Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as student loan payments return, SEC sues Binance, Nvidia early years at a Denny’s, running pain is part of running, what parts of Secure Act 2.0 come online in 2023, excellent podcast with Fareed Zakaria about the Ukraine war and more, a woman becomes catatonic for 20 years until help arrived, visit Michigan and go to places where fires never stop burning, I introduce you to the band Blonde Redhead, the latest in the crazy world of frequent flyer miles and points and…see you Friday, stay hydrated out there!
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PERSONAL FINANCE
The free ride paying back student loans is over in a few months. So, this thorough article should be helpful if it applies to you or a loved one: The Student Loan Payment Pause Is Ending. Here’s How to Prepare. While we are waiting for this:
Millions of borrowers could see up to $20,000 of their balance disappear if the Supreme Court allows the Biden administration to move ahead with its debt cancellation plan. (A decision is expected by the end of June.) The program would cancel $10,000 of debt for single individuals earning under $125,000 and married joint filers and heads of households with income under $250,000. Borrowers who received Pell Grants and fall under the income ceilings can qualify for another $10,000 in debt relief.
The passage of Secure Act 2.0 has numerous provisions that are coming into effect every year up to 2027. And this article will remind you what they are so you can prepare: Retirement-Savings Changes You Should Know About for 2023-24. This year in 2023 we have the following measures coming onboard:
The age for taking the mandated annual withdrawals known as required minimum distributions, or RMDs, is raised to 73 from 72 (or 70½ before the original Secure Act in 2020)
The penalty for missed RMDs is reduced from 50% to 25% and even 10% if corrected in a “timely” manner
A statute of limitations is now created, limiting the period in which the IRS can impose a penalty
Roth (after tax) contributions can be made to SEP and Simple IRAs, which are retirement plans for small businesses
Employer matching contributions to a Roth account can, at an employee’s option, be made as a Roth
Additional exceptions now exist to the 10% early distribution penalty for withdrawals from a retirement plan before age 59½
CRYPTO/BINANCE
If you have been following this space and you saw this headline: SEC files complaint against Binance, you would have the same reaction as me.
Steven Diehl went off on Twitter and it was epic, enjoy: Let’s talk about and analyze the SEC vs. Binance lawsuit. Because I’ve never seen anything like this before. This is 136 pages of pure madness. One for the history books.
AI/NVIDIA
Nvidia stock just exploded recently. Because it makes the chips for AI and who knows what will happen next. I just really enjoyed this WSJ story how it all started in a Denny’s of all places. The $1 Trillion Company That Started at Denny’s. AI made Nvidia the world’s most valuable chip maker. So did three guys sipping diner coffee and planning to conquer markets that barely existed. Love these stories. Just like when I started this blog from Panera. And look at me now…Lol.
RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR
Looks like the Russians blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam, huge environmental catastrophe in Ukraine. Before you fall for Russian propaganda blaming the Ukrainians for flooding their own land and people, I am just going to paste here what the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister said:
Infuriating to see some media report “Kyiv and Moscow accusing each other” of ruining the Kakhovka dam. It puts facts and propaganda on equal footing. Ukraine is facing a huge humanitarian and environmental crisis. Ignoring this fact means playing Russia’s “not all obvious” game.
Fantastic and fairly well balanced podcast with Fareed Zakaria on where Russia’s war in Ukraine stands, and much more.
ODDZ & ENDZ
If you are going to read one thing today, make it this one: A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry. I am not going to spoil it here but wow! Thanks science. What the hell happened to April? I am still thinking about her days after I first read this…
TRAVEL
No, the State of Michigan Tourism office is not a sponsor of my blog. But it should be after this: 23 Mind-blowing Places to Visit in Michigan (in 2023!).
I knew Gates of Hell will be on this list as soon as I saw the headline: Five Fires That Never, Ever Stop Burning. I bet you can not guess the other four!
BUZZING
A section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life and anything else that just does not fit in another section above.
The Miami Heat has been beating up teams throughout the playoffs, what an amazing performance in Game 2 in Denver to tie the NBA Finals. Now on to Miami, we will see how Denver responds…
As running in the heat has been pretty painful all around, this article spoke to me: Running Pain: Phantom or For Real? I have done the wrong thing too many times resulting in aggravating injuries or incurring new ones. It is a process! Of learning about and listening to your body.
Daughter really liked her first internship day at Microsoft yesterday.
You are ready for another music recommendation? My taste has always been far out there, you have been warned. This is not the place to check out Taylor Swift or Maroon 5, ok? I recently discovered the band Blonde Redhead. Apparently, I am 30 years late! Two Italian twin brothers and a Japanese lady meet by chance at an Italian restaurant in New York City in 1993. And they keep evolving ever since. Very edgy Sonic Youth like in the earlier years. Got more melodic and calmer over the years. Here is a song played live below. I may have another song for you on Friday, the one on their new album coming out in September this year which I think it is their very best. You know, aging like fine wine, like me, lol.
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. If you are not interested, you can stop here, thank you.
MILES & POINTS NEWS/PROMOS/MY ACTION
These Daily Getaway Deals were juicy when they first came out. But ever since they are just a giant waste of time imho, here we go again: U.S. Travel Association’s Daily Getaways Promotion – Check Out This Year’s Offers. Even if you find one that makes sense for you, your chances of actually getting one of the few packages available are slim to none…
Good to see the Plaza Premium lounges back in Priority Pass lounge memberships. Priority Pass and Plaza Premium kiss and make up – you can access Plaza lounges from today.
Getting a United Airlines credit card right now, after the recent devaluation, the Signup Bonus is most likely not going to get you a free Round Trip economy ticket to Asia, how sad is that! So, take that into account how you adjust your strategy going forward. At the same time, you know, banks continue to shower us with thousands of airline miles and points, it is a good business for them. As long as you use them responsibly by ALWAYS paying the full balance, this can still be profitable and it can get addictive, you have been warned. Chase is offering another roundup of United credit cards. Which are definitely not at the highest Signup Bonus level ever, so I am not sure the bank marketing folks are with it but they did not ask me so there! Of the four personal United cards, I only see the Explorer card available with my Credit Card Links, the rest I can refer you with my REFERRAL link, thank you!
New Offers for United Credit Cards, Earn Up to 80,000 MileagePlus Miles
ADVANCED:
If you are looking for more Amex Membership Rewards points, the AmexGreen card is now offered with 60,000 points Signup Bonus, which is I think IS the highest ever. This card has always been imho the ugly duckling, enough of a higher annual fee, generally not great earning structure and low Singup Bonus. Well, maybe it has crossed that point of it becoming more attractive now with 60,000 Singup Bonus after $3,000 spend in the first six months. But wait, there is an additional sweetener to sign up! 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit. The annual fee is $150. Earning 3x on restaurants, travel and transit and 1x on everything else. You also get $189 CLEAR Plus credit and up to $100 LoungeBuddy airline lounge pass credit. So, in a nutshell, if you were looking to get CLEAR, along with the $200 travel credit (look in the fine print to see what qualifies), this card can more than pay for itself and the 60,000 MR points are a score! To support the blog, please apply with my Credit Card Links, thank you. If you can not get a referral offer from Player2 or someone else.
Is the Amex Green Card Worth the Annual Fee?
How sad to learn how some greedy miles/points hobbyists were taken for thousands of dollars facing ruin? WTF were you thinking people? Unbelievable…Be careful out there!
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards, 75k CHASE Ink Business Cash, 75k CHASE Ink Business Unlimited, 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 60K CITI Premier, 40k CAPITAL ONE VentureOne Rewards, $1,000 Cash Back CHASE Ink Business Premier, 140K CHASE IHG Rewards Premier, 60k CHASE Sapphire, 60k US BANK Business Altitude, 60k and 30% off on three Personal CHASE Southwest cards and many more, including many AmericanExpress cards such as Delta Airlines, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors cards! Please check out my Affiliate links. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. If you do not see a credit card with my affiliate links, perhaps I could refer you?
This section is about my hobby addiction of collecting frequent flyer miles and hotel points since the early 1990’s! SKIP if you are not into it!
As of today, I have burned 661,000 miles/points year to date in 2023 and have 4,274,864 miles/points in the bank. Some do drugs, I do miles lol!
Thanks to US banks, very lucrative travel rewards credit card offers come and go all the time. This section will act as a reference point on the best CURRENT offers. I will designate new material preceded by NEW.
TOP TRAVEL REWARDS SIGNUP BONUS CARDS
Master Guide to Credit Card Applications: All the Rules You Need to Know, Bank by Bank
How to Sign up for Chase Ink Cards
The Capital One Venture X card offers a 75,000 point Signup Bonus after a minimum spend of $4k in the first three months. If you like simplicity and looking for one (premium) card, I highly recommend this card (and yes, I have it myself!). It has an annual fee of $395 but it comes with a VERY easy $300 statement credit for travel booked on its excellent travel portal, essentially turning it into a $95 annual fee card. But wait…there is more! On each card anniversary you earn 10,000 points essentially making it FREE! Every dollar of spend earns 2 points and flights booked on the travel portal earn 5 points per dollar. You get access to Capital One and Plaza Premium airport lounges and a Priority Pass Select lounge membership and, this is important, you can add FOUR authorized users FOR FREE who can also have their own Priority Pass Select airline lounge membership. You can transfer your Capital One points to up to 18 Transfer Partners. No foreign transaction fees. Free Hertz President’s Circle rental car top elite status. Cell phone protection and PRIMARY rental car coverage. Awesome seats at baseball stadiums for just 5k points each. And lots more. Available with my Credit Card Links, thank you for your support!
Get 75K Miles, Lounge Access & More with the Capital One Venture X Card
Other worthy credit card deals going on:
Chase Southwest Personal Cards Bonus: 60,000 Points + 30% Flight Discount (Plus, Premier, Priority)
100K Points & A Low Annual Fee: A Full Review of the Chase Ink Business Preferred Card
Remember, you are NOT allowed to ever carry a credit card balance if you ever get a credit card here!
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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TBB
travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com
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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.
I recently discovered Blonde Readhead too! Although it was only that song from Rick and Morty: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Js-XbNj6Tk
Really good links today! Thanks!
Great post today! I read that story about the catatonic lady a couple days ago and it IS amazing and provides hope, at least for some folks out there. I didn’t know about the dam getting blowed up by the Russians, though. (Of course it was them. I ain’t dumb.)
I am pretty pleased with the changes in those Roth regulations especially the one about raising the age for the RMD. I’ve got a Roth and a regular IRA I do not want to touch for a while so this is good, at least as far as I am concerned. I do not know why there even needs to be an age requirement anyhow, but I am not an expert.
Many thanks as always and please be careful running in the heat!!!
What’s up with a Saudi team (Al-Ittihad) spending $200M on Benzema for only 2 seasons? The Saudi Public Investment Fund owns most top clubs in the country so this is like playing Monopoly against yourself but with a few extra zeros. Why not just let Ronaldo win it every year with PIF owned Al-Nassr? Nobody outside Saudi Arabia will watch the league anyways. Or is this all about the 2030 WC bid?
@ Nick: Lots of Wisconsin stuff here:
https://www.meganstarr.com/stevens-point-things-to-do/
Yeah, I learned about that song in that R&M…amazing.
@ DML: Thank you again. Thanks to my team…cough.
@ Carl: Something really really bad must have happened to April, haunting read. Judging from the Ukranians’ reaction I think the Russians did it. The 72 to 73 IRA distribution age change helped two clients! A lot of these stupid requirements is to get people to pay financial experts to help them out….lobbying works.
@ ABC: Crazy…funny seeing how Messi is crying he wants to play for Barcelona but…you know, money lol. Anyway, did all these golfers get a golden saw from MBS? Despicable regime just blowing money left and right while petrodollars is slowly going away. We’ll see what happens I guess.
Thanks to the two readers for the coffees, especially to the one who bought three.
Student loans, I’m a big believer if you bought it, you pay for it. I’ve got little sympathy for dodo’s who run up $100,000+ studying some frou frou subject with no obvious employment that will enable them to pay the bill when they are done. Every time there is a sob story in the media which is meant to tug at our heart strings all I can think is what a bunch of idiots.
anyhoo debating whether to get a United card to top up my points so I can burn my remaining balance and be done with United once and for all. Looking for flights back from Europe and the United redemptions are ridiculous.
Understandable reaction on the student loans. My take on it is, you know, so many much richer people benefited BIGLY by the Trump tax cuts…can we just spare a little for the little guys and at least shave some of their debt balances…especially considering they all got higher due to interest charges and fees alone? We’ll see what the Supreme Court says, I am not hopeful they will not kill Biden’s small (in scale) debt relief program.
Is frou frou the equivalent to having Grey Poupon? 🙂
I hear you about United. I am resigned to flying to Asia in coach both ways and so glad I am done with these awards before the massacre took place. The thing is…I still have about 300k in United accounts. Because I had booked extra business class tickets with my mom which I canceled as time went by…
Anyway, only the Explorer card is showing I think with my links. But my referral link shows all four personal cards!
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/215j/3PIII3CPPY
Regarding the student loan situation, how are we solving this long term? Universities keep increasing the tuition above the inflation rate. And the next generation will have even bigger student debt.
Messi probably just waiting for a $1B offer from another Saudi team….
Inter Miami…. Ticketmaster is gauging
Is it worth paying $200 for the worst seat at Charlotte’s (American) football stadium with 70k fans? Atlanta is >$300, LA >$600.
Yeah, I am shocked Messi did not take the money!
I was shocked at how high those prices are. I wanted to attend the USA vs Nicaragua game but not for $200 per ticket.
Yeah, it’s crazy…this will stop when the recession finally arrives…cough.
Also, maybe Messi calculated this was more than what the Saudis were offering afterall:
“Messi’s offer from Inter Miami includes a profit-sharing deal with Adidas and Apple TV+, with the streaming service also working on a four-part documentary series on the player.”
Jokic not getting a vote for NBA MVP should be a felony!
P.S.: Actually, the Messi MiamiMLS deal is not inked yet…could this be a strategic move by Messi’s team to get the Saudis to cough up more than what they are paying Ronaldo and Benzema? Hmmm….
I have no issue with the forgiveness program and do hope it goes through. However my issue is they are not addressing the elephant in the room. The forgiveness is putting a no name tiny bandaid on the symptom, they are not addressing the cause, ie that is that college costs are inflated, loan companies are predatory and the entire college system needs to be overhauled, something no political party is interested in addressing because their generous donors are all feeding at that trough.
It’s a start? 🙂
Yeah, I agree with you they are not addressing the cause…because their donors are feeding it
Tell me you’re a boomer without telling me you’re a boomer…
Please let us know the acceptable college subjects to study. I’ll hang up and listen.