These are strange days. People sue fast-food chains such as McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) because they're allegedly surprised that fried and fatty foods will make them fat. Gillette (NYSE:G) and Schick (NYSE:ENR) are duking it out over which of them can sell which newfangled razor in which way. AOL Time Warner (NYSE:AOL) thinks it can solve some of its problems by dropping "AOL" from its name and somehow pretending it doesn't own AOL.
What next? Well, how about this: The U.S. government is about to spend $30 million... advertising money. That's right, it's paying millions to help us be aware of the newly redesigned $20 bill. Do we really need to be aware that there's a $20 bill out there that we can keep in our wallets and use to buy things with? A good question indeed!
Actually, there is a bit of reason to it. The campaign, it's explained, is all about education. The bill will sport color, a new watermark, a security thread, and some other technological bells and whistles, making would-be counterfeiters work harder to achieve their dastardly goals. The $20 bill is apparently the favorite of counterfeiters, who have become much more sophisticated and successful in their work. USA Today reports that "Digital counterfeiting, which is cheaper and more precise, now accounts for 40% of dupes, up from 1% in 1995."
You can be on the lookout for Andrew Jackson in living color beginning Thursday. And don't be surprised when you see him pop up in television ads, a sweepstakes, and even product placements on TV shows. (Will tribe members on Survivor be buying milkshakes in a food luxury challenge with shiny $20 bills?)
If you have some extra Andrew Jacksons hanging out in your wallet and you're looking for a smart place to park them, drop by our Savings Center, which offers guidance on how to save for emergencies and short-term goals, as well as special interest rates for Fools. If you'd rather invest them for the long term, visit our Broker Center.
