Another TBB post featuring the most eclectic links around the web such as tariffs liberation day, a whole town goes crypto crazy, smallest islands in the world, a new 100k credit card offer is a no brainer, help for federal government employees, Robinhood wants to deliver bags of cash to its customers, Frank founder gets convicted for fraud, watch live TV from around the world, a cure for hiccups you will not believe, idiot returns to Andaman and comes out alive, updates on Thailand, 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. Enjoy the weekend and file your tax returns asap.
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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.
This is a one man labor of love operation, enjoy it while it lasts.
BLOG HOUSEKEEPING
For the second time in many years, Mailchimp failed to email the post to subscribers last Friday due to a “technical glitch”. It was fixed on Tuesday, sorry about that. If this happens again with this post I think I may kill the Mailchimp service emailing subscribers every time there is a new post. You can always come here directly with your favorite browser you know.
Support what you value. Without such support it is not possible to continue to exist. And enshittification takes over, resist!
NEW: Huge 100,000 point offer on the card all four of us in my household have and keep from my favorite bank – literally the offer of the year in my opinion, even better than the 75k Capital One Venture X!
LIBERATION DAY/TARIFFS
Well, I had most of this blog post ready before Liberation Day came. When all hell broke loose. So, I am adding this section because it is hugely important of course. And going to let my guard down and rant a little about politics. I know I am going to lose some readers and at this point I don’t care. So, here we go, will try to keep it short.
First, The Age of Tariffs. I.Can’t.Even…I mean, the sheer stupidity of it all smh.
It is true the United States runs trade deficits with most countries, but there is nothing wrong with that fact. Instead, it just means other countries are efficient at producing goods U.S. consumers want, so Americans buy more from them than the other way around. Yet Trump believes that any country that runs a bilateral trade surplus with the United States is, by definition, cheating, and that reciprocal tariffs are needed to even things out. To decide what tariffs to levy, Trump ostensibly calculated all the ways in which countries cheat—including through tariffs, nontariff barriers, and currency manipulation—to estimate the total “tariff” each country imposed on the United States. In practice, this meant dividing the U.S. trade deficit with a country by the amount of goods it exported to the United States. (These calculations conveniently exclude services trade—such as tourism, education, and business services—in which the United States runs a surplus with most of its trading partners). Trump then generously gave each country a discount of 50 percent, imposing reciprocal tariffs on goods imports equivalent to half that measure.
Wait, I have more. Elections have consequences so please tell me how you who voted for this are going to fare: The impact of tariffs is coming. Which households will Trump’s new plan cost most? I thought beating inflation was going to be solved on Day One. Now they are saying you gotta give it 2 years at least. I don’t know, maybe you were deceived? At this point I need to breathe to keep my blood pressure intact, serenity now.
Households with an average disposable income of roughly $43,000, among the lowest in the country, would see disposable income drop 2.3% from the tariffs announced Wednesday versus 0.9% for the highest-earning households with disposable incomes above $500,000. When accounting for all 2025 tariffs, disposable income is expected to drop 4% for the lower-earning households compared with 1.6% for the highest-earning.
So, how did these clowns come up with that ridiculous table listing all the countries with supposedly all the tariffs they charge us (false by the way) and how we are going to fight back with reciprocal tariffs on top of minimum 10% tariff across the board huh?
At that long list we saw “Heard Island and McDonald Islands” getting hit with 10% tariffs. Did your head do a double fake? Mine sure did. I mean, I had to consult Wikipedia about this “country”! I discovered that there are no people living in these two very remote islands, only penguins. Take that penguins, you can’t take advantage of us anymore. Can’t believe I am typing this right now smh to oblivion. And yes I confirmed that the population in this “country” is indeed 0 humans ok?
So, stocks have taken a huge hit. Short term anything is possible. I have been around several of these huge stock market downturns. And they have something in common as in all being different and very scary indeed. So, it is completely normal to be scared right now. The question is, what are you going to do about it?
These panicky volatile days with the media screaming non stop is indeed the price of admission to enjoy the superior returns of the stock markets. Timing these is impossible. So, you need to stick to your financial plan (assuming you have one, right?) and grind it out. Always good to have some cash for stretches like this. And just be certain that you will also never time the bottom ok? I tell myself and clients that I expect us to look foolish in the short term. Of course this is not easy, many are not cut out for it. In times like these you discover your own true risk tolerance. Everyone is different. Hopefully you have plenty of cash in an emergency fund as well to weather the storm for a while. And there will always be storms. It’s, you know, life.
When investing in stocks you always must think long term. And diversify. And keep the portfolio low cost. And, of course, rebalance at set intervals twice a year. Or, at the very minimum, once a year. And make smart tax moves along the way. Maybe this is a time to rebalance. Then again, with only a 10% hit so far in stocks, why does this feel even scarier? Because, you know, the tariff man has a long way to go before voters vote again. And maybe there is more liberation to come? Don’t get me started about all the talk for a third term please.
So, focus on what you can control. Stay the course and follow the plan. Have faith that the market will recover eventually and plan to be around for it. Focus on your health and your loved ones. And vote!
And stop checking your portfolio and listening/watching the experts. Remember when at the end of 2024 all of them were predicting recession? And then how when Trump came into the office they were all predicting wild go go days for all of 2025? IGNORE THEM! The media sadly will even court this clown again smh:
So, at the end of the day, the stock market does not do politics. It just rolls. If these tariffs were such a brilliant move it would reciprocate. It did not. So, fasten your seat belts…
Update: Text of email blast to clients today HERE.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Another announcement by Robinhood that will most likely never see the light of day: Robinhood is launching bank accounts that will deliver physical cash “to your doorstep”. Seriously? I can see bad guys milking this all the way to the bank (pun intended), come on!
As a Certified Financial Planner (since 1995) I was invited to attend this webinar titled: “Advising Federal Employees During These Uncertain Times“. It is directed towards us professionals but I think there are a lot of wisdom nuggets that possibly one of you or a loved one may be interested in? Because, you know, there are so many things going on in all of federal government these days. You can skip the long intro, the main speaker starts at around 8.40 mins.
Let’s talk about eggs. And look at the chart in this link, wow: How much eggs cost every year since 1980—in one chart.
Interesting chart found here:
![r/dataisbeautiful - [OC] US Individual Income Distribution (2024)](https://preview.redd.it/us-individual-income-distribution-2024-v0-86u4eywta1qe1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=245b505cbfba14d298cbd74a215b3ab13ae2b08a)
SCAMS/CRYPTO/AI/TECH
This was a tough read. What are we doing to our children? In Crypto’s Darkest Corner, a Suicide Becomes Just Another Meme Coin. A 23-year-old man’s dark descent into crypto scams ended with shooting himself on a livestream. I read and kept shaking my head, wtf is going on with the youth wow!
Under his handle, MistaFuccYou, he posted extreme memes and racial slurs. He bragged about collecting guns, taking oxycodone, and being banned from a steakhouse for stiffing a waiter. He had become something of a meme himself after a video of him spinning around and vomiting got him labeled on social media as the “360 puke guy…In January, he said he had borrowed money to buy the coins launched by President Trump and first lady Melania Trump. “I promised my parents generational wealth for a hefty loan to buy $trump and now it’s down,” Haro posted on Jan. 19. “I just bought some melania too but knowing my luck it’s prob not going to go any where.” Both coins have lost most of their worth after a brief surge in popularity, with Trump’s token down 86% after reaching nearly $15 billion in market value. Haro also bought a Trump-token copycat that quickly became worthless. On Jan. 27, he messaged another crypto trader on X that he lost his last $500 on a coin that appeared to be associated with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. [I could not believe what I was reading, so tragically sad. Can’t believe this coin shit has not been banned yet!]
The verdict arrived at the trial of the lady who faked an email list to JP Morgan Chase for $175 million: Startup founder convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase of $175M by faking firm’s success. It took four hours for the jury to convict. Of course she will appeal and still stay free until, who knows, I am sure a pardon could be in store for her too. Just like this guy who rolled a truck down hill to fool investors. And this guy who will not spend a single day in prison after being found guilty and sentenced to ten years for far out brazen fraud shit.
People are vulnerable and fall easier for scams if they are in need of money. Without many good options. So, here is what happened in a small town in Argentina, mass delusion oh dear Lord. The Town That Went Crazy for Crypto. Painful read. In San Pedro, Argentina, 16,000 people, a fifth of the population, signed up for a cryptocurrency exchange where everyone won. Until they didn’t.
Every weeknight at about 9 p.m., they said, La China turned up on the Telegram channel of a crypto currency exchange called RainbowEx. There, she texted instructions to buy some type of crypto — invariably an obscure and thinly traded one, known in the industry as a memecoin — at a particular price. The same message said to sell the coin when it reached a certain, higher price, which it always did soon after…Nobody knew who La China was, where she was or whether she even existed. She was just a photograph of a young Asian woman on RainbowEx’s Telegram channel… [Sounds totally legit smh]
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ODDZ & ENDZ
Very cool site: TVgarden. Watch Global & Local Live TV Online for Free.
My wife works at Ford Motor Compnay. We drive Ford cars. I have clients working at Ford and retirees from Ford. And this was such a fun read indeed: The Ford Executive Who Kept Score of Colleagues’ Verbal Flubs. Mike O’Brien kept a meticulous log of mixed metaphors and malaprops uttered in meetings over a decade; ‘too many cooks in the soup’. It documents 2,229 linguistic breaches, including the exact quote, context, name of the perpetrator and color commentary. And I teased them all if they made it on this list lol.
Latest research discovers the cure for hiccups: Termination of intractable hiccups with digital ____ _____. You won’t believe what the two words are #notsafeforwork most likely. Who brings you odd ball stuff like this to entertain you all?
Amazing shots: 24 Outstanding Award-Winning Wildlife Photos from the One Eyeland Photography Awards.
TRAVEL
I had no idea that a writer for the Wall Street Journal attended the 2024 Extraordinary Travel Festival in Bangkok as I did. And she finally posted an article about it which is a great read imho: 193 Countries and Counting: Extreme Travelers and the Rise of Country-Collecting Travel.
Interesting link: 7 of the Smallest Islands in the World. I bet you have not heard about most of them.
Awesome find, especially for the aviation geek readers here: Californian goes shopping at aircraft boneyard for retired Boeing to create a real-life flight simulator.
Oh, here we go again: American tourist makes illicit visit to isolated Andaman Islands tribe that killed missionary in 2018, leaves can of soda — and gets totally ignored. The one who got away smh. Influencers being ignored is the ultimate punishment, short of getting killed with a bow like the previous guy who did this.
More Thailand related content again, maybe it deserves its own section? Heads up if you visit Thailand soon: Thailand’s New Digital Arrival Card Mandatory For Foreign Arrivals From May 1, 2025. Bangkok seems to be recovering from the earthquake pretty fast, everything is running. But some condos and hotels have damage and are being inspected. Also, Park Hyatt in Bangkok closed, wow! Park Hyatt Bangkok Closed Until Further Notice Due To Earthquake. These Anantara properties look really nice: I Stayed at 3 Thai Beachfront Resorts Featured in ‘The White Lotus’—Here’s What They’re Really Like. And here is another Thairish Times video of a guy who was a speaker at the Extraordinary Travel Festival conference: The CIA Tried To Recruit Me For A Job In Thailand (Joe Cumming’s Life Story). He wrote the very first Thailand Lonely Planet guide back in the 1970’s and has some wild stories involving Mick Jagger, the CIA and Anthony Bourdain. Finally, we can fly all the way on United to Thailand soon: United Grows Pacific Network with New Flights to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Adelaide and Manila.
I found this surprising: The Cheapest and Most Expensive Countries to Visit in 2025. I bet this looks different after “Liberation Day”.
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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
Here we go again.
This is well written: The Big Business of Points and Miles.
Hilton continues to bring more SLH properties in the fold: 10 more new-to-Hilton SLH properties, including 3 new countries.
Let’s see how long these last: Hidden Gems: 7 Unique Ways to Redeem Alaska Miles for Great Value.
Ouch: Virgin Atlantic jacks up Delta One surcharges departing Europe to more than $1,000 one-way. The beatings/devaluations will continue until…
TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARDS
Chase’s couponization continues: Chase & Lyft Partnership Extended Through 2027 (Added $10 Credit, Lower 5x Earn).
So, I have several Hilton gift cards that I have not been able to use. They come from holding the Amex Hilton Surpass card and the Amex Business Platinum card. As we know, we can no longer buy Hilton gift cards online to use our $50 coupon credits from these cards. And it is such a bitch actually using them at Hilton hotels. So, I recently asked if anyone knows of a Michigan Hilton property we can go spend them on its restaurants. Nobody responded. Well, we finally have a database with data points being added: Hilton Credit Datapoints. I found the spreadsheet in this post: How to Use Quarterly Hilton Hotel Credits. When the first Michigan property shows up, it is dinners time!
NEW: Huge 100,000 point offer on the card all four of us in my household have and keep from my favorite bank – literally the offer of the year in my opinion, even better than the 75k Capital One Venture X!
TAKE ME TO THIS OFFER
More elevated offers finally from my favorite bank:
What stands out from the massive changes in all United credit cards is the 80k United Explorer card and the 125k United Business card, learn and apply with the links in the link below, thank you!
United Revamps Credit Card Lineup in a Big Way – Here’s What’s New
We have two NEW great Amex Hilton cards elevated welcome offers below (learn more about them HERE):
70k AND Free Night Hilton Honors American Express Card
130k AND Free Night Hilton Honors Surpass American Express Card
Another elevated offer from Capital One:
75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards PLUS $250 Travel Credit
and the best offer still remains:
75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X
Please help the small independent blogs like mine continue to exist by supporting them with your CREDIT CARD clicks, thank you!
TOP TRAVEL REWARDS CREDIT CARD OFFERS RIGHT NOW:
NEW: Huge 100,000 point offer on the card all four of us in my household have and keep from my favorite bank – literally the offer of the year in my opinion, even better than the 75k Capital One Venture X!
The 75K CAPITAL ONE Venture X card has 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 an easy $300 statement credit for travel booked on its own 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 and, this is BIG, they can bring in unlimited guests with their FREE Priority Pass card! 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. If you prefer, this is my personal referral link.
Click on my TOP CREDIT CARD OFFERS to see a DETAILED explanation of the features of these cards.
Here are my three TOP CREDIT CARD OFFERS as of today:
The 75k Capital One Venture X card. It is amazing what you get for FREE with this card!
The 75k Chase Ink Business Unlimited card.
The 75k CHASE Ink Business Cash card.
Learn more about these offers HERE.
BONUS OFFERS NOTIFICATIONS
Would you like to be automatically notified every time a card comes out with (or is about to remove) an elevated welcome offer? If yes, I highly encourage you to sign up if you haven’t yet. And when you apply for a credit card from a link in these emails you help support the blog (and you don’t have to hunt down the link in my Credit Cards page!)
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MY ACTION AND BLOG BUZZING
There is a different landscape after liberation day. I can’t be spending hours here to bring you this content and struggle to cover the costs of this operation. I will give it another month or so to decide the future of this “venture”. Thinking to graduate to Substack to share links to worthy content I discover #developing. In March, the only revenue from this blog has been 4 credit card sales (one was mine lol) and 16 coffees. With a hit in my main job’s income (thanks to tariff man smh) maybe the time to say goodbye is near at last after 12.5 years.
Going to brother in law’s retirement party in June in New Jersey and, you know, going there flying American Airlines non stop using Alaska Airlines miles. Just 4,500 miles each one way. So, for two of us another 18,000 miles burned. Just like the good old British Airways Avios days #Winning. Can’t believe this has not been extinguished yet!
My 100k from the United Business card will hit my United account tomorrow. I got this card a few days before the signing bonus went up to 125k United miles. I already tried twice to get it matched with no success. I hate it when this happens.
Wife applied for the 80k United Explorer card and several days later it is still “in review”, oh oh. She hates calling banks, even with my expert coaching to make it easier. #Developing. Update: Chase had left a message in the home landline number asking for her to call to verify her identity. After a quick phone call she was approved and the card is being mailed to us. Another 80k+ United miles and the annual fee waived; it is my favorite bank 🙂
RIP to this guy: Hollywood remembers ‘wonderful’ actor Val Kilmer.
One of the most boring NCAA tournaments. I mean, all #1 seeds made it to the Final Four, zzzzzz. This is what we missed: 12 Best March Madness Buzzer-Beaters of All Time.
Every time I go see a movie with this Jason Statham dude I swear it is the last. And every time I break my vow I double down saying this is the last time PERIOD! Another same old tough guy nonsense, at least the popcorn was good (organic with olive oil). This guy goes from keeping bees to construction, if only they would leave him alone lol.
I use Skype to make phone calls to Greece. Skype is ending its service in May. Any suggestions on what to use next?
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS:
100k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 75k CHASE Ink Business Cash, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture X, 200k CHASE IHG Business Premier, 75k CHASE Ink Business Unlimited, 125k CHASE United Business, 80k CHASE United Explorer, 150k AMEX Business Platinum, 200k CAPITAL ONE Spark Cash Plus, 150k CAPITAL ONE Venture X Business, $1,000 Cash Back CHASE Ink Business Premier, 75k CAPITAL ONE Venture Rewards AND $250 Travel Credit, 90k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 80k CHASE Southwest Performance Business, 15k AMEX Blue Business Plus and many more!
Learn How To Apply HERE to support the blog. Or email me if you have any questions about any cards, I’m happy to help, thank you!
As of today, I have burned 229,000 miles/points year to date (2,027,816 in 2024) and have 4,350,850 miles/points in the bank.
Remember, you are NOT allowed to ever carry a credit card balance!
Let me leave you with this:
Some of the links are behind a paywall. You can try to read them using Archive.is.
Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoy it please forward it to a family member or friend. Or Buy Me a Coffee, thank you!
Feel free to contact me anytime at travelbloggerbuzz@gmail.com, all feedback is very appreciated.
George
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This site may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. Travel Blogger Buzz and Your Best Credit Cards may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not necessarily include all financial companies or all available financial offers. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.
The email to subscribers via Mailchimp was sent out at 8.22 am. It was supposed to go out at 8.00 am. So weird, something is up with that company. Ok, so it stays on until the next tech glitz I guess.
You all behave here 🙂
Also, this blog is tariff free too!
Been a reader since Nick (of dollars and data) mentioned your blog. Thanks for all the amazing links! Fellow Greek as well and I use Viber to call family there. Everyone in Greece seems to have it. Facebook Messenger as well. To call landlines there is an app called Boss Revolution. $4 a month gets you unlimited calls to landlines and cells. Another option that’s not bad. Hope that helps!
Great stuff today! I got the email
I finally found a place Delta doesn’t go! No, I’ve already booked my flight to the afterlife, we change planes in Atlanta. Sorry! Old joke.
Really. Lubbock Texas! Who knew. Now I have to think! Huh.
Wow! Too much good stuff. Ok, not too much, just a lot. This will take a couple days at least to read through the articles. Nice afternoon right now here in Palermo. Got stopped on the street by a guy who could tell I was American. He made sure though, “You American?” “Yes, I am” (in Italian. “Trump no good!” and he walked away.
Off to Rome tomorrow for a couple days thence to Bari as the next stop. I dunno how that Mailchimp stuff works, to be honest, but I am always glad it does so I get my next TBB fix!
Good morning Buzz,
Thanks for the great links today, lots to catch up on. It’s been a great run, and even though it has not brought financial success, many of us are grateful your blog has been around for over twelve years.
Looking forward to the Final Fouzzzzzzzzzzzz…nap time maybe. That’s it, I can take a nap while the grifters run rampant. What a week, I’m incredibly grateful that we have been liberated from that overbearing free speech nonsense, what a relief. Comical.
Thailand sounds better every day.
Have a great weekend Buzz and thank you again!
Email blast to clients today pasted below.
——————
Hi,
I was going to send a small write up I did right after the Thursday reaction to the ‘liberating’ tariffs announcement along with the quarterly invoices over the weekend. I am sending it out today instead. After warning about the eventual downturn for more than two years, here we are again.
Many investors are asking themselves this question as the markets go through another bumpy ride. Market pundits who, just a few weeks ago were telling us that there would be a market surge, are now predicting a bearish decline. Others are saying the obvious: companies and traders don’t like the anticipated effect of new tariffs on the American business community.
The tariffs are the story of the day, as they basically throw sand in what had been smoothly-functioning global supply chains for U.S. manufacturers. The long-term goal is to make it painful for manufacturing companies to outsource work to other countries, and (secondarily) to make American-manufactured goods cheaper compared with tariff-ed imported products. We can’t know what the longer-term impact will be, but companies like Apple, Nike, Ford and General Motors, are suddenly looking at higher costs, diminished profits and perhaps also lower sales in the short term. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that virtually all of the countries targeted with new tariffs are contemplating what must be plainly named as revenge duties on American goods and services.
Interestingly, the actual tariff calculation on the U.S. side seems not to be precisely targeted at manufacturing, but a somewhat simplistic formula where the U.S. trade deficit with another country is divided by that country’s exports to the U.S. As an example cited by one economist, the U.S. experienced a $17.9 billion trade deficit with Indonesia last year, and Indonesia exported $28 billion worth of goods and services to the U.S. market. Divide $17.9 by $28 and you come up with the shockingly enormous 64% additional tariff announced on Indonesian imports. There is no way to sugarcoat this, it is solely a self inflicted shot in the foot to put it very mildly before I add colorful language.
The dynamic now (dubbed the ‘Tariff Tantrum’ by economists with a sense of humor) is that the markets are screaming at the White House that they don’t like the tariff policies and want them to end. How long the screaming will go on, and whether the current White House occupant will listen, is the key unknown factor.
For most investors, the fine details are irrelevant; market downturns cause a sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach that is one part fear, one part dread, and one part an unhappy calculation that 3% of the value of a portfolio can be lost in a single day. We want that awful feeling to go away, and the easiest way to do that is to sell everything so that further declines are irrelevant to our pocketbooks and (often more importantly) our emotional stability. You know we don’t do this market timing stuff around here.
But of course there is another awful feeling, what people (not us) experienced when they sold during the steep decline associated with the Covid pandemic and stayed on the sidelines, feeling comfortably insulated from further declines while the markets unexpectedly zoomed back upward. Same back in 2008/2009 and the dotcom bubble around the turn of the century. The lost opportunity comes at an emotional as well as monetary cost.
If we could know for certain that the markets will continue to decline and by how far, and if we could know for how long, and if we could know when to get back in so as not to miss the inevitable recovery (based on history, there has always been one), then the course of action would be very straightforward. Unfortunately, no person alive can tell you with certainty the answer to any one of these variables, much less all three. The markets have been very generous the last few years, and the markets tend to take back some of their generosity from time to time. The tariffs have triggered another give-back period, and the markets today seem to be speaking directly to the White House.
One way or another, the American economy will get through this period, and the trade war, like all wars, will end. Our only real decision at this point is: should we follow the investing course that has always been long-term generous in the past? Or should we abandon the only strategy that has worked over time because we don’t want any longer to wake up with that feeling in the pit of our stomachs? Panic if you must, but don’t let emotions rule your financial decisions. And over the years one thing we have done is stay the course and wait it out. And we plan to do so once again.
I continue to do regular Investment Portfolio Reviews for clients and now instead of cashing in gains as we have been doing over the past two years, we are now instead buying Stocks to rebalance the portfolios. Let me know if you want me to review your portfolio these days instead of waiting for your semi annual portfolio review.
At this time, I am not planning to send the 2025 First Quarter Market Summary as these numbers are obviously dated.
Attaching a graph of stock market recoveries for historical reference. Eventually there will be another one at some point and we will be there. Also attaching a table with all the S&P Market Drawdowns since 1950 (missing the one underway presently) which are a price of admission to enjoy the eventual superior returns over the long term.
We should not minimize what’s happening now; the scream coming out of the markets is a significant message, and the losses are real, even if there’s a good chance that they’ll be temporary. But we do have the option not to participate in the fear that market corrections generate—if we’re smart and courageous enough to resist it.
The best way to bypass that unpleasant feeling that accompanies a downturn is to stop looking for a while. Somebody who went to sleep in February of 2020 and woke up in June would have wondered what all the fuss was about. If you look at the long-term graph of market movements, you hardly see the downturns in the long arc toward ever-rising value.
Thank you for hanging in there.
George Papadopoulos, CPA/PFS, CFP
NAPFA Registered Financial Advisor
http://www.thefeeonlyplanner.com
george@thefeeonlyplanner.com
Man, that is good and solid advice. Setting put is tough at times like this and only with age and experience have I learned to do this. If nothing else, there may be buying opportunities coming up but for now, holding on and waiting is best. Thanks for adding this to the comments section.
It’s stressful enough reading about the grifter in chief’s antics so can’t imagine what it is like dealing with the whiplash on the ground in real time. I think what the orange baboon is hanging out for, is to be the king on the throne with other world leaders grovelling at his feet trying to get their tariffs reduced. Nothing a bully would like to see more than that. Are any of the MAGA’s waking up and realising they are getting screwed?
Carl, please keep sharing about your Italian sojourn, think it’s the bright light in what is a shitty world at the moment. Anon, I had not heard about Boss Revolution but looking into it now as it says $4 a month which is cheaper than what my cell phone plan charges me for international access.
Greetings from Chiang Mai. Another hot one, not as smoky today. We’ve had lots of wind and scattered thunderstorms the past two days. No rain to report at the condo, however. But seems the weather pattern is changing. Right on time too as the traditional start of the rain season is usually the Thai New Year (Songkran) which starts next weekend.
Interesting to see Lao as the cheapest country on the list. I think I was there in 2018 or so to visit Luang Prabang for a few days. It has similar vibes to Northern Thailand, just not as nearly developed which explains the cheapness. Also the flight into LPQ seems like you are shooting through mountain passes just before hitting the runway. I crossed paths at the pub last week with a chap on a gap year who had just been there and said it was too sleepy for a young person. A few days easily covered it.
Maybe I’ll get back there next year. You could get a Visa on Arrival for like $35 for 30 days and can extend for $60 for another 30 days. Though you might run out of things to do, besides drink Beer Lao which for my money is the best brewer in Southeast Asia. They run circles around everyone else in the region, even have multiple types of beers like IPA, Dark Lager, and White Ale. Reasonably priced even with import taxes in ASEAN countries.
And no talk of Lao and the Laotian people can be complete without the King of the Hill clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_CaZ4EAexQ
My wife’s IHG business card through your link is still in review as well. Kinda annoying but I prefer not to push too hard.
The Thrifty Traveler Alaska piece is okay but the author annoys me. One week he literally brags about having used up all of his miles and points then a couple of weeks later he writes about how we need to jump on deals in a hurry which means having miles and points available to use. When I pointed out the incongruity of these viewpoints I got no answer.
The pictures are superb.
I have fond memories of Barbados from 30 years ago. While it wasn’t cheap I don’t remember it being the priciest place I’ve ever been though. Time to check out Laos I suppose.
@ Anonymous: Fellow Greek, thanks for reading and taking the time to comments. Thanks so much about the Boss Revolution app, I had never heard of it and I am looking into it. I also have Viber but I need to call landlines in Greece. I feel kind of weird posting that letter in the comments of an obscure blog titled travelbloggerbuzz.com lol.
@ DML: Yeah, the email to the subscribers worked. Just about 22 minutes late. But it did go out. Oh, Lubbock, TX. In the middle of nowhere AND the home of Texas Tech University. Which has the best financial planning college program in the nation. Well, the world actually.
@ Carl: Thanks for the updates from on the ground in Italy. Please fellow Italians there is a large proportion (and growing) of the US population that despises the orange dotard and we apologize for what the other group has done, I guess they must be enjoying making America great again while their leaders burns down $6 trillion + in a few days after coming up with the absolutely comical BS tariff crap.
@ David: Yeah, I am still here doing my thing. But after the beatdown which has increased stress and work load it is becoming really really difficult to keep this baby going. But I have not quit yet. But if I can’t sell a darn card with the CSPs going at 100k, I mean, that will be the biggest humiliation to date! Yeah, I don’t feel like watching any Final4 game this weekend. Meeting with a client, working on quarterly things and I may hit a local protest today in Ann Arbor. And trying to keep my sanity…Oh, and watching my AEL FC Larissa hometown soccer team hopefully making the return to the Greek First Division official tomorrow. Start time: 4.45 am!
@ Vicky: I think you are right, it’s all about power. We know this POS does not give a shit, especially for his gullible cult followers. I think more MAGA followers, those not completely brainwashed, are feeling the heat and may be realizing they got screwed. Hopefully the Wisconsin election was an indicator. But some are still all in with Trump. I do have a MAGA client, I promised his dad I will never fire him 🙂 And learning a lot how they think. He is still not ready to blame Trump, he needs more time he says. Oh boy, smh. Looking into Boss Revolution too, let me know what you find out.
@bob: Thanks for the updates from on the ground in Chiang Mai. One day I am going to be there during Songkran with the biggest water gun ever 🙂 Yeah, I was shocked to see Laos on the list. Barbados too. Thanks for the YouTube video link, needed that laugh. Especially after these really bad two days we have had here.
@ Christian: The last cc sale I see in my log is one dated 3/19/25. Maybe that was yours and there is one more coming for your wife? Both of them will cover one month’s Mailchimp fee…almost! Yeah, the Thrifty Traveler links I share can be frustrating sometimes…as in, they need to pay salaries and benefits and 401ks so always read them with that in mind. Let’s see when Alaska devalues next…Yeah, shocked to see Barbados and Laos topping that list too.
Update on the blog about wife’s United Explorer card application: Well, a Chase Fraud Dept rep called and left a message in the landline home phone and I did not retrieve the vm until yesterday days later! And I was wondering what the hell was taking so wrong. Anyway, they just needed to verify it was her because I had mistakenly entered my own cell phone number and not hers…I can’t believe I did that. I am losing my edge, is it aging? Anyway, Chase is sending it out. While the 100k United miles will hit today my own United account from the Chase United Business card…still mad for missing on the extra 25k for the new offer Chase came out with a few days later, grrrrr. It never ends, love Jamie Dimon 🙂
Sadly, just the one application through you. I try but as previously noted not every card is offered.
Still nada the past 2 weeks. And lost another subscriber today which just pisses me off, bet it was a Trump fan. I think I am going political again to piss off the few of them who are still here 🙂
In happier mode, my hometown soccer team AEL FC made the promotion to the Greek First Division official this morning, fiestas in Larissa!
We de-extincted dire wolves! https://x.com/colossal/status/1909247817672957959?t=U82Mry6Yec9Csf8dyCnmow&s=19
Very nice.
Please no twitter/X links, that site is owned by a Nazi. Look at Tesla stock price, lol.
People voted for this shit. $10 Trillion went poof to fix $1 Trillion US deficit wtf. And they still believe he has a plan smh. Anyway, it is freaking cold here early Tuesday wow.
They left TBB off the list! https://viewfromthewing.com/march-2025-frequent-flyer-site-rankings-frequent-miler-jumps-36-the-points-guy-falls-21-doctor-of-credit-holds-steady/
How could they?
Not sure how reliable these are, it reminds me Alexa rankings from way back when a blogger was obsessed with them.
I get an email every Sunday from a free service I signed up years ago showing me my weekly blog traffic. Which is a tiny fraction of these blogs. It is what it is.
Live and Let’s Fly still posts?
Paddle what?
DansDeals went down this much? Dan reads my blog, can u confirm?
VFTW clickbait shit works, expect more. Not here.
As of April 9, this blog has brought in $0 month to date. I need to quit me one of these years…getting tired of Mr lol.
No tariffs here ever!