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11 billionaires who made their fortunes after immigrating to the US

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elon musk immigrant billionaires

The United States is home to more billionaires than any other nation, according to research firm Wealth-X— but not all of them were born here.

Several billionaires — including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, real-estate developer Jorge Perez, Panda Express founder Andrew Cherng, and Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya — first came to the United States for college. Others immigrated to the United States with their families as children.

Read more: 13 billionaires who dropped out of college before making their fortunes

Keep reading to learn more about some of the most prominent immigrant billionaires in the country.

SEE ALSO: Luck vs. skill: The founders behind major businesses like Bumble, Shopify, and Away explain what their success boils down to — and they all have different takes

DON'T MISS: Forever 21 just filed for bankruptcy — and the husband and wife duo who founded it have lost nearly $4 billion from their personal net worths since 2015

Sergey Brin's family emigrated from the Soviet Union when he was 6.

Net worth: $57.5 billion

Source of wealth: Alphabet

The 46-year-old billionaire founded the search engine now known as Google with Larry Page in a garage in Menlo Park, California, Business Insider previously reported. Brin currently serves as the president of Alphabet, the parent company that owns Google, per Forbes.

Read more: Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are worth more than $100 billion — see how they spend it, from trapeze lessons to a 600-foot 'air yacht'



Hamdi Ulukaya founded the yogurt brand Chobani after emigrating from Turkey to attend college in New York.

Net worth: $2.1 billion

Source of wealth: Chobani

Ulukaya, 46, received a $3,000 loan from the Small Business Administration in 2007 and used it to buy an old yogurt plant in Norwich, New York. Chobani now sells over $1 billion of yogurt annually and is America's most popular brand of Greek yogurt, Forbes reports.

Ulukaya now advocates for companies to get involved in the ongoing refugee crisisBloomberg reported in August. Chobani recruits refugees for jobs at its plants and encourages other companies to do the same.

Read more: The Chobani billionaire who turned a $3,000 loan into a yogurt empire calls himself an 'anti-CEO' and thinks other CEOs should do the same



Financier George Soros fled Soviet occupation in his native Hungary in 1947.

Net worth: $8.3 billion

Source of wealth: Quantum Fund

Soros, 88, attended the London School of Economics before moving to New York and getting a job as a stock trader, Business Insider previously reported. Soros went on to found what would later become the world's largest hedge fund, Quantum Fund.

Read more: What George Soros' life is really like: How the former hedge-fund manager built his $8.3 billion fortune, purchased a sprawling network of New York homes, and became the topic of international conspiracy theories



Eren Ozmen, the president of aerospace company Sierra Nevada Corp., immigrated to the United States from Turkey.

Net worth: $1.4 billion

Source of wealth: Sierra Nevada Corp.

Ozmen, 61, and her husband used their house as collateral to purchase Sierra Nevada Corp. in 1994, Forbes reported. Ozmen grew the 20-person company into one of the federal government's largest contractors, having sold billions of dollars of planes, navigation gear, and communications systems to the U.S. Department of Defense.



Miami real estate developer Jorge Perez was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Net worth: $1.9 billion

Source of wealth: The Related Group of Florida

Perez, 69, moved to the United States for college, according to Forbes. Perez worked as an urban planner before partnering with Stephen Ross to launch Miami-based luxury real estate developer The Related Group. 

Read more: People are threatening to quit Equinox and SoulCycle following a report that the chairman of the trendy fitness brands plans to host a Trump fundraiser



Bharat Desai, the founder of IT consulting firm Syntel, was born in Kenya and raised in India.

Net worth: $1.4 billion

Source of wealth: Syntel Inc.

Desai, 66, came to the US to work for Tata Consultancy Services, according to Forbes. He and his wife, Neerja Sethi, then started their own consulting company, Syntel, in their suburban Detroit apartment with just $2,000.



Early Google investor Kavitark Ram Shriram was born and raised in India.

Net worth: $2.2 billion

Source of wealth: Venture capital

Shriram, 62, serves on Alphabet's board and holds stakes in numerous tech startups (including Paperless Post) through his venture capital firm Sherpalo Ventures, according to Forbes.



Panda Express founders Peggy and Andrew Cherng immigrated to the US from Myanmar and China respectively, before meeting as students at Baker University.

Collective net worth: $3.1 billion

Source of wealth: Panda Express

Andrew Cherng opened a sit-down Chinese restaurant called Panda Inn in 1973 that was so successful he decided to open an outpost in a nearby mall called Panda Express, Business Insider previously reported. The couple still owns and operates virtually all 2,000 Panda Express locations themselves — they don't franchise them out to other owners, making Panda Express a rarity among restaurant chains of its size.

Read more: Meet the billionaire couple behind Panda Express, who run nearly 2,000 restaurants and sell 90 million pounds of orange chicken a year



WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum immigrated to California from Ukraine with his mother when he was 16.

Net worth: $10.9 billion

Source of wealth: WhatsApp

Koum, 43, founded the messaging service with seed money he raised from his former colleagues at Yahoo, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The majority of Koum's fortune comes from Facebook's $22 billion acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014.



Pierre Omidyar moved to the US from France with his family long before he founded eBay.

Net worth: $12.6 billion

Source of wealth: eBay

Omidyar, 52, founded eBay in 1995 and wrote the code for the website himself, according to Forbes. Omidyar still serves on the board of the online auction house.



Tesla CEO Elon Musk grew up in South Africa and worked in Canada before coming to the US.

Net worth: $20.7 billion

Source of wealth: PayPal, Tesla

Musk, 48, first moved to the United States to attend the University of Pennsylvania, Business Insider previously reported. The CEO founded a city guide service for newspapers called Zip2 and an online banking named X.com that got acquired by PayPal before taking the top job at Tesla. 

Read more: Elon Musk is worth about $22 billion and has never taken a paycheck from Tesla — here's how the notorious workaholic and father of 5 makes and spends his fortune




I followed the months-long journey of a Russian diamond, which starts out hidden in ore in Siberia and travels more than 6,000 miles before becoming a store-ready gem

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diamond mine siberia

  • Russia is the world's largest producer of diamonds by volume.
  • It can take months or even years for a diamond to make it from a mine to becoming a piece of jewelry. After being mined in a remote region of Siberia, a diamond is taken to an ore treatment facility, where the gem is extracted from the ore.
  • Then, it goes to a sorting facility 200 miles away in the diamond mining town of Mirny, where the stones are sorted by size, color, and quality – both manually and via sorting machines.
  • Finally, the diamond goes to the polishing and cutting facility in Moscow, a journey that's a nearly six-hour flight or a drive of almost 6,000 miles.
  • Alrosa mostly sells rough diamonds in bulk to jewelers, but its largest diamonds are polished and sold at international auctions.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Russia is the world's largest producer of diamonds by volume.

More than 43 million carats were mined in Russia in 2018, with most coming from the Yakutia region of Siberia.

So far this year, the country's largest diamond company, Alrosa, has sold more than $2.4 billion worth of diamonds.

On a recent trip to Russia, I got the chance to follow the journey a diamond takes, from an open-pit mine in Siberia, to the ore enrichment factory, to sorting facilities in a diamond mining town of Mirny, to polishing facilities in Moscow.

Here's the journey of a Russian diamond, from being dug out of the frozen ground in Siberia to selling for millions at the world's biggest jewel auctions.

SEE ALSO: Photos show what life is like in a Siberian diamond mining town on the edge of the Arctic Circle, which is home to 40,000 people and where the sun is up for 20 hours a day in the summer

NOW READ: Russia is the world's largest producer of diamonds. I toured a mine in Siberia that produced 1.4 million carats of diamonds in 2018 — here's what it was like.

Russia is the world's largest producer of diamonds.

In 2018, Russia mined more than 43 million carats.

For comparison, the world's second-largest producer by volume, Botswana, produced 24.3 million carats.



Most of Russia's diamonds are mined in the Yakutia region of Siberia by a company called Alrosa.

Alrosa is the world's largest diamond miner by volume.

The Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, is a region in Siberia that's five times the size of France but has only about a million inhabitants.

On a recent trip to Russia, I got the chance to follow the path of a diamond from the mines of Siberia, to ore enrichment and sorting facilities in the mining town of Mirny, to a cutting and polishing center in Moscow.



Alrosa operates 12 diamond mines, both underground and open-pit mines, 10 of which are in Yakutia.

To create the mines, Alrosa must first scan for pipes of kimberlite ore, which is the ore that can contain diamonds. 

Once a pipe is found, explosives are detonated to remove some of the empty soil on the surface, which is then discarded in piles nearby.



Then come the excavators and trucks to haul out the soil and the kimberlite ore, which is what contains the diamonds.

Each excavator bucket holds about 30 tonnes — more than 66,000 pounds — of soil or ore.

And one truck can be loaded up with three buckets full of soil, or more than 200,000 pounds. 

At the Botuobinskaya open-pit mine, which I visited in Yakutia, about 60,000 metric tonnes — or more than 66,000 US tons — of soil and ore are extracted in a 24-hour period.

Once an open-pit mine has been depleted, it's typically turned into an underground mine and operations continue below the surface.



It takes a truck 40 minutes to take a round trip to the bottom of the mine and back.

Some trucks carry empty soil to dump nearby, while others carry kimberlite ore to the factory for the ore enrichment process, to separate the rough diamonds from the other stones.

The miners excavate roughly five times more soil than ore, so most of the soil has to be discarded.



This is what kimberlite ore, the igneous rock that can contain diamonds, looks like.

Of course, you can't see diamonds because they're hidden away inside and must be extracted.

The ore just felt like a particularly crumbly handful of rocks and dirt.



The trucks take the kimberlite ore to a factory for the treatment process, during which the diamond are extracted. The facility is about a 10-minute drive from the mine I visited.



The ore treatment is a mostly automated process. At this factory, about 6,600 US tons of ore are processed every single day — and it's one of the smaller facilities.

The factory operates 24/7, although they shut it down for 12 hours every two weeks for maintenance.

In the first stage of ore treatment, huge chunks of ore are whittled down to pieces no bigger than about five centimeters, or two inches, first using jaw crushers and then through a "wet milling" process, which uses water to break down the lumps of ore even smaller. 

The second step is to extract the diamonds from the ore, which can be done in one of three ways: 

  1. X-ray separation: Diamonds glow when they're under X-rays, so the diamond-filled ore is X-rayed while moving along a trough, and a special tool cuts the illuminated gems away from the ore using a stream of compressed air.
  2. Foamy separation: Smaller pieces of ore are put into a froth flotation machine, where small diamonds attach to froth bubbles and are carried to the final concentration stage, while other particles that don't contain diamonds settle to the bottom.
  3. Heavy separation: Medium-sized chunks of ore are processed in jigging machines and dense media separation units that use pulsating jets of water to separate the diamonds from the ore.


Even though almost the entire process is automated, Alrosa employees keep a close eye on the process from the control room, which shakes and creaks from the machinery operating around it.

After the diamonds are finally extracted from the ore, they are cleaned, roughly sorted, and packed into containers to go to the sorting facility.



The sorting facility is in Mirny, the diamond mining town where many miners and other employees live. It's about 300 kilometers, or almost 200 miles, from the ore treatment facility.

Diamonds arrive at the sorting facility regularly, but not every day. 

For security reasons, Alrosa does not disclose how diamonds are transported from one place to another.



At this facility, diamonds are sorted by size, color, and quality.



The smaller stones go into machines that sift them through holes of varying diameters, sorting them into nine different size groups.

Larger stones are weighed for carat size in other machines.



Once they're sorted, the larger diamonds — stones that are 10.8 carats or bigger are considered "special size" diamonds — are cut, polished, and sold at international auctions like Christie's.

The smallest gems are sold rough — or unpolished — in bulk for industrial use, such as being embedded in grinding wheels, saw blades, and drill bits to be used for cutting and grinding hard materials.



After the preliminary sorting in Yakutia, the diamonds are transported almost 6,000 miles — a six-hour flight — to Alrosa's facilities in Moscow for evaluation, cutting, and polishing.

Security was tight at the facility in Moscow. We had to submit our passport to be checked, and I could only bring my camera and phone inside with me. Even my small bag had to be left outside. 



Here, the first stage is evaluating the diamond.

Evaluation entails trying to forecast the price of the stone and the number of diamonds you can get out of it. One rough stone can be as many as 10 or 12 polished diamonds.



One part of evaluation is a 3D scan of the diamond to see the potential size and shapes that will come out of it.

A special software called Sarine breaks down the potential diamond size, shapes, and prices.

"Everything is done to maximize the prospect revenue," an Alrosa employee told us.



The next step is cutting the rough diamonds, which is done using water lasers and can take months or even years.

"With diamonds, every time you make a decision, there's no way back," an Alrosa employee told us. "You know your decision can cost $1 million ... So that's why it's so hard and can take months."

Becoming a diamond cutter entails about six months of training and then a five-year apprenticeship, according to Alrosa. Some cutters specialize in particular shapes, such as only round diamonds or only heart-shaped diamonds.



After being cut, the diamonds are bruted, or formed into their preliminary shapes.



And finally, in the final stage, the diamond is polished using a spinning grading wheel coated with a special paste that's made of diamond dust.

Essentially, diamonds are polished by other diamonds.



Most of the gems Alrosa sells are rough diamonds, which means the stones have not yet been cut or polished. They sell most of these unpolished diamonds in bulk for industrial use to clients with whom they have long-term contracts.

Alrosa has about 65 clients under long-term contracts, which accounted for 77% of rough diamond sales in 2017, according to the company.

Jewelers generally bid on these rough diamonds by the box rather than buying individual stones.

In September 2019 alone, Alrosa sold $256.5 million worth of rough diamonds, according to the company.



But larger diamonds, those that are 10.8 carats or bigger and are considered "special size diamonds," are sold at international auctions.

In September 2019, Alrosa sold $2.2 million of polished diamonds.



In March 2019, Alrosa held a rough diamond auction in New York City that brought in $11.8 million.

The company is trying to boost its name recognition in the US, as the head of its North American division, Rebecca Foerster, told Business Insider's Richard Feloni earlier this year.

As of October, Alrosa had sold more than $2.4 billion worth of rough and polished diamonds in 2019.



I'm a New Yorker who just spent a day alone at the State Fair of Texas. Here's what I saw walking around birthing barns and butter sculptures.

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texas state fair goat

  • I'm a lifelong New Yorker who recently visited Texas and spent a day at the biggest state fair in the US.
  • Butter sculpting was disappointing, but the dog show was thrilling.
  • Instead of partaking in turkey legs and cotton candy tacos, I ate pizza.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I did not last long at the pig races.

The siren blared; the stadium erupted; perhaps 20 tiny pink creatures tumbled out of cages and onto a dirt arena, where they toddled forward in packs like so many porcine commuters at rush hour.

It was at this point that I stood up and began shuffling my way toward the exit, taking care not to step on any stuffed cowboys or knock the cotton candy out of unsuspecting children's hands. 

Watching the races had left me feeling some vague combination of nausea and outrage. I worried that if I stayed any longer, I'd be tempted to scoop up the pigs myself and set them free, a course of action that would almost assuredly lead to an encounter with the authorities.

Outside the stadium, I struggled to breathe deeply — had I been the racing pig, after all? — and squinted at a paper map of the State Fair of Texas.

SEE ALSO: What it's like going to the world's biggest horse sale, where royals and millionaires dropped $360 million this year on horses they hope might be the next Kentucky Derby winner

The State Fair of Texas is the biggest state fair in the US. I visited on opening day.

I scanned the list of attractions — chainsaw carving (of timber) and auto shows among them — all of which seemed mercifully more humane than this one.

At 1 pm, it was 95 degrees and the sunshine was relentless. An ant crept slowly down my spine — no, it was just perspiration.

Why, exactly, was I here? From my climate-controlled office in New York City's Financial District, spending opening day at the biggest state fair in the US seemed a delightful experience. I was headed to Dallas anyway, for a conference: How could I not seize the opportunity?

In the days leading up to the fair, I told multiple people about my plans to visit. Everyone wanted to know: Was I going alone? (Yes.) Did I often travel by myself? (More or less first-timer.) Had I ever been to Texas? (No; lifelong New Yorker here.) Did I like barbecue? (Vegetarian.) Then ... why was I going? (Adventure?)

The roughly six hours I spent at the fair proved exhausting and exhilarating. At one point, I wandered dehydrated over to a concession stand selling cold water bottles, only to learn that each one cost eight coupons (the equivalent of $4).

"Eight coupons!" I shouted, in my best rendition of a Take-No-Crap New Yorker. "That's a ripoff!"

The proprietor looked at me and smirked. "Lady," he said, "you're at the State Fair."



A parade featuring the Shriners kicked things off.

The fair kicked off with a parade of floats blasting "Deep in the Heart of Texas." (Too on the nose?)

Everyone around me went wild when a float bearing three men wearing fez hats and playing the guitar came into view. Later I learned these guys were in fact the Shriners, members of a famously philanthropic fraternity who on occasion participate in local parades.



My main incentive for visiting the fair was to see butter sculpting. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment.

Now it was time for some real fun.

By far the most compelling reason I had to visit the State Fair was butter sculpting, which I envisioned as a sort of performance art.

For the uninitiated, butter sculpting is exactly what it sounds like: An artiste shapes a giant clump of butter (you know, the kind you spread on bread) into someone or something's likeness.

I arrived at the Creative Arts Building and saw a series of remarkable butter sculptures enclosed in refrigerated glass cases. Of the bespectacled women at the information booth, I asked, "When's the next sculpting?"

She pointed in the direction of the refrigerated cases.

I clarified: When would I be able to see the sculptors in the act of shaping the butter?

"Oh, no," she told me. "All the sculpting happens pre-fair."

My heart sank. After all that, I would never be able to watch the sculptors in action. Total bust.



I was more curious to tour the livestock birthing barn, which houses pregnant and newborn animals.

A sign for the "livestock birthing barn" caught my eye.

Every animal in the birthing barn — which included sheep, cows, goats, and chickens — was either pregnant or a newborn. In one pen I saw a cow and her three-day-old calves, who slept in a heap in the corner.



I was shocked to hear that the animals had been transported from the farm where they live.

"So all these animals live here?" I asked a birthing room staffer.

"Of course not!" she told me. "They live on a farm. We brought them over on the truck this morning."

Hold the phone.

These pregnant beings — including a cow who was evidently due to deliver the following day — had been dragged out of their home, strapped onto the back of a truck, and hauled off to a state fair, so some (hypothetical) imbecile from the East Coast could wave at them while snapping photos?

This was worse than pig races!



A goat was less than thrilled to be there.

A goat appeared as distraught as I felt about the whole situation. She stuck her head through a gap in the fence and we telecommunicated our mutual displeasure.

"Don't worry, goathead," I said silently. "You'll get out of here soon."



The fare at the fair included local delicacies like turkey legs ...

Speaking of animals: For adventurous eaters, the State Fair will not disappoint.

Aside from the more traditional Texan fare (see the turkey legs pictured above), there are also more exciting options.



... as well as some more innovative culinary creations, like cotton candy tacos.

Perhaps you'd enjoy a cotton candy taco, or the adjective-heavy "deep-fried chicken cordon bleu stuffed waffles."

A friend who visited the fair after I did told me she'd partaken in some alligator ("tastes like calamari").



I opted for pizza and ate it while listening to a cover artist perform in an area that reeked of manure.

I, however, enjoyed a giant slice of pizza and an equally giant cup of Coke, while sitting in an area that smelled heavily of manure and listening to a guitarist perform renditions of select oldies such as "Life Goes On."



My favorite attraction was the stunt dog show. It was heartening to hear that some of the dogs had been rescued from homelessness.

It's unclear to me why I returned to the stadium for a dog stunt show after the situation that had unfolded at pig races.

But I am pleased to report that my experience here was considerably more positive. As the dogs leapt over bars stationed 52 inches above ground and through a series of rings, then balanced on their hind legs while standing on their trainers' heads, the trainers shared with the audience some fun facts about the animals.

As it turned out, most of these dogs had been rescued from homelessness or other unfavorable circumstances and adopted, after which they were trained as show dogs.

One performer, Kaboodle, was found wandering the side of the highway after wildfires had struck her hometown. Another had been enlisted as a bird dog, meaning he was supposed to help hunters find prey, but he was dismissed when it became evident that he was afraid of gunfire.

I must say: The dogs seemed happy. Which made me happy, too.



After six hours, I was overheated and exhausted — but glad to have experienced the magic of the State Fair of Texas firsthand.

By 5:30 pm, the blisters on my feet (note to self: sandals do not belong at state fairs) had made further perambulation near impossible.

As I headed toward the parking lot, I took a last look around me: the parents dragging kids, the kids dragging parents, the half-consumed turkey legs, the crumpled pamphlets describing what cows eat.

The day had been long and, at times, strange. But it was a kind of drawn-out strangeness I was glad to have experienced.

A giant and not entirely un-creepy cowboy bid me farewell. I waved in his direction. And it might have been the onset of heatstroke, or perhaps the setting sun was in my eyes, but I'm fairly certain he waved back.



A 'bargain' Rolex, the brand's first new model in nearly 20 years at the time it was released, may be the best watch investment right now. Here's why, according to one reseller.

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Rolex Sky Dweller

  • Rolex watches are notoriously pricey, but the luxury brand's "bargain" watch might be the best bet for a watch collector.
  • Online watch reseller Watchfinder & Co. thinks that the Rolex Sky-Dweller 326933 may be the wisest investment for horology enthusiasts.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The price of entry to purchase a Rolex watch continues to grow higher and higher, so finding a true bargain has become extremely rare. As Watchfinder & Co. points out, however, there's currently one watch in particular that could be the next best cost-effective investment for watch enthusiasts: the Rolex Sky-Dweller 326933.

In 2012, Rolex released the Rolex Sky-Dweller, its first new watch in almost 20 years. The model was also Rolex's most technical watch to date, as it included a clever annual calendar feature and an extremely complicated movement that took into account specific months that have 30 days instead of 31. The watch received heightened attention because of its features, but since it carried a gold finish, it was too expensive and many turned to Patek Philippe for its similar model instead. "Damned by its own excellence," notes Watchfinder & Co.

In 2017 Rolex re-released the model using steel instead of gold. Interest and sales soared with the help of its new accessible price point, but the steel and gold version of the model, the Rolex Sky-Dweller 326933, ended up going unnoticed by most as it fell at a price point in between gold and steel. In the video above, Watchfinder & Co. explains the rocky journey of the Rolex Sky-Dweller and why the once overlooked 326933 model could be the best watch investment right now.

Elsewhere in watches, a rare Rolex Daytona 6241 "Paul Newman" was recently found on a $25 USD thrift-store couch.

SEE ALSO: The woman who found a $250,000 Rolex in her thrift-store couch 'did all the right things,' according to the expert collector who later bought her watch himself

DON'T MISS: Anthony Bourdain's luxury watch collection is for sale — and it includes a vintage Rolex he may have inherited from his dad

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why Rolex watches are so expensive

11 famous Americans who aren't as rich as you think they are

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tiger woods

In America, there's not just a divide between the rich and the poor — there's also a growing divide between the wealthy and the ultra-wealthy.

Not all rich people with household names are part of the 0.01%. That's especially true of entertainers. Despite their penchant for flashy displays of wealth, few of Hollywood's elite are actually billionaires. Scandals, divorces, and even presidential campaigns have depressed the net worths of other people on this list.

Read more: 5 Hollywood celebrities who became billionaires and are vastly more rich than their peers

Keep reading to learn more about the ultra-wealthy Americans who aren't quite as wealthy as most people assume they are.

SEE ALSO: Billionaire Marc Benioff is asking for higher taxes on America's wealthiest people — and he's just the latest in the chorus of ultra-wealthy people with the same demand

DON'T MISS: 11 billionaires who made their fortunes after immigrating to the US

Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of The Walt Disney Company cofounder Roy Disney, is only worth $120 million, according to her own reports.

That makes her worth less than the company's current CEO, Bob Iger, who has a net worth of $690 million, according to Forbes estimates. Abigail Disney has previously criticized Iger for being overpaid.

"The internet says I have half a billion dollars and I might have something close to that if I'd been investing aggressively," Disney herself told the Financial Times in June. "I'm roughly around $120 million and I have been for some time now."

Disney has given away $70 million of her personal fortune over the past 30 years.

Disney is a well-known and outspoken critic of the wealth divide in America. In June, she was among a group of 19 ultrawealthy Americans who signed an open letter to the 2020 presidential candidates expressing their collective support for a moderate wealth tax on the 1%.

Read more: The Disney heiress who has demanded a wealth tax on the ultrarich and thinks private jets should be outlawed finally sets the record straight on her personal net worth



Tiger Woods was on track to become a billionaire before his 2009 sex scandal; now, he's worth only $800 million.

Woods has made more than $1.5 billion since entering professional golf in 1996, including $116 million from on-course winnings, Forbes estimates.

Woods lost millions in endorsements deals after news of the scandal broke. Sponsors AT&T, Gatorade, Gillette, Golf Digest, and Tag Heuer all dropped him. Woods also paid ex-wife Elin Nordegren a $100 million divorce settlement, further depressing his net worth.

Woods' earnings have since rebounded. The golf star signed a $200 million deal with Nike in 2013, Business Insider previously reported.

Read more: Tiger Woods staged one of the biggest sports comebacks ever at the Masters — here's how he spends his millions and lives his life off the course



Presidential hopeful Tom Steyer might be trying to become America's second billionaire president — but he isn't anywhere near as wealthy as our current chief of state.

Steyer, 62, is worth half as much as President Trump, but still far more than any other current candidate, according to Forbes. Steyer made much of his $1.6 billion fortune managing his hedge fund, Farallon Capital.

Steyer will likely be even less wealthy by election day. He plans to use $100 million of his own fortune to fund his presidential campaign, Business Insider previously reported.

Read more: Tom Steyer is running for president. Here is everything we know about the candidate and how he stacks up against the competition.



Taylor Swift was upset that she wasn't given the opportunity to buy her masters, but she might not have been able to afford them anyway.

Swift's masters — along with her former label Big Machine Records — sold for a combined $300 million to Scooter Braun, Business Insider previously reported.

According to Forbes, Swift has an estimated net worth of $360 million — and that's not including the final earnings from her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour, which was the highest-grossing tour in US history. Such success makes Swift one of the world's highest-paid celebrities and one of the richest female singers

Read more: Taylor Swift just dropped a new album after her feud with Scooter Braun, and it's the first time she owns the rights to one of her records. From bicoastal mansions to lavish vacations, see how the superstar spends her $360 million-plus fortune.



Talent manager Scooter Braun — Swift's "worst-case scenario" — is only slightly wealthier than the musician herself.

Braun manages the careers of Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Zac Brown Band, Tori Kelly, Karlie Kloss, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Black Eyed Peas, and J Balvin. Braun has "broken more new artists than any other music executive in the last decade," he says on his personal website. He also has stakes in Uber, Spotify, Songza, Casper, Waze, and Pinterest through his company SB Projects, according to his personal website.

Braun has a net worth of about $400 million, Fox Business reported, citing Celebrity Net Worth.

Read more: Scooter Braun just congratulated Taylor Swift on her new album amid their ongoing feud over the rights to her old music — here's everything we know about the celebrity manager's net worth and career



Kris Jenner may be the "momager" of the Kardashian-Jenner clan, but she's worth far less than daughters Kim Kardashian West and Kylie Jenner.

Jenner has a net worth of $90 million, Insider previously reported, compared with $370 million for Kardashian West and $1 billion for Kylie Jenner.

Forbes estimated that Jenner made $11.5 million in 2016, including her salary for her starring role and executive producer credit on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and her 10% cut of her kids' earnings as well.

Read more: Every member of the Kardashian-Jenner family, ranked by net worth



Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's net worth stands at only $1.7 billion.

While a billion-dollar fortune is nothing to scoff at, compare Sandberg's net worth with that of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's — about $69 million, per Forbes' latest estimates.

According to Forbes, Sandberg also took the company from $56 million in losses in 2008, when she assumed leadership, to $22.1 billion in profits by 2018. She has also been fiercely defending the platform as scandal after scandal comes to the light.

Read more: From Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg to Oracle's Safra Catz, these are the 23 richest self-made women in tech in the US



Chris Hughes helped start Facebook, but his net worth pales in comparison to the billions the other cofounders are worth.

Zuckerberg is Facebook's wealthiest founder at $69 billion; Eduardo Saverin is worth $10.5 billion and Dustin Moskovitz is worth $11.5 billion.

Hughes' net worth? Only about $400 million, according to a Forbes report in July.

In 2012 — the same year Facebook went public — Forbes reported that his net worth was $700 million. In 2016, Forbes again dropped his net worth, this time to $430 million. 

Since his Facebook days, he started a social network for nonprofits, which he sold a year later. In 2012, he bought the magazine New Republic for $5 million, then sold it in 2016.

In May, Hughes made headlines after writing an Op-Ed in the New York Times calling for the breakup of Facebook.



Despite Leonardo DiCaprio's impressive filmography and decades in the biz, the actor's net worth reportedly only totals about $245 million.

Commonly considered one of the finest actors of his generation, DiCaprio has starred in record-breaking hits like "Titanic."

He is known for being an enviromental activist and has donated money to various environmental and humanitarian causes around the globe. Reports put his personal fortune at about $245 million.



Despite being a member of the Hilton family, heirs to the billion-dollar Hilton hotel empire, Paris Hilton's personal net worth is reportedly only $300 million.

Her late grandfather, Barron Hilton, opted to donate 97% of his fortune (about $2.3 billion as of 2007) to charity upon his death.

Still, the former heiress has done well for herself. She has a retail empire that includes 50 stores, and has 23 different fragrances that bring in over $2.5 billion a year, The Hollywood Reporter wrote in 2018. Her net worth is about $300 million, according to Town and Country.



Serena Williams is one of the greatest tennis players to ever live, but her earnings aren't on par with the cash her male counterparts command.

Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked men's tennis player in the world, has a reported net worth of $220 million, with career earnings of $132 million. Williams, on the other hand, has a net worth of about $180 million and career earnings of $88.6 million.



The top 10 states where America's wealthiest millennials live, ranked

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millennial millionaires

Millennial millionaires have something in common, besides their wealth: where they live.

A new report by Coldwell Banker looked at the top 10 states where America's millennial millionaires — of which there are 618,000 — live, and found that they're pretty concentrated.

The Coldwell Banker Global Luxury program worked with wealth intelligence data and research firm WealthEngine to analyze the lifestyles of millennial millionaires, from wealth creation and property investments to spending trends. It defined millennial millionaires as those ages 23 to 37 with a net worth of more than $1 million.

Read more: There are 618,000 millennial millionaires in the US, and they're on track to inherit even more wealth from the richest generation ever

Almost half of millennial millionaires live in California, which has the highest percentage of business owners and real estate investors, according to the report. And all states but one — Illinois — are on the coast.

See below for the top 10 states where America's millennial millionaires live.

SEE ALSO: The top 18 states rich millennials are moving to

DON'T MISS: The top 15 cities with the most billionaires, ranked

10. Maryland — Maryland has the most millionaires per capita as of 2018.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 2%

Source: Patch



T9. Illinois — From 2010 to 2016, Chicago gained more six-figure households under the age of 45 than any US city except for New York City.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 3%

Source: Crain's Chicago Business



T9. Virginia — Since northern Virginia borders Washington DC, many rich millennials living in the state likely work in the capital.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 3%

Source: Smart Asset



T7. New Jersey — Located across the Hudson River from New York City, New Jersey offers a more affordable housing alternative for those who work in the city.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 4%

SourceApp



T7. Washington — Home to the headquarters of Amazon and Microsoft, the Seattle metro area is a thriving tech center.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 4%

SourceThe New York Times



T5. Texas — Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston have become magnets for millennials looking to work for small businesses.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 5%

SourceChron

 



T5. Massachusetts — Massachusetts has big, bustling cities like Boston and charming small towns in the Berkshires alike.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 5%

Source: Massvacation



T5. Florida — Florida has year-long tropical weather, with sandy beaches that stretch for miles. Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa, in particular, are all hot cities for millennials.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 5%

Source10 NewsCurbedJacksonville.com



2. New York — A finance hub, New York City is home to wealthy investment bankers. But The Big Apple isn't New York's only draw: The state is full of smaller towns, like Rochester, which Forbes once listed as one of the best places to raise a family.

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 14%

Source: Forbes



1. California — From California's Hollywood movie industry to the tech bubble of Silicon Valley, it's no surprise that the most millennial millionaires live in the "Golden State."

Percentage of millennial millionaires: 44%

Source: SmartAsset



The manager of a swanky Beverly Hills hotel that travelers recently rated the best hotel in the world says design is not enough to set a hotel apart in 2019

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The SLS Beverly Hills

In the age of Instagram, are trendy interiors and design principles enough to distinguish one luxury hotel from the next? According to the general manager of the best hotel in the US, the answer is no.

"Of course, our design differentiates us," Christophe Thomas, the manager of the SLS Beverly Hills, told Business Insider. "But you need more than design."

The SLS Beverly Hills is known for its whimsical Philippe Starck design and recently underwent a $22 million renovation to give a lighter, brighter, and ultimately more Instagrammable look to its guest rooms. The hotel — where nightly rates start at $343— was recently crowned the top hotel of the year by travelers in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards.

Despite the hotel's investment into redesigning its space, Thomas ventures that continued success in the hospitality space depends on something else entirely.

Read more: The 5 new hotels around the world with the most incredible design, according to experts

"You need substance," Thomas said. In his opinion, the most effective way to be substantive and memorable is to listen to what guests want out of their stay and to make it happen. "To remain at the top, we are really looking to capitalize on our guest feedback."

Christophe Thomas general manager SLS beverly hills

"Every guest who stays at the property receives a survey asking for their feedback. All the guest feedback is reviewed seriously on a daily basis," Thomas explained. "At the same time, we love to connect with our guests, so we, myself and my director of operations, are constantly listening to our team on the floor in real time."

Listening to every guest's feedback is an admittedly large undertaking that requires an equally large and attentive staff. There are 500 associates involved in making sure the hotel runs smoothly, Anna Gaidaenko, a representative for the SLS, told Business Insider in an email.

"When you come to this property we are so attuned to the needs and wants of our guests," Thomas said. "I think it's refreshing that — or at least I hope that – we are more than just a hotel. We are an experience."

Experience is the ultimate luxury in hospitality in 2019

Thomas' take on guests looking for hotels that offer experiences resonates with what other industry leaders have said.

Ian Schrager, the legendary hotelier behind brands like EDITION and PUBLIC, told Business Insider's Katie Warren in March that the whole notion of luxury has changed in recent years.

Schrager's take on design being part of the experience — but not the defining part of it — aligns with Thomas', and there's a logical explanation for it: Thomas was formerly the hotel manager of Schrager's first luxury property, the Gramercy Park Hotel

Schrager's newest hotel, the Times Square EDITION, is not just about how it looks. Instead, he told Warren, "It's about how it makes somebody feel when they're in here. That they feel good, that they've been treated respectfully and with courtesy ... You actually feel comfortable and warm being here."

Meanwhile, some brands, like Kimpton Hotels, which has 65 boutique locations across the US, deliver on the promise of personalization by providing Inner Circle guests with a personalized welcome package upon arrival. Others, like the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, Inc. reported in 2016, encourage employees "to spend up to $2,000 per guest to solve a guest issue or improve a guest's stay."

SEE ALSO: The 17 best hotels in the world, according to travelers

DON'T MISS: The biggest red flag to look out for when checking into a hotel, according to a professional traveler who has stayed in over 3,000

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The most expensive racing pigeon sold for $1.4 million in China. Here's why people drop millions on these prized birds.

The most popular Halloween candy in every state

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Halloween Candy Sugar

  • Americans unite around candy come Halloween time, but they're just as divided as ever over which candy is the best.
  • CandyStore.com, an online bulk candy retailer that's tracked its sales over the last 12 years, released a map that showed the most popular candy in each US state.
  • The most popular candy nationwide was Skittles, followed by Reese's Cups and M&M's. But some states preferred niche choices like Lemonheads or saltwater taffy.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A love of candy is something that unites Americans around this time of year.

But a new map of America's favorite candy by state, based on analysis by CandyStore.com, shows that we are more divided than ever. 

CandyStore.com, which sells candy in bulk across the US and Canada, has tracked its best-selling candy in every state for the last 12 years. According to this year's updated data, the best-selling candy in America is Skittles, followed by Reese's Cups and M&Ms. 

Read more: Teens' favorite snacks are mostly chips and cookies, even though almost half of those surveyed say they prefer healthy snacks

Of course, there were odd states out. Saltwater taffy is surprisingly popular in Washington, but there's also Montana and Oklahoma, which ordered more Dubble Bubble gum than anything else. Louisiana and Kentucky eschewed more mainstream choices for Lemonheads and Swedish Fish, respectively.

A surprising number of states ordered more candy corn than anything else. Among them was Iowa, the nation's capital of corn production. Also popular were Snickers, Starburst, and Hot Tamales.

The National Retail Federation estimated that shoppers will spend the same amount as they did last year on Halloween candy: $2.6 billion. This stagnation is partially due to heightened consumer uncertainty in the face of the Trump administration's tariffs.

most popular halloween candy every state map

SEE ALSO: The best places to buy Halloween costumes online

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The rarest steak in the world can cost over $300. Here's why wagyu beef is so expensive.


The 3 steps I take to save money and earn more than 100,000 points each year shopping online

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Shopping online

  • Across all my loyalty program accounts, I've earned more than 1 million points and miles. 
  • While I've earned many of these rewards by traveling and opening rewards credit cards like the Platinum Card® from American Express and earning their sign-up bonuses, I've also amassed plenty of points and miles through online shopping portals — more than 100,000 this year alone.
  • Shopping portals are online gateways to retailer websites that earn you bonus rewards. When you click through a shopping portal, you'll earn extra points, miles, or cash back for each dollar you spend.
  • You could even "triple-dip" by earning rewards from your credit card, from a shopping portal, and from Amex Offers.
  • Read more personal finance coverage.

I've racked up more than one million points and miles since I began earning travel rewards about seven years ago. And I don't mean to brag — that number is actually quite meager compared to the loyalty account balances of many of my friends who are deeper into "the hobby."

Earning hundreds of thousands of miles each year is easy when you're constantly flying on paid airfare and booking hotel stays with credit cards that earn you bonus points on your spending. But in the last few years I've been happy to sacrifice the thrills of seeing the world for enjoying a more regular schedule (and uninterrupted circadian rhythms).

That said, I still manage to earn plenty of points and miles here on the homefront, largely by maximizing my shopping purchases. I make most of my purchases online, and this has allowed me to earn more than 100,000 rewards this year alone.

Here are the three steps I take before making a purchase online to make sure I'm earning as many points as possible from my rewards credit cards and loyalty programs.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back. 

1. I check a shopping portal aggregator

If you've never heard of an online shopping portal, allow me to introduce you to the easiest way to earn more points, miles, or cash back. 

Shopping portals are websites run by loyalty programs — from United MileagePlus to Chase Ultimate Rewards — that allow you to earn extra rewards on your purchase just by clicking through from the portal to the retailer. There are also cash-back shopping portals like Ebates, if you don't want to earn travel rewards.

For example, one of my favorite places to shop online is Sephora. I have most of my airline miles banked with United, so the United MileagePlus Shopping portal is usually my go-to for clicking through to sites like Sephora and earning bonus miles — especially when it's offering an elevated earning rate like 10 miles per dollar spent (which I was able to nab recently).

However, United's portal doesn't always offer the highest rewards, and I want to make the most of my spending. So I always head to a shopping portal aggregator website before I decide which portal to use. 

Shopping portal aggregators are exactly what they sound like — they round up all the portals out there, and you can type in a specific retailer website to see the different portal bonuses for shopping there. The two shopping portal aggregators I check are Cashback Monitor and Evreward

Below is a screenshot from Evreward with some of the different points, miles, and cash back bonuses available through different shopping portals when you click through to Sephora.

Screen Shot 2019 10 18 at 12.03.04 PM

In this example, going through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal would be my best best — which works out well, since the Chase Freedom Unlimited is my go-to card for non-bonus category spending. Unlike with hotel and airline shopping portals, with the Chase portal you have to use your Chase card to make the purchase if you want to earn bonus points.

Read more:The best Chase cards

2. I check Amex Offers

A nifty benefit of holding an Amex card is that you get access to Amex Offers, which can save you money or earn you bonus points with certain retailers. 

You can find your Amex Offers by logging in to your account online or via the Amex app. Some recent examples of Amex Offers include $10 back when you spend $100 or more at J. Crew, and 5,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $250 or more at Theory.

Read more:The best Amex Offers available now

Amex Offers don't usually align with where I make purchases online, but occasionally I'm able to use one to save money or earn bonus points with retailers such as Amazon and Adidas. And in this case, it's a "triple dip" — I'm earning points through my credit card, points through a shopping portal, and points or a discount through Amex Offers.

It's always worth taking a look at the available offers before you make a purchase online, but just remember you have to use the Amex card associated with the offer in order to get the discount or bonus points on an eligible purchase.

3. I decide which credit card to use

Most of my online purchases fall under the "other" category — meaning they don't qualify for bonus categories offered by rewards credit cards like dining out, travel, or groceries. 

There are three other considerations I have when deciding what card to use:

Am I working toward a sign-up bonus?

I haven't opened any new credit cards in a while — I'm actually paring my lineup down at the moment — but when I am, I put any purchases on my new card so I can meet the minimum spending requirement and get the sign-up bonus.

Read more:The best credit card sign-up bonuses available now

Am I buying a big-ticket item? 

If I'm looking to make a large purchase like a new piece of tech or jewelry, I want to use a credit card that offers strong purchase protection. Because the last thing you want when you're spending a significant amount of money is to have something go wrong with your purchase and find that you're still on the hook for the money you spent.

I use the Platinum Card from American Express if I need purchase protection, since it offers coverage of up to $10,000 per claim and up to $50,000 per cardholder. I've never needed to use this benefit, but it provides some extra peace of mind, and in 

Do I need to use a specific card to get the shopping portal bonus?

As I briefly mentioned above, with the Chase Ultimate Rewards shopping portal, you have to use your Chase card to earn bonus points or cash back on your purchase. There's no point in going through the portal if I were to, say, use my United Explorer℠ Card, so I'll pay with my eligible Chase card if this is the portal I decide to use. 

Plus, since most of my online shopping purchases don't qualify for bonus credit card rewards through spending categories, I want to use a card that offers a good return on non-bonus spending. For me, this is usually the Chase Freedom Unlimited Card, since it offers 1.5% cash back/1.5x points on everything.

This is a cash-back credit card, but Chase has this nifty trick where it lets you redeem your cash-back rewards from the Freedom Unlimited as Ultimate Rewards points if you also have a Chase card that earns Ultimate Rewards points. I have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, which I use for a lot of my travel and dining spending, so I'm getting 1.5x Ultimate Rewards points on every purchase with the Freedom Unlimited

Taking these three steps allows me to earn maximum rewards on money I'm already spending. It only takes a minute or two, and the extra points and miles are well worth it!

Click here to learn more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Octopuses are officially the weirdest animals on Earth

A ceiling in Winston Churchill's ancestral home tells the story of an eccentric duchess

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Catherine McCormack

  • Catherine McCormack is a writer and art history lecturer based in London. She regularly teaches at Sotheby's Institute of Art, Dulwich Picture Gallery and UCL, where she completed her PhD and was a Teaching Fellow.
  • The following is an excerpt from her book, "The Art of Looking Up."
  • In it, McCormack looks at 40 ceilings around the world and examines their impact.
  • Here, she focuses on the power that ceilings can convey, focusing on the intriguing history of Blenheim Palace — Sir Winston Churchill's ancestral home.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The easiest way to overwhelm is from above, as this is the vantage point from which all authority tends to descend. And so it follows that, in spaces of power, such as at the palaces of royalty, autocracy, and rulership, the ceiling becomes an exercise in communicating that domination. This is achieved through the incorporation of various messages signaling such things as immense wealth and immortality. Portrayed with sentiments ranging from intimidation to whimsy, they are realized in ways that range from painterly ingenuity in composition to the use of beetles and bees. For example, ceilings such as the "Allegory of Divine Providence at Palazzo" Barberini in Rome or the Sala dei Giganti in Palazzo del Te, Mantua, employ a sotto in su technique. Literally meaning "from below to above," this involves the extreme foreshortening of figures and objects in order to create the effect that they are suspended in the air, at times bearing down and entering into the space of the beholder beneath (who duly flinches in anticipation). A similar interrogation and sense of the patron's presence can be felt on the North Portico of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, in the form of a sequence of disembodied eyes.

The Art of Looking Up

While ... ceilings range from medieval Granada to Rajasthan and Turkey, there is one age that dominates: the age of absolutist authority in Europe, of prince-bishops, popes, and kings. It is no coincidence that the Würzburg Residence, Banqueting House in Whitehall Palace, and Palazzo Barberini all share the common theme of apotheosis — the elevation of the princely individual to sit with the gods in an imagined kingdom of immortality, as performed across these grandiose ceilings with blousy pomp, conceit and vainglory.

However, not all ceilings in the palaces of the powerful are so baldly egotistical. By contrast, the Muslim palaces of the Alhambra in Granada, Topkapı in Istanbul, and Bundi Palace in Rajasthan, strike a more humble chord. While no less visually impressive and sensually rich, they reference the spirituality of creation and the flow of life without recourse to mythologizing self-aggrandizement. With power, there is also the luxury of time to indulge in pleasure, leisure and comedy, examples of which range from the elegant confines of Catherine the Great's Chinese Palace at Oranienbaum, St Petersburg, to the witty and unexpected view from below in Vicenza's Palazzo Chiericati's Sala del Firmamento.

SEE ALSO: My husband and I saved $36,000 in 2 years to quit our jobs and travel the world. These are the offbeat ways we cut costs.

Blenheim Palace, United Kingdom

Six unblinking, disembodied eyes bear down on all those who arrive at the principal entrance to the palatial setting of Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill. Three eyes are brown, the remaining three a cerulean blue, all of them encased in enigmatic starbursts. It is a peculiar welcome to one of England's largest and most prestigious stately homes, the only secular and non-royal building in the country to be known as a 'palace.'

But Blenheim has always been a place of controversy. The house was built between 1705 and 1722, as a gift from Queen Anne to the 1st Duke of Marlborough for his valiant victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Planning and development fell to the duke and his wife. They disagreed over who should be entrusted with the design and the job was handed to the English dramatist and sometime architect Sir John Vanbrugh who had worked with Nicholas Hawksmoor on the baroque behemoth of Castle Howard in Yorkshire.

The building is idiosyncratic in all respects. Part mausoleum, part monument, and part domestic family home, it was criticized by the public as a flamboyantly excessive drain on public funds. After completion it became known as an architectural failure that was too severe and grandiose — so much so that Vanbrugh never worked again.



While the palace is known for its tapestries, old master paintings, antiques and furniture, the North Portico tells the story of one of the building's more eccentric inhabitants.

The decoration of the portico dates to 1928 and the patronage of Gladys Deacon, the second wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough, who commissioned British war artist Colin Gill to paint the eyes of her and her husband in 1928. The duchess allegedly scaled Gill's ladder waving a silk scarf so that he might perfect the exact shade of her famously disarming eyes. Having studied at London's lade School of Fine Art, Gill was dispatched to the Western Fronting France during the First World War, where he employed his artistic training working as a camouflage officer. On his return, he was commissioned to paint a contemporary history painting commemorating the dead for a memorial project known as the Hall of Remembrance, a commemorative building that was never completed. His observations of trench warfare can be seen in the work Heavy Artillery (1919) in the Imperial War Museum, London.

Celebrated for her meteoric beauty and famed for her intellect and wit, the duchess beguiled Europe, capturing the admiration of Marcel Proust, Auguste Rodin (who gifted her a sculpture), Claude Monet, and the Crown Prince of Prussia, among many others. Born in Paris to American parents, she spent most of her early years in France, including an education in a convent to which she was sent after her father murdered her mother's lover.



Deacon arrived in England in the late 1890s and befriended the Duke of Marlborough's first wife Consuelo.

Unsurprisingly, she acted as muse for a number of modernist artists who captured her in portrait form. They included Italian futurist artist Giovanni Boldini, John Singer Sargent, and the sculptor Jacob Epstein. Soon after her arrival in England, Deacon became the Duke of Marlborough's mistress ensconced at Blenheim, although the pair did not marry until 1921 when his first marriage ended. The second duchess was committed to her pursuit of a perfectly formed Grecian profile, and soon after her marriage she underwent cosmetic surgery to inject paraffin wax into the bridge of her nose. However, the wax became displaced and collected in hard lumps around her chin, disfiguring her famous beauty.



Gill's painting of eyes may be something of a window onto a troubled soul who lived a life of colorful experiences, but any intended meaning remains oblique and lies buried with the enigmatic duchess, who died a nocturnal recluse, surrounded by cats.

Having said this, the eye as a visual symbol has a significant history and has appeared on churches, temples and even on banknotes. For example, the Eye of Horus was a popular motif in ancient Egyptian mythology and represented good health, protection, and royal power. In Europe in the medieval period the eye symbol was often surrounded by a triangle that symbolized the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and represented the omniscient eye of God keeping watch on humanity, and was later taken up by the Freemasons as a reflection of their belief in this all-seeing power who saw and judged everything.

Excerpt from THE ART OF LOOKING UP by Catherine McCormack. Copyright © 2019 by Catherine McCormack. Reprinted by permission of White Lion Publishing.



College dorms are so expensive that some parents are buying 'kiddie condos' for their teenagers to live in

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UT Austin

  • Some American parents are putting the money they'd otherwise spend on out-of-state tuition and room and board for their college-age kids into local real estate in a strategy some realtors call buying a "kiddie condo."
  • A kiddie condo is a home in a college town for their kids to live in. The condos provide rental income, can raise the student's credit score if their name is on the mortgage, and can help them establish residency to become an in-state student and qualify for lower tuition.
  • It can be a strategy to put your college savings money back into your own pocket, but it doesn't work for every student, nor in every state, says a real estate agent who has sold several such properties.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Personal finance expert Lynnette Khalfani-Cox bought homes for both her college-aged daughter and son.

It might seem rather generous to buy your 18-year-old a condo or townhouse. But parents like Khalfani-Cox are finding that it saves them money in the long run. 

Khalfani-Cox bought her daughter, who attended the University of Texas at Austin, a $210,000 condo instead of paying the university for room and board. This strategy saved her family an estimated $30,000 on room and board in the three years of college her daughter lived in the condo, plus $40,000 on out-of-state tuition during her daughter's junior and senior years, once she'd become an in-state student by living locally and qualifying for lower, in-state tuition. 

Plus, Khalfani-Cox was able to charge rent. Each month, the rent from her daughter's two roommates paid the mortgage in full. After graduating last year, her daughter still lives in the Austin area — but even if she decided to leave or does in the future, there is still an opportunity for rental income.

"My daughter's credit score is in the high 700s, and that's rare for somebody right out of college," Khalfani-Cox said. She continued, "Because it worked so beautifully, we said, 'Let's do the same thing with our son.'"

'Kiddie condos' are showing up in US college towns

Some realtors call this strategy buying a "kiddie condo," named after an FHA loan that allows parents to help their children buy their first home even if they won't be living there. The idea behind the strategy is to put the money a family would generally spend on college expenses like room and board, required meal plans, and out-of-state tuition into a property. Add that savings to the benefits of getting rental income, helping your child build credit, and helping them to establish a stable place to live, and the numbers might start to seem justified.

In areas where property costs are relatively low, real estate markets are hot, and state laws are friendly to college students wanting to establish residency, it's becoming a popular idea that both parents and schools are recognizing. 

One such place is the University of Florida in Gainesville, where the median sale price for a home is about $180,000, and there are plenty of condos near campus. 

"It's been a popular concept ever since I become a realtor in 2004," realtor Matt Price of University Realty told Business Insider in an email. "I think it has likely become more popular each year, since the rental rates at apartment communities near UF have increased, which makes buying a condo an even more attractive concept," he said. 

He adds the school has even acknowledged its many off-campus condo dwellers, expanding the school bus lines to serve some of the condo communities where he's sold homes. He estimates that he and his business partner have sold over 1,800 condos combined since 2004, and says that a majority of those he currently has listed for sale will be bought for this purpose. 

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox says that buying this condo in Austin, Texas, helped her save on her daughter's college costs

A similar pattern is happening near University of Texas at Austin. Real estate agent Mark Kolbe, who specializes in the UT Austin area and helped Khalfani-Cox's family with their condo purchase, says renting to college students is a stable market regardless of what the greater Austin economy looks like. "You basically have a steady influx of students who are very stable renters," says Kolbe. "The nice thing about students is that they don't have income necessarily, but they have guarantors in their parents." And stability, he says, is the key to a good rental investment. 

That said, being a landlord isn't for everyone. But this method still works, as properties near universities are also usually an easy sell. "Generally, they're looking at a pretty reasonable appreciation on the property from when they purchased it and can just turn a nice profit on the resale," says Kolbe.

Kiddie condos aren't the right move for everyone

But, there are some scenarios where buying a condo to cut back on college expenses doesn't exactly make sense. "It's not good for people who have a scholarship, especially people who aren't paying anything," says Kolbe. Students whose room and board are covered by the school would be paying more should they buy off-campus real estate.

Additionally, there are some legal factors, including how easy it is to get residency in a state, that could stand in the way. 

It worked well for Khalfani-Cox's daughter because she truly intended to stay in Austin and make it a full-time residence, even after college. It can be more difficult, if not impossible, to establish residency for a student if they don't have intent to stay after graduation and make a life in the state. 

And some states just don't allow it.

"It's come up a few times where I've talked to people who said, 'well we tried to do this with our other son who went to school in Pennsylvania' and they just said it would not work," says Kolbe. "In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California ... there are a lot of states that seem to be a lot more difficult about the establishment of residency."

In Pennsylvania, laws require that a student be 21 years old and have a reason other than school to live there to claim residency. To establish residency in California, any student under age 24 must be able to verify that they've been financially independent for two years prior to the term they want to enroll in college. In states with laws like these, kiddie condos may not be possible.

Kolbe suggests working with a realtor who's familiar with both the university area and the state's residency laws. There's a lot that could go wrong if the proper research isn't done. But if everything works out, like it did for Khalfani-Cox's family, there's a lot to be earned. 

"It's a big investment," says Kolbe. "But, it's huge savings." 

Join the conversation about this story »

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Millennials are buckling under all kinds of debt, and they're freaking out

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millennials debt stress

Millennials are stressed — and it's largely because of money.

Indebted millennials, in particular, are feeling the strain more than other generations, according to a new survey from Insider and Morning Consult. The survey polled 2,096 Americans about their financial health, debt, and earnings for a new series, "The State of Our Money." More than 670 respondents were millennials, defined as ages 23 to 38 in 2019.

Roughly a quarter of millennial respondents have a mortgage, and 41% have a car loan, the report found. Of millennial respondents with a mortgage, nearly 49.7% have some or a lot of stress about it, compared to 41.9% of overall respondents. The numbers are similar when it comes to car loans: 50.7% of millennial respondents with a car loan have some or a lot of stress about it, compared to 42.9% overall.

But millennials are most stressed about their credit card and undergrad student loan debts — 51.5% and 28.4% of millennial respondents have each, respectively.

Of millennials with credit card debt, nearly 68% have some or a lot of stress, whereas only 60% of overall respondents do. That's even higher for those with student loan debt — about 72% of millennials with undergrad debt have some or a lot of stress about it, compared to 66% of respondents overall.

Read more: Millennials are swamped in debt, and it's not just student loans

Debt stress might explain why the majority of young adults define financial success as being debt-free. A Merrill Lynch Wealth Management report, which surveyed more than 2,700 Americans ages 18 to 34, found that only 19% of respondents view financial success as being rich — 60% see it as not having any debt.

"Freedom from debt seems a low bar of accomplishment, yet it's an elusive goal for many early adults," the report said.

According to the report, citing the Survey of Consumer Finances, 81% of early-adult households carry a collective debt of nearly $2 trillion. The debt includes car loans and mortgages but is mainly made up of student-loan debt and credit-card debt.

SEE ALSO: Millennials and Gen X are both stressed, broke, and in debt — but Gen X is more worried about it

DON'T MISS: Edit in Viking More than half of millennials have credit-card debt, and it reflects a financial reality other generations didn't face

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In the early days of Amazon, Jeff Bezos used to ask every candidate open-ended questions in their interviews — and their SAT scores

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Most people think their SAT scores don't matter after college, but most people aren't Jeff Bezos.

The billionaire Amazon founder would ask every job candidate how they scored on the standardized test before submitting them to a Socratic-style interrogation in the early days of Amazon, The Atlantic's Franklin Foer reported in a profile of the CEO published in the magazine's November issue. Bezos, according to The Atlantic, believed that candidates' SAT scores were a reflection of their intelligence.

But SAT scores were not the only technique Bezos relied on to measure a candidate's intelligence. Bezos also asked open-ended questions in the Socratic style, such as "Why are manhole covers round?" to measure how logical candidates were, The Atlantic reported. 

The fifth employee that Bezos hired, Nicolas Lovejoy, told Wired's Chip Bayers in 1999 that the CEO was "very, very picky" with who he hired. "One of his mottos was that every time we hired someone, he or she should raise the bar for the next hire, so that the overall talent pool was always improving," Lovejoy told Wired.

Bezos also questioned the other interviewers about their impressions of the candidate and made charts of candidates' resumes on a whiteboard, Lovejoy told Wired.

Bezos founded Amazon as an online bookstore from his garage on July 4, 1994 after quitting his Wall Street job and moving to Seattle, Washington. Bezos now has a net worth of $117 billion, Business Insider previously reported.

Read more: Jeff Bezos just sold about $1.8 billion worth of stock. Here's how the world's richest person makes and spends his billions.

Amazon did not return Business Insider's request for comment on whether select job candidates are still asked for their SAT scores.

What CEOs look for in potential recruits

Bezos isn't the only tech founder to prize intelligence in potential recruits. Bill Gates also screened potential Microsoft recruits for their intellect, but the IQ test was his preferred metric, Business Insider's Shana Lebowitz previously reported.

"The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people," Bill Gates once said in an interview. "There is no way of getting around that in terms of IQ, you've got to be very elitist in picking the people who deserve to write software."

Intelligence is far from the only trait CEOs look for, though. Hyatt CEO and President Mark Hoplamazian, for one, looks for employees who align their jobs with their own sense of purpose. And as Business Insider's Callum Burroughs reported in August, Flywire CEO Mike Massaro assesses potential hires to see how well they fit with the rest of the team.

Bezos also screened candidates for high levels of personal accountability, Inc. reported in 2017. This was often done with behavioral questions, where candidates were asked to explain how they would handle a specific situation or how they have handled a similar situation in the past.

SEE ALSO: Jeff Bezos had a wild summer of yacht-hopping and jetting off to Wimbledon with his girlfriend. Here's how the world's wealthiest person spent his time.

DON'T MISS: Here's how much money America's 10 wealthiest people would have if the US had a moderate wealth tax

Join the conversation about this story »

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The rise of Jake Paul, the former Vine star who got married in a wild and crazy Las Vegas wedding to fellow YouTuber Tana Mongeau

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YouTube's version of a royal wedding took place this year between Jake Paul and Tana Mongeau, who together have more than 25 million subscribers to their channels.

Paul, 22, is one-half of the Paul brothers, two of the most recognizable and controversial YouTube stars. Jake Paul garnered online fame before even graduating high school, and found early notoriety as a star on Disney Channel. 

Since then, Paul has gained millions of followers across social media who watch his outlandish pranks and vlogs featuring his squad of creators, called Team 10, who live together in a Los Angeles mansion. Forbes estimated in 2017 that he was worth $11.5 million. However, his career has also been marked by a string of controversies.

Here's everything you need to know about YouTube star Jake Paul:

SEE ALSO: Logan Paul reveals his plans to become a professional boxer, release a music album, and try out TikTok in the future

Jake Paul was born on January 17, 1997, and grew up in a suburb of Cleveland with his parents and older brother (and fellow YouTuber), Logan.

Source: Cleveland Plain-Dealer



The two brothers started making videos as children after their father gave them a video camera one year for Christmas.

Jake, who was 10 at the time, said he and his brother would film "comedic bits" around the house.

"We were posting them to YouTube and just generally having a good time, and the people at school thought we were funny," he told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer in 2016.

 



As a sophomore in high school, Jake Paul joined the wrestling team. He got "really serious" about it, and video making with his brother took a back seat.

Source: Cleveland Plain-Dealer



However, that changed when the video-sharing app Vine came out in 2012.

Paul said he downloaded it "the first day it came out," and he gradually rose in popularity on the app. By the time Vine shut down in early 2017, Paul had 5.3 million followers and nearly 2 billion video plays.

Source: Insider, Cleveland Plain-Dealer



"We didn't care what people thought. We were the loud brothers from Cleveland, kind of crazy, and that made us relatable," Paul said in a 2016 interview. "We were in the right place at the right time, and we were making more money than our parents before we knew it."

Source: Cleveland Plain-Dealer



When it came time for his senior year of high school, the younger Paul brother decided to finish his diploma online and move to Los Angeles with his older brother.

"We knew we had to move to Los Angeles if we wanted to pursue this as a full-time thing," Jake Paul said. "We immediately started taking acting and improv classes and making connections, while still doing the video thing."

Source: Cleveland Plain-Dealer



Paul's first film role came thanks to YouTube: He was cast in "Dance Camp," a movie the platform debuted on its paid streaming subscription service, YouTube Red.

He also scored small roles in films like "Mono" and "Airplane Mode," in which his brother was the main character.

Source: Mashable, Cleveland Plain-Dealer



Paul entered the mainstream when he was cast in 2015 as the main character in a Disney Channel show called "Bizaardvark."

Paul said his character, Dirk Mann, was "a perfect fit" for him. In the show, Dirk was an online video star that hosted a channel where he performed crazy stunts and challenges.

Source: Cleveland Plain-Dealer



As his acting career took off, Paul formed Team 10, a group of social media influencers that he essentially took under his wing to make content with and groom into even bigger stars.

The earliest members of Team 10 members included social media stars like Alissa Violet, and Lucas and Marcus Dobre. Team 10 moved into an $18,000-a-month rented house in Los Angeles' Beverly Grove neighborhood in August 2016.

Source: Hollywood Reporter



Alongside acting, Paul continued to create content on YouTube, where his channel now has nearly 20 million subscribers.

His channel hosts videos of over-the-top stunts, wild vlogs, and Jackass-style challenges.



One of his earliest attention-grabbing stunts took place when he was invited to the White House in January 2017 for a social media event, along with other online stars.

Paul proceeded to sneak away from the crowd, hideout for hours in the White House bathroom, and sneak out in the middle of the night without being caught by security.

Source: The Sun



That same month, on his 20th birthday, Paul officially unveiled TeamDom, a creative talent agency aimed at helping influencers grow their audience and secure brand deals.

Paul announced TeamDom had raised $1 million in venture capital, and Team 10 as the agency's talent roster.

Source: TechCrunch



It didn't take long before Team 10 started to get more attention — but not the positive kind.

Team 10 member Alissa Violet was kicked out of the squad's house in early 2017 after Paul publicly accused her of cheating on him, and feud between the former couple ensued across social media.

Source: Seventeen



In July 2017, neighbors living around the Team 10 house complained that Paul had turned their quiet community into a "living hell" and "war zone," and that it was frequently invaded by screaming teenage fans because Paul publicized his address online.

Source: KTLA



Neighbors were debating whether to file a class-action public nuisance lawsuit against him, but Paul and Team 10 had moved out of the neighborhood and into a new home in Calabasas by October 2017 (pictured below).

That didn't stop the landlord of the former Team 10 house from filing a $2.5 million lawsuit against the YouTuber in 2018 for allegedly trashing the rented house.

Source: KTLA, Tubefilter



Paul felt the fallout from the incident with the Team 10 house and its neighbors. Disney announced that Paul would not return to his role on "Bizaardvark" for the second season.

"At this point in time I am wanting to focus more on my personal brand, my YouTube channel, business ventures, growing Team 10, and working on more adult acting roles," Paul wrote on Twitter.

Source: Variety



Beyond Team 10, Paul has also ventured into music and has released a flurry of songs over the years. One the music videos for his song called "It's Everyday Bro" is the third-most-disliked video on YouTube, with over 4.4 million thumbs downvotes.

Source: Business Insider



Paul's music has also been a source of controversy.

In a video leaked in January 2018, Paul dropped the n-word twice while freestyle rapping. A source told TMZ at the time that Paul had "matured a lot" since the video was recorded.

Source: TMZ



Around this time, Paul started dating YouTuber and model Erika Costell.

Costell was briefly Team 10's chief operating officer after the former COO left in May 2018. The couple broke up at the end of 2018, and Costell also departed from Team 10.

Source: Crunchbase, Famous Birthdays



Team 10 is still around today, but with a whole new set of members.

Over the years, members have come and gone amid controversial management, relationships, and drama. Most recently, two transgender YouTubers said they were kicked out of the Team 10 house after a video editor told them they weren't "real girls."

Source: The Verge, Insider



Paul has also drawn negative attention in 2019 for actions both on and off of YouTube.

Paul was criticized for advertising "mystery boxes" on his channel derided as scams, and is reportedly the subject of a police investigation related to reports that a woman was drugged at a party held at Paul's Team 10 house in May.

Source: Insider, Business Insider



Most recently, fans have followed Paul along his wild ride of a relationship with fellow YouTuber, Tana Mongeau.

The couple started dating in May in what many speculated was a joke, but the couple has maintained that the relationship is real.

Source: Insider



The following month, Paul proposed to Mongeau on her 21st birthday. He also bought her a car worth more than $120,000 to celebrate.

The sudden engagement sparked even further rumors that the relationship was inauthentic.

Source: Business Insider



Paul and Mongeau got married in July in a Las Vegas wedding that reportedly cost $500,000.

Photos of the wedding showed Paul, Mongeau, and their friends flying in on a private jet, a brawl breaking out seconds after the couple was pronounced husband and wife, and Paul cutting the wedding cake with a "Game of Thrones" replica sword.

Source: Business Insider



It's since come out that Paul and Mongeau's marriage isn't legally binding on paper, but they insist that the love between them.

"Any wedding I have, if I have three more f---ing weddings, I really wouldn't want to do it on paper because I think that legally binding yourself to someone takes away the love," Mongeau said.



How to print contacts from your iPhone using iCloud, to have physical copies whenever you need them

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iPhone SE woman

Can you remember the last time you memorized a friend's phone number? If you're like most people in 2019, you haven't felt the need to know a person's phone number by heart in ages — even the number of someone near and dear to you.

But in our hyper-digitized age, we sometimes forget how important it can be to have physical backups.

In a pinch, having hard copies of your contacts can come in handy. This is especially true if your iPhone has been lost, stolen, or is miles away from a charger.

Fortunately, Apple makes it easy to print all your iPhone contacts into a compact, organized list. All you'll need to do is sync your contacts to iCloud.

It should be noted that you can't print them directly from an iPhone— that is, unless you want to copy and paste each contact directly into a word processor like the Notes app, or Google Docs.

Read More:How to print a file from your iPhone or iPad in a few easy steps

Here are the steps you'll need to print your contacts, starting with how to enable iCloud syncing.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)

How to print contacts from your iPhone

Sync your contacts to iCloud

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap your name at the top to open your Apple ID profile.

3. Open the "iCloud" settings page.

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4. You'll see a list of "Apps Using iCloud." Enable "Contacts," which will be near the top of the list.

5. If asked if you want to merge any existing contacts on your iPhone, select "Merge." This will let your phone share data with iCloud, and means that whenever you update a contact on your phone, iCloud will update too.

IMG_5387

Print your iCloud contacts from a computer

1. Now that everything is synced up, you'll be able to see your contacts when logged into iCloud.com. Go there on a desktop computer.

2. Sign in with your Apple ID.

3. Open "Contacts."

4. In the bottom left, click the gear icon. Click "Select all," and then click the icon again to select "Print."

IcloudPrint2

Your contacts will be previewed in an easy to read and compactly formatted list, ready to print.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone accessories from cases to lightning cables

Join the conversation about this story »

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How to turn off auto renewal on your Xbox One, to cancel subscriptions after your current pay period

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xbox one

Xbox Live, the online account affiliated with Microsoft's Xbox One, is free to access with your Xbox console.

However, many players also subscribe to Xbox Live Gold, a paid service that allows for greater variety in online gaming experiences and price discounts on games.

If you've subscribed to Xbox Live Gold or another Microsoft subscription, but found that it wasn't quite what you were looking for, you can turn off auto renewal so you aren't charged for another period after your current one runs out.

Here's how to do it. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Xbox One S (From $249.99 at Best Buy)

Xbox Live Gold 12-month Membership (From $59.99 at Best Buy)

Xbox Game Pass 6-month code (From $59.99 at Best Buy)

How to turn off auto renewal on an Xbox One

Your subscriptions can only be managed using an internet browser, and cannot be changed from your Xbox One menus directly. 

You will need to have access to a computer or smartphone, or a web browser app on your Xbox One, in order to disable your subscription's auto renewal setting. Here's how: 

1. On your web browser, visit account.microsoft.com/services/ and log in to your Microsoft account.

2. Locate your subscription on the webpage and click on "Manage."

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3. Click on "Cancel." When the pop-up window appears, click on "Confirm cancellation." 

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After canceling your subscription, you will no longer have access at the end of the pay period in which you canceled it. You can also re-subscribe to the service at any time.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

SEE ALSO: 8 affordable Xbox One accessories that'll help you make the most of your console

Join the conversation about this story »

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The best mini fridges you can buy

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  • Mini fridges come in all shapes, styles, and sizes … kind of like college dorm rooms and roommates.
  • If you're looking for the perfect mini fridge and you have enough space, the Danby 4.4 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge offers advanced features and enough space to hold all the perishables you could want for an affordable price.

Back to school is one of the most popular times to purchase a mini fridge, because many students want a refrigerator in their dorm rooms. But these small refrigerators also work well for offices, rec rooms, and garages.

Mini fridges aren't as energy efficient as standard-sized refrigerators, and some don't hold a consistent enough temperature to preserve food safely for long periods. However, for keeping beverages and quickly consumed items cold, it works just fine. Your student will greatly appreciate having the ability to keep sodas and snacks (and nothing else) cold for late night studying with a dorm room fridge.

The key is finding the right size and features that'll make the unit perfect for your student's dorm room while fitting into your budget. As a general rule, a larger mini fridge will cost more than a smaller mini fridge, and stainless steel or glass-door mini fridges tend to be pricier.

A mini fridge's capacity is listed in cubic feet. This gives you an idea of the size and number of items you can place inside, although shelves and freezer space take up some of this capacity. Some companies also list capacity for a mini fridge as the number of 12-ounce cans the unit can hold. 

Most dorm room fridges contain at least a small freezer compartment. However, it's not accessible through a separate door like it is with a full-size refrigerator. This causes the freezer to not be as efficient as what you'll find in a standard refrigerator. Many freezers in mini fridges are too small to even hold a large frozen pizza, for example.

Here are the best mini fridges you can buy:

Updated on 10/21/2019 by Caitlin Petreycik: Updated prices, links, and formatting.

SEE ALSO: The best college supplies and dorm room essentials

The best mini fridge overall

The Danby 4.4 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge is large enough to meet the needs of three or four students and it has excellent features for a nice price point, too.

You'll appreciate the flexibility of the Danby 4.4 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge. This versatile mini fridge is at the larger end of what you'll want in a dorm room refrigerator, but it has plenty of interior space at 4.4 cubic feet, as well as several nice features. If you're looking for more than a simple beverage refrigerator for the dorm room, this is a nice choice.

The Danby mini fridge measures 20.7 inches wide and 20.9 inches deep. At 32.7 inches in height, this unit may not fit well in a small dorm room. It does offer a tiny freezer unit of 0.5 cubic feet, which actually is an above-average size freezer in a dorm fridge. We really like the fact that you can reverse the direction of the door, which allows you to place the refrigerator in any location in the room. It has a beverage dispensing rack, too.

Consumer Search says the Darby 4.4 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge offers a good price point with decent energy consumption ratings. The Wirecutter likes how Danby's designers made the best use of the space inside the refrigerator with adjustable shelving.

One owner likes the way Danby backs up its products with customer service and a good warranty. A Best Buy customer says the Danby unit runs extremely quietly, which is great for a dorm room where studying is occurring (which should be all of them, of course). A couple of Best Buy customers say they experienced problems with the freezer maintaining a cold enough temperature, though.

Pros: Large capacity for a three- or four-person dorm room, good price point, plenty of advanced features for a dorm fridge, beverage dispensing racks built-in, good shelving system that's adjustable, quiet operation

Cons: Freezer system may struggle to hold a consistent temperature, might be too large for some dorm rooms



The best 2.6 cubic foot mini fridge

If size is at a premium in your dorm room, you'll love the tiny Insignia 2.6 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge

If your college student is going to be cooking for himself or herself, buying a dorm refrigerator that's too small is just going to encourage more pizza orders. The students won't have enough storage for the ingredients they need to cook. But if your student is on a cafeteria meal plan, a small fridge in the dorm room for some beverages and midnight snacks is a perfect option. They may still order a lot of pizza, but at least they won't be able to blame it on the fridge.

For a small refrigerator that'll fit well in a tiny dorm room, our favorite is the Insignia 2.6 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge. It's a short, almost cube-shaped model that offers measurements of just 27.6 inches in height, 19.1 inches in width, and 17.7 inches in depth, allowing you to put it in almost any area of your room.

It offers a can storage rack and adjustable shelving, which are features often not found in such a small refrigerator. It also has a thermostat control, which is a nice feature in such a low priced dorm room fridge. And the door hinges are reversible, allowing you to adjust the door to make it fit in exactly the spot you want, which is a key feature in a small dorm room.

A reviewer at the Insignia site (Insignia is a Best Buy private label) liked the fact that this mini refrigerator included a tiny freezer area, something that's not always found in such a small unit. Some customers at Best Buy said the Insignia unit ran noisy, which is disappointing for a unit aimed at students in a dorm room. Another Best Buy customer loved the size of this refrigerator for holding beverages, and several appreciated the bargain price they received for this Insignia unit. 

Pros: Small refrigerator fits great in a small dorm room, just the right size for storing snacks and beverages, reversible door hinges, thermostat control ensures stable temperature, small freezer included

Cons: Could be too noisy for some students' liking, too small for storing food for students who cook for themselves



The best 1.6 cubic foot mini fridge

TheMidea 1.6 Cubic Foot Compact Refrigerator will keep a small amount of food and drinks cold.

If you want to have milk, drinks, and other perishables in your dorm room, you'll need a mini fridge. If our first two picks are still too big for your dorm, theMidea Compact Refrigerator will be just the right size, measuring 17.7 x 18.6 x 19.4 inches. 

The Midea fridge is smaller than the others in our guide, but if you really don't expect to have too much food in your dorm and saving space is key, this fridge will do the trick. It has one shelf that divides the fridge in two and more storage in the door that can hold a 1-liter soda bottle and then some. It also has a tiny freezer for ice cubes or other small frozen items.

Midea is known for its great mini fridges. The Wirecutter chose an identical but discontinued model as its top small mini fridge pick.

Pros: Compact size for small spaces, keeps items cold, reliable

Cons: Pricey



The best 3.3 cubic foot mini fridge

The Frigidaire 3.3 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge is just the right size to hold food and beverages, but it's small enough to fit almost anywhere inside the dorm room.

For a dorm room fridge, think of the mid-sized Frigidaire 3.3 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge as the porridge that's just right in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" terms. A large mini fridge may not fit well in a dorm room that's usually cramped for space before you try to jam a mini refrigerator into the room. And a small mini fridge may not offer the capacity a student needs for ingredients to cook meals. But a mid-sized mini fridge can be just the right size for food capacity and for fitting in the dorm room.

One of the best things about the Frigidaire 3.3 Cubic Foot refrigerator is its small footprint versus some other mini fridge options. It measures 18.6 inches in width and 17.8 inches in depth. It does have a 32.8-inch height measurement, meaning it's a tall but thin dorm room fridge. With its reversible door hinge, you can place this unit almost anywhere in the dorm room.

At 3.3 cubic feet, the Frigidaire mini fridge has plenty of room for food and beverages for a single or two-person dorm room. The Frigidaire 3.3 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge offers both an area for cans and an area for taller bottles. It even includes a tiny freezer area. 

The Small Fridge Blog review calls the Frigidaire a great value, while also praising the reversible door that helps the unit squeeze into just the right space in a tight dorm room. One Best Buy customer loves how this refrigerator holds its temperature steadily. Several Best Buy reviewers also mentioned the great price point of this mid-sized dorm fridge.

A reviewer on the Frigidaire site was disappointed with customer service, but said the unit has a lot of capacity. Another Best Buy customer wished the shelves were adjustable in the Frigidaire 3.3 Cubic Foot Mini Fridge.

Pros: Great mix of size and price point, reversible door increases usefulness, tall mini fridge with small footprint, includes a small freezer area

Cons: Shelves are not adjustable to make the most of the capacity, some problems with customer service response, not enough space for more than two people 



The best mini fridge that doubles as a freezer

The EdgeStar 1.1 Cubic Foot Convertible Refrigerator/Freezer can switch back and forth between a small freezer and refrigerator, depending on your needs.

Most mini fridges aimed at students don't offer much in the freezer department. They're meant to keep food and beverages cold. But if your student is addicted to ice cream or, for whatever reason, just needs a lot of room for ice, the ability to have a big freezer is important.

The intriguing EdgeStar 1.1 Cubic Foot Convertible Refrigerator/Freezer converts back and forth between a freezer and a refrigerator, depending on what you need at the time. Compact Appliance loves the versatility of this convertible unit, as well as the fact that you can set the temperature to between 0 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Understand that you cannot use this device as a refrigerator and a freezer at the same time — It's one or the other.

It even has a sharp-looking stainless steel door design that'll give your dorm room a quick dose of style. The Best Refrigerator Central review calls this unit one of the best stainless steel mini fridges on the market. The door on the convertible refrigerator has reversible hinges and contains a lock to keep your items protected. It's also the perfect size for a cramped dorm room; it measures 18.5 inches in width, 17.8 inches in depth, and 19.3 inches in height.

An Amazon customer says the EdgeStar 1.1 cubic foot model held its temperature well, even at the coldest setting. However, a couple of Amazon customers say the combination freezer/refrigerator creates a lot of condensation.

Pros: Ingenious design of convertible refrigerator/freezer, offers far more freezer space than typical dorm room fridge, holds temperature well, extremely small footprint, stainless steel door looks great

Cons: Expensive for only 1.1 cubic feet of capacity, only works as either a refrigerator or a freezer — not both at the same time



The best mini fridge for drinks

The glass door on the Danby 120-Can Beverage Center lets you see what's inside from the comfort of your futon.

Let's be honest: When some kids go to college, they like to have a cold beverage from time to time. The university meal plan provides all the food, so all they need in their dorm room is a refrigerator dedicated to beverages. The Danby 120-Can Beverage Center is built with them in mind, thanks to the glass door that makes the contents of the refrigerator visible at all times.

As you can tell from the name, this mini fridge is larger than you might think, as it's able to hold 120 beverage cans. But it's not only for cans. You can fit bottles and even some food in this stylish refrigerator by adjusting the location of the shelves, which is a great feature.

The Danby 120-Can Beverage Center measures 33.70 inches high, 17.87 inches wide, and 19.75 inches deep. It weighs 68.90 pounds and has 3.3 cubic feet of space inside.

Perhaps the biggest drawback to this unit is the high price versus other dorm mini fridge options. You can pick smaller versions of this same refrigerator if you need to squeeze the device into a smaller price point. — Kyle Schurman and Malarie Gokey

Pros: Sharp looking design with a glass door, offers capacity for 120 12-ounce cans, holds consistent temperature, good size for a multiple-person dorm room, shelves and door hinges are adjustable

Cons: Price is higher than similar capacity dorm fridges, no freezer area



Check out our other great guides to college dorm room essentials

The best twin XL sheets you can buy 

For college students, the dorm room will be their home-away-from-home for the next four years. Make it a comfortable space with a pair of high-quality Twin XL sheets. These are our top picks: 


The best shower caddy you can buy 

Sharing a bathroom with strangers is hard. Most college dorms have communal showers on each floor that you have to walk to every time you want to wash your hair. Other dorms have bathrooms right in the unit, but if you're sharing one bathroom with four other students, you'll still need a shower caddy to carry all your products. These are the best ones you can buy: 



How to connect a Google Home to your TV and stream anything with just your voice

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google home

The Google Home is a great device for linking up all of the smart devices in your home to one system. One such smart device you can connect to is a Chromecast, or Chromecast-capable TV.

The ability to do so is enormously convenient, as Chromecast devices allow you to stream dozens of video and audio apps, such as YouTube, Netflix, or Spotify, directly from your mobile device or tablet to your TV.

Linking a Chromecast to your Google Home allows you to start streaming with just the sound of your voice.

In order to perform any of these actions, you'll need a TV with a Chromecast either built in, or plugged into one of the HDMI ports, and of course, a Google Home device.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Google Home (From $99.99 at Best Buy) 

Google Chromcast 4k (From $69.99 at Best Buy)

How to connect a Google Home to your TV using Chromecast

Connecting to a Chromecast that's already set up

To do this, you'll need to have a mobile device or tablet with the Google Home app downloaded.

1. Make sure the mobile device or tablet you're using is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your Google Home and your Chromecast, and make sure the TV is on and set to the right input for the Chromecast.

2. Open the Google Home app on your mobile device.

3. On the app's home screen, tap the device you want to link — in this case, your TV.

Photo 3

4. Open Settings (the gear-shaped button in the upper right hand corner), then tap "Add to a home." Select what home you'll be adding to.

Photo 4

5. Tap "Next," then choose the room your TV is in. Your TV should now appear on your home screen, under the name of the room you assigned it to.

Photo 5.JPG

Your Google Home now recognizes your TV.

Connecting to a new Chromecast

1. Make sure the mobile device or tablet you're using is connected to the same Wi-Fi as your Google Home, and make sure your Chromecast is connected to the TV.

2. Open the Google Home app.

3. Tap "Add," then "Set up device," and finally "Set up new devices in your home." 

Photo 6

4. Select which home you want to add the Chromecast to, then tap "Next."

Photo 7

5. The app will take a moment to look for devices. After that, you should be asked what sort of device you want to set up — in this case, you'll want to select the TV option. Tap it, then tap "Next."

Photo A.JPG

6. Both the TV and your mobile device should now show a code. Make sure that the code you see on the TV is the same as the one on your mobile device. If it is, tap "Yes."

Photo B.JPG

7. You'll be asked if you want to send data from your TV to Google. You can pick yes or no.

8. Tap the name of the room that your TV is in, then tap "Next."

9. Tap the Wi-Fi network you want to connect your TV to, then tap "Next."

Photo C.JPG

10. Tap "Continue." 

11. Choose what sort of video services you want to have — that's things like YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu — and then tap "Next."

Photo D.JPG

12. Tap "Next" twice to finish setup.

13. If you'd like to, you can also now name your TV. Select the device from the Google Home App and tap the Settings button — the gear-shaped icon.

14. Tap "Name," then enter your desired name.

Photo 9.JPG

If you get a message that reads "Error when linking device," you should factory reset your Chromecast and try again.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

SEE ALSO: The 6 best tech gadgets with Google's impressive Chromecast technology built into them

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Paying rent with a credit card usually costs extra, but here are 3 reasons why it could be worth it

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Man paying with credit card on laptop online shopping

  • Paying your rent with a rewards credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card can help you meet the minimum spending requirement to earn a sign-up bonus of points, miles, or cash back.
  • Charging your rent to a card can also be a low-cost and flexible option for borrowing money— as long as you pay your balance off in full each month
  • Be careful about using a credit card to pay rent if you don't think you'll be able to pay off your balance, since in that case you could incur high interest fees.
  • Read more personal finance coverage.

Using rewards credit cards is a great way to earn points and miles —  and while you should never spend more than you normally would just to earn rewards, putting big expenses on your cards can reap you plenty of points. This includes large one-off purchases like technology and jewelry, as well as recurring expenses like rent.

While it's possible to pay your monthly rent with a credit card, either directly through your rental company or via a third-party service like Plastiq, there are some caveats to keep in mind. The upsides include extra time to pay off your balance and the ability to earn points, miles, or cash back on your rent, but the potential downsides include carrying a balance and incurring interest if you're not able to pay off your credit card in full. 

Here are some reasons why you might want to pay your rent with your credit card, and some of the ways you can do so even if your landlord doesn't directly accept credit card payments.

Can you pay your rent with a credit card?

You can pay rent with a credit card, but you may need to pay a service fee. If your landlord or property management accepts credit card payments, you may be lucky and not have to pay a fee — but this is rare. Even if the management company accepts credit cards, there could be a service fee of 2-3%.

If your landlord doesn't accept credit card payments for rent, you can use a third-party service like Plastiq or RentShare. You'll be charged you a processing fee for using these services, which can be as high as 2.99%. So if your rent payment is $1,500, for example, you'd need to pay $44.85 extra for the privilege of using a credit card. 

Is it worth the service fee?

If you have to pay a surcharge for using a credit card for your rent, you'll want to consider if this fee can be offset by the rewards you'll earn.

Using that same $1,500 rent as an example, let's say you pay rent with the Chase Freedom Unlimited, a cash-back card that earns 1.5% back on all spending. On the total of $1,544.85 (rent plus a 2.99% service fee), you'd earn about $23 back.

That's obviously less than the $44.85 you paid to use your credit card, but you could get slightly more value if you also have a Chase card that earns Ultimate Rewards points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. In that case, you could convert your cash-back rewards from the Freedom Unlimited into Chase Ultimate Rewards points that are worth more than 1 cent apiece.

Based on valuations from Business Insider e-commerce partner The Points Guy, Chase points are worth 2 cents each, so you'd get about $30 worth of points from spending $1,544.85. That's still less than the $44.85 service fee, but depending on how you use those points to book free travel, you could get more than $30 in value.

Of course, sometimes the convenience of having extra time to pay off your rent is worth it, regardless of how much you'll have to pay for the privilege of using a credit card. Just don't assume it's worth paying extra to use a card because you'll earn rewards — do the math to see if you'll truly come out ahead.

Reasons to pay rent with a credit card

You can earn rewards such as points or cash back 

Many rewards credit cards offer sign-up bonuses when you open a new account and reach a minimum spending amount within a specified amount of time. These minimums can see high, like $4,000 within three months with the Chase Sapphire Preferred. However, you could be able to meet the minimum spend requirement easily if you use your credit card for relatively large expenses like rent.

In many cases, these sign-up bonuses are very valuable, as they can earn you enough points to score free flights or hotel rooms. There are also cash-back cards that give you a pretty decent return on your spending, such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited with 1.5% back and the Citi® Double Cash Card, which offers 2% back (1% back when you buy, and and 1% when you pay your bill).

Read more:The best credit card sign-up bonuses available now

It gives you flexibility

Even if you're not after a sign-up bonus or rewards, paying your rent with a credit card can be a good idea if you need a bit of breathing room.

Let's say your rent is coming soon, but you don't get paid until a few days after it's due, and your savings account went toward a medical bill — you're down to the last penny. In this case, using your credit card gives you the ability to cover rent without having to pay a late fee. You can charge it on your card, then pay it off once payday is here.

The key here is to pay it all off once you get paid. Otherwise, you'll have to pay interest on your rent, and APRs on credit cards are at historical highs.

A credit card can be better than a personal loan

Taking out a personal loan to cover expenses is generally not a good idea, because these loans tend to come with high interest rates. Besides whatever amount you take out, you'll have to pay interest — and some loans might tack on an extra fee if you pay if off early, called a prepayment penalty.

Read more:I used a 0% APR credit card to borrow the money to start my business, and I'd tell anyone to do the same

Using your credit card to pay rent is kind of like getting an interest-free loan — that is, if you pay the balance off in full each month. Even if you're charged a fee for third-party services to pay your rent, it'll still come out cheaper than a personal loan.

Credit cards can be useful — if you're careful

Paying rent with your credit card can be a very flexible and convenient option — you don't have to worry about getting paid on time or the hassle of sending in a check, and if you're trying to meet a minimum spend requirement to earn a credit card welcome bonus, paying your rent with that card is a great to get there faster.

As long as you're paying off your bill each month, you don't have to worry about paying high interest rates. But if there's a chance you'll need to carry a balance on your credit card, consider carefully whether it's worth it to do so. Only you know what's best for your financial situation — so consider the pros and cons and the financial repercussions before making a choice.

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The best affordable TVs

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  • The best TV is big enough for your needs, has a high resolution, and offers some smart features.
  • You may think that such a fancy TV will cost you thousands of dollars, but our top pick, the TCL 55-inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV, has all those great features and won't break the bank.

TV pricing has come down over the past few years. Gone are the days when buying a 4K TV meant having to shell out thousands of dollars. These days, you can get a good, large 4K TV for only a few hundred dollars. In fact, it's so easy to get a great and affordable TV because there are many options.

As usual, there are a few things to consider when you're buying a new TV. Some of them are obvious, but some of them are a little subtler.

  • Resolution: The first thing you'll want to consider is the TV's resolution. You can get an affordable TV with 4K resolution, but 4K isn't useful if you don't have any 4K content to watch. Still, it is worth considering how future-proof you want your TV to be. More and more 4K content is being released, and you'll want to be ready to take advantage of that.
  • Size: Typically, bigger is better in the TV world, but too big can be a pain. You'll want to think about how big of a TV you want to watch on, to be sure, but you'll also want to consider whether you actually have the space for a big TV, or if something a little more modest would work better in your home. Remember: A large TV will require some distance between your eyes and the screen for proper viewing comfort.
  • Connectivity: If you have a lot of devices you want to connect to your TV, you'll need a lot of ports on the back of the TV. Wireless connectivity may also be important. Increasingly, TVs are offering Wi-Fi connectivity and smart TV software, so you can stream without the need for a separate media-streaming device.

Here are our top picks for the best TVs for less than five-hundred dollars:

Updated on 10/21/2019 by Les Shu: Updating pricing, links, and formatting. Updated our LG recommendation to a 2019 model.

SEE ALSO: The best HDMI cables you can buy

The best TV under five-hundred overall

The TCL 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV has a huge screen, 4K resolution, and Roku's excellent smart TV platform.

TCL may not be the first company that comes to mind when you think of premium TVs, but at least in the budget range, TCL has the market on lock. The TCL 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV is, in our opinion, by far the best TV under five-hundred. It's big, it's beautiful, it's 4K, and it comes with Roku's TV operating system.

One of the best things about the TV is that it features the Roku streaming platform, so you'll get access to a range of apps, like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, and more. With Roku's easy-to-use software, you'll be able to quickly and easily access your favorite content. In our testing, we found that Roku works great, though the included remote isn't the best for accessing more complex TV features. It works well under normal use, though.

Around the back of the TV, you'll find three HDMI ports, a USB 2.0 port, Ethernet port, video composite, and an optical audio output. That should be everything you need for the vast majority of situations.

The image quality on this TV is very good, but not incredible. Colors are strong, though a little less impactful than what you'd find on a more expensive TV. However, the contrast is decent for the price. There are TVs with a better-looking image in this price category, but they're generally quite a bit smaller and don't offer 4K resolution, either.

All in all, the pros here far outweigh the cons. The screen is big with a 4K resolution and a decent image quality for the price.

Pros: Huge display, 4K resolution, Roku TV, excellent value for money

Cons: Image quality isn't as good as some others, remote is a little basic



The best budget smart TV with Alexa

The Toshiba 55-inch Fire TV Edition TV boasts a 4K resolution, support for HDR, and has Amazon's Alexa built-in.

Toshiba is another company that has been developing excellent budget TVs over the past few years, and the Toshiba 55-inch Fire TV Edition TV is a perfect example of that. The TV measures 55 inches, boasts a 4K resolution, supports HDR, and more. The 55-inch screen size is pretty huge, though if you think it's too big for your space, then the TV comes in 50-inch and 43-inch models, too.

As a Fire TV Edition device, this TV comes with Amazon's Fire TV tech built into it, so you have access to a huge range of apps and streaming services. The TV also has Alexa smart assistant built-in, so you'll be able to control volume, open apps, search, and so on with your voice and the microphone-enabled remote. Amazon content requires a Prime membership, but you can also access Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming apps.

On the back of the TV, you'll find a range of ports, including three HDMI ports, one USB port, one digital output, one audio output, and an Ethernet port. That should be all most people need.

There are a few downsides to this TV. For starters, the picture quality isn't as good as some others on this list. Some reviews note that the TV offers somewhat poor black levels and slightly sub-par contrast. Still, if you're plugged into the Amazon ecosystem, and you want a 4K TV under five-hundred, it's a great deal.

Pros: Amazon Fire TV, Alexa built-in, screen size options, affordable, 4K

Cons: Picture quality leaves a little to be desired



The best smart TV with the best picture quality

The LG 49-inch 4K 49UM7300PUA TV boasts a 4K resolution and support for HDR10, plus it has support for both Google Assistant and Alexa.

Voice assistants are great and with the LG 4K 49UM7300PUA TV, you can choose between Alexa or Google Assistant. The TV measures 49 inches, though if you can stretch your budget, there are 55-inch and 65-inch versions, too. For a lower price, there's a 43-inch model.

Like many of LG's other TVs, this one supports apps like Netflix, Hulu, and many more streaming services. Perhaps even better is the fact that it comes with Google Assistant and Alexa built-in, so you can use your voice to change the channel, control volume, and control other connected devices — just pick the voice assistant you use the most.

On the back of the TV, you'll find a range of ports, including three HDMI ports, two USB ports, and more. The TV also supports HDR10 and has a resolution of 4K, so the picture quality should be pretty good for the price.

There are a few downsides, but not many. For starters, some buyers report that setup can be a little tricky, but apart from that, the 4-star rating on Amazon pretty much speaks for itself.

Pros: Smart operating system, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in, 4K, HDR10

Cons: Some reports of tricky set-up



The best TV under four-hundred

The TCL 49-inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV boasts many of the same awesome features as its larger sibling, plus it's a little bit cheaper.

The TCL 49-inch 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV is from the same series as our top pick. The only big difference is that this TV has a slightly smaller screen, but it still boasts a 4K resolution and a great selection of ports.

Like its larger sibling, the TV comes with Roku's smart TV platform, so you won't need an external streaming box and you'll have access to all your favorite shows on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, and more. Also like the larger TCL TV, you'll get HDR, and a nice selection of ports, including three HDMI ports, a USB 2.0 port, and a composite video port.

Perhaps the best reason to get this TV over the larger one is that it's a great size for smaller homes and apartments where a 55-inch TV wouldn't fit.

The TV also has some of the downsides of its larger sibling. The colors are pretty good, but not incredible, while the contrast is decent, but not groundbreaking. Still, for those of you who don't want to shell out a ton of cash for a great 4K TV, this TCL TV is the best choice.

Pros: Nice and big, 4K resolution, great value for money

Cons: Image quality isn't as good as some others



The best TV under two-hundred

The Insignia 39-inch 1080p Smart TV has Amazon Fire TV built into to it and plenty of connectivity, plus, it costs less than two-hundred dollars.

Insignia is Best Buy's house brand that makes budget electronics, like the Insignia 39-inch 1080p Smart TV. For less than two-hundred, this Insignia TV gets the job done.

The TV has a 39-inch screen, so it's a little smaller than our other picks, and unlike our other favorites, the resolution on this TV is not 4K. Still, many people don't need a 4K resolution, and the Full HD 1080p resolution is still perfect for most video content available today.

We expect more 4K TVs to be available in this price range eventually, but it might take a few years. In the meantime, a great smart TV like this one from Insignia is a great compromise for people on a budget.

For a budget TV, Insignia's Smart TV has some pretty sweet features. For example, it uses the Amazon Fire TV streaming platform, so you'll be able to stream all your favorite content from Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, and more without the need for a streaming box. And with Alexa built into the remote, you can control the TV using voice commands.

When it comes to ports, the TV has three HDMI ports, one USB port, an antenna input, and a composite input.

There are some downsides. The image quality just doesn't compare to more expensive TVs, and as mentioned, the resolution isn't as high as the others on this list. Still, for the price, we think it's a great choice.

Pros: Great value for money, Roku TV platform, decent 1080p screen

Cons: Image quality isn't the best, not 4K



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