We bring you content about the airline industry meltdown, how US bungled the plague, where to hold Health Savings Accounts, travel during Covid, the New England Journal of Medicine goes political, snow ball fight from 125 years ago, Hyatt extends benefits, get five free nights at Marriott, Waldorf Astoria sells out, we visit Siberia, Alaska, NYC and Scotland, the best Covid-19 coverage, a sick scammer in Toronto warning, we make fun of the VP debate, we go on with survival shelters, serial killers, starships, graveyards and stuff you can only find here in my blog. Approaching 8 years blogging for you, time to raise my fees lol.
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This goes out to subscribers via email the day it is posted at 8 am. After that I may add something new and I indicate it like this: Update. So you all come back often and check what was added, it may, wait for it, shock you!
There is a LOT in this post. You all enjoy the weekend and thanks for spending some of it reading my blog. If you are not into the frequent flyer miles/points game please feel free to skip the Miles & Points section.
Let’s get the party started, got my double dose of dexamethasone! #joking
TOP PICKS
I am starting a new blog section titled TOP PICKS. For readers who have been here for a while it is similar to the “Best of Web” posts I used to do. I pick some content that deserves special mention in these now weekly curated blog posts I do. As I think everything I post here is a must read, think of these in this section as the MUST must reads! 🙂
This baby blog of mine started primarily for my travel hobby. It has evolved to a blog dedicated to world domination and freeeedom. Oh, wait, maybe it is the dexamethasone kicking in? Ok, wait, where was I? Oh yeah, let’s circle back to travel. This is a MUST read if you are interested in the topic!
Inside the Airline Industry’s Meltdown
Please take some time to read it. Just one selected excerpt below. The article looks more into how KLM is dealing with this, gets into economics, how things are going to change, carbon emissions and lots more, enjoy!
In 1998, airlines sold 1.46bn tickets for one kind of flight or another. By 2019, that number had shot up to 4.54bn. This year has undone it all. Early in March, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) published two potential scenarios. The more extreme one forecast a global loss of revenue of $113bn. By mid-April, about 14,400 passenger planes around the world – 65% of the global fleet – had been placed into storage…By June, Iata had to issue a revision: Revenues will fall by $419bn this year, precisely half of what airlines earned in 2019. [ Holy mother of God!]
The prestigious medical journal The New England Journal of Medicine was founded in 1812. It has never endorsed a political candidate. Until now! Please read EVERY word and vote accordingly, thank you!
The final paragraph goes like this…
Anyone else who recklessly squandered lives and money in this way would be suffering legal consequences. Our leaders have largely claimed immunity for their actions. But this election gives us the power to render judgment. Reasonable people will certainly disagree about the many political positions taken by candidates. But truth is neither liberal nor conservative. When it comes to the response to the largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that they are dangerously incompetent. We should not abet them and enable the deaths of thousands more Americans by allowing them to keep their jobs.
And now for something just so visually pleasing that it became a Top Pick. Just a 52 second clip from a snowball fight. In a street. In Lyon, France. In 1896! Colorized!
Snowball Fight (1896) Louis Lumière AI Colorized DeOldify
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 65k CitiBusiness AA, 20k Chase Freedom Flex, 130k AMEX Hilton Business & Hilton Surpass, $300 Blue Cash Preferred, $200 Blue Cash Everyday, 70k AMEX Delta Platinum Business and 60k Platinum Personal (ending 10/28/20), 140k IHG Rewards Premier, 100k IHG Rewards Traveler, 5 Free Nights for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, 60k AMEX Delta Gold Business and 50k Gold Personal (ending 10/28/20), $300 AMEX Blue Business Plus. Please use my Affiliate links.
If you do not see a credit card with my affiliate links, perhaps I could refer you? Contact me please, thank you!
Chase Sapphire Preferred 80,000 Points Signup Bonus with $4,000 Spend. I can now refer you to this card, please use my REFERRAL link, thank you!
Marriott has come out with a credit card offer that offers 5 free nights for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. But you must be careful about Marriott’s rules.
We continue to see higher signup bonuses offered by banks as predicted. AMEX is now offering higher bonuses on the Blue Cash Preferred and Blue Cash Everyday cards, in the form of statement credits, $300 and $200 respectively. The Preferred card has an annual fee of $95 which is waived in the first year and has excellent select earning categories while the Everyday version has no annual fee with lower caliber earning categories. I still think the Amex Membership Rewards family of points is of a lower quality than the Chase Ultimate Rewards. I am not going to do pumpy posts trying to speak them up so I sell more, I will leave that to other bloggers out there. But if you find these are right for you please consider getting them from a blog you want to support to keep going, thank you! So, Chase and Amex have been doing their part here, it is time for Citi to start raising their offers next I think, come on! Update: Hey Citi, this is NOT what I had in mind, wake up! Citi Prestige Adds 5x Points Earning On Online, Cable & Streaming Purchases Through December 31.
Looks like hotel companies are doing this again and again. You start to wonder if we don’t get back to normal soon…there would be less and less hotels that survive. Hyatt Extends Benefits to Help Customers – Award Chart Changes Pushed Again, Expirations Moved, and More.
If you have a personal United card with an annual fee and you are not a hardcore United flyer (when flying returns that is) why not downgrade to the no annual fee new United Gateway card which will still get you the better award inventory.
British Airways offers an up to 50% off award sale. We like deals around here. But not during a global pandemic and certainly NOT on flying British Airways airplanes due to ridiculous fees tacked on! And why they are not doing away with those fees yet is even more ridiculous!
TRAVEL
Really good real post by Nomadic Matt on What’s It Like Traveling the US During Covid-19. Sticking to road trips personally, no airplanes the rest of this year. It sucks but it is what it is. I think Matt was one of the first bloggers who got the virus months ago…
Never heard of this place, wow! The picturesque ghost town at the edge of the world. Once a booming mining town in the early 20th Century, now the remnants of Kennecott remain surprisingly preserved, perched on the mountains of the Alaskan wilderness. Only around 200 people still live in and around the area, embracing the isolation of one of the most remote ghost towns in the world. Other “successful” bloggers out there keep linking to stupid clickbait shit. I prefer to find truly eclectic shit for you and nobody links to me. It sucks and you are welcome.
Cool photos: Brooklyn in Kodachrome – 1970s New York City In Color.
As we are all doing more road trips I thought this is a cool link. 10 of the most unique tunnels around the world.
Best road trip on the planet, seriously? Scotland’s answer to route 66… 500 miles of non-stop scenery through the breathtaking Highlands!
Wow, New York City from above.
COVID-19
You know there has been a persistent theme in my blog when Covid-19 broke out and I focused on it that the US response has been absolutely disastrous. If you watch this you will realize why. At some point some will have to face reality and retire magical thinking! How America Bungled the Plague.
Loved this article dealing with pandemic monitoring, insurance, reinsurance and stuff like that. We Can Protect the Economy From Pandemics. Why Didn’t We? A virologist helped crack an impossible problem: how to insure against the economic fallout from devastating viral outbreaks. The plan was ingenious. Yet we’re still in this mess. The product was there in 2019 but nobody bought it…then after Covid-19 hit everyone wanted it…human nature.
There was a lot of buzz last week about The Atlantic article pointing to an overlooked variable in this pandemic. Frankly, it was way too technical and over my head. Kottke.org has a very good summary and preview of it here: “This Overlooked Variable Is the Key to the Pandemic”. Last link leads to the actual article if you are inclined to read the whole thing.
Fantastic AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread at reddit: We are COVID-19 vaccine researchers, Anna and Paul. After successful trials in mice, we’ve been carrying out the first human trials of a brand-new type of vaccine with the potential to protect a significant proportion of the world’s population. Ask us anything!
The latest article by Michael Lewis. Read it and weep cry, sounds like Florida but it is not, so sad! Inside a California Covid Revolt. Residents of Shasta County have taken resistance to Covid-19 restrictions to another level: “full-on anarchy.” I am still crying…
It just saddens and angers me that we managed to politicize a public health issue…like masks, WTF! Months Into the Pandemic, 16 States Don’t Mandate Mask Use. Why?
I really enjoyed this interview: Germany Has Its Own Dr. Fauci—and Actually Follows His Advice. If we only did not have so many freedom fighters here fighting for their right not to suffocate wearing a simple mask smh.
Really good explanation: Charting a Coronavirus Infection.
And now for something different, getting away from the medical angles to focus on the economic angles. Most specifically, The productivity pitfalls of working from home in the age of COVID-19. Nicholas Bloom is widely known for his research showing the benefits of working from home. But in the current coronavirus crisis, the economist fears productivity will plummet. Let’s all hope he is wrong!
We are still learning more about the virus. It appears we are into the second wave everywhere. Vaccine trials are proceeding well, as well as therapeutics. Dr. Fauci has predicted we go back into some kind of normal at the end of 2021 which I think it is the best guess right now. Get accustomed to wearing masks and avoiding closed spaces for a while everyone. Both son and wife can now work from home until end of June 2021. Our life is changing due to the virus. If only we had an effective response dealing with it from the start here in the US…
Never Forget!
PERSONAL FINANCE
I have been thinking a lot lately about this but this guy managed to write them all down in a single blog post: The 7 Things That Matter For Markets Going Forward. And I agree 100% with this statement: “One thing I am sure about is there are no easy answers to low bond yields for investors. This is the hardest investing environment ever when it comes to wealth preservation.”
This is a decent roundup and comparison of the companies offering Health Savings Accounts HSAs.
I try to help people in my blog. By educating them. And warning them about scum scammers. Like this guy, wow! Heartbreaker. To women in search of love, Shaun Rootenberg seemed like a catch. What they didn’t know: he’d spent decades stealing from just about anyone who crossed his path. Lonely women on dating sites were only his latest prey. He is still out there in Toronto roaming free smh.
CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS
I watched the debate. You know we have entered some magical parallel reality when the fly won the Vice President debate this week.
With both guys running for President, one 74 with Covid-19 and obese and the other 78 years old, we are all wondering: What happens to the U.S. presidential election if a candidate dies or becomes incapacitated?. It can get really confusing, here is another article on this topic: What if Trump Can’t Run? Many Steps Are Clear, but Some Are Not.
We have no words left…Trump and his staff’s refusal to wear a face mask is a catastrophe. A face mask might have protected Trump, his staff, and the people around them from the coronavirus.
Okay, one more left and then I plan to move on…I think. Donald Trump Failed to Protect America, and Himself.
Prepare yourselves for far out stuff to happen after the election. The Attack on Voting in the 2020 Elections. If you noticed, even Pence refused to guarantee a safe transition. PREPARE!
ODDZ & ENDZ
Ok, this is a fun link: The 25 Most Expensive Things Ever Sold on eBay. Made me dream about one of you buying such an expensive item with my Amazon link lol.
I was really surprised how widespread this type of stealing is. I guess it makes sense. The Pirates of the Highways. On America’s interstates, brazen bands of thieves steal 18-wheelers filled with computers, cell phones, even toilet paper. And select law enforcement teams are tasked with tracking them down.
The graveyard of products killed by Google just keeps growing! Killed by Google.
Well, after pirates and graveyards above, let’s keep the doom theme with: Here Are 26 Of The Most Horrifying Serial Killers To Ever Walk This Earth.
This is so cool. FICTIONAL STARSHIPS Size COMPARISON. In 3D.
In case you want to escape after November 3, this guy gives us lots of ideas! Survival Shelter Ideas.
Do you have lots of cassette tapes stored somewhere like I do? You thought they long ago went extinct, right? Well, NO! I really enjoyed watching this: Throwback on a Comeback: The Last Cassette Tape Factory.
Let’s get back to some amazing photography, shall we? Winners Of The Close-Up Photography Of The Year 2020 Competition. I had a really tough time picking just one photo to feature here!
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
I finally got to this section very late Thursday night. I think I have enough above so please cut me some slack for cutting this a bit short okay? It’s not like I am getting rich from blogging, sad!
Looks like Shawn is making this reselling thing work and keeps Miles to Memories going which provides a nice variety of content. Reselling During the Pandemic: Huge Challenges & Opportunities, But Perspective Helps Too.
Update: And here it is: AMEX 10 charge card rule definitely in effect.
Update: And the winner for the most hideous clickbait headline goes to, guess who? BARF!
Southwest Pilot Lent His Shirt To Passenger In A Revealing Top. She’s Mad – And Got A Refund – View From The Wing
I am slowly getting back to running, hitting 20 miles this week and last but…very slow. I have until October 31st to do the virtual Detroit Half Marathon . I deferred my 2020 Athens Marathon entry to next year.
Movie theaters are opening today in Michigan. I missed going to the movies but…it may be a while before I return. I hope they are still there. So tough to be in some industries!
Will corona totally kill all first class seats? Not yet but if the present pandemic lasts more months (which it likely will) I don’t think they will. And then how bloggers will sell more plastic doing trip reports how they travel for free sleeping in first class seats if you could only get several credit cards with their affiliate links. I am surprised we have not seen more blogs quitting…
One more on the VP Debate you guys!
For one night the name of my indoor soccer team was trending on Twitter!
TBB
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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
TBBTheDude says
Second day in a row my $ links do not get a single click. Other than this which I find extremely demoralizing, I like my blog. I think it focuses on quality. Been doing it for almost 8 years, which is totally insane in blog time. I need to find a way to say goodbye you guys…maybe I need a new goal in my life to focus on. Or whatever, enjoy the weekend, looks like a summer weekend here in Ann Arbor.
Which link above is your favorite? 🙂
Nick @ PFD says
As somebody who occasionally “tours” Siberia using Google street view, I enjoyed the Ket River settlement article, thanks.
TBBTheDude says
One of these days we will all find out Daraius is in one of these “colonies” trying to find himself 🙂
DML says
Good morning!
The photos are Ektachrome. Kodachrome required too tight tolerances to develop at home for both temperature and pH. That was sent to a lab. Ektachrome had much wider tolerance and came in different color temperature balances, tungsten lighting for theatre work.
Pedantry at breakfast!
Thanks for the links.
TBBTheDude says
I just like to look at nice photos and leave the rest to professionals 🙂
Enjoy the weekend.
oliver2002 says
Greetings from India, came to see my father on his 80th between to waves. The amount of mask wearing in urban areas is about 90%. Feels odd to see Indians practice social distancing…:o
TBBTheDude says
In Ann Arbor as well…
Driving to the countryside is another matter though, sad!
What Does All This Have To Do With The Price Of Tea In China says
SILVER ALERT issued for Joe Biden driving a light blue Oldsmobile Cutlass 2005
Bill says
Do the funny one now.
TBBTheDude says
Lol
Carl Pietrantonio says
Jeez. Killed like almost 3 hours reading stuff from today’s blog. SO MUCH GOOD STUFF!
Take it easy on that IT band and don’t rush!
Thanks as always for all the beat articles and graphs, etc!
TBBTheDude says
Oh yeah I have…not rushing it…slow going. Today complete day off. But not on pizza lol.
Tomorrow 6 miles with 2 of them walking….longest run in a while.
Glad you enjoyed my blog post. You have no idea how much feedback like this keeps this blog going…without it I have quit 93 months ago 😉
Carl Pietrantonio says
Just checking back and heading to the Amazon link and I will tell you every week if need be, this is the best blog I get to each week. ALWAYS, there is good stuff here. Thanks, George!
TBBTheDude says
Thanks Carl. If it was not for feedback like this my blog would have been gone yeeeeears ago.
The Masked Poster says
Events in Michigan, concerning threatened kidnapping of your governor, pretty frightening. All those guns and other weapons, bought for “self protection”, are making it pretty evident they had other ideas in mind. Police and other law enforcement agencies are riddled with those sympathetic to the white power and anti-government movements, so watch your step.
TBBTheDude says
Michigan has had these militia morons for ever. They feel more encouraged now by the Prez and this is why they come out of their bunkers. Hopefully they go back soon let’s all hope.
Can you imagine if these guys were Muslim or not white? He would be tweeting in all caps for hours!
The Masked Poster says
The description of “Domestic Terrorist” is being suggested, rather than militia. Probably more fitting, because militia carries more of a positive idea, whereas terrorist is more descriptive of something negative and threatening to the nation. And Trump has been encouraging that behavior all along, so that when he loses the election, he can claim it was all rigged, and his terrorist army will rebel and disrupt. And kill. A modern day version of the old Ku Klux Klan, only better armed, with modern day explosives and armaments.
TBBTheDude says
This guy…
Southwest Pilot Lent His Shirt To Passenger In A Revealing Top. She’s Mad – And Got A Refund – View From The Wing
yet, so many bloggers link to his blog and nobody clicks on mine…
It just blows!
I feel better now…
Breathe, breathe (not Covid related, at least not yet!)
Anonymous says
Unfortunately by down timing your blog to 1x/week you’ve increased the begging/whining to being in 100% of your posts. Like I wrote, unfortunate for the readers but after all—your blog your rules.
TBBTheDude says
Well, I suspect you are the same guy who comments in blogs that keep posting clickbait shit and repeatedly do whole blog posts full of cc affiliate links whining about it, right? Right?
Yeah, I thought so.
The whining stops you know when…obviously you are not helping in that dept. So, enjoy the content here for free, you obviously do for reading it.
Thanks to the reader who bought 8 units of you know what. The $6 sales commission will go towards the raise Mailchimp kicked in for the email subscriber service!
The Unmasked Poster says
The Washington Post did an article on those Michigan weirdos. Quote:
“One of alleged plotters, 23-year-old Daniel Harris, attended a Black Lives Matter protest in June, telling the Oakland County Times he was upset about the killing of George Floyd and police violence.”
Another alleged plotter, Brandon Caserta, called President Trump a “tyrant” – adding “Trump is not your friend, dude.” Caserta notably has an anarchist flag behind him in several videos he’s recorded.
Please stop looking for simplistic narratives that support your political worldview, it switches off your brain and makes you dumber.
TBBTheDude says
Can you imagine the reaction from this White House if these guys were Muslim or non-white?
Back at you:
Please stop looking for simplistic narratives that support your political worldview, it switches off your brain and makes you dumber.
John says
It seems like covid has taken over this blog as well.
TBBTheDude says
It’s that one dude, you know who, Sad!
David says
Hey Buzz,
Thanks for the great post. Tough to watch the Plague video, let’s hope our leaders eventually learn from this sad debacle.
Enjoy the pizza!
TBBTheDude says
Gracias senor!
Former Atlanta Falcons football coach Dan Quinn says
Hey TBB, are you hiring? Looking for a new gig… willing to start at the bottom and work my way up!
TBBTheDude says
Former interns never made it out of the bottom #youhavebeenwarned
Julian says
I keep losing your Friday posts in my feed reader between all the TPG posts, so I had to subscribe to your email so I get to dig into this through the weekend. Please don’t spam me.
TBBTheDude says
Every time I post a blog post…the next 8 am that comes along Mailchimp sends an email to list subscribers with it. The whole body of the post is in the email and not just a teaser to force you to click on it to get another page view to make more ad money…because I don’t have any ads!
No other email comes out.
I have not logged into Mailchimp in years actually.
I think you are safe. But you are not safe from TPG posts 🙂
Julian says
Excellent, that is what I was hoping for. TBB in my inbox.
Stefan Krasowski (@rapidtravelchai) says
HSAs:
Some years ago moved from former employer to HSA Bank, a time when there were few good alternatives. The process was such a pain that I was eating a few dollars of monthly fees rather than deal with a new switch.
This year I moved to Lively. Excellent process. I never had to deal with HSA Bank beyond liquidating my investments. Lively uses TD Ameritrade for investments. Great experience several months in.
Word of warning: there are a number of banks that offer HSA accounts that do not have investment account options.
TBBTheDude says
Yes, I have only heard positive things about Lively so far. Watch out the transition to Schwab from TD Ameritrrade though! Schwab’s tech is, how shall I put this…lacking.
I dealt with HSA Bank years ago and about a few years ago. The last experience was so much better than the one years ago, they have improved a lot.
Wife’s HSA is now with Health Equity through Ford and it is working out really nice so far.
Yes, good warning about HSA accounts at banks!
GringoLoco says
Horton Hears a WHO?
Or, let’s reverse our advice for the umpteenth time?
Or, why, why, why (h/t Nancy Kerrigan) is the public reluctant to trust the experts?
https://amp.abc.net.au/article/12753688
Sigh.
#TBBon
TBBTheDude says
If you read the whole article, which means you get past the “sensationa;” headline that bloggers like VFTW use to get you to click on their shit…you will find that nothing is really new and nobody is reversing anything.
What stands out how much money and time we have wasted here in the US by not doing anything that should have bought us time…only to get to October to have 50,000+ daily cases…yikes.
Whatever happened to Nancy Kerrigan? There was a movie about Tonya Harding that was really good fairly recently.
I don’t like Mondays.
ABC says
~$16Trillion, 90% of the GDP and my only optimism is around vaccine development. That part is relatively cheap..
Just a reminder to computer engineers at Google et al, you’re not masters of the universe.
ABC says
What am I missing about the AMEX Green Card?
TBBTheDude says
No idea…maybe something about the referral offers on it?
Still have not received the Freedom Flex, Chase is super slow these days, WTF…holding off going grocery shopping so I keep ordering carryout for all members doing the Marriot Bonvoy Dining thing for 8x plus 1,000 points for new members 🙂
TBBTheDude says
It is Amazon Prime Days. When bloggers go crazy trying to get you to use their Amazon link. So, here is mine linking to the Bose QC35II Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling headphones. You can keep using this link to do the rest of your shopping, thank you!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0756CYWWD/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0756CYWWD&linkCode=as2&tag=trave08a-20&linkId=35f87646f6cddaf8efb2d0c183c8068d
Bill says
Barry County (Michigan) Sheriff Dar Leaf told the local station WXMI on the psychos plotting to kidnap the governor: “the militia has more of a legal standing in this country than the agency that arrested them.”
Very fine people on both sides. GTFOH DAR
TBBTheDude says
There are some big time assholes in this state. Thankfully, I am not included lol.
Thought for a second this would be a breakout conversion month to hit ten after 3 came though (one mine) in the first 3 days. Sadly, zilch since then…
I have so much material I could be doing two, even three weekly posts. But if stay under 10 per month…it is not going to happen. It could happen if I started pounding “content” like “69 reasons I love the credit card that pays me a juicy sales commission” again and again or post clickbait “shocking” videos every day…yikes.
I feel better, lunch time.
The Masked (and gloved) Poster says
George, do you have any thoughts on the many banks offering bonuses for opening new checking/saving accounts, as frequently posted by DOC? I know you don’t hold DOD in very high esteem, because of his linking to VFTW and not to you, but I’m curious as to your thoughts on all those banks looking for new money.
TravelBloggerBuzz says
DoC is all right, he decided to go the page view/ads route and he gets a lot more of those from linking to the clickbait plastic king.
I frankly don’t bother, the bonus has to be BIG, I don’t look at ones less than $500. If it is more than $1,000 (from brokerage companies usually) I will look at the terms and conditions, you know, the fine print. And then I start adding the pain points:
-Keep balance for X months earning nothing
-Do X debit transactions
-Direct deposit hassle
-Monthly fees (and now to avoid them)
-Must keep account open a minimum X period
-Fees to close/transfer account
-And here is the biggest pain point, you get a 1099 from the bank for the bonus so you pay taxes on your tax bracket, the higher that is the higher the ouch.
-Of course all along you need to devote the time to cross your t’s and dot the i’s or however that goes…and risk the pain of a really “organized” bank failing you (Citi, Wells Fargo, BofA especially) and then on you go on the phone and hold times blah blah blah…
If you have the time and are really organized (you probably are) and do this in somewhat of a scale it could be some nice income.
Final piece: You must inform your spouse or SO or people who will inherit from you what you are doing before you drive them mad if you happen to go before your time! That is something that is almost never blogged about because, you know, death and taxes…they are so hard to talk about 🙂
My two cents.
There was a really big one by City posted at DofC the other day…after reading the comments I changed my mind FAST!
The Masked (and gloved) Poster says
I’m not interested in those bonuses as such, I was just asking for your opinion as to why there are so many banks offering them. The bonuses by them self, represent too much risk for the relatively small reward, but what is motivating the banks to offer those bonuses? Do they need to beef up their reserves, because there has been too much lending, and if those loans go into default, because of the pending depression, their percentage of reserves against debt would cause a problem with the Fed? What’s your take, as a financial person?
TravelBloggerBuzz says
Oh I see.
I do not think we are seeing more banks offering more more of these types of bonuses. I think this is just a regular part of their marketing budget and as banks move very slowly they just have not adjusted it, they just keep doing what they have always been doing.
I am not sure anyone knows. We are all trying to figure this out, what it all means and how to adapt to it in this era of bottom interest rates and bonds just not providing the “income” part they usually do. Wait for it….it is, here it comes, unprecedented 🙂
I am not sure about the “coming depression”. There is a LOT of cash out there. As always, nobody knows. Diversify 🙂