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Goldman Sachs president David Solomon is selling his 'classy and comfortable' Aspen property for $36 million

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david soloman

David Solomon is saying "so long" to Aspen.

The Goldman Sachs president and co-COO is selling his large Colorado estate for $36 million, according to Mansion Global.

Solomon built the home after he bought the property for $4 million in 2005. The 83-acre property comes with a guest house and incredible views of the Colorado scenery.

Michael Latousek of Douglas Elliman has the listing.

SEE ALSO: The foreclosed $50.9 million penthouse on Billionaire's Row is reportedly owned by a Nigerian tycoon who could be hiding on his yacht

The residence lies nestled in the hills of Aspen, Colorado.



It's built to look like a typical log cabin, with huge windows to look out at the sweeping vistas.



The house sits on 83 acres of pristine Colorado land.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

12 incredible, award-winning drone photos that will make you feel like you're flying

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2nd Prize Winner, category people, Waterlily, Vietnam by helios1412

The INSIDER Summary:

  • The 2017 International Drone Photography Contest announced its winners.
  • Categories include People, Nature, and Urban.
  • There's also a new "Creativity" category that isn't ranked.


It's no mystery why photographers around the world rely on drones to capture incredible shots of people, cities, and sweeping landscapes.

Drones take mind-bending photos from perspectives that would be impossible for humans to reach. They show broad, stunning patterns without sacrificing minute details. And they're super fun to play around with.

Dronestagram, a drone photography sharing website and community, teamed up with National Geographic to pick the 12 best pictures out of thousands of entries.

Here are the best drone photographs of 2017.

1st place, People: "End of the line" by Martin Sanchez

"Had the idea of shooting this particular performance a while back, but never found the time or place. This was perfect. After a few takes things got a little weird. Two people came by to play some tennis on the other court. Which no one can disagree, normal thing to do on a tennis court. As they got closer they had no idea what was happening on my end. They seemed very confused watching me just lay on the ground and make weird holding positions. They didn’t know whether to play or call for help. When I was all done, I showed them the somewhat final result and both of them said Ohhhh! I get it."— Martin Sanchez



2nd place, People: "Waterlily" by helios1412

"A woman harvests water lilies in a pond in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam."— helios1412



3rd place, People: "La Vijanera" by feelingmovie

"La Vijanera is a winter carnival that takes place in the town of Silió, in Cantabria (Spain), the first Sunday of each year. This party consists of a group of hunters who want to capture a bear. [...] This photo is the end of the party in which the bear is captured."— feelingmovie



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The Tesla Model 3 is starting production — here's how it's different from the Chevy Bolt (GM, TSLA)

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Chevrolet Bolt 6

The Tesla Model 3 and the Chevy Bolt are both long-range, all-electric cars for the people — each is about $35,000 to $37,000 before tax credits — but they embody very different design philosophies.

The Model 3, which is starting production this month, is the handiwork of Tesla's chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen. When it was unveiled in March 2016, it set a slightly new direction for the carmaker. The front fascia, for example, lacked any conventional automotive cues, such as a grille — an unnecessary element, of course, because Teslas don't need to inhale air to burn gasoline.

The Tesla Model S and Model X would adopt this new language. In any case, the Model 3 continued Tesla's tradition of making its cars look sleek, fast, and sexy. The Model 3 might be for the mass market, but it evokes the luxury EVs that Tesla is selling.

Tesla Model 3

The Bolt is something else altogether: an electric car that aims for practicality over sex appeal, while still serving up some tasty performance. (You can read our review here.) Designer Stuart Norris and the South Korea-based studio made sure the Bolt was roomy inside and provided good cargo capacity.

The Bolt looks much more like an everyday five-door hatchback. In this sense, it's a throwback to some earlier ideas about alternative-fuel vehicles. Think of the Toyota Prius when it arrived — nobody would have called it beautiful. Its appearance advertised its virtue.

It's sexy versus sensible, then, when you put the Bolt and the Model 3 side by side. (By the way, we're talking about the preproduction version of the Model 3. The real deal won't enter our field of vision for a few more months.)

Here's an annotated examination of both vehicles.

SEE ALSO: GM has created an all-electric masterpiece with the Chevy Bolt





See the rest of the story at Business Insider

15 pictures that prove Gal Gadot is a real life 'Wonder Woman'

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wonder woman

The INSIDER Summary: 

  • There's no denying that Gal Gadot is basically a real life goddess.
  • Her Instagram is full of stunning photos and refreshingly real moments.
  • Gadot also supports great causes and has wise words about female empowerment.


The 2017 "Wonder Woman" adaptation has taken the world by storm, proving that women can take the lead in superhero action films, earn a butt-load of money, and good reviews to boot. Gal Gadot originally stole the show in 2016’s "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," despite only being in a handful of scenes, and continues to wow comic book nerds and other moviegoers in her own solo adventure, guided by director Patty Jenkins (who is is rumored to return to direct "Wonder Woman 2"). But while "Wonder Woman" was the first recent success for DC, what about Gadot’s life outside of the DCEU?

While audiences were in awe of her decked out in Diana’s super suit, looking at her in real life, Gal Gadot doesn’t just play a goddess — she is one. Her Instagram game is strong, and the proof is in the pictures. From her early days as Miss Israel to now, she continues to look stunning every step of the way. We have to give serious props to Gadot and her styling team, because we could stare at her all day.

Get ready for an onslaught of star power and fabulousness. These are the 15 Pictures That Prove Gal Gadot Is A Real Life Goddess.

15. The t-shirt

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Much to the disappointment of some, Gal Gadot is already married, having tied the knot with real estate developer Yaron Versano back in 2008. This photo caused a little bit of controversy on Twitter, as her husband was accused of bashing other women while complimenting his wife with a cheeky t-shirt, but it may have been an overreaction. It’s a cute picture that shows how proud and supportive he is of Gadot’s acting career as she continues to gain traction in Hollywood.

As funny as the shirt is given the context, it’s also nice to see Gadot wearing little to no makeup, as she has such a beautiful, naturally fresh face. The photo was so fitting that it went viral on both Instagram and Twitter, likely boosting the t-shirt’s sales.



14. Premiere night

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Gadot was red carpet ready for the "Wonder Woman" premiere, showing how glamorous she can be when she isn’t busy with fight evil. Jenkins and the film’s co-stars look great too, but you can’t help it when your eyes go right to Gadot. Her styling team did a great job with her. Plus, catching part of the movie poster in the background shows a neat contrast between Gadot’s bubbly demeanor and Wonder Woman’s intensity, separating the actress from the character.

Once again, this shot shows that Gadot can rock any hairstyle, whether her hair is tied back or flowing freely. Some people may not be a fan of this look on her, but really, she looks fabulous in anything. Between this dress and her Wonder Woman armor, red is definitely her color.



13. Hat-tastic

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This is a shot from the May 2017 issue of "Grazia China," when Gadot appeared on the cover. It’s a simple shot, slightly less flashy than the actual cover, but she still manages to catch our eyes without actually making eye contact — no “smizing” required.

Some people dislike hats because they might not look good in them, but no funky headgear can detract from Gadot’s gorgeousness. She looks sleek dressed in all black to match her hair, and her ability to rock a hat — any hat — speaks to her versatility in fashion modeling. No wonder she won her country’s national beauty pageant early on in her career.

Gadot should be on more covers, because even after a hit movie in a major franchise, the world needs to see more of her.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

9 proven ways to stay productive at work during the summer

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young woman working outside shutterstock

It's July, which means the weather is nice. I can't blame you if you'd rather be outside than in the office.

The days seem to stretch on forever, while sunlight and chirping birds beckon beyond these walls. But we all have to work. Fortunately, there are a few life hacks that can keep you productive during the summer slump.

Here are some ways to make your daily routine more efficient, lively, and keep you engaged enough so you can be productive during the workday and enjoy yourself outdoors once you clock out.

Take a cold shower in the morning.

Taking a cold morning shower is a productivity hack that works year-round. It can potentially boost your endorphins to a level similar to what they would be after exercise. It's an even more useful tip in the summer, because it can cool your body down and shock you out of the lethargic, comfortable mood that sets in on warm summer days.



Do the most important work earlier in the day.

As summer days stretch on, so do daydreams about strolling through parks and lounging by the beach. For that reason, it's better to get important work done earlier, before the work malaise really sets in.

"Tackle the most important items on your to-do list when your energy levels are high,"Amanda Augustine, a career management expert, told Business Insider. "This is especially important in the summertime when temperatures are sure to continue rising as the day stretches on."

 



Do more communicating in the morning.

Another morning habit to keep during the summer is maximizing your communication. As people take vacation days off and have "summer Fridays," where workplaces reduce working hours on Fridays, it's more important than ever to be on top of communication and coordination. Prioritize your emails, Slack messages, and calendar appointments so projects don't get delayed when someone checks out at noon on a Friday or heads to Spain for a week.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

5 things you never knew about Sofia Vergara

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sofia vergara

Sofia Vergara is a lot more than her beautiful curves and spot-on comedic timing.

The "Modern Family" star has been the highest-paid television actress for five years in a row, but her hard work started years before anyone knew her name.

You may think you know Vergara, who turns 45 on July 10th, but here are five things you probably didn't know about the Colombian beauty.

1. She's a natural blonde.

One of Vergara's earliest success secrets started with being able to recognize what would get her ahead. And, ironically, it started with her head. Known now for her flowing brunette locks, Vergara is a natural blonde. She made the switch to a darker do, because it was more marketable in Hollywood.

"I'm a natural blonde, like my siblings,"Vergara told Parade.

"When I started auditioning for American acting roles, they didn't know where to put me," she continued. "A blonde Latina? In L.A., they're used to Latin women looking more Mexican. But if you go to Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, everybody is blonde."



2. She originally planned to be a dentist.

After high school, Vergara studied to be a dentist.

“I didn’t want to be an actress. I wanted to be a dentist, but you never know what life will bring you,” she told the New York Daily News. “But I can’t complain, I’m happy with what I’ve achieved.”

Her career path would forever be altered one day at the beach.

"I was 17. I was at the beach with my parents and some scout asked to take a Polaroid of me," Vergara told E! of the pivotal moment.

Her first big job was in a 1992 Pepsi commercial.



3. Vergara had a child at just 19 years old.

At 18, Vergara wed José González, who she described to Parade as her “high school sweetheart, the only one." A year later, they had a son, Manolo. But things didn't work out between the couple and a year later, when Vergara was 20, they divorced.

Vergara raised him as a single mother, and Manolo is now 24 years old and has his own modeling career.

Vergara has also found a new love in "True Blood" and "Magic Mike" actor Joe Manganiello, whom she married in November 2015.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 10 best Ikea food court items

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ikea swedish meatballs

The INSIDER Summary: 

  • Ikea's food court is gaining a lot of hype for its low prices and surprisingly good food.
  • Some of the best items include the mashed potatoes, carrot cake and blueberry crumble cheesecake.

When I first think of the Swedish furniture giant, I usually think of Alan keys and every single item of furniture in my first apartment, not necessarily the food. That might be a mistake though. The Ikea food court is starting to generate a lot of hype for its almost unbelievably low prices and surprisingly good food. 

So, to give you guys a guide to the world's largest furniture store's ready-to-eat food options, my friend and I trekked over to our local Ikea and tried almost every single menu item. This list is our 10 favorite items, rated based on appearance, taste, and how fresh we thought it was based on only taste and texture. Enjoy!

#FunFact: Ikea is so big that it's estimated that 10% of all Europeans alive today were conceived on an Ikea bed.

10. Mac and Cheese — $4.99

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Appearance: 8/10

This basic noodle and cheesy sauce mac and cheese lacks some toasty breadcrumbs for texture, but it makes up for it in looking unbelievably creamy and cheesy.

Taste: 6/10

The mac and cheese is good if you're really craving some Kraft Dinner while shopping, but don't expect more quality than KD. That being said, if I was really stressing out, this would be a great comfort food.

Freshness: 7/10

It was hot, tasted like it was made today, and the cheese was gooey (in a good way). It wasn't dried out at all but also didn't taste like it had been freshly made right before our eyes.



9. Chocolate Almond Cake — $1.99

Appearance: 7/10

This ground almond cake coated in butterscotch and milk chocolate doesn't have a great presentation, but being able to see the almond, butterscotch, and chocolate layers was a plus.

Taste: 7/10

This dessert is nice if you're looking for sweet, chocolatey and crunchy. Sometimes a bit too sweet but if you're into that – go for it.

Freshness: 6/10

Probably not made today, but that didn't affect the taste for us.



8. Garlic Bread — 50 cents

Appearance: 8/10

Very golden, like a sun-kissed green-flecked dough masterpiece.

Taste: 7/10

The seasoning and garlic butter are delicious, but not overpowering. Goes really well with the meatballs and gravy but also isn't the best garlic bread I've ever had.

Freshness: 6/10

It had been sitting under heat lamps so it wasn't as crisp as it could have been if it had just come out of the oven, but this is Ikea we're talking about.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A complete timeline of Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's rocky relationship

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Blac Chyna Rob

Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna — whose real name is Angela Renée White — have had a rocky road from basically the very beginning of their relationship.

With familial ties, very public fighting on social media, and allegations of abuse, the two have never ceased to shock and enthrall the public. 

Here's a quick refresher on all that they've been through.

January 2016: A social media photo emerged of the new couple together.

Blac Chyna uploaded a picture of herself with Rob Kardashian in late January 2015 alongside the caption "The beginning ..."People magazine took a screenshot of the now-deleted Instagram post (above).

Immediately, people pointed out how interconnected the two already were. Blac Chyna was previously dating rapper Tyga and the two of them had a child together named King Cairo. Tyga then began dating Rob's sister, Kylie Jenner. Perez Hilton made a graphic of how complicated the family tree could potentially get.

Blac Chyna was reportedly not happy about Tyga and Kylie's relationship and had posted pictures that many thought were meant to mock Kylie and her lip fillers. So, when Rob and Chyna got together, outlets like E! Online reported that Rob's family was "worried."



January 2016: Khloe Kardashian tweeted, "never go against THE family."

The Kardashian family's unease with Rob's new lady was made even more public when his sister Khloe seemed to subtweet the couple with this photo captioned: "Never go against THE family."

Khloe then allegedly threw Rob out of her house where he had been staying because she came home to find him and Chyna inside with empty liquor bottles, TMZ reported at the time.



January 2016: The new couple moved in together, despite the drama.

After being kicked out of Khloe's house, Rob moved into Chyna's place, a source told People magazine

Around this time, Tyga also gave his blessing to the new couple and told the paparazzi that "everyone deserves to be happy." 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

18 pictures that show why Finland is the hot new destination everyone is traveling to this year

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Olavinlinna Castle Finland

Finland offers the best of both worlds.

The country is home to a wide variety of well-preserved wilderness areas and national parks, but also plenty of art and culture in the form of castles, museums, and churches.

While most people think of the Scandanavian nation as a prime destination in the winter months, when it's blanketed in snow, Finland is just as beautiful in the summer.

From a glass igloo in the forest of the Arctic Circle from which to see the Northern Lights to ancient castles built into rock, here's why your next trip should be to Finland.

Helsinki, Finland's capital, is located on a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland. It's a patchwork of colorful art-nouveau buildings, as well as museums, churches, and plenty of green space.



One of Helsinki's most recognizable landmarks is the Uspenski Cathedral, which was completed in 1868, and is the largest orthodox church in Western Europe.

Click here to learn more about Uspenski Cathedral >



The city is also known for Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church), a domed structure that was built directly into a rock face.

Click here to learn more about Temppeliaukio Church >



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 12 countries that spend the highest proportion of GDP on their military

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US Military

The United States regularly has the world's highest military expenditure, and upped its budget to $603 billion (£467 million) this year.

But when military spend is looked at as a percentage of a country's gross domestic product (GDP), the picture is different.

This measurement looks at the relative size of a country's miltary spending, rather than comparing budgets.

Keep scrolling for the top 12 countries. 

12. Yemen — 4.02% of GDP

Population: 27.4 million (48th in the world)

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service, but over 40% of Yemen's population is 14 or younger, and the median age is 19.2.

Yemen has been gripped by civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels took much of the country by force. In response, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies — with assistance from the United States and the UK — launched a drone strike campaign in an attempt to retake territory from the rebels.

Yemen is currently suffering a famine, which the UN has called the world's largest hunger crisis, and an outbreak of cholera.



11. Lebanon — 4.04% of GDP

Population: 6.2 million (108th in the world)

The legal minimum age for voluntary military service is between 17 and 30, and there is no conscription.

Parts of Lebanon are still controlled by Hezbollah — a Shi'a Islamist military group and political party, named as a terrorist organisation by the European Union. Hezbollah was involved in a war with Israel in 2006.

Meanwhile, in 2012 the Syrian conflict spilled into Lebanon, and tensions and violence in the country escalated. According to the UN refugee agency, there are now over one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.



10. Armenia — 4.1% of GDP

Population: 3.1 million (136th in the world)

People between the ages of 18 and 27 are eligible to volunteer for military service, and there is a two-year mandatory conscription period for men.

On Tuesday the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported that Armenia's military forces had violated a ceasefire between the two nations 128 times in 24 hours.

This conflict began in 1988 when Armenia tried to take Azerbaijani territory. The ceasefire was agreed in 1994 following peace negotiations, but tensions remain in the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh region, which has an ethnic Armenian majority.

Last year, violent protests erupted in Armenia's capital, with armed protestors demanding the resignation of President Serzh Sarkisian and the release of opposition leader Jirair Sefilian.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's what you can buy in 10 stunning cities around the world for the price of a one-bed London flat

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Toronto (1)

It's no secret that the price of property in London is high.

The average price for a 385 square foot one-bedroom flat just outside the city centre is £473,073 ($611,304), according to the Nationwide House Price Index — a staggering 100% higher than the UK national average price of £234,794.

But did you know you can get a seven-bedroom mansion, complete with a swimming pool, in South Africa for the same price as a one-bed flat in the UK capital?

International money transfer firm Foreign Exchange investigated the cost of homes in popular cities around the world for British expats. It came up with 10 that offer far better value for money than what you'll find in London.

To produce the list, the average London property price — £473,073 — was converted into the local currencies of the 10 cities that were examined. The company then used this figure to search for properties using online estate agents and property sites, such as Rightmove and Zoopla.

The price of each property was then converted into pounds and the sum was deducted from the average London property price to give a total saving price. The firm also used a historical exchange rate from June 2016 to see how the prices compare to those pre-Brexit, as over the past year, currency fluctuations and the weakened pound has meant that Sterling is valued relatively low.

The average number of bedrooms and square footage of the properties abroad was also calculated to give a size comparison to a one-bed flat in London. Lastly, weekly food costs were examined to help provide a rounded comparison of life overseas and life in London.

On average, Foreign Exchange found properties are over £32,000 cheaper and six times larger abroad. Still, despite London’s astronomical property prices, it was one of the most affordable places to live in terms of the cost of a weekly shop, which came in at £49.

A spokesperson at Foreign Exchange, said: "Some of the findings were quite surprising to us, we were expecting homes abroad to be cheaper but we were not expecting huge size differences and the savings that could be enjoyed from buying abroad."

Scroll down to see what you could buy around the world for the price of an average London property. They are ranked based on bang for your buck, from lowest to highest.

The average price of the property is listed within each picture below. The first figure reflects the property price pre-Brexit, while the second is from June 2017, after Britain's vote to leave the EU.

10. Melbourne, Australia — a three bedroom, two bathroom apartment.

Melbourne in Australia was the city where property had the closest resemblance to London in terms of price and size, according to Foreign Exchange. A three-bedroom apartment could be purchased in the centre of the city for just £18,000 shy of the London price.

The weekly shop was cheaper, though, at £57.



9. Wellington, New Zealand — a three bedroom, one bathroom detached house.

For close to £30,000 less than the cost of a London flat, you can get a detached three-bedroom house with a bathroom, garden, and garage and 2,077 square feet of space in Wellington, New Zealand.



8. Toronto, Canada — a four bedroom, two bathroom detached house.

A big detached house with a garden in the centre of Ontario, Canada's capital, costs £9,889 less than a London flat.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here are the most dramatic photos of protests at the G20 summit in Hamburg

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Hamburg protest July 6

Police and protesters went home bruised on Thursday night after hours of intense demonstrations on the streets of Hamburg, Germany, as the G20 summit got underway.

Cars were set on fire and police used water canon on masked demonstrators in a violent beginning to the international body's first meeting since Donald Trump became US President.

The precise number of protesters who turned out was unclear, but police were preparing to deal with as many as 100,000. At least 75 police officers were hurt throughout the evening. The number of injured protesters is unknown.

Below are some of the most dramatic photos from a night of unrest in Germany.

Some 20,000 police from across Germany came to Hamburg for the protests.



They blocked off streets with armoured vehicles and plastic barricades like this.



Police and protesters met head-on-head in sealed-off streets.



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The 125 most important finance people you have to follow on Twitter

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Twitter

Bill Ackman, one of the most famous hedge fund managers and founder of Pershing Square Capital, joined twitter last week.

While @billackman1 has yet to tweet, some of his rivals and industry counterparts have been tweeting for a while. 

With huge names like Carl Icahn, Ray Dalio, Lloyd Blankfein, Jeff Gundlach and Ben Bernanke spewing 140-character nuggets, the social network is a platform for serious finance gurus.

Beyond the jabberings of the small-time players, these CEOs, hedge funders, and big players have the power to sway markets in 140 characters, and they often take to Twitter to give their two cents. And it's smart stuff.

We asked Business Insider journalists to give us their must-follow tweeters for a mix of sharp analysis, killer humor, serious personality, and breakthrough insight.

If you want to see to all their tweets at once, you can follow the full list on Twitter here.

This is an updated version of last year's list, written by Lucinda Shen and Linette Lopez, which you can find here.

Carl Icahn

Twitter:@Carl_C_Icahn

Occupation: Billionaire investor and chairman of Icahn Enterprises.

Why: He's not super active on Twitter, but he did increase Apple's market cap by $17 billion with two tweets.



Lloyd Blankfein

Handle:@lloydblankfein

Occupation: CEO of Goldman Sachs

Why: A day in the life of a Wall Street executive. 



Ben Bernanke

Handle: @benbernanke

Occupation: Former Fed Chair, distinguished fellows at Brookings Institute.

Why: Since he left his post at the Federal Reserve in 2014, Bernanke has been vocal and opinionated in public about everything from politics to Greek's debt crisis.

Although it seems like his Twitter account recently hit a lull, we're hoping it picks up soon.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

These are all the buildings that have failed fire safety tests since the Grenfell Tower disaster

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Grenfell Tower

Public bodies are scrambling to test hundreds of public buildings in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The blaze, which killed at least 80 people last month, sparked concerns that hundreds more buildings were at risk of burning down in a similar fashion.

It is now believed that aluminium-based cladding material used on the 24-storey west London high-rise helped the fire spread from inside one apartment to devastate the entire building.

At least three large categories are so far being investigated by various branches of government: Residential buildings like Grenfell Tower, NHS properties, and school buildings.

This is all of the information available so far about buildings that have failed fire safety tests. We will update this post every time new figures are announced or specific buildings are identified.

Sheffield Children's Hospital.

In a statement on July 4, the hospital said that the top two floors of the hospital's Stephenson Wing — which do not house patients — had failed the test.

Officials said they will remove the cladding, and said that the hospital "remains a safe place to visit" in the meantime.



Office building, King's College hospital.

On July 4, a central NHS body announced that a building on the estate of King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, south London, had failed a safety check.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said the building was an office building which does not house patients. It has already been stripped of its cladding.

The spokeswoman declined to identify the building in photographs.



North Middlesex Hospital.

A statement on July 4 confirmed that "cladding on the main building which includes the main outpatient, day surgery, link corridors, and office facilities failed the fire resistance test."

Hospital officials said they would start to address the problem in "the coming weeks."



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The 23 hottest books of the summer, according to readers

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

unnamed 1I turn to Goodreads for reading recommendations whenever I'm looking for a new book.

The website's recommendation engine analyzes 20 billion data points to give suggestions tailored to my literary tastes — and they're spot-on most of the time.

To help guide your summer reading, Goodreads crunched the numbers to find the new and upcoming books its members love right now.

Paula Hawkins' "Into the Water" is making waves in mystery, and sequels from Sarah J. Maas and Cassandra Clare have cast their spell on YA readers, but aside from the titles everyone already knows about, the site wanted to bring its readers the big books that combine popularity with high marks. That's why every book on this list has a rating of four stars or higher.

Keep scrolling to see 23 books you'll see at the beach a lot this summer:

FICTION: "Beartown" by Fredrik Backman

In a small town nestled deep in the forest, a community in crisis looks to junior ice hockey for hope and redemption.

Rating: 4.37

Read reviews on Goodreads here »

Buy the book here »



FICTION: "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman

Meet Eleanor, a quirky loner who slowly learns she's capable of friendship (and maybe even love) after saving an elderly man's life.

Rating: 4.31

Read reviews on Goodreads here »

Buy the book here »



FICTION: "Rich People Problems" by Kevin Kwan

A massive fortune's up for grabs and scandal looms in this hilarious new installment in the Crazy Rich Asians series.

Editor's note: I'm low-key obsessed with this series and can't wait to read the latest installment.

Rating: 4.05

Read reviews on Goodreads here »

Buy the book here »



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Tesla's very first Model 3 could roll off the line today — here's what you need to know (TSLA)

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Tesla Model 3

Tesla is expecting to have a very big day.

The very first Model 3 is expected to roll off the assembly line. It will mark the start of production for Tesla's first mass-market car.

There will be handover party for the very first 30 Model 3 customers on July 28. Tesla will then ramp up production to 1,500 cars in September and, ultimately, 20,000 cars per month by December. 

Tesla first unveiled the car last March and secured roughly 400,000 customers pre-orders for the vehicle.

We broke down everything you need to know about the Model 3 — here's a closer look:

SEE ALSO: Tesla's Autopilot just got a big update — here's everything you need to know

First, the basics. Tesla will offer at least four color options for the Model 3: red, silver, metallic gray, and black.



Tesla's big selling point for the Model 3 is its affordability, with a starting price of $35,000 before tax incentives. But for customers who want the full Tesla experience, however, the final price will most likely surpass $40,000.

It's unclear whether customers who buy the Tesla Model 3 will be eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax incentive — that credit applies only to the first 200,000 cars a manufacturer sells domestically.

Tesla globally sold about 80,000 vehicles in 2016 and about 50,000 vehicles in 2015. Factoring cars sold since 2008, Tesla will be cutting it close to 200,000 vehicles by the time deliveries begin at the end of the year. 

But the credit doesn't disappear the second an automaker hits 200,000 vehicles. Instead, the credit would first fall by 50%, CNN reported.

On its website, Tesla doesn't make any guarantees about the federal tax incentive.

"We are committed to providing you with the most current information about incentives at the time of purchase. We'll do the same when it's time for confirming your Model 3 order,"the website says.

Tesla's new Autopilot system will also cost at least $5,000, but more on that later.



Tesla says the car will be able to drive at least 215 miles on a single charge. That's pretty darn good for a $35,000 car!

The latest models of the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Ioniq Electric cost about $30,000 but have more limited ranges: 107 miles and 124 miles, respectively.

The Model 3 will compete more closely with the Chevy Bolt, which can drive 238 miles on a single charge and starts at $37,495.



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How I became a 401(k) millionaire — and how you can, too

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wealthy suit summer

If you ever doubted the power of a 401(k), this should help remind you again. Fritz from The Retirement Manifesto shares his story (and love) for his 401(k).

A few weeks ago, J$ shared a CNN piece on "401(k) Millionaires" over on his Rockstar Forums. When I replied that I, too, was a 401(k) Millionaire, he invited me to tell my story and I agreed to do so in complete and transparent detail.

Learn from it, apply the lessons, and you, too, can become a millionaire!

The original story on becoming a 401(k) millionaire cited five steps, of which I followed every last one, as well as four others I've learned throughout my life. I will be telling my story using all nine of these steps, and will show you how they have helped my wife and I become 401(k) millionaires ourselves.

1. Start young

On July 5, 1985 I started my first "career" job. At 22 years of age, and just one month out of college, I was pleased with my $21,500 starting salary. During my orientation, I signed up for our "new" 401(k) plan, and contributed from my very first paycheck.

Unfortunately, I've lost track of my exact 401(k) contribution percentages early in my career. I believe I started at 6% (don't give up that employer match!), and I gradually increased it through the years. As I became more knowledgeable about personal finance, I got much more aggressive in my contributions.

I've been contributing 15% or more for at least two decades now, and I max out my 401(k) every year. I've never taken any money out of my 401(k). Invest it, and forget it.

My daughter just started her first "real job" as a police officer, and we taught her the first six steps to financial wealth. Before she received her first paycheck, we set her up with a Vanguard Roth and a Capital One savings account. We're teaching her the lessons we learned early, and I've no doubt she'll see the benefits of starting young as she goes through life.



2. Crush it early

While a lot of folks focus on frugality as a key to wealth creation, a much bigger lever is to maximize your earning potential. Early in your career, go above and beyond to create your professional reputation. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and it’s never more important to impress the right people than in the first few years of your career. When the right folks notice early, you’ll be naturally propelled in the first decade of your career, and much better positioned for lifetime advancement and wealth creation.

I was fortunate to impress some of the right folks early in my career, and was offered my first promotion within 18 months. A bit of luck always helps, and the reality is that my promotion was driven by the closing of the plant where I was working, and my company’s desire to keep me in their employment. I’ll never regret going above and beyond in those first 18 months. It saved my job, and I gained a promotion in the process. Almost everyone else I worked with found themselves unexpectedly unemployed. I was one of the lucky ones, but I also worked hard for that opportunity.

Moving from an "internal" customer service role to an "external" sales role, I saw my salary increase to $29,800 with my first relocation to our Dallas, Texas sales office in December 1986. In 1988, I received (earned?) my second promotion, this time from "sales trainee" to a full fledged "sales representative" with another relocation (this time to Atlanta, GA) and another salary bump.

Within five years, I had doubled my salary through hard work, making positive impressions, and having a competitor pursue me (unsolicited, but I listened. After careful consideration, I told my boss about the offer, and received a nice "mid-year" retention bump as a result).

Every time my salary increased, my wife and I took a portion of the increase and nudged up our 401(k) contributions before we ever saw the money.

Our Net Worth in 1988: $9,996.73

Looking through my files for this article, the earliest 401(k) statement I could find was from June 1988. At this point, I had been in my career for exactly 3 years. I had been married for less than a year, and my wife and I were $3.27 short of the $10k mark in my 401(k).

When we got married in 1987, my wife began work as an executive assistant. Knowing we wanted her to be able to be a stay-at-home mom when that time came, we increased my 401(k) and set up some ACH transfers to mutual funds, resulting in us saving the equivalent of 100% of her paycheck.

This allowed us to avoid getting used to her income, as well as the mistake of getting into obligations that required her pay for expense coverage. When we adopted our daughter in 1994, my wife simply "retired" (at age 31, lucky girl!), and we cut back a bit on our savings to keep our take home pay constant.

From 1987 to 1994, our 401(k) balance increased from $10k to $59k as a result of that decision, and set us on the path toward our eventual "401(k) millionaire" status.



3. Seek opportunities for exposure

By 1990, I started getting more involved with a broader communication effort around the organization. One of those initiatives was to visit our plants with a 'commercial update,' providing our plant workers a report from the 'front lines' on what was happening with our customers and marketplace. I was 27 years old, and giving presentations to a room full of shop floor personnel.

Seek opportunities! The effort paid off with even more folks starting to recognize me as a 'young guy with potential,' and my reputation continued to grow.



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Kellyanne Conway gets a high White House salary, but she made a ton of money before joining Trump — here's how she made and spends her $39 million fortune

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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his campaign manager Kellyanne Conway greet supporters during his election night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 9, 2016.

Kellyanne Conway's net worth is higher than you might think. And her recent career climb — from the strategist behind Donald Trump's rise to his campaign manager to his White House counselor — has been closely watched by the media.

But when Conway joined the Trump administration, she and her husband, New York City lawyer George Conway, disclosed assets worth up to $39.3 million. Much of that wealth comes from Kellyanne's political-polling business, which she started in 1995, at the age of 28.

Today, Conway is earning an annual salary of $179,700, according to the Staff Salaries report that was published by the White House on June 30. 

Here's how she has amassed her fortune — and spent it — since graduating law school.

SEE ALSO: Here's everything we know about Trump's 26-year-old executive assistant who makes $95,000 a year

After graduating from law school at George Washington University, Conway worked as an assistant at a firm headed by Richard Wirthlin, who was President Ronald Reagan's pollster and strategist. She later worked with Newt Gingrich in the 1990s.

Source: The New Yorker



In 1995, at the age of 28, Conway founded The Polling Company. New York magazine reported that Conway quickly recognized "there was money to be made" in advising private corporations and politicians on how women vote.

Source: New York magazine



During the '90s, Conway began making regular TV appearances along with other political commentators like Ann Coulter.



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'Super Mario' meets Monopoly in the new 'Gamer Edition' of the board game

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Long before kids around the world experienced the joy of carefully maneuvering an Italian plumber past perilous pits and grumpy goombas, there was Monopoly. The game initially launched all the way back in 1935.

In 2017, the 80-plus-year-old board game is getting a new version explicitly intended to address the new generations who grew up with the likes of Super Mario.

Monopoly Gamer Edition (Nintendo)

The new game, dubbed "Monopoly Gamer Edition," arrives this August. But this isn't your grandma's Monopoly. Here's what's new in the "Gamer Edition" of Monopoly:

SEE ALSO: This incredible mom created an enormous Nintendo-themed game room for her kids

DON'T MISS: Nintendo's new console is having an incredible run, and the future looks even brighter

Despite the name, this is really more "Super Mario Monopoly" than anything else. Every character, from Donkey Kong to Mario to Boo to Wario, is pulled from the world of Super Mario.



That theme extends to the game board itself, which is literally a series of Super Mario worlds. You use gold coins to buy land, and each character has their own "power-up" that has in-game effects.



You'll get a hefty box of stuff for the $24.99 it costs: the game board itself, various cards associated with gameplay, a bunch of gold coins, and four characters.



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The best external hard drives you can buy

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The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

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The Insider Pick:

  • A portable hard drive can make it much easier to transfer your data from place to place. Not only is the Western Digital Elements 2TB Hard Drive fast, it also offers a hefty 2TB of storage, which should be plenty for most people's needs.

While much of the world is moving toward cloud storage, a great external hard drive can still be an extremely helpful tool, especially if your internet connection is spotty or you simply want to move files around without having to rely on cloud storage.

Of course, there are a ton of external hard drives to choose from, and they’re not all equal. A lot of work and development has gone into building on storage technology over the last few years, and as such, they’ve gotten a lot better.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re in the market for a new portable hard drive. For starters, you’ll want to consider the type of hard drive you want.

  • HHD vs. SSD: There are two main types: HHDs, or hard disk drives, and SSDs, or solid state drives. The difference is pretty important. HHDs store information on a spinning disk and that disk can be a source of hard drive failure. SSDs, on the other hand, have no moving parts and are thus more reliable as portable hard drives. The trade off is that SSDs are a lot more expensive.
  • Storage amount: You’ll also want to consider how much storage you need. If you’re a videographer or photographer, chances are you could easily fill up a hard drive quickly, so you’ll want a higher-capacity drive. If on the other hand, you’re simply transferring Microsoft Word documents to and from work, then you won’t need as much storage and could save a few bucks by getting a lower storage drive.
  • Connection: Next up, you’ll want to think about the kind of connection you want your hard drive to connect through. The vast majority of external hard drives connect to a computer through USB, and nowadays it’s through USB 3.0, but there are still some USB 2.0-capable hard drives. There are also plenty of hard drives that connect though Firewire, and some that even connect through Thunderbolt.
  • Operating system: Last but not least is operating system-compatibility. Now, most hard drives can be formatted to work with both macOS and Windows, and you’ll be able to set that up when you first get the hard drive. Some, however, are pre-formatted, so you don’t have to worry about formatting.
  • Make two copies in different locations: A quick note about hard drives: none of these are 100% reliable. You should always have two copies of your data in different locations. Hard drive failures happen to even the most reliable of drives, and you don’t want to be stuck losing valuable data.

We've scoured external hard drive reviews on the web from experts and users to find the best hard drives for every use case. We've included hard drives with a ton of space, smaller ones, affordable options, and more. Read on to learn more about our top picks and find which one is best for you.

If you're looking for more great tech, you should check out our guides to the best e-readers, the best computer mice, the best wireless Bluetooth headphones, the best smartwatches, the best Bluetooth keyboards, the best home projectors, the best home security cameras, the best Android tablet, the best battery packs, the best Micro USB cables, the best lightning cables, the best USB-C cables, and more on Insider Picks.

Although the Western Digital Elements 2TB Hard Drive is our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Seagate Expansion 4TB Hard Drive, the G-Technology 1TB G-Drive, the Samsung T3 500GB Hard Drive, and the Seagate Backup Plus 4TB Hard Drive.

SEE ALSO: This should be your next external hard drive — here's why

The best portable external hard drive overall

Why you'll love it: The Western Digital Elements 2TB Hard Drive offers a relatively high storage capacity and USB 3.0 connectivity, but it only costs $75.

Western Digital has long been a leading name in the hard drive world, both for internal and external hard drives. The company’s hard drives are affordable and generally reliable, provided you take care of them. The Western Digital Elements 2TB hard drive offers the best bang for your buck.

For starters, this hard drive boasts a hefty 2TB of storage, which should be plenty for almost everyone. Even those with larger storage needs should be able to get a good amount of use out of this hard drive.

When it comes to connection speeds, the drive can connect through USB 3.0, and as such, it’ll offer speeds of up to 5Gb/s, which really fast. While it comes formatted for Windows, it can easily be reformatted for Mac users or for those who use both systems.

The pricing of the hard drive isn’t all that bad either. It’ll come in at $75, though if you want, you can pay $55 for a 1TB version. The drive has an average of 4.6 stars on Amazon, which is a pretty excellent score. Those who didn’t like it cited things like its write speed, which is 5,400 rotations per minute, as opposed to 7,200. For that reason, if you’re planning on using the drive for video or audio editing, you might have some issues. However, for most people's needs, it's a great option.

Pros: Excellent value for money, USB 3.0, relatively high storage capacity

Cons: Somewhat low write speed

Buy the Western Digital Elements 2TB hard drive on Amazon for $74.99 (originally $129.99)



The best high-capacity external hard drive

Why you'll love it: The Seagate Expansion 4TB hard drive is built by a well-known and generally reliable company, and it offers a massive 4TB of data.

Another major hard drive company is Seagate, which has been making great hard drives for some time. If you’re looking for something with a slightly higher capacity than the 2TB Western Digital Drive, then doubling that with a Seagate drive may be worth it.

Apart from the massive 4TB capacity, the Seagate Expansion offers a USB 3.0 connection, which also powers the drive, so you won’t need any external power source. While it does connect through USB 3.0, it is backward compatible with USB 2.0, so you won’t need to worry if you have a slightly older machine.

The drive, by default, is formatted for Windows computers, though you can reformat it to work better on Macs if you need it to. Perhaps the best thing about the drive, however, is its price. The $119.99 price tag for a 4TB drive is far better than what you would find from many other brands. Its 4.3 star average on Amazon is pretty nice, too.

There are a few negatives to consider here. As mentioned, it’s formatted by default for Windows machines, so if you’re a Mac owner who's not comfortable with reformatting a hard drive, you may want to look elsewhere. Not only that, but some users have noted reliability issues, so if you do go for this drive you should definitely follow the rule of always having two copies of your data in different locations.

For the most part, this is a great option for people who need a ton of storage for high-capacity files.

Pros: Lots of storage, USB 3.0, nice value for money

Cons: Not the best for Mac owners, some users have noted reliability issues

Buy the Seagate Expansion 4TB hard drive on Amazon for $119.99 



The best 7,200RPM speed external hard drive

Why you'll love it: The G-Technology G-Drive has 1TB of storage and a USB 3.0 connection, but its best feature is its fast 7,200RPM speed.

While 5,400RPM hard drives seem to be the standard for external drives, some people need faster read and write speeds. That’s where 7,200RPM drives come in. If you’re planning on editing audio or video on a hard drive, then you might want to buy one of these faster ones.

In our experience, the best 7,200RPM portable hard drive is the G-Technology G-Drive, which costs $80 and offers 1TB of storage. The drive connects through USB 3.0, so you’ll be able to take advantage of those faster speeds.

Unlike many other hard drives, this hard drive comes pre-formatted for Mac and not Windows, though Windows users can easily reformat the drive for use on a Windows machine. That’s likely because it’s targeted at media professionals, who tend to choose macOS over Windows. The drive also offers a three-year limited warranty, so you're covered if you run into problems.

There are a few downsides to consider. Because of the fact that the drive has a faster speed, it is a little more expensive than some others, especially for the amount of storage it has to offer. Still, with its 4.3-star rating on Amazon, most customers seem to be more than happy with the value for money.

Pros: Higher read and write speeds, three-year warranty

Cons: Not great for Windows, a little pricey

Buy the G-Technology G-Drive on Amazon for $79.95 (originally $99.99) 



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