In Search of the Perfect Investment

We stopped using Roundup eons ago.

We were scared. We were right.

From Business Insider: Bayer stock tanks after a jury finds its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer.

No one owns anything any longer

It’s the great sharing/experience lifestyle that we’re all now living.

Nobody wants to own anything. You can rent great houses on Airbnb and VRBO. You can rent your dream car on Turo. And the cruise lines are setting up “Instagram Stations” on their boats so you can share your joy with your friends.

Life is experience. Life is sharing.

The price of homes is falling everywhere. No reason any longer to own a holiday home.

Go figure

Rosie’s haircut and bath yesterday cost more than five times what I pay for my haircut and shampoo.

Pet stocks include: ZTS, IDXX and PETQ. Two are  in nose-bleed territory, but so is the price for keeping Rosie beautiful.

Fly business class on long trips

I’m too old and crabby to fly peasant class any longer. But I’m too cheap to pay for business class — unless it’s to and from Paris on La Compagnie, which is $1,600 or so roundtrip business class from New York. Click here.

We cashed in “miles” for our recent trip to London and Paris. But most of those “miles” were for stuff, like Rosie’s pricey grooming.

Conde Nast Traveler has a neat piece;

How to Buy Airline Miles and Score Business Class Tickets on the Cheap

…. There are plenty of ways to earn airline miles without ever leaving the ground. Signing up for a co-branded credit card, staying at a partner hotel, and renting a car are the most well-known, but there are some less-understood strategies that lead to cushy rewards, none more so than buying miles directly from the airline.

All airlines offer the option to buy frequent flier miles in lump sums through their websites. We know what you’re thinking: Why would somebody ever buy a bunch of miles? Well, we’re going to let you in on a little secret: Most U.S. airlines offer incredible opportunities for customers to cash in a surprisingly small number of miles to fly first or business class on their international partners. These mileage bargains are typically found on routes between the U.S. and Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where seats in premium cabins typically cost between $4,000 and $10,000 dollars round-trip. Naturally, such a workaround isn’t easy. If you’re willing to do the math, though, buying miles is the key to getting a business class seat at a fraction of the cash price.

Financially, buying miles only makes sense if you’re seeking first or business class tickets on international airlines. Airlines charge high prices for miles, and paying cash for a ticket in coach is more cost-effective than buying miles to redeem an economy mileage ticket. And though U.S. carriers like Alaska Airlines and United sell miles, they offer super-limited reward availability on their own flights and more on their international partners. The most valuable mileage redemption opportunities are found on carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Australia, and Japan Airlines.

To read the whole piece, click here.

More cockroach stuff

The FBI will be investigating how Boeing’s 737 Max was certified to fly, according to The Seattle Times.

Boeing’s sales practices are disgusting. Apparently they charge extra for critical safety features — that could have averted those two crashes. Yuch.

Apple’s Airpods – 2

The new Airpods are better, but cost the same as the old ones (the ones I have).

Hence a no-brainer. Susan loves listening to podcasts. Share and I used one pair to walk us through Paris museums. Super stuff.

Don’t buy the wireless charging case. Waste of money.

The youngest billionaires. All self-made

From Forbes:

I can’t get this picture out of my brain

It’s the Chinese competitor to Boeing’s 737 family. This is on its maiden flight last December.

Yesterday I wrote “I bet FedEx is a screaming buy around these levels.”

I bought some FedEx (FDX) yesterday on its huge 10% drop. It’s now up nicely. I’m a genius.

I wouldn’t touch Boeing. I’m deathly afraid of all the cockroaches and the Chinese.

Too many friends are falling

Complications from falls are the number one cause of death in old folks, like you and me.

Please be careful with stairs. Grip the hand rail. If you miss the train, there’ll be another one. Trust me on that one.

Harry Newton, who is playing his best tennis ever. Says he modestly.