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Here's the salary you have to earn to buy a home in 19 major US cities

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denver neighborhood houses autumn

How much does it take to buy a home?

Mortgage site HSH.com has updated its estimate of how much annual income a household would need to buy a home in major metropolitan areas in the US, according to third-quarter 2016 data.

In Q3, mortgage rates fell across the board for the second quarter in a row, which offset small increases in home prices in all but four major markets, making it more affordable to buy a home in the majority of major US cities.

However, a shortage of homes on the market means that if mortgage rates were to rise, buyers would find themselves in an expensive, tight spot.

HSH.com looked at median home prices from the National Association of Realtors. It took into account interest rates for common 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and property taxes and insurance costs to figure out how much money it would take to pay a median-priced home's mortgage, taxes, and insurance in each city, and how much you'd have to earn to afford it.

HSH.com emphasizes that this is only the base cost of owning a home, without taking into account maintenance and other incidentals.

The site also calculated how it would change the salary needed to buy a home if a buyer were to put 10% down instead of the recommended 20%. No matter where you are, putting down less makes things more expensive — you can visit HSH.com to see both numbers.

Salaries are listed from lowest to highest needed and are rounded to the nearest $500.

SEE ALSO: Here's how much you need to earn to live comfortably in 15 major US cities while still saving money

19. San Antonio

Population: 1,409,000

Median home price: $212,300

Monthly mortgage payment: $1,127

Salary needed to buy: $48,500



18. Orlando

Population: 255,483

Median home price: $229,900

Monthly mortgage payment: $1,162

Salary needed to buy: $50,000



17. Minneapolis

Population: 407,207

Median home price: $240,300

Monthly mortgage payment: $1,181

Salary needed to buy: $50,500



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These are the only 4 hair products guys should ever use

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If you don't know your gels from your pomades, you're not alone. 

The world of men's hair product is daunting, but don't be afraid. We've distilled it down to three basic categories that should suit any kind of hair.

No matter what kind of hair you have, at least one of these products is bound to tame your mane and make it look great.

 

 

SEE ALSO:  This is the best way to get the haircut you want

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

1. Hair wax (a.k.a. putty, clay, glue, molding creme, or styling paste)

For guys with straight or wavy hair, wax is the perfect product to use on a daily basis. It makes hair look effortlessly styled with a medium hold and the lowest shine of all hair products.

Another benefit comes from the heaps of texture it adds to all types of hair. It's good for a "messy look" that actually doesn't look messy at all.

Though it comes in many variations, most are made with different waxes like beeswax. They're also water soluble and will easily wash out of your hair. 

American Crew Fiber is the tried-and-true hair wax favorite, but other good choices include proprietary brands made by popular barber shop chains like Blind Barber and Fellow Barber.



2. Pomade

Pomades are hair wax's classic cousin. They combine a lot of hold with a lot of shine and are the best product to use for a slicked-back pompadour look or "Mad Men"-style side part. Again, pomades work best for men with straight or wavy hair, especially if it's on the long side.

The shiny finish and superior hold of pomades are what really separates them from hair waxes. Pomades are ideal for hair styles that don't need a lot of movement since they can sometimes feel waxy or greasy to the touch.

All of our favorite hair wax brands also make very suitable pomades, including American Crew. Uppercut also makes an extra-strength pomade called Monster Hold.



3. Styling cream

While hair wax and pomades can be similar, styling cream is a different beast altogether. Instead of a waxy solid like our first two products, styling cream is more of a thick liquid and is suitable for curly-haired men. It offers a light shine with no hold at all, and it takes care of the frizz and unruliness in your hair.

In short, styling cream will leave your hair manageable without drying it out.

For styling cream brands, you really can't go wrong. Moroccanoil has gained a lot of popularity recently for taking good care of both men's and woman's hair, but men's-focused creams like the Fellow Barber's Styling Cream and Malin + Goetz's sage styling cream are also excellent choices. Finally, Bumble and Bumble makes another good unisex alternative.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These will be the 2 biggest trends in men's fashion for 2017

15 survival tips for the office holiday party

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dance point party office disco

Holiday parties: They could turn out to be a fun night spent celebrating the season with your coworkers. Or they could mutate into a night of drunken disaster.

It all depends on your attitude.

Here are 15 tips to make sure your office holiday party is an unmitigated success.

1. Ask about the dress code ahead of time

You need to find out what the dress code is and stick to it, career coach Barbara Pachter tells Business Insider.

Pachter, the author of "The Essentials of Business Etiquette," says you don't want people talking about what you wore the day or night after the party. Whatever you wear, remember that it's still a business event.

Aside from the company's dress code, don't forget that behavior and harassment policies still apply— even if the party is off-site.

2. Don't go on an empty stomach

Although there might be hors d'oeuvres, you should still eat at least a little bit before the party begins. If not, you may become more intoxicated than you intended. Furthermore, eating while you're mingling isn't the most comfortable in a professional setting.

"Eat a little before you go to a business social event," says Pachter. "If you drink, you'll have something in your stomach, and if the food is delayed, you won't be hungry."

3. Don't even think about skipping the party

To show that you're committed to the company, make sure you show up for at least 30 minutes. Always assume company gatherings are "must attend" events

4. But also don't show up on time

Even if the party takes place at the office, Drew Magary at GQ advises you go home after work, then come back.

If you can't do that, just continue working until you see that 75% of your colleagues have turned on their holiday mode. Magary writes: "You know who shows up on time? That one creepy lady who works in human resources who you never talk to. Now it's just you two, standing there while the DJ spins 'Gangnam Style.'"

5. Use the party as an opportunity to meet people you don't already know

Especially in a large company, you'll likely see people at the party that you don't normally have a chance to interact with. Maybe they work on a different floor from you, or in a different office.

This is a good chance to build what Pachter calls a "minor rapport" with people who could help you later on in your career.

"The person at the party you're talking to, you may be interviewing with them six months from now," she says.

6. But don't explicitly conduct business

In other words, don't ask about that new position opening up or if you're eligible for a raise. It's tacky.

Since it's an office event, it's obvious that some business-related conversations will come up, but don't come to the party with an agenda, says Helene Wasserman, an attorney for the international labor and employment law firm Littler.

Also, try to avoid all gossiping about your coworkers.

7. Be sensitive to different religious affiliations

Don't forget that your colleagues aren't just celebrating Christmas, they're celebrating other holidays too, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

8. Know your drinking limit

You need to prepare yourself ahead of time by setting guidelines, whether that's one or two drinks max.

Pachter advises you order a drink you don't love, so that you can nurse it throughout the night.

9. Don't dance romantically with another employee

This will definitely spark office rumors. "If you are dating someone at the company and still keeping it a secret, this is not the time to start dancing romantically, because then everyone will know," says Pachter.

It's also not the time to try to make a move on a coworker you've been crushing on, or to start trying to woo an employee you're meeting for the first time.

"Don't embarrass somebody by going up to them and asking them to dance unless you're sure they will say yes," Pachter says.

10. Loosen up a bit

Obviously, you don't want to loosen up to the point where you're plastered, yelling at your office nemesis, or generally embarrassing yourself in front of people. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to relax a bit.

Writing for Salary.com, Harrison Monarth encourages party-goers to "engage on a human level and show some humility." This is your chance to really mingle with the people you work with every day. So don't be afraid to show a little warmth at your holiday party.

11. Don't be the last one to leave the party

It might be a festive event, but don't make a name for yourself as the company's party animal. Also, try to stop drinking an hour before you leave, says Wasserman.

If you become too intoxicated, find a cab immediately.

12. Don't go to the third venue

Some of your coworkers may want to go out after the party ends, and if you've been controlling your alcohol intake, feel free to go and mingle with your colleagues.

However, a few drinks later, if someone suggests a third venue, don't go.

Why? By the time you make it to that third venue, the vibe has changed. It's no longer the 'happy hour' crowd. It's now the 'let's rage' crowd. At this moment — as a working adult — you need to make a choice. The moment your colleagues see you in a compromising position, they will likely view you differently. Is that a risk you want to take? Because at this point, there is no turning back.

13. Make sure you say goodbye to people

If you don't say your goodbyes, it will make it look like you snuck out for some reason. You can also make a point of going up to the people who organized the party and thanking them for doing such a great job.

14. Be mindful of social media

It's a huge no-no to post negative opinions about your company or its holiday party on Facebook or Twitter, Pachter says. You'll also want to avoid posting photos or descriptions of coworkers who have had too much to drink.

In general, Pachter says it's best to keep anything you write about the party positive, and to ask people if you plan to post photos of them on social media.

"Someone's unbecoming behavior shouldn't be discussed or shown on Facebook," she says.

15. Make it to work the next day

This is even more crucial if you get intoxicated at the party. Everyone will know why you didn't show up to work the next day — including your boss.

Brian Moylan at Gawker writes: "You have to go to work the next day. If you don't, everyone will know why, and they will sit around and talk about your bad behavior the night before twice as much. If you're there, they have to sneak around and do it behind your back, which will cut down on the office gossip by at least 50%. You're already in trouble, don't make it worse."

This post is an updated version of a story originally written by Vivian Giang and Aaron Taube.

SEE ALSO: We asked and you answered — here are 18 of the wildest office holiday party stories we've ever heard

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The 9 best gadgets to give this season

A mathematical theory says the perfect age to get married is 26 — here's why

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couple kissing romance stock photo

If you're in your early 20s and think you might be part of the growing group of people taking a new interest in marriage, the 37% Rule is for you.

According to journalist Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths, coauthors of "Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions," that rule could help you save time looking for a spouse.

The 37% Rule basically says that when you need to screen a range of options in a limited amount of time — be they candidates for a job, new apartments, or potential romantic partners — the best time to make a decision is when you've looked at 37% of those options.

At that point in a selection process, you'll have gathered enough information to make an informed decision, but you won't have wasted too much time looking at more options than necessary. At the 37% mark, you've maximized your chance of selecting the best of the bunch.

A common thought experiment to demonstrate this theory — developed by non-PC math guys in the 1960s — is called "The Secretary Problem."

In the hypothetical, you can only screen secretaries once. If you reject a candidate, you can't go back and hire them later (since they might have accepted another job). The question is: How deep into the pool of applicants do you go to maximize your chance of finding the best one?

If you interview just three applicants, the authors explain, your best bet is making a decision based on the strength of the second candidate. If she's better than the first, you hire her. If she's not, you wait. If you have five applicants, you wait until the third to start judging.

So if you're looking for love between the ages of 18 and 40, the optimal age to start seriously considering your future husband or wife is just past your 26th birthday (37% into the 22-year span). Before then, you'll probably miss out on higher-quality partners, but after that, good options could start to become unavailable, decreasing your chances of finding "the one."

In mathematics lingo, searching for a potential mate is known as an "optimal stopping problem." Over 1,000 possibilities, Christian and Griffiths explain, you should pull the trigger on someone 36.81% of the way through. The bigger the pool of options, the closer to exactly 37% you can get.

Research about successful marriages seems to support the age sweet spot of 26.

Last July, the University of Utah sociologist Nicholas H. Wolfinger discovered that the best ages to get married in order to avoid divorce are between 28 and 32. The range doesn't align exactly — 28 years old is closer to a 45% Rule — but partners usually decide on each other a while before their actual wedding. Wolfinger's analysis also revealed that a couple's chances of breaking up increased by 5% each year after age 32.

If you commit to settling down around 26, in other words, you're on the right track.

The 37% Rule isn't perfect. Since it borrows from the cold logic of math, it assumes that people have a reasonable understanding of what they want in a partner by 26, but doesn't account for the fact that what we look for in our partners may change dramatically between 18 and 40.

What the 37% Rule does tell us is that 26 is the age when our dating decisions are most trustworthyit's the point at which we can stop looking and start taking those big leaps of faith.

SEE ALSO: 14 things that are harder to get into than Stanford

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How men and women react differently after marrying a psychopath

7 rules for flying like a modern gentleman

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guy in airport

You can't check your responsibility for proper travel etiquette at the gate.

From who gets the armrest to flying's unofficial dress code, there are a few rules every guy should know when he travels on an airplane.

These aren't laws — no one's going to put you in jail for violating armrest etiquette. But if every guy followed them, the airplane would be a much happier place.

SEE ALSO: The skinny tie is dying

DON'T MISS: If you're going to let your beard grow out, here's the most important thing to remember

You can drink, but don't go overboard.

Sure, plenty of people imbibe in the airport and on the plane, but this is not a night out on the town. You're traveling — there's absolutely no reason to overdo it.

Plus, flying already dehydrates you. Have a glass of water in between cocktails.



Try not to use the plane's bathroom if you can help it.

Unless you have some kind of medical issue, a flight under three hours shouldn't require a trip to the lavatory — yet another reason to drink lightly. Leave it open for those who really need it, like the elderly or parents with small children.

Plus, think of how dirty the airplane bathroom is. Best avoided.



Don't recline your seat.

The fact that your seat can recline doesn't mean that it should. Reclining only makes your seat slightly more comfortable while making the passenger behind you so much more uncomfortable. Not only that, but the people affected by your seat recline often end up reclining their own seats, starting a pointless chain of recline.

Those in the back row as well as the emergency exit row have it the worst, as their seats don't go back at all. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The surprisingly frugal habits of 8 extremely wealthy people

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Mark Zuckerberg

Frugality is a subjective term. To the average Joe it could mean eating meals at home or scouring the internet for cheap flights.

But to a billionaire it means showing up to work in a T-shirt and jeans, driving a Toyota or Volkswagen, and, in some instances, foregoing the purchase of a private jet or lavish vacation home.

Surprisingly, some of the richest people on earth are incredibly frugal, each one with their own penny-pinching habits.

From eating lunch in the office cafeteria with their employees to residing in homes worth a fraction of what they could afford, these eight self-made billionaires — many of whom are also generous philanthropists— know the secret to keeping their net worth high.

DON'T MISS: After studying rich people for 5 years, I realized there are 10 critical habits the wealthy learn from their parents

SEE ALSO: The 50 richest people on earth

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, still lives in the same home he bought for $31,500 in 1958.

Net worth:$68.1 billion

The "Oracle of Omaha" is one of the wisest and most frugal billionaires around. Despite his status as one of the richest people on earth, he still lives in the same modest home he bought for $31,500 in 1958, doesn't carry a cellphone or have a computer at his desk, and once had a vanity license plate that read "THRIFTY," according to his 2009 biography. And when his friend of 25 years Bill Gates visits Omaha, Buffett picks Gates up from the airport himself.

Buffett also has a decidedly low-brow palate, known not just for investing in junk-food purveyors like Burger King, Dairy Queen, and Coca-Cola, but also for filling up on them as well. The Buffett diet includes five Cokes a day, as well as Cheetos and potato chips.

At his annual shareholder's meeting in 2014, Buffett explained that his quality of life isn't affected by the amount of money he has:

"My life couldn't be happier. In fact, it'd be worse if I had six or eight houses. So, I have everything I need to have, and I don't need any more because it doesn't make a difference after a point."



Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, drives a manual-transmission Volkswagen hatchback.

Net worth:$51.5 billion

Despite his status as one of the richest tech moguls on earth, Mark Zuckerberg leads a low-key lifestyle with his wife Priscilla Chan and their newborn daughter. The founder of Facebook has been unabashed about his simple T-shirt, hoodie, and jeans uniform.

"I really want to clear my life to make it so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community," Zuckerberg said.

The trappings of wealth have never impressed the 32-year-old, who in December 2015 announced he would donate 99% of his Facebook shares during his lifetime.

Zuckerberg chowed down on McDonald's shortly after marrying Chan in 2012 in the backyard of their $7 million Palo Alto home — a modest sum for such an expensive housing market and pocket change for a man worth more than $51 billion. In 2014, he traded in his $30,000 Acura for a manual-transmission Volkswagen hatchback.

 



Carlos Slim Helú, founder of Grupo Carso, has lived in the same six-bedroom house for more than 40 years.

Net worth:$31.6 billion

Rather than spending his fluctuating fortune, Carlos Slim funnels his billions back into the economy and his vast array of companies. He once mused to Reuters that wealth was like an orchard because "what you have to do is make it grow, reinvest to make it bigger, or diversify into other areas."

The 76-year-old is by far the richest man in Mexico, but he forgoes luxuries like private jets and yachts and reportedly still drives an old Mercedes-Benz. Slim runs his companies frugally, too, writing in staff handbooks that employees should always "maintain austerity in prosperous times (in times when the cow is fat with milk)."

The businessman has lived in the same six-bedroom house in Mexico for more than 40 years and routinely enjoys sharing home-cooked meals with his children and grandchildren. He's got a couple of known indulgences, including fine art — in honor of his late wife — and Cuban cigars, as well as an $80 million mansion in Manhattan, which he was trying to sell last spring.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

12 holiday gifts ideas for the programmers and IT professionals in your life

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Happy programmer work

The holiday season is here.

If your shopping list includes someone who loves computers or programming, you're in luck. From gadgets to clothes to toys, there are a whole lot of things your favorite geeky guy, girl or kid will like.

We've compiled a short list of ideas for you, most of them under $100, and many under $25.

SEE ALSO: 12 cloud computing skills worth over $113,000 a year salary

SEE ALSO: Programmers are having a huge discussion about the unethical and illegal things they’ve been asked to do

Arduino Starter Kit: $90

The Starter Kit is a great entry to the world of building cool electronics projects like a musical instrument you play by waving your hands or a lock that opens by tapping a secret code. 

The Starter Kit includes the components and step-by-step instructions for 15 projects.



CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Ultimate Starter Kit: $90

An alternative starter kit for wannabe electronics gadget makers is this "ultimate" Raspberry Pi 3 starter kit. It includes the latest Pi computer as well as a whole bunch of other components for building electronic gadgets.



Intel's Compute Stick with Windows 10: $132

Intel's Compute Stick is a full-fledged Windows 10 computer, the size of a USB stick, that you can plug into any HDMI display like a TV or monitor.

Carry it in your pocket or on your key chain and you'll always have a PC with you.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The three best holiday gifts for a wine lover — according to a top sommelier

Malia Obama is going to Harvard next fall — here's where America's other 'first kids' went to college

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U.S. President Barack Obama and his daughter Malia walk from Marine One to board Air Force One upon their departure from O'Hare Airport in Chicago April 7, 2016.    REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Malia Obama has chosen to attend Harvard University in the fall of 2017 after she takes a gap year, the White House announced on Sunday.

Her announcement follows months of speculation about her choice after she went on a tour of the Ivies, Stanford, and New York University last year.

With an eye on first kids who were teenagers or young adults when their parents lived in the White House, as far back as President John F. Kennedy, we looked at their college choices.

While President-elect Trump's children fall outside the scope of this criteria, the four older ones all attended stellar colleges as well. Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Tiffany all graduated from the same alma mater as their father — The University of Pennsylvania — and Eric graduated from Georgetown University.

Take a look below to see who dropped out of college, who failed the bar exam, and whose parents didn't go to their graduation.

Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, University of Texas at Austin, Class of 1966

The oldest daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb attended the all-girls National Cathedral School in Washington, DC, and the University of Texas at Austin for college. She is the last first daughter to be married in the White House.



Luci Baines Johnson, Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, 1966 (did not graduate)

The younger daughter of President Johnson, Luci attended Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies, but she was forced to drop out in 1966. She was married that year, and the school prohibited married students.



Tricia Nixon Cox, Boston College, Class of 1968

The oldest daughter of President Richard Nixon, Tricia attended Boston College and earned a degree in English. Her father served as a guest speaker at her graduation.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

We did a blind taste test of wings from Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, and Buffalo Wild Wings — the winner was clear

8 great holiday party ice breakers

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talk party ice breaker conversation happy

Office holiday parties are often rife with potential — and danger.

They can provide you with the chance to unwind with your office friends and make new connections. However, amidst the booze and dancing, there are also many opportunities to make a complete fool of yourself.

You definitely don't want to go overboard with the drinking. What's more, it's important to come prepared to connect with people.

Business Insider previously spoke to Nicole Williams, a career expert and author of "Girl on Top" and "Wildly Sophisticated," to get her top tips on how to strike up a conversation with anyone at the holiday party.

For starters, she suggests coming up with a list of people you're hoping to talk to in advance. Then, she says, do some quick background research on them: skim their LinkedIn page, Twitter account, or blog.

Once you've done that, you'll be ready to use any of her favorite questions and talking points, which we've compiled below.

Conversation starters for company leaders

1. I read that you went to...

Your go-to conversation starter should be something that demonstrates your interest in the person you're talking to, Williams says. Plenty of things can work. She also suggests: "I read a report that you contributed to" or "I read a blog that you wrote." Both are flattering and open-ended, likely to generate a conversation rather than a simple yes or no response.

2. How did you get into the industry?

A favorite topic, especially among executives, is how they got where they are today. Because of that, Williams thinks this question is particularly good for striking up a conversation with the CEO or another high-level company member. "People enjoy talking about themselves, and they enjoy reminiscing about what brought them to the work in the first place," she says.

3. What's one of your goals for 2017?

Another talking point with the CEO and top execs is goals for the upcoming year. Williams says asking this will help you understand what's most important to the company and its leaders on a more personal level. Plus, once you know them, you can think about how to align your own goals with theirs.

4. What was the best piece of advice that you got early on in your career?

Williams admits that this query is a bit cliché, but says it's still an effective way of connecting with higher-ups in your office. "You can ask for advice, insight, wisdom," she explains. All of these will come off as flattering to the recipient.

Conversation starters for anyone

1. What's one of your favorite parts of this job?

Williams says this is a good conversation starter for anyone in the office. It's about work, but also personal enough to generate a real discussion of things people like and value. And you might find that you care about the same things as the person you're talking with.

2. Have you seen any movies? What have you read lately?

The best part about these questions, according to Williams, is that they create endless follow-up questions. For example, if your coworker recently saw "Captain Phillips," you can ask what he thought of it. If you've seen it too, you can have an entire discussion of it.

3. Did you take a vacation this year? Where did you go?

If you're looking for a friendly topic that anyone would enjoy, vacation is it. Williams says everyone loves to talk about time off. It doesn't matter if they traveled or stayed home — asking about vacation will help you learn what your coworkers enjoy doing and how they unwind away from the office.

4. Where do you find those great suits you sport in the office?

Writing on her website Works, Williams notes that it's important to steer away from overly work-related topics. Instead, try to get a bit personal. Ask about your coworker's life. Ask about what sports they play, where they went to school, or where they shop. "Find things in common and take the relationships to the next level. The more you listen and make meaningful connection, the more allied she’s going to be to your success," Williams writes.

Lastly, Williams adds that it's important to follow up on your conversations. If someone recommended a book to you, shoot them an email saying you got it and are looking forward to reading it. If you and a coworker discovered a mutual interest, find a related article and pass it along.

"You're learning something about them so that you can follow up after the event," Williams told Business Insider. That's how you build a relationship that will last beyond the holiday party.

This is an updated version of an article written by Alison Griswold.

SEE ALSO: 7 body language tricks that are hard to master but will pay off forever

Join the conversation about this story »

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Here's how to split the restaurant bill in any situation

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Ordering at a restaurant, menus

Whether you're taking a client to dinner, grabbing lunch with a new friend, or sharing a meal with your in-laws, awkwardness can immediately settle in when the bill comes and everyone stares, silently wondering, "Who pays?"

Several potential scenarios can play out: Should you split the check evenly? Should everyone pay for their own meal? Is it expected that your father-in-law will pick up the check?

Every dining situation, from a birthday dinner to a double date, commands its own nuances when it comes to handling the check. We spoke with three experts — Diane Gottsman, national etiquette expert and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas, David Weliver, founder of financial advice website Money Under 30, and Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick, founder and president of The Etiquette School of New York— to definitively decide how to handle the bill in 10 common situations.

"Other than business meals, there are no hard and fast rules for splitting the check," Napier-Fitzpatrick told Business Insider. "In business, it's protocol for the person extending the invitation to pay. In terms of all other different scenarios, I would say there are certain guidelines, things one would do to make sure they didn't feel taken advantage of and that they're being considerate when it comes to paying for meals."

Read on to check out who's turn it is to pick up the bill when, and avoid those awkward "How do you wanna do this?" conversations for good.

SEE ALSO: 13 smart 10-minute money decisions our coworkers wish they'd made sooner

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How to reconcile with close friends and family who backed the other candidate this election

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Toasting drinking wine champagne out to dinner

The 2016 presidential election has caused enormous strains on relationships of all sorts, from friendships to families to marriages.

According to a Monmouth University poll, 7% of voters report having lost or ended a friendship because of this year's divisive presidential race. Despite party affiliations, one thing most voters could agree on was that this election brought out the worst in people.

As The New York Times and The Atlantic both reported, for the first time in US election history, the 2016 presidential race even divided married couples, who, in elections past, tended to band together when it came to voting.

"Part of the problem is not just preference," Republican pollster Whit Ayers explained to The Atlantic. "It's that if you're not for Trump, you have a hard time understanding how any rational human being could be. And the same is true for Clinton."

Reports on social media of people being uninvited from Thanksgiving festivities this year because of their presidential picks seem to bear this deep division out.

But while we know this vitriolic election will have a number of long-term effects, will your bruised and battered relationships be one of them?

Making peace with close friends and family who backed the other candidate is possible according to the experts, but it won't be easy.

"Reconciling with those you sparred with and continuing the discussion feel more complicated because so much uncertainty surrounds life after the presidential election," Dr. Michael McNulty, a master trainer from The Gottman Institute and founder of the Chicago Relationship Center, tells Business Insider.

He says that, since few thought Donald Trump would be elected president, no one really knows what a Trump presidency will look like and we face an uncertain future.

"Uncertainty is very stressful," he says, which can cause people to lash out and have much more impassioned, sometimes hurtful, debates.

The road to recovering relationships after hurtful things were said shouldn't be all that unfamiliar, but that doesn't make it any easier to navigate.

"If conversations got heated and you were out of line, apologize," McNulty says.

"If someone apologizes to you, accept the apology," he says. It's as simple as that.

It's also helpful to know when to have these discussions. Perhaps waiting until everyone is sat down to the dinner table to eat is not the most tactful approach. Instead, try blocking out some time or even setting up an appointment so that the problem can be handled with much more care.

"This year, a lot was at stake," McNulty says. "This left people extremely passionate about the issues and candidates. If you or your family member crossed a line beyond debating into poor behavior, try to repair and set a more positive tone. Competitive athletes do this every day."

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New York's hottest public elementary school is harder to get into than Harvard

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Walsh Elementary School

The elementary admissions process in New York City is utterly grueling, as evidenced by new kindergarten admissions workshops that have popped up around town.

But among exemplary schools, one stands out as the gold-standard of top public elementary schools: Hunter College Elementary School.

The irony that Hunter has the word "college" in its name shouldn't escape you. Hunter's level of exclusivity tops even that of Harvard University — but Hunter evaluates 4-year-olds instead of high school seniors. 

Hunter College Elementary is a K-6 school that is publicly funded and serves intellectually gifted students. It is administered by Hunter College, a college of the City University of New York.

The only entry point for Hunter is kindergarten. This means that if you get rejected the first time, you can't apply to the elementary school again. At Harvard there is always the option to transfer.

Each year, Hunter chooses 25 girls and 25 boys from all of Manhattan to be admitted to its incoming kindergarten class, according to its website. They're hand-selected from a pool of about 2,500 applicants, according to the website Inside Schools. To put that into perspective, that makes the acceptance rate for Hunter 2%. Harvard's undergraduate acceptance rate for the class of 2020 was 5.2%.

Prospective Hunter students must first take a Stanford–Binet IQ test administered in a formal setting. The school informs parents that they should not prep their children for testing and that they'll be disqualified if there's evidence they prepared a child for the exam.

The pool of students is then whittled down to 250 of the children with the highest scores.

The remaining applicants are brought in for an evaluation round where they are observed individually interacting with peers and one-on-one with teachers. The Admissions Selections Committee chooses kids without knowing their names or other identifying factors.  

Hunter is unbelievably difficult to get into for a reason. It has a reputation for providing an amazing learning experience to gifted students — all free of tuition charges. And Hunter College High School has an impressive list of notable alumni including Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.

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North America is going to get a new billionaire every 6 days

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North America can expect to mint a new billionaire every six days for the next five years.

That's according to Credit Suisse's 2016 global wealth report, which charts the number of millionaires and billionaires around the world, and forecasts trends in global wealth. 

North America leads the world in billionaire creation, with more than 300 of the 945 new billionaires expected over the next five years coming from the continent. That works out at 60 billionaires a year, or more than one a week.

The number of millionaires in North America is also expected to jump by 33% over the next five years, rising to 19.7 million. There is forecast to be more than 100,000 ultra high-net worth individuals, or those with $50 million or more in wealth, in North America by 2021, making up more than half of the global total. 

While the population of wealthy Chinese citizens is growing fast, the country is still far behind North America. The Asian giant has 1.6 million millionaires, only marginally ahead of Canada's 1.1 million, and a long way behind the US, which has 13.6 million.

"The USA has the most members of the top 1% global wealth group, and currently accounts for 41% of the world's millionaires," the report said. "The number of UHNW individuals with wealth above USD 50 million is six times that of the next country, China."

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