enRICHed: volume 79

new uber changes, concert ticket news, and so much more~

May 19, 2024

Volume 79

Hey besties!

Or should I say “dearest gentle reader”? Season 3 of Bridgerton just dropped, and it’s literally all I can think about. Seriously, I’m obsessed. Who doesn’t love a visually stunning, love story?! My jaw was on the floor for all four episodes, though I am kind of sad they split the season into two parts. Part 2 of Season 3 cannot come fast enough! On a serious note, I LOVE seeing such a fantastic period drama have amazing representation. I personally think that the reason Bridgerton has become such a phenomenon is because of its inclusivity, it brings together people from all different backgrounds to give them a place on center stage. Casting directors, take notes, the people want to see themselves!

As a reminder:

HYCU, pronounced haiku: how the news impacts you and your wallet, aka How You Can Use
The Prosperitea: think discount codes, non-boring finance articles, sales, and personal links from the week. The fun stuff 😉
We love your comments, but please remember to keep it positive! And don’t take investing advice from anyone who isn’t your registered financial advisor!

Now that you’re up to speed, let’s get you enRICHed.

Concert Tickets Crackdown 🎟

Congress is passing measures that will crack down on ticket pricing—requiring sellers to list the total cost of a ticket to buyers, including fees, ban bots from scalping tickets, and require sellers to share if they have a real ticket or not.
The TICKET Act, which is on the move now, will require sellers to post prices including all the fees, disclose if the ticket is “speculative” or not, make refunds mandatory, and ban some secondhand ticket selling scalping.
The related Fans First Act, which has been supported by over 250 artists like Billie Eilish, Green Day and Lorde, would prohibit the use of bots to buy tickets online as well as require sellers to share a breakdown of the ticket price.
Live show ticket sellers like AXS and Ticketmaster have been in the hot seat recently, as Swifties, BTS Army, and Bad Bunny’s Bunnies alike have dragged the companies for their lack of transparency around pricing and availability of tickets, even leading to Congressional antitrust hearings last year (and proving once again that no one gets sh*t done like fandoms do).
HYCU; If you’ve ever experienced the highs and lows of fighting for your life in a Ticketmaster queue, only to get to the end and watch your ticket price triple once you’re about to check out, these measures will put an end to that deeply humbling experience. The price listed will be exactly what you pay for, and you can find tickets with far less worry about being scammed by bots and scalpers.

Get In Loser, We’re Taking The Uber Shuttle 🚌

Uber announced that it will be launching shuttle bus services to and from airports, concert venues and sports stadiums. They are also launching a partnership that now lets you order from Costco on Uber Eats, as well as a student discount for the UberOne membership program.
The rideshare company said it will work with local fleet providers to facilitate the bookings at a fraction of the price of its usual UberX rideshare service. The shuttles will seat between 14 to 55 people, and they will also be available at certain Live Nation US concert venues and Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium this summer.
As for the Costco end of things, you don’t even need a membership to order from the wholesaler on Uber Eats—but if you do have a card, you will be eligible for discounted Costco rates on the app. You’ll also get 20 percent off an annual Uber One membership.
HYCU; If you’re planning to head to the airport for a big summer abroad, or you’re a Swiftie going to the Eras tour at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, the Uber shuttle bus could be a cheaper alternative to ordering a car. Plus, if you’re going with all your besties, you have the opportunity to sing “Party in the USA” together like in Pitch Perfect. It’ll be available first at Miami, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Charlotte when it launches this summer. As for Costco, check the app to see if there are participating locations near you.

Frontier Airlines Cuts Change Fees ✈️

Frontier Airlines will stop charging its $99 fee when you change or cancel a flight within a week of departure, the company said Friday.
This is coming on the heels of the recent administrative travel changes, which we talked about a couple weeks ago. Now, Frontier is changing its pricing model to bundle perks, offering packages that include benefits like early boarding.
Most airlines don’t have change fees anymore; Delta, American and United scrapped them during the Covid-19 pandemic for travelers, and Southwest never had any.
HYCU; If you fly Frontier, you can now change or cancel your flight within a week of departure without having to cough up an additional $99. It also means that you can purchase different packages of add-ons to make your journey more comfortable, instead of the previous system, which had you pick them a la carte.

Hot Auto Union Summer 🤝🚘

Over 5,000 Mercedes-Benz factory workers in Alabama voted, in a 44% to 56% vote, to not join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union on Friday, which would have granted them membership into the union and unlocked protections such as mandatory salary increases and layoff negotiation and representation.
The UAW has been trying to mobilize the Southern squad for some time—last month, the UAW scored a major win when a Tennessee Volkswagen plant voted overwhelmingly to join, becoming the first Southern and non-Detroit Three (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) to unionize.
Historically, the South has been a difficult region for labor rights campaigns, which makes UAW’s interest in moving South even more notable; the changing tides could indicate a shifting mentality towards work and a more favorable outlook on unions.
It was a messy, tense road to even get to a vote. Mercedes-Benz hung up signs urging workers to vote "no" around the plant, shuffled around its leadership, and even got a local pastor to try and deter workers. Six US governors also signed a letter asking workers to reject the UAW.
HYCU; For those employed by the auto industry, this movement could mean big changes in your workplace. Union members usually access benefits like pay adjustments for inflation and required salary increases, which have been at least 25 percent in the past. Non-union members are likely to also experience the impacts of leadership shuffling and internal changes during this period of time. The UAW has launched campaigns at 13 other automakers, including Toyota, Tesla, Volvo and more, meaning this mobilization movement might be coming to your place of work—so it’s important to do some research on what this would actually do for your job and quality of life.

Commonly asked question: Can you explain the benefits of index universal life insurance (IULs) and share your perspective on pro/con in high monthly payments towards it to build cash value vs investing the money in a brokerage account?

This is a great question! I see a lot of videos on the internet touting IUL as the greatest investment of all time, when in fact it doesn’t make the most sense for the vast majority of people. IULs have two major components: a death benefit and a cash benefit. The death benefit is what most of us think of when we think of life insurance aka you kick the bucket → your family gets some money. The cash benefit is the investment component to these policies.

IULs really only make sense if you already have a lot of money, as you’ll need to be able to afford having your money locked up for several years. The reason being, IULs have hefty upfront fees that reduce the cash benefit early on. Most people will be better off investing their money in a brokerage account and buying a diversified portfolio of index tracking funds, and then buying a cheap term life insurance policy over investing in an IUL.

IULs are NOT Your Rich BFF approved for the average investor.

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Rich Tip of the Week: Set up your kids for financial success with these tips!
McDonald’s is releasing a “grandma McFlurry,” which is supposed to taste like your “grandma’s favorite treat that she hid in her purse.”
While the world was watching Eurovision, I was watching the German finger wrestling “Fingerhakeln” championship in Bavaria.
FIFA has announced that the first-ever Women’s World Cup will be hosted in 2026. I cannot wait to see the fancam edits of Megan Rapinoe circle my feeds again.

SEE YOU IN THE COMMENTS BESTIES