While typically you’ll hear stories of the big, bad, evil insurance companies denying claims (which I have no doubt is true) this is about the opposite end of the spectrum. Insurance can and does offer some marvelous protection, occasionally in ways wholly unexpected and highly favorable to the insured. Cue my bike crash in August […]
A Bicycle Story — Post-Crash Homeowners Insurance Claim (USAA) — Part Two Read More »
Anyone who knows me also knows that my most passionate hobby after credit card gaming is cycling. I like riding fast. I like long rides. I like meandering around the neighborhood. Occasionally I like making funny images out of my routes. I also like riding nice bikes. I’ve lusted after a new racing bike for
A Bicycle Story — Buy Now Pay Later (Affirm) — Part One Read More »
It is clear that I am not loyal to any one airline or credit card or program. That’s great for flexibility, but less great for searching for and making bookings. Hunting across a half dozen sites is difficult, and makes finding the right arrangement difficult. A few years back I stumbled across a great web
There’s only one tool you need for award travel booking: Roame Read More »
It’s Mamdani’s New York now! We’re traveling up to NYC for the long weekend. Some fun with family, some free points from a Hilton timeshare presentation, a play, some good food (I already chomped a halfway decent lox-bagel this morning!) Things are expensive, but that’s no reason to sit back and stand for being scammed.
A Flat Rate Story — NYC Taxi from LGA airport scamming magically resolved… within a day Read More »
We’ve done some nice home upgrades these past few months. Newly painted walls. New wallpaper. New vacuum. New decorations in our front room. Cleaning out our utility closet. Many of these left us with some perfectly functional but used old household items and arrangements. Even more so than making money, I feel wasteful throwing away
For some strange reason, I have a lot of fun in tracking and managing finances. I was taught young to save and invest, and the flexibility that being consistent there will enable. While I’ve got some opportunities to do the investing piece better, I think I’ve got the savings part down pretty good. The biggest
401k Employer Match benefits can really, really add up Read More »
The goal is to share my personal reflections with our deeply flawed US healthcare system. And even with its flaws, it’s the system we have, and should be taken advantage to maximize benefits for its participants. To take advantage, though, one has to reasonably understand how it works. Obviously avoid getting hurt, but healthcare is
Healthcare insanity – a story of an unpleasantly broken leg Read More »
As we headed home (California, my family) for the holidays, I had the brilliant idea to save a few bucks and take advantage of some cancelled flight credits to fly on United. It was the cheapest Christmas flights with halfway decent schedule, single connection. Really how bad can Basic Economy be, right? How different can
Basic Economy’s no frills makes for a mediocre travel experience Read More »
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas to all, and hope Santa was extra generous and maybe even left some cookies for the adults. Flying is full of uncomfortable experiences, general hassles, and lots of waiting. There are some simple steps folks can take to help make the overall experience a little smoother and less disruptive. TSA
Flying for Xmas? Don’t skip on TSA Pre-Check, you probably have it for free! Read More »
The goal of this post is not convince anyone on the merits or lack thereof on crypto, but reflect briefly on the current state of this wild and crazy marketplace. There is little that brings me more joy than seeing scams, scammers, and big cons go bust. I’m all for taking advantage of good deals,
Crypto is for suckers – and they sure are losing big lately Read More »
