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The 12 worst money habits and how to break them

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coffee shop sidewalk

Everyone is guilty of a bad habit or two.

But it's not your addiction to Candy Crush or your refusal to recycle grocery bags that worries us. It's the habits that damage your finances — from overspending to procrastinating about paying bills — that set off our alarms.

In fact, we're so committed to helping you change your less-than-stellar money habits for the better that we're featuring a series of articles this month that specifically examine the science, psychology and strategies behind behavior change.

And what better way to kick off the series than with a month-by-month guide to financial self-improvement for the whole year? That's why we asked six LearnVest Planning Services Certified Financial Planners to pick 12 of the most common bad money habits that they see (one for each month of the year) — and then offer their expert advice for breaking them in 2014.

SEE ALSO: 3 Ways To Turn Your Unwanted Gift Cards Into Cold Hard Cash

1. Buying lunch ... and coffee and snacks every day

If you live or work in a city (or your commute brings you past five different drive-thrus), buying lunch out can be irresistibly easy — and problematic if your habit starts absorbing the money you'd prefer to save for something else ... like a Caribbean vacation to escape the frigid cold this month.

"There's nothing wrong with buying the occasional lunch or snack on the go," says Stephany Kirkpatrick, CFP, Director of Financial Planning at LearnVest Planning Services. "But when you're aiming to conquer major financial goals, this is one of the easiest areas to cut back without seriously sacrificing your quality of life."

While an ideal habit would be to avoid last-minute food purchases altogether, that's not always realistic. "If it's too much of an adjustment to go cold turkey, create a budget in the LearnVest Money Center and decide beforehand how much you'll spend — and then challenge yourself to spend $10 less next month," recommends Kirkpatrick. "Be sure to allow yourself one day a week when you do grab lunch — and savor it, so bringing lunch the other days won't make you feel like you're missing out."

How Much You Can Save: If your lunch-buying habits are anything like that of the typical American, you probably buy a lunch that costs around $10 twice a week, spending about $1,000 a year in the process. If you cut your habit back to one lunch per week, you could save around $500.



2. Neglecting to get the best rate

Sure, paying your bills on time is a good habit — but paying more than you should is a bad one.

Case in point? Astronomical cable bills for the 300-plus channels that you never have time to watch. And you're not alone: The average monthly American cable bill, including phone and Internet services, was $128 in 2011 — that's triple the price from 10 years ago.

"Things fall into three buckets," explains Natalie Taylor, CFP with LearnVest Planning Services. "Things you can control, things you can influence, and things you can't control or influence. Monthly bills fall into the second bucket, so use your influence wisely."

You can start by poking around your provider's website to see what kind of introductory and special rates they currently offer or visit lowermybills.com, which looks at your region and current bill to automatically search for better phone and Internet offers. Once you have an idea of what you could pay instead, call your provider to see if there's any wiggle room on your rate.

How Much You Can Save: "Lowering your bills is a great way to find extra dollars for your goals without having to sacrifice your lifestyle," explains Taylor. If you can negotiate only $10 off your monthly bills, you'll save $120 a year. If you go a step further and cancel your cable to save $100 a month, that comes out to $1,200 a year. Put that cash into a retirement account and you could help grow your savings!



3. Not prioritizing high-interest debt

All debt isn't equal. So while you should always pay the minimum on your various debts — be it student loans, credit cards or a mortgage— a more productive strategy is "racking and stacking." Essentially, you rank your debt in order of highest to lowest interest rates, and prioritize paying off the debt with the highest interest rate first by devoting any extra cash toward that debt. Once it's paid off, you move down the list to pay down the next high-interest debt.

"Focusing on paying one debt off at a time (while making minimum payments on all other debts) can not only save you interest, but it can also give you additional cash-flow flexibility over time," explains Taylor. "As each debt is paid off, you have one less minimum payment to worry about every month. You may still decide to dedicate just as much each month toward debt reduction overall, but you've got more flexibility, which always feels good!"

How Much You Can Save: If you're sitting on a $10,000 credit card balance with 12% interest, you're paying $100 in interest a month (and that's a pretty low interest rate). Since most lenders require that you pay at least your interest every month, you'll need to pay more than $100 a month in order for your balance to start decreasing.

"With payments of $150 per month, it would take more than nine years to pay off the debt, costing about $6,500 in interest," says Taylor. "With payments of $400 per month, it would take only two and a half years to pay off the card, and cost $1,600 in interest."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These 12 rare animals could soon disappear forever

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Amur LeopardEvery day, species around the planet are going extinct. And for each species that goes extinct, many more become and remain endangered due to habitat loss, poaching, human activities, and climate change. Some are so critical that they are teetering on the brink of extinction.

All these threatened animals are included on the International Union for Conservation (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, a non-prescriptive list that is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of species.

“The IUCN red list tells us how close to extinction species are,” Craig Hilton Taylor, head Red List Unit of the Global Species Programme at the IUCN, told Business Insider. “It is a fairly coarse measure [but] we have a set of quantitative criteria that we try to rank species under, and if a species moves into one of the threatened categories — vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered — then we know that a species either has a high, very high, or an extremely high risk of going extinct in the wild unless we do something about it.”

For example, he said, polar bears are considered vulnerable to extinction, while tigers are endangered (a more critical category), and just this July, the IUCN declared that the Bornean orangutan critically endangered.

Here are 12 species at risk of extinction, including some that you probably didn’t even know existed.

The Bornean orangutan

Found only on the island of Borneo, Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) have a broader face and shorter beard than their cousins, Sumatran orangutans. This July, the IUCN changed their status to critically endangered because their population has declined by 60% since 1950, and, according to Scientific American, new projections estimate that their numbers will fall by another 22% by the year 2025.

The main threats for these animals are habitat loss (forests are turned into rubber, oil palm or paper plantations) and illegal hunting. Aggravating the problem, females only reproduce every six to eight years— the longest birth interval of any land mammal — which makes conservation efforts slow.



Pika

Ili pika (Ochontana iliensis) is a small mammal (only 7-8 inches long) that's native to the Tianshan mountain range of the remote Xinjiang region of China. Living on sloping bare rock faces and feeding on grasses at high elevations, this little creature is very rare — there are less than 1,000 left.

The species was only discovered in 1983, but its numbers have declined by almost 70% since then, reports CNN. This is because its habitat is being drastically affected by climate change. Rising temperatures have forced the pikas to retreat up into the mountain tops. In addition, grazing pressure from livestock and air pollution have likely contributed to their decline.



Giant Otter

Found only in South America, Giant otters, or Pteronura brasiliensis, are the largest otters in the world, with some as long as 6 feet. They are also the rarest otters in the world, with only a few thousand believed to be surviving in the wild. Sometimes known as the “river wolf,” their fur is chocolatey brown and extremely soft. They also have a creamy white patch on their throat that is unique to each otter, Meg Symington, managing director of the Amazon for WWF, told Business Insider.

“They are extremely smart animals, and sort of like wolves or lions, they can be cooperative hunters. They live in groups and they hunt fish together as a group, herding the fish,” she said. “They’re active during the day, so they’re actually a large mammal that you can see easily in the Amazon, which is unusual since a lot of large animals are hard to see in the jungle.”

Historically, giant otters were hunted for their pelts, causing a huge decline in their numbers. While they are no longer hunted today, they remain endangered because many of their aquatic habitats (rivers and lakes) have been degraded and destroyed, causing the fish populations they rely on for food to dwindle. They are many times viewed as nuisances by humans, especially by fishermen. They are also threatened by gold-mining in the region, which leads to mercury poisoning. “Because they are an apex predator, they accumulate mercury because they eat so much fish,” Symington explained.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

5 signs you're doing office politics all wrong — and how to master the game

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House of Cards

Succeeding in today's workplace requires that you be a "team player."

In other words, game on.

The ability to negotiate, influence, engage, convince and persuade effectively to get things done is the essence of political skill — not backstabbing or manipulation, research reveals.

High levels of political skill neutralizes workplace stressors and enhances performance, reputation, success and career progression, according to Gerald Ferris, professor of management and psychology at Florida State University.

But how do you know if you’ve got game? Interviews with 30 senior executives reveal five signs that you don't.

SEE ALSO: A business-etiquette expert shares 7 ways you can use body language to show confidence and win respect

1. You're not politically aware

To engage effectively in office politics, you have to understand interpersonal dynamics and power plays at work. This includes being aware of others interactions and how your behavior is viewed.

A lack of political awareness is sometimes perceived as poor judgment. This alone can limit career advancement. For managers, the inability to see the cliques or factions within the workplace restricts their effectiveness. A key part of a leader’s role is bringing others along with them in a process and managing internal stakeholders.



2. You're only focused on getting the job done

Do you care about what is achieved rather than how it is achieved? Being overly focused on results and outcomes at the expense of others is a sign of poor political skill.

The need for achievement can isolate people because they tend to focus on their individual contribution to tasks instead of engaging with others to collectively achieve outcomes.

Managers describe these individuals as "task focused" or "technical experts"— but unlikely to succeed in leadership roles in spite of their performance.



3. You try to make yourself look good

People can see spotlight-stealing plain as day — and it leads to low levels of trust. Workplace politics must appear authentic rather than coercive, according to Ferris, or people feel that you’re trying to "play them." Being authentic means shifting from trying to make yourself look good to trying to make others look good.

 Having political skill means your interactions are believable because you actually are what you claim to be.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

14 signs you're a terrible employee — even if it doesn't feel like it

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Ryan BJ Novack the Office

Some employees are better than others, but what if you're the problem worker in your office?

Being a terrible employee doesn't mean that you're bad, lazy, or even unable to succeed professionally. You could be a bad culture fit for the company. Your disposition may not jibe with your boss' style. Maybe you're just in the wrong industry.

If you feel that you're not doing a good job, then it's important to consider why and then take steps to rectify the situation.

Before you can do that, though, you've got to be able to determine whether or not you are a bad worker.

Here are 14 tell-tale signs that you're doing a horrible job at work:

SEE ALSO: 10 tell-tale signs you have a terrible boss

DON'T MISS: 21 subtle signs that your coworkers hate you

You're not punctual

Whether you're forgetting about important deadlines, barging into meetings late, or crawling into work at random hours, habitual tardiness tells everyone that you simply don't respect their valuable time.



You constantly make excuses

There's a Latin saying that pretty much sums this one up: "Excusatio non petita accusatio manifesta." It roughly translates to "he who excuses himself, accuses himself." Don't rely on excuses to justify your incompetence.



You do the bare minimum

You're just scraping by. You do enough to avoid getting fired and that's it. If your boss asks you to handle something remotely challenging, you react with exasperation. You're not fooling anyone with this act — you risk ruining your reputation with your abysmal work ethic.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 relationship facts everybody should know before getting married

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romeo juliet

You can drive yourself crazy deciding whether to marry your partner.

Can you two really survive a lifetime together?

I mean, you adore them — but they constantly leave hair in the shower. They tell the worst jokes — but they're always there to comfort you after a hard day.

Perhaps it would help to turn to the scientific research, which has pinpointed specific factors that can make or break a romantic relationship.

Below, we've rounded up 15 nontrivial things you might want to keep in mind before hiring a wedding planner.

This is an update of an article originally posted by Drake Baer.

SEE ALSO: 10 myths about dating too many people believe

If you wait until you're 23 to commit, you're less likely to get divorced.

A 2014 University of North Carolina at Greensboro study found that American women who cohabitate or get married at age 18 have a 60% divorce rate, but women who wait until 23 to make either of those commitments have a divorce rate around 30%.

"The longer couples waited to make that first serious commitment [cohabitation or marriage], the better their chances for marital success,"The Atlantic reported.



The 'in love' phase lasts about a year.

The honeymoon phase doesn't go on forever.

According to a 2005 study by the University of Pavia in Italy, it lasts about a year. After that, levels of a chemical called "nerve growth factor," which is associated with intense romantic feelings, start to fall.

Helen Fisher, a psychologist and relationship expert, told Business Insider that it's unclear when exactly the "in love" feeling starts to fade, but it does so "for good evolutionary reasons," she said, because "it's very metabolically expensive to spend an awful lot of time just focusing on just one person in that high-anxiety state."



Two people can be compatible — or incompatible — on multiple levels.

Back in the 1950s and '60s, Canadian psychologist Eric Berne introduced a three-tiered model for understanding a person's identity. He found that each of us have three "ego states" operating at once:

• The parent: What you've been taught

• The child: What you have felt

• The adult: What you have learned

When you're in a relationship, you relate on each of those levels:

• The parent: Do you have similar values and beliefs about the world?

• The child: Do you have fun together? Can you be spontaneous? Do you think your partner's hot? Do you like to travel together?

• The adult: Does each person think the other is bright? Are you good at solving problems together?

While having symmetry across all three is ideal, people often get together to "balance each other." For instance, one may be nurturing and the other playful.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This is why one of Porsche's most important cars is one of its most controversial

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Porsche Panamera GTS 2016

The Porsche Panamera is one of the most polarizing cars on the road today.

While many people don't like the sedan's fastback rear end, others swear by the car's prowess on the road.

When the Panamera entered production in 2009, it became the first sedan in Porsche's illustrious history to reach showrooms. 

In June, Porsche unveiled the second generation Panamera in Berlin to universal acclaim.

The automotive world immediately became enthralled by the car. Mostly because Porsche had fixed the only thing that kept people from falling in love with the first generation Panamera — the tail. 

Although I've driven several Porsche models, I never had a chance to spend any time behind the wheel of a Panamera. With the second generation Panamera still months away from reaching our shores, Porsche was gracious enough to lend me one of their final first-generation cars for a few days. 

SEE ALSO: Here's what happened when I finally got to drive the car of my childhood dreams

Here it is! A 2016 Porsche Panamera GTS!

A few weeks ago, I made the trip down to Atlanta — home of Porsche Cars North America's new $100 million corporate headquarters. (As a side note, the facility also served as The Avengers' home base in "Captain America: Civil War".)

There, I met up with a shiny new 2016 Porsche Panamera GTS clad in stylish silver metallic paint.

 



That escalated quickly.

Even though the base Panamera starts at a fairly reasonable $78,000, our medium grade GTS test car carries a base price of $113,400. With options such as special metallic paint ($3,100), upgraded Bose surround sound system ($1,590), black high gloss sport wheels ($3,375), and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control ($5,000), our test car came in at $140,525. Then again, no one ever said Porsche magic comes cheap. 



But first, a bit of history.

Although the Panamera was the first Porsche sedan to make it into production when it arrived in showrooms for the 2010 model year, the company had actually been mulling over the idea for some time. More than two decades ago, Porsche built the 989 prototype to be a sports car for the whole family. The 989 was powered by a 4.2-liter, 350-horsepower V8 engine, and Porsche claimed it could hit a top speed of 173 mph.  



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Humans have been changing Hawaii since we got there — here's how

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Kapa'a Beach

When we think of Hawaii, we think of beautiful coastlines, exotic species, and bright colors. But what we probably don't think about is how huge an impact we humans have had on those islands. 

And yet, despite being one of the most geographically isolated, inhabited places on earth, Hawaii's eight islands have been dramatically and permanently altered.

In fact, over 25% of Hawaii's native species are on the endangered species list. And since the arrival of humans in Hawaii, 28 bird species and at least 10% of the native plant species have gone extinct.

Island species are already at greater risk of extinction than mainland species because, with smaller land areas, the plant and animal populations are inevitably smaller to begin with, so they are considerably more vulnerable. As a result, when humans bring invasive species to the islands or simply encroach on the habitat, the effects are greatly amplified. 

Here are just some of the ways humans have changed the state's landscape. 

 

MORE: This seemingly healthy meal choice could be throwing off your diet

UP NEXT: This is what would happen if a comet smacked into Earth

Originally, the native Hawaiian animals and plants didn't have many natural predators.

Before humans arrived in Hawaii, the plants and animals that were there were adapted to a life without many of the predators that live on mainlands. They had evolved with fewer natural defenses, like poisons and thorns, since they were essentially unnecessary.



But humans introduced plenty of new, alien predators.

When people settled in Hawaii, they brought animals and pests with them and huge numbers of native flora and fauna were wiped out because of new onslaught of new predators. For example, newly arrived yellow jackets lowered native insect populations, resulting in less food for local birds. Even the chickens that humans brought over for food carried new bird diseases and they ate vast amounts of native plants.



Another example were the new feral pigs.

Feral pigs were first introduced to the Hawaiian islands by the Polynesians way back in the 1500s. These animals are quite active, knocking over trees and partially hollowing out the stumps. These hollow stumps create areas in the tree where water can pool — the perfect mosquito breeding habitat. Today, only about 10% of Hawaii's forests are protected from feral pigs.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

20 unprofessional work habits that make your boss and coworkers hate you

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mistake boss employee nervous upset laptop explain

Do your coworkers or boss show signs that they secretly hate you?

If you answered "yes," then sure, it could be that they're generally disagreeable people. Or it could be you.

You may not realize it, but you could be engaging in workplace habits that make you look unprofessional.

While many of these habits violate the basic rules of common decency and respect, sometimes you need a reminder of how to behave at work. And since your office-mates aren't speaking up, we decided to chime in on their behalf.

Here's what you could be doing all wrong that makes you look unprofessional:

SEE ALSO: 16 bad habits that are sabotaging your productivity

DON'T MISS: 18 unprofessional habits that could ruin your job interview

Bragging

"When we're proud of an accomplishment or about something good that happens to us, it's natural to want to share the news with others," says Rosalinda Oropeza Randall, anetiquette and civility expert and author of "Don't Burp in the Boardroom."

But sharing can easily become bragging, and she says there are a few key indicators that this is happening:

• If you go on and on, telling everyone and anyone who walks by.

• If you speak of it in a loud tone so that even the window washer can hear it through the thick glass.

• If you use a tone of superiority.

• If you feel the need to put down others and point out their failures.

• If you fail to say "thank you" when you are congratulated.

• If you start embellishing the story.

"When in doubt, try a little humility" Randall suggests.



Showing up late to work

"Punctuality is critical," Randall says.

"The professional thing to do is to arrive on time, ready to do what is expected. It's not like they just sprung this job on you," she says.



Rolling in 10 minutes late to every meeting

Similarly, showing up late to meetings shows that you neither respect your coworkers — who showed up on time, by the way — nor the meeting organizer, says Vicky Oliver, author of "301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions" and "Power Sales Words."

"Keeping people waiting can be construed as inconsiderate, rude, or arrogant," Randall says.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

19 things the millionaire next door won't tell you

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wealthy man pinning suit

Although having a million bucks isn’t as impressive as it once was, it’s still nothing to sneeze at.

n fact, CNBC reports that in 2013 there were 13.2 million millionaires in the United States alone.

Heck, one of them might even be your neighbor. In fact, the odds are very good that it is your neighbor.

But, Len, you don’t know my neighbor. That guy doesn’t look anything like a millionaire.

Well, guess what? A millionaire who is truly financially savvy won't be easily recognizable.

SEE ALSO: 11 mistakes standing between you and your first million

1. He always spends less than he earns

In fact his mantra is, over the long run, you’re better off if you strive to be anonymously rich rather than deceptively poor.



2. He knows that patience is a virtue

The odds are you won’t become a millionaire overnight.  If you’re like him, your wealth will be accumulated gradually by diligently saving your money over multiple decades.



3.  When you go to his modest three-bed two-bath house ...

... you’re going to be drinking Folgers instead of Starbucks

And if you need a lift, well, you’re going to get a ride in his ten-year-old economy sedan.  And if you think that makes him cheap, ask him if he cares.  (He doesn’t.)



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

9 foods that make you hungrier

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lay's potato chips contest

Always hungry? You may be eating the wrong foods

You weren’t all that hungry before your handful of chips or midday banana. But instead of tiding you over to your next meal, you are ravenous. What gives?

No nutrition scientist would ever make this analogy, but think of it like sex. If you’re attracted to someone, a kiss is only going to fan the flames of your desire. In the same way, a few bites of food can “activate” the parts of your brain and gut that drive your hunger for more, says Dr. Belinda Lennerz, an endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

“The sight, smell, or taste of some food will trigger the cephalic food response,” she explains, referring to the various gut processes that switch on when your body believes a meal is headed its way. At the same time, swallowing a few bites of food initiates a desire to consume more in order to repeat or sustain the reward sensations your brain experienced when you ate those chips or that banana.

The fact is, eating a small portion of anything—especially if you’re close to a mealtime—is probably going to goose your appetite, not mellow it out. But Lennerz and other experts say some foods are more likely than others to crank up those “give me more” cravings.

SEE ALSO: This GIF shows the camera really does add 10 pounds — here’s why

Potato Chips, Crackers, And Bread

Potato chips are a prototypical “processed carb.” So are refined white or wheat breads, crackers, and other grain-based snack foods. When you swallow refined carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels shoot up. “The body’s reaction to this is to release a large amount of insulin to normalize blood sugar,” Lennerz says.

Insulin drives that blood sugar—the energy your body derives from food—into “storage,” says Dr. David Ludwig, a professor of nutrition at Harvard. Since that energy has now been locked away, your hunger for food screams back with a vengeance. (See: Science Explains Why You Can’t Stop Eating Potato Chips.)

“The prime culprit at restaurants is the basket of bread,” Ludwig says. By triggering your body’s “give me more” responses and spiking your blood sugar levels, that crusty baguette is a foolproof way to send your appetite soaring. Even fast-digesting tropical fruits like bananas can have this sort of effect, he says.



Cookies, Cake, and Sweets

Sugar—whether its organic honey or white table sugar—activates your brain’s reward and appetite pathways differently than do other sources of energy, finds research from Yale University School of Medicine.

Specifically, your brain’s thalamus, hypothalamus, and insula—all areas that drive you to eat—tend to chill out after you’ve consumed food. But when you swallow sweet treats like cookies or cake, those areas stay active, the Yale research suggests. In a nutshell, your brain tells your body you’re not full, and you have the urge to eat more to feel satisfied, says Dr. Robert Lustig, a sugar researcher and a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco.



Low-Fat, Single-Serve Yogurt

Multiple studies have found the amount of time and the number of chews it takes you to eat something affects how full you feel afterward. One recent review from a U.S. and European team found lots of chewing knocks down an eater’s levels of ghrelin—the so-called “hunger hormone.” (See: The Case Against Low-Fat Dairy Is Stronger Than Ever.)

Cup-sized portions of yogurt are dangerously slam-able. The low-fat varieties also tend to be packed with sugar and other processed carbs, which promote hunger for all the reasons mentioned above. A good rule of thumb: the more quickly you can swallow something, the more likely you are to eat more of it.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 myths about how to stay in shape

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beyonce fitness line

Get fit. Stay fit. Easy goals to set, but they're hard to achieve.

At least part of the reason for that is that the science on fitness and dieting has changed over time. People who read about fitness in the '70s heard different information than those who read about fitness in the '90s. And the scientific consensus in the '90s was based on less complete information than researchers have today.

But those old ideas stick around, and sometimes bad new ideas — only supported by one or two studies — get repeated in the media as fact.

Here's the truth about some widely-believed myths about how to be healthy.

Myth: Fat makes you fat.

If you brought a space alien to the average American supermarket and let them wander around, they'd probably tell you "fat" was a kind of human poison, on par with arsenic and mercury. And it makes a kind of intuitive sense to say that fat makes you fat. But that's not how our bodies work.

As with any nutrient, it's possible to overeat fat. But fats, especially the healthy sort that come from olive oil, avocados, and nuts, are an essential part of our diet. And when you don't eat them, you're not just depriving yourself of something your body needs, you're making it harder for you to feel full — and increasing the chance you might overeat.



Myth: Fat-free food is healthy food.

In the effort to strike fat from the American diet, a massive industry of fat-free foods rose up — especially in the dairy section. The implication of slapping "fat-free" on a product is that it's healthy. But the thing is, you can call plenty of unhealthy foods fat-free. Think about soda, candy, and beer.

And unfortunately, many fat-free products are in fact packed with a much more dangerous substance: sugar. "Healthy" yogurts are especially bad in this department. In fact, people who eat low-fat dairy foods are more likely to be overweight.



Myth: No pain, no gain.

"No pain, no gain" is a popular idea in the workout world, forming the foundation of several popular programs. But in reality, working out long after your body starts telling you it's getting damaged poses a serious injury risk. Which is not to say you shouldn't push yourself.

Some soreness after exercise is a sign of natural strengthening processes in your muscles (that don't, incidentally, have anything to do with lactic acid.) And while the potential benefits of high-intensity exercise are huge, pain-free moderate exercise is powerful as well.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are the most expensive smartphones you can buy right now

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new signature touch vertu

The top-end, premium offerings from the likes of Samsung and Apple are great and all, but millions of other people have those.

If you have more money than there are people in your country, you're probably looking for a phone that only you and maybe a few of your rich pals own to differentiate yourself from the great unwashed masses. 

Unfortunately for the insano-rich Apple fanboys out there, these phones all run the Android operating system, as Apple doesn't let other phone makers use the iOS operating system. 

Funnily enough, most of these smartphones have the same specs as the normal phones we, the hoi polloi, use. At the same time, some of them come with special exclusive features. Others just look pretty.

Maybe enough leather and diamonds will help you look past the normal specs on some of these models. Check out the most luxurious and expensive smartphones you can buy:

6. Mobiado Grand Touch em Marble: $3,100

A marble phone sounds like it could be extremely heavy. Other finish options of the Mobiado include Burl, Cocobolo, Ebony, and Granite. Admittedly, they all look absolutely gorgeous. 



5. Lamborghini Tonino Lamborghini 88 Tauri: $5,250

The Tonino Tauri 88 by Lamborghini is dressed in leather and steel, but it surprisingly doesn't have the most up-to-date specs.



4. Gresso Regal Gold: $6,000



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

21 things you should never say when you meet someone new

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coworkersWhether you're introducing yourself to someone at work or meeting a possible client over coffee, what you say when you first meet someone new is so important because those opening words leave a lasting impression.

"Words, poorly and unconsciously chosen, can indeed hurt not only first impressions, but also your credibility, relationships, and opportunities for career advancement," says Darlene Price, president of Well Said Inc., and author of "Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results."

Price says that when you're nervous, you may speak without thinking, much faster than usual, and say more than is necessary.

While we've all likely experienced foot-in-mouth syndrome at one time or another, keeping these talking points in mind the next time you meet someone new can help you avoid saying the wrong thing:

SEE ALSO: 20 things you should never say to your coworkers

DON'T MISS: 32 things you should never say to your boss

'I hate this company' or 'My boss is a jerk'

Nothing tanks a first impression faster than negativity, Price says. Even when what you say is true, it's best left unsaid in a social or business setting, especially when you're putting your best foot forward in a first-time meeting.

If you have a genuine complaint about someone or something, communicate the issue with the person who can do something about it, such as human resources — not your new contact.



'How much do you make?'

The amount of money a person earns is a very personal matter.

"It's considered rude to ask, and unconscionable on a first encounter," she says. "If you're really that curious, or it's important that you know, instead of committing this faux pas, do some research on sites like GlassdoorPayScale, Salary.com."



'I'm sorry to be a bother'

Why are you saying you're a bother? As Barbara Pachter, an etiquette expert and author of "The Essentials of Business Etiquette,"previously told Business Insider, if you are truly sorry about something you haven't done yet, then why would you go ahead and do it anyway? When introducing yourself, "Excuse me. Do you have a moment?" works much better, she says.



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What it's like to work for the Valley's most secretive startup, Palantir

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One of the most prominent startups in Silicon Valley, Palantir, has been in the news a lot the past few months.

Palantir was cofounded by one of the Valley's most powerful, and most colorful, VCs, Peter Thiel. With Thiel's backing, Palantir has raised nearly $2 billion in investment.

As of late last year, investors valued the company at $20 billion, making it the third-most-valuable Bay Area tech startup behind Uber and Airbnb.

But Thiel himself may have valued the company at far less, $12.7 billion, BuzzFeed recently reported. And despite a reported $1.7 billion in revenue in 2015, Palantir may not be profitable, Bloomberg reports.

And it seems that Palantir is now experiencing a higher rate of employee turnover than it has in years gone past, though its cofounder and adviser Joe Lonsdale argues that turnover is still less than 10%, on par with typical tech companies.

So here's a closer look at what its like to work at Palantir these days, based on employee reviews from Glassdoor, posts on Quora, and other sources.

Palantir is less of a startup and more of an established company. It was launched in 2004 and had about 1,500 employees by 2015.

Source: The New York Times



It is known as one of the most secretive companies in the Valley, partly because of the work it does. It helps organizations sift through vast amounts of data. It is used by government and spy agencies to find terrorists, by law enforcement to find criminals, and by corporations for things like fraud detection and computer security.



The CIA was an early investor and customer. The NSA and FBI are also customers. People who work in security, law enforcement, and with classified info do tend to value the ability to keep a secret, so security tech firms like Palantir tend to attract a certain secretive type of person.



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The 12 craziest things that send people to the hospital

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If you play football, September is the most likely time you'll end up in the emergency room with an injury from the sport.

In February, the odds of you landing in the ER with a sprained ankle from a game of pick-up isn't as likely. 

Looking at data from the 2014 US Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System— and the mesmerizing visual compiled by FlowingData — we decided to map out the wackiest things that sent an abnormal number of people to the emergency room every month. We also compared those spikes to the number of ER visits that related to each activity over the rest of the year.

SEE ALSO: There's a huge spike in emergency room visits related to fireworks every July

DON'T MISS: The biggest scientific discoveries in all 50 states

January: Snowboarding landed more people in the hospital in January, with virtually no accidents during the summer months in the US.



February: More hospital visits related to snow removal occurred in February, higher than any other winter month.



March: Exercise equipment was linked to hospital visits throughout the year, but the biggest spike was in March, followed by September.



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11 psychological tricks restaurants use to make you spend more money

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When you head to a restaurant, you might have your heart — or stomach — set on a particular dish.

Or, you might be a little more open to suggestion.

That's the opportunity menu engineers and consultants are looking for. Behind the scenes, before you're even thinking of dinner, they put careful thought into the way you choose what foods you eat.

Here are 11 of the sneakiest psychological tricks restaurants use to make you spend more money:

SEE ALSO: 9 tips to save money on food, from the woman who wrote the book on eating for $4 a day

1. They don't use dollar signs

A dollar sign is one of the top things restaurants should avoid including on a menu, because it immediately reminds the customers that they're spending money.

According to research from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, guests given a menu without dollar signs spent significantly more than those who received a menu with them. Guests spent less even when the prices were written out with words instead of numbers, such as "ten dollars," which still triggered the negative feelings associated with paying.



2. They are tricky with their numbers

Menu designers recognize that prices that end in 9, such as $9.99, tend to signify value but not quality. In addition, prices that end in .95 instead of .99 are more effective because they feel "friendlier" to customers. Most restaurants just leave the price without any cents at all because it makes their menu cleaner, simpler, and to the point.



3. They use extremely descriptive language

Research from Cornell University revealed that items described in a more beautiful way are more appealing to and popular with customers. According to further research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, descriptive menu labels raised sales by 27%, compared with food items without descriptors.

On an NBC "Today" show interview, menu engineer Gregg Rapp poses an example of Maryland-style crab cakes. They are described as "made by hand, with sweet jumbo crab meat, a touch of mayonnaise, our secret blend of seasonings, and golden cracker crumbs for a rich, tender crab cake." This brings the ultimate sensory experience to the reader, and the descriptive labeling will make customers more likely to be satisfied at the end of the meal.

Interestingly, brand names in menu descriptions also help sales, which is why chain restaurants such as T.G.I. Friday's use Jack Daniel's sauce or Minute Maid orange juice on their menus. The more adjectives, the better.



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18 sneaky tactics to figure out what other people are thinking before they say a word

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Most everyone has been in a situation where the person you're dating, or interviewing, or arguing with makes a comment and something just feels ... off.

Perhaps it's less about what they said explicitly and more about how they looked while they said it. As in, their gaze was freakishly fixed on your face or their left leg kept jiggling.

Scientists have spent decades trying to figure out what these nonverbal displays really mean.

And while sometimes they mean absolutely nothing, in other cases they can reveal a lot about what the person is thinking or feeling. Maybe they're super nervous, or maybe they're trying to trick you.

Below, we've rounded up 18 of the most useful scientific insights into the significance of body language, pulled from Psychology Today, research journals, and a few awesome books.

Keep in mind that context is really important — for example, you can interpret crossed arms to mean that someone's closed off, or that they're cold. Use your own judgment.

This is an update of an article originally posted by Drake Baer and Max Nisen.

SEE ALSO: 8 body language tricks to instantly appear more confident

The shoulder shrug is a universal signal of not knowing what's going on

According to Barbara Pease and Allan Pease, authors of "The Definitive Book of Body Language," everybody does the shoulder shrug. 

The shrug is a "good example of a universal gesture that is used to show that a person doesn't know or doesn't understand what you are saying," they write.

"It's a multiple gesture that has three main parts," they continue. "Exposed palms to show nothing is being concealed in the hands, hunched shoulders to protect the throat from attack, and raised brow, which is a universal, submissive greeting." 



Open palms are an ancient display of honesty

Ever notice how when someone swears to tell the truth in a court of law, they put one hand on a religious text and raise their other hand into the air, palm facing whoever they're speaking to? 

That's because, the Peases write in "The Definitive Book of Body Language," an open palm has been associated with "truth, honesty, allegiance, and submission" throughout Western history. 

"Just as a dog will expose its throat to show submission or surrender to the victor," they write, "humans use their palms to show that they are unarmed and therefore not a threat." 



If their voice goes up or down, they're likely interested

Whether you know it or not, your vocal range shows your interest.

"Once a conversation begins, besotted women slip into sing-songy voices,"Psychology Today reports, "while men drop theirs an octave." 



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21 things that make you sound rude in a job interview

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Most people don't try to come across as rude — for whatever reason, they just don't realize how their actions look to others. That can lead to a rather rude awakening for them down the line, once they're confronted with the consequences of their conduct.

One of the worst places that you can come off as disrespectful is during a job interview. You want to charm and impress your interviewer, not turn them off with bad behavior.

Here are some particularly inconsiderate, alienating things to avoid saying in an interview:

SEE ALSO: 11 things that will make you sound dumb in a job interview

DON'T MISS: 14 things that make your job interviewer think you're a liar

'I've been waiting a while'

You are totally justified in being annoyed that your interviewer kept you waiting. That being said, you get no brownie points for grumbling.



'Hi! I know I'm late ... '

Yes, it's a bit of a double standard that the interviewee typically can't be late while the interviewer can get away with it. But the interviewer is typically the one with the power, so just get over it. Make sure you give yourself enough time to get to the job interview — even if that means showing up super early and waiting around at a nearby Starbucks.

And if you are late, don't draw attention to it or make excuses. Quickly apologize and move on.



'What happens if I don't get along with my boss or coworkers?'

This doesn't necessarily make you sound rude, per se. It's a weird question, though. Your interviewer may just assume you're impolite and unable to work with others.



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15 documentaries on Netflix right now that will make you smarter

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One of the great things about Netflix is that it has brought thoughtful, compelling documentaries to a much wider audience that filmmakers could only dream of a decade ago.

And with binge-worthy titles like “Making a Murderer” and the vast ESPN “30 for 30” library being just a click away, you can get a lot of great nonfiction viewing any night of the week. You'll learn a lot more about the world, but don't worry — you'll also be entertained.

Here are 15 documentaries we think you should stream right away on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: All the "Avengers" and Marvel fans who nailed their cosplay at Comic-Con

1. “30 for 30” ESPN movies

Pretty much any “30 for 30” title is worth your time. The documentaries that highlight moments in sports that you may or may not be aware of are both entertaining and filled with emotion. A few we highly recommend: “No Crossover: The Tale of Allen Iverson”; “June 17th, 1994,” which looks at everything that happened in the world of sports at the time of O.J. Simpson's Bronco chase; “I Hate Christian Laettner”; and likely available in 2017 will be ESPN’s new masterwork, “O.J.: Made in America." 



2. “The Act of Killing”

Joshua Oppenheimer’s Oscar-nominated doc looks at the Indonesian genocide by having death-squad leaders reenact their mass killings. The results are both comical and heart-wrenching. 



3. “Blackfish”

Why is Sea World going to end killer-whale shows? It’s because of this incredible movie that looks at the abuse these magnificent creatures have endured for decades.



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RANKED: The 20 best TV shows of the year so far, according to critics

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Summer isn't the TV wasteland it used to be.

This used to be a time when fans could catch up on shows they missed via reruns, but we have streaming services for that now.

It also used to be the season when networks aired shows that wouldn't have a chance during the proper fall/spring schedules, but now it's the time for critically acclaimed shows like Lifetime's "UnReal" and HBO's "The Night Of."

But are the summer shows hotter than what we've seen so far in 2016?

Metacritic keeps track of a curated group of critics, assigns each review a number according to how positive or negative it was, and then creates a weighted average score for each show.

We looked at how this year's offerings stack up on the scores, and you'll likely be surprised by what missed the cut. (Sorry, "Game of Thrones" and "Mr. Robot.")

Here are the 20 most critically acclaimed TV shows of 2016 so far, according to Metacritic:

SEE ALSO: The 10 TV shows that everyone is buzzing about at Comic-Con

DON'T MISS: The 10 favorite TV shows of Democrats and Republicans

20. 'Roots' (History)

Score: 83



19. 'Penny Dreadful' (Showtime)

Score: 83



18. 'The Dresser' (Starz)

Score: 84



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