Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 116539 articles
Browse latest View live

How a young Steve Jobs hustled Atari into sending him to India for a spiritual quest


See inside the gorgeous space a four-person VC firm uses to both live and work in San Francisco

$
0
0

Main room

The jet-setting investors of Arena Ventures have mastered the art of business travel. Though Los Angeles is home for this four-person team, weekly trips to San Francisco mean a lot of time spent away.

Expensive hotels and room service quickly lost their luster and, with sky-high rents in San Francisco, a lease on a four-bedroom apartment wasn't any more appealing.

So Arena Ventures found a one-bedroom apartment and enlisted the help of one of their own investments, Laurel & Wolf, a Los Angeles-based interior design startup that pairs clients with designers to refresh specific rooms for $149 each. For $249 a room, you can pick from three different designers whose concepts you can preview before selecting.

Laurel & Wolf designer Erica Johnston helped the team transform their one-bedroom apartment into a two-bedroom space where the team could both live and work when they're in town. Let's take a look inside.

SEE ALSO: One of America's hottest new chefs had his office transformed to be more productive — take a look inside

The main priority was to create a space that would house one or all of the founders at the same time. "And as a seed fund, we also needed an affordable solution to hotel rooms that could be used for sleeping, hosting founders, and meeting with our companies," founder and managing partner Paige Craig said to Laurel & Wolf.



Laurel & Wolf designer Erica Johnson split up this tiny, open-concept floor plan into three sections. It was an especially big challenge given the apartment has only 600 square feet of space.



The central living room creates a functional place for both meetings and relaxation.

 

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Trump's 'Make America great again' hats were the opposite of traditional campaigning — and that's how they became iconic

$
0
0

Trump hat

No matter what Trump's campaign hats represent to you, there's no denying they've become an icon of modern American politics.

But how they came together is a mirror of Trump's campaign itself, according to a CNN chronicle of the hat's genesis. Much like the campaign was put together with minimal thought to its design, so was the hat.

"It was undesigned," Lindsey Ballant, a designer and adjunct professor at the Maryland College of Art, told CNN. "It didn't represent what one thinks of when you think of traditional politics in terms of visual messaging, and that's essentially what Trump was as well."

The hat is merely a plain trucker-style cap in primary colors (plus camouflage) with some contrasting lettering in a Times New Roman font. In short, there's nothing groundbreaking about the hat's design as is, but that's not to say its success was an accident. 

It represented a foil of Trump's political opponents, and this simplicity was stark in the face of his opponent Hillary Clinton's highly orchestrated campaign. 

"In contrast, Hillary's campaign was incredibly thought out. It was elaborate. There was a whole system driven around the simplicity and the beauty of the logo mark," Ballant told CNN.

Trump throws hatIt seems the simplicity of the hat is what cemented it in the minds of both supporters and detractors alike. The hats were undoubtedly a success, as the Trump campaign bought $2.8 million in hats from the main Los Angeles-based manufacturer, according to CNN's review of campaign documents, and that doesn't even count the large number of knock-off hats produced.

It certainly had some type of strong appeal, even to Trump's opponents. Groups who didn't support Trump's campaign put their own versions out, like the Human Rights Campaign's "Make America LGBTQ again" hat in blue.

There was even a period in 2015 before Trump's candidacy seemed like it would be successful when the hats were worn ironically in the hippest enclaves of liberal cities, according to the New York Times.

SEE ALSO: Politicians are using their shoes as a secret weapon to appear more powerful

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's how powerful an executive order is and how it could be reversed

This couple retired at 43 to travel Europe full time on $18,000 a year — here's the spreadsheet that helped them get there

$
0
0

Julie Jason Buckley Ait Ben Haddon, Morocco

Jason and Julie Buckley have diligently tracked their pennies for years.

At first, it was part of their strategy to minimize everyday costs, pay off their mortgage, and invest in passive index funds. But eventually, the pair discovered they could afford to take up to two years off work to travel.

In 2011, the Buckleys set off to tour Europe and North Africa in their motor home, earning passive income from renting out their residential properties at home in Nottingham, England.

When their funds ran dry after two years, they returned to work — Jason as an IT project manager and Julie as a marketing manager — and quickly devised a plan to take their lives on the road full time.

Shepherded by meticulous spreadsheet estimates, they retired — both aged 43 — in September 2015 to travel indefinitely. They had about £30,000 (~ $36,800) in cash savings with the remainder of their net worth invested in rented-out residential property, private pensions, and investments including ETFs and bonds, Jason told Business Insider in an email.

"We developed a strategy to avoid living off savings. In theory, and in practice so far, our savings will increase over time," he said. Currently, the couple lives off of cash flow from investments — rental income, dividends, and interest — as well as advertising and book sales on their travel blog, which they spend just two hours a day maintaining.

Thanks to the low costs of living in a motor home, which enables them to visit expensive countries "for a fraction of the cost," their budget is a modest £15,000 (~ $18,400) a year. "We've tracked our spending for so many years it's almost become second nature, knowing how much we can spend, but still we track where the money's going to the nearest cent," Jason said.

Jason and Julie Buckley

The Buckleys have been traveling nonstop for 10 months now, though they keep a room in one of their homes open for intermittent returns.

"Our latest tour ... took us high into the French and Italian Alps for winter, down to the beaches of Croatia, up through the old ex-Soviet countries to Finland, further North to the top of mainland Europe at the North Cape in Norway, down the fjords and over to Sweden then Denmark," Jason said. "We're currently heading home for a short time before turning South for Spain and Morocco for the winter."

Jason said the couple occasionally discusses taking on full-time work, but hopes to continue traveling well into the future.

"The sensation of freedom is intense, once attained, and giving it up again isn't easy!" he said.

Below, Jason and Julie share the spreadsheet models they used for reaching financial independence and planning for their years in retirement. These spreadsheets do not include the Buckley's exact figures, but instead represent the formula they used to achieve early retirement and how they plan to sustain it for decades to come.

Access a test copy of the Buckleys' spreadsheet to follow along, or to make a copy of your own.

SEE ALSO: How one 26-year-old banked nearly $150,000 in savings as part of a plan to retire by age 37

DON'T MISS: A man who retired at 34 shares a spreadsheet that helped him get there

1. Variables

In this sheet, the Buckleys list their variables, which allows them to adjust for changes in things like cost of living. 

Jason's and Julie's assets and income are evenly split between them to make the most of the UK tax-free income threshold. "Since we don't have a high income, tax should be negligible for the first decade or so. After that we'll pay income tax and when we sell assets, some capital gains tax," Jason said.



2. Income and expenditure

This spreadsheet, which lists their income and expenses, represents the viability of retiring early, Jason said. The row labeled "variance" at the bottom indicates what should be left from income streams after paying living expenses.

The numbers here are for example purposes only, and don't reflect the Buckleys' own finances.

"On our version of the spreadsheet the numbers are green, but they only turned green once we'd built up enough passive income and reduced our costs," Jason said. For example, last year their expenditures were £7,000 (~ $8,554) below their income, part of which came from "one-offs" like selling a car.

"We could easily get our costs down to less than £10,000 (~ $12,200) a year doing this, but we'd miss out on too much," Jason said.

The Buckleys have 11 years until their private pensions — essentially the UK version of a 401(k) — will start paying out. The amount will increase when they reach age 67, although Jason says they'll only be eligible for partial state pensions, comparable to social security in the US.

To cover expenses prior to that, they've invested in residential property, shares, and roof-mounted solar panels, which generate government-paid feed in tariff payments. To maintain passive income from the rented-out properties, the Buckleys pay local management agents to service their tenants.

Jason and Julie are UK residents, so the national health service will cover any costs related to health, Jason said.

For both this sheet and the next, the Buckleys include estimations through age 85 in the year 2057.



3. Net worth

This spreadsheet represents how much the Buckleys would have in cash if they sold everything they own and paid off all liabilities. The model at the bottom shows how many years they could live for if they "liquidate everything and just started burning through the cash."

But, Jason said, for the next decade they plan to restrict themselves to just living on the cash flowing from investments and ignore any capital or market increases in the value of properties, pensions, and shares.

"At some point we'll need to increase our spending rate significantly in order to ensure we die broke, as we have no children to leave money to," Jason said. "In other words, instead of taking a 'pay cut' when we hit 'retirement age,' we'll get a pay increase."

If you're aiming to achieve early retirement, Jason and Julie suggest educating yourself financially and putting your plan on paper, tracking spending and cutting all unnecessary costs, and investing.

"As your costs come down, and income from your investments gets re-invested in more investments, at some point you will experience the bewildering and joyful moment when your wealth starts to spiral upwards," Jason said. "At that point your freedom is all but inevitable."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 21 largest US cities ranked by ease of building wealth

$
0
0

san francisco

The best way to build wealth is to prioritize assets over income. But ensuring that your assets outweigh your liabilities can be impacted greatly by the city you call home.

This week, online personal finance consultant Bankrate.com released a report ranking America's best and worst metro areas for building wealth.

To create the list, Bankrate.com ranked the 21 largest metro areas in five categories that contribute directly to an individual's ability to build their wealth:

  • Savable income: average income after taxes and expenditures
  • Human capital: unemployment rate, educational opportunities, and productivity
  • Debt burden: non-mortgage debt per capita and average credit score
  • Homeownership: average annual change in home prices, foreclosure actions, and homeownership rate
  • Access to financial services: Percentage of workers with access to retirement plans

San Francisco came out on top as the best place to build wealth, followed by Minneapolis and Washington, DC.

“In some metro areas, like San Francisco, homeownership can be prohibitively expensive, but higher-than-average salaries can help residents stash more money away in tax-advantaged retirement accounts," wrote Claes Bell, a Bankrate.com analyst and the author of the study. "On the other hand, Minneapolis-area residents don't earn as much, but the area's affordable housing and recovering real estate market provide opportunities to build wealth over the long term through home equity."

Read on to see how the 21 largest US cities stack up for building wealth, as well as the average savable income, homeownership rate, and non-mortgage debt per capita for each city. 

SEE ALSO: 10 of the best American cities to live comfortably on $40,000 a year

SEE ALSO: The most expensive housing market in every state

21. Riverside-San Bernardino, California

Savable income: $9,790

Homeownership rate: 62.6%

Debt burden: $27,682



20. Miami

Savable income: -$3,613*

Homeownership rate: 58%

Debt burden: $25,645

*Analysis showed a negative average savable income for the Miami metro area. This may be attributable to the high population of retirees in the area who are spending more of their savings than they're earning.




19. Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida

Savable income: $3,437

Homeownership rate: 62.7%

Debt burden: $27,015



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This is why fighting is allowed in pro hockey — and why the NHL has no plans to ban it

$
0
0

Fighting has been an officially accepted part of the hockey at the professional level for almost a century. In 1922, the National Hockey League incorporated Rule 56 into its official rule book, which governed what it then called "Fisticuffs" as an official part of the game.

Today, the section of the NHL rule bookdedicated to fighting is Rule 46. It says that referees are given “very wide latitude in the penalties with which they may impose under this rule.” According to former NHL official Kerry Fraser, fighting is technically a rule violation.

Any player who fights is automatically subjected to sitting in the penalty box for at least five minutes. Additional penalties, including ejection, can be imposed if deemed necessary by the referee.


We sought to understand why this sanctioned violence is still embraced by the league, which, based on a recent interview with its commissioner Gary Bettman, doesn't appear to be going away any time soon.

Bettman called fighting a "thermostat" for the game, and that it "may prevent other injuries." 

According to author Ross Bernstein, who wrote the book "The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL," fighting is a way for the sport to "police itself," and to remind players that there are consequences for stepping over the line during play in such a way that "the Code" is violated.

Follow BI Video: On Twitter

 

Join the conversation about this story »

Here's why cats sleep so much

eHarmony is gearing up for a battle to win back millennials from Tinder and Bumble

$
0
0

dating apps gif

Grant Langston has learned a lot over his 16-year tenure at eHarmony, the popular dating site launched in 2000.

But only in his six months as the company's new CEO has an important lesson become clear: Love conquers all — except when other dating apps are much easier to use.

"Whatever the onboarding time is for us," Langston recently told Business Insider, raising a flattened hand to about eye-level, "Tinder is here," he said, lowering his hand about two feet. "We've got to get in the universe of ease of use, so that the person who wants a relationship can see a way to use us."

Historically, eHarmony has not thought of swipe-based apps as competitors, since they tend to cater to more casual daters. But there are plenty of people who now use those apps to look for long-term partners — on Tinder it's 80% of users. Langston sees that shift as his best chance to entice marriage-seekers and, in the process, revive a dying brand.

'That's our failure'

Langston is the first to admit eHarmony needs help. Though the company essentially pioneered online dating a decade and a half ago, it has since fallen far behind the pack.

Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and many others offer addicting swipe-based interfaces and seamless design that keep younger customers coming back. eHarmony users, on the other hand, fill out detailed questionnaires in the hopes of finding secure, long-term partners — a far cry from mindless thumb swipes.

Langston blames eHarmony's continued focus on marketing over user experience for its current challenges. While other apps are free and simple to use, eHarmony's users complain about high costs and poor functionality. The app has a one-star rating in the App Store.

I'm like, that's our failure. That person should be on eHarmony.

By last count, eHarmony has about 750,000 paid subscribers and 10 million active users, which is about the same number it's had since 2012, Langston says. Tinder, meanwhile, has roughly 1 million premium users and 50 million people using the app. Two-year-old Bumble is also quickly gaining steam, having already accrued 3.5 million active users.

But as millennials creep into marriage age, the new CEO hopes sleeker pages, faster load times, and promising matchmaking algorithms can lure those with "swipe fatigue" away from the hookup apps of their youth.

"When I see people who use Tinder and they say in their headline they're not looking to hook up and want a real relationship, I'm like, that's our failure," Langston says. "That person should be on eHarmony."

tinder 4x3 mad

Laughing their way to the top

Langston isn't hoping sleeker product design will get him a bigger userbase — at least not yet. He says business is still strong, even if it's not growing. His primary goal for 2017 is to increase user satisfaction. In an industry such as his, where customers may be quick to blame a poor experience on the service rather than their own shortcomings, that can be tough.

"How can we improve this business so that people who come to us and don't find the person of their dreams are still satisfied with the experience?" he says.

Part of eHarmony's answer to that question has been refining the site's matching algorithm.

In the beginning, about 16% of users who completed the questionnaire would receive a notification telling them the site couldn't make any matches for them. It was a disappointing dilemma: They'd either have to adjust their preferences or find a new dating site. Langston says only about 4% of people now get that notice, and most of them are already married, which the site frowns upon.

The company is also currently conducting extensive research into people's senses of humor with the intent to incorporate that information into its matching algorithm.

eHarmony built a portal where users can watch dozens of 30-second videos — from improv comedy to movie clips to viral prank videos — to determine their "humor profile." Do they prefer fart jokes or would they rather watch "The Daily Show"? The new feature will then categorize their sense of humor based on nine different types.

"At this point, it seems very likely that it will be an important way to match people," Langston says of using humor to pair daters, but he adds that isn't the final step. "You have to ask yourself, Does it correlate to better relationships?" That answer will come with further testing over the next several months.

The company is also making other small fixes attempt to help the app feel fresher. Due to decreasing numbers of older users, eHarmony dropped its Guided Communication feature, which offered prompts to help users start chatting. And now when people get a match, they see an entire dashboard about their compatibility, not just the notification that a match has been made.

eharmony

A future of inclusivity

Product issues notwithstanding, the service is still wrestling with some philosophical challenges in its quest to capture younger users.

For instance, only after eHarmony settled a 2005 discrimination suit in 2009 did it start a site for same-sex daters. That site, Compatible Partners, is successful on its own, Langston says, but he acknowledges that it would probably do better if it lived under eHarmony's roof.

"In the long term, it has to be there," he says. "It has to be joined together because eventually it just looks weirder and weirder for it to be separate."

Then there's the issue of cost, a common gripe among the one-star reviewers. Set against a backdrop of freemium dating apps, eHarmony's model may seem overly demanding. You can fill out the questionnaire and get matches for free, but you have to subscribe to see their photos or talk to them. A monthly subscription costs $59.95 per month, while a six-month subscription amounts to $15.95 per month. People who pay for Tinder's premium service, Tinder Plus, are charged no more than $19.99 per month. For people under 30 years old, it's $9.99.

Langston says eHarmony has built up a loyal subscriber base over the years — generally people who have drifted in and out of the dating pool. Capturing new ones will mean confronting the fact that millennials have grown accustomed to paying nothing for dating apps.

Despite those challenges, Langston still believes that the right design tweaks, in combination with 16 years of algorithm research, will allow eHarmony to prevail over newer, more self-guided services in helping people find love.

"People who have a great time on Tinder, maybe they find someone," he says. "Good for them." As for the people that don't, "they'll come our way."

SEE ALSO: The 3 biggest mistakes people make in online dating, according to the CEO of eHarmony

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A dating expert reveals an interesting trick for more successful relationships


The top 12 rumors we're hearing about Apple's next iPhone (AAPL)

$
0
0

iphone 8

Even die-hard iPhone fans have to admit that the AMOLED displays on other phones, particularly those from Samsung, look better than the LCD screens on iPhones.

But if the rumors are true, iPhone fans may no longer need to make that admission, as Apple is reportedly looking to use a form of OLED display on the next iPhone. Just prepare your wallet, because OLED isn't cheap.

But that's just one of the rumors we're hearing. Check out all the latest scuttlebutt surrounding Apple's next iPhone.

SEE ALSO: Here's why you should always hold your iPhone in your right hand when making a call

There WILL be an S model of the iPhone 7.

A Barclay's report obtained by MacRumors said Apple would skip the S model this year, which has historically followed each new phone version. The report claimed Apple would instead jump directly from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 8 — possibly called the iPhone 10 — in 2017.

Now, however, it appears we could expect S models of the iPhone 7 next year with updates to the processor and a new red color option, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and the Japanese Apple blog MacOtakara, which are both highly reliable sources.



The iPhone 7 "S" models could have bigger screens.

Another Barclays report from November claimed that Apple is cooking up two iPhones with bigger screens than the usual 4.7- and 5.5-inch screens on the current iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

Specifically, the analysts say the new screens will measure 5 inches and 5.8 inches.

That said, the report doesn't specify that the new screen sizes are for S models of the iPhone 7 line. However, considering the rumor contains details on two new screen sizes, and the premium iPhone 8 is rumored to only be sold in one size, we could deduce that the Barclays report is referring to two S models.



In addition to the new S models, Apple will sell a third "high-end" iPhone with a medium-sized screen and a wraparound design.

A report from Kuo predicted that Apple would release a "high-end" iPhone with a larger 5.8-inch screen compared with the iPhone 7 Plus's 5.5-inch screen.

Yet more recent reports and rumors claim the premium iPhone 8 will have a smaller 5.1- or 5.2-inch screen that will wrap around the edges of the device. It sounds like a similar design concept as the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

Since 2017 marks the iPhone's 10th anniversary, it wouldn't be surprising if Apple does something special to mark the anniversary of its most important product.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 21 best science movies and shows streaming on Netflix that will make you smarter

$
0
0

Michael Pollan cooked

With holidays and cold weather arriving at the same time, it's the perfect time of year to curl up on the couch and lose yourself in a good movie.

And if you're looking for something entertaining and beautiful that'll also make you knowledgeable, there's an incredible variety of science- and nature-focused documentaries and TV episodes streaming on Netflix right now.

You can find compelling documentaries that'll captivate you with the beauty of the planet, you can delve into the details of how food arrives on your plate, or you can explore the mysterious and alien world that exists in oceans around the globe.

But there's a downside to all of that choice: It's a lot to choose from. So to make it easier, we've asked our colleagues to pick out some of their favorites from the Netflix documentary selection.

Here are our favorites, listed in no particular order:

This is an updated version of a post originally by Julia Calderone.

SEE ALSO: A treasure trove of shipwrecks has been revealed by a new mapping technology

"Cooked" (2016)

What it's about: Journalist and food expert Michael Pollan explores the evolutionary history of food and its preparation in this four-part docuseries through the lens of the four essential elements — fire, water, air, and earth. 

Why you should see it: Americans as a whole are cooking less and less, relying more on unhealthy, processed, and expensive and prepared foods. Pollan aims to bring viewers back to the kitchen by forging a meaningful connection to food and the joys of preparation. [Click to watch]



"Blackfish" (2013)

What it's about: This film highlights abuses in the sea park industry through the tale of Tilikum, an orca in captivity at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. Tilikum has killed or been involved in the deaths of three people while living in the park. 

Why you should see it: This documentary opens your eyes to the troubles with keeping wild animals in captivity through shocking footage and emotional interviews, highlighting potential issues of animal cruelty and abuse when using highly intelligent animals as entertainment. Sea parks make billions of dollars off of keeping animals captive, often at the expense of the health and well-being of its animals. This documentary played a huge role in convincing SeaWorld to stop their theatrical "Shamu" killer whale shows. [Click to watch]



"Particle Fever" (2013)

What it's about: This documentary follows six scientists as they prepare for one of the biggest and most expensive experiments in history: recreating conditions from the Big Bang with the launch of the Large Hadron Collider in Europe. Their aim is to unravel the mysteries of the universe and the origins of matter.

Why you should see it: Physics is often considered a forbiddingly dense subject, but 'Particle Fever' gives you a window into physics without breaking your brain. It documents the discovery of the famous Higgs boson particle that many physicists think holds the key to understanding the universe. Instead of getting bogged down with the complexities of particle physics, the film focuses more on the human drama of the discovery, and how it could change our understanding of the world around us. [Click to watch]



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

2 models who worked for Trump's controversial agency tell what it was like for them

I will never go on vacation without Snap's Spectacles, the sunglasses that record what you see

$
0
0

snapchat spectacles 8 (1)

When my gadget-loving boyfriend wore Google Glass in public for the first time, the thing I remember most is the stares. People squinted across trains and sidewalks at the utterly uncool head-mounted display built in the shape of eyeglasses.

So when Snap, the startup behind the disappearing messages app, unveiled Spectacles that can record what you see, we were both thrilled. Spectacles look cool compared to Google Glass — we aren't embarrassed to wear them on weekend adventures and future vacations.

We recently took Spectacles out for a test run in San Francisco. Here's what I thought.

SEE ALSO: REVIEW: Snapchat's Spectacles live up to the hype, but have a ways to go

We set out for Lands End in San Francisco, a rocky, windswept walking path opposite the Golden Gate Bridge. It was sunny, and I wondered if people would notice my sunglasses.



At first glance, Spectacles look like normal sunglasses. But the yellow circles near the lens are a giveaway. They light up when you hit the record button on top of the frames.



With one tap, Spectacles will record what you see for 10 seconds.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/BQlLv1ggTN1/embed/
Width: 658px

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A psychologist explains how important sex is in a relationship

A successful entrepreneur opened a new meditation studio in NYC to cash in on a $1 billion market

$
0
0

Khajak meditation

Meditation has gone main stream. The now $1 billion dollar industry has grown increasingly popular with Wall Street bankers, and it's also moved into the tech world, with a plethora of apps that guide you through practices, such as Headspace.  

Khajak Keledjian, the former owner of Intermix — a women's luxery clothing store that he sold to Gap for $130 million in 2013 — has been benefiting from meditation since 2007, after a friend of his who is a hedge fund manager, introduced him to the practice. Now, Keledjian wants to help spread the word.

His recently opened, New York City based meditation studio, Inscape, is as its name implies, an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Located in the Flatiron district, Inscape is a place for those who want to explore meditation by taking guided, group classes. 

Although I've been aware of meditation since I was a child, I have never fully engaged in a practice. This was my first full attempt to go into a meditative state. Below, my experience at Inscape. 

SEE ALSO: Obama just took a luxurious trip to Richard Branson's private island — here's where other US presidents have vacationed

Inscape's lobby is set up a lot like a yoga studio — products such as books and candles are available to purchase, and lockers and restrooms are in the back.



Teachers quietly greet guests at the front — everything feels serene and calm from the moment you walk in. My class's facilitator, Tiffany Rotach, kindly checked me in and gave me a quick tour.



I'd recommend changing into something comfortable — to get the most out of my 33 minute session, I wore yoga pants and a loose sweatshirt.

Instagram Embed:
http://instagram.com/p/BPk5tVfjAYq/embed/
Width: 658px

 An Inscape antendee stands outside the meditation Dome, near the lockers. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Customers are developing new habits and it's killing Applebee's and Buffalo Wild Wings


A top New York City chef shows how to make the perfect burger

Famous last words of 19 famous people

There are 5 places in the US where you need to make over $100,000 to afford a home

$
0
0

San Francisco California

Several of the priciest housing markets in the country are found in the American West.

In the last quarter of 2016, the median cost of a single-family home in the region rose to $348,800, up nearly 8% from the previous year and a greater increase than any other region, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

By contrast, the current US median home price is $232,200.

"Depressed new and existing inventory conditions led to several of the largest metro areas seeing near or above double-digit appreciation, which has pushed home values to record highs in a slight majority of markets," said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist.

As supply lags behind demand, and prices and mortgage rates continue to rise, homebuyers entering the market may find it increasingly unaffordable to buy a home.

Using NAR's data on housing affordability, we discovered the top-five US metro areas where the minimum salary required to qualify for a mortgage, with 20% down, is above $100,000. NAR assumes a mortgage rate of 3.9% for all areas, with the monthly principle and interest payment limited to 25% of income.

While the salary needed to buy in these areas is exceptional, purchasing a home in a number of markets across the country remains affordable, with required salaries at or below the median household income of $70,831. The average qualifying income for the US as a whole is $42,962.

Below, check out how much you need to earn to buy a home, and what the median home will cost you, in the most expensive markets.

The following markets are based on metropolitan statistical areas, with the exception of Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, which is a metropolitan division.

SEE ALSO: The salary you need to earn to buy a home right now in 23 of the most expensive housing markets in America

DON'T MISS: Home prices are soaring — here's how much the average home costs in the 15 most popular big cities

5. San Diego-Carlsbad, California

Population: 3,299,521

Median home cost: $593,000

Salary needed to buy: $108,410



4. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii

Population: 998,714

Median home cost: $740,200

Salary needed to buy: $135,320



3. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, California

Population: 3,169,776

Median home cost: $745,200

Salary needed to buy: $136,234



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I switched to a very thin wallet over a year ago, and I can't believe how much happier I am

$
0
0

Thin wallet 1

About a year and a half , I benched my old wallet and replaced it with a svelte new model crafted by artisans right here in the USA.

It was a decision that has made me spectacularly happy. It's the little things in life, obviously.

Backstory: I was a card-case-and-moneyclip guy for years. Card case in back pocket, moneyclip in front. But eventually, the card case fell apart.

It matched the moneyclip (both were from Coach and were gifts from my Mom), so rather than getting a new one, I decided to go with a more durable type of material and an old-school design.

I had a Quicksilver surfer wallet in a drawer: billfold style, with card slots, two sleeves for currency, and a see-thru ID window. Made of plastic with a cool graphic on the outside. I gave it a shot, vowing I'd never let it get bulked up to Costanza dimensions. But I failed, although that failure was offset by numerous nice comments about the wallet from random strangers (Nice work, Quicksilver designers!). 

Costanza Wallet

Then Dennis Green, our Lifestyle reporter here at Business Insider, gave me leather card case made by Corter, a leather company based in New England (they'd sent Dennis the wallet to try out, and it's actually a good deal at $52). I decided to give it a whirl, reducing what I carry to exactly what would fit in the thing. That would be my driver's license, a debit card, a credit card, an ID passes to get into BI's offices, and about $20 cash.

I was delighted by the results, and I still am.

Mind you, when I went the card case route before, I knew that it was more comfortable to carry than a traditional billfold. But that was back in the days before iPhones. I wound up overstuffing it. And yes, I know this new "wallet" is a card case. I'm generalizing a bit here — the point being that thinner is always better.

Anyway, the Corter card case has 100% never been overstuffed. It's also taken on an incredible, deep patina — light brown has become almost black. The rough-hewn topstitching may not be for everyone, but the case looks good and is suitable for for all but very dressy or formal occasions. The subdued dimensions are what matter.

I feel that you can't go wrong in your life if you lighten your load. You don't need 12 pairs of shoes. Two pairs of jeans is enough. You can get by with one watch (or no watch, although that's not something I would do). I have essentially one tie and no suit (I have two, but I almost never wear them). One pair of sunglasses in just fine (two is also OK). There's a lot to be said for lightweighting a life. You rediscover speed and freedom. Everyone has burdens. Your wallet shouldn't be one of them, gentlemen!

Now when I take out my wallet, I am reminded of a successful shift to discipline. OK, sure, I don't have my US Chess Federation membership card handy. at all times, just in case a wandering Grandmaster demands my credentials. I have no place to stash receipts. I can't carry stamps around anymore. It's hard to keep $100 in cash on hand. 

But the discipline I describe is that of thinking ahead. If I need any of those things, I can get them. But I'm not going to pack them at all times. 

I highly recommend doing what I did. Not exactly life changing. But you will feel better. And you won't be sitting on a big old uncomfortable wallet anymore! Your lower back will thank you.

Thin wallet 2

SEE ALSO: These 4 grownup boat shoe alternatives mean you can finally stop dressing like a fraternity brother

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This 26-year-old accidentally signed up for a poker tournament and won $973,683

A psychologist reveals the key to great ideas and having lots of them

Viewing all 116539 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images