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Some personal news
Yesterday I lost my job, over what I would call a difference of opinion: I thought I was doing a good job, and my boss thought I was doing a
Travel hacking during the plague
I know my gentle readers have a lot on their minds these days, but so does everybody else. That makes the current crisis as good a time as any to
Personal finance during the pandemic
Become a Patron!As you may have heard, the world is in the throes of a new, as-yet-untreatable, easily-communicable, fairly-deadly virus. I’m not going to tell you to wash your h..
The Danger Is Still Present In Your Time
Become a Patron!The other day I saw an amazing tweet by someone who had turned the famous “long-time nuclear waste warning message” into an iconic “Live Laugh Love”-style etched ..
Episode 35 The Game Continues: Where do We Go From Here?
Welcome to another episode of Short Cuts on our No Annual Fee Podcast. Today we talk about where the points & miles game fits in the context of a pandemic
Three approaches to cutting federal bonds out of untaxed accounts
Become a Patron!Last month I wrote about the curious fact that mutual funds designed to be held in retirement accounts, where their distributions are generally untaxed year-to-ye..
Episode 34 Coronavirus travel deals: Where are we seeing opportunities?
Welcome to another episode of Short Cuts on our No Annual Fee Podcast. Today we’re talking about opportunities for travel deals surrounding Coronavirus. Not necessarily for trave..
Episode 33: Negotiating Coronavirus Change Waivers
We’re trying something different on our No Annual Fee Podcast this week with a format called Short Cuts. In Short Cuts we’ll cover the latest points & miles news, and
Introducing Tagging Miles Portal Updates!
If you’re a subscriber of the blog, you’ve probably noticed the soft launch of the daily Tagging Miles Portal Updates. Ever since FrequentMiler had to unfortunately discontinue t..
Replacing a (potentially) compromised Visa prepaid debit card
If you play this game long enough, you guaranteed to see everything eventually. In many ways, I think travel hackers have a better view into the guts of the US
Don’t pay for tax benefits you’re not using
I had a very interesting conversation today that got me thinking about a tax issue I had never given serious thought to before, and which I think is probably totally
Two interesting strategies for avoiding the SECURE Act’s revenue provisions
Become a Patron!One blog I keep an eye on is Michael Kitces’s website Nerd’s Eye View. The content is rarely very relevant to me personally, but they do a terrific
Episode 32: How to Salvage Travel Plans After AA Account Shutdown
We’ve not put out a free episode of the Milenomics² podcast since last year–The success of the paid show led us to focus on the thriving community of Patreon subscribers.
I knew everything about the ACA, lost my insurance, and got sick
Since I’ve been self-employed almost as long as the Affordable Care Act has been law, I’ve had lots of opportunities to learn the finer points of the law. At its
Wage replacement is an important measurement, whether or not it’s good policy
Become a Patron!I’ve written before about the FAMILY Act, the leading Democratic initiative in the House and Senate to create a nationwide system of paid family and medical leave..
Manufactured spend with and without promotions and bonuses
On my way to the store the other day I realized that we hadn’t seen a really good grocery store promotion in a while. The beginning of December featured a
The (weird) optionality of Series EE savings bonds
Become a Patron!There’s a cliche at least as old as I am, that while ATM’s were expected to reduce the demand for bank tellers, banks actually increased the number of
What you need to know about the idiotic “QBI deduction reduction” rule
Become a Patron!In the frenzy to pass the Smash-and-Grab Tax Act of 2017, a faction of Republican senators who, totally coincidentally, are the owners of passthrough businesses, ..
Smart people overestimate the difficulty of maximizing the interest earned on savings
I’ve been using high-interest rewards checking accounts and other “gimmick” accounts for so long, I had somehow convinced myself that everybody else was using them, too. So imagi..
Why even the perfect income tax can’t substitute for a wealth tax
Become a Patron!After they finish hemming and hawing about “constitutional” arguments, opponents of proposals for an American tax on very large fortunes typically make one of two..
Why a newsletter?
So, I’ve decided to try something out here at asthejoeflies. I’ve been “blogging” for almost eight years now, and I put that words in quotes because I’m actually not a
The Frequent Traveler University Returns to Washington DC March 7-8
The Frequent Traveler University (FTU) is returning to Washington, DC March 7-8 in teaming up with the Travel & Adventure Show!
Old and New Speakers with tons of experience and k..
Biden is wrong about Social Security, but so is everybody else
In a bit of a surprising turn in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses, former Vice President and Delaware Senator Joe Biden has finally come under sustained criticism for his