Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as the growth of millionaires, SpaceX and World Cup begin, the insane AI math, the Chase Sapphire Preferred refresh, retiring is hard, doing fraud with cattle, bank tellers protect customers from fraudsters, Iran war is over or maybe it is not, amazing fugitive family story, palace hotels, the best photography links and of course always all of the most important developments in the crazy world of frequent flyer miles and points at the lower half of the post. And much more. Enjoy the weekend.
Blog Mission: To Educate. Entertain. Inspire. In That Order!
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This blog started way back in 2012 focusing on my crazy hobby addiction of traveling with frequent flyer miles, hotel and bank points. It has since evolved to curated posts featuring the best web content along with my commentary.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
This is truly a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred card has been refreshed. And so has my blog after a very long time. Hope you like the new look. I also cut out a lot of salesy stuff, lowered the number of colors in the links and text and just tried to have a much more modern and clean look. To make it easier on your beautiful eyes and just make it a respectable looking site that I can be proud of. The content has not changed, it is something that is not negotiable. But maybe I split it into two posts per week because these Friday posts get way too long?
This venture has now definitely turned into a non profit venture after paying for the site refresh, it is what it is. Definitely appreciate the three readers who chose to use my site’s credit card links to apply for a credit card since May 1st.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The first rule of compounding is to never interrupt it unnecessarily.” – Charlie Munger
MUST READ GEMS
World Cup fever is on, bookmark this page for the complete schedule. And let’s talk about the games in the comments section.
This is required reading for anyone who follows some randos online and taking financial advice from them. No excerpts, read in its entirety. And be careful out there! How finfluencers prey on economic desperation.
Some great stats in this article about millionaires in the US. And I am sure seeing the wave of inheritances happening in my day job…
The insane growth of America’s millionaire class
PERSONAL FINANCE
Today we have the SpaceX IPO so this seems appropriate: How Much Will SpaceX Actually Cost Your Index. I wish indexes did not change their rules for accepting new companies. And we will soon have OpenAI and Anthropic join the money grab fest while it is hot. Could this the top or will this just get sorted out by the market after trading goes back to normal? And big down days are just another dip? I guess we’ll find out…
And just another reminder seems appropriate as well: Nobody Knows Anything, SpaceX IPO Edition. I don’t know, maybe looking back we will recall Morgan Stanley’s prediction that SpaceX’s revenue will reach $3.4 Trillion by 2040 THE top? Anyway, this is why when Wall Street forecasts anything you should see it as another opportunity to just laugh smh.
The world is composed of countless co-variables — not only things we cannot predict, but also secondary effects and unforeseen consequences that are even more impossible to forecast — the further out you look, the number of possible outcomes increases exponentially. So much happens over the course of a year that it makes forecasting challenging; 10-15 years into the future is utterly laughable. Look, I get it, analysts’ jobs are hard enough as is, and many of them are justifiably terrified about being replaced by Claude. Still, f*ckery tomfoolery like this does not give one confidence in this IPO process…
My work is mostly about getting my clients to retire. And it is incredibly satisfying when this happens and they are enjoying this chapter of their lives. And, you know, we all need a purpose so getting my still working clients to get there is a reason to keep working. Or maybe I am trying to postpone my own retirement because I am scared. Anyway, it has been much harder attacking this complicated subject on the personal front. Because: Retiring From Work Is Easy. Retiring Into Life Is Harder. If you are contemplating retirement at some point (yeah, almost everyone) this article is a must read. And I am starting to believe that the way to go is semi retirement and slowly easing into the next chapter instead of that one day you say goodbye to the structure that provided you, well, so much.
The more difficult adjustment is often psychological. After spending decades operating within structured routines and careers that shaped their schedules, relationships, identity, and sense of purpose, retirement can create an unexpected feeling of uncertainty. Even people who are financially prepared sometimes struggle once the structure and meaning that work provided begins to disappear. That reality catches many people off guard because most of us spend years preparing financially for retirement while spending very little time thinking about how we actually want to live once we get there.
The retirees who seem to transition most successfully are often the ones who begin building that life well before their final day of work. They cultivate interests, relationships, routines, and a sense of purpose long before retirement forces the issue. Financial planning remains important, but retirement is ultimately about much more than replacing a paycheck. A successful retirement is about building a life you genuinely want to wake up to once work is no longer deciding how your days will be spent.
TECH/SCAMS/CRYPTO
I had no idea there was so much rampant fraud in the cattle industry. And this guy was really on to something taking so many people for a ride: The Cattle Empire That Turned Out to Be a Giant Ponzi Scheme. Investors and bank loans fueled Brian McClain’s ‘house of cards’ beef operations, which burned through $170 million. Wild stuff, some people are addicted to living the good life and gotta have it anyway they can. Also, amazing how easy financing was doing this, I guess no real inventory controls were present. To be off by so many cattle is unforgivable imho.
I think if you a behavioral scientist your job prospects are very bright. Because banks will want you badly: Customers Are Giving Billions to Scammers. Tellers Are Intervening. With cybercrime continuing to rise, some banks are testing new prevention strategies. JPMorgan Chase hired a behavioral scientist. Be careful out there, watch your aging parents!
Investigation by Reuters. If you are shocked, you are not paying attention: Under the Trump crypto playbook, the family always wins. Investors don’t. Risking little of their own money, the US president and his sons have added at least $2.3 billion to the family fortune from their main crypto ventures, while the investors they’ve wooed have taken a $2.3 billion hit, a Reuters examination found.
Sometimes when tech and science converge, we get stuff like this LOL: How often do people pass gas? There’s an app for that.
AI
I have clients who are software engineers. And both my kids are in the tech industry. And their friends read my blog. So, this article appeals mainly to software engineers and anyone who is into this thing that is changing (it appears) everything: AI enthusiasts are in a race against time, AI skeptics are in a race against entropy. Both sides are grappling with a real existential threat, and both sides feel like they are screaming into the void. There is a way to close the gap and get everyone pulling in the same direction.
I agree with this article: An entire industry is being propped by math that is insane.
GenAI is a risky bet that could pay off, or it could well tank the economy. (A more reliable form of AI might be a safer bet.) Certainly, SpaceX will never return the way Amazon did. OpenAI is in trouble, and may not make it. Anthropic has a chance of being profitable, but reaching 10x the IPO price would be amazing. To get to 100x the expected IPO price of $1 trillion would mean a market cap of nearly the entire world GDP (about $125 trillion), another manifest absurdity; 1000x is out of the question.
We’ll see what happens. And always diversify!
IRAN WAR
Is this final deal the one that sticks? Are we sure? Anyone keeping count how many times Trump said we are near a deal? I think we must be past forty times by now…Same old shit. To make all this surreal, we have Iran’s football team (just can’t be saying soccer anymore) playing 3 games in the World Cup in the US…
The world, then, might settle into a new normal in which the United States maintains some kind of blockade of Iran, Iran maintains some kind of blockade of the strait, and both sides perpetually engage in skirmishes and perhaps return to outright conflict. Such an outcome will be terrible for Iran’s 90 million residents, who now face a continued collapse in their living standards. It will also be bad for the billions of people across the world who depend on the Strait of Hormuz for oil, gas, and fertilizers. But as far as the regime is concerned, it is not bad for Iran’s government. The Islamic Republic remains functional, operational, and cohesive. It has demonstrated that it can withstand extreme amounts of pressure. Most of all, it has proved that it can single-handedly weaken the global economy—and that it is thus a force to be reckoned with.
And do not forget we have the other war between Russia and Ukraine still going strong. Which has now lasted longer than World War I!
ODDZ & ENDZ
Covid never went away. And people suffering from it are still out there. And we are learning more about it: The Painful Truth About Long Covid. Must read if you are one of those people or just interested on the subject. Some diseases and viruses are just weird and this one sure qualifies. There might finally be a way forward for long Covid treatment—if only you were allowed to talk about it.
Six years since the height of the pandemic, the scientific community remains baffled by long Covid. Researchers still don’t know why some people’s symptoms persist or worsen after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection has passed. Almost $2 billion and half a decade of international effort have yielded little more than hypotheses about micro blood clots and spike proteins and mitochondrial dysfunction. There isn’t a single approved pharmaceutical treatment, not even a test to verify the presence of the illness.
Incredible story told by a lady who as a young kid of parents drug dealing in the big leagues she had to keep moving to be a step ahead of the law. With Michigan connections. Why isn’t this a movie yet? You Can Run. How can you do this to your own kids? Blown away with what these kids went through and the amazing resilience to just do fraud even from prison wtf!
Emotionally, though, he was the same. Even in prison, he continued to try to control his daughters. For years he told Erin that she needed to become an investment banker, even though she wasn’t interested in finance. He told both daughters where they should go to college. And his appetite for schemes never diminished. After Erin got married, John tried to persuade her husband to go in on a phone-sex business and split the profits with him.
You have never seen anything like this, I guarantee it. Your Internet Radio Dial.
Amazing art project. Or whatever you want to call this. I bring you stuff you probably do not see anywhere else together in one blog post. I would like to think so anyway. Because it makes me feel good: Windows.
TRAVEL
Another interesting travel startup, focusing on small groups: WeRoad. Tagline: “Grab your backpack, we’ll bring the friends Travel in small groups, with people your age”. If any of you traveled with this company please share your feedback in the comments.
This annual list is always fun as we all shake our heads violently thinking who the hell forgets stuff like that! The 10th Annual Uber Lost & Found Index. The Top 10 below
- Dentures with 2 teeth
- Breast milk
- Human hair
- Donny Osmond group picture
- Ankle monitor
- 420 donuts
- George Washington hospital discharge papers
- Sack of marbles
- Oxygen tank
- Gold mouth grillz
The amazing Sagrada Familia is finally completed.
Do you feel like royalty? Care to stay in a palace? Well, here you go: 33 Luxury Hotels Were Just Awarded ‘Palace’ Status by the French Government—See the Full List.
2026 WORLD CUP
Fantastic resource: World Cup 2026 Guide to all 1,248 players.
FIFA sucks, it is like this amazing fortress of fraud and favoritism and clicques and endemic corruption. And it is like we can not get rid of it becoming part of our lives. Reminds me of Elon Musk, that….ok, let’s not go there, stay positive. And this is a dive on FIFA’s president, this is the guy who gave Trump the (new) peace prize to, incredibly, take ass kissing to never imagined levels. Anyway, this is what we are dealing with and yet…I’ll be watching: The World Cup According to Gianni Infantino. FIFA’s powerful president is remaking global soccer in his own image. Can the sport survive him? Sometimes I do wonder if I will still be watching four years from now…
Of course I want Team USA to go further than ever in the tournament. But, realistically speaking, I just hope we go past the first round and then just give everything and see what happens. Many around the world hate the US and when World Cup time comes around they channel these feelings towards our team. Because, well, it is the one and only World Cup, this is what it does. But you must realize that football here is still the sport that most Americans don’t understand. And our guys have tried really really hard over the years to make it a respectable sport and it has come such a long way. And continues to progress and hopefully we can continue the run. I remember watching our teams back in the 80s and 90s trying to qualify for the World Cup. A team full of amateurs with almost no one playing in the big European pro leagues. I am always with the underdogs and Team USA is the ultimate underdog, let’s go! Kicking and Screaming: The 75-Year Struggle That Forged America Into a Soccer Nation. From a forgotten match in deepest Brazil to the arrival of global superstars on American shores, the U.S. has grown from soccer backwater into host of the biggest World Cup in history.
Reminder: I will be commenting on the games in the comments. And making score predictions. Which will almost always be wrong lol. So, good luck to all underdogs of the tournament. And going out on predicting the winner of this year’s tournament, a shocker: England. Anyway, anyone but Argentina please lol.
I started, my short commentary on:
This blog started with a focus on miles and points and travel. It has evolved since then. Everything below deals with the hobby of collecting frequent flyer miles and points and maximizing your travel experiences. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.
MILES & POINTS
So, here we go again…
We have a major event in this space, the refresh of the CHASE Sapphire Preferred Card, please see separate section below.
In the meantime, some more news…
Great Oneworld addition: Philippine Airlines To Become Oneworld’s 16th Member.
We go back to the regular parade of continued hits/devaluations: Choice Privileges Increases Point Requirements At Select Japan Hotels By Up To 200%.
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
For ANY questions on travel rewards credit cards, contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
Just when we all thought that maybe Wells Fargo will give the big banks some competition in the rewards space, we are disappointed again: Major Wells Fargo Rewards Program Changes: No More Combined Rewards Accounts, Gifting Rewards, or Automatic Redemptions. If you care anyway because I sure don’t.
CHASE SAPPHIRE PREFERRED REFRESH:
I have my take on it in the MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING section below.
Frequent Miler‘s take on the card refresh is a good one.
If you learn better with video, this was the best video about it on YouTube.
This kid does not screw around and speaks his mind on the worst part of the refresh, which is the awful hit on the World of Hyatt transfers of course.
Just the details of the refresh, see link.
And the two negatives are that Chase Ultimate Rewards points no longer transfer to World of Hyatt 1:1 (it is now 4:3 for a steep 25% devaluation) and the previously announced end of the 10% annual anniversary bonus (which was not a big deal).
LATEST OFFERS:
Heads up, new offers starting June 15!
CHASE Sapphire Reserve for Business: 200,000 Points Sign Up Bonus (Starts June 15th)
CHASE INK Cash & INK Unlimited 100,000 Points Signup Bonus (Starts June 15th)
Probably the best credit card offer right now but it expires June 15, huuuuuurry:
150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve: $795 Annual Fee. Minimum spend $6,000 in three months
A whole bunch of new offers for Delta Skymiles, all expiring on July 15.
90k AMEX Delta Skymiles Gold: Minimum spend is $5,000 over six months
100k AMEX Delta Skymiles Platinum: Minimum spend is $6,000 over six months
125k AMEX Delta Skymiles Reserve: Minimum spend is $9,000 over six months
90k AMEX Delta Skymiles Gold Business: Minimum spend is $6,000 over six months
100k AMEX Delta Skymiles Platinum Business: Minimum spend is $8,000 over six months
125k AMEX Delta Skymiles Reserve Business: Minimum spend is $15,000 over six months
There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes and always revolving new Chase Southwest credit card offers, the latest: Chase Southwest Personal Cards: 80,000-90,000 Points Signup Bonus.
- Southwest Priority ($229 fee): Earn 90,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest Premier ($149 fee): Earn 85,000 points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Southwest Plus ($99 fee): Earn 80,000 points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
150k AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business PLUS $125 Statement Credit: $125 Annual fee, minimum spend $8,000 in the first six months. For more info on the card’s benefits click HERE. (ENDING JULY 15)
125k CHASE Marriott Bonvoy Boundless + 1 Free Night: Minimum spend is $3,000 over three months.
185k CHASE IHG One Rewards Premier: $99 annual fee. 150,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. And another 35,000 points after spending a total of $6,000 in the first six months. (ENDING JUNE 24)
125k CHASE IHG One Rewards Traveler: No annual fee. 90,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 in the first three months. And another 35,000 points after spending a total of $4,000 in the first six months. (ENDING JUNE 24).
As High As 200,000 Points on the AMEX Business Gold after spending $15k in the first three months
100,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Summit after spending $6,500 in the first three months. And a 50% flight discount voucher
80,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Ascent after spending $4,000 in the first four months. And a 50% flight discount voucher
85,000 BANK OF AMERICA Atmos Business after spending $5,500 in the first three months
75k CITI AAdvantage Business World Elite MasterCard
175k AMEX Platinum & 300k AMEX Business Platinum
75k CITI Strata Elite card
Due to credit card vendor restrictions, the only affiliate links I can place in the body of my posts are for Capital One cards. You can always email me at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com with ANY questions.
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting them with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
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Elevated Card Offer Notifications
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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
So, the big news in this miles hobby was the refresh of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. We all knew it was coming. And yet, it all came suddenly. And amidst all the surprisingly good news (shocked that the annual fee remained at only $95, addition of 3% earning categories for gas, EV charging and Airbnb, doubling of the hotel credit to $100, addition of emergency medical evacuation coverage and transportation) the big hurt remains the end of 1:1 transfers. And it began with the most valuable transfer partner Chase has, World of Hyatt. Which did a double whammy on devaluing its own points recently. Which absolutely hurts and changes, well, everything.
So I am reevaluating my relationship with Hyatt. I am not sure if I am going to reach 60 nights to requalify as Globalist again. Why bother when I lose 25% transferring from Chase? And no I am not going to upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve to keep the transfers to Hyatt at 1:1 because the CSR credits suck. I just transferred all remaining points from the CSR to Hyatt and will be dropping my CSR when the annual fee hits, I believe on July 1st. The Chase Ultimate Rewards points gravy is over with the introduction of severe restrictions in getting its cards more than one time. Which changes, well, everything.
Is it time to go hotel free agent route? Well, certainly now this is a definite consideration. You know, I have several free nights and hotel discounts every year. Let’s count them: 1 free Hyatt night from the personal Visa card, 1 free Hyatt night after $15k spend on the personal Visa, 1 free Hilton night after $15k spend on the Hilton Surpass card, 2 mostly free FHR hotel nights (or four if we go the THC route) with the new Schwab Amex Platinum card my wife got, 1 free Fairrmont night with my Accor Lifetime Platinum status, $100 hotel credit from the CSP card. And more free Hyatt nights are coming at 30 night Milestone Rewards and so forth. We are already up to 8 (or 10) nights. And maybe I do go back to taking advantage of my Accor Lifetime Platinum status to enhance my stays to finally let go of the World of Hyatt Globalist elite status addiction…
Chase is zeroing in on the people who never transfer any points out. And if you never transferred to Hyatt, these changes are absolutely great. And if you like simplicity you now have no reason to ever cancel the CSP card. And pull it out way more often with addition of 3x on gas/EV streaming/Airbnb and of course, dining. So, we all four in our household are not canceling this card. But I think going forward we will likely transfer to United and just focus on redeeming on business class airfare going forward. And get used to paying more out of pocket for travel, this amazing travel for free period is over. Too many of us around managed to squeeze amazing values over the years from banks, airlines and hotels. And the free ride is over. It sucks but I am grateful for the opportunity of course.
Another 4,520 United miles posted. From a 3x on gas/grocerries/dining spend promo on my United Gateway card. The last two spend promos on the card were not that good so I did not register for them. And this is the first time in a very long time I am not working on a United Gateway spend promotion. Which is kind of strange lol.
Very slowly putting the pieces together on our upcoming trip to SE Asia. We are attending a wedding in Singapore and I just proactively booked two nights at the Singapore Conrad Orchard for 150,000 Hilton Honors points. Only to find out that the wedding party has booked the M Hotel for us those two nights. So I easily canceled my Hilton reservation. All in the Hilton app, which is a good one. I might blow an FHR night at the other Conrad in Singapore, Conrad Marina Bay. Or blow my free night at the Singapore Fairmont again, a fabulous property. Have you noticed how I am no longer thinking Hyatt first? Or is there a must visit Hyatt in Singapore I should check out?
Not adding Krabi in this year’s trip to Thailand. So, it will be Bangkok with 4 nights already booked at the Park Hyatt Saigon before returning to Bangkok. And then on to Singapore for the wedding. So, I am at 20 nights plus the 4 coming, so 24. I am playing around with the Bangkok hotel stays. One of the two Category 1 Hyatt Place properties in Bangkok has a prepaid non refundable deal for 30 nights that comes out to about $67-68 usd per night. This will mean that about 5 or 6 nights will have no one in the room, ghost stays. Or I can burn only 4,500 points per night in both of these properties. Or pay about $81 or $86 per night. So, points valuation comes out to about 1.9 cents per dollar. You see, I never did this points valuation thingie. Because I had an unlimited amount of Chase points transferring to Hyatt. Now the situation has changed. And I am torn on what to do. Will be thinking about it over the next month while watching World Cup games…
Hilton Honors points still remain my alternate points pool to use. And oh did they come handy last week! I decided to meet a client in downtown Cleveland as they were heading to the Brazil – Egypt WC prep friendly game. I thought I would have no problem booking a night at a Hyatt. Well, I was wrong. All the Hyatts were completely sold out. The only room available was a premium room at the Hyatt Regency Arcades property for, please sit down, 11,500 points PLUS over $500 per night LOL. My only other choice was a Hyatt Place for 10,000 points located in Canton, over one hour away from downtown, crazy! And that Canton 10k deal was gone the morning of the day prior to the meeting. I was resigned to just drive early the day of the meeting. Fired up the Hilton app and boom, I booked the home2 suites by Hilton less than 10 miles away from Cleveland downtown for 40k Hilton Honors points. First time in a home2 suites property and I really liked it. Free breakfast (for all) even had some healthy options, great stay.
The New York Knicks comeback from 29 points down in Game 4 of the NBA Finals will be remembered for a very long time. And that last shot will be talked about for ever. It already has a deserved nickname, the Right Hand of God game.
I absolutely loved the movie Tuner. I am glad I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan where we can see such films. Also, I learned about the medical condition hyperacusis which I think I have which led me down the path of online researching. Highly recommended movie. But then again, we are all different.
Big home renovation project is nearing its end. Wood floor setting in right now, carpet installation early next week and final touches hopefully by the end of next week. If I knew how much it will all cost and how long it will take and, primarily, all the meetings and decisions and general headaches this project will bring upon, maybe I would not go for it. But I am glad it is almost over and it is looking really nice. For the record, I don’t love inflation, almost no one does!
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HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve Business, 150k CHASE Sapphire Reserve (ENDS 6/15/26), 75k CITI Strata Elite, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards, 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 175k AMEX Platinum, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 300k AMEX Business Platinum, 80k – 90k CHASE Personal Southwest Cards, 200k AMEX Business Gold, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 75k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 100k BofA Alaska Atmos Summit, 80k BofA Alaska Atmos Ascent, 85k BofA Alaska Atmos Business, 30k CHASE United Gateway, 100k AMEX Gold, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
As of today, I have burned 484,015 miles/points year to date (after burning 1,893,248 miles/points in 2025 and 2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,121,793 miles/points in the bank.
Let me leave you with this:
Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.
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Feel free to contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com, all feedback is very appreciated.
George
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Like the web site change. Citi cash back?
For email list subscibers, did you receive the email at the regular 8 am time. Or did you receive two emails about an hour apart? Please let me know.
Trying to determine if the new format caused a change in how Mailchimp sends the emails out…
Any other feedback on the site refresh?
Yeah, cash back. It is coming closer day by day. To me, this miles/points stuff is still a game and a hobby. To travel for free…well, never mind. To enhance travel and lower its costs. Do not need the cash back but maybe, if current trend continues, it will make more sense to go there. And then just start booking everything on Rove.
Bilt fanboys celebrating they are the only outlet to transfer to Hyatt 1:1…we’ll see how long this stands.
I only received the email at the normal time, didn’t receive a second one.
Great post, keep it up!
World Cup predictions:
Canada 1 Bosnia Herzegovina 1
USA 2 Paraguay 1
I don’t have confidence in these predictions by the way. On the contrary, I was certain that Mexico and South Korea would win yesterday.
George, you’re exaggerating with that 40 peace deals comment. It’s only 39: https://x.com/ErikSTownsend/status/2065235304953569431
“I wish indexes did not change their rules for accepting new companies.” Me too, it’s corrupt. But wealthy, connected insiders need exit liquidity so I hope retail enjoys having an overvalued company shoved into their retirement plan. This is why I’m avoiding ETFs with large cap domestic stocks in my 401k. Mike Green is right: indexing can get dangerous when everybody does it.
Hyatt, thanks for the memories. It’s been fun.
I got both versions of the Blog Post I Like Most today, and yes, about an hour apart. At least according to the time stamps. I’m always asleep still when these come out. It is the West Coast and I am also retired so I sleep in. Though today will be the second day of the House Getting Painted project. I’d put in a photo of it but I do not know how.
I am happy for you that you got the site revision you wanted and I will always read it, but to be honest, I like the old version better. Both because I am used to it and also because it just looked right to me. But progress marches on and it is your baby. Besides, I like what you say even more than how it looks so you can’t lose me with a re-design!
Looking at moving all my UR to Hyatt before the cut comes. I only have the CSP anyhow and do not use it much, nor do I use Hyatt much except when I visit my Daughter as there is a Cat 1 (still!) very near her house so that is handy.
Anyhow, congrats on the revamp and thanks as always for all the work you do to put this together!
The refresh is really nice! Congrats!
I do appreciate how much work you put in for all of us!
love the new design…looks great!
Site refresh looks good.
Hey George, I’m liking the new blog design. Thanks for linking to my Wells Fargo post. It’s never too late to dip your toes into the Wells Fargo Rewards ecosystem. We have three months until the changes go into effect for transferring points, so P1 and P2 can both get the cards and transfer points to P1.
Canada 1 – Bosnia & H… 1
Well, the Canadians deserves a point. And if their best player was not injured they could have finished several chances. They kept storming the Bosnians who tried to manage the game enough to get out with the 3 points and almost did due to their experience. But old legs were giving out towards the end. And how can the Canadians look even younger than that really young team 4 years ago?
So both hosts so far did not lose…hope tonight we keep this streak alive!
I can not believe no one is interacting with my WC comments. Oh, I got the score correct again!
That is the best half of soccer I’ve ever seen the U.S. men’s team play. Wow.
This is what I sent to my daughter at halftime:
Best ever performance by a USA team in the first half WOW.
USA 4 – Paraguay 1
I knew our guys would be ready and win this game. But I never expected such a masterfully crisp performance like tonight wow. But let’s all settle down, Paraguay had a really bad day starting early scoring an own goal. Paraguay is not a team that let’s other teams score more than once and tonight we could have scored more. Everyone played possessed, looked like a well oiled machine. But it is only the first game, the next 2 will be harder.
I may not get the prediction scoree exactly right sometimes but I am 4/4 on calling each game.
100 games left oh la la
Personally I really like the new design, just feels fresher.
With regards to Singapore Hyatt properties. We have recently returned from a stay at GH. My take, great room size – no need to fuss over getting a suite. Location suited us for the period we were there. Club lounge was ok, breakfast is only in the lounge for Globalists, was nothing to get too excited over but it was more than adequate and it was handy to have the lounge for a snack in the afternoon. Stayed at the Andaz last year, breakfast was in the restaurant which I found particularly disorganised ie they seat you and ask for your coffee order to never return again. My take is I would stay at either again if the price was right but there was nothing compelling about either property. I marginally prefer the Andaz location because in the basement there are good reasonably priced local restaurant options. However roomwise felt the GH was better, the Andaz room always felt more moist (humidity?) to me. Personally given your options with certificates etc from other programs that would be the direction I would be going. We are thinking next time if the price is right and it’s only a couple of nights we might try Raffles.
Today’s game predictions
Qatar Switzerland 1-2
Brazil – Morocco 3-2
Haiti-Scotland 0-0
Australia -Turkey 2-1
Have a feeling I am going from 4-0 to 4-4 LOL
Qatar – Switzerland 1 -1
Congrats to Qatar for managing to earn one valuable point against what is (supposedly) the strongest team in this group. “The ball punishes you”, it is a saying we use when a team keeps missing scoring chances until…the opponent scores one against them, usually near the end. I swear Qatar looked like a JV team out there. This group with all four teams with one point is wide open.
Thanks to everyone who posted site refresh feedback and also on the numbers of emails received.
@ Grant: If I am going to add another bank ecosystems in my life at this point, it will be Citi. Not even thinking about Wells Fargo and Bilt at this point.
@ Vicky: Thanks for the feedback on Singapore Hyatt properties. Sounds like both GH and Andaz are not MUST visit so I will probably not going to consider them. I think I will try to maximize my FHR bang.
Brazil down, calling 911!
Ceasing the WC games commentary because I am talking to myself lol.
For fun, my predictions for today’s games:
Germany 3 – Curacao 0
Japan 2 – Netherlands 1
Ivory Coast 0 – Ecuador 0
Sweden 1 – Tunisia 2
So far, I am 5/8.
Never in my wildest imaginations anyone could have predicted the New York Knicks becoming NBA Champions, WTF!
Well you almost called that Ecuador-Ivory Coast one. Feels like we’ve had a lot of last-minute goals so far in this world cup.
Predictions for today’s games:
Spain 3 Cape Verde 0
Belgium 2 Egypt 0
Saudi Arabia 1 – Uruguay 2
Iran 1 – New Zealand 0
I am at 6/12, after going 4/4…so, much better than any NCAA tournament LOL.
I’ll admit the closest I have ever come to watching soccer is Ted Lasso, could not have even told you one person playing for the Socceroos. However, they have been highlighted in the media since their result over Turkey and what amazing stories they all have. I believe 3 of them were refugees, others were born overseas and moved as migrants or their parents did. It’s been a real struggle for our sports loving nation with than their fair share of anti-migrant, fully racist rantings to deal with our win coming via the people they despise.
It is the same in so many national teams. All the phucking racists can be seen celebrating the national team wins (looking at you Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, oh never mind about Italy they are not here lol) but deep down it hurts them seeing non whites wearing the national team jersey. Anyway, Australia looked great, they are ready to make more statements I think. Or maybe it was just one game, we’ll see.
So many bloggers out just selling the crap out of the 100k Chase Sapphire Preferred, the 100k no annual fee Chase Ink Cash and Ink Unlimited. To newbies because we can’t get the same cards again. Maybe if I stopped watching the World Cup games every day and tailored posts pursuing all the newbies my site would sell more than 3 cards since May 1, sigh.
Today’s game predictions:
France 2 Senegal 1
Iraq 1 Norway 1
Argentina 0 Algeria 0
Austria 1 Jordan 0
I am 6/12, lol
Hey Buzz,
Buongiorno from Gallipoli. We’re on a slow 7 week tour of Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia. Life is so good in Italy, very affordable and the food is hard to beat. Really enjoyed a small town called Scilla on the west coast, the swordfish fishing boats are mind blowing, very tough and long days on the water.
Have not watched a single minute of any game over here, not even the Arsenal PSG matchup. But I was impressed that you went 4 for 4 opening the tourney. I’m sure if Italy was in it, I would catch a game. Again, hard to believe they missed it 3 times in a row. Spain…are you kidding?
The update to your site looks great, thanks again for all you do.
I will catch up on coffee when I return home in a few weeks. Yes, thank you to the banks as well.
Good SBF article from NY Mag: https://archive.is/rsnCk
I am 8/16…
Portugal – DR Congo 3-1
England – Croatia 2-0
Ghana – Panama 1-0
Uzbekistan – Colombia 0-1
Somehow I lost count on 4 as it has been 24 games completed, oopsie. Can’t recall which ones I missed so I am going to take 2 of 4 ok? 🙂
Looking at yesterday’s predictions I was 3 of 4, so 11 of 20. Splitting the 4 I missed I get WC to date:
13 of 24.
Hey with three results (wins for either team and tie) hitting 50%+ is not too shabby imho.
Ok, here we go:
Czechia 1 South Africa 1
Switzerland 3 Bosnia & Herzegovina 1
Canada 2 Qatar 0
Mexico 2 Korea Republic 2
Felt really bad for Panama yesterday, these guys gave everything.
I am still predicting this year England goes all the way.
DR Congo with first goal and first point ever in the WC, 2 players in the bench played for my hometown soccer team AEL FC in Larissa, Greece last year and I am happy for them.
Uzbekistan left good impressions, some talented players.
Geriatric Croatia, hope they go home soon.
Portugal, lol again. Are we still comparing Ronaldo vs Messi, seriously?
What a great, eclectic post. I’m with you on lamenting the end of the Chase UR gravy train. Like you, I use those points for Hyatt and United. Plus the recent 30% boost to Southwest, which has good value if you measure relative to its massively inflated cash fares. I need to decide how many UR points I want to bank long term with Hyatt and how many to keep for transfer to UA. Hyatt points are currently transferrable to anyone, but we can’t depend on that continuing forever. It’s a tough decision. Advice?
I think we have until 10/1 so no rush to transfer out to Hyatt. I did transfer about 160k from my CSR Business card, which I am not renewing. I am definitely keeping my CSP Ultimate Rewards points stash (from it and Ink Business Cash card) and am debating if to go Hyatt or United. Depends what happens if I burn some United miles soon to get back from Asia in late September, availability has been atrocious.
Also, keeping my personal Hyatt Visa. I put some spend on it here and there. Definitely does not feel putting as much spend on it since the Ink points gravy train has stopped. Then, do not forget that one day that elusive premium Hyatt card will enter the picture and want to save at least one slot if 5/24 for it. Soooooo….many things up in the air right now. It was shocking to us all that the CSP has become a definite keeper now. Especially if you are a newbie! And I think that is what Chase is doing, shoving us churners out of the way to focus on the green newbies with plenty of more room to keep as a customer for the long term, maybe help them “invest” their money a little bit and even give them a mortgage and stuff like that.
When I cancel my CSR in 2 weeks, out of habit, I will ask for a retention bonus. Just for the kicks lol. I expect nothing but ya never know. Did I think to upgrade to CSR for the Hyatt1:1 transfer. I thought it about for one second and said, Nope, I am NOT going there.
Anyway, back to World Cup games 🙂 I should have a post tomorrow…I think.
I posted this on FB and reposting here:
Czechia vs South Africa: It was, I think, the worst game of this WC. Would be fair if both teams go home soon to spare our eyes.
Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina: This game had the same recipe as the earlier game for the first 75 minutes…and then BOOM! 5 games for the rest of the game, only in the beautiful game.
Canada vs Qatar: I could not help but feel so sorry for Qatar. Talk about a disastrous game since the opening whistle. And that horrific injury, I must admit, I didn’t initially think it was that bad. Not sure running up the score was classy but then again we have the goal differential rules. I wonder what the two coaches said after the game. I think Qatar can redeem themselves by winning their last game against the Bosnians…because if not, this brutal beating will be forever remembered. And it came against a team that won its first WC game ever.
Mexico vs South Korea: Frankly, I was expecting a better game. It all came down to a goalie mistake sadly. And that save by the Mexican goalie in stoppage time is likely going to be remembered for ever. I think the Koreans will beat the South Africans in the last game and advance. Because clearly they have a very good team. And I feel bad in advance for all the Mexicans when their team goes down, you know, it’s coming. I like both teams and would love to see them go much farther in the tournament.
Today’s games & my predictions:
USA 2 – Australia 1: Can you feel the excitement building? Can the US team put together another brilliant performance like it did against Paraguay? We all sure hope so. But it won’t be easy against the physical Aussies. I will take a tie here but obviously prefer a win to seal first place.
Scotland 0 – Morocco 2: The Scotts will go down fighting. But, you know, fighting helps but skills prevail. Nevertheless, their fans will have a great time in the stands drinking to oblivion…
Brazil 3 – Haiti 0: Haiti played well in the first game. Brazil needs the three points to avoid dangerous eventualities and I think they’ll come in and take care of business today.
Turkey 1 – Paraguay 1: The loser goes home. Well, maybe. With the expanded format, even losing the first two games does not automatically send you home. But clearly, this is the game they both want. And they will go for it. And expect casualties. With 11 pm start, I need extra caffeine earlier in the day to stay up. And I will!
So to keep track of my WC predictions, I am at 16/28…
Also, just scored a 3rd cc sale this month, thank you. And 0 coffees month to date lol. At this point, all I want is a USA win and it’s all good.