• Investors are realizing the tax cuts and pro-business reforms will take longer to materialize than they expected.
• In the meantime, stocks and bonds are correlating with President Donald Trump's popularity (or lack thereof), Credit Suisse says.
• Adding to this pressure, stock valuations are high by any measure.

Ever so slowly, Wall Street is being shaken from the trance of President Donald Trump's promises of deregulation and tax reform.

As this happens, an entire industry known for sharing notes and trading tips is starting to worry whether it has been working off of the wrong playbook.

"When Trump's favorability initially rose after the election, equity investor optimism was driven by an intense focus on how to position for rising interest rates and improving prospects for economic/earnings growth driven by corporate tax reform, infrastructure spending, and regulatory relief," analysts at Credit Suisse wrote in a recent note. "But since Trump's favorability peaked in mid-December, that optimism has been replaced by a wait and see approach among many investors, along with a healthy dose of frustration."

The fears that are rattling the "Masters of the Universe" are varied: Baupost's Seth Klarman is worried about Trump's tax cuts and spending plan. He is also, along with Bridgewater's Ray Dalio, scared of populism and trade wars. Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn is worried about inflation, and Elliott Management's Paul Singer worries that the world has gone complacent.

He's right. It has. That means it's time to be afraid of the stock market.

First things first; next things, perhaps never

The "frustration" Credit Suisse is describing comes from the fact that investors don't know when the plans they like will actually be enacted, while measures that are actually disconcerting to investors — immigration bans, trade-war mongering, and healthcare uncertainty — have taken center stage.

They are also frustrated that details of plans they thought they liked could hurt some industries. Think, for example, what the border-tax element of Trump's plans — essentially a tax on importers — could do to retailers like Kohl's, Lululemon, and Urban Outfitters that make their products abroad and sell them at home.

Messages from the administration have not been reassuring. Peter Navarro, the head of Trump's National Trade Council, dismissed as "fake news" Wall Street analysis that concluded retailers would be hurt and jobs would be lost through the border-adjustment tax.

Navarro has, so far, been the clearest messenger of Trump's — and top adviser Steve Bannon's — vision for the economy: taking resources away from the services economy we have, and recreating the manufacturing economy we used to have, to save jobs.

"We envision a more Germany-style economy, where 20% of our workforce is in manufacturing," Navarro told CNBC in a recent interview. This comment, as we've pointed out before, compares apples to oranges. The US manufacturing sector alone would be the eighth-largest economy in the world. Germany's entire economy is the fourth largest in the world.

This is not an idea Wall Street signed up for.

Trading on Trump

But let's say Wall Street does get a few things on its wish list, even though House Speaker Paul Ryan says they won't materialize until 2018.

In that event, according to Credit Suisse, we still have a problem: "Investors have been asking how valuations look on 2018 EPS, when it is becoming more likely ... that stock market friendly policy changes in Washington could materialize. On current 2018 expectations, US stocks still look highly overvalued."

The charts below trace forward-looking price-to-earnings ratios all the way back to the mid-1980s:

Perhaps more disconcerting to Credit Suisse — and this correspondent — than any of these things is that the stock market and a few macroeconomic indicators are actually trading on Trump's favorability right now. (For more on that, see the slides below).

It seems as if Wall Street has given up the difficult work of picking stocks and making models, of calling experts and building theories. Instead it is allowing the market to try to figure out whether the president can handle his new job. Of course, it's unclear how long that will take.

As a result, 10-year Treasury yields, the dollar, crude oil, small-cap stocks, financial stocks, high-tax-paying stocks, and more are correlated to Trump's favorability.

This is a delicate state, to say the least. The American people don't like it when their president is rattled, and we know it doesn't take much to rattle Trump – a skit on "Saturday Night Live," poor sales at his daughter's company, The New York Times reporting the truth. It could be anything.

And you don't want to be in a stock market that can move on just anything.

Stocks and yields are correlated to Trump's favorability. (Red is Trump's favorability rating, blue is the market).

The US dollar and crude oil also appear to be trading on Trump.

Large-cap stocks also seem to have caught the bug, depending on what they pay in taxes. It seems as if low-tax payers get hurt when Trump's favorability is high — a sign the market thinks it will be easier for him to pass tax reform.

Just about everyone knows that you should never text and drive, and that you should stop, drop, and roll if you catch on fire.

But life can also throw situations at us for which we don't have a quick, handy response.

Commenters in a recent Quora thread about life-saving facts offered their best tips, which are easy to remember and could have a huge impact if you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation.

You might want to save these for later.

SEE ALSO: 6 animals that attacked critical human infrastructure

Your brain can't handle walking and using your phone at the same time — so look up.

Safety adviser Murali Krishnan points out that walking and using your phone both demand large amounts of cognitive effort. 

As a result, you can't fully focus on both at the same time in the same way you can with walking and gum-chewing, for instance. You'll suffer "inattention blindness," where you may see an object but not process that it's a car speeding toward you.

Eliminate your car's blind spots by adjusting your mirrors properly.

Blind spots aren't inevitable in all vehicles, argues user Kristen Rush. 

By adjusting your mirrors so that you barely see the edges of your own car, you can effectively eliminate the blind spots on the sides of the vehicle. The rear-view mirror should be able to locate any car behind yours. It's worth the few seconds it takes to adjust these when you get in the driver's seat.

Heat transfers faster through liquid than gas, so keep warm by staying dry.

There's a connection between being wet and getting cold, and vice versa for heat, says engineer Lia Lavoie. 

To ensure your body temperature doesn't fall too quickly in cold environments, invest in clothes made of wool instead of cotton — they'll absorb more moisture so that dampness doesn't linger on your skin. And, of course, do your best to stay dry.

Americans adore pizza.

According to a 2014 study by the US Department of Agriculture, about 1 in 8 Americans ate pizza on any given day. That's a lot of pizza.

While local pizzerias are always a good choice, there are millions of die-hard chain pizza lovers out there. These acolytes of the Pizza Big Three are steadfast in their preferences: Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Papa John's.

But the question is, from which chain to order?

As today is National Pizza Pie Day, we decided to take the matter into our own hands and test the Big Three pizzas head-to-head to see who has the best pizza.

Who is crowned the classic-cheese champion, and who snags the supreme-pizza prize? Keep scrolling to find the results.

Our test has three categories: the classic cheese pizza, the supreme pizza, and breadsticks — the pizza palace essentials.

First, the cheese pizza choices — still hot and cheesy.

The smell of mozzarella and tomato fills the room. No matter how disappointing, all pizza is still good, so this will prove tricky. Are any pizzas truly bad?

As customers push for companies to ditch Ivanka Trump's brand, some retailers are continuing to carry the first daughter's fashion lines. 

In recent months, Ivanka has become a popular target of activists encouraging people to boycott retailers selling her products, as well as other companies that do business with the Trump family. 

A handful of companies including Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus have dropped Ivanka Trump's fashion line since the anti-Trump boycott movement #GrabYourWallet launched on social media in October. 

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump weighed in, saying Nordstrom's treatment of his daughter is "unfair."

However, many retailers continue to sell Ivanka's brand. Last week, the company in a statement to Business Insider that the Ivanka Trump brand is continuing to expand across categories and experienced "significant" year-over-year revenue growth in 2016. 

Here are the retailers that continue to sell Ivanka Trump's brand. 

SEE ALSO: There's one big reason why Macy's may not dump Ivanka Trump

6pm

The discount retailer carries Ivanka Trump's lines of shoes, clothing, and accessories.

Amazon

The e-commerce giant carries both Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump merchandise, from the book "The Art of the Deal" to Ivanka Trump's shoe line.

For what it's worth, some Trump supporters on Reddit have also called for a boycott of Amazon because CEO Jeff Bezos said he wants to send Trump to space. The CEO has also said the president-elect "erodes our democracy around the edges."

Belk

The Southeastern department store chain sells Ivanka Trump's lines of shoes and handbags, but announced on Wednesday it would no longer sell the brand online. 

"We continually review our assortment and the performance of the brands we carry," the company posted on Facebook. "We make adjustments as part of our normal course of business operations. In this regard, we are no longer carrying Ivanka Trump branded merchandise on our website, but are continuing to offer the brand at our flagship stores."

The average cost of a wedding in the US has skyrocketed to over $35,300, which is more than some people make in a whole year.

But leave it to celebrities — who are known to drop obscene amounts on engagement rings — to blow that budget out of the water. With their expendable incomes, they have no problem shelling out the big bucks for their big days. 

Here are the 17 most extravagant (read: expensive) celebrity weddings.

Before Brangelina, Brad Pitt married Jennifer Aniston at a $1 million ceremony.

The couple may have tried to keep the intimate details of their ceremony under wraps, but the stunning Malibu wedding — fit with a gospel choir, four bands, fireworks, and a reported 50,000 flowers — was estimated to cost $1 million, according to People.

They later split in 2005.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner spent at least $1 million on their 500-person dream wedding in 2009.

The now-President's daughter married her real estate developer boyfriend in a custom Vera Wang dress inspired by Grace Kelly's iconic wedding gown, according to the New York Times.

That alone cost $50,000, but other costs included a 13-layer Sylvia Weinstock cake, event planning by Preston Bailey, and Ivanka Trump signature earrings, a necklace, and a hairpiece, all studded with diamonds, according to Brides Magazine.

Experts estimate the ceremony with 500 of their closest friends cost at least $1 million.

Like father like daughter. President Trump and his first Lady, Melania, also spent $1 million on their 2005 nuptials.

For his third wedding, Trump went all out. They had a 200-pound Grand Marnier cake covered with 3,000 icing roses made by Mar-a-Lago's Cedric Barbaret, who told The Hollywood Reporter that it took two months to design.

That set them back $50,000, but the real costs came from her Dior gown, which had a 13-foot train and was embroidered with 1,500 rhinestones and pearls ($100,000). The catering by Jean-Georges Vongerichten for their 400 guests was a cool $110,000, according to E! Online.

Total cost? $1 million.

"Minecraft" is an incredible game. It's basically virtual Legos, and you can play it with dozens of friends. And sometimes, friends who play "Minecraft" together become people who create something magical in "Minecraft" together.

Such is the case with "Pokémon Cobalt and Amethyst," a "60- to 80-hour" Pokémon game built entirely within "Minecraft." For real! Just look at this:

We're talking about the good stuff: finding, battling, and capturing Pokémon — and then battling other Pokémon with the ones you've enslaved. There's a full story, various locales to explore, and much more. Better yet, it's entirely free! All you need is a copy of "Minecraft" on PC or Mac, and about 15 minutes.

Here's the deal:

SEE ALSO: One man spent 5 years creating an incredible 'Minecraft' universe

The game is called "Pokémon Cobalt and Amethyst"— a nod to the naming convention of the Nintendo-made Pokémon games:

It's a full-on, brand-new "Pokémon" game — albeit one that isn't officially supported by The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

The game took a remarkable 31 months to build; a small team of dedicated volunteers tackled the work. Rather than use existing Pokémon, there are 136 new ones created just for this game.

"The LEGO Batman Movie" reunites fans with the pint-sized, brooding, and vain Caped Crusader who stole the show in 2014's "The LEGO Movie." 

While you may be familiar with the lead actors in the film, you may be surprised to learn that a lot of familiar faces lend their voices to some of the classic DC and Warner Bros. characters. 

Keep reading to see the voice actors for "The LEGO Batman Movie."

Let's start with an easy one. Batman learns that it's not always best to work alone in his spin-off movie.

(Photo: Warner Bros.)

"Arrested Development" star Will Arnett returns to play the pint-sized, smart-aleck hero.

Arnett at the world premiere for "The LEGO Batman Movie" in Los Angeles February 4.

In the film, Bruce Wayne adopts orphan Dick Grayson, aka Robin.

(Photo: Warner Bros.)

Last month, Deloitte released its annual Football Money League, which revealed the mind-bending revenues of Europe's richest clubs.

Among the revelations was Manchester United's return to the top of the list — its £515.3 million income last year made it the first club in history to surpass half a billion pounds in turnover.

Today, thanks to the ubiquity of social media, it's incredibly important for sports clubs to engage with fans across all the major platforms.

Some teams are better at this than others. Scroll down to see which clubs scored on social media.

20. Zenit St Petersburg — 2.1 million followers

Followers (millions):

Instagram: 0.3

Facebook: 1

Twitter: 0.8

Zenit St Petersberg is the first and only non-European club to make the list. The comparatively low international popularity of the Russian Premier League combined with Russian language social media accounts limits its overall following.

19. West Ham — 3.3 million followers

Followers (millions):

Instagram: 0.3

Facebook: 2

Twitter: 1

West Ham's small Instagram following will suffer from the loss of Dimitri Payet, who has about five times the number of followers as his ex-club. Nevertheless, their acquisition of the Olympic Stadium (now London Stadium) will see numbers of spectators increase, which should bump their social numbers.

18. Schalke — 3.7 million followers

Followers (millions):

Instagram: 0.3

Facebook: 2.9

Twitter: 0.5

The "04" stands for when the Club was founded... in 1904. With that much history you can bet the team has built up a huge fanbase, and much of that has migrated online.

The INSIDER Summary:

• Disneyland is known for offering a full experience, including delicious food to enjoy throughout the day.
• While some Disneyland foods have already made a name for themselves (like the Dole Whip), these are some equally amazing Disneyland snacks that aren't as well-known.

Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, without a doubt. You get to meet your favorite characters, ride some fun rides, and eat some ridiculously delicious food. This isn't your standard theme park fare. Yes, there are still hot dogs, hamburgers, and french fries, but Disneyland has a great variety of eats to nosh on.

You've heard of the Dole Whip and corn dogs, but there are some hidden gems just waiting for you to eat. This is a list of eats I think need a little more love.

Is your stomach ready? If so, scroll to experience the most underrated eats at Disneyland.

1. Character caramel apple

Oh my goodness, why does no one talk about the character apples at Disney? They're delicious, and totally Instagram-worthy. They start out as your standard caramel apple, but are then drizzled in chocolate, and decorated with sprinkles and marshmallows and other candies to look like your favorite Disney characters.

When Finding Dory came out, there were Dory and Nemo apples available to munch on. During the Halloween season, you can snatch a poisoned apple or a Disney villain.

2. Pickle

I love me a good pickle. And you know which place has some solid pickles? Disneyland. If your stomach isn't up for some sugary treats, pick up a pickle. Plus, you'll look like the coolest kid around as you walk around Main Street with your snack.

3. Tea

Okay, hear me out before you comment angry things. Disney sells tea specific to their parks, and you can't get it anywhere else. They have a variety of flavors, like chamomile and earl grey, but my favorite is the "Mad Tea Party" blend. It's a black tea with peach and ginger, and it's so freaking good. It's a nice little souvenir to take home with you after your Disneyland adventure.

When Rihanna hit the scene with her immediate hit "Pon de Replay" back in 2005, she became a fan favorite. 12 years later and after many musical twists and turns, one thing has remained constant: Her fashion sense is always on point.

Rihanna has landed on hundreds of best dressed list thanks to her Met Gala, Grammy Awards, and MTV VMA looks, each one as stunning as the last.

See her epic style evolution, from start to finish: 

Rihanna stepped on the map at the Teen People Listening Lounge wearing a crop top and low rise boyfriend jeans back in 2005.

At that year's MTV VMAs, she wore another crop top and fitted white jeans. The ensemble was topped off with a glitter vest and body jewelry.

At one of her many MTV TRL appearances, RiRi wore a sweet halter dress with stars.

While President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration makes its way through the courts, it's currently on hold, allowing family members stranded by the ban to reunite and refugees to enter the US after fleeing their countries.

The executive order, which Trump signed on January 27, temporarily suspended travel from seven mostly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Syria.

Three judges will decide as soon as Thursday whether to immediately reinstate the ban.

Here are the stories of families who did get to arrive in the meantime:

SEE ALSO: Watching cable news in a bathrobe and holding meetings in the dark — 9 bizarre descriptions of the Trump White House

DON'T MISS: Trump has already signed 22 executive actions — here's what each one does

The Alis, from Yemen, hadn't seen their family in six years.

Twelve-year old Eman Ali and her father Ahmed Ali were stranded in Djibouti after being denied entry into the US due to Trump's executive order on immigration.

But on February 5, the Alis were reunited.

The INSIDER Summary:

• Collette and Scott Stohler write couples travel guides on their website, Roamaroo.
• Their top pick for couples is South Island, New Zealand.
• South Africa, Jordan, and New Orleans also make the top 10.

Solo travel can be a liberating time of self-discovery, but there's nothing quite like seeing the world with your significant other. Even when things don't go according to plan, you find ways of making each other laugh, keeping each other sane, and building an even stronger bond.

Just ask Collette and Scott Stohler, who have been together for seven years and traveled to 50 countries as a couple. Through their couple's travel website, Roamaroo, they recap their own experiences and create romantic itineraries for fellow thrill-seekers. 

Here are their top 10 picks of the best places for couples to travel together.

10. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Why it's great: It's known as the "Paris of the South." Need we say more?

Roamaroo recommends: Visiting the Teatro Colon opera, sipping wine at wine cafes in Malbec, tangoing in the streets of La Boca.

9. Iceland

Why it's great: If there's one place you should visit this year, it's this island full of breathtaking landscapes and hot springs.

Roamaroo recommends: Soaking in the Blue Lagoon, chasing waterfalls on the Ring Road, strolling the streets of Reykjavik.

8. Portugal

Why it's great: The food in Lisbon is unbeatable — and cost-efficient for Westerners.

Roamaroo recommends: Sampling port and chocolate at Kopke House, stopping by the famous Pastéis de Bélem bakery, taking a cooking class with Cooking Lisbon.

When winter gets you down, there's only one thing to do: plan a beach vacation and get out of town.

Whether you're in the mood for pristine white sand and quiet days of relaxation or umbrella drinks and a raucous party scene, you've got plenty of options. 

We've compiled a list of the hottest sand-and-surf destinations around the world, where you can finally fix your Vitamin D deficiency with some sun therapy. 

Grab a book and some sunscreen and get out there.

Raisa Bruner contributed reporting on an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best Caribbean islands, ranked

Looking for big-city action with a top-of-the-line beach scene? Bondi Beach in Sydney will fit the bill. Always packed with locals — and keeping a laid-back Aussie vibe — Bondi is having a moment, as lots of big-name visitors and new fans have recently made the trek down south.

St. Barts is the place to be for your winter getaway: just ask the celebrities and socialites who regularly ring in the new year on the Caribbean island. You can't go wrong with any of the beaches, but our sources recommend Colombier Beach for the hike, Shell Beach for the sunset, and Flamand Beach for fluffy sand. Don't forget to bring your superyacht.

If you like to snorkel, you'll love Tobacco Bay in St. George, Bermuda. The brilliantly clear waters are hotbeds for colorful fish sightings, while white sand beaches make for ideal sunbathing when you're ready to dry off.

Ironing a dress shirt can seem tricky. Do you leave the collar folded, or do you pop it? Should the cuffs be buttoned up? Which side should the buttons be facing?

Your days of burnt, discolored shirts and oddly-placed wrinkles have come to an end. Here's a step-by-step guide with advice from The Art of Manliness to show you how it's done.

Some of the world's biggest hotel brands are coming up with plans that are sure to stun even the most seasoned of travelers. 

First, they made villas that looked like they were floating on water off islands in Asia, but now they're taking these to new heights — or depths. In recent years, underwater hotel rooms have taken over the resort world. This next big thing in the industry allows guests a front-row view into the stunning scenes that take place under the sea. 

The idea is still up and coming, but a lucky few places have already put the plans into place.

Here are the world's coolest underwater hotels so far. 

Atlantis The Palm in Dubai

The underwater suites at Atlantis provide some of the most breathtaking scenes in the world. Sitting under the Arabian Sea, these rooms allow you to sleep with the fishes — in a good way. It’ll set you back about $5,000 a night to do so though. Choose from two suites, both of which have luxurious lounges, spa bathrooms, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Manta Resort on Pemba Island, Tanzania

The Swedish-designed structure floats above a lively sector of the Indian Ocean where tons of coral reef fish swim. Occupants have seen squids and octopus attach themselves to the 360 degree windows, and with coral already starting to build on the anchor line more animals are surely on the way. This floating, double room costs $1,500 a night.

Utter Inn in Västerås, Sweden

Europe’s most famous underwater hotel room is anchored in Lake Mälaren. The small house (80 square feet featuring little more than two twin beds, a table, a bathroom, and a camping stove) sleeps two and runs for $1,750 a night. The windows looking out into the water don’t offer stunning views of coral reefs or exotic fish, but you may see some perch.

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 >>

What could be more terrifying than talking to someone you're attracted to?

On Valentine's Day, no less?

Luckily, social science has figured out what makes flirting work — or not.

Below, we've rounded up some of the most intriguing findings on the art of flirtation, so you can saunter over to the object of your affection with confidence.

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

SEE ALSO: 15 relationship facts everybody should know before getting married

People flirt for six different reasons

In a 2004 review of the literature on flirting, Northern Illinois University professor David Dryden Henningsen identified six different motivations for the behavior: 

• Sex: trying to get in bed
• Fun: treating it like a sport
• Exploring: trying to see what it would be like to be in a relationship
• Relational: trying to increase the intimacy of a relationship
• Esteem: increasing one's own self esteem
• Instrumental: trying to get something from the other person

In that study, Henningsen asked 101 female and 99 male students to write out a hypothetical flirty conversation between a man and a woman, then identify the motivations for the things they said. 

The behaviors broke down along gender norms: Men were significantly more likely to have a sexual motivation, while women tended to have a relational one.

Couples need to flirt, too

Like Tinder, cats, and dying alone, flirting is usually associated with single people. 

But couples need to know how to flirt, too.

After studying 164 married people for a 2012 study, University of Kentucky researcher Brandi Frisby noted that most of them flirted — by playing "footsies" or whispering in their partner's ear, for example — as a means of maintaining and emphasizing intimacy. Oftentimes, she wrote in her paper, married couples flirted to "create a private world with the spouse." 

Some conversation starters are better than others

For a study in the journal Sex Roles, University of Alaska psychologist Chris L. Kleinke asked 600 respondents to rate the effectiveness of three varieties of opening lines in a flirtatious situation: 

• "Pick-up" lines like "You must be a librarian, because I saw you checking me out" 
• Open-ended, innocuous questions like "What do you think of this band?" or "What team are you rooting for?"
• Direct approaches like "You're cute — can I buy you a drink?" 

The responses were pretty evenly split along gender lines: While the men in the study tended to prefer the more direct approach, the women tended to prefer the open-ended, innocuous questions. Not surprisingly, very few people said they preferred the pick-up lines.

President Donald Trump's new Federal Communications Commission chairman, Ajit Pai, has wasted no time setting his agenda.

Last week, the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau closed multiple inquiries led by former Chairman Tom Wheeler into the data-cap exemption — colloquially known as "zero-rating"— policies of various internet service providers, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Comcast.

Previously, Wheeler, who stepped down once Trump took office, oversaw a monthslong back-and-forth between the FCC and those ISPs. That resulted in the commission casting doubt on the legality of the zero-rating policies of AT&T and, to a lesser extent, Verizon. The concern was that such programs could be anticompetitive and stand in contrast to the net-neutrality rules set by the 2015 Open Internet Order.

Those findings are now moot. Upon closing the inquiries, the WTB said in a notice the results of Wheeler's investigation would have "no legal or other effect or meaning going forward."

Pai reinforced that finality. "These free-data plans have proven to be popular among consumers, particularly low-income Americans, and have enhanced competition in the wireless marketplace," he said in a statement. "Going forward, the Federal Communications Commission will not focus on denying Americans free data."

This is noteworthy.

SEE ALSO: Trump’s new FCC boss could have a lasting effect on the internet — here’s what to watch out for

DON'T MISS: Trump just made a vocal opponent of today's 'open internet' laws the next FCC boss

But first, some context.

Net neutrality is the idea that all lawful internet content should be treated the same. If every site and consumer has the same opportunity on a technical level, the argument goes, every online enterprise can compete on its own merits as much as possible.

Zero-rating, meanwhile, is when an ISP allows certain services to be streamed on its network with no effect on a user's data cap. T-Mobile popularized the trend with programs like Binge On, which zero-rated select video-streaming services so long as they streamed at a lower, non-HD resolution. T-Mobile has since rolled Binge On and its music-streaming counterpart, Music Freedom, into its default unlimited plan.

Since T-Mobile pioneered the trend, zero-rating has become increasingly popular among other carriers:

• Verizon's exclusive partnership with the NFL allows it to zero-rate game streams in the NFL Mobile app. It also zero-rates its fledgling Go90 video service, as well as content from its AOL affiliate.

• AT&T zero-rates the companion app of its DirecTV service, as well as its separate DirecTV Now live-TV-streaming app.

• Sprint has zero-rated select events, albeit on a smaller scale.

• Comcast exempts its Stream TV streaming service from its Xfinity data plans, too — though it justifies doing so by saying that's an "IP cable service" that isn't explicitly streamed over the internet, despite requiring an internet connection to work.

By itself, zero-rating does not necessarily stand opposed to net neutrality. Given how it makes data caps more manageable, even staunch net-neutrality advocates can see areas where zero-rating may be beneficial.

Here's Ernesto Falcon, legislative counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a consumer advocacy nonprofit that has lobbied against zero-rating as it is used today:

"A more logical usage [of zero-rating] would be if I was a cloud system backup program, if I back up your phone on the cloud, I don't need a fast internet connection to make that a feasible product. It'd just be a persistent connection to move your files to a cloud backup. I could then, as an edge provider, say, 'Go ahead and throttle my speed, go ahead and make me as slow as you need, to X percentage, in exchange for making me an off-the-data-cap service.'

"If that was the dynamic, we would be fine. Because it's the people who are being accessed on the internet, and the users, who are controlling that decision-making process."

Nike's HyperAdapt shoes are all about the self-lacing technology embedded inside. This represents a major shift for the brand, and helps explain why the shoe was in development for so long.

But so far, the self-lacing tech has been mostly heard and not seen, as Nike has stayed very quiet about the actual gadgets that went into the making of the shoe.

However, a teardown of the shoe by engineering startup Mindtribe has finally shed some light on the HyperAdapt's internal components.

Here's what they found inside the shoe, which retails for $720.

SEE ALSO: Athleisure is not just a trend — it's a fundamental shift in how Americans dress

The HyperAdapt's technology is unlike any other shoe on the market. It's not just "smart"— it's intelligent.

The "laces" themselves are complicated. There are actually two components: the lace stand-ins, and the much skinnier "Flywire," which is woven through and connected to the motor-tightening mechanism.

Mindtribe found that the laces are made out of a super-tough, liquid crystal, Kevlar-like substance called Vectran.

On August 1, 2016, Brandon — the blogger behind the Mad Fientist, a financial independence blog — retired at 34.

My colleague Libby Kane talked to Brandon— who doesn't use his last name online for privacy reasons — about his journey to early retirement; he revealed that he saved and invested around 70% of his take-home income in order to reach his goal.

After hearing Brandon's story — and so manyotherslike it— I decided to try my hand at saving the majority of my earnings as well.

While I have no plans to retire early, I wanted to see firsthand how attainable that lifestyle is. After crunching the numbers with my editor for a solid half-hour, we concluded there was no way I could put away 70% of my total income for a month and still afford both rent and food, so I aimed to save 50% of my disposable income instead.

Because I live in New York City, my rent is higher than it would be in most places in the country. And since I wasn't going to move out of NYC just for a monthlong experiment, to make the project more realistic I decided to count disposable income as everything after rent. So after paying rent, I put half of what remained of my monthly paycheck in savings and lived off the other half for the entirety of September.

While I'm lucky to have more than enough to continue to live comfortably, it was immediately challenging to adapt to a much lower budget than I was used to. But it didn't prove impossible.

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With 50% of my income in savings, my budget came down to around $550 for the month — after taking out some fixed costs.

After determining how much disposable income I'd have for the month — calculated by subtracting my rent from my monthly take-home income and then dividing by two — I immediately accounted for nonnegotiable expenses. This included $116 toward an unlimited monthly subway pass and $60 dues for a leadership class I'm enrolled in, as well as utilities and tithe.

I'm still on my parents' health insurance, and my gym membership and 401(k) are automatically deducted from my paycheck.

With my fixed costs taken out, I was left with around $550 for the month for everything else, including groceries, laundry, and entertainment.

WEEK 1: I went into the challenge expecting it to be unbelievably hard — especially in New York City.

I'm frugal by nature, but I still love to indulge in everything New York has to offer. While I monitor my spending, I'm quick to say yes to dinners out, ice cream dates, and spontaneous adventures.

I also knew going in that I needed to save up for a bachelorette party I was attending in Nashville at the end of the month. I considered pushing the challenge back a month, since I knew the party would be hard on my budget. But the thing is, there's always something. If it wasn't the bachelorette party this month, it would be attending two weddings in October, going out of town for Thanksgiving in November, or holiday shopping in December.

But once I mentally committed to the challenge — and didn't allow myself any leeway for failure — it became much easier to pare down my spending.

September 1 fell on a Friday, so I started the challenge by tackling weekend spending temptations head-on.

While it's relatively straightforward to curb my spending during the week — pack a lunch every day and hit the gym instead of the bar after work — weekends tend to be full of expensive activities, from late-night cab rides and mozzarella stick deliveries to $18 eggs at brunch the next morning.

I started Labor Day weekend off with breakfast with a friend at an oatmeal bar in the West Village. I was more than ready to fork over $5 for a bowl of hearty oats, but my friend graciously bought mine as a belated birthday gift — before I even had a chance to tell her about my new savings goal. Win!

Besides catching up over breakfast instead of dinner, a few more key decisions kept the three-day weekend under budget. For one, I stayed in town instead of heading out of NYC, as several of my friends did. Because of multiple other trips and weddings lined up for the fall, I opted in June to save money and stay home for Labor Day.