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Blog

Musings on personal finance and more. Not written with AI since 2012.

Atlas statue

How to plan a trip to anywhere via travel hacking

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I was at a party recently where the conversation turned to travel. One person in particular was trying to get to a destination (somewhere in South America, I forget the specific city) the following month, and wanted to know how they … Read More … Read More

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Rusted Car

This might be why you don’t believe you’ll be financially successful

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It’s not hard to find bad economic news that applies to you. If you’re a millennial, chances are the job market is terrible for you. If you’re a baby boomer, chances are that you’re either underwater in your house or … Read More … Read More

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Luggage cart

How to handle when your luggage doesn’t show up

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Alaska Airlines has been pretty good to me. While their product isn’t anything extravagant, it’s certainly enjoyable enough, and I pretty much never have to deal with agents who totally hate their life (which was something I encountered with regularity … Read More … Read More

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Mesospheric clouds

How you can use same day flight change rules to save on airfare

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I think Alaska Airlines is pretty much the best domestic airline out there right now. Bold claim, I know, and there are many different criteria that go into such a rating, but I say this based on a combination of … Read More … Read More

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Toeing the line

There is no glory in poverty

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Henry Rollins, who I’ve previously mentioned as being an honorary Unlikely Radical, perhaps the one that I aspire to be like the most, once joked at a spoken word show about a fictitious performance art piece, one with the pretension level amped up to … Read More … Read More

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Golden Chains

The problems with airline loyalty

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So by now, I’ve talked about the problems inherent in certain retail loyalty programs. Programs like Starbucks Rewards and Amazon Prime seem like a good deal, but can often force you in making decisions based on the idea that you’ve “already paid … Read More … Read More

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Hands in the air

More confessions of a nerdy kid, or I dare you to get excited

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Last time, I talked about the pleasure of the anticipation of purchasing…a modem for my computer. This was back in middle school, a time of general emotional trauma for all. I was a bit young for my grade, and so … Read More … Read More

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Computer chips

Confessions of a nerdy kid, or the pleasures of saving up for things

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I was a super nerdy kid. If you doubt this, this story will confirm it. When I was in middle school, I became very interested in Bulletin Board Systems (or BBSs). These were computer networks that allowed you to communicate … Read More … Read More

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Lounge lights

How to decide whether to keep a credit card with an annual fee

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I mentioned that there is only one reason to keep a credit card that carries an annual fee: The benefits you get from holding the card that you would have paid for anyway must be greater than the annual fee. … Read More … Read More

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Fire breathing

Conferring with the enemy (Part 5): Finishing the deal

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All posts in this series: Conferring with the enemy (Part 1): A credit card for a travel plan Conferring with the enemy (Part 2): Fulfilling minimum spend requirements on a credit card Conferring with the enemy (Part 3): The waiting (for … Read More … Read More

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