Don't Mess With Taxes

The only time I see a $100 bill is when my mother visits.

No, she's not filthy rich. She just seems to empty out her bank account every time she comes to see the hubby and me. The reason: the woman wants to pay for everything when she's in town.

That penchant is in itself enough for a whole other blog item, or dedicated blog itself, on money and family.

But I mention it today because when my mother arrives bearing cash, it's usually in large denominations. She says it's because it makes her bundle of bills smaller. I say she needs to bring just enough to pay for snacks en route to our house, but again, another blog.

My rambling point today is that, according to the Associated Press (via this Forbes article), if my mother persists on carrying wads of cash, by late next year her $100s will have a new look.

And the bill's facelift reportedly will be the most amazing of the recent currency makeovers. (Changes to the $5, $10 and $20 bills were blogged about here.)

Since the notes bearing the likeness of Benjamin Franklin are the most frequent target of counterfeiters operating outside the United States, the U.S. Treasury is pulling out all stops to thwart them.

The new C-note, says the AP, combines micro-printing with tiny lenses. The 650,000 miniature lenses that will be embedded in each new $100 bill will make Ben's image appear to move.

Wave it up and down, and Mr. Franklin will sway side to side; shift it horizontally, and he'll move up and down.

Can you imagine the confusion of someone who uses a new $100 to pay the tab after a busy night at the local bar?