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With Presidents' Day coming up next Monday, there's a lot more to look forward to than a three-day weekend. 

Officially, the federal holiday recognizes our country's presidents, but it's also known for sparking some pretty good sales. While you won't find blowout deals seemingly everywhere like on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with a bit of scouring, you can absolutely still find a solid deal on whatever you might be looking for.

To help you skip the searching process and get right to shopping, we rounded up the best Presidents' Day Weekend sales. From clothes and shoes to home goods and electronics, you'll find deals on many desirable items.

If you've already received your yearly bonus or tax return and have been thinking about splurging a little, this Presidents' Day Weekend is the best time to get the most for your money.

Check out the best Presidents' Day Weekend sales, below: 

SEE ALSO: Nordstrom is having a huge sale on winter boots right now — here are the 16 best pairs to buy

Clothing, shoes, and accessories

Nordstrom: Nordstrom's winter sale is running from now until February 25. Save up to 40% on best-sellers.

Macy's: Save an extra 20% using the promo code "PRES" at checkout.

Old Navy: Save up to 50% on everything.

Adidas: Save up to 50% on sale items.

J.Crew: Save 30% and get free shipping using the promo code "SOGOOD" at checkout.

Levi's: Save 30% on everything using the promo code "SAVE30" at checkout.

Eddie Bauer: Save 40% on everything.

Timberland: Save 25% on clothes, accessories, and select footwear.

Patagonia: Save up to 50% on winter sale styles.

Dockers: Save 30% on everything using the promo code "ALL30" at checkout.

MVMT:Save 25% on select sunglasses.

Jomashop: Save up to 65% on designer watches. Use the promo code "FASTSHIP" to get free shipping.

REI:Save up to 50% on winter outwear and gear.

Ralph Lauren: Save 30% on select styles by using the promo code "WEEKEND" at checkout.

Allen Edmonds: Take an extra 20% off clearance styles.

Furniture, home goods, and more

Kohl's: Save 20% on all orders over $100 or save 15% on all orders under $100 using the promo code "BIGSAVINGS" at checkout.

West Elm: Save 20% on everything using the promo code "HAPPYCART" at checkout.

Wayfair: Save up to 70% on home, kitchen, and bath goods.

Houzz: Save up to 80% on everything for your home.

Crate and Barrel: Save up to 20% on TV stands and media consoles.

Made In Cookware: Save 15% on all cookware products plus free stainless steel cleaner.

Target: Save up to 30% on home items using the promo code "GEORGE" at checkout.

Petco: Make your pets feel at home with up to 40% off sitewide.

Computers, electronics, and toys

Best Buy: Save hundreds on computers, TVs, and more.

Dell: Save up to 25% and get free shipping on PCs.

HP: Save up to 55% and get free shipping on laptops, desktops, printers, and more.

Toys R Us: Buy one toy, get one 50% off top brands February 16 through February 24.

• Wall Street investment banks had a rough 2017 as revenues slid to $150.4 billion — the lowest level since 2008. 
• Struggles in trading plagued the banks, with fixed income, currency, and commodities (FICC) businesses especially hard hit.
• Business from investment banking underwriting and advisory services was the lone bright spot, but the substantial gains weren't enough to compensate for the losses in trading.

Wall Street investment banks had a ghastly year in 2017, with revenues sinking to $150.4 billion — the lowest level since 2008. 

That's according to a new report from industry consultant and analytics company Coalition.

The dismal year was led by banks' underperforming trading departments, which were plagued by low volatility. Revenues from fixed income, currency, and commodities (FICC) fell 11% to $68 billion and equities fell 4% to $41.8 billion, according to Coalition. 

Business from investment banking underwriting and advisory services — on mergers and acquisitions and other transactions — increased substantially to $40.6 billion, a 10% increase from the previous year but not nearly enough to compensate for the losses in other lines of business. 

Even with volatility jolting back to life thus far in 2018, investment banks face a tough road ahead to fattening revenues and reviving their trading operations. 

Here's a breakdown of the state of every line of business on Wall Street. 

Investment banking revenues fell 4% to $150.4 billion, a $5.7 billion decline from 2016. A terrible year in FICC was the main culprit, with revenue falling $7.9 billion, or 11%.

The year started off with strong momentum, as banks generated $82 billion in the first half — up 4% from the first half of 2016. But the second half was abysmal. Revenues in the back half of 2017 fell 11%, or $8.6 billion, below last year's mark.

FICC businesses saw deep declines as they reckoned with record-low volatility. Revenues now sit $35 billion below 2012 levels — a 33% decline. Commodities fell 42% from 2016 to $2.5 billion, its lowest level since 2006. Securitization was the exception, increasing 15% thanks to the demand for complex financing solutions.

The reasons the Olympics enthrall viewers — the atmosphere, the joy of winning, the agony of defeat, the spectacle of sport — are the same reasons they produce some of the best photos.

The Winter Olympics are underway, and although we're only a few days in, already photographers have captured some stunning images from the games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Though there's too many great photos to count, we used Getty to compile some of our favorites so far.

Take a look below.

Figure skating is an exhausting sport, both physically and emotionally.

But when your score turns out to be worth a gold medal, it's all worth it.

Lydia Lassila of Australia floats upside down, as freestyle skiers do.

How will Donald Trump observe Presidents Day?

Will he have the inclination or take the time to read about or reflect on the qualities of our greatest leaders?

Given how busy Trump is issuing executive orders, fighting with the judiciary, managing the scandal surrounding the dismissal of his national security advisor, becoming acquainted with world leaders and tweeting, the answer is probably no.

As a historian who has studied presidential leadership for decades, perhaps I can save him some time by suggesting a few things he might learn from the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln.

SEE ALSO: Progress has stalled for African-Americans since the civil rights era

DON'T MISS: The rich are much richer than many of us realize, and it's a result of the way we measure wealth

Lesson 1: Grow a thick skin

Lincoln was more reviled than any American president. The opposition press described him as a "fungus from the corrupt womb of bigotry and fanaticism," a "worse tyrant and more inhuman butcher than has existed from the days of Nero" and "a vulgar village politician without any experience worth mentioning." Even Lincoln’s now-classic Gettysburg Address was derided as a display of "ignorant rudeness."

These attacks stung, but Lincoln refused to take the bait. "No man resolved to make the most of himself, can spare time for personal contention,"he wrote. "Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including … the loss of self-control."

Lincoln realized that getting into the gutter would diminish his stature, distract the public from important issues and burn crucial political bridges. "A man has no time to spend half his life in quarrels,"he advised a political ally. "If any man ceases to attack me I never remember the past against him."

If Trump doesn’t dial back his attacks — which so far have included invectives against Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Madonna, John Lewis, Charles Schumer, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, a growing list of federal judges and the CIA — he will appear more petulant than presidential.

Lesson 2: Engage your critics strategically

Lincoln occasionally responded to critics — but always civilly, always strategically.

When, in 1862, Republican editor Horace Greeley charged that Lincoln's unwillingness to end slavery sabotaged the Union war effort, Lincoln replied in a public letter.

He had already decided to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, but gave the impression that he was agnostic on the matter. With respect to slavery, Lincoln told Greeley, his policies would be dictated by what best served the Union cause.

By tying his position to preserving the Union, Lincoln laid groundwork for making his ultimate decision more palatable to the many Unionists — in the North and the border states — who supported slavery.

He did so without insulting Greeley and other abolitionists and concluded his letter by emphasizing common ground: "I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free."

Trump has yet to absorb the lesson that in the world of presidential communications, less is more — especially when the less is carefully crafted, strategic and cultivates those whose support is needed. For Trump, that means the majority of Americans who didn't vote for him and who have given him the lowest approval ratings of any incoming president in modern times.

Lesson 3: Be informed and ask questions

Aside from a brief stint as a militia volunteer in the 1830s, Lincoln had no military experience. Nevertheless, he was a war president and helped to develop the grand strategy that crushed the Confederacy.

How did he do it? By reading extensively on military strategy and tactics and meeting frequently with his secretary of war and generals, asking them questions and discussing military operations.

He spent countless hours in the War Department telegraph room, reading and sometimes responding to telegrams from the front, and often visiting armies in the field. While he gave the generals wide latitude, he remained curious, focused, well-informed and critical to the Union’s military success.

To develop effective policies on the issues he cares about, Trump must become better-informed. He should demand briefings on key issues from a variety of experts (especially those who oppose him), read them thoroughly and ask questions.

Rather than glibly promise that Republicans will quickly repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with a plan that expands coverage, lowers costs and increases choice, he should learn about the complexities of health care and the inevitable trade-offs involved in replacing the ACA. Raising hopes only to dash them in fairly short order is neither good leadership nor good politics.

• Citigroup's investment bank has been showing signs of progress and competing among Wall Street's best.
• We asked two of the bank's top executives what they look for when hiring senior investment bankers.
• Performance matters, but it's not the only thing. "We can't have people on solo missions," says Raymond McGuire, Citi's global head of corporate and investment banking.

Citigroup's investment bank has been making strides in recent years to compete for top honors in the league tables.

The bank, already a strong performer in arranging bonds and loans, has made marked progress in 2017 in both its mergers-and-acquisitions advisory and equity-capital markets businesses.

One key to Citi's success is talent — retaining their top performers, but also bringing in star bankers that will fit into Citi's team culture. 

"The foundation to this, the bedrock to this is talent. You have to make certain that you have the talent that is the best trained, that has the best experience, that can exercise the most refined judgment," said Raymond McGuire, global head of corporate and investment banking, who's personally involved in every major strategic hire for his department.

Citi has hired more than 20 at the managing director level around the world for its corporate and investment-banking division this year, according to a memo McGuire sent his staff in early November.

And the bank this week promoted 33 staff in its corporate and investment bank to managing director, along with seven staff in capital markets origination. 

Business Insider recently spoke with McGuire and Tyler Dickson, the global head of capital markets origination, about what they look for in hiring senior-level bankers:

Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

SEE ALSO: We asked a top hedge-fund recruiter what it takes to get a senior-level job these days

McGuire's overall strategy revolves around both attracting and maintaining strong performers who are also "culture carriers"— no solo missions allowed. That means getting involved in every major hire.

"You have to attract and retain the best talent. So for the existing talent, you’ve got to make certain that they continue to perform, that they continue to be engaged and inspired to be the best. And for the talent that you onboard, you have to be really careful about the talent that you onboard. They have to not only be the best practitioners, but they also have to be culture carriers. And we have found that, while we've had some challenges, for the most part we've been very effective at integrating new people into the culture. In large part, we do that from the outset. I personally get involved in every one of these major strategic hires.

"It's very clear that you not only have to maintain the best of the existing talent. You cannot ignore that. You have to maintain it, you have to focus on that. And you also have to make sure that the talent that you onboard has got a value system and has got an alignment that is very clear. There should be no ambiguity in terms of what our objectives are. None."

What question does he ask potential candidates to find out whether they're the right fit?

"There's not one question that you ask, there are a series of questions. What kind of character do they have. What kind of client impact. How is that client impact reflected in their performance, historically. And character gets to whether they are a team player or whether or not they're on solo missions. We can't have people on solo missions, we need to have people who are prepared to engage as partners. 

"We also recognize that you have to have a combination of management and leadership. You have to be able to give people the details on a daily basis on the metrics that we expect for them to manage to. And then you have to be able to inspire them."

For equity capital markets, Dickson looks for leaders with years of experience and the respect of investors and issuers. But they also have to be comfortable sharing the spotlight.

"In the business of financial services, talent is the most valuable resource, if you can get the best talent. From Citi's perspective we want the best-in-class, best-performing people in the marketplace. So experience matters. In my case, if we're looking at the equity capital markets arena, are they leaders with issuer clients? Do they have the respect of investing clients? Do they have years of experience in their sector or subproduct?

"But I'd say what's also important is culturally for Citi, we're a firm that succeeds as a team, and so they have to be people who can fit in with Citi's overarching culture. But also within capital markets, we're very much a team-wins orientation, and so you need a lot of leadership and energy and inspiration to lead the team, but we want people who think when we're winning it's because the team is winning. And I think that the folks that we've developed, and I've said we've been blessed with this consistency, all feel like partners in the business."

• The arguments you have with your partner can reveal a lot about the deeper-rooted issues in your relationship. 
• Money and sex are two incredibly common reasons for arguing, but couples also disagree over smaller issues, such as cleaning or the use of technology. 
• When bringing up an issue with a partner, express your viewpoint in a way that is understanding and compassionate. 

Even your most common and annoying fights are an opportunity to learn about your relationship and make it stronger.

SEE ALSO: There might be some truth to the adage 'you never fully get over your first love,' according to research

A heated argument over something little

Did your partner leave the empty yogurt container on the counter? Samantha Boardman, PhD and founder of Positive Prescription, says being thrown for a loop over little things can be normal, but it's important to take stock of what likely set off the annoyance in the first place. "Stress, fatigue, and hunger often provide the spark to set off a heated argument," she says.

"Discovering your partner left the cap off the toothpaste after a fun evening together is one thing, making the same discovery after a long day at work and a horrible two-hour commute home in the rain is quite another." Rather than light into the other person when stress strikes, which Dr. Boardman says can stir up questions about criticism, control, blame, or partner negligence in the relationship, she suggests focusing on kindness and compliments throughout the relationship.

You have the same fight repeatedly

Whether it's dishes in the sink or late nights out with friends, couples often have a recurring source of conflict in which they'll "seem to have the same fight over and over again," says Marni Amsellem, PhD, a licensed psychologist in New York and Connecticut. "This annoyance can certainly manifest in the form of a complaint ('Why do I always have to remind you to do your dishes/help with the dishes?'), which can certainly lead into a fight."

But there's more to it than feeling grossed out over the sight of caked-on tomato sauce on plates. Dr. Amsellem explains that ignoring a partner's request, even if it's something as seemingly trite as dishes in the sink, conveys a sense of disrespect to the other person who may feel they're not being heard. These are our favorite 28 marriage tips from grandmas.

Watch your back: arguments so intense, your body hurts

While money and sex are the top two most common reasons for arguments, parenting differences, in-law issues or even what's-for-dinner fights can also lead to arguments, Dr. Boardman says. Driving behaviors and too much technology use during mealtimes to the list as well, says Dr. Amsellem.

Regardless of the topic, be careful about how you react, especially if the argument intensifies: it can make the difference between good heart health and bad.

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Northwestern University, found that couples who engage in rage-fueled fights are more likely to experience spikes in blood pressure and cardiovascular problems in the future.

On the flip side, if you regularly withdraw emotionally during a heated spat, to include hardly saying anything and avoiding eye contact, the same researchers discovered you're more likely to develop stiff necks, backaches, and overall muscle tension. Try these 8 tips to avoid marriage counseling.

US Marines in Thailand for the Cobra Gold training exercise took part in one of the wildest parts of the drills — drinking cobra blood.

Cobra Gold is an annual military exercise for Marines and one of the largest in the Indo-Pacific region. The 6,800 US personnel attending this year represents a clear show of American muscle in a region where China is growing more powerful.

This year, seven countries are participating in Cobra Gold  — the US, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore.

Part of the drill involves jungle survival. Marines learn which plants and animals are safe to eat if they're ever stranded.

Besides survival, it's also a show of strength. Indonesian troops showed off for US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis earlier this year by drinking snake blood in front of him.

Here's what the US Marines did this year:

SEE ALSO: Indonesia's notorious special forces shocked 'Mad Dog' Mattis by walking on fire and drinking snake blood — here's their wild training method

DON'T MISS: Trump's defense budget is a wishlist for a massive military buildup — these are the planes, ships, and missiles he wants

Before you can drink a cobra's blood, you have to catch it.

It's not always that easy.

As in years past, Marines were invited to try drinking snake blood, which could keep them alive if they were ever stranded in the jungle.

• For travellers hoping for a quiet and solitary vacation, these destinations offer an opportunity to reflect. 
• The peaceful beauty of Lapland in the summertime is ideal for introverts, where daylight lasts for 24 hours a day. 
• Two of the idyllic oceanside hideaways are located in California — Shelter Cove and Catalina Island. 

If uncrowded areas and secluded escapes sound like bliss to you, then you might want to put one of these introverted vacation destinations on your list.

Forget the crowds and hype of places like Vegas, L.A., and Cancun, because these hidden gems are much more your style. Some actually cater to introverts while others have managed to fly under the radar for years! Whether you like to travel with a fellow introvert or plan to hit the road solo, you'll have plenty of time to reflect and be alone.

SEE ALSO: Implementing this Japanese concept could make you happier with your life

Piha, New Zealand

Want to fly under the radar? Hit New Zealand. It has lots of popular spots to like the black sand beach of Piha, but you can easily escape the city to drive the gorgeous countryside. You'll find plenty of trip options to choose from, like this one going from Auckland to Glenorchy. Hitting the road on your own will really allow you to go at your own speed and to do and see as you please.

Lapland, Finland

Finland already has a reputation for being a county of introverts, so you can be assured that you can keep to yourself when you visit. All of Finland can be great for introverts, like Lakeland and the coastal areas of Archipelago. However, if you like to be as remote as possible, head to the Lapland area. During the summer, you'll find miles and miles of wilderness with 24 hours of daylight. If you go outside of summertime, you'll be rewarded with gorgeous views of the Aurora Borealis, which can be seen more than 200 nights a year.

Grenada

The first step in picking a Caribbean Island destination that won't be overrun with tourists is to find an island that you haven't heard of. For many, this is Grenada, known as the "Island of Spice". It's located just south of Barbados and St. Lucia, and northeast of Venezuela. While you're visiting the island, be sure to snorkel in the underwater sculpture park. It's one of the most unique snorkeling experiences you can have, and best of all, there's no talking involved!

Getting snacks and coffee via care packages is nice, but sometimes what you really need is a little personal space in the middle of a war zone.

Depending on your rank and branch of service, you get more luxuries. The standard grunt in the formation, however, gets a bunk and a foot or two of space that you share with everyone else in your tiny tent.

Here are the little ways troops try to make their bunk their own, despite the conditions.

SEE ALSO: The Army is testing a replacement for the Hellfire missile — and pilots like what they see

1. Hard drive full of movies and TV shows

There’s basically nothing to do on your downtime while deployed. Shocker, I know.

Everyone picks up a hard drive so they can pull movies off of each other. After a while, everyone in the unit has pretty much the same collection. So, troops will start by watching everything they care to watch… and then they’ll finish by watching everything they don’t.

2. Extra tough boxes

When you’re trying to set up your “space,” you’ll need more storage than just your duffle bag.

Tough boxes serve multiple purposes in addition to being a place for all your crap: Table, desk, chair, an end table to place family photos, a divider to cordon off your side of the tent — whatever’s clever.

3. Cameras

It’s not just the combat cameramen who get into photography while deployed. Plenty of troops take photos so they can try to make the “most perfect deployment video ever!”

Every photo is basically just the guys hanging out — an average day while doing military stuff. Rarely do troops capture the awesome combat videos they dream up. If you do, the CO will scrub it down. If they don’t, you’ll probably put “Bodies” by Drowning Pool in the background.

Athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang have all had to work hard.

Qualification for the Olympic games requires years of dedication, training, and skill.

So it might be easy to assume that while competitors are preparing for an event they adhere to a strict diet, work out in the gym, and go to bed early.

But some athletes like to let loose.

This involves eating churros, playing elaborate pranks on each other, and riding makeshift bobsleds down hallways inside the Olympic village.

Business Insider has collected photographs from Getty, Instagram, and Twitter to shine a light on how some competitors at the Winter Olympics have been spending their downtime.

Scroll down to find out.

SEE ALSO: The world's first ski tournament for robots was held near the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics — and the pictures are incredible

DON'T MISS: A pair of gold medal winning Canadian figure skaters toned down their 'raunchy' routine because it was like a 'porno'

UP NEXT: North Korean Olympians have a 24/7 surveillance team who will tackle them if they try to run away

Athletes tend to hang out at the Olympic village in Pyeongchang. Some nations send delegations so large they take up multiple floors within the high-rise apartment blocks. North Korea, for instance, has three floors reserved but the competitors are "separated from other nations."

Sources:CNN.

Before athletes check-in, they might sign this "Truce Wall." One of the themes of every Olympics is peace — and that is not lost on athletes. Here, three American lugers (Emily Sweeney, Erin Hamlin, and Summer Britcher) pose in front of peace symbols that were originally designated for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Once inside, athletes can get together and hang out in the apartments, much like members of the Australian Olympic team are doing right here.

Among the most intense sports at the Winter Olympics are the bobsled events, or officially, "bobsleigh."

The bobsled events that most of us are familiar with involve what look like miniature rockets propelling down a man-made track at extreme velocities, often under the cover of a roof to protect the track from the elements.

But things were much different nearly 100 years ago when the sport was part of the first Winter Olympics in 1924, held in Chamonix, France.

Below is a look at just how much the sport has evolved through the years, with a lot of help from the IOC who collected video from many of the Olympiads. You can see that video here.

1924 — Chamonix, France

Gold medalists:

Men's Four/Five: Switzerland-1

The track in 1924 looked like somebody dug a track in their backyard

1932 — Lake Placid, USA

Gold medalists:

Men's Two: United States-1
Men's Four: United States-1

Over the past two years, Johnathan Webster has taken nearly 60 flights and successfully avoided one bane of airline travel: checking his luggage.

Webster and his wife, Gizem Mut-Webster, have evaded checking luggage on flights since they backpacked through Europe in college. As students traveling on a restricted budget, they took issue with the stringent bag policies and punishing luggage fees enforced by many airlines.

They began to brainstorm a clever solution: What if they created a luggage brand that not only looked sleek but could defy those policies?

The result is Wool & Oak, a two-year-old company that creates stylish, modular luggage designed to get around airline bag policies. The brand's most recent product, which debuted on Tuesday, is a two-part duffel backpack that can neatly be disguised as a single carry-on item.

Here's what it looks like and how it works.

SEE ALSO: 30 women in venture capital to watch in 2018

Looks pretty much like a regular backpack, right?

But once you're on a flight, Wool & Oak's bag handily unzips into two parts.

Each bag has a set of zippers so that they can easily attach to each other. Here, Wool & Oak's slim work backpack is paired with the larger day bag.

• The millennial homeownership rate in 2016 was compared to the change between the millennial homeownership rate from 2007 t0 2016.
• We discovered that millennials are not moving to big cities, and that homeownership among this generation is dropping.
• Kansas and Virginia are the major states that millennials are moving to in droves.

Millennials, for the most part, are a generation of renters. Only 34.7% of Americans under the age of 35 owned their homes as of 2016, according to a Census Bureau survey. But that's not always by choice. According to a Pew survey, 72% of renters hope to become homeowners one day. One big hurdle, especially for millennials, is that they are unable to buy affordable homes.

This is especially true in cities like New York or San Francisco. There are some cities however where millennials are overcoming mortgage costs and buying homes. Below we look through the data to find the cities where millennials are buying homes.

For this study, we looked at two factors: the 2016 millennial homeownership rate and the change between the millennial homeownership rate from 2007 to 2016. We defined millennials as those under the age of 35. Check out our data and methodology below to see where we got our data and how we put it together to create our final ranking.

This is the third annual edition of this study. Read the 2017 version of Where Are Millennials Buying Homes? here.

Key findings

• No big cities – No big city cracks our top 10. The biggest city to crack our top 25 was Las Vegas at 22. In fact, seven of the top 10 largest cities are ranked in the bottom half. New York and L.A. in particular score poorly, ranking 148th and 153rd, respectively.
• Millennial homeownership dropping – Across the largest 200 cities, only 18 saw millennial homeownership rates increase from 2007. This means in many cities homeownership rates have not fully recovered from the recession.

SEE ALSO: Forget New York — millennials are flocking to these 11 US cities in droves

1. Olathe, Kansas

Last year Kansas had two cities ranked in our top 25, neither of which were Olathe. In fact Olathe was not included in the study due to population filters. But this year it comes out on top.

Our data shows that over 50% of millennial households in Olathe own their homes, the fourth-highest rate in our study. That is an increase of 4.8% from 2007, the second-largest change in our study.

2. Chesapeake, Virginia

Chesapeake, Virginia has a high millennial homeownership rate. As of 2016, 54.4% of millennial households own their homes. What kept Chesapeake from taking the no. 1 spot is the fact that the millennial homeownership rate is down from 10 years ago. In 2007, 55% of Millennial households owned their homes.

3. Bakersfield, California

For the second year in a row, Bakersfield takes the third spot. Bakersfield scores better than 85% of cities in both of our metrics. Our data shows that in 2016, 36.7% of millennial households are homeowners. That is a decrease of 1.3% from 2007.

For millennials who can afford it, buying a home in Bakersfield may not be a bad idea, California has below-average property tax rates.

• Cornell Tech is a new graduate school in New York City that wants to "build a better digital future."
• The Studio Program, the school's core curriculum, helps students build a company from conception to prototype.
• Over Cornell Tech's six-year history, 40 startups have raised around $32 million in funding.

"We are definitely not the startup school," Daniel Huttenlocher, the dean of Cornell Tech, said to me recently. One might be forgiven for thinking so.

Cornell Tech, a joint partnership between Cornell University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the oldest university in Israel, was born from a public competition launched in 2010 by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg to develop an elite graduate school of engineering and applied sciences in New York City.

Bloomberg aimed to expand the city's growing Silicon Alley scene and develop the kind of virtuous cycle that exists between Stanford University and Silicon Valley. His administration estimated that the school would generate $23 billion in economic activity, 8,000 permanent jobs, and hundreds of new companies over the next several decades.

The school, now in its sixth year, is a new kind of graduate school — multidisciplinary, hands-on, and explicitly tech-focused — that is still building its reputation.

While it teaches a combination of graduate course heavyweights — business, computer science, law, and electrical engineering, among them — it also has newly-invented disciplines. Connective media, for example, aims to combine computer science with sociology and psychology to create "human-centric" engineers.  Like all startups, it's nothing if not ambitious.

"Our core value is about building the future," said Huttenlocher. "We want to build a better digital world that has a focus on humanity and on the things that matter to people.”

For Cornell Tech, that future is dependent on bringing its vision of world-leading research on digital technology and innovative, impactful companies to fruition.

Last year, the school moved into its permanent home on Roosevelt Island, a gleaming campus of high-tech buildings. We visited recently to get an inside look.

Cornell Tech moved to its permanent location last year, a newly constructed campus on New York's Roosevelt Island. Prior, the school was housed in a temporary space in the Google Building in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood.

Like any startup, Cornell Tech is dealing with iterating and scaling its product. Each year, both the size of its classes and the number of degree programs it offers grows. 

Over the last five years, the school has graduated slightly more than 300 masters and doctoral students with a faculty of around 30 professors.

In the coming years, the plan is to grow to more than 2,000 graduate students at a time and hundreds of faculty and staff. 

Cornell Tech is still building its reputation. Its Ivy League-grounding is a head start, but in order to become a leading graduate institution, Huttenlocher says two things have to happen: 

1. Its doctoral programs and faculty must produce ground-breaking research on digital technology and its economic and societal impact.

2. Its master's programs must produce graduates that get excellent tech industry jobs or produce innovative companies.

The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center, named after former mayor Michael Bloomberg's daughters, is the centerpiece of campus. It aims to produce as much energy as it consumes, housing more than 1,400 solar panels on its roof.

The Bloomberg Center is the school's primary academic building. Its sleek minimalistic aesthetic, casual huddle spaces, and colorful meeting rooms evoke the offices of Silicon Valley tech companies.

The school's nods to the tech industry go deeper than the white surfaces. Rather than have separate offices or floors for different departments, Huttenlocher and his team opted to have all the departments mixed together. 

"We have a very open interactive environment," he said. 

More than two years ago, Sundar Pichai took the helm at Google.

While Larry Page is still CEO of Google's parent company, Alphabet, Pichai has the incredibly important job of making sure that the company's core businesses and cash cow stay strong.

So who is Pichai and how did he scale the ranks to get one of the most important jobs at one of the most important companies in the world?

Here's his story.

Jillian D'Onfro contributed to an earlier version of this article.

SEE ALSO: The fascinating life of Google founder and Alphabet CEO Larry Page

Pichai, whose full name is actually Pichai Sundararajan, grew up in Chennai, India. His father was as an electrical engineer and his mother a stenographer before having him and his younger brother. The family wasn't wealthy, and the boys slept together in the living room of their two-room apartment.

Source: Bloomberg, Inc.

Early on, Pichai had a talent for remembering numbers, which his family realized when he could recall every phone number he had ever dialed on their rotary phone. He will still sometimes show off his memorization skills at meetings.

Source: Bloomberg

After becoming interested in computers — the first software program he wrote was a chess game — Pichai studied metallurgical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. His success there won him a scholarship to Stanford.

Source: YouTube

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.

The Insider Pick:

• The first piece of gear you need to begin your yoga practice is a great yoga mat. Of all the yoga mats we've researched, the Manduka ProLite Yoga Mat is the best with its closed-cell surface that keeps out sweat and its dotted texture that keeps your hands and feet from slipping out of position during downward facing dog.

If you’ve ever done yoga before, you know that not all yoga mats are created equally. Each style and material caters to a different set of needs and goals, and subtle design changes can either help or hurt your unique movement patterns and your usual aches and pains in any pose.

There are a number of factors to consider when you're looking for the yoga mat that best serves your needs. Size and portability are important to many yogis, mainly because you'll have to tote your mat along with you to the gym or yoga studio unless you do your practice in the comfort of your own home. Some mats are longer than others, so if you like long mats, take a peek at lengthier mats. Most people will be happy with the typical length.

While certain people like sticky mats that help their feet from sliding around, others find them annoying. Same goes with the relative thickness or thinness of the yoga mat. Most yoga mats are relatively slim, but others are thick for extra protection and cushion for your joints. 

Durability and the types of materials involved are also key things to consider. You want a yoga mat that's going to last through the years, isn't made from strange chemicals, and is easy to wipe clean after a sweaty bout of hot yoga.

We scoured the internet for yogi reports and product reviewer feedback on this year’s top-ranked yoga mats to put together this Insider Picks guide to finding the best yoga mat for you, depending on your priorities, from perfect pose alignment to eco-friendly materials.

Updated on 02/20/2018 by Malarie Gokey: Updated prices and added the YoGo Travel Mat after months of testing.

Read on in the slides below to learn why the Manduka ProLite Yoga Mat is our top pick and why you might also like the Liforme Yoga Mat, the Prana ECO Yoga Mat, the Gaiam Print Premium Yoga Mat, the Manduka eKO Superlight Travel Yoga Mat, and the YoGo Travel Yoga Mat.

SEE ALSO: The best yoga socks you can buy

The best yoga mat overall

Why you'll love it: The Manduka ProLite Yoga Mat provides just the right amount of padding without being too thick and clunky, and the price stays low even with its sustainable materials and no-slip grip.

When it’s time to trade in those bargain yoga steals for a yoga mat that’s built to last, the Manduka ProLite Yoga Mat is the way to go. Whether you’re practicing yoga daily or just stretching out once in a while, the 4.7mm thick padded mat will keep your hands, knees, and feet cushioned against any hard floor and will support your back as you relax into savasana.

In comparison with the Manduka Pro’s 6mm of padding, the ProLite mat sheds thickness without sacrificing comfort. It's much easier to roll up and take with you than the thicker Manduka Pro mat.

If this is your first investment in a well-made yoga mat, you might balk at the price tag's standing above the $20 mark. However, the Manduka ProLite mat comes with a lifetime guarantee, so you're safe from losing your mat to flaking, peeling, and fading. Whereas some mats deteriorate over time, Manduka promises that this one will only improve like a well-seasoned cast iron pan.

In my 13 years of practicing yoga, I much prefer a mat that wicks away moisture, sweat, and dirt instead of absorbing it into the material. The Manduka ProLite’s closed cell surface does just that, and the mat is easy to clean and treat. Vinegar and sea salt are recommended to help break in the mat’s texture and restore grippiness to the surface.

The more serious you get with your yoga practice, chances are a non-slip surface will rise to the top of your priority list. Contrary to what you might see on Instagram, even yogis sweat, and there’s nothing quite like sliding out of downward-facing dog into a flat pancake because you can’t keep your hands in place on your mat.

Reviewers give the Manduka ProLite high compliments when it comes to the mat’s non-slip texture. Manduka boasts that its “proprietary dot patterned bottom” prevents the mat from sliding across the floor, no matter how hot your yoga room gets.

Manduka makes the ProLite mat in two lengths — 71 and 79 inches — so that more height-gifted yogis can stretch out without fear. Considering that most color and length options stay below $80 on this mat, it feels like a cherry on the cake to see that the mat is completely non-toxic, 100 percent latex free, and even promises a clean manufacturing process.

When you’re ready to invest in a mat that will last a lifetime and treat your yoga body along with it, the Manduka ProLite is your best bet.

Pros: Just the right amount of padding to cushion knees and hands in tough poses, and the no-slip grip texture and eco-friendly materials are all covered under Manduka’s lifetime guarantee

Cons: Although it’s thin in comparison to the Manduka Pro version, the Manduka ProLite is still a pretty thick mat. And if treating your mat sounds like too much work, the ProLite does take some maintenance and attention

Buy the Manduka ProLite Yoga Mat on Amazon for $64.99 and up (price varies)

The best yoga mat for perfectionists

Why you'll love it: The Liforme Mat has a printed alignment system on the surface that will help you find your symmetry, balance, and proper footing in any pose.

No matter what kind of yoga you do, proper alignment is an important part of learning the poses and their transitions. The first thing you’ll notice about the Liforme mat is that discreet lines, shapes, and markers are etched into its surface to help you place your limbs accurately and mindfully as you move through your practice. Liforme’s mat is also slightly longer and wider than most traditional yoga mats, so you’ll never feel cramped or confined.

Alongside alignment, the Liforme mat’s other major benefit is the grippy surface. Through its commitment to eco-friendly materials, Liforme created a proprietary “GripForMe” material blend of natural rubber and sustainably-sourced felt to cushion your knees, hips, and hands with 4.2mm of padding. The mix also keeps you from slipping and sliding when the sweating starts.

Continuing the eco-friendly trend, each layer of the PVC-free mat is heat-bonded to avoid toxic glues and adhesives, and even the alignment marking system is etched into the surface to avoid synthetic dyes.

Reviewers report that the surface of the Liforme mat is so grippy, you won’t be able to glide into downward facing dog anymore, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. So if a sticky, non-slip surface is your idea of the perfect yoga mat, the Liforme mat will do the trick. It’s not hard to imagine the alignment system on the Liforme mat getting distracting, and of course, every body is unique.

These days, many yogis shy away from the stereotype that you have to be fit and flexible to practice. But if your limbs happen to line up with the printed system and you’re looking to go deeper into perfect alignment, the Liforme mat is the one for you. And it comes with a cool Liforme yoga bag. It is really expensive, though, so you'll have to shell out a pretty penny for it.

Pros: Eco-friendly, PVC-free mat is extremely sticky to help avoid that unintentional slip-n-slide feature that happens as other yoga mats get sweaty and wear over time

Cons: Normalized alignment in this one-size fits all system won’t work for everyone, at $150 this is one of the more expensive mats out there

Buy the Liforme Yoga Mat on Amazon for $149.95

The best yoga mat for the eco-friendly yogi

Why you'll love it: The Prana ECO Yoga Mat is made from 100 percent thermoplastic elastomer, which in English means it’s non-toxic, sustainably made, and completely recyclable.

Synthetic materials and unnatural rubbers used in mats fell out of favor in the yoga community as the practice spread internationally alongside global concerns about the state of our environment. Prana is a recognizable yoga brand name, and the ECO yoga mat ranks high on many expert’s lists.

Since it’s made from 100 percent thermoplastic elastomer or TPE, all the environmental costs of manufacturing synthetic rubbers and plastics are eliminated from the Prana ECO Mat equation. Once you’re ready to toss your mat out, the material is completely recyclable so it won’t clog up a landfill somewhere.

TPE is also UV resistant, so your Prana ECO Mat won’t fade or deteriorate with sun exposure. It’s completely latex-free, chloride-free, and PVC-free. The best benefit of TPE is that it’s extremely lightweight: a 72-by-24-inch mat with a thickness of 5mm still weighs in at only 2.2 pounds.

On the yoga benefits side, the ECO yoga mat is known to be super sticky so your hands and feet won’t slide, but the TPE material may not be the most cushioning option for those looking to protect their knees and backs from the hard pressure of the floor. The mat is double-sided, though, so you can rotate front-to-back and top-to-bottom to get a seriously long-term, even wear on your mat even with heavy use.

Even if you’re just looking for a lighter mat or an eco-friendly option to shake things up, at less than $50 the Prana ECO Mat is a low-cost way to try something new.

Pros: Good for the environment from production to deterioration, this mat is made of eco-friendly thermoplastic elastomer that is non-toxic and recyclable

Cons: Everyone has their own idea of the best non-slip sticky surface, and some users reported the eco-friendly material was stretching instead of sticking

Buy the Prana ECO Yoga Mat on Amazon for $47.49 and up (price varies)

• Nothnagle Cabin is said to be the oldest home in America.
• Built in 1638, the house is currently owned by Harry and Doris Rink, who maintain the home and give free tours of the space.
• The log cabin was first listed in June 2017, and is still on the market for $2.9 million.

America's oldest home is for sale.

The log cabin, which dates back to 1638, has lasted this long with the help of its current owners, Harry and Doris Rink — who have taken the property under their wing, and have been living in an attached house since 1968.

History doesn't come cheap — with a $2.9 million price tag, the home includes all the artifacts inside, as well as the Rinks themselves, who want to remain on the property and continue to give tours of this historic site.

According to Harry, people lived inside the cabin until 1918, and the attached home that the couple resides in was built in the early 1700s. "We have the deed to the property dating back to 1791," Harry told The New York Times in an interview.

Restoration projects completed by the Rinks include reinforcing the walls with clay, and removing plaster that was on the interior walls. The property is 1,800 square feet, and has been on the market since June of 2017.   

SEE ALSO: 10 private and luxurious vacation rentals for the ultra rich

Built by Finnish settlers, the Nothnagle Log House was completed in 1643.

Today, the land that the cabin was built on is Gibbstown, New Jersey.

Its sellers, Harry and Doris Rink, have owned the property since 1968. Prior to that, Harry's aunt and uncle owned the property.

Source: Atlas Obscura, NJ.com

Peter Thiel, one of Silicon Valley's most successful and controversial venture capitalists, is reportedly leaving the Bay Area.

The outspoken libertarian will reportedly relocate his home, personal funds, and his foundation to Los Angeles, according to The Wall Street Journal, and he's taking his 50-person staff with him.

Why Los Angeles? It isn't totally clear. 

As a famously private person, Thiel has yet to confirm the move, or the rumors that he might also be resigning from the board at Facebook. Still, it's worth taking this time to look at Thiel's rise to fame in the tech capital of the world — a saga that includes his effort to stop aging and death, his controversial thoughts about college, and his war with the media:

SEE ALSO: The incredible rise of Box CEO Aaron Levie, who stared down the naysayers to prove them wrong

Peter Thiel was born in Germany. He moved to the Bay Area when he was in fifth grade.

His family first moved to the US when he was a year old, but they moved around the world a few more times before settling in Foster City, south of San Francisco.

He attended Stanford where he studied philosophy, got his JD law degree, and served as the first editor-in-chief at The Stanford Review.

He also met many of the people that would become key players at PayPal (later known as the PayPal mafia) including include Keith Rabois, David Sacks, and Reid Hoffman. 

Thiel also became a world-ranked chess player at a young age. He was reportedly once one of the highest ranked under-21 players in the US.

• Andrew Kozlovski, a 21-year-old student at the University of Southern California, runs a business selling cognitive-enhancement supplements through his company, Brainz Power.
• He says Brainz Power generates $6,000 to $10,000 a month, primarily driven by marketing on Instagram.
• Kozlovski wakes up at 5 a.m. every day and splits his time between working on the business and attending class. He rarely socializes outside of meals or the gym.

Unlike most college students, Andrew Kozlovski doesn't leave much time for socializing. He's too busy updating Instagram. Literally.

Kozlovski, 21, has built a business selling nootropic supplements, primarily by marketing on social media.

Kozlovski was finishing up his first year at University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business when he heard about students taking Adderall or other drugs intended for people with ADHD to finish their schoolwork. When he found out how dangerous the drugs were, he realized there could be a market for a safer alternative.

As a star swimmer in high school, Kozlovski had taken all kinds of natural supplements, so he started compiling a list of those said to boost cognitive performance. Then he found a lab near his hometown of Atlanta that was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration and willing to run a small order of pills combining the various supplements; he'd pay using the $500 he had saved up over the year.

While supplements are legal and many people swear by their effects, evidence about their benefits are murky, and US poison-control centers have received about 275,000 reports of people reacting badly to them over the past two decades. The supplements industry, estimated to be worth as much as $37 billion a year, is not regulated by the FDA.

But the burgeoning demand for supplements presented an opportunity for Kozlovski, who has built a social-media following selling a supplement called Brainz Power. Today, he has nearly a dozen accounts — with followers in the hundreds of thousands— where he posts aspirational content for budding entrepreneurs, fitness nuts, fellow students, and people who just like looking at pictures of cool cars and California sunrises.

He told Business Insider that posting and marketing on social media had turned into consistent sales of Brainz Power, generating $6,000 to $10,000 a month. He first uses the money to pay his college tuition and living expenses in downtown Los Angeles; everything else goes back into the business.

"I realized that if I wanted to be a successful businessman, I needed to start now," Kozlovski said. "I thought I'll learn a lot more from actually running a business while in business school than waiting four years to get started."

But running a business while attending school isn't easy. Here's what a typical day is like for Kozlovski.

SEE ALSO: These nomads spend nearly their entire lives at sea — but they could be the last generation to do so

Kozlovski wakes up at 5 a.m. every day to answer emails and fulfill orders for Brainz Power. The lab and the fulfillment center he works with are in Georgia, so they are already open by the time he wakes up in California.

After powering through emails, Kozlovski likes to grab a coffee or a smoothie and head to the gym. Usually, a friend will meet him there. "My friends are just as busy as me, so we've learned to use everyday things like the gym to catch up," he said. "The 30 seconds or minute between sets is perfect to catch up on life."

Kozlovski gets back from the gym around 7 a.m., then films his first vlog of the day. He has an extensive presence on YouTube and Instagram to market Brainz Power and build his brand as a young entrepreneur. He said that before he started marketing on Instagram via his brand pages and ads, nothing was generating sales.

• Princess Mette-Marit met the prince of Norway at the Quart festival, but they didn't start dating until a few years later. 
• Before she married into royalty, she spent time at raves and worked as a waitress. 
• She was previously married to a man who was convicted of violence, drunk driving, and cocaine possession. 

Mette-Marit, the Crown Princess of Norway, does not have your typical princess pedigree. The 44-year-old royal has admitted to a rather wild past, replete with drug use and an unsavory ex before marrying her husband, Crown Prince Haakon.

Born Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby, she married Prince Haakon, a great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, when she was 28, after living together for a year. Princess Mette-Marit first met the prince at Norway’s largest music gathering, Quart Festival, but they didn’t start dating until a few years later.

Before they met, she spent time at raves and briefly worked as a waitress. The future princess’ raucous past began after her parents’ divorce when her father married a much younger retired stripper. Then came her relationship with her son Marius Borg Høiby’s father, who was convicted of violence, drunk driving, and cocaine possession.

Now, her eldest son lives in California, where he surfs and posts dramatic black-and-white selfies on social media. But despite his love of Instagram, he officially quit public life behind when he moved stateside. Perhaps he’s trying to avoid repeating his mother’s youthful indiscretions, although he had a few of his own on the way.

These days, the Crown Princess is far less controversial, especially after giving birth to two heirs, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 14, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 12. Her wild days are long over, and she was last in the news when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge embarked on a royal trip to Norway.

Scroll through to see the Crown Princess of Norway through the years, from her marriage to her life with her children.

The Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway with her family, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Marius Borg Hoiby and Prince Sverre Magnus.

With her husband in Oslo in 2011 during the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

At Princess Madeleine of Sweden's wedding in 2013.