I am back from Thailand/Malaysia and trying to get back into the blogging groove. Another short post with just five Best of Web links, including 7 investing lessons from 2024, a warning about what not do with your money, the shocking sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the pure joy from it, how extreme travelers go about checking countries off the several lists that exist and the sad reality about travel rewards credit cards. Followed by short five links that are time sensitive from the miles and points sphere. And ending with a short summary of my most recent trip and the best pics from it. Enjoy this post and hopefully I get back on it with the usual Friday post #developing.
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BLOG HOUSKEEPING
I am dealing with jet lag as my sleep pattern has been more screwed up than ever before, not sure why. I have lots of material in the queue for the blog and I am going to try to get back on doing my fairly lengthy Friday posts. I am also collecting Best of 2024 links and intend to do some posts bringing them to you over the holidays, something I have been doing for several years.
The blog sold one credit card in November, thank you to reader Christian. And some coffees from the few regular supporters. I have several World of Hyatt Club Access certificates that I do not need and can gift to blog readers. Priority goes to blog readers who have obtained/referred credit cards and bought coffees, email me. I may have a World of Hyatt Confirmed Suite Upgrade cert expiring end of February 2025. I am not sure yet of 2025 travel plans, for the first time in a long time I see no upcoming Hyatt stays in the app!
So, here we go:
7 Lessons from 2024
Really nice post from Charlie Bilello again, it is a must read imho:
Returns Are Lumpy
Price Targets Are Pointless
Embrace Panic
Tune Out the Noise
Diversification is Simple, But Not Easy
There Is No Impossible in Markets
Time > Money
‘I Don’t Know Where to Turn or What to Do.’ His $763,094 Retirement Fund Is in Limbo.
It is shocking what people do with their money. I mean, when someone sells you a guaranteed anything, let alone a 15.25% return, you should not walk away but run fast! I feel bad for these people as they are now in a world of hurt. What makes this even more egregious that this couple raided their 401 (k) plan to do this and the tax bill due is going to be catastrophic. An update on this story is that the Feds are looking into these companies and there may be some restitution, likely pennies on the dollar if it ever gets to that. And I am shocked the people running these scams have not left the country…yet?
Also, this:
Among the investors who fell for this were many of the insurance agents and stockbrokers who sold Next Level or Yield. The agents invested several million dollars of their own money, according to people familiar with the matter. “We all believed it was magic, the unicorn we’ve been looking for,” one insurance agent who sold Next Level tells me.
For crying out loud, NEVER take investment advice from insurance people!
Dawn In Damascus
In the end, Bashar al-Assad had nothing to say to the country he bludgeoned and bled, but what matters now is that his ‘forever’ rule is over
I boarded the flight from Bangkok to Istanbul while the opposition forces were about to attack Homs in Syria. I land in Istanbul, we get to the amazing Turkish Airlines Business Class lounge and the TVs are all showing pictures of people celebrating the fall of Assad in, gulp, Damascus! Absolutely shockingly fast collapse and a day I did not think we will see anytime soon. It just goes to show you that the pace of change lately is dizzying. All around. Anyway, do not discount the joy the Syrians feel for finally getting rid of the Assad criminally brutal gang that ruled them for 50 years. And this author captured this feeling perfectly!
I keep reaching, myself, to find the words, and they fail me. Nothing seems to capture the moment. I wrestle with the recesses of my mind for the words, and then I see a photo of a detainee and I break down and start over. I’m not even Syrian. Just someone who was fortunate to take part briefly in their journey. Why does my heart feel like it will burst?
I found something. Assad’s supporters had a chant: “Qaedna lel abad [our leader forever], Bashar al-Assad.”
“Forever is over,” Syrians chanted over and over.
The end of forever. That was a beautiful capstone.
Then I saw a poetic line posted by Fairouz, the legendary Lebanese singer, who tweeted it as dawn rose over a free Damascus. I love the English language, but the moment I read her line, I felt great sorrow for those who do not know Arabic, because they will never experience the beauty of the line she posted in its original form. But for now, only a cheap imitation of a translation will do, which is appropriate because my words are also a cheap imitation of a deep ocean of emotional euphoria and turmoil. Thus spake Fairouz:
“My eyes are on you, O Damascus, for it is from you that the morning flows.”
How Many Countries Have You Visited? Inside the Quest to Become the World’s “Biggest” Traveler
So many country lists out there. It all started with the Century Club TCC. Now we have Most Traveled People MTP, Nomad Mania and many more…all the way to the latest, the Slow List.
There’s a lot to be said for a good list, too. Lists help us reconcile big dreams within the real-world constraints of finite time and resources. Research has found that lists can motivate while quieting FOMO’s anxious chatter. The very best travel lists, meanwhile, have the power to translate our deeply held values—exploration, curiosity, challenge—into something that’s quantifiable, motivating, and highly shareable. Also, they’re fun.
By the end of last year, an estimated 357 people had been to all 193 UN member states—enough to fill a small cruise ship. As their ranks have grown, lists have changed. Travelers seeking to differentiate their achievements must get creative.
What Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders get wrong about credit cards
The sad reality of this hobby:
To the sufficiently obsessed, optimising credit-card spending can be a lucrative hobby. However, beneath the bonanza is a problem: the rewards are funded by the least well-off.
…American credit-card-reward programmes redistribute around $15bn a year from “naive” to “sophisticated” consumers. In cash terms, the biggest losers are actually the unsophisticated well-off. Yet financial sophistication, which the researchers approximate with credit-rating scores, also correlates with education, income and race. High-school graduates, the poor and ethnic minorities are the least likely to earn credit-card rewards.
FIVE QUICK MILES & POINTS HITS
Alaska Airlines had a big announcement with what they plan to do integrating Hawaiian Airlines, its latest acquisition. I will have more about this on Friday most likely. One of the announcements was, a bit surprisingly, that the airline plans to offer a premium $395 annual fee credit card issued by Bank of America, here are some details about it. You can waitlist for it AND earn 500 Alaska Airlines miles for doing so, completely for free without any obligation. You bet I did this for all four of us in my household.
Register for the new Hilton Honors promotion to earn, again, double points for stays between January 1 and April 30, 2025.
I am thinking to use the 20% Transfer Bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Air Canada Aeroplan. It becomes 30% if you have the Air Canada Aeroplan Visa card. We have until January 15, 2025 to decide.
The big news recently was Citi To Become Sole Issuer Of American Airlines Cards, AA To Become Transfer Partner. There is A LOT to unpack here. It was always great for us miles aficionados to have banks competing because we benefit. But getting rid of quirky Barclays from the picture I am not that unhappy about I must admit. Maybe we should go for the last hurrah on its AA Aviator cards but it may not be worth taking one of the Chase 5/24 spots. And in my household we primarily swim in the Chase ecosystem. In addition, Citi has not come out and explicitly stated that its Thank You points will be transferable to American Airlines so let’s postpone celebrating about it ok? Will this push forward the mega AA devaluation we have all been expecting for several years now? Probably…I guess time will tell.
And yes, finally! Hyatt Suite Upgrades & Club Access awards can now be applied online.
2024 THAILAND/MALAYSIA TRIP
Ran out of time to do a miles/points recap of what I burned for this trip, maybe on Friday. Trips like this is why we do this!
And here are ten pics from our latest glorious trip, A LOT more photos posted on Instagram and some videos on YouTube:
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George
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Sometimes I think I just blog to myself here…
Final exam period so I sleep late!
Welcome back. Those were nice videos you
posted. Those were some breakfasts!
Wowee! Lots of stuff here and I am signing up for the Alaska thing, even if eventually I don’t get the card, I’ll take 500 free points to add to the Alaska stash!
Gonna take a day or two to read everything though, busy day of the week is Wednesday!
Glad you are all back safe and sound, hope you get over the jet lag fast!
More later!
Great pictures! We have been talking about going to Malaysia again sometime soon, and those are good inspiration for making those plans more concrete.
Good post, George, especially the one about “guaranteed interest”. When will people learn that “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is”? Also, George, in the family picture, you have more hair on that one arm, than I have on my head.
I like the photos, i’ve walked past that massage place I don’t know how many times. I usually frequent the japanese ramen restaurant 2 doors down when I’m staying at the hyatt place. It stays open late, which is surprisingly unusual in as big a city as Bangkok, so a good choice when nursing jet lag or a good beer buzz.
Speaking of which, I use an app called Timeshifter to help with jet lag. Not sure if you’ve heard of it but it’s fairly good. The gist is it just gets you to a place where you sleep on the plane to accelerate your jet lag shift. I’ve had pretty good results when following it to a T.
That how many country article reminds me of when I was trying to get to all 50 states during my younger years. Finished when I was 28 years old. It became more about checking a box instead of trying to have an experience and ultimately became something I regretted. Spending an entire Saturday on planes just to visit a state to say you’ve been there made for a good story, I guess, but ultimately wasn’t fulfilling.
As I’ve became much more of a world traveler I’ve always kept this in mind that it’s much more about the experience than checking a box. In fact, I can’t even tell you how many countries I’ve been to. I specifically don’t keep count. I’d guess it’s over 60? But that’s a product of enjoying visiting new countries and taking time to learn about new cultures. I somewhat pity those people trying to visit every country in the world.
Reminds me about the Warren Buffet story about the ‘inner scorecard’, if you are seeking external validation you’ll never be satisfied in life.
I only had a very short nap today so I think finally I will get on the proper sleeping schedule tonight…
@ DML: Ok, the excuse is valid, did not mark you tardy, lol. Yeah, been kind of fasting ever since my return home. Maybe going all out on Hyatts is not healthy!
@ Carl: Taking 500 and extending expiration of Alaska miles was no brainer.
@ Mech: Malaysia is unique with its Malay, Chinese and Indian mix. And I love the food the best there, especially Indian and especially when it has some Malay cuisine characteristics added. Need to explore more places, they have many Hyatt Cat 1 properties there too.
@ The Old Goat: Thanks. Yeah, people falling for obvious scams like this is so common and so disheartening. Personal finance literacy won’t cure it but it can sure help I think. More states are making personal finance a required subject in elementary education. As it should be. Regarding the hair, I wish some of that hair on my hands could be easily transferred to my head because up there I may not have any at this rate lol.
@ bob: Do you remember the name of the Ramen place? Or do you mean the Bibimpap or something like that at the corner? I love Ramen but have a severe allergy to shrimp so I don’t want to risk it in a foreign country. I totally agree with you with your thoughts on the lists and checking off boxes. Which probably explains the recent rise of the Slow Lane list 🙂 I need to take a look at Timeshifter, I think you have mentioned this before here, I need to check it out. Finally tonight (Wednesday) I think I am going to get on a regular sleeping schedule (landed in Detroit Sunday night).
I haven’t even started the Friday post yet… #notgood
Message from reader who bought me 3 coffees today, it is messages like this that make my day!
“Long time reader here. I have immensely benefited from your posts. Just a big THANK YOU!”
It’s called Ramen Ichiban, literally other side of the alley from the Bibimbap place. Usually just has Japanese salaryman-types in there when I have went. There’s a lot of Japanese expats in the Phrom Phong area. I often frequented the Japanese grocery store, UFM Fuji Super, that was besides the Emquartier. Lots of ready to eat foods along with top quality sushi. Will be there in just about a month!
Ichiban yes, I remember it now.
Breaking News: NEW Hyatt Place in Bangkok opened yesterday! In Soi 1. And, more importantly, Cat 1 and it looks great from the pics! If you check it out please let me know how it compares to the one in Soi 24.
Thanks to reader MP for the Paypal donation, much appreciated.
Also, I am over 2 Million miles/points burned year to date, wow. I need to reevaluate my life in 2025 and beyond 🙂
Woke up at 2 am today…damn it, felt it was at least 5 am. Friday blog post underway, Peronal Finance and Scams/Crypto/AI/Tech sections are done…it is going to be a long one.
Going to hit the gym and get it out of the way, still on “lose Hyatt pounds” track lol.
Great to have you back.
Thank you! Just posted new post on Friday, hope you like it and thanks for the support. You carried the blog in November with the only cc sale!