If you’ve ever been a passenger in a taxi, you know that it’s always a scramble to make sure you have the correct cash for payment at the end of the ride. Thanks to new initiatives, New York is leading the way in what might be commonplace in the years to come.

According to the Associated Press, the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission approved a plan last week to install touch-screen monitors in all 13,000 city cabs. This new offering will allow passengers to pay by credit card, as well as stay in touch with news stories, find local information about restaurants or nightclubs, and even map out where the cab is going.

Although some drivers raised concerns about the expected high cost of such installments, the vote on the new technology passed.

Taxi officials who support the addition of the monitors are hoping they’ll see a boost in ridership by eliminating the need for cash, while providing passengers vital information during the ride, like traffic-related updates or passenger notices.

According to the AP, the new technology will be required starting Oct. 1, as taxis come up for inspection.

You may have shipped a beautiful bouquet, a box of candies, or sent mom a singing telegram for Mother’s Day this past weekend. Many mothers are separated from children on their holiday, but sales reports indicate that there is still quite a bit of effort put into making mom feel special on her day. Along with the flowers and sweets, the most common gift to give is a phone call to mom from the family, probably the best part of her special day.

Cell phone plans offering free weekends are allowing users to provide mom with her Mother’s Day phone call and at the same time cost the caller nothing. Having a cell phone on a weekend holiday is certainly the gift that keeps on giving, to both the honored recipient and the cell phone subscriber. With cell phones, callers don’t have to save up the week before just to be able to give mom that special call on Mother’s day, often becoming a lengthy one after the phone has been passed around from family member to family member.

There is plenty of proof that cell phone subscribers make the most of their free weekend allowance, particularly on holidays, in the reports from cell phone networks that calls hit record highs on those particular days of the year. Thanks to cell phones, many holidays are prime times to take advantage of certain free minutes incentives, and the priceless gift of a phone call is the cheapest present that anybody can give and receive.

How complicated can it be to bank with the right institution? The answer is surprisingly complicated, if you want to get the most financial gain and lifestyle convenience for your banking choice. Choosing the right banking service can offer the most growth potential to your financial situation, provide convenience to your lifestyle, and be a one-stop source for multiple money needs. Today’s variety of banking approaches offers multiple choices when it comes to choosing the place for your checking, savings, retirement accounts, and loan agreements.

Many consumers’ automatic choice is to go with a checking account that is free. Be sure, however, that the checking account lines up with already agreed upon family financial needs. This is why it is important to have your specific needs and desires narrowed down before ever looking at banking options. If you settle for the first best offer, you may regret the lack of services or flexibility in the long run. Free checking may not be sufficient for your banking demands.

Possibly the biggest mistake people can make in choosing the right bank is to pick too quickly. It’s easy to miss the fine print when you’re in a hurry to choose somewhere. Take the time you need to pull together references on banks, online banking websites, and other types of financial institutions. Be sure to do your comparison shopping thoroughly.