PAGE
6FIRST LADIES
OF PUBLISHINGPAGES
3,000,
COPIES SOLD
Michelle Obama’s
memoirBecoming
was the best-
selling book of
2018.7
BOOKS
AUTHORED
Hillary Clinton is
the most prolific
ex–First Lady.147,
IN FIRST WEEK
SALES
Laura Bush’s 2010
memoir was an
unexpected hit
for publisher
Simon & Schuster.12
FORTUNE.COM// JA N.1.
AS MORE AND MORE businesses go “cash-
less”—that is, they accept only electronic
forms of payment—questions inevitably arise about
the impact it will have on the “unbanked.”
It’s a bigger issue than you might think. The latest
FDIC survey estimates there are 8.4 million (6.5%)
unbanked households—those lacking a checking or
savings account at an insured institution—in the U.S.
Most of the businesses that have gone cashless are
less likely to cater to the unbanked to begin with: Think
$10 salad spot Sweetgreen. But it seems inevitable the
practice will catch on fur-
ther down the chain.
Currently, Massachu-
setts is the only state in
the union with explicit
legislation prohibiting
discrimination against
cash-carrying customers.
But a similar bill is mak-
ing its way through the
New Jersey legislature.
This solves only a
smaller part of the bigger
problem regarding the
unbanked. Many low-
income Americans rely
on check-cashing shops,
which charge hefty fees,
to get access to their pay-
checks. This amounts to
an effective additional tax
on the poor.
A big idea to solve the
problem of the unbanked,
proposed by Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-N.Y.),
involves creating postal
banks—which are com-
mon in Europe—that of-
fer basic banking services
such as checking and
savings accounts. This
would create an immedi-
ate network of 30,
branches and allow every
American to participate
in an increasingly paper-
less economy.IT’S NOSECRETthat PC sales
have been in decline for the
past decade. But one bright spot is gaming
hardware driven by the continued popularity
of competitive e-sports. In the driver’s seat
is Dell subsidiary Alienware, a company it
bought in 2006 for an undisclosed amount.
Dell’s gaming hardware is now making $3 bil-
lion a year—dwarfing its rivals. Something to
bear in mind as Dell reenters public markets.DELL’S
GAMING
UNIT IS
OUT OF THIS
WORLDFINTECH
Your Money Is
No Good Here
The rise of cashless retail is pushing legislators
to help those without bank accounts.
By Daniel BentleyGAMING
PAYMENT:^NIPITPONSINGAD—EYEEM/GETTYIMAGES;^ OBAMA:^ SCOTTOLSON—GETTY^ IMAGES;^CLINTON:^ LARS^ NIKI—CORBIS^VIAGETTY^ IMAGES;^BUSH:^ DAVIDMCNEW—GETTYIMAGES;^ LAPTOP:^COURTESYOFDELL