Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider, Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Driving to and from work every day is brutal. If there's anything that can make your car commute more entertaining, productive, and safe, it's these 12 products.
All that time sitting in traffic passes a lot faster when you have an engrossing audiobook playing, your favorite hot beverage next to you, and a soothing eucalyptus essential oil filling your space.
There are also accessories that allow you to access your digital life or keep your tech fully charged, so you can use your time wisely as you drive.
While the frustrations of public-transit commutes are a favorite topic of conversation among city dwellers, we also know that a significant chunk of the population drives to work, and they have their own set of daily-commute troubles to deal with.
There are pros and cons of driving to work. On the one hand, you have your own private space to do whatever you want and you don't have to interact with other people. On the other, you have to pay more attention to the road ahead of you and stay alert as you putter along at 15 mph in rush-hour traffic.
These car-commute essentials cater to both the advantages and disadvantages of driving to work, helping you be comfortable in ways that would never be acceptable on a subway train, and stay productive or entertained as you keep your eyes on the road. A few of the recommendations come from road warriors who spend at least an hour each way going to and from their office, so you can trust their well-honed techniques.
Make your car commute more bearable with these 12 accessories.
Since you'll have plenty of time during your drive to sip on your drink, make sure you transport it in an insulated container to enjoy it at its best. Hydro Flask's tumblers are a favorite because they keep your freshly brewed coffee hot for the entire ride. One commuter we spoke to even puts oatmeal in it when she's running late and doesn't have time to eat at home. It has a snug fit in your car drink holder, plus it comes with a press-in lid, guaranteeing a spill-free ride.
A comfortable cushion to support your back and butt
Sitting for extended periods of time is uncomfortable. Introduce this portable seat cushion to your commute and you almost won't mind sitting for so long. It has a squishy grid design but it feels like you're sitting on memory foam. Best of all, you can carry it out of the car right to your office chair.
It can be hard to carve out time to read a book, so your commute is probably the best time to catch up on the best sellers everyone's reading, appreciate the classics from a new angle, or finally dive into that book you keep falling asleep to in bed. Audible offers a huge variety of options, so we dare you to say you can't find a book you like in its library. It's $14.95/month, but the first month is free, so load up on those books.
Insider Pickswrites about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Vitamin C serums get down to the cellular level to protect skin from free radicals, which can damage skin in the forms of discoloration, fine lines, and wrinkles.
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic ($166) has been heralded the "gold standard" in vitamin C serums by dermatologists for it's scientifically-backed formula.
I had heard that TruSkin Naturals makes a vitamin C serum that yields similar results for a fraction of the price ($19.99), so I decided to try both for a month.
Ultimately, while both products gave my skin a nice sheen, the SkinCeuticals serum was more effective at lightening sun spots, discoloration, and dark circles over time.
Vitamin C serums are staples in the routines of skin-care fanatics, but they're not just a trend — scientific evidence tells us that topical vitamin C promotes collagen production, lightens hyperpigmentation, and protects skin from free radicals. These qualities work together to leave skin plumper, brighter, and with a nice dewy glow.
How could I not be using one of these wonder potions in my routine already? My search for a great vitamin C serum kept leading me back to one product: the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum. Since it's release in 2005, this serum has been a favorite among self-labeled skin-care experts and dermatologists alike for its scientifically-based formula. That sounded well and good to me, but there's a catch — a one ounce bottle costs $166.
I'm all for a skincare splurge every now and then, but $166 is a hard pill to swallow. I wondered, then: Would a cheaper vitamin C serum do the trick? A friend of mine had mentioned that the TruSkin Naturals Vitamin C serum was comparable to the SkinCeuticals option —she had seen glowing results, quite literally, and it was a fraction of the price at just $19.99. So, I figured, why not compare these two serums and see if the cheaper one stacked up?
Why vitamin C so important for the skin
I was excited to begin this skin experiment, but in order to help me — and hopefully you — understand what makes vitamin C the elixir of choice for getting that dewy glow, I reached out to a dermatologist for an expert opinion. Dr. Dendy Engelman is a board-certified dermatologic surgeon and celebrity dermatologist. Currently, she works as an MD at Manhattan Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery as well as a clinical assistant professor and director of dermatologic surgery at the Metropolitan Hospital Center. Here's why Dr. Engelman says adding a vitamin C serum is so beneficial, in scientific terms:
"Free radicals are highly destructive molecules that can wreak havoc on your skin. Free radicals are unstable compounds in search of a missing electron. When they 'steal' electrons from other molecules, it leaves those molecules unstable and in search of a missing electron. Because this produces a domino effect, this further weakens the skin barrier, leaving it vulnerable to premature aging (i.e. fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin texture). Antioxidants, like vitamin C, pair with free radical scavengers in search of a missing electron, so it neutralizes the damage a free radical can do if it were to pair instead with an electron from a skin protein".
After that little science lesson, I had a better understanding of why a vitamin C serum is so important and felt ready to take on this experiment and test these serums out.
My testing method
To make a fair comparison, I decided to use the serums at the same. The left side of my face would be dedicated to SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic and the right side would get TruSkin Naturals. Skin can be fickle and since I can't control external variables that may cause unwanted flare-ups, doing a half-half method seemed like the best way to judge each products effectiveness. Everything else in my skincare routine would be left as is — I'd fit the serums in after using a gentle cleanser, but before layering on a lightweight lotion, eye cream, and sunscreen.I planned to use the serums for at least four weeks, keeping track of changes that I noticed on either side.
My impressions, week by week
Week one: The SkinCeuticals serum is clear, has a thin consistency, and a metallic scent that kind of smells like hot dog water. The TruSkin Naturals serum is a milky color, has a thicker feel, and is odor-free. I put three drops of each serum on their respective sides and rub them in. Both serums feel lightweight and absorb nicely into my skin. I let each side dry, then follow up with my regular lotion and sunscreen. After a few days, all I notice is a pimple smack dab in the middle of my forehead — an area where I rarely break out. I wonder if that could be attributed to the new products, or was just a fluke. Either way, I continue the routine.
Week two: It hasn't been long, but I haven't noticed much of a difference on either side. At dinner with family though, I get asked if I'm the youngest child. I have a fifteen year old brother — so maybe these serums really are working some anti-aging magic. Did two weeks of Vitamin C serum reverse the clock seven years? I have to say, that felt pretty good.
Week three: Since starting this little experiment, I've been adamant about following the same routine every morning. While I know I should use sunscreen everyday, I often leave it out of my morning routine. Since using these serums, I've been really good about putting on sunscreen each morning. Even though it's winter, I feel that I'm doing a great service to my skin — and while it's not really a result of these serums, it's been a nice unexpected bonus of the process. My cheeks have been getting a little drier than usual, and I wonder if this could be attributed to the Vitamin C. To counter, I lather on a little more of my trusty Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream at night — it's my go-to for hydrating dry skin, especially during winter.
Week four: After one month I feel that my skin looks good, but I haven't really had any "wow" moments. Maybe I expected that one side of my face would be bright and glowy, while the other would be irritated and red — but both sides of my face look strikingly similar. I had taken a picture of my skin before starting the routine, so I decide to take a new set of pictures and compare.
Looking at the pictures side by side, I finally have my "wow" moment. I have sun spots and some freckles, but I've never really thought of them as a skin concern — not cosmetically at least. I've come to terms with their existence and for the most part, forget they're even there. When I compare the pictures of the right side of my face, where I've been using the TruSkin Naturals serum, I don't notice any real fading of my spots.
When I look at the left side though, where I've been using SkinCeuticals, it looks like my spots have been lightened a good amount. I was even more impressed to notice that my veins look significantly lighter on the left side too. My very fair skin, I like to call it see-through, leaves plenty of veins on my face visible — like sun spots, it's something I've kind of just come to terms with, though I wouldn't mind if they were hidden. This is something I wasn't expecting, but am definitely happy to see. Although I didn't really notice anything when analyzing my skin in the mirror, I think both serums have given my skin a nice sheen. My poor-quality selfies may not do either justice, but I think both did a good job of making my skin look a little more even.
The ingredients behind it all
Given that my experience is completely subjective, I wanted some objectivity to answer the "which product is actually better" conundrum. I sent Dr. Engelman the ingredients in each product to hear her take. Here's what she said:
I consider CE Ferulic one of (if not) the gold standard for topical antioxidants. It is backed by copious clinical studies and is greatly effective in fighting free radical damage. This contains ascorbic acid, as compared to TruSkin’s sodium ascorbyl phosphate which is a derivative and less powerful. It also contains ferulic acid, a powerful acid that targets discoloration and fine lines. Skinceuticals undergoes extensive testing to ensure that the product is effective and maintains its stability over time. This is one of the reasons it is at an elevated price point.
This serum is less powerful than Skinceuticals, however it does have some nourishing properties that I like. Witch hazel helps calm inflammation and jojoba is very hydrating. This serum will not work as well, but that is not to say it will not [work] at all.
The bottom line
Both of these products have a cult-following — SkinCeuticals is consistently ranked as one of the best vitamin C serums out there and TruSkin Naturals boasts over 4,700 glowing reviews on Amazon and a loyal following as well. As Dr. Engelman stated, both products can work, it really just depends what you are looking for in the product. If you are just looking to delve into the world of vitamin C serums as a means of getting even, glowy skin, I think TruSkin Naturals will do the trick. If you are specifically targeting fine lines and discoloration, SkinCeuticals will likely yield better results. The addition of ferulic acid and a more potent form of vitamin C explain why many people see significant results, and (unfortunately) why the price tag is so high.
At the end of the day, our bodies are totally unique, so what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Maybe neither of these products will be right for you, but even if that's the case, I'd still recommend adding some type of topical vitamin C to your skincare routine. We're all surrounded by environmental stressors every day, and even if you don't realize, over time these can be very taxing on your skin — vitamin C works to combat those negative effects.
Dr. Engelman recommends a serum, saying "they will be most effective in delivering to the cellular level. Serums have the highest concentration of active ingredients and smaller molecules which allows actives to penetrate further". Too much vitamin C can be overkill though — Dr. Engelman cautioned against using more than one topical vitamin C product each day, as too much can be irritating and cause acne breakouts in certain skin types.
Ultimately, neither of these products changed my life — at least not yet. While at first that disappointed me a little, it's for the best. Plenty of skincare products reap immediate rewards, but a vitamin C serum is something that helps protect your skin for the long haul, which I know in a few years I'll be grateful for. Neither of these products are quick fixes, and while a one ounce bottle will last you a long time (you only use a few drops each day), keeping up with a $166 skincare habit is not necessarily sustainable. Luckily, there are plenty more topical Vitamin C products to choose from, that may work better for your skin type and budget.
For now, I am going to transition to SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic full time with the hopes that it will help lessen the discoloration and veins on the other side of my face, too. I'll definitely continue using TruSkin Naturals every few days though, so I can expand the longevity of this $166 bottle.
Spring is an ideal time to clean your cars and deal with maintenance and repairs.
You should change your oil, fix dents and scratches, rotate your tires, and check with your dealer about recalls — among other things.
You should also simply clean all the junk out of your vehicle.
Spring has sprung in much of the world after long months of winter.
Winter is hard on cars, so I think the transition from cold to warm is an ideal time to catch up on auto maintenance — spring cleaning, if you will, for your car.
Some of the more important details to attend to are oil changes and checking for rust and leaks. It can be difficult to focus on such matters when you're business shoveling your vehicle out from snow drifts ever week. But with the arrival of spring, you're out of excuses.
Here are 12 tips for spring cleaning your vehicle:
1. Change your oil. I advocate two oil changes per year, rather than the usual recommendation of every 3,000 miles. If you use the winter-to-spring and summer-to-fall transitions as reminders, you can change your oil using a high-quality synthetic and be fine. Synthetic oil costs a bit more, but it’s worth it for the peace of mind.
2. Rotate your tires. Tire rotation is standard maintenance, but owners can easily overlook it. As with oil changes, the winter-to-spring transition is a good reminder. You want all four tires to wear evenly, so rotating them on a regular schedule is a must.
3. Check all other fluids. Even if all you do is refill you windshield-washer reservoir, it’s essential that you make sure all fluid levels are good.
Turning an iPad on or off requires just a few seconds and the push of one or two buttons, depending on the model of your device, and then a swipe for powering down.
You can also turn off or restart the iPad from the settings menu.
If the standard iPad startup method does not work, you can attempt a force-restart, but you should only do that once you're sure the battery isn't drained.
Thanks to an iPad's long battery life and its minimal power consumption while in Sleep Mode, most users leave them on perpetually, and charge them before they have the chance to run out of battery power.
But for many reasons, it's a good idea to turn your iPad fully off when you know you won't be using it for awhile.
Powering down an iPad can allow updates to install when it switches back on, allows the hardware to cool down and rest, and of course saves more battery than putting the device in Sleep Mode.
But before you worry about turning an iPad off, you need to know how to turn it on.
How to turn on any iPad model
1. Holding the iPad in portrait orientation with the Home button at the bottom, locate the slender, gray Power button at the top right corner of the iPad.
2. Hold it down for about three seconds, until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
3. If password protected, type in your code once it turns on.
And that's it. Except in the event that doesn't work. If your iPad won't turn on, chances are that your battery is drained. Connect the iPad to power, and within a minute, you will likely see the icon for a depleted battery: a battery in a deep red color.
If you see the red battery icon, let the device charge for a while, and it will turn back on automatically.
If you can't pull up this dead battery icon, try a force-restart on a regular iPad by holding the Power button at the top right corner and the circular home button for 10 seconds.
If you have an iPad Pro with Face ID, use the following combination of buttons to force-restart:
1. Press the Volume Up button for one second and release it.
2. Press the Volume Down button for one second and release it.
3. Press and hold the Power button for five seconds until the Apple logo appears.
If that fails, head to the Apple store for service.
How to turn off any iPad model
1. Hold down the Power button at the top right corner of the iPad for three seconds. (If you have an iPad Pro with Face ID, you'll have to hold the Power button and either of the volume buttons for three seconds.)
2. Slide the red power icon that appears on the screen to the right.
And that's it. But if you prefer to power down a different way, you can also...
Insider Pickswrites about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
If you own anything from Spanx, it's probably shapewear — but we would argue that Spanx bras are just as noteworthy.
Spanx uses soft material that's invisible under clothes, wide straps that stay put, and 3D technology for natural, glove-like cups.
Six women on the team tried everything from sports bras to full-coverage options, and we were unanimously impressed.
If you're looking for incredibly comfortable bras with more size variety, you should also check out ThirdLove.
Like Kleenex, Velcro, Chapstick, and Scotch Tape, Spanx is such an authority in shapewear that its name has become synonymous with its product.
However, the greater the fame of a product, the longer the shadow it seems to cast — and the superiority of Spanx's shapewear may be the reason for why few of us have ever ventured to try anything else from the brand. Like I once did, you probably view Spanx as a shapewear-dominant brand, and its additional products as filler. Shapewear, I used to believe, was Spanx's specialty. The rest of its styles couldn't be as exceptional.
But I was wrong. After trying most of its products as part of my job as an Insider Picks reporter, I'm happy to admit that the company makes some of the best leggings, tights, and now bras in my closet — all of which I wear with greater regularity than its shapewear.
Below, I asked five of my colleagues to test out Spanx bras for the first time and pass down judgment. You can find our thoughts below.
If you want to get one for yourself, it's worth noting that Spanx has a risk-free try-on, with free returns on all its bras. And if you're looking for greater size variety (not Spanx's strong suit), you may want to check out ThirdLove. They make another one of our favorite bras, and they offer 70 sizes— including half cups.
Here's what six women thought of each Spanx bra style we tried:
Available in 11 colors and band sizes 32-38 and cup sizes A-DD.
Most bra straps are super skinny, fall all over the place, and don’t provide the requisite support without digging into your shoulders. Spanx’s Bra-llelujah Full-Coverage Bra solves that particular problem with wide elastic straps that aren’t adjustable, but somehow manage to stay in place, offer support, and feel incredibly comfortable.
As someone who regularly rails against bras and bralettes without adjustable straps, I was very impressed by how comfortable these straps felt and how well they stayed in place. They never shifted, fell, or dug into my skin. If I had to guess why these adjustable straps work, I’d say it’s because they’re made from a super elastic Lycra material that stretches and shapes to fit your body perfectly — no adjustment needed. I also liked the front closure and the texture of the material. This bra is so soft thanks to the hosiery fabric Spanx used and the seamless design of the back and the straps. — Malarie Gokey, Insider Picks buying guides editor
Available in four colors and band sizes 32-38 and cup sizes A-DD.
Spanx’s expertise at making shapewear that no one can tell you’re wearing extends to its bras. My Spanx bra had a unique feeling of being a lot more tight and secure than it looked — my skin didn’t squeeze out and my bra outline didn’t show through my shirt.
The style is also pretty yet simple. I usually shy away from lacy numbers since they tend to be itchy and irritating, so I was surprised and impressed when I put this one on and felt ... nothing. It’s the kind of bra that you put on in the morning and pretty much forget about until you have to take it off later. — Connie Chen, Insider Picks reporter
I think I might be in love with this bra. I’ve never felt so much comfort and support at the same time from a sports bra. Spanx advertises that the Workout-to-Waves sports bra is designed with “Back-smoothing and dig-free construction,” and that’s not a lie. It’s so flattering across your back with its criss-cross elastic, and the front holds a nice shape as well — no matter how much you move around. I wore it while I ran, rode a bike, and slammed sandbags on the gym floor. The bra was perfect for all of my exercise needs, and can even be worn to swim in.
I felt so comfortable in this bra that I started wearing it when I wasn’t even planning on working out. The straps are built like your average bra (that is to say they're adjustable), and the cups hold a nice supportive shape, so it’s impossible to tell that this bra isn’t your standard underwire pushup (which, come on, we all know are super uncomfortable). I’m a C cup so I don’t need a ton of support, but I definitely need a decent amount. I would honestly market this bra as the only bra you’ll ever need. — Francesca Rea, Insider Picks content producer
By default, your Friends list is set to public, so everyone with a Facebook account can see who you are connected to.
If you prefer, you can change your privacy settings so that only your friends or no one at all can see your Friends list. You can do this on both your phone and in a web browser.
It's possible to hide your Friends list from specific people as well, leaving the list visible to all of your other friends.
Facebook's currency is you — you and all of your personal information. That's one reason Facebook likes to keep most information about you public. By default, your profile information, posts, and even your friends are available for all to see.
In practice, it's often convenient for your friends list to be public, because it can help people to find and connect with you, by verifying friends they also know.
If you prefer, you can restrict who can see your entire Friends list using Facebook's privacy settings. You might not want everyone to see it, especially if you want to mask the identity of some friends from others. Or perhaps you just value your privacy and don't want everyone to know who you're connected to online.
How to hide your friends on Facebook via a desktop computer
1. Open Facebook in a web browser.
2. Click the downward-pointing arrow at the top right of the web page to show the menu.
3. Click "Settings."
4. In the pane on the left side of the screen, click "Privacy."
5. In "How People Find and Contact You," find "Who can see your friends list" and click "Edit."
6. Choose who you want to be able to see your friends list – you can choose from options including Friends and Just Me (which hides it from everyone). If you click "Custom," you can choose to enter specific names. For example, you can share your friends list with all of your friends except for Bob Smith.
How to hide your friends on Facebook via a mobile device
1. Start your Facebook app.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines (this is the hamburger menu). On the iPhone, this is in the lower right of the screen; on Android, it's in the upper right.
3. Tap "Settings & Privacy."
4. Tap "Settings."
5. Scroll down to the Privacy section and tap "Privacy Settings."
6. Scroll down to "How people find and contact you" and tap "Who can see your friends list?"
7. Choose who you want to be able to see your friends list. You can choose to restrict the list to friends or just to "Only Me" (which hides it from everyone else). If you choose "Friends except…" you can block specific people from seeing your friends list.
If you encounter a problem with your iPad that ordinary troubleshooting can't solve, you can perform a factory reset, which deletes all apps and data from the device.
While the iPhone and iPad suffer far fewer routine problems than traditional computers, sometimes the unexpected happens.
If your iPad is giving you serious problems, one way to get things back to normal is to perform a factory reset. This erases all the data and apps from your iPad and restores it to its original condition when it arrived from the factory.
After resetting your iPad, you can restore all of your apps and data from a recent backup, or — if you suspect that something in the backup is what caused your iPad to have problems to begin with — reinstall all of the apps you want manually from the App Store and ignore your backups.
A word of caution: restoring your iPad is the "nuclear option" when it comes to troubleshooting your device. It's time-consuming and whenever you erase a device, there's always some risk, however small, that restoring from a backup will fail. If possible, see if there's a particular misbehaving app and uninstall it first. You might also try some of the troubleshooting tips found in our article "Can iPads get viruses?"
3. Tap your Apple ID at the top of the screen and then tap "iCloud."
4. Tap "iCloud Backup."
5. Check when the last successful backup occurred; if it's in the last few hours, that might be good enough. Otherwise, tap "Back Up Now" and wait for the backup to complete.
Reset and restore your iPad
You are about to lose all of your apps and data, so don't proceed past this sentence without making sure you have a recent backup and that you really want to reset the iPad to its factory settings. Also, be sure that you have your Apple ID and password available, since you will need it to sign in and retrieve your backup.
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap "General," and then tap "Reset."
3. On the Reset page, tap "Erase all Content and Settings," and choose "Erase Now." If, for some reason, you haven't already backed up your iPad, you can choose "Backup then Erase."
Your iPad will spend a few minutes resetting itself to factory conditions. After a few minutes, you'll be greeted with the iPad's initial welcome screen.
At this point, follow the instructions of the setup assistant to sign in with your Apple ID and restore the iPad from the most recent backup on your iCloud account.
Insider Pickswrites about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider, Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
College graduation season is just around the corner. If you know any almost-grads, now's the time to start thinking about gifts.
There are plenty of practical gifts for grads, but if you're looking for something special and unique, you can't go wrong with gifting them an experience instead of a product.
Experiential gifts are on the rise, and for good reason — they're fun, personal, and make for long-lasting memories. We rounded up nine experiential gifts for all kinds of college grads, from cooking classes to massages.
College graduation season is nearing and with it comes an array of emotions for young grads — along with a lot of questions about what us gift-givers should get them. Finding the right gift for a recent college graduate can be difficult. At a point in their life where so much is changing, it can be hard to gauge what presents they want or need for their future endeavors.
If you're searching for the perfect gift for the college grad in your life, you can't go wrong with giving them an experience. Experiential gifts are personal, fun, and a catalyst for unforgettable memories, which explains why more and more young people are choosing to spend their own money on experiences instead of things.
From a cooking class to help them expand their culinary skills beyond microwaving mac and cheese, to a gift card that'll bring them one step closer to their travel dreams, we rounded up a list of thoughtful activities and experiences to gift your grad.
Keep reading for nine experiential gifts any recent grad will love:
Help them explore their passion for fitness with a gift card to ClassPass, a site that lets them discover and try boutique fitness classes in their area. Memberships are priced differently based on location, but the lowest starts at $29 a month, which will get them between three and classes. ClassPass has all of the classics, like yoga and pilates, along with trendy fitness classes and now even some spa and wellness treatments. It's a fun way for them to try something new and stay active.
Whether it's a long trip to a faraway country or a quick weekend getaway in a neighboring town, everyone could use a vacation. With all of the change the real world is bound to bring, an Airbnb gift card is the perfect way to gift them a well-deserved trip.
If they have an affinity for live events, you can't go wrong with a gift card to StubHub, a site that has tickets to just about every live event out there. Getting them a gift card allows them to choose what event they'd like to go to, but if you know what they like, you can just buy them a ticket to see their favorite sports team, band, or show. If you have the same taste, you could even snag yourself a ticket and share the experience with them.
When her husband was appointed US Ambassador to Spain under President Obama, she left her career in philanthropy, her friends and family, and a life she loved to join her husband for a three-and-a-half-year tour overseas.
Despite obstacles, she was able to create opportunities for herself at the US Embassy, while discovering 4 lessons about self-reinvention when the role that defines you changes.
In 2010, I was given an opportunity that most people would never think twice about. The year prior, President Obama asked my husband Alan to serve as US Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. Alan and I made a joint decision: we said yes. Most people would jump for joy at this opportunity. And at first I did.
But as time drew near, my fear and anxiety began to rise. My husband had an exciting job ahead. But what was mine?
Throughout my life, work had always defined who I was. I had worked for over 30 years in the nonprofit world, fundraising for organizations I admired (such as PBS), and helping corporations and foundations make strategic philanthropic decisions. I was also deeply engaged in my role on the boards of many civic organizations in the Boston area, where I live.
By State Department ethics rules, I was not permitted to bring my work with me. I was being asked to give up my career and take on a role that most describe as a 1950s stand-and-smile-behind-your-man role. Really?
An active, meaningful role
Oh dear, not me. Forging a meaningful role for myself would be important. After all, I wanted to play an active part in this exciting adventure upon which we were embarking. That meant I would have to find meaning and value in whatever I ended up doing and make the best of a series of opportunities outside of what I had considered my “career” to that point.
I wasn’t the first person moving overseas and needing to find a way to participate, be happy, and make a difference as a spouse. But I was determined to break past the limits inherent in my particular role as diplomatic spouse to create new opportunities, both for myself and for the Embassy.
It wasn’t easy. The staff at the US Embassy in Madrid was busy. They all had job descriptions and important work to do. There wasn’t a lot of spare time to figure out how to fit someone in to their ongoing work.
But I wanted a meaningful role, and had a mantra: “I am here to be an active part of the US Embassy Madrid and I want to help you in the work you do.” I was relentless about meeting with everyone I could. Finally, someone from outside the embassy suggested working on a committee focusing on women’s leadership in the business world. I seized this opportunity. I didn’t know what it would entail, but that didn’t matter. I trusted myself to figure it out.
Obstacles abounded. My Spanish wasn’t fluent enough. I didn’t know the women involved, and the culture was new to me. So I listened to them (sometimes with the help of a translator). I came to understand what some of their needs were. I learned that there was a lack of networking opportunities for women in Spain. An idea was hatched. What if I gathered leading Spanish businesswomen (and some men), staff members at the US Embassy, Embassy family members looking for employment, and professionals? We could shine a light on the amazing work both Spanish and American women were doing while at the same time offering an opportunity to network and learn from each other.
I was patient. The initiative began slowly with one event. I worked to find one person at the Embassy who would support this endeavor, and we started to plan. We aligned with various Embassy departments that could potentially have an interest in the topic and we dug into work on a series of events that would grow and evolve over time. Slowly but surely, momentum picked up — and in the end, we produced the Women’s Leadership Network, a series of events featuring top-level women and entrepreneurs in journalism, social media, gastronomy, finance and a host of other fields.
What lessons did I learn as I forged this new path for myself? And how are they transferable to anyone seeking new paths?
First, I discovered the importance of drawing on personal characteristics as much as professional expertise. Patience, persistence, resilience, openness, kindness … these are the traits that will help buoy efforts and sustain you throughout them.
I also recognized the value of understanding others’ needs. This begins with listening to those around you rather than making assumptions. Doing so will inform you about what meaningful contribution you can make and where exactly your skills can be useful.
I realized, too, just how powerful it is to bring people together and gather a tribe. Working with people who can align with you is essential to building momentum. And remember to thank them. Always.
Another extremely powerful lesson I took away from this experience: Trust your instincts. Don’t overthink. Doing so can prevent you from taking action. It’s okay to make mistakes. In the same vein, be flexible and know how to seize opportunities — even if they don’t appear at first blush to be exactly what you’re seeking.
Forging a new path for yourself in uncharted territory when the role that defines you suddenly changes may take hard work, but that’s okay. Working hard will pay off. So will persistence.
Which brings me to my final point.
Don’t give up. if things don’t pan out the way you’d hoped the first time around, keep trying. Experiment, learn from each experience, embrace the unknown, and grow. From 2008 to 2012, Susan Lewis Solomont she served alongside her husband, Alan Solomont, in Madrid, Spain, where he was appointed as US Ambassador to Spain and Andorra under President Barack Obama. She was named International Woman of the Year by FEDEPE, the leading organization for Spanish women executives and directors. She holds a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in education from Tufts University. “Lost and Found In Spain: Tales of An Ambassador’s Wife” is her first book.
Amazon has thousands of workers around the world listening to recordings of conversations between users and the Alexa voice assistant, in the name of improving its ability to understand human speech, according to Bloomberg.
Amazon told Bloomberg that it tasks humans with reviewing only "an extremely small sample of Alexa voice recordings."
The moderators reportedly have a chat room where they can ask for help or just share "amusing" recordings.
The moderators also occasionally hear more upsetting things: Two workers told Bloomberg that they heard a recording of what they believed to be a sexual assault.
A report from Bloomberg highlighted the human labor that goes into making Amazon's Alexa voice assistant — which comes built in to every Amazon Echo speaker — a little smarter.
The company has a mix of contractors and full-time employees all over the globe reviewing and transcribing clips of conversations between users and Alexa, according to Bloomberg. The idea, the report said, is to have humans annotate those interactions to help identify phrases, such as "Taylor Swift," that might otherwise be meaningless to the software.
"We only annotate an extremely small sample of Alexa voice recordings in order improve the customer experience. For example, this information helps us train our speech recognition and natural language understanding systems, so Alexa can better understand your requests, and ensure the service works well for everyone," an Amazon spokesman told Bloomberg.
"Employees do not have direct access to information that can identify the person or account as part of this workflow. All information is treated with high confidentiality and we use multi-factor authentication to restrict access, service encryption and audits of our control environment to protect it," the spokesperson said.
The Amazon workers, who number in the thousands, have a chat room, too, where they can get help when they can't quite make out a word or phrase — or where they can share "amusing" recordings, according to Bloomberg.
Additionally, one Amazon worker told Bloomberg that each member of this team will listen to as many as 100 clips a day in which Alexa is mistakenly or unintentionally activated. Bloomberg reported that one of these workers will review as many as 1,000 clips in a nine-hour shift.
The report indicated, however, that the content in those recordings can be quite serious: Two workers with whom Bloomberg spoke detailed what they believed to be a recording of a sexual assault. Separately, two workers told Bloomberg that they were given guidance that Amazon didn't consider it the company's place to intervene in cases like these.
Amazon did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.
Former Obama White House counsel Gregory Craig reportedly expects to be charged in connection to lobbying work he did for the Ukrainian government with former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Craig's lawyers told The Washington Post he expects to be indicted by the US attorney's office in Washington, DC, as part of a case stemming from the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
Craig was a partner at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, but he resigned last April as the firm drew scrutiny over whether its lawyers failed to register as foreign agents while working for the Ukrainian government.
Gregory Craig, who worked as the first White House counsel under former President Barack Obama, expects to be indicted by federal prosecutors in connection to lobbying work he did for the Ukrainian government in 2012, his lawyers told The Washington Post.
Craig worked with Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Donald Trump’s campaign, on the lobbying work on behalf of the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice in 2012. At the time, The Post reported, Craig was a partner at Sadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
According to his lawyers, Craig expects to be indicted by the US attorney’s office in Washington, DC, at the request of the Justice Department’s national security division. The case stemmed from the special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election.
Craig resigned from Skadden last April, and his lawyers say he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
The law firm catapulted to the spotlight in the Russia probe when the Dutch lawyer Alex van der Zwaan pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI related to his work for the firm and Manafort.
Manafort asked Skadden in 2012 to compile a report about the 2011 trial of the former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko — an effort Van der Zwaan was involved in. Manafort's request was made at the behest of Viktor Yanukovych, then the Ukrainian president and Tymoshenko's rival in the country's 2010 election.
Tymoshenko was jailed in 2011 after the Ukrainian government convicted her of abuse of power. Her trial and subsequent conviction were criticized by human-rights groups and deemed politically motivated by the US, the UK, German, Italy, Spain, and other European countries.
Skadden was roped into the controversy over the Tymoshenko report when it emerged that the former Ukrainian Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych embezzled over $1 million to pay the law firm for its work.
Skadden has done a significant amount of consulting for Russian oligarchs in Moscow and abroad. It has also represented Alfa Bank in a number of financial disputes stretching back years.
After facing mounting pressure from American and Ukrainian prosecutors, Skadden refunded about half the amount it was paid for the Tymoshenko report to the Ukrainian government in June 2017. Three months later, Mueller's office raised more questions to Skadden about its work for Yanukovych in 2012.
Manafort eventually admitted Skadden's report was used to bolster Yanukovych's influence in the West. He was sentenced earlier this year to 7 1/2 years in federal prison for his financial crimes related to his foreign lobbying work.
So far, several Trump associates have been indicted or have pleaded guilty as part of the Russia investigation or in cases stemming from the inquiry. If Craig is charged, he will be the first prominent Democrat to join that group.
One of the most decorated luxury hotels in the world, the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, was recently named the "best hotel in the world" by the Ultratravel Awards.
The Burj has been called "the world's first seven-star hotel" and "the most luxurious hotel in the world" by travel writers and critics.
I recently spent a night at the hotel and a night at its sister hotel next door, the five-star Jumeirah Beach Hotel, to see how the two compared.
While I expected the two hotels to be fairly similar in quality, I was surprised to find just how much more luxurious the Burj Al Arab is than Jumeirah Beach Hotel.
I was determined to find out the answer to that question on a recent trip to Dubai. I planned to stay at two well-regarded hotels by Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, a Dubai state-owned luxury hotel chain.
The first was the Burj Al Arab, a $1 billion hotel shaped like the sail of an Arabian dhow ship. In just the last year, it was named the Best Hotel in the World by The Telegraph's ULTRA Awards and given a Five-Star Award by Forbes Travel Guide. When it first opened, a journalist was supposedly so enamored with the Burj that she exclaimed that it must be a seven-star hotel, a rating that does not exist.
The second was the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, a family resort next door shaped like a cresting wave. It was renovated last year with a new lobby, guest rooms, and restaurants.
I figured that my experience at both would be about the same: over-the-top luxurious.
I was wrong. Keep reading to see what it was like:
To start with, let's talk about location and architecture. The Jumierah Beach Hotel sits on its own private beach on the Dubai coastline. Its iconic wave-shaped building is one of Dubai's most recognizable.
But the Burj Al Arab's shape, that of the billowing sail of an Arabian dhow ship, is even more iconic. The Burj sits on its own private island across the water from Jumeirah Beach Hotel. You can only get on the island with a reservation. It provides an unobstructed view of the sea and the city.
When I entered the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, I noticed the newly renovated lobby atrium, designed to let in lots of light and show off walls painted to evoke the sea. It's very calming.
Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
The Amazfit Bip ($79.99) proves you don't have to spend more than $100 for a good smartwatch.
I've worn it daily for more than a month and primarily use it to keep track of my physical activity and sleep and to receive phone notifications.
While it lacks the sleek sophistication of its $200 to $350 counterparts, it still impressed us with its month-long battery life and variety of features you'll use every day.
Though Apple and Fitbit are probably the first names to come to mind when you think of wearables, Chinese wearables company Huami is quietly giving them a run for their money with its under-$100 Amazfit Bip smartwatch.
I've been wearing it for the last five weeks and had multiple friends mistake it for an Apple Watch. It never gets any less satisfying for me to explain that it's actually a smartwatch they've never heard of, and it costs a fraction of its more famous doppelgänger.
The Amazfit Bip is only $80, but has so many useful features that you'll be surprised it doesn't cost more: fitness, heart rate, and sleep tracking, physical activity guidance, and the ability to receive app, call, and text notifications. It can also act as a timer, stopwatch, compass, or personal weatherman. It does all of this on an incredible battery that lasts for weeks (yes, plural).
As a longtime Fitbit user, I can say without a doubt that wearing a fitness tracker has improved my health by motivating me to move more, whether that involves going for an evening run in order to maintain my run streak, or simply taking a lap around the office when I've been sitting down for too long. With the Amazfit Bip, you can set step goals, then see how much you're walking and how many calories you've burned, down to each hour of the day. When you haven't moved in a while, you'll get a nudge in the form of a watch vibration, and the watch celebrates when you've reached your daily step goal.
The watch can also accompany you on activities like outdoor running or cycling and track stats like your pace, heart rate, and stride, but in my experience the activity guidance features weren't always completely accurate, and I preferred using the Nike Run app. It works perfectly, however, as a casual day-to-day activity tracker.
The sleep tracking function, made more accurate with the watch's heart rate monitor, is also the source of endless fascination and utility. The watch breaks down your deep and light sleep and offers insights that help you get more consistent, restful sleep. Combined with the physical activity reports, the sleep data lets me draw connections to my overall mood and energy level and I can tweak my routine so I feel 100%, or as close to it as possible, every day.
Other than for activity and sleep tracking, I use the watch to receive phone notifications since it's distracting to pick up my phone every time it lights up next to me. I'll occasionally use its timer and stopwatch when I work out or cook dinner, its alarm to wake me up every morning, and its weather report.
Compared to those of the Apple Watch and Fitbit smartwatches, the Amazfit Bip's interface isn't as refined or polished, but one big reason why I sing the Amazfit Bip's praises anyways is that it juggles multiple features on a suspiciously strong battery. After five weeks of daily use, it has 33% battery left. Other smartwatches need to be charged every one to three days, but my Amazfit Bip is still going strong. I do have my screen brightness set fairly low, and only choose to receive text notifications, so the exact battery life can vary depending on the combination of your preferences. However, it should still last about 30 days on a single 2.5-hour charge, which is really impressive.
The watch is available in four colors and offers a variety of watch faces. It has a barely-there feel on your wrist, and the screen is easy to read, even in the bright sunlight. Insider Picks associate editor Brandt Ranj, who also tested the watch and liked its features, found that the silicone band irritated his skin, so if you have more sensitive skin, we would recommend switching out the standard band for a different material.
If you're looking for a reliable smartwatch with a fair amount of customization, and you don't care for the glossy or extraneous features of the bigger brands, you'll be very happy with the Amazfit Bip. It's easy to use, it helps you practice healthier habits, and its long battery life means you have one less device to think about charging all the time. For less than $100, no other smartwatch comes close.
Turning off location services on your iPhone is quick and easy, and can be done in under a minute.
Turning off your iPhone's location services can save a decent amount of power if your battery is low.
Need Google Maps but not the location services component of Instagram? No problem. You can opt to manage and turn off location services for specific apps.
There are many reasons why you might want to turn off location services on your iPhone.
Maybe your battery is low, and you're looking to save some energy. Or perhaps you called in sick from work and you want to make sure none of your apps can track your location.
Whatever the case may be, it's simple and quick to turn off your iPhone's location services.
Looking to turn off or manage location services for just one or two apps? That can be done, too. Here's how.
How to turn off location services on an iPhone
1. Go into your iPhone's settings.
2. Scroll down until you see the section that says "Privacy." Click on it.
3. On the next screen, you'll see a box at the top that says "Location Services." If they're turned on, it will say "On."
4. To turn them off, click on the words "Location Services." You'll be taken to a new screen.
5. To turn off your location services, tap the green slider. You'll be prompted with a pop-up message. Click "Turn Off."
You're good to go! If you need to turn location services back on again in the future, simply follow these instructions and turn the green slider to "On."
How to manage location services for specific apps
1. Go into your phone's settings and click on the "Privacy" section.
2. Tap on the top of the screen where it says "Location Services."
3. Scroll down until you see a list of your apps that use location services. Some will say "Never," while others will say "Always," and "While Using."
4. To change the location services settings on a specific app, click on the name of the app. You'll be taken to a new screen.
5. Select your preferred option, and you're all set!
Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider, Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Many students take the opportunity to travel in the months immediately following graduation.
The big post-grad trip is likely the last chance they'll have to travel for more than a few days at a time, so help them make the most of their vacation with these 20 travel-related graduation gifts.
These items will be useful for all their future travels as well, not just their celebratory graduation trip.
With new jobs, grad school, and other post-grad opportunities on the horizon, members of the Class of 2019 have another pressing concern on their minds: traveling the world, with their best college friends in tow.
For many, the months after graduation are one of the few times of their life when they'll be able to travel for weeks on end uninterrupted, before company vacation policies and conflicting school breaks get in the way.
Planning a trip as big as this is not an easy undertaking. If you're gifting a new grad in your life, your contribution to their trip of a lifetime — whether in the form of an Airbnb gift card, a shiny new suitcase, or a luxurious toiletry bag — won't go unappreciated.
Check out 20 travel-related gifts for your grad, whether they're leaving for a week or three months.
With this minimalist, durable, and eco-friendly backpack tote, they're getting two bags for the price of one, and each style looks and feels equally great. It features multiple compartments to keep their essentials organized, so they'll never feel lost or flustered while out on a day trip. Despite its ability to hold a surprising amount of stuff, it's always comfortable to carry.
These lux stickers are made from 100% leather and add a cool personal touch to their travel bags. Away rotates out their selection of sticker options, so check back often to see what new illustrations they have in stock. The "Fast" alphabet collection, pictured above, is usually available and is a bold choice that suggests your recipient is always excited to explore the next new and exciting destination.
A favorite of frequent travelers who like to stay organized but also stylish, Leatherology's toiletry bag has two large zippered compartments to keep different categories of personal care items separate. The large handle on the side is easy to spot and grab out of their suitcase, while the soft, full-grain leather is a significant upgrade from flimsy plastic bags.
Insider Pickswrites about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
We rounded up the eight best sales and deals happening today to save you time, with savings on Cole Haan shoes, Google Home devices, and L.L.Bean apparel. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out Business Insider Coupons.
If you're shopping for shoes that are equally good looking and comfortable, Cole Haan is where you'll want to head — and a secret sale is going on right now. Until April 17, you can save 50% on a small selection of styles by using the promo code "APRILSTEAL" at checkout. You won't find the sale advertised anywhere on the site, but the promo code will automatically show up if you click through these links. To potentially save more at Cole Haan, visit Business Insider Coupons to find the most up-to-date coupons and promo codes.
While you should take care of your car year-round, it's usually hard to give your car a good wash during the winter. Now that spring is here, you should stock up on cleaning products to make your car look like new, at least on the outside. Right now, you can save up to 46% on Chemical Guys by shopping on Amazon. The sale includes washes, waxes, clay bars, wheel cleaners, microfiber cloths, cleaning brushes, and much more.
Google's smart devices can add loads of convenience, connectivity, and entertainment to your home — and Target is having a great deal on them now. Today only, you can get a free Google Home Mini when you buy a Google Home ($129) or Google Home Hub ($149) at Target. By taking advantage of the deal today, you'll save $49. Save even more shopping at Target by visiting our Coupons site.
L.L.Bean has a huge selection of outdoor gear, apparel, and footwear. While the company usually has sales open to the public, its current sale is more exclusive. Now through April 14, L.L.Bean cardholders can save 25% on orders by using the promo code "CARD25" at checkout. If you're not a cardholder, you can apply here now to learn more and decide if the card is right for you, and you'll be able to save upon approval. For more deals and savings at L.L.Bean, visit Business Insider Coupons here.
While there are plenty of online mattress companies to choose from, Bear Mattress edges out much of the competition with its design. In addition to the standard plush memory foam, Bear Mattresses incorporate Celliant, a material that converts body heat into far infrared, a type of energy that's been proven to help rebuild cells. The technology can help you wake up feeling well-rested and free of aches and pains from workouts or the rigors of daily life. Right now, you can save $100 on any purchase of $500 or more by using the promo code "SPRING100" or get $200 off any purchase of $1,200 or more by using the promo code "SPRING200" at checkout. Plus, you'll receive two free pillows.
Wayfair's massive sitewide sale is winding down to its final hours. Today only, you can save up to 80% on home goods and decor, plus get free shipping on all orders. You'll also find a ton of limited-time flash deals. If you're looking for anything that belongs in or around your home, Wayfair likely has it. Bedding, mattresses, rugs, patio furniture, lighting, dining room furniture, and chairs, are all apart of the sale. For more deals andsavings at Wayfair, visit Business Insider Coupons here.
Jeans are a wardrobe staple that can be bought pretty much anywhere, but if you're looking for timelessness, quality, and affordability, Levi's is where we recommend shopping. Now through April 15, you can save an extra 30% on sale styles by using the promo code "ITSON" at checkout. With apparel for men, women, and kids, the whole family can get in on the savings. To potentially save more at Levi's, visit Business Insider Coupons to find the most up-to-date coupons and promo codes.
Unlike most other mattresses startups, which are all made in the same factory, Brooklyn Bedding produces its mattress its own company-owned factory to ensure premium quality. Now through April 16, you can save 20% on mattresses by using the promo code "SPRING20" and 40% on sheets and pillows by using the promo code "ACCESSORIES40" at checkout. And, in this case, you shouldn't worry about buying a mattress online. Brooklyn Bedding offers a 120-night trial period, free shipping and returns, and extended warranties on every product sold.
Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. We may receive a small commission from our partners, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Both offer bonus reward points when you purchase flights, though they earn points differently, and both come with different benefits.
One easy tie-breaker: If you're purchasing third-party travel insurance, you're probably better off using the Platinum Card for your flights.
Premium credit and charge cards come with high annual fees, but it's easy to make up for them by taking advantage of the benefits the cards offer and the rewards they earn.
At least, that's definitely the case with two of the most popular premium cards: the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the American Express Platinum, both of which offer a ton of perks and benefits for travelers, as well as big rewards on spending.
The Sapphire Reserve earns bonus points on all dining and travel, while the AmEx Platinum earns extra on airfare booked with the airline. With that overlap, which is the better card to use for buying flights?
Rewards
The Sapphire Reserve earns 3x points per dollar spent on all travel and dining purchases. The Platinum Card, though, earns 5x points per dollar spent on airfare purchased directly from the airline, and prepaid hotels booked through the AmEx Travel website.
If you're deciding between the two cards and you tend to book a lot of flights directly, or if you have both cards and can't decide which to use to buy a flight, that means the AmEx Platinum is the best option since it earns an extra two points per dollar, right? Well, not necessarily.
In many cases, frequent flyer "award" tickets aren't connected to the ticket's cash price. Let's say a round-trip award ticket costs 30,000 points. The value of those points depend on the cash price for the ticket you can get with them, and that cash price can rise and fall. Depending on the airline and flights, either MR or UR points could be worth more, and it might be the other way around the next time.
Putting aside transfers, though, the most valuable way to use points is to purchase "paid" travel with them — using MR points in the AmEx Travel website, and UR points through Chase's travel portal. In this scenario, AmEx MR points are worth 1¢ each toward tickets or hotels. Chase UR points are worth the same amount, but Chase gives a 50% bonus to Sapphire Reserve cardholders, so each UR point is worth 1.5¢ for anyone with that card.
If you plan to use the points you earn to purchase travel later on, then, 5x MR points per dollar spent on your flight this time translates to 5¢ per dollar, while 3x UR points, each worth 1.5¢, is worth 4.5¢. Using that fixed value as a basis, the American Express Platinum Card would be the better choice.
Unfortunately, if you book most of your flights through online travel agencies, or a travel portal that your office uses, rather than directly with the airline, the Platinum Card will only earn 1x point per dollar. Along those lines, if you're deciding between which of the two cards to open and you also spend a lot on trains, non-prepaid hotels, taxis, or rental cars, the Sapphire Reserve would be the better choice.
The Platinum Card has better airfare rewards, but the Sapphire Reserve has better protections
While the rewards on airfare are better with the Platinum Card, the Sapphire Reserve comes with mostly better travel protections when you use it to buy airfare. Keeping that in mind, you'll have to decide whether the better rewards from the Platinum Card outweigh the protections offered by the Sapphire Reserve.
Chase's premium card comes with trip and baggage delay insurance. When you're traveling and you're delayed for at least six hours, or overnight, you're covered for up to $500 of incidentals per person traveling with you whose ticket was purchased with the card. That covers things like hotel accommodations, meals, toiletries, and a change of clothing — really, anything that can be considered a "reasonable" expense.
Similarly, if your baggage is delayed, things like clothing and toiletries are covered up to a certain amount until your bag is delivered.
The AmEx Platinum doesn't offer similar coverage for common travel issues, although it does offer benefits that you're (hopefully) much less likely to need, like accidental death/dismemberment travel insurance. It also covers luggage loss or damage, although this doesn't include baggage delays.
More points, or more protections?
If you're deciding which of the two cards to open, and you book a lot of airfare directly with airlines, then you'll need to consider which is more valuable to you: the AmEx Platinum's higher rate of rewards earning, or the Chase Sapphire Reserve's trip delay coverage. Of course, there are plenty of other differences between the two cards that you should weigh.
If you have both already, and aren't sure which to use to pay for tickets, it might be worth thinking about the likelihood that you'll need the trip delay coverage.
For instance, if you're flying trans-Atlantic on a budget carrier like Norwegian Air Shuttle, which operates on thin margins and doesn't have many spare aircraft standing by — meaning that delays tend to be longer — you might want to go with the Sapphire Reserve. The same would be true if you're flying routes with lots of connections.
Alternatively, if you're buying a lot of tickets between New York and Los Angeles, a route which has ton of flights each day, it might be worth going for more points. Similarly, if you're buying a more expensive flight, the extra points from the Platinum Card might be more compelling.
It's also worth considering whether not you'll purchase third-party travel insurance for your trip, to cover a broader set of contingencies. Third-party plans from providers like Allianz often offer delay coverage, so you won't need to worry about what your credit card covers.
A financial planner shared the key steps people should take at milestone millennial ages — 25, 30, 35, and 40 — to build wealth.
Millennials should be all about financial goals: identifying and prioritizing them, carrying out both short-term and long-term goals, and reassessing them as they enter a different life stage.
There's really no one way to define "rich" — everyone measures wealth in different ways.
"I know many people who make less than $50,000 but consider themselves wealthy because of their health, family, and friends," Douglas A. Boneparth, CFP and president of Bone Fide Wealth, which offers financial planning and advice to high-net-worth millennials, told Business Insider.
But when talking pure dollars, it helps to understand what the top 1% of the country earns and has in terms of their net worth. "From an income standpoint, the top 1% of households earn around $430,000," Boneparth said. "From a net worth perspective, it's north of $10 million."
Whether you define rich as $50,000, $100,000, $1 million, or $10 million — or as quality of life in general — it's never too early to start building wealth. We talked to Boneparth about the key steps millennials should take at their generation's milestone ages to build wealth.
25: Get goal-oriented
Now is the time to focus on identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing your goals, according to Boneparth.
"Build a strong foundation for savings by mastering cash flow. This means diving into the data," Boneparth said. "What did you spend your money on over the past six to 12 months? What can you consistently save? Define a comfortable and realistic lifestyle."
Consider the NFL player Brandon Copeland: At age 27, he saves nearly all of his salary. He previously told Business Insider that saving isn't about how much you earn — it's about how much you spend. Saving money starts with tracking your expenses, which will help you figure out where to cut spending, he said.
In fact, your mid-20s is when you'll have the least amount of expenses, Alicia Butera, CFP at Planning Within Reach, previously told Business Insider. It's a time when you start making real money but are still living the college lifestyle, making for good discretionary income, she said: "Saving when you're young is crucial and most important for compounding — the longer duration you have will reap you the largest benefit."
"If you haven’t built your foundation at this point, don't delay," Boneparth said. "You should focus on satisfying your short-term goals such as cash reserves, making the standard payment amounts on your student loans, and/or saving for just about anything that you're looking to accomplish in the next four years or less (i.e. a house)."
Business Insider previously looked at the monthly savings needed to buy a home by age 35. If you start saving at age 30 for a 10% down payment on a $250,000 home, you'll need to save $400 a month — a 20% down payment would double that to $800 a month. If you started earlier, at age 25, you should continue socking away $192 for a 10% down payment or $284 for a 20% down payment on the same house.
You should also be saving cash in a high-yield savings account or money-market fund and taking advantage of any matching retirement contributions, according to Boneparth.
Need a better place to keep your money? Consider these offers from our partners:
35: Focus on the long-term vision
"Start to make greater and greater contributions towards retirement and long-term goals if you've tackled short-term goals or have greater capacity to save," Boneparth said, adding that you should automate all savings. "Out of sight out of mind. It makes increasing savings that much easier."
Automating your finances is "the most important" first step to take in building wealth, according to David Bach, author of "The Automatic Millionaire."
He calls it the "pay-yourself-first plan" — automating your accounts so that a portion of your paycheck moves into your 401(k) plan or savings account before you even see it, he told Business Insider in a Facebook Live interview: "When that money is moved before you can touch it, that's how real wealth is built."
Business Insider's Tanza Loudenback doubled her savings in 2018 by automating her savings in a high-yield savings account withAlly Bank, a different bank from where she keeps her checking account.
40: Revisit your goals
"Return to fundamentals and analyze cash flow again," Boneparth said. "Continue to be disciplined in spending and savings. See if your goals shifted at all and if any changes need to be made."
Your financial goals may shift as you enter the decade considered to be mid-career. This is the time when you're most likely to be earning the top tier of your income, so you should focus on outsourcing things — such as hiring an accountant to do your taxes — so you can focus on your career and extending your income and benefits, Butera previously told Business Insider.
Another thing you should be revisiting? Your net worth, and you should be doing so twice a year, according to CFP Sophia Bera in her book, "What You Should Have Learned About Money, But Never Did." Seeing how you're progressing toward your target net worth will help you stay on track with your goals.
Coachella tickets cost $429 for general admission, but how much Coachella costs depends on what you want from your time — it can cost thousands of dollars for a VIP or luxury experience.
In addition to admission, there are also costs for travel, transportation, food and drink, and "festival fashion" involved.
It's the time of year when Indio, California, takes center stage.
For two weekends every April, celebrities, influencers, millennials, and music's top talent all collide at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club. This year, the event's first weekend takes place from April 12 to 14, while the second weekend wraps things up from April 19 to 21.
But the cost of attending Coachella is far from cheap. Coachella tickets cost $429 for general admission for the weekend, but how much Coachella really costs depends on the experience you want.
"It wasn't expensive at all," a festivalgoer, who spent more than $1,000 on Coachella, told Russ Espinoza for Forbes. "Once you got in there it was like average LA prices for everything."
But luxury experiences can run up to nearly $1,000 for VIP admission, more than $8,000 for an accommodations package, and almost $10,000 for a safari camping experience,according to the festival's website. And that's not to mention any costs for travel and transportation or food and drink.
And then there's "festival fashion," which can include anything from fringe boots, bikini tops, and sequined jackets to colored hair, glitter make-up, and flash tattoos.
The cost of attending depends on the experience you want. One festivalgoer told Forbes she spent $1,414.47 attending Coachella in 2017, while Money's Megan Leonhardt estimated the typical cost to be $2,347 in 2018.
The 2020 Democratic presidential primary currently has 18 candidates and counting — and many of them are using their pets as furry campaign mascots.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren's golden retriever Bailey is a frequent presence on the campaign trail, helping the senator win over voters with his good lucks and enthusiastic personality.
In honor of National Pet Day, here are all the pets of the 2020 Democratic primary:
Rep. Beto O'Rourke's family has two dogs named Artemis and Rosie, and a cat named Silver.
On #NationalPetDay, we're excited to share Artemis, Rosie, and Silver. But we're also excited to share that we have a 100% rating from the Humane Society's legislative scorecard. pic.twitter.com/xDYF9aUwKE
— truman and buddy buttigieg (@firstdogsSB) March 20, 2019
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper's rescue mutt Skye helps him sell campaign merchandise.
Skye Hickenlooper has a very important message for you: Last chance to donate any amount for a free bumper sticker! It's our way of saying thanks for being a founding member of this team. We couldn't do it without you. https://t.co/S8HIt1VcdCpic.twitter.com/CkF3rtBCer
A post shared by Governor Jay Inslee (@govinslee) on Jul 4, 2018 at 7:55am PDT on
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is expected to enter the race later this month, adopted a German shepherd named Major last year as a companion for his family's older German shepherd, Champ.
