Author: Kyle Burbank
-

Travel Tuesday: Delta is Bringing Shake Shack Burgers to the Sky
Once upon a time, when you flew anywhere of reasonable distance, you’d be served a meal onboard. And while this wasn’t always the best food (see: stand-up comedy bits from the 80s and 90s), it was included with your ticket. Of course, those days are long gone — unless, of course, you’re flying in first class.…
-

Pepper is Continuing to Evolve, Adding Expiration Rules for Points
When the app Pepper Rewards launched earlier this year (or, technically, launched its rebrand), I was an instant fan. Not only was the app easy to use but it also had plenty of solid brands, all offering 5% back on gift card purchases. However, since then, the offering has continued to evolve — and not…
-

My New Vegas Preference: Why I’ve Been Going Back to Taxis
There’s no question that Uber has been a game changer for travelers and commuters alike. Not only did the platform provide an often less expensive competitor for traditional cabs but also made them easier to hail and pay for. Plus, it provided plenty of people with a solid side hustle opportunity. However, while I’ve been…
-

Travel Tuesday: Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel Review
Over the years, I’ve spent countless hours in Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, but have never really ventured into the city itself (other than driving through it on road trips). So, when it was revealed that FinCon 2024 would be held in Downtown Atlanta, I relished the opportunity to finally explore the area and stay in…
-

Trying Robinhood’s Presidental Election Market: A Brief How-To
Is the upcoming presidential election not giving you quite enough anxiety? Then what if you also had money riding on it? Well, if you’re a Robinhood customer, now you (potentially) can! That’s right, early this week, Robinhood unveiled its Presidential Election Market. Here, eligible customers can purchase event contracts tied to one of the two…
-

FinCon 2024 Recap: Returning to the Conference After 5 Years
It’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…
-

How I Earned Double Starbucks Stars During My Marriott Stay
Over 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.…
-

Travel Tuesday: Delano at Mandalay Bay to Become W Las Vegas
A 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…
-

Kind of Awesome: Google Flights Now Shows Amtrak Routes
Google 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…
-

FinCon 2024: The 9 Sessions I’m Most Looking Forward To
In 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,…
-

YouTube Shorts Are Getting Longer – Is That a Good Thing?
On 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…
-

Travel Tuesday: Moxy Springfield Downtown Hotel Review
This 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…
