We bring you content like what to expect when visiting Disney in 2021, IRS EFiling begins finally, Bitcoin keeps defying gravity, heads up on what to watch out for in the credit card rewards hobby, we travel to Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan, the best Covid-19 coverage and it is a bit depressing today, best photography, best fun Twitter threads and quirky websites, how to pay for college, the biggest US Tech IPOs and a lot more since last week. Yeah, it has been a whole week since I last posted and it already fills like a year, I missed you all! I should post more than once a week going forward…we shall see.
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This goes out to subscribers via email the day it is posted at 8 am. After that I may add something new in the body of the post and I indicate it like this: Update.
If you are not into the frequent flyer miles/points game please feel free to skip the MILES & POINTS and most of the BLOG BUZZ section.
Stay positive, test negative!
TOP PICKS
Top picks are not excerpted at all. I recommend you find time to read every word!
The current insane investment environment continues. I think the pandemic is certainly a factor, this is getting to us after a year and counting!
How The Stock Market Works: Elon Musk Tweets. Millions Buy.
This will shock you. The young in Africa and the old in Europe…wow.
Mapping the World’s Youngest and Oldest Countries
After reading this I am really worried about how easy it is to let your guard down thinking you are safe from the virus after…even so many precautions taken and repeated tests…sobering.
The video that broke the internet last week. “I am here live, I’m not a cat”.
MILES & POINTS
HOT CREDIT CARD OFFERS: 75k CHASE Ink Cash, 75k CHASE Ink Unlimited, 100k CHASE Ink Business Preferred, 60k CHASE Sapphire Preferred, 60k CITI Premier, 65k CITI Business AA Platinum Select, 50k CITI AA Platinum Select, 20k CHASE Freedom Flex & CHASE Freedom Unlimited, 75k AMEX Platinum, 85k AMEX Business Platinum, 50k CHASE World of Hyatt, 150k AMEX Hilton Business & Hilton Surpass (and $150 credit!), 100k AMEX Hilton Card (and $100 credit!), 150k AMEX Hilton Aspire, $250 AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, $300 AMEX Blue Cash Everyday, 140k CHASE IHG Rewards Club Premier, and many more! Please use my Affiliate links.
If you do not see a credit card with my affiliate links, perhaps I could refer you? Contact me!
Newbies: This is a pretty helpful post for newbies: Gee, I Wish I Knew This Stuff Before Starting the Credit Card Rewards Hobby.
I find the miles and points space extremely boring lately or is it just me? Oh wait, you can earn some points shopping online, enter sarcastic wow 🙂 American, United, Alaska Shopping Portal: Get 500 Bonus Miles with $150 Spend.
I could go for these but I don’t want to interact with Barclays bank: Barclays Emirates Cards Bonuses Increased To 50,000/60,000 Points.
I booked me another 4 nights at my local Ann Arbor Hyatt Place a bit later this month, I just could not pass up $59 rate. It is to be doubled to eight elite nights and I will be within just one night of…hitting 50 Hyatt elite nights soon and the coveted two Suite Upgrade awards. Ann Arbor is expanding Restaurant week to Hotels and there are some really good rates!
An update on my daughter’s application for the Chase Southwest 80k credit card offer (no longer available): Denied. Not surprised that “not enough accounts opened long enough to establish a credit history” was one of the reasons as she is just past six months her 18th birthday. She has been using a Discover it Miles for students cards these six months and managed to get to a 770 credit score. And she has had a Bank of America checking account open as well, along with a few other credit cards as an Authorized User for a few years. But the other reason “insufficient balance in deposit and investment accounts with us” was indeed a surprise. I had intended to open a Chase college checking account for her a long time ago but never managed to get around to it. Well, we just opened one online and will add me as a joint owner in the branch tomorrow. I intend to make an initial deposit of at least $2,000 and park it there for the duration. Or maybe $5,000…it is not like we are giving up too much in interest income these days! I may actually have her call the reconsideration line and do a hail Mary pleading for the card after my coaching on what to say. It is okay, good lesson learned, time is on her side. Maybe it is best to go for one of the no annual fee Chase cards like the Freedom Flex first instead of an airline card with an annual fee in her case. Will be back soon 😉
TRAVEL
I do not care at all about Walt Disney. All in my family are this way. We are all different. It is what it is. But this is a good post if you are into it I guess: 6 Things To Know About Visiting Walt Disney World in 2021.
Well, you don’t see many trip reports from Bangladesh so here is one: Chaos, Culture, and Sheer Craziness; Why Travelling Bangladesh is an Experience You Won’t Forget. Never had an interest to visit but I must admit the beaches look amazing!
When school is out and you must deliver the internet to students living in remote parts of Kyrgyzstan by donkey!
These are amazing! Never-Before-Seen Images from Globe-Trotting Photographer Steve McCurry.
COVID-19
I think we all realize this now, sad! As Covid-19 Vaccines Raise Hope, Cold Reality Dawns That Illness Is Likely Here to Stay.
Another shithole country that has one death from Covid. Total! The Unlikeliest Pandemic Success Story. So sad it did not just magically disappear here or just stopped talking about on November 4th smh.
Devastating! Inside the Worst-Hit County in the Worst-Hit State in the Worst-Hit Country.
Need to get more positive: A Q&A with WHO’s emergencies chief on Covid-19, why he’s hopeful, and when normalcy might return.
PERSONAL FINANCE
It has been an awfully busy time with the IRS opening the efiling tax season of the 2020 income tax returns on February 12. This is the first time I can remember the opening day has been delayed so far into February! One item that already stands out is the amount of the two stimulus payments you may have received. You need to give these two numbers to your tax preparer. Because, if income dropped in 2020, you could claim (all or part of) the stimulus as a tax credit when filing! I already had a few clients who benefited from this situation. Here is more about it: Stop! Don’t do your taxes until you dig up this number.
Look, I am no crypto bro. It never made any sense to me and I sure don’t understand it. I guess the blockchain technology could have some legit uses and of course I wished I had bought some years ago. But you know what? I am not playing this game and I sure have not lost any money or heartache for it. I am really happy for anyone who profited from it. For those who still hold it, well, good luck, your perseverance is remarkable, just don’t forget your password lol. Just another sample of the pervasive craziness in the investing environment these days. And don’t get me started on Dogecoin. Maybe I monetize this blog by issuing TBBcoins, you are in? Bwahahaha. Oh wait, what was I doing here? Oh, here is a beating administered by Nouriel Roubini who I don’t particularly like but I admit I agree with him here: Nouriel Roubini: bitcoin is not a hedge against tail risk. Again, I have no skin in the game and I guess me and my clients prefer to watch paint dry, perhaps some of you dopamine induced “investors” should try it 😉
Excellent podcast: NYT’s Ron Lieber on What and How to Pay for College.
The 10 Largest U.S. Tech IPOs. Yep, it is not your imagination. Several have come in recent years indeed. I am not sure where Yahoo ended up but this was a favorite one of mine as my first millionaire client became so after working there and, you know, stock options!
CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS
I did not watch almost any part of the Trump Impeachment trial. Because I want to move on and put this shameful Trump era behind us. But I did catch this 13 minute video insurrection video and yes it did make me angry this was not punished. But I guess this is where we are as a country…we have a long way to go to heal!
Tom Brady goes to bed at 8.30 pm…You know, as I get older, I go to bed earlier and earlier…I have become my dad! But this guy winning another Superbowl at 43 is just unreal! Everything we know about Tom Brady’s extreme diet and daily schedule.
Some of us watch the Superbowl for the commercials, here are all of them.
ODDZ & ENDZ
This is very cool: Spend 40 seconds watching our planet change over a *billion* years.
Another awesome Twitter thread: My favourite species of birds are the ones named by people who clearly hate birds. (thread).
I am on a roll! Unsuck It. What terrible business jargon do you need unsucked? Have some fun with it! Here is “ecosystem” unsucked:An interconnected web of stuff you don’t understand or control.
Incredible photography collection: Photos of the Week: Horse Breath, Incense Cat, Swan Companion.
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
Thanks to friend Dave who got a card using my links, you were first this month! And could be the last as I think I am about to lose them. Which will be a relief actually…#Developing.
Going to try not to have more than four items in a single section going forward. A reader informed me that what I find is just too good to go through in a reasonable amount of time. I am going to take this as a compliment…I think. Each post that comes out is as precious to you as it is to me. Drink.
I am just going to leave this here, go Wendy’s!
And I leave you with this…
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DisneyLine is hell on Earth. Last time I was shamed into going to DisneyLine World, I “lost” myself in Epcot’s World Showcase. Drinking my way around the world was fairly enjoyable albeit overpriced.
Have seen waaaaay too many blurbs “if you had invested $1000 in Bitcoin in 2010, you’d be worth $656 MILLION today”…
Surprised to NOT see commentary on the Brex dumpster fire fueled by OCaaT.
Glad you’re continuing to post, amigo. Gracias!
#TBBon
Reality: 20% of bitcoin owners have lost their password.
And then you have pump and dump “victims”. Yes, you knew this one was in the works:
“Salvador Vergara was so enthusiastic about GameStop Corp. GME 2.54%▲ in late January that he took out a $20,000 personal loan and used it to purchase shares. Then the buzzy stock plunged nearly 80%.”
https://archive.is/9SM2c
Sometimes I wonder if some of these penny stock companies work closely with the big pumpers. Stock goes up 2-4x and then there’s a public offering. And now the company can survive a few more year.
On Twitter I roasted OMAAT for pumping Brex to death. But I need to move on here…why even bother? With just one conversion this month I am just immaterial 🙂
When you don’t even know who Satoshi is…I mean, don’t get me started. It is what it is…
Many adore Disney, I just don’t, we are all different.
THAT WSJ article, wow! I wonder how they get these people to appear and have their photos taken…Some of the quotes, I mean, shaking my head to oblivion and WTFing to infinity…
Here’s a Disney tip:
Skip all the manufactured fun and go see the Disney Museum in the Presidio in San Francisco. Walt’s daughter built it to tell the story of how her father created those great movies, characters and stories. And to remind the world that Walt Disney was a real person, not just a corporate image like Ronald McDonald or the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
Costs less than lunch on Treasure Island.
Sounds a lot more fun and…cheaper!
Good morning!
The COV bubble article was really interesting. There are so many interactions that influence infections. The impact of blood type … wow.
Yeah, I found that article shocking. And daughter got a job at a tanning salon to make some money and I am like…oh crap, you are going to be coming back home after being around othe people coming in and out of the store…It is a race between the vaccine and getting infected, so pray for us!
I do not know what my blood type is…So much we don’t know yet…still, after a year that feels like a decade!
On a positive thought, I think my mom who is 80 may be getting the vaccine soon in Greece, by the end of the month, cross your fingers!
Chase does pay attention to the balance in your checking account when you apply for a credit card.
In recent years Chase has been getting stingier and stingier in approving CCs for me, with me needing to reduce credit lines to $1K on existing cards in order to be approved for new ones.
Recently I happened to have (temporarily) $50K in my personal checking account at Chase, at the same time as I applied for a Chase CC. Bang, approved with surprisingly high $18K CL!
Yeah, thanks a lot for the feedback. I got a little lazy and did not set her up with a Chase student account like I did for her brother. Will definitely be funding it now at $5k and…get ready for some sign up bonuses in the near future. She started new very part time job today so direct deposit will go into this Chase account too. And maybe I move temporarily some similar money like you right before she applies to…seal the deal.
Yeah, I have noticed also how Chase has gotten stingier. Last business app I had with them I was interrogated much harder than the FBI….not like I was ever interrogated by the FBI 🙂
Which cards did they let you take down to a $1k credit line? They’re always telling me it has to be $3k or $5K.
Gloomy retention rep last week what I cancelled my IHG card. He told me the free night cert was good at 97% of their properties.
I asked if any are in Manhattan? Nope. How about central London? Uh, no.
I then told him how I used to use that cert for a free night at the Crown Plaza Kensington, then pay cash for 3 or 4 more nights, usually at 220-240 British pounds per night. Now with the devaluations, there’s nothing left in this for Ol’ Sam
Independent for us. No pool, no business center, no frequent guest program to pay for. Just a good product at a good price, or else we’re down the road.
I still have some IHG Rewards points and they are on the way out. Cards closed too. I got Marriott out of my life already. Now if I could only get rid of my Radisson points one day 🙂
Focusing on Hyatt and Hilton pretty much…
I am thankful for all the people that want to go to Disney versus anywhere I would ever step foot in.
Also, that bird name thread is gold.
I agree 🙂
TX can’t handle a hurricane nor a few inches of snow. How’s that infrastructure bill coming along?
BTW, why do I keep seeing Bill Gates in so many media outlets? It’s sad to see a billionaire desperate for attention. He could just lead by example, solve the fcking problems and report the successes. You know, like the unsung heroes at NIH, Moderna and BioNTech who successfully developed amazing vaccines.
Yeah, I had the same thought about Bill Gates, he is everywhere…like Fauci whose job is to be everywhere 🙂
I think I got a decent sized post tomorrow, totally missing Blog Buzz section material though…Not sure if I post it or wait until Thursday. Let me check the conversions. Oh, still only Dave. So, see you all Thursday then!
BREAKING: There will be a new post here at 6.30 am tomorrow Wednesday.
Because if not…it was going to get out of hand. Working on making posts smaller. Need feedback if tomorrow’s is still too big. I mean, I could do like the big bloggers and just post every hour still bringing you better stuff
TBBon!