Side HustlesIt's hard to believe but, prior to the last week, it had been five long years since I attended a FinCon event in person. After going to my first event in 2018, I attended the 2019 conference in Washington D.C. — and then, well, you know. Even though FinCon had since returned, I was unable...
Quick TipsOver the summer, Starbucks and Marriott Bonvoy announced a new partnership. Unfortunately, unlike the deal that Starbucks serves up with Delta, I wasn't too impressed with the Marriott offering that limits Bonvoy point-earning to select weeks and requires customers to make at least three purchases during that week to earn just 100 Marriott Bonvoy points....
Hotel ReviewsA Vegas property is changing brands... again. This week, MGM Resorts and Marriott announced that the W Las Vegas would be debuting later this year. The hotel will occupy what is currently the Delano tower at Mandalay Bay. This update comes as MGM and Marriott continue to expand their partnership. First announced in July of...
Quick TipsGoogle Flights has long been a useful tool for carrier-agnostic travelers looking for a good price. Yet, while regular Google has seen better days, the Google Flights tool has seen improvements in recent months. For one, at long last, Southwest joined the party and started showing fares on the platform. Plus, just this week, a...
Side HustlesIn 2018, I attended my very first FinCon when the event was hosted in Orlando, Florida. The following year, I had an even better time staying on-site in Washington D.C. and left the conference excited to attend again in 2020... Okay, as you can probably imagine, that didn't happen. Moreover, for one reason or another,...
Side HustlesOn the surface, the premise of YouTube Shorts is fairly simple: vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds. However, the Shorts platform largely functions as its own ecosystem despite being a part of the main YouTube app. Now, the company is making some changes that reflect that reality — including making Shorts a little...
Hotel ReviewsThis summer, a new, hip hotel opened in Springfield: Moxy. Confusingly, this new property isn't too far from our local art house theatre, Moxie Cinema — but I digress. With Moxy still being new in town and with my wife and I celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary last week, we decided to spend the night at...
Quick TipsMy go-to mobile hotspot device is having a major sale. From now through Wednesday (expiring after October 9th at 11:59 p.m. PT), you can save 25% off Solis devices and data plans. To take advantage of this sale, you can use my link and enter FALL25 at checkout. With this discount, you can currently save nearly...
Quick TipsAlmost exactly two years ago, the American Express Platinum Card introduced a new perk that enabled cardholders to enjoy a free Walmart+ membership — and I've been using this perk since day one. As it turns out, after activating the benefit, all you have to do is charge your Platinum card for the monthly Walmart+...
Quick TipsYears ago, I signed up for a digital subscription to my local newspaper. This was not only a means of having access to paywalled stories but also just to support them. Well, since then, the price (like with most subscriptions these days) has continued to rise. Plus, an independent news organization has popped up in...
Hotel ReviewsAfter my stay in Indianapolis for this year's GenCon (and spending approximately 15 hours at home), I was off to Anaheim, California for D23. Since I'd be working the event and representing Laughing Place, my room was booked and paid for by my boss — which also meant that I didn't know where my hotel was...
Quick TipsLast week, I covered how MGM Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy had launched their mutual point transfer feature (a mere six months after their partnership first rolled out). Well, now another Marriott Bonvoy pact is gaining a point conversion feature — and it's definitely not one I expected. Now, you can elect to turn your Marriott...