We bring you another ten random thoughts about viruses and market mayhem and some other random things about travel and living in Michigan and stuff like that for freeeee. Wednesdays are shaping up to be this type of “Ten Random Thoughts” posts…The Wednesday posts for April are in danger. Which is good for me as I am really busy with all the market volatility due to the phucking virus and tax season.
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MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: Two new offers on United credit cards, a personal for 60k and a Business one for up to 100k miles. The IHG Rewards Club card offering 140k points too, highest ever. Other credit cards offers that stand out for now are the 100k Southwest Performance Business card and of course the 80k Ink Business Preferred. In addition, there are personal and business offers for the 70k Amex Delta Skymiles Gold, 100k Platinum and 100k Reserve credit cards. Available with my links. Lets move on!
Fun post “Gov in the Time of Corona“. I do ten random thoughts and this dude just unloaded 30 thoughts on living with bad leadership in bad times. Which one is your favorite? Mine are these:
- The key to all of this is hospitals. We need to delay the virus transmission to ease an overwhelming burden on health resources. Wash hands, avoid crowds, skip the high fives. It’s not about you. It’s about us. It’s actually a lot easier to behave properly when you realize we’re all in this together. The unity message won’t come from the top, so it needs to emerge from the rest of us.
- About a week and a half ago, Trump said the number of coronavirus cases was 15 and “within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.” We recently passed the
5001,000 mark. (Now you know how the banks who loaned him money for his Atlantic City casinos feel.) - OK, who the hell coughed on my stock portfolio?
Here is the CDC site on the Coronavirus COVID-19.
If you are new to investing or can’t handle it, you were probably shocked at the almost 8% down day in the US stock markets earlier this week. It happens, it is part of investing. Too many got complacent lately and too comfortable thinking that it is a one way up direction to continued riches. Nope. Anyway, fear is back. We are back to normal. This is dangerous stuff when you don’t have a plan. Do you? Good read: The Worst Day of Our Investment Lives.
I really like the link between American Airlines and Hyatt and the time limited method to earn status in each program. But I don’t think much of that will be happening in the days ahead as travel appears to be a major victim of the virus outbreak.
Instead, I think we will be seeing elite status extensions soon. Just like Best Western decided to extend status to all elite members until January 31, 2022. Maybe one day I can take advantage of my Gold elite status here lol. Oh wait, it is happening already, Hyatt extending some Globalists to 2022!
I think Italy extending the lockdown to all of the country spooked a lot of people. Here are some pics of empty Italy like you have never seen it before.
Some bloggers still blogging about travel deals. I see friends still traveling and posting pictures on Facebook showing off (like everyone does on FB). I am not comfortable with it. Sometimes the best thing to do is err on the safe side. And stay home. Why take the risk to get stuck somewhere away from home? And, more importantly, catch the risk of getting infected and then infecting others, including your loved ones? I just now need to insist to get my daughter to cancel her trip to Toronto with her high school senior friends. I am working on it…Update: Canceled! Michigan got its first two cases and we are waiting for the schools to be closed…
Some Michigan related news. It is really warm this week in the 50s, maybe global warming will save us from this virus? I went to my daughter’s high school basketball game the other day against a rival team that has the #1 NBA prospect in the nation, sophomore Emoni Bates. We beat him in front of 4,000 fans by the way but it was the regular season. Last year this kid as a freshman led his team to the state championship. We may meet again in the District Final. If it happens it is estimated there may be close to 6,000 fans. Exciting games for sure. Actually, I liked the movie “The Way Back” with Ben Affleck. Of course I voted for Joe Biden, I am no fan of Bernie Sanders. Ran into a local acquaintance life long Republican who was voting at the same time and he told me he voted for Bernie and winked at me, oh! My legs are still sore from my Sunday 10k new PR run.
I should have a contest which travel company goes down next. Flybe across the pond does not count. I am starting to worry about my booked travel arrangements to run the 2020 Athens Marathon in Greece…in November! Anybody knows what happens to the Singapore Airlines Krisflyer with an expiration date of March 31, used for November trips and then those awards get canceled? Do they hopefully reset the 3 year clock, anyone knows?
And lets finish with something positive: We’ll Get Through This.
Stay safe, hope you have enough toilet paper, woohoo!
And I leave you with this…
TBB
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Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Oh no, Frequent Miler is going to do another 40k to Faraway challenge endless series of posts, warning!
Maybe this is not the time?
I applied for the 140k IHG card with your link back in February, but between credit freezes and fraud alerts, I didn’t get approved for a solid 10 days. I wonder if that impacted whether you got the referral credit for it or not?
I have seen a few IHG cards come through, one of them must have been yours. Thank you so much, I appreciate it.
I noticed Chase is taking longer and longer to approve apps, not sure why.
Good morning!
Staying home is a good strategy. But the kids who are away at college are in for difficult times. The MIT response was a shock.
You know, that pretty much seals the deal with my daughter to attend University of Michigan next door. Even if the other three East Coast schools accept her. Makes things so much easier if a disruption comes along, we can pick her up. Heck, even son is back from NYC working from home and his company extended the work from home directive to April 10. Kind of weird we are back together again with my wife cooking 🙂
I wasn’t quite at max contribution for my 401K. Fixed that. Didn’t change a thing otherwise. I’m 50, not 62. But I am gonna refi my mortgage….which I never thought would be possible.
I refinanced just as Trump was taking office. Was told by the loan officer, great timing cause rates will keep going up under Prez Trump. I just looked into it again and sure the rate is lower, but the monthly saving isn’t enough to buy face masks or toilet paper.
Consider yourself lucky to have access to a 401k.
401k or no 401k – you can get there either way if you a budget and live below your means person. but the self employed and ppl who work for companies w/o a retirement plan kind of take it on the chin
What’s a mortgage? 🙂
I am really worried about Ramsey. Heard he is trying to start a class action lawsuit against Jim Cramer 🙂
This is where having a cash emergency fund and no debt shines! I feel for the small business dependent on foot traffic.
Joe Biden would never have reacted this way…Remember, we “only have 15 cases and we are going to zero” smh.
You shouldnt spend more than you make and you shouldnt borrow money for things you cant afford. 100% of margin calls and foreclosures happen to people who borrowed money. Living below you means is a comforting feeling.
In general true. Biggest threat is healthcare costs. A major source of bankruptcies. Status quo in health care will sadly be preserved by Biden.
And don’t have kids. Ridiculously expensive.
We just got the first 3 cases reported here in the town I live in. Surprised it took this long as we are only about 80 miles north of Seattle.
I like the random posts like this as you always put some interesting stuff in no matter what. I tried using your CC links a few weeks ago. I am 1 for 3 on CC apps this year though. Chase and US Bank just don’t like me. Hope things work to keep the Wednesday posts!
Fingers crossed for your Athens trip!!
Probably too this long because THERE WERE NO TEST AVAILABLE.
Expect the numbers to greatly increase as tests become available.
Hitting home now. The first two cases in Michigan happened yesterday. And today one more hospitalized at the UofM hospital next door. Ann Arbor Public Schools will have a Health Update tonight at 7pm, live streamed. Schools will be closing for sure now.
The phucking moron cut CDC funding and canned its head because…you know, Obama appointee.
With 3 conversions in 10 days it will be tough to hit 10. It is perfectly normal for US Bank not to like you 🙂 But Chase doing that is bad, BAD!
Not having plenty of tests is beyond criminal. It is not like we did not have enough warning….Trumpsters fumbled through everything having the economy behind them. But they are not going to get out of this hole they placed us all in. I think this is a reason the Dems are consolidating behind Biden, they just want a normal person to lead us.
Thanks for being a voice of reason. I keep seeing travel bloggers saying, “now’s the time to go” and “I’m not canceling anything” and my favorite, “it’s not that bad.”
I really appreciate someone saying error on the side of caution and sit this one out for a bit.
its not the virus that should concern someone without breathing issues. its the quarantine that will wreak havoc on your life.
Thanks Beth.
To be traveling right now and returning and infecting others so you can show off some pics on FB and brag about the killer deal you got is incredibly selfish and…I better stop.
MU, thanks for the medical update 🙂
I hate to be the one who err on the side of caution and then end up getting sick in my home town. I see what is happening in NYC and State with the spread of the virus and do not feel any more safe than traveling. Some idiot who works for the MTA said “Stay off the trains” I guess that means millions of people who use buses and trains to get to work should stay home.
As more people get tested here more cases will come forward.
As for traveling, we all have to make our own choices.
And sadly, Trump will box Biden’s ears…
unless you are 60+ and in bad health. Who cares if you catch it? Just dont let pneumonia go untreated. You will be fine
I think this is a good read, especially the last link in it.
https://kottke.org/20/03/covid-19-not-just-a-bad-flu
John, the Chinese (after fumbling at the very start) dealt with it in a way that works. It is not about you allowing to make choices to hurt other people. If I were you, I would get comfortable at home. The phrase of the year, you know, “social distancing”….The Revenge of the Introverts I guess.
MU, what if the health care system is overwhelmed and you can not get to treat those heavy cases. This is why it is imperative, as someone said yesterday, to Cancel Everything.
We MUST FLATTEN THE CURVE!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/science/coronavirus-curve-mitigation-infection.html
This is a good read to calm people:
https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/coronavirus-ten-reasons-why-you-ought-to-not-panic
Excellent, coming tomorrow with HT
Hey Buzz-
Larry Kudlow said to buy the dips. That was when the Dow was around 26,000. Is this a big enough dip to jump in and put in some buy orders? How much of a dip is a dip?
How did we elect these dips?
Even Jim Cramer is mad LOL
Got the nicest email early this am from a reader, first time reaching out. He thanked me for my level headed views of blogging about the corona virus and how appreciative he was for daring to say it is better to play it safe and stay home when so many other travel related bloggers go on like nothing is happening and even blogging about deals and urging their readers to just go out there. He canceled an award trip to Paris…and said “thanks for saving my marriage”.
I am really worried about Ramsay now…do you think he finally got through his thick head that his esteemed leader is a phucking moron? Yeah…probably not.
Never before has so much wealth been destroyed in only 11 minutes. Could have been worse since trading halted.
I got to experience the poor man’s business class today. Social distancing works well when airplanes are fairly empty. Hopefully the return flight won’t be cancelled tomorrow.
you seem to be having another flare up of TDS. Better stock up on your TDS meds.
That emergency staff meeting at TPG was fruitful. Pumping CCs for that amazing staycation you’ve been dreaming about. A 3.5 rated hotel with lots of 1 star reviews is included.
I have a better suggestion, save your points and stay home.
TBB buying TPG instead soon?
You may get AAL as well. That stock is down 50% since they started to close Aadvantage accounts.
I wonder when the BIG bailout will start. After a few political donations, I suspect that cruise liners registered in the Bahamas and Panama will be begging for a bailout.
Shut down football in Europe. Watching Italian teams play in empty stadiums is painful.
they play soccer in europe not football
Then why do they have “Football Clubs” in Europe?