• If you want to connect wireless devices to your PC, you'll need to know how to turn Bluetooth on and off in Windows 10.
• Bluetooth is a networking standard that's used on your phone, wireless speakers, headphones, your car, and more. Most Windows computers come with Bluetooth as well. 
• You can find the Bluetooth controls in Settings, at the top of the "Bluetooth & other devices" page. 
• To connect Bluetooth speakers, your phone, or other devices, start by turning on Bluetooth in Windows. If you want to conserve battery power on a laptop, though, you can turn Bluetooth off. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Bluetooth is an essential networking standard that wirelessly connects your phone to headphones, speakers, earbuds, your car, and more. 

But many Windows computers come with Bluetooth as well, and with it, you can connect most of the same devices to your PC. You can even turn on a feature called Dynamic Lock that locks the computer when your phone is out of Bluetooth range. 

Your computer's Bluetooth might be turned off by default, so if you want to connect devices to your Windows PC wirelessly, you'll need to turn it on. 

In addition, if you have a laptop, don't use Bluetooth, and want to conserve your battery, you might want to ensure Bluetooth is off. Here's how to control it. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

HP 15.6-inch Laptop (From $239.99 at Best Buy)

Bose 700 Noise Cancelling Headphones (For $399.99 at Best Buy)

Bose SoundLink II Speaker (For $129.99 at Best Buy)

Google Pixel 3 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to turn Bluetooth on and off in Windows 10

1. Start Settings from the Start menu. It's the gear-shaped icon above the power button. You can also search for the program by typing "settings" in the Start button's search box.

2. Click "Devices."

3. If it's not already selected, click "Bluetooth & other devices" in the pane on the left of the Settings window. 

4. At the top of the Bluetooth & other devices page, you should see a switch for Bluetooth. To turn it on, just click to slide it to the right. When turned on, the switch will turn blue. To turn it off, click to slide it to the left (it'll turn white). 

With the switch turned on, your computer will now be discoverable for a Bluetooth connection with other devices. 

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to take a screenshot on any Windows 10 computer in several different ways

• How to boot your Windows 10 computer into 'Safe Mode,' to diagnose and troubleshoot problems

• How to add a Google Chrome shortcut icon to your desktop on a Mac or PC

• How to properly uninstall programs on Windows 10, to protect your computer and free up space

SEE ALSO: The best Bluetooth speakers you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

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• You should log out of Instagram occasionally to protect your account's security, especially if you access Instagram on a shared device or know you won't be using it for a while. 
• Logging out of Instagram on mobile won't log you out on a computer, so make sure to sign out on both types of devices to better protect your account. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Once you're done with your daily scroll through the endless feed of Instagram, it's a good idea to log out of Instagram. Doing so ensures that anyone who picks up your phone or hops onto the computer you were using can't access your account.

Logging out of Instagram is quick and easy, but know that you need to take the time to sign out both on your phone as well as on your computer – signing out on one device won't log you out of the platform across all hardware.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone Xs (From $999 at Apple)

Google Pixel 3 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to log out of Instagram on your mobile device

1. With the Instagram app open on your iPhone or Android phone, click the circle at the bottom right corner of the screen – it will be your user profile image. 

2. Tap the three parallel horizontal lines at the top right corner of the screen. 

3. On the popup menu, tap the word "Settings" at the bottom of the screen. 

4. Tap the words "Log Out" at the bottom of the next screen – you might need to scroll down slightly. 

How to log out of Instagram on your computer

1. Click the icon that depicts a person's head and shoulders at the top right corner of the screen.

2. Click the gear icon beside the words "Edit Profile."

3. On the popup menu that appears, click "Log Out."

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to delete your Instagram account on an iPhone, or temporarily disable it

• How to post on Instagram from your phone or a Mac computer

• How to make your Instagram private and hide your account from everyone except the followers you approve

• How to clear suggested searches on Instagram for iPhone, and clear your search history

SEE ALSO: The best cheap phones you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

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• When thinking about extremely successful people, it can be hard to imagine what they were doing when they were younger.
• By their 20s, many of the most successful people in the world were on the road to their future careers.
• Others, however, were just as lost as any other 20-something just starting out.
• We rounded up what 19 of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, TV stars, politicians, and more were doing in their teenage years and early 20s.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

SEE ALSO: 8 Celebrities Who Struggled More Than The Average Twenty-Something

Mark Cuban was fired for going over a CEO's head on a deal.

Kim Kardashian West organized celebrities' closets.

At the young age of 26, Kim Kardashian's star was on the rise. As a close friend of Paris Hilton, Kardashian appeared on the hotel heiress's hit TV show, "The Simple Life", in 2006. However, her role on the show revealed more about the now-media mogul than just her friendship with Hilton. In her brief appearance on the show, Kardashian is seen helping Hilton organize and clean out her closet, which she made money doing at the time, along with reselling designer goods on eBay.

"My closet business came about when I was at my godparents' house, Sugar Ray Leonard and his wife Bernadette," Kardashian explained in an interview with now-defunct Player Magazine in 2006. "Bernadette's closet was massive and had so much stuff in it. I said to her, 'You really need to clean out your closet.' Well, we spent the whole night doing that."

Kim Kardashian West is said to have organized the closets of high-profile celebrities such as Kenny G, Rob Lowe and his wife, Cindy Crawford, Serena Williams, as well as close friends like Nicky Hilton and Nicole Richie.

Soon, Kardashian became known as the "Queen of the Closet Scene," and when asked about her future goals, Kardashian quipped that a reality tv show about her closet business would be exciting. Little did she know she would become one of the most recognizable people in the world with a net worth of $72 million.

Serena Williams won her first Grand Slam title.

Even at the young age of 17, Serena Williams was a force to be reckoned with. Though Williams was not yet a legal adult, she was nevertheless ranked as the No. 6 tennis player in the world and was about to secure her very first Grand Slam title.

On September 11, 1999, Williams was slated to go up against four Grand Slam champions. In a huge upset, Williams was able to defeat all of them, winning the title of Grand Slam champion in the US Open. She was the first African-American woman to win a major singles championship since Althea Gibson in 1958.

Ellen DeGeneres suffered a tragic loss and turned it into one of her most memorable career moments.

When Ellen DeGeneres was in her early 20s, she suffered a heartbreaking loss that would inevitably lead to her stand-up career and future success. When DeGeneres was 20 years old, her then-girlfriend passed away in a tragic car accident after the recently broken-up couple went to see Ellen's brother's band play at a local gig. Speaking about the accident now, DeGeneres reveals she felt a tremendous amount of guilt over what happened.

"She was trying to get me to come back home. I acted like I couldn't hear her because the music was too loud," Ellen said in an interview featured on Oprah's Master Class. "I was being really...dismissive of her."

Later that night, DeGeneres' girlfriend would be involved in a fatal car accident. Ellen returned home to her apartment and began writing, trying to channel her grief.

"The basement was infested with fleas. There were just fleas everywhere, and I remember thinking, 'It just seems so ridiculous that this young, 23-year-old girl who I was just living with [is] gone, and fleas are here,'" she said. "I thought, 'It would be great to just pick up the phone and call up God and talk about this.'"

Ellen DeGeneres' stand-up bit titled "Phone Call to God" would become her gateway to fame. Several years after the accident, she performed it during her first network television appearance on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show." Carson was so impressed by her performance that he invited her to sit on his couch; she became the first female comic to be invited to do so after performing a stand-up routine on the show.

J. K. Rowling went to Elephant Fayre festival.

JK Rowling is best known as the genius behind the "Harry Potter" series, but she didn't come up with the idea for Harry, Ron, and Hermione until she was 25. She struggled to get the book published at first, and couldn't focus at work, which led to her being fired from Amnesty International.

According to The Daily Mail, Rowling spent her teenage years going to festivals and hitch-hiking around the UK.

Bill Gates was busy writing computer code.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates discovered his love of computers at age 13 while attendingprep school in Seattle. There, he wrote computer code for a version of tic-tac-toe. He then met and went into business with Paul Allen, his Microsoft cofounder, according to Biography.com.

Gates attended Harvard University but dropped out at age 20 in 1975 to focus on Microsoft, which then made him the world's richest self-made billionaire.

Jeff Bezos was flipping burgers.

Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, started his professional career in McDonald's when he was a teenager. According to Cody Teets, author of " Golden Opportunity: Remarkable Careers That Began at McDonald's," he wasn't very good at it.

Bezos told Teets: "My first week on the job, a five-gallon, wall-mounted ketchup dispenser got stuck open in the kitchen and dumped a prodigious quantity of ketchup into every hard-to-reach kitchen crevice."

"Since I was the new guy, they handed me the cleaning solution and said, 'Get going!' I was a grill man and never worked the cash registers. The most challenging thing was keeping everything going at the right pace during a rush."

Tina Fey worked at the YMCA.

Tina Fey, the brains behind "Mean Girls" and "30 Rock," was really into theatre at college, but she didn't get into comedy writing until years after she graduated.

First, Fey moved to Chicago so she could hang around acting workshops, and in her early 20s, she worked as the childcare registrar at a YMCA.

She then joined the improv troupe Second City because she "knew it was where a lot of SNL people started," according to The New Yorker. She was hired by "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels as a writer in 1997.

Warren Buffett was rejected from Harvard.

By the time the world's most famous investor was 16, he had earned today's equivalent of $53,000 (£41,000) according to the biography "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" by Alice Schroeder. One of Buffett's first jobs was delivering The Washington Post as a paperboy. He also sold golf balls and stamps, buffed cars, and set up pinball machines in barbershops.

He was rejected from Harvard Business School, but then attended Columbia Business School and worked as an investment salesman, securities analyst, and stockbroker.

Oprah Winfrey worked for a local radio station.

Oprah Winfrey is now one of the most famous talk show hosts, actresses, and producers in the world, but she realized she loved media at age 14 when she moved to Nashville. She found her first job at 16 as a broadcaster for WVOL, a Nashville radio station.

At age 19, as a sophomore at Tennessee State University, Winfrey left school to start her media career. However, she had a bumpy ride into fame after being fired from hosting the 6 p.m. news on Baltimore's WJZ-TV in 1977.

"I had no idea what I was in for or that this was going to be the greatest growing period of my adult life," Winfrey told the Baltimore Sun. "It shook me to my very core, and I didn't even know at the time that I was being shaken."

Jay-Z was on the rap scene.

Jay-Z adopted his rapper name at age 20, but was born as Shawn Corey Carter. He chose the name partly because it was similar to his nickname "Jazzy," partly as a tribute to his mentor, rapper Jaz-O, and also as a reference to the J/Z subway station near his home in Brooklyn.

For a few years, Jay-Z was performing alongside other rappers, but he remained fairly anonymous according to Biography.com. Afrizap claims he even sold CDs out of his car. He and two friends, Damon Dash and Kareem Burke, founded Roc-a-Fella Records in 1996, which is when Jay-Z started to be recognized as an emerging rap star.

Barack Obama went to Harvard Law School.

The former president lived in Honolulu for most of his childhood. At school, he was skilled at basketball and graduated in 1979 at age 18 with academic honors. He was one of only three black students at the school, Punahou Academy, which is where he became particularly aware of racism and what it meant to be African-American, according to Biography.com.

He then went to Harvard Law School, where he became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. He later became the 44th President of the United States. 

Arianna Huffington was president of the Cambridge Union.

In her 20s, co-founder of The Huffington Post and businesswoman Arianna Huffington was studying economics at the University of Cambridge. There, she became the first foreign, and third female, President of the Cambridge Union.

At age 21 she met British journalist Henry Bernard Levin while on a panel for a quiz show. He became her mentor while she wrote " The Female Woman," which was published when she was 23. She and Levin then traveled the world for a few years together, attending music festivals.

Morgan Freeman was a struggling artist.

Morgan Freeman is now one of the most famous and sought after actors in Hollywood. However, this wasn't always the case. Freeman worked very hard to get to where he is now.

According to Biography.com, he joined the Air Force after high school to become a fighter pilot. Though he loved acting, it wasn't easy breaking into the industry, and Freeman spent much of his 20s struggling to find anything more than limited success.

Arguably, his career-changing role was in "Driving Miss Daisy," which he was cast in at 52 years old.

Mark Zuckerberg was building computer programs.

Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg got into building computer programs at a young age. At age 12 he used Atari BASIC — a programming language — to create a messaging program that he called "Zucknet." In his early teens at high school, Zuckerberg built another program called Synapse which learned your music taste, according to Funders & Founders. Microsoft offered to buy it for $1 million (£772,857), but he declined the offer.

In high school, he also learned to read Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, before he was accepted into Harvard University. Facebook was born after he was approached by the Winklevoss brothers. Zuckerberg was able to build the program in a week. He dropped out during his sophomore year to commit his time to Facebook.

Richard Branson started his first business.

Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group, which owns over 200 companies in more than 30 countries worldwide. He started his first company when he was just 17 years old after dropping out of school at age 16, according to Biography.com.

He struggled with academia, but not with business, and founded youth culture magazine "Student" which sold $8,000 (£6,183) worth of advertising in its first edition.

Two years later, Branson started selling records via mail, which turned into a record store, which then turned into a recording studio called Virgin Records.

Hillary Clinton was at Yale Law School.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was destined for big things from an early age. She gave the commencement address at her graduation from Wellesley College in 1969 at the age of 22 and later attended Yale Law School.

At University, Clinton worked at the Yale Child Study Center where she took on cases of child abuse at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She also volunteered at New Haven Legal Services which provided legal advice to people who couldn't afford it.

At 23, she started dating Bill Clinton. She went on to become First Lady of the United States of America, Secretary of State, and the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate. 

Andy Murray was playing tennis.

Murray started playing tennis at just three years old. By age eight, he was competing against adult players. At age 18, tennis champion Andy Murray rose 287 places in the world rankings. He was also starting to grow his hair very long.

"At the start of the year, I said I would be in the top 100 and a lot of people didn't think I could do it, " he said at the time, according to The Herald. "But I always thought I would. So I've proved a lot of people wrong. Now I've been home for a while, I've had the chance to look around and see what's been happening these past few months. I've been pretty impressed, and I just hope I can continue that next year."

In January 2019, Murray announced he would be retiring. He has won two Olympic tennis singles titles, three Grand Slams, and was the winner of the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals – making him the No. 1 tennis player in the world at the time.

Elon Musk was making his own video games.

At age 12, the PayPal, Tesla Motors, and SpaceX founder Elon Musk had written code for a space-based video game called Blastar. In 2015, a software engineer at Google turned it into a working game, according to The Verge.

At age 17, Musk moved to Canada to attend Queen's University. Shortly after, he moved to the University of Pennsylvania to study business and physics. He then pursued a Ph.D. at Stanford University in energy physics, but he dropped out after just two days to become part of the "internet boom" in the 90s.

• Read more:
• The 8 most successful businesses that got their start on 'Shark Tank'
• What 31 highly successful people were doing at age 25
• From fry-cook at McDonalds to waitress at Hooters, here are the unglamorous first jobs of 24 highly successful people
• Jeff Bezos, Julia Child, and 17 more highly successful people who changed careers after age 30

• If you're having problems with Windows, you can troubleshoot by booting your computer into Safe Mode, which doesn't use most of the files and drivers associated with a full version of Windows.   
• There are several ways to boot into Safe Mode in Windows 10, depending upon how serious your problems are. You can start Safe Mode from Settings, the sign-in screen, and even a completely blank, unresponsive display.
• You can boot into Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking in Windows 10, depending upon whether you will need internet access to solve your computer problems.  
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Safe Mode is a startup mode for Windows that uses a basic set of drivers and files as a sort of "clean slate" for troubleshooting a problematic computer. 

There are several ways to start in Safe Mode in Windows 10, and you can use the one that's most practical given the kind of problem you are having with your computer. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Windows 10 Home (From $129.99 on Amazon)

How to boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10 from Settings

If your computer is running and you can see the Windows desktop, you should be able to start Safe Mode from Settings. 

1. Open Settings from the Start menu. 

2. Click "Update & Security."

3. In the pane on the left, click "Recovery."

4. In the Advanced startup section, click "Restart now."

5. When your computer restarts, you'll see the "Choose an option" screen. Click "Troubleshoot."

6. Click "Advanced options," click "Startup settings," and then click "Restart."

7. After the computer restarts again, you'll see a list of restart options. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select "4" (or press F4) to start in Safe Mode, or, if you need access to the Internet, select "5" (or press F5).

How to boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10 from the sign-in screen

1. If your computer won't boot all the way to the desktop, or you can't open Settings, you can start Safe Mode form the sign-in screen instead. 

2. On the sign-in screen, hold the Shift key while you click "Power" and then "Restart."

3. After the computer restarts, you'll see the "Choose an option" screen. Click "Troubleshoot."

4. Click "Advanced options," click "Startup settings," and then click "Restart."

5. After the computer restarts again, you'll see a list of restart options. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select "4" (or press F4) to start in Safe Mode, or, if you need access to the Internet, select "5" (or press F5).

How to boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10 from a blank screen

If you can't see anything at all on your screen, all hope is not lost — you can still get to Safe Mode for troubleshooting. You'll need to restart your computer several times, so follow these steps carefully:

1. Hold the computer's power button for 10 seconds until the computer shuts off.

2. Press the power button to turn the computer on.

3. As soon as you see that Windows is starting, hold the power button for 10 seconds to turn it off again. 

4. Press the power button to turn it on. 

5. When your computer starts, it should now be in the Windows Recover Environment and showing the "Choose an option" screen. Click "Troubleshoot."

6. Click "Advanced options," click "Startup settings," and then click "Restart."

7. After the computer restarts again, you'll see a list of restart options. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select "4" (or press F4) to start in Safe Mode, or, if you need access to the Internet, select "5" (or press F5).

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to take a screenshot on any Windows 10 computer in several different ways

• How to start your Mac computer in 'Safe Mode,' to diagnose problems and track down troublesome programs

• How to add a Google Chrome shortcut icon to your desktop on a Mac or PC

• How to transfer photos from any phone to a Samsung Galaxy S10, using either a Mac or PC

SEE ALSO: The best budget Windows laptops you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

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• You might need to find a product key to install Windows 10, or if you're making significant changes to the hardware configuration of your computer.
• In many cases, the product key will be printed on a sticker on your computer, or included in the packaging with your boxed copy of Windows.
• If you only have a digital copy of Windows, the code should be automatically associated with your Microsoft account and you won't need to enter it.  
• Often, when Windows asks for the product key, you can skip that step and you will not be asked to enter it later. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Each copy of Windows comes with a product key that is used to activate Windows on your computer. Unfortunately, the product key isn't disposable, as you could need it more than once.  

You might need a product key to perform major changes to your computer's hardware configuration (such as changing the video card, sound card, and hard drive all at the same time), or if you have to reinstall Windows on a computer after a hard drive failure. 

For that reason, you should keep your product key handy, or at least know where to find it. 

That's harder than it sounds, because there's no way to see your product key in Windows 10, and finding a record of your product key can vary depending upon how you acquired Windows to begin with.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Windows 10 Home (From $129.99 on Amazon)

How to find your Windows 10 product key if you have a new computer

If you recently purchased a new computer with Windows 10 preinstalled, look for the product key in two places:

• Your computer case might have a Certificate of Authenticity sticker with the product key printed on it. Not all PC manufacturers put a sticker on the computer, though.
• The packaging that came with the computer might have a Certificate of Authority sticker with the product key as well. 

You're looking for a 25-character code arranged into five groups that looks like this: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.

How to find your product key if you bought Windows 10 in a store

The product key should be printed on a card or label inside the Windows 10 packaging. It's a 25-character code arranged into five groups that looks like this: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.

How to find your product key if you downloaded a digital version of Windows 10

If you purchased Windows 10 by downloading a digital copy (you didn't get it in a box at a store) or if you got a free upgrade to Windows 10 back when Windows 10 was first released, you don't have a product key printed on any sort of paper, sticker, or label. Instead, Microsoft issued something called a Digital License or a Digital Entitlement. 

The good news is that this digital code is already linked to your Microsoft account, so you will never need to enter it manually during any installation or upgrade. You just need to be logged into your Microsoft account and connected to the internet. 

If you are ever performing an upgrade or re-install and Windows asks you for the product key, click "Do this later" to skip the step. You won't be asked for it again. 

You can verify that you have a Digital License by checking in Settings:

1. Start Settings from the Start menu. 

2. Click "Upgrade & Security," and then click "Activation."

3. At the top of the window, it should say "Windows is activated with a digital license linked to your Microsoft account."

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to take a screenshot on any Windows 10 computer in several different ways

• How to boot your Windows 10 computer into 'Safe Mode,' to diagnose and troubleshoot problems

• How to turn on Bluetooth on your Windows 10 computer, and use it to connect a Bluetooth device

• How to properly uninstall programs on Windows 10, to protect your computer and free up space

SEE ALSO: The best budget laptops you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

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Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• A clean, organized office desk helps you be more focused and productive at work. 
• If you can't ever seem to find the supply you need or your drawers are overflowing with snacks, it's time to add some organizational structure to your workspace. 
• From bin systems to cord organizers, these accessories will get you more organized, and they all cost under $25. 

Driven by the teachings of Marie Kondo, a fervent desire to clean up and reorganize our lives has gripped the Insider Picks team and pretty much everyone we know. While most people are focused on organizing their closets, kitchens, and living rooms, another important place in need of tidying and where you actually spend the majority of your days is your office desk. 

Elbows tucked in as you type because you have no space for any other position or uses of the words "dig" or "paw" to describe how you sift through your filing cabinet drawers are a couple tell-tale signs of a desk in desperate need of a makeover. 

A cluttered desk leads to a cluttered mind, and if you're busy handling important sales calls, reviewing the company budget, or creating presentation decks for clients, you (and your boss) won't appreciate the mess. As you optimize your space with necessary supplies and accessories designed to improve your focus and productivity, make sure to also keep them organized. This organized foundation will show in your work. 

It won't cost much to organize your desk. These 21 desk organization ideas all cost under $25:

A monitor stand riser with a built-in drawer

SimpleHouseware Metal Desk Monitor Stand Riser with Organizer Drawer, $18.87, available at Amazon

This desk accessory pulls double duty, lifting your monitor to a comfortable viewing height and adding space below to store your most-used supplies.

An interlocking bin system for your drawer supplies

Made Smart Madesmart Interlocking Drawer Organizer (8 Bin), $8.98, available at Amazon

You can mix and match the different bins in this set to fit any size drawer. There are three small, three medium, and two large bins you can interlock with each other. 

Adhesive cable clips

Cable Clips & Cord Management System, $7.99, available at Amazon

Manage the cord chaos on your desk with these handy helpers, which will stick to any flat surface. They'll work with any cord up to 0.25 inches in diameter: charging cables, USB cords, headphone cords, and more. 

Lacquered accessory trays

Poppin Accessory Trays, $4.99-$14.99, available at The Container Store

These attractive modular stacking pieces look good on their own or combined with others in the collection. 

A sleek file holder

Project 62 Hanging File Holder with Folders Gold/Black Grid, $12.99, available at Target

Ditch the ugly file holders that have probably been hanging around your office for the last three decades and upgrade to this chic gold and black one. All your coworkers will be asking where you got it. 

A monitor stand and drawer duo

Mind Reader Monitor Stand and Desk Organizer, $16.99, available at Amazon

If you want a monitor stand that instead includes pull-out drawers, try this one. You can remove the legs for a shorter height, or keep them on to create enough space below to stow a keyboard. 

A hanger for your headphones

Brainwavez Hengja Headphone Desk Hanger, $14.99, available at Amazon

Free up the space on your desk by moving bulky electronics like headphones off to the side. This adjustable clamp is the strong, simple solution. 

A mesh pen organizer

A storage bin with tip-out drawers

Mind Reader Storage Tilt Drawer, $24.99, available at Amazon

The design of this bin keeps your small supplies contained but easily accessible thanks to the compartments that tilt out 45 degrees. 

Sturdy, expandable drawer dividers

OXO Good Grips Expandable Dresser Drawer Divider (2-Pack), $19.99, available at Amazon

Most people use these expandable dividers for their dressers at home, but they also work perfectly for desk drawers and filing cabinets. They expand to 17 inches and have protective foam pads to grip the drawer walls. 

A mesh organizer with plenty of compartments

SimpleHouseware Mesh Desk Organizer with Sliding Drawer, $24.87, available at Amazon

It has five upright compartments, one large tray, and one sliding tray that's further divided into smaller compartments. 

An eye-catching cord organizer

Yamazaki Home Cord Organizer, $18.38, available at Amazon

The compact silicone organizer holds four cords and comes in four other colors. 

A clear drawer organizer that's easy to clean

Whitmor 3 Section Drawer Organizer, $14.55, available at Amazon

The sturdy plastic tray looks great for storing important desk necessities (read: snacks). 

A desktop storage unit with see-through drawers

IRIS Medium Desktop Drawer System, $13.44, available at Amazon

The mini version of popular storage units let you quickly identify its contents so you can grab a pen, notebook, or calculator at a moment's notice. 

A pencil holder and phone stand

Threshold Pencil Cup with Phone Stand, $8.69, available at Target

With limited space on your desk, it's smart to take advantage of multi-functional accessories like this pencil cup and phone stand. The wood construction also looks stylish. 

A phone stand that also holds your headphones

Hastings Headphone/Phone Holder, $15, available at Pottery Barn

Even more multi-functional is this holder that adds a headphone stand. You can now prop your phone up, store your headphones, and keep small supplies in one place. 

A woven basket

Modern Weave Basket with Divider, $24, available at West Elm

If you're not a fan of plastic or metal mesh accessories, these pretty woven baskets will do just as a good of a job at keeping you organized. 

Secure stacking bins

STORi Plastic Stacking Organizer Bins (Set of 8), $18.99, available at Amazon

You can arrange these open-front bins in any configuration that suits your organizational style. They have notched rails so you don't have to worry about the bins tumbling down. 

A clear magazine holder

A faux-grass desk organizer to make your office feel more home-y

Kikkerland Desk Organization Pen Stand & Phone Holder, $12.99, available at Bed Bath & Beyond

This delightful desk stand with faux grass lets you easily prop up your phone while you work, plus it is a great place to store pens and pencils, adding decoration and removing clutter in the process. 

An adorable paper clip holder

LINE FRIENDS Magnetic Clip Holder, $11.95, available at Amazon

Picking up paperclips has never been more delightful. 

• China gained three new billionaires in one day after the successful launch of its new tech-focused stock market, Bloomberg reports.
• By the end of the first day of trading, the 25 stocks listed on the STAR market were up an average of 140%, according to CNN Business.
• The gains follow a turbulent year for China's ultra-wealthy.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Asia's billionaire count is on the decline, a report by Wealth-X shows, but the success of a new tech-focused market in China may signal a resurgence. Three executives of Chinese tech companies are now billionaires after firms traded for one day on the STAR Market, according to Bloomberg.

Launched on July 22, the STAR market was designed to compete with Nasdaq to trade China's largest tech companies, Business Insider previously reported. It features looser regulations than other Chinese markets, but its growth may not be sustainable, according to analysis by Business Insider's Jack Derwin. There are 25 stocks listed on the Star Exchange. By the end of the first day of trading, they were up an average of 140%, according to CNN Business. The highest performer, semi-conductor part maker Anji Microelectronics Technology, closed up 400%.

Three new Chinese billionaires were minted in one day:

1. The founder of circuit maker Suzhou HYC Technology Chen Wenyuan was the biggest beneficiary of the market's success, according to Bloomberg. Bloomberg estimates Wenyuan's net worth to be $2.4 billion.
2. Cao Ji, the chairman of lithium battery producer Zhejiang Hangke Technology, now has a net worth of $2.2 billion, according to Bloomberg.
3. The founder and chairman of Arcsoft Corp, Hui Deng, is worth $1.3 billion, according to Bloomberg.

They now join the ranks of China's 285 billionaires, according to Wealth-X.

Read more: French billionaires have made more money this year than their counterparts in any other country, and they partially have China to thank

2018 was a rocky year for the world's wealthiest people

The additions to the billionaire population in China follow a rocky 2018 for the world's wealthiest.

The number of billionaires in the world dropped 5.4% in 2018, according to Wealth-X's 2019 Billionaire Census. Billionaires in the Asia-Pacific region suffered the most, losing a collective 13.4% of their ranks in 12 months. China ended the year with 15.7% fewer billionaires than when it began. And those who held on to their billionaire status saw their net worth's drop 7.8%, Wealth-X found. The only country that fared worse than China was India.

Market volatility, slowing economic growth and tariff disputes are to blame for the falling billionaire population, according to Wealth-X. And 2018 was also the worst year for Chinese stocks in a decade, ending the year 24% lower than it was at the close of 2017, according to CNBC. The budding trade war between the United States and China also decreased global demand for Asian goods, Wealth-X reported.

Until 2018, Asia's billionaire class had been growing, Wealth-X reported. But in 2018, the number of billionaires in each of what Wealth-X calls "the major Asia-Pacific billionaire countries" — China, Hong Kong, India, and Singapore — declined.

SEE ALSO: China has launched STAR Market, a new Nasdaq-style stock exchange for tech companies that could fall apart as quickly as it began

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NOW WATCH: This is the shortest route for a road trip across the US to see 50 national landmarks

• Small, portable, and quiet, the Vremi Countertop Ice Maker is what I'd have in my camper, boat, or kitchen.
• A production rate of 26 pounds in 24 hours (or a tray full in nine minutes) might not serve a whole party, but it will take care of your household.
• At $120, it's a good piece of technology if you're tired of buying ice or fiddling with trays in the freezer.

If you've ever spent extended time on a boat, a camper van, or a small off-the-grid cabin, chances are that you quickly came to realize that ice becomes a hot commodity.

It's a pretty simple little thing. Plug it in, load it with water (tap or bottled), and keep an ear out for when it beeps, which means the ice tray's full (every nine minutes) or it's time to add more water. This isn't an around-the-clock machine; you'll have to tend to it, but it produces very solid — and very cute — thimble-shaped ice cubes, which, I might add, have a very nice feel about them, especially in a drink.

What else can I say? It's small, stowable, quiet, and exceptionally easy to use.

Testing notes

The first thing you do when you plug the Vremi Ice Maker in is run a proof or test batch. I'm not really sure exactly what this does, but the ice is noticeably different from the first batch to the second, and I hear it's best to follow instructions. Here's trying, anyhow.

Every nine minutes or so, the machine will beep. Yes, that might be a nuisance, but at the very least you can think of this as a tool you'd use in your house in a pinch when hosting guests. It sure beats constantly refilling and keeping tabs on ice trays. On the road or the high seas, it is an absolute savior, so long as you have the space.

I think my favorite part of this machine, though, is that it recycles water that melts into the bottom. Although it's a pretty rudimentary mechanism, it's as logically built as anything. You pour water into a reservoir in the back, and the ice maker dispenses ice as it's made, sort of like a vending machine. The ice then sits and piles in a tray, and the little bit that seems to melt falls to the bottom where the machine collects it and makes more ice.

Specs

Measuring 9.5 x 12 x 13.5 inches and weighing 23.6 pounds, the Vremi Ice Maker is relatively compact. You might not fit it in a tiny camper or a smaller sailboat, but otherwise, it's not unreasonable to have in most places or situations, and making 26 pounds of ice within a 24-hour period certainly makes it worth its weight. Granted, it only holds 2.2 liters (.58 gallons) of water at a time, and you probably don't want to stand there and keep feeding it water every 30-45 minutes.

120 watts of power with a cooling fan keeps the Vremi Ice Maker pretty quiet, though, and there's plenty to be said for that. While the brand suggests not leaving ice in the 1.5-pound-capacity tray for too long, I've found it holds up relatively well if you happen to forget about it. And, again, what does melt just gets recycled back into fresh ice.

All in all, Vremi clearly had efficiency in mind, and it shows.

The bottom line

I tried using both tap water and distilled spring water. The distilled spring water made slightly better ice, but I really wasn't complaining about the tap water — even the slightly sulphuric well water at my mother's mostly off-the-grid home. Basically, you can make ice with anything.

Pros: Affordable, quiet, stainless steel, stowable, superb ice

Cons: You have to refill the water reservoir pretty regularly, so it's not something you can set overnight (but that's not exactly the point of it, anyhow)

Buy the Vremi Ice Maker from Amazon for $119.95

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• There are many ways to save data on your iPhone. 
• You can turn off cellular data entirely, disable data for certain apps, and limit background data usage in your iPhone's settings. 
• If you're traveling or have a limited data plan, you'll definitely want to take these steps to save data on your iPhone and avoid extra charges. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

It's easy to run through data on your iPhone. 

Apps constantly download and update. Some programs use data in the background without telling you, and sometimes, even when hooked into Wi-Fi, iPhones will pull cellular data to augment speeds. 

The more data your iPhone consumes at any given time, the slower it can go. And during certain data sucks — for example, if you're regularly outside Wi-Fi reach for extended periods, and especially when you're traveling — it's very easy to run through anything but an unlimited plan. 

Even then, in some countries, and on cruise ships, for example, your unlimited data plan likely won't apply. 

Here are a few tips for saving data on your iPhone.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone Xs (From $999 at Apple)

How to save data on your iPhone

The first way to save data is to turn cellular data usage off – so you can only use Wi-Fi. 

How to disable cellular data

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap on "Cellular" (should be below "Bluetooth" and "Wi-Fi").

3. Tap on "Cellular Data" to turn it off.

You can also adjust your cellular data options to disable LTE and roaming, which is especially helpful when you're traveling internationally and don't want to incur roaming charges.  

How to disable LTE and roaming 

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap on "Cellular."

3. Tap on "Cellular Data Options."

4. Tap on "Enable LTE."

5. Tap "Off" (or you can change it to only work with "Data" instead of "Voice & Data").

6. Go back to "Cellular Data Options".

7. Tap "Voice & Data Roaming" so it toggles the green off.

How to turn off background data usage 

Background data is one of the biggest ways your apps use data, especially because you don't necessarily know that they're using it.

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap on "General."

3. Tap on "Background App Refresh" (should be under "iPhone Storage").

4. Tap "Background App Refresh" which will likely be "On."

5. You can either turn it to "Wi-Fi" (which will save cellular data but still download data, which may slow performance) or tap on "Off" to turn it off completely.

How to turn off Wi-Fi assist

You can also turn off the phone's default connection to cellular data when Wi-Fi is spotty.

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap on "Cellular."

3. Scroll down to tap on "Wi-Fi Assist" (near the bottom) and turn the toggle from green to white.

How to disable data for certain apps 

Finally, you might decide to just limit which apps can use data.

1. Open Settings.

2. Tap on "Cellular."

3. Scroll down to the "Cellular Data" subheading.

4. This will contain all of your apps. Scroll through the list and turn off whichever ones you don't want to be using data automatically.

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget

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• You can snap program windows into split screen on Windows 10 in just a few simple steps. 
• Windows 10 allows you to go split screen with two program windows by dragging them to the sides of the screen, and split three or four windows by dragging them to the corners of the screen.  
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

One of the advantages of having a large display is being able to see two or more windows side-by-side. 

This makes it easier to copy and paste between windows, see information from multiple sources at once, or just generally multitask. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Windows 10 Home (From $129.99 on Amazon)

How to split screen on Windows 10

Windows 10 has some built in features that make it easy to split the screen and "snap" windows to opposite sides of the display.

How to split the screen between two program windows

1. Choose the program window that you want to snap to one side of the screen. Click on its title bar and drag it to one side of the display until the mouse pointer touches the edge. When that happens, you should see the screen briefly flash and a light outline of where the window will appear on the screen. Release the mouse button. 

2. The window should now be snapped to the side of the screen, and you should see all the other open programs appear on the opposite side of the screen.

3. Click one of the other program windows. It will snap to the other side of the screen, so you'll have two windows side by side. 

By default, both windows occupy 50% of the screen. You can adjust that by putting the mouse between the windows – you should see the pointer turn into a two-headed arrow – and then clicking and dragging to change the width of the windows. 

How to split the screen between three or four program windows

If you have a larger display (and want to look like you're landing the space shuttle), you can snap up to four windows to the screen – one in each corner. 

The process is similar to snapping a window to either side of the screen:

1. Choose the program window you want to start with and drag it by the title bar to the upper right corner of the screen. As the mouse pointer reaches the corner, the screen will flash and you'll see an outline of where the window will appear. Let go of the mouse button. 

2. Drag the next window to the lower right corner in the same way. When you let go of the mouse, the right side will have two windows, one above the other. 

3. On the left side of the screen, you should see all of the other open windows. Click the program you want and it will snap to the entire left side of the screen. You can leave it there, or, if you want to pin four windows, drag it by the title bar to the upper left corner.

4. Finally, click a remaining program to pin it to the lower left corner. 

At any time, you can "unsnap" a window by dragging it by the title bar away from the edge or corner.  

SEE ALSO: The best budget laptops you can buy

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NOW WATCH: I cleaned my entire apartment with 4 of Amazon's highest-rated cleaning robots, but I could've done a much better job myself

• Sunscreen should be a part of your daily skin-care routine year round. Even 10 minutes spent in the sun a day can cause significant sun damage over time.
• Mineral sunscreens are generally regarded as an effective alternative to chemical ones. They work by sitting on top of the skin to physically block harmful rays, whereas chemical sunscreens penetrate deeper to convert UV rays into heat and release it from the skin.
• We spoke with celebrity dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman about the need-to-knows of mineral sunscreen, including how it works, and what to look for when selecting your formula.
• You'll also find seven mineral sunscreens we recommend based on our own experiences, research, and feedback form Dr. Engelman.

Ask your mom, your grandma, your dermatologist, the salesperson at Sephora, or Jennifer Aniston to indulge the most important step in their beauty routines and you'll probably get a universal answer: Wear sunscreen.

Every time we step outside, our skin is exposed to harmful UVA and UVB rays. Even 10 minutes of sun exposure per day can add up to significant sun damage over time. Using sunscreen is a simple and necessary step to keep skin looking healthy, and, more importantly, for preventing health risks like skin cancer. During the summer, when the sun's exposure is at its height, it's more important than ever to get serious about protecting your skin.

Recently, there has been a lot of debate surrounding the effects of chemical sunscreens— more specifically, the ingredients oxybenzone and avobenzone — on our overall health. The question of whether or not these ingredients affect our bodies long-term has yet to be answered, but what we know is that they've been found to linger in our blood system after use. If you'd feel more comfortable forgoing any ingredients in question, mineral sunscreens are a great alternative.

On a mission to find a daily mineral sunscreen that blends easily into skin, I reached out to an expert. Dr. Dendy Engelman, board-certified dermatologic surgeon and celebrity dermatologist, stepped in to give us the low-down on mineral sunscreens and share some of her favorite products. 

How do mineral sunscreens work?

Mineral sunscreens (also called physical blockers) contain active mineral ingredients, such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These ingredients work by sitting on top of the skin to deflect and scatter damaging UV rays, whereas chemical sunscreens penetrate deeper and convert UV rays into heat that then gets released from the skin.

Mineral sunscreens are a great choice for people with sensitive, acne-prone, and rosacea-affected skin. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends an SPF of 30 or higher, and Dr. Engelman cautions that the product needs to be applied generously and in all areas exposed to the sun, or else UV light can still get between the molecules.

What ingredients to look for when buying a mineral sunscreen

If you're looking to avoid chemical sunscreens and use a mineral option instead, make sure to read your labels. Here are the ingredients you should look for, and avoid, when searching for a mineral sunscreen.

Look for these: titanium dioxide, zinc dioxide

Avoid these: oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, avobenzone

The best lightweight mineral sunscreens

After getting recommendations from Dr. Engelman and my coworkers (who happen to be expert product reviewers and sunscreen snobs), and putting in the research on reviews and ingredients, I've put together a list of seven mineral sunscreens for different budgets that are lightweight enough for daily use but will still protect your skin — all without leaving the dreaded white cast.

SkinMedica Essential Defense Mineral Shield

SkinMedica Essential Defense Mineral Shield (SPF 32), $38

The Essential Defense sunscreens are non-comedogenic, paraben-free, hypoallergenic, oil-free, and fragrance-free. Additionally, since they're physical blockers (containing titanium dioxide and zinc), they're good for people with sensitive skin or those recovering from skin procedures. Physical sunscreens work better for people with heat-activated skin (ie, rosacea and redness) since they deflect the heat and energy from the sun. The tint in this also helps to minimize and camouflage redness. — Dr. Dendy Engelman 

Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Liquid Face Sunscreen - SPF 5

Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Liquid Face Sunscreen SPF 50, $11.79

If you're looking for an affordable mineral option, this is it.

Neutrogena has a range of sunscreens for different skin types. The Sensitive Skin Liquid Face Sunscreen is a thin, lightweight formula that's hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, oil-free, and perfect for sensitive or rosacea-prone skin. It's non-comedogenic, too, so it won't cause breakouts and feels weightless under makeup or on its own. 

Colorescience Sunforgettable Mineral Sunscreen Brush

Colorescience Sunforgettable Mineral SPF 50 Sunscreen Brush, $65

Applying sunscreen in the morning under your makeup is important, but you won't be protected all day unless you reapply. Most sunscreens need to be applied every two hours to stay effective. If you're wearing a face of makeup, reapplying a lotion can be difficult — do you take off the makeup and do it all over again? Or, do you rub more lotion on top of your look and just risk it all? This powder sunscreen solves that conundrum. 

The Sunforgettable Sunscreen brush is easy to carry around and use. The tube twists up to reveal a brush that deposits the product for you, and when you're done it fits easily into your purse of pocket. And don't think that just because it's powder it's any less effective — a sweep of this brush over your face will keep your makeup set and cover skin with a protective SPF 50. Dr. Engelhard also uses a powder sunscreen brush to reapply during the day.

Farmacy Green Defense

Farmacy Green Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $36

This mineral sunscreen uses a few unexpected ingredients to bolster protection from UVA and UVB rays. Alongside titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, the formula includes marigold and black chokeberry extracts. These natural antioxidants not only guard skin against environmental pollutants, but also protect against the blue light emitted from our smartphones, computers, and tablets.

This formula is lightweight, not greasy, and doesn't leave any residue on your face. It's my personal choice for my morning routine. I'm always sure to rub some of this onto my face, whether I'm wearing a foundation with added SPF or not. It goes on smooth, blends in nicely, and doesn't really smell like anything.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Light Mineral Sunscreen

Supergoop! 100% Mineral Smooth and Poreless Matte Screen

Supergoop! 100% Mineral Smooth and Poreless Matte Screen SPF 40, $38

Supergoop!'s Smooth and Poreless Matte sunscreen wants to be your makeup primer, too. It's formulated with natural ingredients like mulberry root to brighten and even skin tone, as well as butterfly bush extract to protect against blue light, which our skin is constantly exposed to these days. A matte finish makes sure you won't look greasy on hot, sweaty summer days. If you're looking for a one-stop mineral sunscreen, one that can be the only thing you put on before leaving the house, this is a great option. 

Naturally Serious Mineral Sun Defense Moisturizer

Naturally Serious Mineral Sun Defense Moisturizer Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30, $34

If you like to keep your morning routine minimal, this mineral sunscreen is a great choice. It's a hydrating moisturizer as well as a physical sunscreen, featuring ingredients like Argan Oil, Vitamin E, and Squalane that work to soften skin like your favorite morning cream would. It also gives an antioxidant boost to protect skin from free-radical damage. The formula is lightly tinted, but the color is universal and made to seamlessly blend no matter your skin tone. 

• Whether you have a home office or just need to dispose of documents containing personal information, a paper shredder for home use can save you time while keeping your information safe.
• Our top pick, the Bonsaii Paper Shredder, offers generous capacity and a long run time, making it ideal for home offices, personal use, and more.

With all of the recent data breaches, it seems to be more and more difficult to keep your personal and financial information safe. There's no foolproof way to protect yourself from a data breach (especially with personal data now stored digitally) but a paper shredder can be your first line of defense in keeping printed information private.

From shredding junk mail to getting rid of business files and documents, a paper shredder isn't just a home convenience, it's a necessity. Maybe it's time to clean out your old filing cabinet, or maybe you just want to keep up with your business' document turnover. Regardless of how you plan to use it, you'll need to have the right shredder for the job.

We looked for shredders that offer dependable performance, are versatile, and accommodate different budgets. Some of these shredders are high-capacity machines that need no cool-down time, while others are more basic but also more affordable. Most of them are multipurpose machines that don't just shred paper: They can tear up CDs, credit cards, staples, and paper clips, saving you valuable time. A number of these machines also feature jam-proof designs and technology, helping you to avoid the frustration of having to stop your work to deal with paper jams.

All of these units are compact enough to be used at home, and if you're running a business, we included options that are hardy enough for high-volume, frequent use. When a paper shredder could potentially prevent a case of stolen identity or fraud, this is an investment that you can't afford to go without.

Here are our top picks for the best paper shredder:

• Best overall: Bonsaii Paper Shredder
• Best budget paper shredder: Pen + Gear 6-Sheet Crosscut Paper/Credit Card Shredder
• Best jam-proof paper shredder: Fellowes Powershred Jam Proof Paper and Credit Card Shredder
• Best high-volume paper shredder: Swingline 20-Sheet Cross-Cut Commercial Shredder
• Best manual paper shredder: Nakabayashi Co. 3-Way Manual Shredder

Keep reading for more details about our top picks.

The best paper shredder overall

With 240 minutes of continuous run-time and the ability to shred credit cards, CDs, and more, the Bonsai Paper Shredder offers the capacity of a commercial shredder at an affordable price.

The Bonsai Paper Shredder offers large-scale capacity and superior performance when compared with other home paper shredders, yet still comes in at under $300. The 4S30 model offers a 10-sheet shredding capacity, so you can quickly shred even larger documents. Additionally, this shredder is strong enough to cut not only paper, but also credit cards, CDs and DVDs, clips, and staples, saving you time and making disposing of junk mail, files, and documents easy. The micro-cut shred creates tiny particles, protecting your personal information.

The shredder's 240-minute continuous running time allows you to shred large amounts of material in a single session. After 240 minutes, the shredder only needs a 10-minute cool-down time, so it's a great choice if you have large shredding jobs or plan to use the shredder frequently throughout the day. Automatic jam detection identifies when the machine is overloaded, preventing the jam from happening.

On Amazon, one user wrote, "The shreds are micro-fine so security is not arguable. It is fairly quiet — quite easy to have normal conversation over it. I bought it as an alternative to paying the shredding company over $1,500 to shred my business documents. It has run nearly eight hours a day for weeks on end and just keeps chugging along."

Pros: Shreds into micro-pieces instead of long strips, continuous run-time of 240 minutes, automatic jam detection, energy-saving system, capable of shredding paper, CDs, staples, credit cards, and more

Cons: Larger casters would roll more smoothly, no safety shutoff, high price point

The best budget paper shredder

For everyday home use, the Pen + Gear 6-Sheet Crosscut Paper/Credit Card Shredder offers a combination of helpful features and overall value.

A paper shredder with huge capacity and loads of features generally carries a higher price tag. For everyday use around the home, the Pen + Gear 6-Sheet Crosscut Paper/Credit Card Shredder strikes a balance between features and affordability. This shredder's six-sheet capacity and ability to shred credit cards, staples, and even small paper clips, means that it's up to the task of most home shredding needs. And, at under $40, it's an affordable purchase option if you only need a shredder that you occasionally use for junk mail and documents.

While this shredder is affordable, it still has plenty of features that make for an impressive performance. It's equipped with overheat protection, so you don't have to worry about potentially burning the motor out, and the ShredSafe feed-entry has an angled slot to prevent fingers from ending up where they shouldn't. The four-mode switch includes a jam-remover function, and the shredder's compact design means you can easily keep it under a desk or tuck it away into a corner of the room.

The Pen + Gear 6-Sheet Crosscut Paper/Credit Card Shredder has received positive feedback from Walmart buyers. One owner wrote, "In one day, this shredder knocked out six bags of shredded documents. Yes, it does overheat so you have to give it a little break every so often. But it did not jam one single time or malfunction in any way."

Another Walmart buyer said, "The size is perfect for our small home office since it doesn't take up too much floor space or is too noisy. The only complaint I find is the window on the front that allows you to see how full the basket is could be a tad larger."

Pros: Low price point, jam-remover function, overheat protection, suitable for shredding paper, credit cards, staples, and paper clips

Cons: Louder than some other units, six-sheet capacity means shredding larger documents can take a while

The best jam-proof paper shredder

The Fellowes Powershred Jam Proof Paper and Credit Card Shredder has a unique design for preventing jams, so you can work without interruption.

If you have ever tried to undo a jam in a paper shredder, you know that it can take valuable time out of your day. The Fellowes Powershred Jam Proof Paper and Credit Card Shredder is designed to prevent jams from happening in the first place. This machine's jam-proof system helps to eliminate them and has the power to work through tough jobs. It can handle up to 12 sheets of paper at a time and is tough enough to shred credit cards, CDs, paper clips, and staples.

One of the most valuable features is its SafeSense Technology, which disables the shredder when hands touch the paper opening. Additionally, the shredder is equipped with an Energy Savings System to keep power consumption down.

This shredder can run for up to 10 minutes at a time before requiring a 20-minute cool-down period. Its cross-cut design eliminates the long pieces that other shredders create, making for a more secure shred.

The Fellowes Powershred Jam Proof Paper and Credit Card Shredder has a high Amazon rating among buyers. One owner wrote, "When the folded sheets hit the cutters, the shredder briefly stopped and put itself in reverse to clear the jam. It did that a few times and the folded sheets straightened themselves out and it chopped them up. I was pretty impressed."

Pros: Jam-proof system, safety shutoff when hands touch the paper opening, pull-out bin for easy cleaning, capable of shredding 12 sheets of paper and credit cards, CDs, staples, and more

Cons: Needs to cool down after 10 minutes of use, long cool-down period

The best high-volume paper shredder

For large jobs and high performance, the Swingline 20-Sheet Cross-Cut Commercial Shredder is up for the task.

The Swingline 20-Sheet Cross-Cut Commercial Shredder is a heavy-duty shredder capable of handling high-volume jobs. The generously sized 19-gallon bin allows you to shred for long periods at a time without stopping, and the shredder can process up to 20 sheets of paper at a time. The nonstop jam-free technology is designed for continuous, seamless operation, so you can focus on feeding more documents, rather than dealing with paper jams.

This shredder is ideal for a home office where you need to quickly shred large volumes and need a shredder that's dependable and easy to operate. This Swingline shredder can handle DVDs, CDs, credit cards, paper clips, staples, and paper. The cross-cut design results in a small shred size of 0.16 inches by 1.75 inches, for maximized security. This shredder is also equipped with a bin sensor that alerts you when the bin is getting full. The unit is backed by a two-year limited warranty, and the cutter comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

While this shredder offers the generous capacity and performance that you see in many top-of-the-line commercial units, it comes at a more reasonable price that's practical for a home business or home office.

Pros: Continuous operation without cool-down, capacity to shred 20 sheets at a time, nonstop jam-free technology, shreds credit cards, CDs, and more

Cons: Requires oil to function, higher price point than some lower-end shredders, pricey (and overkill) for casual home use

The best manual paper shredder

For light shredding needs, the Nakabayashi Co. 3-Way Manual Shredder is portable and lightweight, and it operates without power.

One downside to most paper shredders is that they're bulky, which can be an issue if you're tight on space. If you only use a shredder occasionally and don't want to sacrifice floor space to a unit that you don't need often, the Nakabayashi Co. 3-Way Manual Shredder could be an ideal solution. This manual shredder requires no power, is compact, and is portable. Measuring just 12.6 by 7.6 by 5.9 inches in size, it's small enough to tuck into a drawer for storage.

Though this shredder is small, it can shred a standard piece of A4 paper, CDs, and credit cards. Because the shredder operates by hand-turning the handle, it creates less noise than other electrically powered units.

The Nakabayashi Co. 3-Way Manual Shredder has generally positive feedback from owners. Buyers like that it's silent and performs well, but stress that it is for very light-duty shredding.

Pros: Compact, no need for electricity, quiet operation, capable of shredding paper, credit cards, and CDs

Cons: Suitable only for smaller-volume shredding, cannot shred paper larger than A4 size, handle is small

• Windows 10 comes with more than 100 fonts installed by default, but you may eventually want to know how to install new fonts.
• The ability to choose between fonts when creating text documents or graphics allows you to customize styles according to your preferences.
• If you want to use a font you've created or downloaded from the internet, Windows 10 allows you to install new fonts in a few easy steps.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When you get a new Windows PC, there's not much you need to do to get it up and running these days. Most computers are made to be pretty much ready to go straight out of the box, so you can begin surfing the internet, sending emails, and listening to music in just a few minutes. 

If you're a student, journalist, or someone who handles administrative tasks, you can get typing quickly too. Windows 10 even comes with more than 100 fonts pre-installed so you can customize your documents however you'd like. 

But if you want to install new fonts, whether it's one you've designed or found online to download, doing so is simple and will allow you to customize your text even more. 

Here's what you need to know to download new fonts in Windows 10. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

HP 15.6-inch Laptop (For $239 at Best Buy) 

How to install a new font on Windows 10 

Before you do anything, you need to have a new font file downloaded. You can download TrueType font files online, often for free. Check out sites like DaFont and Font Squirrel for fonts you might want to download.

1. In the Windows 10 taskbar, locate the search bar to the right of the Windows icon on the left hand corner of your screen and type "fonts," selecting the result that appears at the top of the screen, which should be "Font preview and related settings."

2. On the Fonts screen, you will see a list of already installed fonts as well as small icons illustrating what each font looks like. 

3. To install a new font, simply drag the TrueType font file you downloaded from the file's current location into the Font folder, where your already installed fonts appear. Note that as you drop the file into the folder, you'll likely see a brief pop-up message letting you know that the font is being installed. This should disappear within a few seconds. 

Voila — your new font is installed! Once you've installed it, you can delete the TrueType file.

How to remove a font on Windows 10 

If you dislike a font you've installed, or want to get rid of one that came with Windows 10, doing so is simple.

1. In the Windows 10 taskbar, locate the search bar to the right of the Windows icon on the left hand corner of your screen and type "fonts," selecting the result that appears at the top of the screen, which should be "Font preview and related settings."

2. Locate the font you wish to uninstall in the list of installed fonts and double-click on it. 

3. You will be taken to the font's info page, where an option will appear to uninstall the font. Click on "Uninstall."

4. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm your desire to uninstall the font in question. Click "Uninstall" again and the font will be removed. 

How to manage installed fonts on Windows 10 

If you want to manage a given font's settings, such as its default size, you can do this through the font's settings page. 

1. In the Windows 10 taskbar, locate the search bar to the right of the Windows icon on the left hand corner of your screen and type "fonts," selecting the result that appears at the top of the screen, which should be "Font preview and related settings."

2. Locate the font you wish to uninstall in the list of installed fonts and click on it. 

3. To change the size of the font in question, move the sliding bar to the left to make the font's default size smaller or to the right to make it bigger. Close out of the window to save changes. 

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to take a screenshot on any Windows 10 computer in several different ways

• How to boot your Windows 10 computer into 'Safe Mode,' to diagnose and troubleshoot problems

• How to split the screen on a Windows 10 computer, for all of your multitasking needs

• How to download and install new fonts on a Mac computer

SEE ALSO: The best budget Windows laptops you can buy

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's why phone companies like Verizon and AT&T charge more for extra data

• Relationships are complicated, and they take a lot of work to keep healthy.
• Here are some easy strategies for strengthening your relationship on a daily basis, from saying "thanks" to putting a ban on talking about housework.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Relationships take work.

A lot of work.

But a week at a couples' retreat — while potentially nice — isn't the only way to reestablish intimacy.

You have multiple opportunities every day to show your partner you care, get to know them better, and defuse petty arguments.

Below, find seven strategies for strengthening your relationship, none of which take more than 10 minutes.

SEE ALSO: The most insidious type of cheating isn't physical. Here are 9 signs your partner could be guilty.

Try 'mindful conversation.'

"Mindful conversation" isn't designed to help romantic couples, per se — but it's a useful exercise in learning to actually listen to what your partner is saying, instead of tuning out or waiting for your chance to jump in.

Here's how it works (one of you can be "A" and the other can be "B"):

1. A talks and B listens for a set time period (say, three minutes)

2. B responds with, "What I heard you say is …"

3. A gives feedback and B responds until A is satisfied.

4. A and B switch roles. 

It might be awkward at first, but it gets easier over time.

Hug or kiss your partner.

Happiness expert Gretchen Rubin previously told Business Insider that she and her family make a habit of practicing "warm greetings and farewells." Every time someone comes or goes, everyone gives a sincere hello or goodbye.

Research even suggests that physical affection is related to greater satisfaction in romantic relationships. So take a minute or two to show your partner how much you care about them.

Say 'thank you' for something small.

In "The Gratitude Diaries," journalist Janice Kaplan chronicles her yearlong experiment with being more grateful for everything and everyone in her life — including her husband.

She writes that thanking her husband for something as small as fixing a leaky faucet ended up improving her overall marriage.

As Business Insider's Erin Brodwin has reported, psychologists have known for a while that couples who express gratitude toward each other are more likely to stay together. In fact, thanking your partner even once can bring you two closer months later.

That's possibly because a single act of gratitude sparks a cycle of gratitude and generosity: You thank your partner, so your partner feels appreciated and invests more in the relationship, which in turn makes you feel more grateful to them.

Reassess the division of household chores.

On the "Best of Both Worlds" podcast, time-management expert Laura Vanderkam and physician Sarah Hart-Unger recommend a simple strategy to relieve some of the stress from your relationship.

There are two steps:

1. Each person writes down all the family responsibilities they're currently taking care of.

2. Each person shares which of those responsibilities they enjoy, and which they don't.

The point is to figure out how much of the burden you're really shouldering, and to figure out if you can "swap" some chores so everyone's doing the things they enjoy.

Try the 'just like me' exercise.

That's a tip from Chade-Meng Tan, a former Google engineer and the creator of the "Search Inside Yourself" emotional-intelligence course.

In his 2012 book, also called "Search Inside Yourself," Tan explains how he handles conflict with his wife:

"I visualize the other person in the next room. I remind myself that this person is just like me, wants to be free from suffering just like me, wants to be happy just like me, and so on. And then I wish that person wellness, happiness, freedom from suffering, and so on.

"After just a few minutes of doing this, I feel much better about myself, about the other person, and about the whole situation. A large part of my anger dissipates immediately."

Practice the '10-minute rule.'

The 10-minute rule is a suggestion from sociology professor and relationship expert Terri Orbuch.

As Orbuch describes it in her book "5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great," the rule is a "daily briefing in which you and your spouse make time to talk about anything under the sun — except kids, works, and household tasks or responsibilities."

For example, you might want to ask:

• Do you think you are/were closer to your mom or dad? Why?

• What age do you feel like inside? Why?

• What do you think are the top-three worst songs of all time?

• What is the one thing you want to be remembered for?

According to Orbuch, learning new information about your partner makes things feel fresh and new again, and "mimics the emotional and physical state you were in during the first few years of your marriage."

Learn something new about your partner.

In his 2014 book, "Mindwise," psychologist Nicholas Epley cites research suggesting that we think we know our partners a lot better than we actually do. (Epley had a personal experience in which his wife bought him his least favorite ice cream flavor, thinking he'd love it.)

So Epley puts forth a simple solution: Don't assume you know everything about your partner. Ask questions and listen to the answers.

• Carlos Ghosn, 64, amassed a $120 million net worth while he was the head-ranking official at the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi Motors automotive alliance over the past two decades.
• In November 2018, the former CEO was accused of misreporting his salary and compensation.
• Nissan is now struggling. The automaker's first-quarter profits are down 98.5% from last year and it will cut at least 12,500 jobs by March 2023, The New York Times reported on July 25.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nissan is struggling. The automaker announced July 24 that its first-quarter profits were down 98.5% from last year and that it will cut at least 12,500 jobs, The New York Times reported. That's about 9% of its total workforce, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Carlos Ghosn's rise as chairman of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance took years. His fall? Quicker, and greater, than any other industry executive with his caliber. 

For a long time, he was known as the man who was able to usher in a new era of profitability and relevance to the automakers he helmed. Yet, to Japanese persecutors, he hid his earnings from regulators for years and used company funds to further decorate his lavish lifestyle. 

On November 19, 2018, Ghosn was arrested, and in April 2019, he was released from a Japanese prison on a $4.5 million bail, Business Insider previously reported.

Read more: 'I have been wrongly accused and unfairly detained': Ousted Nissan exec Carlos Ghosn makes his first public remarks on financial misconduct allegations in Tokyo court

Prosecutors in Japan have alleged that Ghosn earned a salary of about 10 billion yen, or $88.7 million, from 2011 to 2015 but reported only half of that. Ghosn, 64, could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 10 million yen if found to have committed any wrongdoing.

Keep reading to learn more about the rise and downfall of Carlos Ghosn.

SEE ALSO: How Jeffrey Epstein, the mysterious hedge-fund manager arrested on sex-trafficking charges, made his fortune

DON'T MISS: Bernard Arnault just became the 2nd-richest person in the world. These 5 mind-blowing facts show just how quickly the French billionaire's fortune is growing.

Ghosn started at Nissan in 1999, when "The Alliance" was formed — where Renault and Nissan each had a stake in the other. In 2016, Mitsubishi joined. The three act as separate entities, while also identifying as a global grouping.

Source:BBC

Ghosn was known for his cost-cutting methods — closing factories and cutting jobs while increasing profits and output. Nissan quickly surpassed Honda as the No. 2 automaker in Japan under Ghosn's leadership ...

Source:BBC, The New York Times

... for which he was greatly compensated. According to BBC's review of company records, Ghosn made over $17 million in 2017 in salary, share options and bonuses. As company success grew, so did Ghosn's net worth. As of 2018, his net worth was around $120 million.

Source:BBC, Bloomberg

Ghosn flew around the world using a series of Nissan-owned Gulfstream private jets, including a G650, which can seat up to 19 passengers, sleep up to 10, fly more than 8,000 miles, and can cost more than $67 million.

As chairman of Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi, three car companies located on two continents halfway around the world from one another, Ghosn spent a considerable amount of time flying on Nissan's corporate jets between France and Japan. He also had frequent stopovers in the United States, Brazil, and Lebanon.

Source:Business Insider

According to a report from Bloomberg, Nissan paid over 8,000 euros a month for an Amsterdam apartment that was used exclusively by Ghosn.

Source:Bloomberg

And in Beirut, Nissan reportedly paid nearly $9 million in 2012 for a salmon-hued mansion for Ghosn to live in when he traveled.

Source:Bloomberg, The New York Times

In Tokyo, Nissan paid nearly $9,000 a month for Ghosn and family to live in a flat for only "few days each month on average." But then, all of a sudden, Ghosn's world came crashing down.

Nissan would soon begin seizing keys and blocking access from six of its properties frequented by Ghosn and his family. 

Source:Bloomberg

On November 19, prosecutors surrounded Ghosn’s Gulfstream after it touched down in Japan. Prosecutors alleged that Ghosn hid his earnings from Nissan filings for years.

Source:The New York Times

On November 19, 2018, Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa confirmed the arrest of Ghosn after a months-long investigation into alleged financial crimes, like underreporting compensation to regulators. The Nissan board voted just two days later to remove Ghosn from his position as chairman.

Source:Bloomberg

A week after Ghosn's arrest, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Chairman and CEO Osamu Masuko announced the company would be ousting Ghosn from his role, too.

Source: Bloomberg

Ghosn was reportedly kept in the same facility that previously housed death-row inmates and given limited access to the outside world. Reports indicate that he was allowed to bathe twice a week and had 30 minutes a day of exercise.

Source:Bloomberg

In a January court hearing, Ghosn denied any wrongdoing on his behalf, and said he was “wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations.” The next day, his detention appeal was denied.

Source:Bloomberg

On January 23, Ghosn resigned as chairman and chief executive officer of Renault, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire told Bloomberg Television in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Source:Reuters, Bloomberg

Bloomberg reported in February that Ghosn may have used Renault funds inappropriately to "pay for his wedding party at the Chateau de Versailles" — marking the first indecency reported by the company toward its former head executive.

Source:Town and Country Magazine, Bloomberg

At the end of February, Ghosn hired lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, who said Ghosn's arrest was a result of a conspiracy inside Nissan. Hironaka said he believes Ghosn is innocent.

"The prosecutors have made a criminal case out of an issue that should have been handled inside the company," said Hironaka at a press conference. 

Source:The Wall Street Journal

In March, Ghosn, wearing blue workman's clothes and a baseball cap, was released after 108 days in a Japanese jail and after paying a nearly $9 million bail.

Source:Business Insider

According to The Wall Street Journal, Ghosn went to a court-approved residence in Tokyo. A trial is said to be happening later this year.

Source:The Wall Street Journal

He is to have no contact with anyone outside of the country by phone or computer. "I am extremely grateful for my family and friends who have stood by me throughout this terrible ordeal," Ghosn said in a statement released in March.

Source:The Wall Street Journal

Ghosn was rearrested on April 4 on new charges and then released on a $4.5 million bail later that month.

Source: Business Insider

Nissan is now struggling. The automaker's first-quarter profits were down 98.5% from last year, and it announced that it will cut at least 12,500 jobs.

Source: The New York Times

• I've been using iHome's Bluetooth Color-Changing Speaker ($53.34), which essentially creates a light show while you listen to music.
• It features five eye-catching color-changing modes, plus outdoor portability and built-in Alexa. 
• Though I own a few different speakers for different uses, this speaker is by far the most fun, and it provides solid sound for its size and price. 

Scattered around my home, you'll find speakers of various sizes and for varying uses.

There's the Sonos Play:1 ($149), which has a permanent spot in the living room to fill the whole apartment with rich, uninterrupted sound. For beach days where I need a rugged and powerful speaker that also happens to hold my phone and open beer bottles, I bring the Scosche BoomBottle ($89.99). Lately, I've been experimenting more with using voice commands to make everyday tasks easier by talking to my Google Home Mini ($49). 

By far the most eye-catching speaker I have, however, is the iHome Bluetooth Color-Changing Speaker ($53.34). 

The affordable speaker not only looks great in my room and at small outdoor parties, but it also has a strong sound for its size. I've been using the speaker virtually every day for a month to listen to music and enjoy color-changing light shows. You can learn more about the details of this iHome speaker below.

iHome Color-Changing Speaker specs 

The speaker stands about 5.5-inches tall, which is not big, but also not as tiny as ones like the Echo Dot or Google Home Mini. Sometimes, I'll forego bringing a speaker to gatherings because it adds too much weight to my already-heavy bag, but I really don't mind carrying this one — it's not too heavy. 

The charging port in the back is protected by a cover, and the front is lined with buttons to control the power, volume, and light show. It has a built-in mic to let you make calls, and a 12-hour battery life. The entire exterior is covered in a smooth, waterproof, and dustproof silicone material that is IP67-certified. 

Set-up and listening experience

Connecting the speaker to your phone through Bluetooth is quick and easy. Every time I turn the speaker on, it now automatically connects to my phone within a few seconds. 

In my room, I usually like to immerse myself in my music, so I crank the volume up. Indoors within closed walls, it provides a full and balanced sound that keeps up with deep bass, light instrumentals, and the comforting voices of podcast hosts. I think its outdoor capabilities are weaker and the sound can get a little lost if you have an especially rambunctious party, but if you're entertaining a few dozen people in your backyard, it'll do the trick.

Special features 

The big reason I love this speaker is that the sound is paired with a lovely light show that has five different color modes. It can continually change colors, pulse along to your music, glow as a single color, and more. 

On too many occasions to count, I've found myself simply sitting on my bed watching the colors change or pulse as I listened to music or a podcast. My favorite thing to do at night is to turn off the lights in my room and settle into this meditative activity. It's like watching a campfire burn — calming and visually interesting. 

The other special feature of the speaker is that it has Alexa built in. To use it, you have to tap the speaker before giving a command, so it's not as convenient as an Echo device or my Google Home Mini, but it's a cool built-in feature to have in an already affordable speaker. If a call comes in through your phone, you can take it with the speaker, which also has caller ID for iOS 10-updated devices. 

Potential drawbacks

A complaint a few reviewers have had is that the true battery life is shorter than advertised, perhaps because the light show sucks up a lot of battery. I tend to listen to the speaker indoors and usually have it plugged in to the charger, so I can't speak to that drawback too much. But I have used the speaker for six to eight hours at a time at outdoor parties and the battery held up. 

The bottom line 

If you want a cool visual experience to accompany your music, this color-changing speaker would be my first choice. The price is just right for the combination of all the features you get in this speaker: solid sound, built-in Alexa and ability to take calls, a light weight and small size, and a colorful light show. 

Shop the iHome Bluetooth Color Changing Speaker for $53.34 at Amazon

Join the conversation about this story »

• If you want to manage who's able to follow you on Instagram, knowing how to remove followers is a good place to start.
• You can remove an Instagram follower with a few taps, so don't hesitate to drop someone you would rather not be seeing your pictures.
• Also consider changing your Instagram account to a private account if you want to further limit access to your content.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you want to prevent certain people from viewing your Instagram content, your best move is to set the account as private, thus ensuring that only those to whom you grant access can see your posts. 

A public account does offer the chance to garner more followers, though, and might be necessary if you post on social media for work, to share art, or for other such purposes. 

Also, even with a private account you might still want to boot certain people whom you no longer wish to see your content.

The good news is that Instagram makes it laughably easy to remove followers; and in even better news, the follower you drop will not be notified of the severance. 

Just make sure you remove Instagram followers via the mobile app on an iPhone or Android phone; you can't do it through the website on a computer.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone Xs (From $999 at Apple)

Google Pixel 3 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to remove followers on the Instagram mobile app

1. Tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner of the app screen.

2. Tap on the word "Followers" (or number above it) near the top of the screen.

3. Tap the three dots on the right side of the screen, that line up with the follower you want to remove.

4. Tap the word "Remove" on the pop-up screen.

And that's that, the follower is gone and will no longer be able to see your media. 

Unless they follow you again, that is. So consider blocking them if you want to ensure a separation.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to make your Instagram private and hide your account from everyone except the followers you approve

• How to log out of Instagram on your phone or computer to protect your account's security

• How to delete your Instagram account on an iPhone, or temporarily disable it

• How to clear suggested searches on Instagram for iPhone, and clear your search history

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: All the ways Amazon is taking over your house

• Both the Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card offer valuable rewards on purchases, along with large welcome bonuses and useful benefits.
• Both cards also have a few annual statement credits that can offset their annual fees.
• Given the similarities, we've laid out the differences to help you pick the best card for you.

American Express refreshed and relaunched its Gold Card in late 2018, giving it new benefits and rewards — many of which are dining-focused — in an effort to make it a stronger competitor in an increasingly crowded credit card market.

That relaunch followed a refresh of the Amex Platinum Card, which also brought improvements and new benefits like 5x point earnings on flights booked directly with airlines or with Amex.

Both cards have tangible benefits like annual statement credits that make up for the annual fee, but there are some pretty significant differences between them. Read on to learn more about the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum and to see which is better for you.

Click here to learn more about the American Express Platinum Card from Business Insider's partner The Points Guy.

Click here to learn more about the American Express Gold Card from Business Insider's partner The Points Guy.

SEE ALSO: The best credit card rewards, bonuses, and benefits of 2019

DON'T MISS: The best American Express cards

Amex Platinum vs Amex Gold: Bonus categories

The Platinum Card

The Amex Platinum Card earns a massive 5 points per dollar spent on airfare, as long as you book directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, and on prepaid hotel stays booked through Amex Travel. It earns 1 point per dollar on everything else.

Travel website (and Business Insider e-commerce partner) The Points Guy subjectively values Amex Membership Rewards points at 2¢ each, so that means a whopping 10% of value back on the bonus categories.

While other credit cards offer a wider array of bonus categories, 5x points is a fantastic earning rate, and if you book your own travel frequently, the points will add up quickly.

The Gold Card

The Amex Gold Card offers 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide, 4x points back at US supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year — 1 point per dollar for anything beyond that), and 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with the airline or with Amex travel. It earns 1x point on everything else.

The Amex Gold Card's restaurant category is broad — I've gotten the category bonus at restaurants, bars, pubs, and cafes. The supermarket category excludes big-box stores where you might buy groceries, like Target or Walmart, but includes most dedicated US supermarkets.

Using The Points Guy's valuations, you get a huge 8% of value back on those two top bonus categories from the Gold Card. This makes it one of the best available cards for dining. 

Both cards have annual fees, but thanks to a few statement credit benefits, the effective fees are lower than you might think.

The Platinum Card

The Platinum Card has one of the highest annual fees you'll find in a mainstream charge or credit card — $550. However, the various annual statement credits the card offers bring the effective fee down to just $50.

The first is up to a $200 airline fee credit each calendar year. Every January, you pick one airline for that credit to apply toward. While the credit doesn't cover tickets, it covers incidental fees like checked bags, seat assignments on basic economy tickets, change fees, and more. 

Second, you can get up to $200 in Uber credits each cardmember year, which is broken down into monthly chunks. Each month, cardholders receive $15 of credits to use on Uber rides or for Uber Eats. In December, that's boosted to $35.

Finally, you can get up to $100 in shopping credits each year at Saks stores, broken into two chunks: You'll get up to $50 during the first six months of the year, and another $50 during the second.

Since the airline fee credit is given each calendar year, you can actually collect it twice if you open your card mid-year and maximize the credit before and after January of that first cardmember year.

That would mean you're not just making up for the annual fee, you're actually getting more value than the fee in the first place. That's without even considering the other benefits and rewards.

The Gold Card

The Amex Gold Card's $250 annual fee puts it squarely in the mid-tier category, although one could make an argument that it's really a premium card with a lower-than-premium fee.

Thanks to two annual statement credits, the effective fee is just $30 — as long as you maximize them.

The first is up to $120 each year in dining credits, broken into monthly $10 portions. These credits only apply to a few participating chain restaurants — specifically Cheesecake Factory, Ruth's Chris Steak House, and some Shake Shack locations — but they also apply to popular food ordering services GrubHub and Seamless. The credits apply automatically to any qualifying purchase.

The Amex Gold also offers up to $100 in airline fee credits each calendar year. This works just like the Platinum Card's credit, meaning it's possible to earn it more than once each cardmember year.

Both cards have a new member bonus, although the Platinum Card's is higher.

Since both cards are part of the Amex Membership Rewards program, it's easy to compare the welcome bonuses directly.

Platinum Card

The Platinum Card has a welcome offer of 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points when you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months. Using The Points Guy's subjective valuations, that's worth about $1,200.

Before you apply for the card, though, you should use the CardMatch tool to see if you're eligible for a higher 100,000-point Amex Platinum offer with the same minimum spending requirement. This offer is subject to change at any time without notice, but it gets you an extra 40,000 points (worth $800 based on The Points Guy's valuations), so its worth taking the two minutes or so to see if you can get it. 

The Gold Card

The Gold Card's welcome bonus is 35,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $2,000 in the first three months. That's worth about $700, based on The Points Guy's valuations.

However, like the Amex Platinum, the Amex Gold may be available with a higher welcome bonus through CardMatch. Some users have reported seeing a 50,000-point offer through the CardMatch tool, though again note that this could change at any time, and it's only available to select targeted users.

Click here to visit CardMatch to see if you're targeted for a higher Amex Platinum or Amex Gold offer.

Click here to learn more about, or apply for, the American Express Platinum Card from Business Insider's partner The Points Guy.

Click here to learn more about, or apply for, the American Express Gold Card from Business Insider's partner The Points Guy.

Both cards earn Membership Rewards points, which you can pool between your Amex cards.

Amex offers a few ways to use Membership Rewards points.

However, redeeming for anything aside from travel offers a poor value, usually 0.5-0.8¢ each, and is generally a poor use of points.

You can get a slightly better value by booking flights through Amex Travel, either online or by phone. Points are worth 1¢ each toward flights, but if you book a hotel or anything else, you'll only get 0.7¢ per point.

Another option is to use points to bid for upgrades on a flight. You'll only get 1¢ per point, but it can be a decent redemption if you want to try for an upgrade but don't want to pay cash.

The best use and value — potentially — is to transfer points to airline frequent flyer partners and book flights that way. You might be able to get a dramatically higher value for points this way.

That's because booking frequent flyer "award tickets" is different than buying reservations outright — you can read more about how it works here. In most cases, the cash price and the miles price of a ticket aren't linked, so it's possible to get exponentially increased value from your points by transferring them and booking an award ticket instead.

That means potentially being able to fly long-haul in first or business class with points, among other things.

For example, my wife and I recently flew first class to Japan and back by transferring credit card points to Virgin Atlantic, then booking flights on Virgin's partner airline All Nippon Airways. You can read about exactly how we booked the flights here.

The only catch is that you may need to search for saver availability — which are lower-priced award tickets. This can be tricky, but there are a ton of helpful guides online. Once you have a flight in mind, if you're having trouble figuring out how best to use your points, just do a Google search for that specific trip.

Amex's partners include: Aer Lingus, AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, Alitalia, ANA, Cathay Pacific, Avianca, British Airways, Delta, El Al, Emirates, Etihad, Iberia, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic, as well as Choice Hotels, Hilton, and Marriott.

Click here to learn more about, or apply for, the American Express Platinum Card from Business Insider's partner The Points Guy.

Click here to learn more about, or apply for, the American Express Gold Card from Business Insider's partner The Points Guy.

The cards come with a few other benefits and perks, too, although the Platinum Card's are more substantial

The Platinum Card

Added benefits is where the Platinum Card really shines.

One of the flagship perks is access to more than 1,200 airport lounges around the world.

The Platinum Card's lounge access is more extensive than anything offered by any other card. When you have the card, you can use Delta Sky Clubs whenever you fly the airline, Amex's own proprietary Centurion Lounges, and any airport lounge that participates in the Priority Pass network. You can also use any of 11 international Amex-branded lounges, and a handful of other random lounges, including ones that fall under the Plaza Premium, Air Space, and Escapes brands — these number more than 50.

• Gold elite status at Marriott and Hilton hotels
• Access to exclusive events
• Benefits at more than 1,000 hotels around the world through the Fine Hotels & Resorts program
• Rental car elite status and benefits
• Secondary rental car insurance
• Roadside assistance
• Various purchase and shopping protections
• Concierge service
• Baggage loss and damage coverage
• Travel accident insurance
• A credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

The Gold Card

While the Gold Card doesn't have nearly as many flashy perks as the Platinum Card, it still has a few benefits worth keeping in mind.

• Secondary rental car insurance
• Roadside assistance
• Various purchase and shopping protections
• Baggage loss and damage coverage
• Complimentary ShopRunner membership (it works like Amazon Prime in a lot of ways, at other retailers).

Bottom line

• You can use Google Chromecast to stream video, audio, and images from your iPhone to your television, projector, or display. 
• When you set up Chromecast on your iPhone, you can cast anything from your Google accounts or streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, or HBO. 
• Chromecasting from your iPhone is sometimes even easier and more stable than streaming from your laptop or desktop. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Since its debut in 2013, the Google Chromecast has positioned itself as one of the most affordable of the various streaming devices on the market, clocking in at just $35 for the standard model – though its competitors have now caught up with similar offerings in Amazon's Fire Stick and Roku's Roku Express. 

But where Google shines is not in simply basic streaming – which all of these devices do – but in its ties to the Google ecosystem, as well as Google Assistant. This makes it easy to cast video and audio from your iPhone to a variety of devices and rooms with a swipe of the finger. 

Here's how to set up and cast almost any content from your iPhone to your Chromecast-connected devices. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Google Chromecast (For $35 at Best Buy)

iPhone Xs (From $729 at Apple)

Amazon Fire TV Stick (For $39.99 at Amazon)

Roku Express (For $34.99 at Amazon)

How to Chromecast from your iPhone 

1. Plug in your Chromecast to the HDMI port on your HDTV or your surround sound receiver.

2. Download and open up the Google Home app on your iPhone, which will prompt you to link your Google Account, turn on Bluetooth, and connect your Wi-Fi network. You'll also name your Chromecast here.

3. Now you should see the name of your Google Chromecast (or multiple Chromecasts, if you have more than one) connected to your iPhone– at as little as $15, you might find yourself wanting to set up multiple devices around the house. 

4. This is your Chromecast control center. From here you can stream songs from Google Play and other connected music services, select different rooms of the house to cast to, and link various streaming services. 

5. You can also adjust volume from your iPhone, stream photos from your Google account, and create and add users to your device. 

How to access Chromecast streaming services on your iPhone 

What most people want to know is how to stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube, HBO, and other popular streaming services. 

1. For the most part, this is exceedingly simple. With Google Home installed, you should see a small Chromecast icon in the top right or left corner when you open the streaming app on your iPhone. 

2. Select the Cast Device that you want to cast to and click "cast."

3. You can also cast these services from Google Home, but it's easier to do this from the native apps. 

It's really that simple. 

However, because Chromecast works by sending the stream link directly from your iPhone to the Chromecast, occasionally, the stream will continue even after you've "stopped" the stream on your iPhone from the streaming service (say, YouTube). 

In these cases, simple return to your Google Home app and stop the stream from there and you can proceed to cast new content. 

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SEE ALSO: The best Google Assistant smart speakers you can buy

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• Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 6 on suspicion of engaging in sex acts with minors in his Manhattan mansion and other homes.
• The government is now trying to seize the NYC mansion, according to Bloomberg.
• After a home is forfeited by the government, it is listed on the public market. If Epstein's mansion is successfully seized, history predicts the current market will be far from welcoming.
• According to New York-based real-estate agent Kyle Egan, a slowed luxury market and tainted history may lower its future asking price.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Since news of Jeffrey Epstein's most recent arrest, the value of his 21,000-square-foot, seven-story Manhattan mansion on the Upper East Side has been in question. 

Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 6 on suspicion of engaging in sex acts with minors in his Manhattan mansion and other homes. Since then, the government has been trying to seize the New York property.

According to Bloomberg, a court document estimates the home's current value to be $77 million, but the New York City Department of Finance valued the home closer to $56 million earlier this year.

However, both estimated values may prove to be way off if it hits the market.

Two factors might change the value of Epstein's home if it hits the market

Taking the alleged crimes out of the equation, the home is a very valuable asset, New York-based real-estate agent Kyle Egan explained to Business Insider. It is one of the largest private residences in Manhattan and is located in a highly regarded area where the median listing price is $1,288,300. 

If Epstein's home hits the market in the coming years, however, its value will have two driving forces against it: a slow luxury market and ties to an alleged crime, Egan said.

For starters, New York's slow-moving luxury market has seen cuts on the price tags of many multimillion-dollar homes — even those with a clean record. Mansion Global reported that in the first five months of 2018, more than half of Manhattan's luxury homes listed for $4 million and above were sold at discounted prices.

Just a few blocks away from Epstein's Upper East Side mansion, a townhouse sold for $31.95 million this past September — at an 8.71% discount. However, the record-breaking $80 million sale of another townhouse in the neighborhood — which closed this past June — makes it difficult to predict how the saturated market may impact the future sale of Epstein's mansion.

"There aren't great comps for properties like [Epstein's mansion]," Egan told Business Insider. "There just aren't many [homes] that exist of that size and have come to market in recent years and sold."

Read more:A look inside multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein's real-estate portfolio, where sex trafficking reportedly took place and a $77 million Manhattan mansion may have been acquired for $0

Bracing for a slow-moving market is just the start of the mansion's potential troubles.

The second major obstacle

Real-estate appraiser Orell Anderson told MarketWatch that homes with ties to tragedies or crimes are oftentimes sold to buyers at discounts as high as 25%.

According to MarketWatch, Anderson appraised the home where Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered. Although the Los Angeles home was originally purchased for $625,000, after the murder, it sold for $525,000.

"After an event like this occurs, and the public becomes aware of it, all of a sudden the value drops significantly," Anderson said to MarketWatch.

Prospective buyers of Esptein's Manhattan mansion will not only have to look past its history, but stomach its unusual decor, too. In 2003, Vanity Fair reported that decorations throughout the home included bizarre items like framed eyeballs made for injured soldiers and a stuffed black poodle.

However, despite the history of the property and its strange interior, Egan said the biggest indicator of the property's future value will be the state of the market it enters.

SEE ALSO: An inside look at Jeffrey Epstein's 2 private islands in the Caribbean, which locals call 'Orgy Island' and where airport workers say they saw him traveling with underage girls

DON'T MISS: Here's how Jeffrey Epstein may have acquired a $77 million Upper East Side townhouse for $0

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