There's an enormous amount of research suggesting that emotional intelligence (EQ) is critical to your performance at work. TalentSmart has tested the EQ of more than a million people and found that it explains 58 percent of success in all types of jobs.

People with high EQs make $29,000 more annually than people with low EQs. Ninety percent of top performers have high EQs, and a single-point increase in your EQ adds $1,300 to your salary. I could go on and on.

Suffice it to say, emotional intelligence is a way to focus your energy with tremendous results.

But there's a catch. Emotional intelligence won't do a thing for you if you aren't genuine.

A recent study from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington found that people don't accept demonstrations of emotional intelligence at face value. They're too skeptical for that. They don't just want to see signs of emotional intelligence. They also want to know that it's genuine — that your emotions are authentic.

According to lead researcher Christina Fong, when it comes to your co-workers,

"They are not just mindless automatons. They think about the emotions they see and care whether they are sincere or manipulative."

The same study found that sincere leaders are far more effective at motivating people, because they inspire trust and admiration through their actions, not just their words. Many leaders say that authenticity is important to them, but genuine leaders walk their talk every day.

It's not enough to just go through the motions, trying to demonstrate qualities that are associated with emotional intelligence. You have to be genuine.

You can do a gut check to find out how genuine you are by comparing your own behavior with that of people who are highly genuine. Consider the hallmarks of genuine people and see how you stack up.

SEE ALSO: 11 habits of highly successful people

1. Genuine people don't try to make people like them

Genuine people are who they are. They know that some people will like them, and some won't. And they're OK with that. It's not that they don't care whether other people will like them but simply that they're not going to let that get in the way of doing the right thing. They're willing to make unpopular decisions and to take unpopular positions if that's what needs to be done.

Since genuine people aren't desperate for attention, they don't try to show off. They know that when they speak in a friendly, confident, and concise manner, people are much more attentive to and interested in what they have to say than if they try to show that they're important. People catch on to your attitude quickly and are more attracted to the right attitude than what or how many people you know.

2. They don't pass judgment

Genuine people are open-minded, which makes them approachable and interesting to others. No one wants to have a conversation with someone who has already formed an opinion and is not willing to listen.

Having an open mind is crucial in the workplace, as approachability means access to new ideas and help. To eliminate preconceived notions and judgment, you need to see the world through other people's eyes. This doesn't require you to believe what they believe or condone their behavior; it simply means you quit passing judgment long enough to truly understand what makes them tick. Only then can you let them be who they are.

3. They forge their own paths

Genuine people don't derive their sense of pleasure and satisfaction from the opinions of others. This frees them up to follow their own internal compasses. They know who they are and don't pretend to be anyone else. Their direction comes from within, from their own principles and values. They do what they believe to be the right thing, and they're not swayed by the fact that somebody might not like it.

Last week I went to my friend’s bachelor party in Montreal.

As we were sitting together late night at the blackjack table, happily giving our money away to the dealer, the subject of making responsible financial decisions came up and he mentioned that he has a guy who manages his investments for him.

Now, I usually try not to be a know-it-all when this stuff comes up with my friends because, well, that’s super annoying. But he brought it up and this is a topic that hits home for me, so…

I asked why he pays this guy to invest for him. And he essentially gave me three reasons:

1. My friend doesn’t have the time or knowledge to do it himself.
2. It’s this guy’s job, so he knows how to do it right.
3. It’s fair to pay someone for a service if they can do it better than you can.

All good points. All completely logical. And in just about any other situation that would be a perfect answer. End of discussion.

But investing works differently.

You don’t need to pay someone to manage your investments for you. In fact, you may be MUCH better off doing it on your own, and it doesn’t have to be hard or take a lot of time.

Here’s how to beat 80% of investors with 1% of the effort.

SEE ALSO: I'm a financial planner, and here's the investment plan I'm using to build wealth

The failure of active investors

Before getting into the how, let’s quickly talk about the why.

In 2013, Rick Ferri, CFA and Alex Benke, CFP® released the results of a study where they compared the performance of actively managed investment portfolios to those of index-based portfolios.

The actively managed approach relies on the skill and expertise of investment professionals to generate superior returns. The index-based approach relies on mutual funds and ETFs that simply track the market.

What they found was pretty incredible.

Despite all of their training, all of their knowledge, and all of the time spent trying to find the best opportunities, the investment professionals repeatedly failed to beat a simple index-based investment strategy.

For example, when Ferri and Benke evaluated a simple three fund portfolio made up of US stocks, international stocks, and US bonds, they found that the index-based portfolio outperformed the actively managed portfolio 82.9% of the time.

Not only that, but the professionals typically underperformed by 1.25% per year. And the small number of professionals who managed to outperform the market only did so by 0.52% per year.

In other words, not only were there far fewer winners than losers, but the losers lost by much more than the winners won by.

Now, you could argue that a three fund portfolio is too simple and therefore not a fair comparison. After all, most investment professionals create more complicated portfolios in an effort to capture extra returns and limit the downside risk.

Luckily, Ferri and Benke looked at that scenario too.

What they found was that the more complicated you made the portfolio, the more likely it was that the index-based strategy would win. For example, when they looked at a 10-fund portfolio that included a wide range of asset classes, the index-based portfolio produced better returns 89.9% of the time.

And by the way, these were not isolated findings. Study after study has demonstrated the superiority of index funds over actively managed funds.

The big breakthrough here was the realization that combining index funds in a portfolio increases that advantage even further.

That finding has some pretty powerful implications for you as you create your own personal investment plan.

How to dominate your investments with minimal effort

So now we know this: simple, index-based investment strategies outperform professionally managed investment strategies 80-90% of the time.

But what does that mean for you?

After all, that knowledge alone isn’t enough. You still need to create, implement, and manage an investment strategy that utilizes that information in the right ways to help you reach your investment goals.

And that still sounds like a lot, right? Isn’t that where the professional help comes in? Isn’t the point of paying someone so that you don’t have to spend all the time and energy learning and managing this yourself? So that you can do it the right way with minimal effort?

A few years ago I probably would have said yes. And there are still situations in which getting professional guidance can be incredibly helpful.

But you should also know that it’s easier than ever to create, implement, and manage an index-based investment plan on your own that not only increases your odds of getting good returns, but requires minimal ongoing effort on your part.

Here are a few ways to do it.

1. All-in-one funds

Most investment companies now offer all-in-one funds that are essentially an entire investment portfolio in a single fund.

For example, Vanguard offers its LifeStrategy Growth Fund that looks like this:

• 48% Vanguard Total US Stock Market Index Fund
• 32% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund
• 14% Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund
• 6% Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund

With a single fund, you get access to the entire world of stocks and bonds. You never have to worry about rebalancing, since the fund does that for you. And the total cost is only 0.15% per year.

This is as easy as it gets. Literally all you have to do is find a fund that approximates your target asset allocation, set up automatic contributions to that fund, and you’re done! You’ve created an index-based investment strategy that requires almost no ongoing work and, according to the research, has an 80-90% chance of outperforming the professionals.

You can find more Vanguard all-in-one funds here and here, and plenty of other companies offer them as well.

The big “but” here is to watch out for costs. Some of these all-in-one funds are more expensive than others, and since cost is the single best predictor of future returns, this is something you’ll want to pay attention to.

Take a look back at the extraordinary events that shaped 2016 through the images below. 

January: A woman with a Ziggy Stardust tattoo visits a David Bowie mural in Brixton after the music icon died of cancer.

February: Boris Johnson tells journalists that he will defy Prime Minister David Cameron and campaign for Britain to leave the European Union.

March: A six-year-old boy holds two owl butterflies at the launch of the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum.

French officials have come up with an algorithm to determine the top 1000 restaurants in the world.

La Liste, which was released in December 2016, is run by former French foreign minister and current Deputy Chairman of the country's Tourism Promotion Board Philippe Faure. According to its website, it is "an algorithm-based aggregator of food guides and reviews, crafting the perfect ranking of the world’s best restaurants."

La Liste collects reviews from sites like Google, Tripadvisor and the Michelin Guide to find the restaurants with the best reputations. So far, it has collected almost one million reviews on restaurants in 135 countries worldwide.

From Paris to Tokyo, here are the 23 best restaurants in the world, according to the food capital of Europe.

23. Pavillon Ledoyen — Paris, France

Pavillion Ledoyen is owned and run by chef Yannick Alleno in Paris. Dishes like this chocolate ganache dessert are incredibly detailed.

22. Maison Troisgros — Roanne, France

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This restaurant in France's Rhône-Alpes region has been run by the Troisgros family since 1930. The three Michelin-starred restaurant is currently led by head chef Michel Troisgrois, and his wife, Marie-Pierre.

The family is famous for being key players in the "nouvelle cuisine" movement, where presentation is key. This dish, called "rotten milk" and served with white truffle shavings, is a perfect example.

21. Kitcho Arashiyama — Kyoto, Japan

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Kyoto's Kitcho Arashiyama decorates its delicate sushi dishes according to the season. It may not have made it into the top 20, but with a score of more than 98% in La Liste's ranking, it is one of the most prestigious restaurants in Japan.

The new "Star Wars" movie, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" comes out December 16.

The film's climactic battle between the Empire and the rebellion takes place on Scarif, a paradise-like world that acts as a stronghold for the dark side. If the location looks familiar, it's because director Gareth Edwards was heavily inspired by the tourist destination of Maldives.

While production couldn’t blow up Maldives on film, the location served as inspiration for Scarif along with other beaches in South Africa. Maldives was recreated on an almost eight-acre set in England’s Bovingdon Airfield where 2,000 tons of sand and over 60 palm trees were brought in to bring the scene to life.

 Keep scrolling to see scenes filmed for the movie contrasted with travel photos from the Maldives.

The Maldives is a collection of 26 coral atolls that sit in the Indian Ocean.

The islands are known for crystal blue waters and sandy beaches. Here's how it looks in one "Rogue One" scene.

The Maldives is a popular honeymoon spot thanks to its incredibly bright white-sand beaches ...

If you've ever borrowed money or opened a savings account, then the Federal Reserve matters to you.

The US central bank just raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in a year — to a target of 0.5% to 0.75% — and signaled that there are more increases to come. 

That rate, called the Fed funds rate, serves as a benchmark for basically every interest rate on the planet: Government borrowing rates, mortgage rates, credit-card rates, savings account yields, and so on. 

The Fed uses it as a way to accelerate, or slow, economic growth. The rate is rising because the job market is relatively strong and the central bank doesn't want prices rising too fast. Making it costlier to borrow will eventually slow spending by companies and consumers alike.

So, even if you're not a titan of finance, the Fed's interest rate decision could still affect you if you're planning to buy a house or save for retirement. Here are some of the major ways the Fed can impact the lives of everyday Americans.

SEE ALSO: 28 charts that show how America changed since the Fed gave us 0% rates

The Fed's main monetary policy tool is the Federal Funds Rate.

This is the interest rate banks charge other banks for short-term loans. They borrow from each other to make sure they have enough reserves in house at any given time.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decides on a target rate, and the Fed buys and sells securities like US government debt to maintain that rate.. In the wake of the financial crisis, the Fed lowered the target rate to 0%, where it stayed for nearly 7 years before being increased to 0.25% - 0.50% in December 2015, and to 0.50-0.75% in December 2016.

More on the Fed Funds Rate.

Prime loan rates are established by private banks as a baseline rate for loans to businesses and consumers.

Prime rates tend to closely track the fed funds rate. As we will see, that baseline rate affects interest rates for several other forms of borrowing and saving. Between December 2008 and December 2015, the era when the Fed held the target funds rate near zero, the prime rate among the 25 largest banks stayed steady at 3.25%.

Since the first rate hike in 2015, the prime rate has notched up accordingly to 3.5%. The Fed's decision Wednesday to move the fed funds rate up for the first time in a year is already making its way into the prime rate, with at least a dozen major banks announcing that it has increased to 3.75%.

More on prime loan rate.

Interest rates for major consumer loans tend to move along with the prime rate, and thus the Fed funds rate.

Interest rates for two year auto loans are usually slightly higher than the prime lending rate, so if that begins to rise, consumer loans will likely follow.

With a new "Star Wars" movie opening Friday, it's time for that perennial question: How do you rank all the "Star Wars" movies? And where does the latest fit in?

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" may be the first standalone movie from the franchise, but it's steeped in the mythology that the other seven movies revolve around.

Like all "Star Wars" movies after "Force Awakens,""Rogue One" has tremendous pressure not just to make a killing at the box office but to leave a lasting impression on the saga's huge fan base.

So how does "Rogue One" compare with the previous seven "Star Wars" movies? Here's how I rank them.

SEE ALSO: 'Rogue One' is the most original modern 'Star Wars' movie — and one of the most thrilling

8. "The Phantom Menace" (1999)

George Lucas has said from the beginning that "Star Wars" was made for kids, and he really took that to heart when he unveiled "Episode I: The Phantom Menace," 16 years after finishing the groundbreaking original trilogy. Introducing us to Anakin Skywalker at the age of 9 as he's plucked by Qui-Gon Jinn as the "chosen one" who will bring balance to the Force, the first prequel gives us a lot of tame action and unlikely scenarios for Anakin to be in, even in a galaxy far, far away.

Sadly, the best part of the movie is its villain, Darth Maul, who has an incredible duel with the Jedi at the end of the movie. It's one of the only goose-bump moments in the whole movie — heightened by John Williams' score — and you have to wait over an hour to get to it. And at this point, the less said about Jar Jar Binks, the better.

7. "Revenge of the Sith" (2005)

The conclusion of the prequel trilogy is one of the saga's darkest. A grown Anakin is seduced by the dark side of the Force and wipes out the Jedi, including the younglings (!). Padmé Amidala dies, but not before giving birth to their twins, Luke and Leia.

But the most agonizing thing to sit through is Hayden Christensen's performance as Skywalker conflicted with the dark side — more a sniveling 20-something than a disillusioned "chosen one." We wouldn't get a good performance of that pull to the dark side until Adam Driver came along to play Kylo Ren in "The Force Awakens." Though we can only partly blame Christensen: Lucas was never big on giving actors instructions, which proved here to be costly.

6. "Return of the Jedi" (1983)

The final film in the original trilogy accomplishes what we needed it to. It closes that chapter of the saga by answering many of the questions that were floating around for years. But as a standalone, years later, it doesn't have the same effect that "Episode IV" and "Episode V" have. That mostly has to do with the introduction of the Ewoks, which makes for deflating sequences in the movie. And it's still a bummer to see Boba Fett die in the first 20 minutes.

Lucid Motors, a startup based in Fremont, California, unveiled its electric car at an event on Thursday that it claims boasts specs rivaling Tesla's Model S.

Lucid Motors, formerly Atieva, was co-founded by Bernard Tse, a former Tesla vice president and board member who was ousted as CEO following friction with the company's largest shareholder, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding, in April. Peter Rawlinson, the former vice president and chief engineer for Tesla's Model S, is Lucid Motors' Chief Technology Officer. The startup has yet to name a new CEO.

Despite not having a CEO at the moment, Lucid Motors unveiled its long-range electric sedan, the Lucid Air, at its prototype shop in Fremont. Scroll down for a closer look:

SEE ALSO: 8 electric SUVs arriving by 2020

Lucid Motors claims its electric sedan can drive 400 miles on a single charge. Tesla's longest-range Model S, the P100D, boasts a range of 315 miles, for comparison.

The startup said the Lucid Air can accelerate to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds — the same acceleration Tesla claims its Model S P100D can achieve.

The car, which features a panoramic sunroof, also has an output of 1,000 horsepower, according to Lucid Motors.

Mario, the beloved jumping plumber and Nintendo character, made his debut on smartphones on Thursday with "Super Mario Run."

In "Super Mario Run," iPhone owners can run, jump, and stomp their way through 24 new levels for $10. Android owners are out of luck for now — Nintendo cut a deal with Apple so the game remains iOS-exclusive for some period of time.

"Super Mario Run" is coming to Android, eventually. But in the meantime, one enterprising game developer has created a game that to someone who has never played Mario before should be just as good: "Super Plumber Run."

"Super Plumber Run" doesn't have many reviews yet, so be careful when downloading it, but it should be safe because it's on the Google Play app store. 

Here's what it's like to play:

Unlike "Super Mario Run,""Super Plumber Run" is a free app on Google Play. "Super Mario Run" is free for the first few levels, but then you have to pay $10.

It actually shares a very similar concept with "Super Mario Run." Your character automatically moves forward, and players tap the screen to jump.

Super Plumber Run even has mushrooms!

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

Fans know Darth Vader gets a bit of screen time in "Rogue One" from trailers, but he's not the only blast from the past to show up in the first "Star Wars" spin-off.

While we don't see Han, Chewie, or Luke, we do get a few other surprises throughout the movie. Keep reading to see which of your favorite "Star Wars" characters pop up in "Rogue One."

Mon Mothma

This cameo was teased in the early trailers for the film. Still, it was nice to see the leader of the Rebel Alliance from "Return of the Jedi." She's played by Genevieve O'Reilly. Originally, O'Reilly reprised her in "Revenge of the Sith," but her scene was cut. It was nice to see Lucasfilm ask her back, and an extra treat for fans. 

Bail Organa

We were hoping we'd see Leia's adopted father again after the prequel movies. Jimmy Smits reprises his role and is working with the Rebel Alliance. Eagle-eyed fans may have caught him earlier in the year in a behind-the-scenes video for the film.

Grand Moff Tarkin

You may not have been surprised to see Tarkin since he was hinted at in trailers, but you may have been taken aback and distracted by the heavy use of CG to bring his character to life.

Wayne Pygram played a younger version of Tarkin with prosthetics in "Revenge of the Sith." Lucasfilm went another route this time. Fans are at odds over whether or not CG was the right decision. While some fans enjoyed it, others thought it looked noticeably cartoonish.

Everyone has their favorite Christmas movies, and so does each state.

CableTV.com looked atAMC's top 20 Christmas movies and cross-referenced it with Google Trends. They came up with a state-by-state analysis that shows what the most popular Christmas movies are in each state.

"Home Alone" comes out as the big winner, with nine states that google it more than other Christmas movies. Following it up is "Elf," with eight states.

The analysis is missing a couple of classics, though, like "Die Hard,"and "Love, Actually."

Nonetheless, the survey is a good representation of what people are watching this holiday season all over the country. Here are the most popular Christmas movies in all 50 states (and Washington, D.C.).

"Home Alone" (1990)

District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Louisiana
Minnesota
North Dakota
Oregon
Texas
Virginia

"Elf" (2003)

Massachusetts
Michigan
New Jersey
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Wisconsin

"National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation" (1989)

Alabama
Iowa
Missouri
Nebraska
Tennessee

Each year, dozens of people take the stage at TED to present their stories. Some are funny, some are informative, some break your heart.

As 2016 winds to a close, TED's curator, Chris Anderson, has picked his 10 favorites from the past year.

In case you missed them the first time around, here are the best TED talks of 2016.

SEE ALSO: After watching over 50 TED talks, these are the insights that have stuck with me most

"A visual history of social dance in 25 moves" by Camille A. Brown

In her high-energy demonstration, choreographer and dance teacher Camille A. Brown traces the history of social dances performed by African-American slaves in the 19th century. 

The dances are forms of artistic expression, but also outlets for expressing resistance and freedom.

Watch the talk here.

"Hunting for dinosaurs showed me our place in the universe" by Kenneth Lacovara

Paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara explains how a 77 million-year-old dinosaur the size of a house reminded him of the wonders of human evolution.

Amid a planet of roaming beasts, tiny specks of life managed to survive, adapt, and use their conscious brains to outlast the giants. 

Watch the talk here.

"Gene editing can now change an entire species — forever" by Jennifer Kahn

Journalist Jennifer Kahn introduces viewers to CRISPR, a tool used for gene editing that gives humans the power to shape DNA. 

CRISPR's potential applications make it apt for many ethical debates and thought experiments, but scientists already have plans to use it for good — they intend to wipe out the mosquito-born diseases malaria and Zika.

Watch the talk here.

As the movement to legalize marijuana goes mainstream, an increasing number of celebrities are stepping out of the cannabis closet. Some are looking for ways to cash in.

Entertainers including Snoop Dogg and Miley Cyrus have lent their names to marijuana strains, edibles, and weed-infused bath soaks.

Premium marijuana brands fetch high prices. An analysis by Marijuana Business Daily found that celebrity-branded strains are marked up 24% on average, generating $5 to $10 more per eighth of an ounce of pot. In an era when most strains are given arbitrary names like "Maui Wowie" and "Pineapple Express," new users might favor the weed their favorite singer trusts.

We rounded up the celebrities who have created innovative marijuana brands. Take a look below.

SEE ALSO: 14 beautifully-designed marijuana products you can gift this holiday for under $100

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi and Maya, a collaboration between Whoopi Goldberg and edibles maker Maya Elisabeth, aims to put an end to period pain with the healing powers of pot.

The Oscar-winning actress set out to create products that provided relief without leaving women feeling glued to the couch.

The brand includes edibles, tinctures, topical rubs, and a bath soak infused with cannabidiol, or CBD, a compound found in marijuana that could relieve pain without getting users high.

Snoop Dogg

The Doggfather launched one of the most beautiful lines of marijuana products we've ever seen in 2015.

Designed by the branding wizards at Pentagram, Leafs by Snoop includes concentrates, edibles, and eight strains of marijuana flower hand-picked by Snoop.

The packaging exudes a cool, laid-back vibe that befits Snoop's West Coast upbringing.

Miley Cyrus

Who would have thought little Hannah Montana would grow up to sell branded rolling papers on her 2014 Bangerz tour?

The 24-karat gold wrappers made quite a splash at the merch table.

According to the manufacturer, Shine, the papers should be used for "only legal smoking herbs." 

If you're craving nature and want to get back to your childhood roots, this tubular glass treehouse is for you.

The treehouse was designed by Kazakh architect Aibek Almassov, who had no immediate plans to construct it when it was first conjured up in early 2016.

Now Almassov tells Business Insider that his team will hire a construction company to start building it in June 2017. Located in a forested mountain area in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the treehouse will be open to the public on a reservation basis. It will be powered by a Tesla Powerwall, a battery that stores solar energy for off-the-grid use, he adds.

Check out what it will look like below.

SEE ALSO: http://www.businessinsider.com/self-making-smartduvet-kickstarter-2016-12

Located in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 65-foot-tall cylindrical house will feature a mature fir tree at its center.

A staircase will wind up around the 4-story treehouse. It won't have a bedroom. Instead, it will be a public space for three to four people to visit at a time, Almassov tells Business Insider.

The house will offer a complete view of the forest that surrounds it.

The Federal Reserve did the expected this week and raised its benchmark interest rate. 

If there are no sudden shocks to the economy, the Fed plans to continue lifting rates, after leaving them near zero for about a decade. 

In a note Friday, JPMorgan equity strategists said rising rates and a stronger dollar are the biggest risks to their bullish outlook for stocks in 2017.

"While the low interest rate environment has been a headwind for financials, it has been a boon for the remaining ten sectors that have $4 trillion in aggregate outstanding debt," said Dubravko Lakos-Bujas, head of US equity strategy. "We expect this benefit to gradually reverse with rising yields."

He added, "Industries more likely to be resilient to rising rate environment should be asset-lite and cash-rich (i.e., Financials, Software, Internet, and Healthcare Equipment.)." These companies would continue to have a low interest expense, or payments due on their lines of credit.   

"The companies screen as the having the highest average ranking across S&P 500 companies in the following three categories: 1) low average capex as % of revenue and low average PP&E as % of assets, 2) low average net debt as % of assets, 3) and high average net income margin."

The closer a company's ranking is to 500, the better.

Here are 19 of those companies that would benefit from rate hikes: 

Analog Devices

Ticker: ADI

Industry: Semiconductors

Total ranking: 397

Year-to-date performance: 33.1%

Source: JPMorgan 

Affiliated Managers Group

Ticker: AMG

Industry: Capital Markets

Total ranking: 407

Year-to-date performance: -5.2%

Source: JPMorgan

Ameriprise Financial

Ticker: AMP

Industry: Capital Markets

Total ranking: 394

Year-to-date performance: 7.5%

Source: JPMorgan

Your 20s see you through from your awkward teenage years to your transformation into a full-fledged adult. The decade is all about experiencing new things, taking on new challenges, making mistakes and learning from them, and working towards becoming the person you're meant to be.

For those reasons, there's no better time than your 20s to ditch bad health habits and get on to being that better you.

Habits form from routine behaviors, and they're most easily broken while you're still growing and malleable. While you're in your 20s figuring out just what kind of life you want to lead — from big career decisions to relationships to yourself — it's a good time to establish the kind of behavior you'll want to follow for the rest of your life.

While you may be feeling young, wild, and free, your decisions today directly impact your life down the road. No one's perfect and it's good to be open to change, but when it comes to your health, there are certain things you just can't argue with. Science proves that certain behaviors are linked to well-being and longevity, while others affect you negatively, causing suffering now and even later in life.

All it takes to ensure you're giving yourself the best chance at a long, happy life, is breaking some bad health habits we're all inclined to give in to. Simple choices you make today will set you up for future success, tomorrow and beyond. Here are the habits you need to ditch, and how to break them.

SEE ALSO: 15 signs that you're emotionally intelligent, even if it doesn't feel like it

1. Not getting enough sleep

One of the biggest bad health habits plaguing twenty somethings is not getting enough sleep. Eight hours of shut-eye is said to be the healthy ideal, but between late nights at high-pressure jobs and staying out super late on weekends to blow off steam, many in their 20s are not meeting this quota.

It's proven that lack of sleep affects you throughout the day and undesirablethings happen to your body when you sleep poorly. Sleep deprivation affects your body's immune system, hormone levels, mood, and decreases your ability to focus.

Still, sleep, let alone good sleep, is hard to come by. Unhealthy bedtime habits and bad habits keeping you up at night can be blamed for making things worse.

Break the habit:

You need to be proactive about making an effort to get more sleep. It is recommended to avoid caffeine for eight hours before bedtime and to remove distractions as you wind down for the evening.

Watching your favorite show at the end of a workday might seem ideal, but you're apt to fall asleep with your laptop in your bed much later than planned and your quality of sleep will suffer for it.

Have an evening routine that signals to your body that it's time to catch some Zs, like a hot shower and taking a few minutes to stretch. Block out excess light and sound from your bedroom as much as possible.

2. Forgoing sunscreen

It's well known that scary things happen when you don't wear sunscreen, yet it's one of the simplest health habits that we still get wrong all too regularly. From not using sunscreen correctly to not wearing it at all, twenty somethings put themselves at risk for a lot of sun damage that is actually avoidable.

Sunscreen is important for more than just cosmetic reasons, but your future self will thank you later for protecting yourself from sun spots, broken blood vessels, and wrinkles.

Break the habit:

Train yourself to wear sunscreen daily, even when it's overcast. If you wear makeup, chances are your foundation has sunscreen built in. Otherwise, check out these non-greasy sunscreens you can wear under your makeup.

If you lather up before sun exposure but still find yourself getting burned, you may be applying sunscreen wrong. Study up on these sunscreen mistakes everyone makes to improve your sunscreen game in the future.

3. Not drinking enough water

Chances are you're not drinking enough water. If you relate to any of thesesigns you're dehydrated or are experiencing any of these things happening to your skin, it's time to drink up. Staying hydrated has tons of immediate benefits to your wellbeing.

It helps to clean toxins from your body via your kidneys, keeps your muscles and joints working better, and helps keep you motivated and your memory sharp. The ways drinking enough water changes your body are hugely positive and definitely worth the extra effort to get in a few more glasses each day.

A small short-seller that says its reports have led to the resignations of several CEOs has a new big short.

Ben Axler's Spruce Point Capital Management, a stock-focused hedge fund, has released a new report on Ultimate Software, a tech company that provides cloud-based human resources software. Short-sellers bet that a company's stock will go down.

Among Spruce Point's reasons for betting against the company: Ultimate Software is "in denial about changes in its competitive landscape" and has the "worst governance" Spruce Point has ever seen, according to a presentation sent to Business Insider.

Axler has been managing his own money for the past few years, but in August he started trading with outside money.

A person familiar with the fund declined to provide exact performance figures but said the fund is up since August.

The New York-based firm, which has about $25 million under management, is a tiny player in the world of activist hedge funds. By comparison, as of midyear, Bill Ackman's Pershing Square Capital managed about $11.5 billion, and Jeff Ubben's ValueAct Capital managed about $16.2 billion, according to the Hedge Fund Intelligence Billion Dollar Club ranking.

Still, the firm has drawn attention for its short bets. SumZero, a website for buy-side investors, previously ranked Spruce Point the No. 1 short-seller on its platform.

Spruce Point has previously released reports on several companies, including Greif, Caesarstone, and the Intertain Group. Spruce Point says its reports helped prompt the resignations of those firms' CEOs.

Greif CEO David Fischer resigned in October 2015, Caesarstone CEO Yos Shiran resigned in May, and Intertain CEO John Fitzgerald resigned in June.

Spruce Point has also targeted stocks that have subsequently dropped in value. Greif, for instance, dropped last year after Spruce Point posted its report in February 2015 (though the stock has since rallied). Caesarstone is down from its 2015 highs, as is Intertain.

You can view a sampling of the firm's 314-page presentation on its new short below.

SEE ALSO: Two multi-billion dollar hedge funds are lowering their fees to investors

SEE ALSO: A hot new hedge fund is based on smart computers picking off dumb ones

The INSIDER Summary:

• Every country has their own traditional holiday sweet.
• In Canada, a spicy cinnamon candy called Chicken Bones is popular.
• In Iceland, "leaf bread" that is literally as thin as a leaf is eaten.

Americans love to eat candy canes, gingerbread, and sugar cookies during the holidays. 

Elsewhere in the world, however, a typical holiday dessert looks a lot different.

From an 18-layer ring cake in Norway to a rum-filled fruit cake in Jamaica, this is what holiday treats look like in 22 countries around the world.

AUSTRALIA: Many Australians opt for a light pavlova — or berry dessert — after dinner. Pavlova is essentially a large meringue that has been topped with fresh cream and berries.

Source: World of Wanderlust

AUSTRIA: Little vanilla crescent cookies called vanille kipferl adorn bakeshop windows and family kitchens throughout the holiday season in Austria. They're similar to a shortbread cookie and made with vanilla and almonds.

Source: Food52

BELGIUM: Speculaas is a thin, crunchy cookie typically eaten before St. Nicholas' feast in the Netherlands. The cookies are created using intricate wood molds and are similar in taste to gingerbread cookies.

Source: Saveur

Everything around us is becoming connected. As a result, we are seeing shifts in investments and returns. There is already a great demand for network expansion, cyber security and insurance. And generally, the prices of hardware will fall as IoT becomes less of a novelty.

All of this opens up a huge opportunity for everyone to make and save a lot of money. We will invest $6 trillion in IoT between 2015 and 2020, which will yield $12.6 trillion ROI over the next decade. Enterprise will make up the majority of the investment dollars, followed by government and consumer.

BI Intelligence has created a slide deck exploring the most disruptive trends in IoT. To get a more detailed view of the progression, landscape and projections of the Internet of Everything, access the complete slide deck by clicking here.

Some of the topics covered include:

• The market drivers for the IoT.
• Forecasts for the IoT market.
• A breakdown of how many industries are utilizing IoT devices.
• A look at how governments are using the IoT to revolutionize their cities and defense.
• An examination of the smart home and connected car market.
• And much more.

Below are 8 sample slides from the 60-page deck. Want the full deck? Access it here for FREE >>

Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>

Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>

Want the full 60-page slide deck?  Access it Here - FREE >>

A behind-the-scenes look at "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" was released by Lucasfilm earlier this year at the annual "Star Wars Celebration" event. It showed new scenes and the camera work that went in to creating some of the most incredible shots from the upcoming film that hits theaters on December 16.

In the video, actress Felicity Jones who plays Jyn Erso explained what it was like to film, "Your heart's beating and you're actually in this situation [...] You get something very genuine that you couldn't have planned."

The film tells the story of a group of rebels on a mission to steal plans for the Empire's Death Star. Here are some shots from filming without any special effects added in.

Nina Godlewski contributed to an earlier version of this post.

In this shot featuring Scarif Stormtroopers, the blue screen is visible in the background.

The rain blowing off of Jones in this shot is being forced back thanks to a burst of air, not special effects.

RAW Embed

This large structure looks like it could be part of a ship in the new film, suspended near a screen.