The Santa Claus Rally Is in Full Swing

Dear Reader,

Please allow me to go on a bit of a rant today.

I’ve been stuck at home all week with no car.

You see, I drove my significant other to the airport early Tuesday morning.

I dropped her off and wished her safe travels.

I hopped on the highway and put on a podcast.

I’ve been listening to the President’s Daily Brief on Spotify.

If you haven’t checked it out, I highly suggest listening to it.

It’s run by Mike Baker, a former CIA covert operations officer and current CEO of global intelligence firm Portman Square Group.

The President’s Daily Brief refers to the highly classified and top-secret document that the president receives every morning.

You’ll get much better information from the podcast than you’ll hear on NPR or other mainstream media outlets.

Anyway, I was plodding along listening to the podcast when I smelled something strange.

I recognized it as a burning smell, so I kept I eyes peeled, as I thought there may be an accident up ahead.

I rounded a turn and noticed a work truck with its flashers on about a quarter-mile ahead.

I then moved my eyes back to the middle of the road in front of me when I saw an object in the middle of my lane.

There wasn’t anyone in front of me, but there were vehicles to my left and right, so I couldn’t swerve to avoid it.

This all happened in about five seconds.

As I got closer to the object, I still couldn’t tell what it was but thought I could avoid it.

But as soon as I got close, I realized I was in trouble.

It must have been a transmission or a similar long, metal object.

Before I knew it, it was too late.

I ran it over.

It blew out my front and back driver’s side tires.

The car immediately slowed down. I carefully made my way to the right side of the highway and put on my flashers.

From the grinding sound and smell, I knew that it wasn’t just the tires that were shot.

The rims were also busted.

But not to worry, I’ve got Progressive insurance!

I have automatic accident detection and roadside assistance.

I’ll be fine, right?

Well, here’s where my rant really starts.

The automatic accident detection didn’t trigger, so I went into the app and requested roadside assistance. The time was 6:30 a.m.

While I waited to hear from roadside, I submitted an accident claim through the app.

I then got a call from Progressive Roadside and talked to a rep.

She said that because I hit a stationary object in the road, my accident didn’t qualify for roadside assistance. I said something along the lines of, “That’s the whole point of having roadside assistance, for when you’re stranded on the side of the road.”

She said they could send an in-network tow truck, but when I talked to the towing company, they said it wouldn’t be there for over two hours.

Sitting on the side of 95 for two hours in the cold with my dog didn’t sit well with me.

So, just like it always happens with insurance, I had to take care of it myself.

I called the closest towing company and they were there in about 30 minutes.

I had to drive the car onto the bed of the tow truck because it was a stick shift and he didn’t feel comfortable driving it. Not a problem. I did have to leave my dog in the car on top of the truck, which I felt realty bad about. But all I wanted was to get off that highway.

The driver took me over to Walmart tire and service center, which was the only shop open when we got there around 8 a.m.

A Progressive rep was assigned to my case and she hadn’t called.

Her voicemail said she would contact me by the end of the next business day. That’s completely unacceptable when I need to get my car worked on now. I still haven’t heard from her since the accident.

It started snowing.

I walked my dog around Walmart in the cold while we waited for the service.

Still no call from the Progressive rep.

So I payed out of pocket for the tow and service.

God only knows when I’ll be reimbursed for that, if at all.

Luckily, I was close to my parents’ house, so I’ve been holed up here all week trying to figure out the insurance.

I’ve called the company countless times to try to get in touch with my assigned claims rep, but I’ve had to talk to other reps throughout the whole process.

I submitted photos to Progressive, but didn’t hear anything.

A few times, I called and they transferred me to the rep assigned to my case, but, shocker, it went straight to voicemail.

So I took my car to the Toyota dealership to get the rims replaced.

The rep that I talked to said they need to send an adjustor out to the shop before work starts on the car, but that it takes two–three days.

Again, completely ridiculous.

Insurance is a scam. At least it feels like it. I’ve always thought that every car should come with built-in insurance straight from the factory. Vehicles are so expensive now anyway that the dealership should be paying for your insurance, at least until the warranty is up.

And, look, I’m a very optimistic person and I usually give people the benefit of the doubt, but after this time-consuming fiasco, I’ll be switching insurance companies.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is the market is white-hot.

It’s an “everything rally,” they say.

So let’s ride this Santa Claus rally to end the year.

And make sure to check out my latest podcast episode, where I deliver three hot stock picks that insiders are buying like crazy.

Stay frosty,

Alexander Boulden
Editor, Wealth Daily

Check us out on YouTube!

After Alexander’s passion for economics and investing drew him to one of the largest financial publishers in the world, where he rubbed elbows with former Chicago Board Options Exchange floor traders, Wall Street hedge fund managers, and International Monetary Fund analysts, he decided to take up the pen and guide others through this new age of investing.

Alexander is the investment director of Insider Stakeout — a weekly investment advisory service dedicated to tracking the smartest money on the planet so that his readers can achieve life-altering, market-beating returns. He also serves at the managing editor for R.I.C.H. Report, a comprehensive service that uses the highest-quality investment research and strategies that guides its members in growing their wealth on top of preserving it.

Check out his editor’s page here.

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