My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on September 16, 2018

I hate seeing any of my friends borrow money … especially when the borrowing is at high rates as it often is for those struggling with bills and  living month to month. It is particularly frustrating when they are still use credit cards with rates in the double digits, are paying the minimum and often get dinged with late fees and penalties … a great reasons not to begin down the borrowing path.

Still, for responsible money managers, credit cards are a great way to use OPM (Other People’s Money) to make purchases online or not having to walk around with a wallet full of cash … but it is a slippery slope. So heed the warning of people who help those in debt like Dave Ramsey if concerned.

That said, there are some good deals when using credit cards for those who have excellent credit and always pay off their monthly balance (mentioned before). Besides not have to walk around with cash, you can end up with cash-back (or other perks) just for the things you purchase all the time (gas, groceries, apparel). Perhaps the best known long time "cash back" credit card issuer is Discover. For decades (at least since my first Discover Card in 1986), they have offered a no-annual-fee card with 1% cash back on all purchases – nice, but very common nowadays. Most credit card aficionados are expecting more. So Discover has been adding to that with an additional 4% bonus on certain categories each quarter (see calendar) — you need to watch limits and sign up online if you play this game. Still, getting 5% back on Amazon shopping (Oct – Dec) can be pretty nice.

Travelers using airlines and hotels have even more incentives from banks who strike deals with "miles" programs. Delta and American Express are known for their Skymiles cards which I have used for years and other airlines have partnered with other banks. My current favorite is Chase and Southwest since it seems much simpler for me to track and use … but can be confusing as well since their cards are in 3 tiers and all have annual fees — you’ll need to calculate the miles earned vs annual fees (plus excellent sign up deals in most cases — particularly Southwest’s Business Credit Cards).

(more…)

Category: Advice, Financial | No Comments »
Tags: banking, borrowing, credit cards, finance, investing, loans, money, saving

Posted By RichC on September 15, 2018

A shocking number of Twitter impression for a simple Volkswagen Beetle update I posted yesterday – well over 100,000. I do use Twitter regularly to share and comment a variety of topics, but rarely have tweets generated more than 10,000 looks or a handful of retweets and likes (on the other hand, my blog’s Google Adsense income has gone up significantly this year too, so who knows?)

Likely because I do follow Volkswagen a bit closer than most, I was early in realizing that the iconic VW Beetle would end production in 2019. This triggered more than 10 times other popular tweets. The end for the Beetle must have struck a nerve?

Another interesting post was Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey’s comment as to the meaning behind the name:

Category: Automotive, News, Social Media, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: beetle, Social Networking, tweets, twitter, volkswagen

Posted By RichC on September 14, 2018

It is and is GOING to be a mess cleaning up after the flooding in a lot more than coastal cities and beachfront towns in North and South Carolina. I’ve watched the slow moving Florence come ashore on TV early this morning and meander along the shoreline most of Friday (thankfully it was a CAT 1 and now a Tropical Storm).

Although the damage from extreme winds is far less than originally expected, the high storm surge, over 40" of rain in some places and inland river flooding is deadly (first deaths reported).  Hopefully now that it has hit land, the rain amounts will be less (???) and energy hurricanes get from the warm ocean quickly reduce the power this storm packed. I does look like much of the east coast will still feel some of what is left of Florence early next week.

Category: Weather | No Comments »
Tags: carolinas, flooding, florence, hurricane, rain, tropical storm, weather

Posted By RichC on September 14, 2018

In recent years, we’ve grown accustom to DOTcom retail companies delivering on their promises. Thanks to Amazon and their outstanding efficiency and reliable fulfillment and delivery services. Perhaps I’ve forgotten that not all online retailers live up to what we now take for granted?

One expects that when a product is listed on a major retailer’s website and an item is checked out, that eventually you will receive your purchase. In my case my credit card was recorded and delivery date issued, be it slower delivery time than I would have wanted (ordered 9/4 with delivery date of 9/12).

The order was "in process" for a week according to the order tracking page of Jet.com (a Walmart owned company) as of 9/12 — the delivery date, yet no delivery. The next email from Jet was to inform me that my order was canceled … I read this on 9/13 after the delivery date. Huh???  If there was a problem with this order, one would think they could have update me a week prior … or at minimum explain the "canceled order" or give me options? Nope … just a matter of fact subject line "Your Jet order has been canceled." Rude … offensive … very frustrating … and possibly illegal since the item is still available on the Jet.com site with a higher price. (a phone conversation with a "Jethead" wasn’t able to explain either and said "I understand how this can be seen as false advertising.")

Beside lodging a complaint, emailing feedback and including Walmart corporate on the practice … I’ll post my gripe here on my blog. Sort of wish there was consumer watchdog with teeth to be able to go after this kind of chicanery (did I mention the item is still available on their site … at a higher price? Grr!) 

EDIT: Perhaps I have not learned my lesson just yet, but after reaching out to Jet.com by phone, email and Twitter … and the customer service agent via TwitterDM want to make the order right. I was encouraged to place the order again, something I hope I don’t regret. We’ll see how this plays out, but perhaps we all make mistakes (my company included) and deserve a chance to make it right?

Category: Advice, Financial, Shopping, Social Media, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: $WMT, false advertising, fraud, jet.com, online, Shopping, tech friday, techfriday

Posted By RichC on September 13, 2018

We are into the heart of hurricane season and 2018 will likely be one Carolinians remember as both North and South Carolina brace for impact of Hurricane Florence. The powerful hurricane is currently moving towards the coast in a perpendicular fashion and is likely to pick up energy as it nears the warm waters of the Gulf Stream according to trackers. Currently the estimate is for a slower approach sometime Thursday night until Saturday morning.

(more…)

Category: Friends, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: carolina, dar jones, florence, georgia, hurricane, mark jones, tropical, weather

Posted By RichC on September 12, 2018

The biggest awaited tech news for most Apple lovers took place yesterday as they introduced their latest Watch Series 4 with "heart monitoring" capabilities and improved everything. From edge to edge larger screens, to a 64-bit processor that is twice as fast at their earlier version. The speaker is louder (common complaint), a walkie-talkie feature, some impressive fall detection and safety mode along with the expected FDA approved ECG and heart monitoring. If you want a watch with "the same one-day battery life" (the only criticism), then plan on spending $399 with GPS only or $499 if you want to add cellular connectivity (meaning you don’t always have to have your iPhone within range).

The big AWAIT was likely the updated Apple iPhones. It will now be offered in three expensive models: they start with the iPhone XR based on the popular 8 at $749, the iPhone Xs starting at $999, a bigger iPhone Xs Max starting at $1099.

(more…)

Category: Apple, Cellphone, Health, Social Media, Technology | No Comments »
Tags: apple, Health, iphone, iphone x max, iphone xs, palm, samsung, sph-i500, trump, watch

Posted By RichC on September 12, 2018

This content is restricted.

Category: Archive, Personal, Photos | No Comments »
Tags: annalyn, archive, buckeyes, drew, family, favorites, football, katelyn, megan, osu, Photos, put in bay, summer, taylor

Posted By RichC on September 11, 2018

“We’re Going to Do Something …”

After a week of total disgust over Nike selecting Colin Kaepernick as their new spokesperson suggesting he "sacrificed everything" when he knelt during the National Anthem and wore socks portraying "police as pigs" … I saw Mike Rowe’s Facebook post and thought his way too polite comment sum things up perfectly for a post on 9/11.

"We’re Going to Do Something."

You’ve been very quiet about the Kaepernick PR disaster at Nike. Any thoughts? – Sam Wilder

Hi Sam. Nike’s free to celebrate whomever they wish, and Kaepernick is entitled to his opinion – kneeling, standing, or lying down. But if I was going to put someone’s face on a billboard – someone who epitomized bravery and sacrifice – I might have gone another way, especially this time of year. I might have gone with this guy – Tom Burnett.

Tom’s last act on earth was one of the most courageous things imaginable. And his last words to his wife, Deena, are among the most inspiring I’ve ever heard. Those exact words are at the top of this page, and the bottom. They were spoken seventeen years ago, under conditions I hope to never experience. I’ll never forget Tom’s last words. I hope you won’t either.

Transcript of Tom’s Last Calls to Deena

(more…)

Category: Business, History, Holiday, Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: 9/11, courage, kaepernick, mike rowe, nike, patriot, remember, terro, terrorism, tom burnett

Posted By RichC on September 10, 2018

This content is restricted.

Category: Audio, Entertainment, Music | No Comments »
Tags: album, doctor, jackson browne, mp3, music monday, musicmonday, my eyes

Posted By RichC on September 9, 2018

Social networks like Twitter"can" be interesting places for people who have opposing views to debate and exchange views … or they can be just a bunch of haters. BUT … because I participate in the former, I do enjoy the back and forth with people who have good or better thoughts than me … or with people who respect and learn from my point of view. All to often we unfortunately dig in our heels and refuse to entertain another user’s view, even before we know who they are.

Now for the slightly humorous part of an exchange on Twitter … not from me, but from a couple people making observations on President Obama’s fund raising speech on Friday. The exchange goes something like this: Robert J. O’Neill @mchooyah makes a reference to the inability of the Obama administration to recognize and use the words "Radical Islam…" and supporter of Obama comments that [Barack Obama] "He kinda killed Osama Bin Laden, so…"

To most or at least A LOT of readers, it was pretty obvious — check out "The Operator."

Category: History, Humor, Millitary, Social Media, Video | No Comments »
Tags: obama, osama bin laden, robert o'neill, twitter, youtube