What caught my eye this week.
I was bemused to see Adrian Chiles penning a glowing paean to the Delay Repay compensation scheme in The Guardian this week. I’d always imagined such warm feelings were an Investor family quirk.
As Chiles writes:
After a bit of a fiddle setting up your account, you automatically, as if by magic, get a cash prize if your train is delayed. OK, it’s compensation rather than a prize, but it’s still a beautiful thing.
On the services I use most regularly, generally having bought single tickets, on Avanti West Coast and GWR I get back a quarter of the price if it’s quarter of an hour late. And, along with LNER, I get back half the ticket price if it’s half an hour late, and all of it if it’s a whole hour late.
And it’s so quick! If your train’s not on time, into your account goes the money, bang on time. It makes the delay so much more bearable; even interesting. I end up willing it to pass the 15-minute mark.
Me and my sister know just where Chiles coming from. Trains to our ancestral home – a bungalow four hours from London – are invariably delayed. But Delay Repay has almost made it fun.
We’ll text each other as we approach the crucial cliff-edge for a higher payout:
Me: Nooo! I don’t think I’m going to hit the 30-minute threshold
Sister: Hang tough! There’s still time to get stuck behind a late-running train that leads to a shortage of platforms!!
German and Japanese trains may run on time, but where’s the fun in that?
Indeed if only the rest of the UK’s creaking infrastructure was gamified with cash payouts.
No doctor appointment available for six weeks? Enjoy coughing up your lungs as you shuffle out to spend this £10 voucher!
Brexit got you tied up at the borders? Here’s a free month of Spotify to entertain you while you wait.
I’m only half joking.
Have a great weekend.
From Monevator
Talking about inheritance has psychological as well as financial benefits – Monevator
Running a 31-fold gain in pursuit of a 100-bagger – Monevator [Moguls]
From the archive-ator: The first law of thermodynamics and investing risk – Monevator
News
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PM seems unsure whether shareholders count as ‘working people’ – This Is Money
UK business growth slows to an 11-month low ahead of Labour’s first Budget… – Reuters
and consumers are in a ‘despondent’ mood too – CityAM
Patients to get full access to their data via NHS app – BBC
Record number of landlords set up limited companies to cut tax – This Is Money
The IPO market is lagging globally even as markets soar – FT
North Korea is sending troops to aid Russia in Ukraine – Sky
London tube map exhibition celebrates the iconic design – Reuters
What to make of Goldman’s forecast 3% returns from US stocks – A.W.O.C.S.
Products and services
How does Natwest’s new £180 bank switching offer compare? – This Is Money
Eight free or cheap deals for kids for half-term holidays – Which
Premium Bond rate cut to 4.15% – Money Saving Expert
Get £100-£2,000 cashback when you open a SIPP with Interactive Investor (T&Cs apply. Capital at risk) – Interactive Investor
‘Bespoke’ private banking: the ultimate in customer service? [Search result] – FT
How to save a few quid when you renew your house insurance – Which
What are the most efficient ways to use energy in the home? – Guardian
Open an account with low-cost platform InvestEngine via our link and get up to £50 when you invest at least £100 (T&Cs apply. Capital at risk) – InvestEngine
You can save £100 or more by switching energy tariffs, say experts – Guardian
Annuities versus pension drawdown: pros and cons – Which
Cozy cottages for sale, in pictures – Guardian
Comment and opinion
Skis, bikes, and diversification – C.I.A.I.
The downsizing shakeup [Search result] – FT
Equal weighting: equally bad? – Humble Dollar
Optimists are the best investors – White Coat Investor
Howard Marks: there are only two asset classes, ownership and debt – FT
How much house is too much? – Of Dollars and Data
What ‘Monzo millionaires’ can teach us about share options [Search result] – FT
Fooled by randomness – Klement on Investing
We need to talk about the US ‘bond vigilantes’ – Cullen Roche
Jason Zweig on life, books, and Benjamin Graham [Podcast] – Bogleheads via Apple
Naughty corner: Active antics
Even the biggest winners start off as small caps – Freedom Day
The small cap amplifier – Verdad
Two ways to value dividend-paying stocks – UK Dividend Stocks
[Not surprisingly] Starbucks is now struggling in China – Sherwood
We are watching the death of Google – Where’s Your Ed At
The power of patience – Safal Niveshak
Nvidia is bigger than every G7 country’s market cap except the US and Japan… – Apollo
…so a new US ETF offers the S&P 500 without the Magnificent Seven – Global Newswire
Kindle book bargains
Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How to Fix It by Sam Freedman – £0.99 on Kindle
Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis – £0.99 on Kindle
Bad Blood: Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos Scandal by John Carreyrou – £0.99 on Kindle
Casino: The Rise and Fall of the Mob in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi – £0.99 on Kindle
Environmental factors
Investors giving funds aligned to Paris agreement a wider birth – FT
Tourism at the end of the world – Macleans
Five nature wins that have actually worked – BBC
Amazon says it has ditched plastic air pillows – The Verge
How Chernobyl killed four million people – Klement on Investing
We’re in the golden age of garbage clothing – The Walrus
Crypto-o-crypto mini-special
Stripe’s now all-in on stablecoins, but it paid a steep price – Sherwood
Stablecoins: what next for crypto’s killer use case? – The Block
Robot overlord roundup
Google A.I. is inaccurate in 43% of finance-related searchers – College Investor
Anthropic’s latest Claude update can control your computer – Sherwood
The A.I. investment boom – Apricitas Economics
Off our beat
How progress creates its own obstacles – Vox
The free world teeters on the edge of a knife – Noahpinion
Why are we building homes when so many lie empty? – BBC
Apple’s move to turn the AirPods into hearing aid devices – The Verge
An end to passwords is in sight – Vox
The UK’s work sickness time bomb risks a lost generation – BBC
How much have music lyrics changed since the 1960s? – Stat Signficant
And finally…
“He was a self-made man who owed his lack of success to nobody.”
– Joseph Heller, Catch-22
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