Weather apps are the new Twitter apps.

For a time, designers put their efforts into making cool Twitter apps. Twitter apps were a way to play around with different design ideas, while still appealing to a broad base of users.

Twitter basically shut down all the third party apps. It wanted to take control of its platform, so the creativity in Twitter apps is pretty much dead.

Now, it seems like designers are putting their effort into weather apps. It feels like every day there's a new take on the weather application.

Weather is even more popular than Twitter, so it makes sense. There's a broad base of people that want to know the weather.

While The Weather Channel's application is by far the most accurate, it's not the best looking. It has clunky looking banner ads, and a somewhat cluttered, boring design for the iPhone.

This morning, Yahoo is entering the fray with its own slick looking weather app. The data for its weather comes from Weather Underground, which is owned by the Weather Channel. It's basically the same forecasting data set as the Weather Channel.

A weather app from Yahoo might seem lame. After all, everyone else is doing it. And, as far as we can tell, there are no ads in it, so it's not going to make any money.

Our guess is that it's partly symbolic, and partly a Trojan horse.

The symbolism: Yahoo, for a long time, took a long time to get things done. Now it's firing out new products. Not just any products, either. Mobile applications, which is a big emphasis point for CEO Marissa Mayer.

The Trojan horse: The app has a panel that advertises all the other Yahoo apps you can download. If Yahoo's weather app becomes popular it should tip over to Yahoo's other apps, leading to more people using Yahoo's mobile properties.

We've taken a few screenshots to give you a sense of what the app looks like.

At first it looks like you're getting some standard Yahoo colors and designs.

Then you see this screen which gives you instructions on how to you use the app. (Totally unnecessary, you can figure it out.)

And here's the app. It uses photos from Flickr as the background.

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The lead ship in a new class of carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is the most expensive piece of military equipment ever created. And it now has a perfectly-laid flight deck that could one day see 6th generation fighters screeching across its surface.

Check out the Ford >

The Ford will run about $11.5 billion, with three ships costing about $40.2 billion.

Even given these generous estimates, the Navy figures that the USS Gerald R. Ford could cost as much as $1.1 billion more than planned, making it far and away the service's most expensive warship.

Bloomberg reported the Ford's rising costs in August, when planners understood their worst-case assessment would put the carrier at about 21 percent over its target cost (via Hampton Roads).

Currently assembled in Newport News, Virginia, the Ford-class will replace the Nimitz-class carriers and will include an array of new technology.

• Advanced arresting gear used to grab planes as they land on the deck.
• Automation, which reduces crew requirements by several hundred from the Nimitz class carrier.
• The updated RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile system.
• AN/SPY-3 dual-band radar (DBR), as developed for Zumwalt class destroyers.
• An Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) in place of traditional steam catapults for launching aircraft.
• A new nuclear reactor design (the A1B reactor) for greater power generation.
• Stealthier features to help reduce radar profile.
• The ability to launch the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, and the F-35C Lightning II.

With fewer crew and the most modern equipment, the Navy hopes to reduce thecost of future carriers while an improved design of the ship's "island" will allow more sorties to be flown per day than before.

The Ford is expected to hit the water in 2015, with a 10 carrier fleet hoped for by 2040.

A 2004 artist's rendition of the USS Gerald R. Ford, three years before construction began in 2007. A wide open deck will allow more planes to take off and land than previous carriers.

This layout from Northrop Grumman provides an idea of the carrier's layout

The F/A-18 Super Hornets will be a regular fixture on the Ford and have been in service since 1995

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2013 was yet another great year for NBA GIFs.

Whether it's Chris Bosh being goofy, Kobe Bryant staring daggers at his coach, or Rasheed Wallace being Rasheed Wallace, the NBA tends to bring the GIFs harder than any other sport.

We picked out our 20 favorites.

Hawks kid ogles a cheerleader

Kobe death stare

LeBron tackles half-court shot guy

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Yale is one of the best universities in the U.S. — if not the world.

Each year, it attracts top high school applicants, this year had a record-low acceptance rate of 6.7%.

As a result, Yale has some pretty remarkable students. We found 26 particularly impressive undergraduates at Yale.

They're entrepreneurs, composers, athletes, scientists and writers who are making a difference in the world.

Jenny Bright is a Rhodes Scholar who was editor-in-chief of the Yale undergraduate Law Review.

Class of 2013

Bright is finishing her senior thesis on public-health initiatives under the Bloomberg administration, specifically critiquing the process of policy making behind the 2002 smoking restrictions, the 2008 trans-fat restriction, and the recent attempt to limit the portion size of soda.

She was editor-in-chief of the Yale undergraduate Law Review, and was President of the Urban Collective, a group of undergraduates who are interested in urban studies who come together to discuss topics relevant to cities.

In November, she was named a Rhodes Scholar and will pursue a Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford next year.

She hopes that her studies in the U.K. will allow her to ground her interest in urban health in a public-policy foundation.

Eventually, she wants to attend law school.

Victoria Buhler ran Yale's Model United Nations team and is interested in international relations.

Class of 2013

Buhler works with Professors Robert Shiller and Mobel laureate George Akerlof as a research assistant for their upcoming behavioral economics book.

She ran Yale's Model United Nations team. They had an undefeated season including winning at the largest national competition.

She edited the Yale Economic Review, and used to teach international relations to local New Haven high school students.

Recently, one of her papers was used as the basis for David Brook's Op-Ed column in the New York Times.

Next year she will be studying international relations at Cambridge before returning to the Boston Consulting Group.

Kevin Daly recovered from a severe boating accident to become captain of the rugby team.

Class of 2014

During Daly's junior year of high school, he had a severe boating injury when his leg was run over by a propeller.

He was completely out of athletic activities for a while, but used rugby as a recovery method and a way to return to competitive sports. Eventually, he became captain of the Yale University Rugby Club.

Daly is also on the Model United Nations team, and won Best Delegate in the largest delegation at Nationals last year.

He is very involved with his fraternity, serving as social and rush chair.

Daly plans to write his senior essay on Irish ideas of sovereignty during the Euro Zone crisis.

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There's a Tumblr, 100 Percent Men, circulating right now that highlights all the organizations that are led, and have historically been led by only men.

Created by Lydia DePillis, a staff writer at the New Republic, the site is meant to bring awareness to how far our society is from true gender equality. DePillis doesn't offer much commentary, beyond a description at the top of the site: "Corners of the world where women have yet to tread. Shine a light."

Rebecca Greenfield at The Atlantic writes that "DePillis says she had 'no proactive intent' when creating the site, the natural order of things suggests awareness will facilitate change."

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg discussed the issue of gender equality in her controversial book, "Lean In." Sandberg has been outspoken about how we're in a "stalled revolution" for women, and points out in her book that currently women hold 16 percent of board seats and only 21 of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

"Every commissioner ever of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, National Hockey League, and National Basketball Association."

"Every CEO of every airline in the Star Alliance and every CEO of every airline in oneworld."

"Secretaries General of the United Nations."

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LinkedIn is on a tear.

The professional social network is growing fast, particularly in mobile.

With this in mind, the company launched a complete overhaul to its iPhone app today.

LinkedIn's mobile traffic has spiked from 15% of its total a year ago to 27% this year, according to the company.

Based on these data, the company is placing an increased focus on its mobile offerings.

The new app streamlines the user experience and makes it much easier to get around. One of the core principles behind the app's development was to help users get to features in one tap instead of three or four like before.

The app update is free and available for iPhone.

LinkedIn's iPhone app just went through a huge make over. To see the new changes, first hand head to the App Store on your iPhone. It'll be under updates section if you already have the older version of LinkedIn installed on your phone.

Once you've downloaded the update, tap to open.

You'll be greeted by a new visual.

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Thailand's Songkran New Year Festival used to signify a cleansing of bad luck and a new beginning. The younger generation would ask for the blessings of their elders, and pour scented water over their hands as a sign of respect.

Now, it's an all-out water war. People take to the streets with hoses, buckets, and water guns as they try to get everyone around them as sopping wet as possible.

Though Thailand is not the only country to hold the nation-wide water fight, it is the most famous. Tourists come from all over the world just to be a part of the wet and wild activities.

But there is a darker side to the celebration — the traffic accident death toll usually doubles during this time of year since all the festivals lead to widespread drunk driving.

Some people in Thailand still observe the old Songkran tradition of washing their elders' hands with scented water to show respect.

But most just join in the all-day water fight that rages in the streets.

Hoses, buckets, and squirt guns are the favorite weapons for those celebrating the New Year.

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Detroit was one of the hardest-hit cities in America during the recession.

Its auto industry, which helped build America's middle class, needed multiple government bailouts.

Unemployment rose to 20% in the city in 2011, but could have been as high as 50% if you include people who stopped looking for work. 

But every bad situation has a silver lining. The lack of enterprise and abundance of failed businesses left great opportunities for newer and cooler businesses.

From restaurants and bars to bike shops and tech startups, these are the coolest businesses in Detroit.

Are You A Human

Website only

What it is: A tech startup

Why it's cool: When submitting a form online, most websites often have a human verification step where you type in a series of numbers and letters. This technology is used to prevent bots from submitting the form over and over.

Are You A Human uses mini games to verify that you are in fact a human, which leads to 40% more submissions than the typical CAPTCHA technology.

AutoBike

Website only

What it is: A company that makes bicycles

Why it's cool: This isn't your average bicycle. Autobike has come up with a new feature that lets your bike change gears automatically.

Now you can ride without pressing levers, and you will always be in the perfect gear.

The Batata Shop

511 West Canfield

What it is: A restaurant that serves homemade comfort food made from sweet potatoes

Why it's cool: The Batata Shop makes all of its food from scratch using fresh, homemade ingredients. Batata means sweet potato, and the restaurant uses sweet potatoes in many of its recipes including in their waffles, pancakes, and biscuits.

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An academic, who was fired from being the British government's drug tsar for saying ecstasy was as safe as horseback riding, recently said cocaine use is what caused the financial crisis.

Professor David Nutt, who teaches neuropsychopharmacology, told the Sunday Times that coke made bankers overconfident leading them to take enormous risks, the Telegraph reported.

We're not sure we buy his argument, but we have dug up some of the crazy tales of Wall Streeters and cocaine. 

In 1987, 16 brokers were arrested during a cocaine bust called 'Operation Buy and Cry'

Months before the market crash of 1987, there was a drug crackdown so-called "Operation Buy and Cry."

It was called that because when they would be caught buying the illicit drug, they would cry because they destroyed their careers, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Mid-way through the month of April of 1987, authorities had busted more than a hundred as part of the operation.

During one of those stings, which was code-named "Operation Closing Bell," a bunch of Wall Streeters were arrested for cocaine.  What's even crazier is they were selling the drug for stocks and information.

Source: Chicago Tribune

There was a time when buying coke on Wall Street was as easy as making a trip to TGI Fridays

The Trinity Place location of TGI Fridays was busted in 2009 for selling marijuana and cocaine to its Wall Street patrons. 

According a report from The New York Times, the bartender would pass the drugs folded up in napkins, in exchange for cash. The dealer/bartenders reportedly sold drugs to undercover cops over a dozen times.

As they say: "In here, it's always Friday"

Source: The New York Times

Jordan Belfort admitted he had a daily regimen of cocaine and quaaludes in his memoir, The Wolf of Wall Street

And it's not surprising that it didn't end well. He ran notorious Stratton Oakmont brokerage house with a recklessness immortalized in the 2000 film "The Boiler Room."

On this cocaine diet Belfort managed to crash a helicopter, crash his Mercedes into five other vehicles and sink a yacht, all while laundering money to Switzerland and performing pump and dump schemes to boost his own income.  

Source: CNBC.com

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The Texas town of West was hit by a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant last night.

Initial estimates were that between 5 and 15 people were killed by the blast, and more than a hundred injured.

Photos and video from last night showed the scale of the explosion and the fire that caused it. Now, in the cold light of day, we can see the devastation wrought on the small town of less than 3,000.

SEE ALSO: Photos Of The Aftermath Of The Explosion Last Night >

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This week, 34 people were indicted after two related gambling rings were uncovered that catered to A-list clientele and Russian oligarchs.

One of them was Hillel "Helly" Nahmad, a notorious Manhattan art dealer who runs an eponymous New York Gallery in the Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side. He was arrested in Los Angeles Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

According to the FBI's indictment, Nahmad had allegedly been helping to run and fund a gambling ring that catered to celebrities, Wall Streeters, and professional athletes. He was accused of making two wire transfers totaling $1.35 million from his father's bank account in Switzerland to help keep the scheme afloat, according to Forbes. 

So who is Hillel "Helly" Nahmad?

The 34-year-old was born into art dealing royalty. By the time of his birth in the late '70s, Nahmad's father David and uncle Giseppe "Joe" Nahmad had made a name for themselves by buying works of art in Paris for cheap due to a declining art market, and making profits of 50% to 100% by re-selling them in Milan, according to Forbes.

Joe lived lavishly with expensive cars, apartments all around the world, and famous companions like Rita Hayworth, and his brother David is today worth an estimated $1.75 billion by Forbes. The entire family's worth is thought to be more than $3 billion.

Helly Nahmad attended the prestigious Dalton School in Manhattan in the mid '90s. In 1997, he dropped out of a Christie's art course, and that appears to have been his last brush with higher education.

The art dealing prodigy is known outside of the art world as a frequent partier who spends upwards of $5,000 to $10,000 on bottle service at exclusive clubs, according to Page Six.

His circle of friends includes A-list celebrities like Giselle Bundchen, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Orlando Bloom. He even dated Brazilian model Ana Beatriz Barros, though the couple has since broken up.

Nahmad is a known gambler and huge sports fan. One New York Post article even described him as betting on games while sitting next to Spike Lee on the floor of Madison Square Garden.

Outside the art world, Nahmad has a thing for real estate. Not only does he own a $9 million penthouse at Bellini Bal Harbor in Miami, but he has been amassing all the apartments on the 51st floor of the Trump Tower for the last decade. This year, he finally completed his collection and now owns the entire floor, according to The New York Observer.

This is not his first brush with the law. In 2011, the grandson of a Jewish art dealer sued Nahmad, asking him to return a $25 million Modigliani painting that was allegedly stolen and sold by the Nazis during WWII, according to The Daily Mail.

His recent trouble with the FBI this week only adds to the family's controversial name in the art world. In a Forbes feature on the family from 2007, multiple sources in the art world claimed that the Nahmads did not stay true to their word on deals and were hard to work with due to "screaming fights in the gallery."

But given the family's wealth and sway in the art world, we don't expect Nahmad to fade from the spotlight anytime soon.

SEE ALSO: Meet The Four Fabulous Heiresses To The Clarins Cosmetics Fortune

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Today is the 90th anniversary of the first game at the original Yankee Stadium in 1923.

On that day, the Yankees beat the Red Sox 4-1. The big blow in the debut of "The House that Ruth Built," was, of course, delivered by Babe Ruth, who hit a 3-run home run.

The game itself was just one part of a larger celebration on that day as 74,200 fans packed the new stadium to be a part of the event. On the next few pages, we will take a look at some photos that were taken during the inaugural game.

The photos are mesmerizing and capture just how much both the Yankees' home park and the game has changed in 90 years.

Here is a view from outside the stadium about two weeks before the first game. It looks like it was built in the middle of nowhere.

Here are fans waiting outside for tickets that cost just $1.10. That's about $15 in today's dollars adjusted for inflation.

The stadium was much more open than stadiums are today. In the lower-right, you can see Governor Alfred E. Smith preparing to throw the ceremonial first pitch.

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With May right around the corner, this is just about the time when the college class of 2013 starts to sweat.

For seniors lucky enough to have already lined up a first job, kudos. The hard part is over.

For the other 99% of 20-somethings on the cusp of launching their career, there's just one question to answer: Where do you want to go next? 

The ideal city should have a few things going for it: A strong youth job market (as of March, the unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds in December was 11.7% –– not pretty), a good vibe for young professionals, and a low cost of living.

Whether you're more interested in picking a town flush with jobs in your field of study or are looking for a place where you won't have to live hand to mouth, here's a list of 10 cities that appeal the most to post-graduates, with help from Rent.com.

*All labor stats are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistic's Feb. 2013 report on Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas.

Atlanta, Ga.

Mean annual income: $46,570

Median price for a one bedroom: $880

Unemployment rate: 8.3% (lowest rate since December 2008)

The vibe: A mix of Southern and international flare give Atlanta the kind of diversity that may appeal to small town graduates looking for a change.

Bonus: Housing is cheap and the city is a major hub for anyone looking for work in media, technology and entertainment.

Source: Rent.com

Boston, Mass.

Mean annual income: $57,520

Median price for a one bedroom: $1,585.00

Unemployment rate: 6.0%

The vibe: Boston is buzzing with smart, talented 20-somethings thanks to its stellar postsecondary education opportunities.

Bonus: Young professionals aren't quick to leave after graduating, which means the social scene is strong. 

Source: Rent.com

Houston, Texas

Mean annual income: $47,490

Median price for a one bedroom: $819

Unemployment rate: 6.3%

The vibe: Forget the incredible tex-mex. Houston has long attracted young professionals from across the country with its low cost of living and ample job market.

Bonus: As the fourth largest city in the U.S., the fact that Houston has one of the lowest costs of living on this list is impressive in and of itself.

Source: Rent.com

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The U.S. economy and the stock market are not the same thing.

The stock market is currently sitting near all-time highs.  Meanwhile, the U.S. economy remains anemic with the unemployment rate painfully high.

Generally speaking, the stock market represents large corporations who can borrow cheaply from the bond markets and take advantage of low overseas tax rates.

Yet small business can do neither of those things.  They are also America's most important job creators.

The lead economists of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which produces the widely followed small business optimism report, recently gave a presentation at the Richmond Fed's Credit Market Symposium titled "One Country, Two Economies."

In it, they lay out the state of small business, which is much weaker than what is being seen in the stock market.

The stock market belies what's really going on in the economy.

Small business optimism is nowhere near highs.

The outlook is very negative.

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It only takes one special role to launch a career on the A-list.

Landing that role though, that's the hard part. If you want to be somebody in Hollywood, you have to nail your audition.

These stars did just that, and their lives haven't been the same since.

Megan Fox auditions for her leading role in Michael Bay's 'Transformers,' the blockbuster hit of 2007.

Here's Emma Stone auditioning for 'Easy A,' which followed her movie debut in 'Superbad.'

Natalie Portman was only 11 years old when she auditioned for the R-rated movie, 'Leon: The Professional.'

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Middle class wages, over all, have been pretty stagnant for over a decade. But not everyone's wages have stagnated.

In fact, some people have seen their salaries rise at a rosy clip, while many others have actually become poorer.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis has tracked average full-time income by industry since 1998, with the latest numbers from 2011.

While the average income across industries (which includes employer-provided benefits) has increased by $5,700 in that period, workers in certain occupations have seen their pocketbooks shrink.

7. Lumber/Wood: Makers of wood products have seen an average raise of just $12.50.

Income in wood manufacturing has actually increased substantially over the 13-year time period. But those spoils have not been evenly shared.

While computer-makers have seen their real incomes rise by $24,000 between 1998 and 2011, makers of wood products, like lumber, plywood, wood flooring, cabinets, and manufactured homes, have seen an average raise of just $12.50, from $39,201 in 1998 to $39,214 today.

Income (1998-2011): Up just $12.50.

Why stagnant wages: Wood product manufacturing is closely tied to the construction industry, which is closely tied to how much money people have to build and renovate homes. Since the economy has been fairly weak since the early 2000s, and the housing bubble exploded into a bloody chasm in 2007, it makes sense that the wood makers of America didn't get rich in the last decade.

6. Movies And Music: Incomes in the industry jump around but on average are down $26.

Workers in the motion picture and sound recording industry are the highest-earners on this list, with an annual income of $74,201 in 2011.

It's also an industry with a particularly large range of salaries, points out Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. "I'm sure a lot of those jobs are not fancy Hollywood jobs," she said. "The camera crews, that's a lot of people."

Income drop (1998-2011): Down $26

Why stagnant wages: Predictably, wages dropped in the recession, but they also hit their highest on record in 2010, Average incomes in the industry jump around. One actress lands a $20 million job, or a blockbuster shoots the moon, and the whole thing seems to swing out of whack.

5. Retail: Average wages fell $1,311 from 1998 to 2011.

Retail workers don't make much anyway. In 1998, their average income in 2011 dollars was $33,913, but that factors in all the higher-earning managers.

Income drop (1998-2011): $1,311. "Other retail" (a separate category) saw an income drop of $950.

Why stagnant wages: According to Shierholz, this is because low-wage worker salaries are closely tied to the unemployment rate. "A low unemployment rate brings a lot more bargaining power to low-wage workers," Shierholz explains, and while the late '90s saw very low unemployment, the job market since then has been "weak, weak, weak, weak."

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Many Asian cities are known for their advances in technology, culture, and society, but which cities are the most innovative?

Solidiance, a marketing strategy and consulting firm in Asia, compiled a list of the 16 Most Innovative Cities in Asia Pacific.

To create this list, they looked at six categories: human talent, knowledge creation, technology, society, government, and global integration. They gave each city a score for each category and tallied up the scores to create the final ranking.

Damien Duhamel, the main author of the research and a Managing Partner at Solidiance, provided us with exclusive commentary on each city. Duhamel's commentary is quoted in each slide.

#16 New Delhi

Overall Ranking: 0.18

India's capital city scored higher in the society category with a score of 0.046, but remained at the bottom of the list in the other five categories.

"New Delhi has gone many dramatic changes through different regimes, yet its recent crime case of gang rape still leaves a trace on top of our mind when talking about the city. Of course it takes more than low crime rate to catalyze innovation in the city, but there is actually a ripple effect that could be caused later on. The city also has a really low level of global integration and orientation towards future, so there is no other choice for New Delhi to really start transforming itself to be a city that is inclusive — not exclusive," Duhamel said.

#15 Mumbai

Overall Ranking: 0.20

Mumbai ranked in the middle of the society category, but scored low in the remaining five categories, earning it last place in this ranking.

"Mumbai is ranked poorly in our report, although many may argue that Indian people are regularly contributing to many innovation products worldwide. What happens is they opt to leave the city to thrive elsewhere, because the city doesn't have what it needs to make them stay, in terms of business and life amenities such as security and stability. The entrepreneurial seeds aren't planted well due to underdeveloped institutional framework, which blocks new and original ideas to propagate in the city," Duhamel said.

#14 Shanghai

Overall Ranking: 0.22

Shanghai scored in the middle of the global integration and knowledge creation categories, but scored poorly in the other four categories.

"Shanghai is living proof that human talent quantity doesn't always guarantee high innovation production. Shanghai's amazing city infrastructure, life facilities and industrial R&D centers are apparent, but its lack of creativity to generate original notions hinders it from being innovative. Shanghai is doing good in adopting other cities' prominence but innovation isn't done through copy-paste method — it involves acceptance towards various ideas and better educational system provided by the supportive government," Duhamel said.

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The buyer of a $34 million condo at the Miami Beach Edition was infomercial tycoon Ajit Khubani, according to Jennifer Gould Keil at the New York Post.

Khubani is the founder and CEO of TeleBrands, the direct response marketing company behind "As Seen On TV" products.

The South Beach condo, which sold last month, was the most expensive condo ever sold in South Florida, according to Curbed Miami. At $3,800 a square foot, it was nearly three times as expensive as typical luxury real estate in Miami.

The building is not even complete yet; it's slated to open in 2014. The Ian Schrager-designed residence and hotel will have 26 apartments and 250 hotel rooms.

These renderings are for a range of residences in the Edition, but they'll give you a good idea of what Miami's new most expensive condo looks like.

Here's a panorama of the living room, which has floor-to-ceiling windows and unbelievable Atlantic Ocean views.

Here's another view of the penthouse living room. It flows right into the kitchen.

The kitchens are stark and modern.

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Climbing the ladder of success rung by rung can be a slow process. But once you get there, the opposite experience -- sliding down the chute of economic despair -- can happen all too quickly.

Those in the financial problem-solving business witness this riches-to-rags pattern every day. From their vantage point, it's easy to see how anyone -- no matter what their background or financial means -- can let bad money habits lead them into hard times.

"Even if you earn a law degree or have a high rank in the military, that doesn't mean you necessarily know how to handle money," says Albert Guadiano, counseling director for the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater San Antonio.

Facing financial failure is tough for anyone -- perhaps even more so for successful people who want to keep up the facades of their former statuses. But eventually, they must take action to avoid total disaster -- and often that action is turning to a credit counseling organization.

We talked to credit counselors (one who is a former debt collector) across the country, and came back with five extreme cases of clients who went from riches to rags.

1. An athlete's sports car addiction cost him his retirement.

The lifestyle of a professional athlete can be glamorous. But it's easy to get caught up in the trappings of big paydays and life in the limelight, and end up broke.

Guadiano worked with a pro athlete in San Antonio in his mid-40s whose road into hard times was paved with the purchase of too many toys, and a failure to plan for retirement. 

The athlete came to Guadiano with $100,000 in credit card debt, $200,000 in loans for two sports cars, a $200,000 loan for a luxury cabin cruiser, and a look of terror on his face. His sports career was at an end, and he had attempted to get a job with a life insurance company. But he was turned down when his prospective employers saw his credit report.

Initially, the athlete started a debt management plan with fixed payments to eliminate his debt, but since some of his toys had been repossessed and he had judgments for non-payment of other bills, he eventually dropped out of the program and declared bankruptcy.

Guadiano saw him recently and said he seems happy without the trappings of the high-profile lifestyle and is gainfully employed at a nonprofit company that works with cancer survivors.

2. A trust fund baby wracked up $300,000 in gambling debt.

Ashley Adami, a certified credit counselor with ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions in Portland, Ore., worked with a woman in her late 40s who lived off a monthly income from a trust fund, but had accumulated $300,000 in gambling debts.

"She lived in a home with a lot of home equity and a small mortgage, plus she owned a second property without any mortgage," says Adami. "She came to me because she had a gambling addiction and her therapist told her to get some financial help."

The woman's credit score had plummeted, yet her favorite casino continually loaned her money to cover her gambling because they knew she had assets to sell. In the end, she sold her second home to pay off her debts. Her credit improved and she was able to refinance and keep her primary residence. She also found a full-time job. While this woman didn't end up in rags because of the cushion of her trust fund, she needed to make some dramatic transformations to her life in order to clean up her debt problem.

"Although she still struggles with her gambling addiction, it's under control now and she's much happier working full time," says Adami. "Not only is she earning a living, but she's keeping busy and feeling productive."

3. A military officer put way too much cash into his new home.

Another of Guadiano's clients, a high-ranking noncommissioned military officer, was making a good income, but got caught up in buying expensive furniture for a new home, a costly car, and a high-end truck. He wasn't eligible to reenlist, and so he retired at an income that was about half his previous salary.

"He struggled with a debt management plan for about a year," says Guadiano, but then he wound up getting a job as an overseas security advisor through his military connections. He went back to Iraq and earned enough money to pay off all of his debts.

"He's a lucky guy to have had the connections to bring in the income to get him out of the hole," says Guadiano.

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Teaching is by no means a very financially rewarding profession.

Even though teachers are doing one of the most important jobs in society, full-time public school teachers make a mere $56,069 per year on average.

That's where Teachers Pay Teachers comes in. 

The online marketplace for course materials and lesson plans has attracted 1.8 million teachers, whom have collectively sold more $30 million worth of materials online.

The top 10 sellers on the platform have generated more than $5 million in sales, netting around $4.4 million in total. Deanna Jump, pictured above, currently earns more than $80,000 a month.

Teachers Pay Teachers features course materials for grades ranging from preschool to the collegiate level. But Teachers Pay Teachers Head of Product John Yoo says they have seen the strongest interest in the K-12 sector. 

On the high school level, Yoo says Tracee Orman's material on how to integrate "The Hunger Games" into the classroom has been widely popular.

"She's not only become seen as the expert in using the Hunger Games in the classroom," Yoo says. "She's done what I think all good teachers do, which is marry the things that kids are interested in and turn it into really good curriculum. You know, use what they're interested in to draw them into the classroom."

Yoo notes that not all teachers have found the same success as the top 10 sellers. In order to be successful on the platform, Yoo says they encourage teachers to leverage social media to get their name out there.

"Teachers by nature need to share with each other," Yoo says. "That's part of what it means to be on the job. [...] Whether you're experiences or new, you need to figure out how to teach things in ways that resonate with kids."

Business Insider got in touch with many of Teachers Pay Teachers's most successful teachers to learn more about their experiences.

Amy Lemons: "Through the funds I made from this business we were able to adopt our first child."

Teaching experience: Seven years teaching 4th grade, 1st grade, and now 2nd grade.

Sales: Not disclosing.

Amy Lemons on TPT: "TpT has been such a blessing to so many people that I know. One of the greatest aspects of this business is the connections I've been able to make with other teachers all over the world. It literally is a community and has helped improve so many classrooms through networking and collaborating resources. The biggest traffic source for my store is my blog: stepintosecondgrade.blogspot.com. I started blogging almost two years ago and never imagined the impact it would make.

The biggest blessing of TpT has been our adoption this past year. Through the funds I made from this business we were able to adopt our first child, a three year old cutie from the Congo. Everything else TpT has done is so small in comparison to the blessing of bringing our family together. However, the extra income has allowed me to purchase things like books, classroom supplies, research materials, and so much more for my classroom.

We really do believe the Lord has blessed us so much. The blog has been a great source of traffic, but the blessing of TpT is nothing short of a miracle from the Lord in our lives."

Melissa Kozerski and Nicole Farrar: "Every penny has gone into her children's college fund."

Teaching experience: A combined 26 years teaching grades 1-6

Sales: $313,000

Melissa Kozerski and Nicole Farrar on TPT: "It has been inspirational and incredibly rewarding to see people all over the world use our ideas and lesson plans in their classrooms. We truly love helping other teachers. Creating lesson plans for other teachers has also helped us become better teachers in the process!"

Kozerski and Farrar say they collaborate on their ideas and work together to create innovative, high-quality lesson plans. They also use all of their lesson plans with their second and third grade students. 

What they've done with the money: Farrar says every penny has gone into her children's college fund, while Kozerski has saved the money, "nothing fancy!"

Jodi Durgin: $326,000 in sales.

Teaching experience: Jodi Durgin has taught Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade. Durgin has taught 3rd grade for six years now. 

Sales: $326,000

Jodi Durgin on TPT: Durgin could not be reached for comment, but we will update this piece if we hear back from her. 

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