Comments for Credere Argentum

Comment on Airline Economics Reflect Increasing Inequity by scottrick

scottrick — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:47:52 +0000

To clarify, I don’t actually believe fees are directly subsidizing premium cabin improvements. My original post was meant to criticize Brett Snyder’s article on Conde Nast Traveler for getting too close to that claim when he opened with the statement that “fee revenues have allowed airlines to start investing in their products again.” His piece seemed to defend the use of fees because of the improvements they allow airlines to provide. And so I discussed how the people who benefit from most improvements and the people who pay most fees are not the same group.

I’m well aware that revenue is fungible and can go toward a wide variety of purposes, including improvements to both cabin classes. I clarified at the end of my post that I don’t believe the airlines are actually using fees to subsidize premium cabins, but that I believed it was a reasonable interpretation of Brett’s post.

Comment on My 2013 Resolutions by Rethinking My Whole Credit Card Strategy for 2013

Rethinking My Whole Credit Card Strategy for 2013 — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 22:44:19 +0000

[...] As a part of my general attempt to get all of my spending under serious discipline this year (not that I had a major problem in overspending but I want to get truly lean and mean for this year), I recently began taking a look at my credit card strategy for 2013. Being away from the site for the past week or so was a big impetus to give a lot of my assumptions a second thought. Long ago I had put together a spreadsheet for my credit cards, and it included the benefits, yearly fees, and due dates for each of the cards. I noticed that I had a pretty high number for the total annual fees for all of my cards. [...]

Comment on To Mortgage Payoff and Beyond! by Rethinking Paying Off Mortgage Early

Rethinking Paying Off Mortgage Early — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 00:22:39 +0000

[...] Contrary to what I wrote two days ago, mortgage debt is not such a big deal for two reasons. First, it has a relatively low interest rate, especially considering the rather long period for repayment of the loan. Also, it is structured so that one is paying off the interest on the front end. This is helpful because it greatly reduces the cost of the enterprise and could be as much as 25%-30% less or so if you are in a decently high tax bracket. Simply put, you get a pretty significant discount on your housing costs during the early years of the loan. This money could be saved or invested in other productive ways which are hard to calculate but real. Therefore, you could overtime actually make more money this way than you could in the savings achieved by paying off less interest. [...]

Comment on My 2012 Credit Card Signup Bonus Miles, Points, and Cash Back Results by Value of Frequent Flyer Miles Reconsidered

Value of Frequent Flyer Miles Reconsidered — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:42:07 +0000

[...] Over the past year or so I have accumulated a somewhat large cache of frequent flyer miles which I have detailed here. This weekend I began thinking in particular about my Ultimate Rewards points balance, and while [...]

Comment on The Fiscal Cliff Deal’s Proper Conclusion by Debt Ceiling Consequences

Debt Ceiling Consequences — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:03:36 +0000

[...] the fiscal cliff crisis wasn’t enough fun for everyone, in the next 6-8 weeks a much higher stakes game of riverboat Russian roulette will play out with [...]

Comment on Credit Card Points/Miles: How Can I Use My Miles? by My 2012 Credit Card Signup Bonus Miles, Points, and Cash Back Results

My 2012 Credit Card Signup Bonus Miles, Points, and Cash Back Results — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 22:14:57 +0000

[...] in the first half of the year. I like the hobby because it does actually improve your wealth and lifestyle if done properly and with care. For example, many of these products have minimum spending [...]

Comment on Personal Finance 101: Credit Cards, The Miles and Points Game by My 2012 Credit Card Signup Bonus Miles, Points, and Cash Back Results

My 2012 Credit Card Signup Bonus Miles, Points, and Cash Back Results — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 21:37:48 +0000

[...] world. I discovered the various tools and tricks by accident and became pretty heavily engrossed in the practice, especially in the first half of the year. I like the hobby because it does actually improve your [...]

Comment on Is the Fiscal Cliff Deal a Good Thing? by What Will My Tax Refund Be?

What Will My Tax Refund Be? — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:07:43 +0000

[...] question many might have, especially with the continued craziness in Washington DC, is what exactly their tax refund might be for 2012. According to the IRS, most Americans do [...]

Comment on Book Review: The Signal and the Noise, by Nate Silver by Book Review Part Two: Bad Signals, Nate Silver, The Signal and the Noise

Book Review Part Two: Bad Signals, Nate Silver, The Signal and the Noise — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:20:16 +0000

[...] 1. Part One: Introduction and Overview [...]

Comment on Credit Card Points/Miles: How Can I Use My Miles? by Thanksgiving!… and Some Items of Note Around the Web

Thanksgiving!… and Some Items of Note Around the Web — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 14:47:41 +0000

[...] on the value of airline miles and points and how to approach the subject. This builds upon my prior post on the broad value of such [...]