exact opposite of the health trend,” said Goodstein. Instead, Taco Bell lasered in on its core customer base, figured out what they love, and gave them more of it. More flavor. More “excitement.” 50mg more sodium.

                          At a meeting with investors in May 2012, Nation's Restaurant News reported Taco Bell's CEO Greg Creed told the audience that its customers have changed their thinking from “food as fuel” to “food as experience.” Creed said, “to be a better Taco Bell, the obvious solution was the Doritos Locos Tacos.” Qithin 10 weeks of their launch, The chain sold 100 million Locos Tacos 

                          Creed added, “People love it, it’s driving frequency among our heavy users, and we’re selling it at a 30-cent premium. … It’s really a platform we can build off, not a one-off LTO [limited time offer]."

                          The CEO announced Taco Bell will launch “Flamas” flavored Doritos Locos Tacos in the latter half of 2013. He predicted selling 300 million Locos Tacos next year. 

                          Dino Baskovic

                          A Martha Stewart taco – perhaps with doily patterns cut in the wrapping – wouldn't make sense. A Doritos taco, on the other hand, makes a lot of sense, especially when you consider the two brands' shared corporate family history.

                          Therefore, Taco Bell doesn't care if you think all this is gross. For years now, fast-food chains have been honing in on the loyal subset of their customer base that drives most of their sales.

                          In restaurant-speak, these are the “heavy users” and “super heavy users.” Burger King's research showed that their top 15 percent of customers drove 40 percent of their sales, prompting a focus on the “superfan” and launching such culinary creations as the 1,310 calorie BK Ultimate Breakfast and “Stackers,” with double, triple and quadruple patties, heaped with yet more meat.

                          Playing directly to these hardcore user's hungers is like fast-food chain “Moneyball" — a reference to the 2003 book and 2011 movie of the same name that tell the story of how the 2002 Oakland A's beat their richer competitors by tossing out conventional measurements of player performance. Instead the A's front office honed in on numbers like on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Their analytic approach, also known as "sabermetrics," showed these statistics were the real drivers of what truly wins ball games: scoring the most runs.

                          The analog for fast food is that chains have figured out it isn't customer service, great specials, or fast, friendly, service that really gets customers coming back. It's more bacon. Or slapping two kinds of junk food together and charging a markup.

                          "[Taco Bell] hit the grand slam," Rob Stone, vice president of licensing at Excel Branding, told TODAY. "They can just work on this project for the next 10 years."