What The Work has produced.

Should I pay my electric bill by credit card or direct withdrawal?

Analysis completed: July 26, 2026

Result: Automatic direct withdrawal. The July 2026 credit-card test was financially positive, but credit-card autopay wasn't available. Capturing the extra rewards would require a manual payment every month, so I chose automatic direct withdrawal.

Conclusion: Keep automatic direct withdrawal. The estimated rewards exceeded the fee, but the recurring manual task and missed-payment risk outweighed the additional value.

After earning just $6.28 over three years at 0.01%–0.03% APY with PNC, was moving my savings to EverBank at a 4.30% opening APY worth it?

Result year: 2025

Result: Yes. EverBank credited $603.11 in interest from May–December 2025, compared with approximately $4.43 at a hypothetical constant 0.03% APY using the same deposits and withdrawals—a $598.68 difference.

Scope: This is what I did with my own savings and what it produced. Interest depends on your balance and rate. Savings rates are variable and can change over time. This is not a recommendation. See Editorial Standards.

Conclusion: Keep EverBank Performance Savings. The $598.68 difference from the matched 0.03% APY model justified the less-than-one-hour setup, and the account met my requirements for accessibility, FDIC insurance, and fees. I'll reassess if its variable APY or account terms change enough to affect that decision.

Tool used: EverBank Performance Savings

Since my PNC checking earned no interest, could Fidelity earn dividends on my everyday cash without sacrificing bill payments, checks, or transfers?

Dividends measured: September 2024–April 2025

Result: Yes. Fidelity's SPAXX money market position credited $488.77 in dividends from September 2024–April 2025, compared with $0.00 in interest from my former PNC checking account. The Fidelity account also supported the payments and transfers I needed. These are actual credits versus my checking-account baseline, not a matched-balance investment return comparison.

Scope: This is my personal account experience, not a recommendation. SPAXX is a money market mutual fund, not an FDIC-insured deposit. SIPC protection does not insure against investment losses; distributions can change, and the figures are before personal income taxes. See Editorial Standards.

Conclusion: Keep Fidelity for everyday bills, with EverBank for FDIC-insured savings. Fidelity credited $488.77 in SPAXX dividends through April 2025, whereas my former PNC checking paid $0.00 in interest and charged no account fees. The two accounts had different balance histories, so this is not a matched-cash-flow estimate of incremental earnings. SPAXX is not FDIC-insured.

Tool used: Fidelity Cash Management Account · SPAXX

Should I use 100,000 Virgin Points + $111.10 instead of $6,367 cash for two overnight business-class tickets from Atlanta to Lima?

Result: Yes. 100,000 Virgin Points + $111.10 replaced a $6,367.00 captured business-class fare for two: 6.26¢/point.

Conclusion: The 6.26¢/point redemption cleared my 2.0¢ minimum and bought useful sleep; the captured-fare comparison is not literal cash saved.

Should I preemptively transfer Chase points to Virgin Points during a 30% bonus for a flight that is not yet bookable?

Result: Yes, as a speculative hedge based on the information available before the return was bookable. 91,000 Chase points transferred with a 30% bonus yielded 118,300 Virgin Points. The conservative assumed return priced at 2.80¢/point; these were estimates, not booked fares.

Conclusion: The modeled 2.80¢/point outcome cleared my 2.0¢ minimum, but the transfer was speculative. Judge the transfer separately from the later actual booking.

Once the Lima-to-Atlanta return became bookable, did my Chase-to-Virgin transfer pay off?

Result: No. The later 50,000-point Virgin redemption was excellent at 6.42¢/point, but transferring 91,000 Chase points ahead of availability sacrificed 41,000 more flexible Chase points than the return required.

Conclusion: The return redemption cleared my 2.0¢ minimum, but the preemptive transfer surrendered avoidable Chase flexibility. In hindsight, waiting was the better transfer decision.

Should I use 24,000 Flying Blue miles + $70.60 instead of $1,116 cash for two people on the Delta positioning flights between Columbus and Atlanta?

Result: Yes. 24,000 Flying Blue miles + $70.60 for two replaced a $1,116.00 captured fare: 4.36¢/mile, or 3.15¢/mile including the modeled $290.00 baggage downside.

Conclusion: Use the Flying Blue award for the positioning legs; keep modeled baggage fees separate from the actual booked cost.

Can I build the Costa Rica trip I want around high-value points and miles redemptions?

Prices captured: May 15, 2026

Result: Yes. $4,017.32 cash + 225,000 Hyatt points + 44,000 AAdvantage miles vs. $13,147.56 captured cash price.

Conclusion: Keep using points when a redemption fits the trip and clears my value test, and cash when it makes more sense. The recorded flights and hotels cost $4,017.32 in cash plus 225,000 Hyatt points + 44,000 AAdvantage miles.

Did JetBack’s $99.99 annual fee pay for itself?

Measurement period: January 20–August 20, 2026

Result: Yes. $1,609.53 in fare credits and refunds as of August 20, 2026, versus a $99.99 annual fee.

Conclusion: Keep. JetBack paid for itself many times over and reduced the need for me to keep manually checking eligible flights for lower fares.

Affiliate disclosure: I bought JetBack and began using it on January 20, 2026. The $1,609.53 result shown here was recorded on August 20, 2026. I became a JetBack affiliate on August 26, 2026. To receive the $15-off referral offer, you must download JetBack directly through my link — not by searching for it in the App Store. If you subscribe through my link, I will receive a commission.

Tool used: JetBack

Should I keep JetBack — or switch to a commission-based fare tracker?

Measurement period: January 20–August 20, 2026; pricing-model analysis completed September 1, 2026

Result: Keep JetBack. At $1,609.53 in fare credits and refunds, its $99.99 annual fee beat 10%, 20%, and 25% commission pricing in my analysis.

Conclusion: Keep. For the way I currently travel, JetBack’s flat annual fee costs less than the commission-based pricing models I tested while still fitting the airlines and automation I need. I will revisit this decision if my recovery level changes meaningfully, my flight volume decreases, or a stronger competing service enters the market.

Affiliate disclosure: I bought JetBack and began using it on January 20, 2026. The $1,609.53 result shown here was recorded on August 20, 2026. I became a JetBack affiliate on August 26, 2026. To receive the $15-off referral offer, you must download JetBack directly through my link — not by searching for it in the App Store. If you subscribe through my link, I will receive a commission.

Tool used: JetBack

Did CardPointers+ make managing a multi-person credit-card system easier, help maximize points, and pay for itself?

Measurement period: January 1–August 25, 2026, calculated August 25, 2026

Result: Yes. About 2.5 hours/week of manual tracking avoided (approximately 130 hours/year when annualized, not a measured yearly total), with $195.45 recovered on my eight cards—$27.46 more than the $167.99 purchase price.

Conclusion: Keep. It paid for itself on my cards alone and eliminated most of my manual credit-card tracking. The before-and-after time measurement is shown in the evidence.

Affiliate disclosure: I bought and used CardPointers+ independently before becoming a CardPointers affiliate on August 30, 2026. If you purchase through my link, I will receive a commission.

Tool used: CardPointers+

Is creatine worth adding to my routine?

Evidence snapshot: September 5, 2026 · about two months of use, starting July 7, 2026

RESULT · SELF-REPORTED: Yes. After about two months, I have noticed positive changes in how I feel, including how my muscles feel and recover, and that is valuable enough for me to keep creatine in my routine. This is my own observation over two months, not a measurement.

Scope: This is what I chose and noticed in my own routine. It is not medical advice, and what fits my body may not fit yours. Talk with your own clinician before starting a supplement. See Editorial Standards.

Conclusion: Keep. The positive changes I have noticed in how my muscles feel and recover are meaningful enough to justify keeping creatine in my routine.

Are CREATE gummies worth paying more for than creatine powder?

Evidence snapshot: September 6, 2026 · about two months using CREATE gummies, starting July 7, 2026

Result: Yes. The gummies cost $73 a month versus $40 for powder (prices captured September 6, 2026), but save me about 4 minutes a day and help me take creatine consistently, especially while traveling.

Conclusion: Keep. Powder wins on Money. Gummies win on Time and Sustainability. The extra cost is worth it because the format makes creatine easier for me to use consistently, especially while traveling.