With the recent explosion of podcasts, it seems like there's something out there for everyone, whether you're interested in true crime or want to learn more about science or the world's religions. But sometimes, you just want to hear more from your favorite celebrities, and if that's what you're into, there are a lot of options out there.

Tons of stars have their own podcasts now, where they interview their famous friends, tell behind-the-scenes stories about the movie and TV sets they've worked on, and share personal stories about their lives that you probably haven't heard before. If that sounds right up your alley, next time you're looking for a new podcast to listen to, you should definitely try one of these.

"Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" always takes a deep dive.

If you've ever wanted to listen to a no holds barred, in-depth conversation involving your favorite celebrities — including Shepard and wife Kristen Bell — this is the podcast for you. Every episode, Shepard invites a celebrity on to chat and asks all kinds of personal questions about their pasts, trying to figure out how it made them who they are today. You'll especially love this podcast if you're a fan of "Parenthood," since his former co-stars frequently make appearances.

"Anna Faris is Unqualified" combines advice with celebrity interviews.

Fans of "Armchair Expert" will also enjoy "Anna Faris is Unqualified." Faris' podcast also involves a celebrity guest each episode, but after the interview is done, they take calls and dish out advice to their listeners, while reminding them that they definitely aren't professionals.

"Getting Curious" with Jonathan Van Ness is entertaining and educational.

This year, "Queer Eye" has blown up, and if you can't stop watching the Netflix hit, you're probably going to adore "Getting Curious." Although other members of the fab five have appeared on their own episodes, Van Ness talks to experts to ask them questions on things he's curious about, and chances are, you'll learn a lot along the way, too — with the help of Van Ness' special brand of enthusiasm.

Before you run off to your nearest shelter to pick up the dog of your dreams, you need to make sure your home is prepared for your newly adopted pal.

Adequately preparing your home for your new arrival allows you to focus on helping your new dog adjust when you first bring them home. Done properly, your new dog will adjust quickly into being a new part of your family.

Many of our suggestions are common sense, but INSIDER also chatted with an expert to find some often overlooked aspects of preparing your home.

Before you do anything, it's important to do some research.

What kind of dog do you want to adopt? What kind of food will they need? What size dog toys are safe for them to chew? How much space does your new dog need to be happy? What dog foods have been recalled lately?

These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself before you start prepping your home.

You'll want to make sure you stock up on supplies and toys.

Most new dog owners will need a few things. You'll need to invest in some high-quality food for your dog, a crate, treats, a collar, leash, toys, food bowls, and poop bags.

Ryan Parker from The Humane Society of Ocean City told INSIDER, "Stay away from rawhide bones. The way that they're produced involves bleach and other chemicals. Rawhide bones don't actually digest in the stomach. They can block the digestive tract and cause the need for a few thousand dollar surgery. It can be easily avoided by opting for a chew alternative."

Get wires out of the way.

Ryan Parker from The Humane Society of Ocean City told INSIDER, "Wires tend to be ideal for chewing and pulling apart. You'll want to hide them away and invest in some outlet covers."

In addition to keeping your new dog safe, hiding away wires will prevent you from having to replace that expensive stereo system.

The American Midwest is known for its cornfields, cheese, and friendly folks. But if you're visiting the Midwest, you may hear some phrases you're unfamiliar with. 

Here are 16 quintessential Midwestern sayings, from someone who grew up in the Midwest. 

"Bubbler" is a word for what others call a "water fountain."

What is known as a "water fountain" or "drinking fountain" most everywhere else in the US, in some parts of the Midwest, it's known as a "bubbler." So how did it get its name?

Similar to how many people know tissues as Kleenex and inline skates as Roller Blades, "bubbler" came about due to good branding. According to Whoonew.com, the Bubbler was the name given to Kohler Water Works' 1889 water fountain. And although the original Bubbler designs are less common today, the name has stuck around.

"Pop" is a word for what others call "soda."

One of the most common words Midwesterners get teased for saying is their word for "soda." You may get strange looks for saying it elsewhere in the US, but a fizzy, flavored drink is called a "pop" in the Midwest.

"Puppy chow" is a Midwestern staple.

This is not referring to any sort of dog food, but actually a homemade Midwestern, sugary snack.

The recipe for puppy chow is Chex cereal mixed with melted peanut butter and chocolate, all of which is then coated in powdered sugar. In other parts of the country, it's equivalent to "muddy buddies" or "monkey munch."

Bedbugs and fleas are two blood-sucking bugs that can be tough to deal with. And although they do have similarities, the differences between them are pretty distinct— and some of the biggest differences come down to their bites. 

Here are some of the major similarities and differences between bedbugs and fleas if you aren't quite sure what bug you're dealing with. 

Both bugs survive on their host's blood.

Bedbugs and fleas survive on blood from a host, according to Terminix. This means that both bedbugs and fleas will try to bite humans and animals when necessary.

Both insects only like the blood from mammals, and bedbugs prefer humans. Fleas typically prefer the blood of furry mammals, but they can jump onto humans and bite them as well.

Fleas and bedbugs have some similarities.

Both small, wingless insects, fleas and bedbugs are a reddish-brown color. Although both bugs are visible to the naked eye, they often come into your home without a trace.

Bedbugs and fleas are nocturnal.

Fleas and bedbugs can loosely be labeled as nocturnal, meaning they are usually more active at night. This makes it harder to spot them, especially if you don't have any itchy, red bites.

Both bugs can live for quite a long time without blood from a host, fleas for up to 100 days and bedbugs for up to a few weeks. 

Read More: Here's what to do when you find out you have bedbugs

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• Shoe polish is an important part of ensuring that your leather shoes and boots last as long as possible.

• With its all-natural formula, great nourishing properties, and centuries-old pedigree, the French-made Saphir Renovateur is an old-school icon that remains the premier shoe polish. 

A good pair of leather dress shoes is one of the most important parts of any wardrobe, but one of the "catches" with buying quality leather is that animal hide needs a bit of care in order to maintain its character and suppleness. After you wear those new shoes for a while, they're naturally going to start looking worn out as the leather's natural oils dry out the surface takes on scuffs, scratches, creases, and general wear from the elements.

The good news is that you don't have to toss those worn-out shoes in your closet: Good leather can last for decades and decades with proper care, and many people (myself included) actually find polishing their shoes to be a relaxing old-school ritual. Good polish can breathe new life into leather, making it look almost new again, and if you're investing good money in quality shoes then it behooves you to spend a few bucks on quality polish. Few things look worse than an otherwise nice outfit ruined by worn-out, dull-looking shoes.

Shoe polish generally comes in two forms shoe cream and shoe wax:

• Shoe creams are oil-based polishes that impart a matte shine to the shoe while also restoring moisture and adding a bit of color to the leather — great for shoes that are looking a bit dry and rough on the surface. This is the most common type of polish, the easiest to work with, and our recommendation for beginners.
• Shoe wax is a solid polish with a base typically comprised of beeswax or something similar. It offers a more classic glass-like shine than cream polishes as well as some extra resistance to scuffs and marks on the leather, but takes a bit more time and effort to use. You don't want to over-apply wax as it can dry out and flake off if you layer it on too thick — rather than getting fully absorbed into the leather, wax polishes do most of their work on the surface.

To polish your shoes, find a flat surface to work on and lay down an old towel or some newspaper. Remove the laces, clean any dirt off the shoes with a horsehair brush, and then use a dauber to apply the polish. If the shoes are considerably dirty, consider cleaning them with saddle soap before starting this process. Work the polish into the leather with a cloth, moving in small circular motions with your fingers. Finish by buffing the shoes to a shine with a separate buffing cloth, and you're done.

Polishes are also great for casual shoes and boots, and there are special types made for these that offer additional leather protection. We've rounded up the best shoe polishes available today to suit just about any need, so read on to find the right one to help you keep your leather footwear looking great for years to come.

Here is the best shoe polish you can buy:

• Best shoe polish overall: Saphir Renovateur
• Best shoe polishing cream: Meltonian
• Best shoe polishing wax: Lincoln Stain Wax
• Best shoe conditioner: Otter Wax
• Best shoe protectant: Obenauf's
• Best saddle soap: Fiebing's Saddle Soap
• Best horse hair brush: Allen Edmonds Horsehair Brush
• Best dauber: Allen Edmonds Dauber
• Best buffing cloth: Allen Edmonds Buffing Cloth

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best shoe polish overall

Why you'll love it: For the be-all, end-all cream polish that can bring even the most worn-out pair of leather dress shoes back to life and impart a world-class shine, look no further than Saphir Renovateur.

In the world of shoe care, there's one name that stands tall above the rest: Saphir. This award-winning French shoe polish brand, established in 1925, retains a near-legendary status among style experts after nearly a century.

If you're looking to treat and condition your leather shoes and aren't looking to add any color to them, then our top recommendation is Renovateur. Saphir Renovateur is a mink oil-based polish with a 100% natural formula. It's a neutral-colored cream, and as you probably guessed from its name, Renovateur is specifically made to treat and nourish full-grain leather, something it does better than just about any other shoe polish you're likely to find.

Cheaper polishes you'll see online and in stores are almost always made of natural oils and waxes with synthetic additives like petroleum and/or silicone. Synthetic materials aren't absorbed into the leather nearly as well as organic ones because leather itself is a natural material and they aren't as good for the leather over the long-term. These polishes are OK for shining up cheap corrected-grain leather, but for full-grain hide, you want something all-natural like Renovateur.

Considered by many sartorial enthusiasts to be the prince of shoe polishes, Saphir Renovateur is a little expensive. It's worth it. A jar or tin will last you a very long time, anyway, so "buy the best and you'll only cry once." For conditioning leather while still delivering a fantastic shine, Saphir Renovateur remains far and away the best polish that money can buy.

Pros: All-natural formula is healthier for leather than creams that use synthetic additives, made in France, provides an excellent shine, hydrates and nourishes full-grain leather extremely well, and it can restore even the most worn-out pair of shoes

Cons: It's comparatively expensive, and it's only available in a neutral color

Buy Saphir Renovateur cream polish on Amazon for $25

The best cream shoe polish

Why you'll love it: If you're looking for a cream-based shoe polish that's as easy to use as it is easy on your wallet, it doesn't get better than Meltonian boot and shoe cream.

Like Saphir, Meltonian is another classic shoe polish brand and one you might have heard of before — If your father or grandfather favored a cream-based polish, then there's a very good chance it read "Meltonian" on the tin. Meltonian polish is a soft cream formula, making it very easy to work into leather than wax-based polishes and even most other cream polishes while imparting a subtle matte, rather than super-glossy, shine.

Meltonian does contain some synthetic materials — namely petroleum — as most inexpensive polishes do. That's not a deal-breaker, especially at this price, but bear in mind that it's not quite as good for full-grain leather as all-natural formulas like our top pick, Saphir Renovateur. Nonetheless, it is dead simple to use, is even somewhat easier to work into the leather than Saphir can be, and reconditions leather very well without leaving behind excess residue.

Meltonian boot and shoe cream is available in a variety of colors, whereas Renovateur is only available in a neutral tone. Colored polishes aren't necessary to help your shoes retain their luster, but they can add some color and patina to shoes and other leather goods that are a bit worn-out or ones you'd like to darken up a bit. Colored polish is also great for getting rid of scuffs and scratches. If this doesn't interest you, then Meltonian's "bone" color is a neutral option.

Pros: Soft cream formula is easy to work into leather and doesn't leave residue behind, a number of colors (including neutral) available, and it's an excellent value

Cons: Partially synthetic formula isn't as good for leather as all-natural polishes

Buy Meltonian boot and shoe cream polish on Amazon  in various colors for $7.50

The best wax shoe polish

Why you'll love it: A decades-old favorite among both soldiers and civilians, Lincoln Stain Wax is an American classic with a rich waxy formula that will bring your shoes and boots to a mirror shine.

If anybody in your family has served in the military, then they were likely familiar with Lincoln Stain Wax. This iconic American shoe polish has been "general issue" in the military for decades, but you don't have to be a GI to appreciate it — Just as many civilians as soldiers have found Lincoln to be the go-to wax polish for buffing up leather shoes and boots of all colors to a glass-like shine you can see almost your reflection in.

As a hard wax-type polish, Lincoln Stain Wax requires a bit of extra elbow grease to work with, which can take some getting used to if you're more familiar with soft cream polishes like Meltonian. Don't be intimidated by this, and don't be afraid to use a little bit of water and heat to help you work the Lincoln wax into the leather. Once it's absorbed into the leather, you'll be ready to buff it up to a glassy surface shine that no cream polish can rival.

Lincoln Stain Wax is an American classic and has thankfully remained so, still being made right in the US. It's cheap, too, at around $7 per tin, with multiple colors available  —including a neutral tone — with black likely being the most popular due to its association with the military.

Harder wax polishes also typically last longer than creams, as they're not designed to condition leather as much and are more for shining up the surface while adding some extra scuff protection.

Pros: Still made in the US, wax formula imparts a glass-like shine to your shoes, protects the surface of your shoes better than creams, and it's an excellent value

Cons: Hard wax formula requires more time to work into leather and buff to a shine

Buy Lincoln Stain Wax shoe polish on Amazon in various colors for $7

Anyone who thinks Halloween is the worst is no fun.

There are cool costumes, tons of candy, and the best part is that everything is optional. Between this, and the fact that it takes place during the coziest time of year, Halloween really can't be beat.

From the decorations to the haunted houses, keep scrolling to see all the reasons Halloween is the best.

You have an excuse to eat tons of candy.

If you're too old to trick-or-treat, just buy your own candy. It's Halloween! Stock up on limited-edition candy to enjoy the holiday year-round.

You inevitably have tons of candy left over.

There are plenty of ways to make your candy last as long as possible. As long as you store it properly, you can enjoy one of the best parts of Halloween for a solid while.

It's fun to dress up as someone else.

Dressing up is one of the most fun parts of Halloween, because who doesn't like getting to be someone else for a day? 

Even better, it's a great way to showcase your creativity.

• Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday. The company says it will close 142 stores before the end of the year, and its CEO, Eddie Lampert, will step down.
• The rise of e-commerce, declining foot traffic to malls, and a higher demand for off-price products are just some of the factors that have caused department stores to suffer in recent years, and Sears is no exception to that. 
• We visited a Sears store the day the company filed for bankruptcy, and it felt like the store had already been abandoned. Parts of the store were well-kempt, but others were disorganized and empty, and there was hardly anyone in sight. 

Sears filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday.

The company says it will close 142 stores before the end of the year, and its CEO, Eddie Lampert, will step down.

Sears has been closing stores and selling off assets following years of crippling sales declines. The company currently operates 687 Sears and Kmart stores, according to its bankruptcy filing. That's down from nearly 2,000 stores in 2013.

The rise of e-commerce, declining foot traffic to malls, and a higher demand for off-price products are just some of the factors that have caused department stores as a category to suffer in recent years. 

"The problem in Sears' case is that it is a poor retailer. Put bluntly, it has failed on every facet of retailing from assortment to service to merchandise to basic shop-keeping standards,"said Neil Saunders, the managing director of GlobalData Retail.

When we visited a Sears store the day the company filed for bankruptcy, it felt like the store had already been abandoned. Parts of the store were well-kempt, but others were disorganized and empty, and there was hardly anyone in sight.

Here's what it was like:

SEE ALSO: Sears, once the largest retailer in the world, has filed for bankruptcy and is closing 142 stores. Here's how it got there.

We went to a Sears store in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The store seemed like it was in pretty good shape at first glance.

Women's clothing was the first department at the front of the store.

• Retailers are filing for bankruptcy at record-high rates.
• Sears is the latest retailer to file for bankruptcy. Nine West, Claire's, and The Bon-Ton Stores have also filed for bankruptcy this year.

Retailers are filing for bankruptcy at record-high rates as Americans' changing shopping habits, along with years of overly aggressive store growth, continue to shake up the industry. 

15 US retailers have filed for bankruptcy or announced liquidations so far in 2018.

Here's the retail carnage so far this year:

SEE ALSO: Retail bankruptcies just hit an all-time high — and these 18 companies could be the next to default

Nine West

Nine West Holdings filed for bankruptcy in April.

The women's clothing and footwear company said it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to help facilitate the sale of its Nine West and Bandolino businesses. The company listed debts of more than $1 billion.

"This is the right step to address our two divergent business profiles," Nine West Holdings' CEO, Ralph Schipani, said in a statement. "Once we complete the reorganization process, our company will have meaningfully reduced debt and interest costs and be well positioned for the future."

Claire's

The jewelry chain Claire's filed for bankruptcy in March. The company said plunging customer traffic to shopping malls led to its decline.

"The retail industry as a whole has been challenged by shifts in consumer purchasing preferences and habits," Claire's said in a bankruptcy filing.

The retailer plans to close 92 stores, most of which are located in malls.

The Walking Company

The shoe seller The Walking Company, which operates 208 stores in the US, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March.

There is nothing quite as annoying as unintended weight gain, especially if you don't know why it's happening. 

As it turns out weight gain can actually be a signal that something else is going on with your body. Many vitamin, mineral, and hormone deficiencies are linked to metabolic disorders that affect our body's natural ability to manage weight.

Of course, it's important to remember deficiencies alone are often not the sole cause for this. A person should always rule out other possible factors like chronic conditions before concluding that a deficiency is the root of their weight issue.

Read more:The 10 leading reasons you could be gaining weight

Still, if you've noticed an increase in weight that seems out of the ordinary, you may want to talk with your physician about determining if your body is lacking in any of these areas.

An underactive thyroid gland can lead to weight gain.

You may have heard of the thyroid — the butterfly-shaped gland that lives in the bottom part of your neck. It is part of the endocrine system in your body — aka the hormone delivery network.

According to PubMed, our thyroid gland is responsible for managing our metabolism. This regulates our body's ability to burn calories and use them for energy. It does so by producing the hormone thyroxine (also called T4) and converting it into triiodothyronine (also called T3). These hormones then travel throughout the body and tell different cells how hard they should be working. The harder they work, the more calories get burned.

Hypothyroidism is a common condition marked by an underactive thyroid gland. In hypothyroidism, the thyroid does not produce enough of those T3 and T4 hormones and that lowers the body's basal metabolic rate or the number of calories the body actually needs to perform its basic functions at rest. Extra calories that aren't being used end up getting stored as fat.

This is why people who develop hypothyroidism notice weight gain even though they aren't eating more than usual.

Hypothyroidism is commonly caused by an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Your doctor may request a thyroid stimulating hormone test to see if your TS3 and TS4 levels are within the normal range. If you are deficient in either, you may experience some unexpected weight gain.

Although there is no cure for hypothyroidism, there are medications that exist to manage symptoms. In the meantime, consider different approaches like an anti-inflammatory or low carbohydrate diet to manage weight-related side effects.

An iodine deficiency can cause the thyroid to function slowly, leading to potential weight gain.

You may remember this element from the periodic table in your chemistry class or have heard about how its liquid form is a disinfectant. It turns out our bodies also need iodine in order for the thyroid gland to produce the hormones T3 and T4. As previously stated, both hormones play a key role in determining how efficiently our bodies can burn calories.

Low levels of iodine can cause the thyroid to function sluggishly because it cannot produce enough of these hormones. According to the American Thyroid Association, the human body cannot produce iodine on its own, which means it must be consumed as part of our diet.

If you show symptoms of hypothyroidism that are not caused by other factors like autoimmune disease, you may have an iodine deficiency.

Your physician can check for iodine deficiency with a urine sample.

A vitamin D deficiency may also contribute to unintentional weight gain.

Chances are you're familiar with vitamin D's effects on bone health. Higher levels of it can help your body support strong skeletal functions, while lower levels can lead to conditions like osteoporosis.

But research over the years suggests that a lack of this micronutrient may also contribute to unintentional weight gain. Several studies over the past decade have found that women with vitamin D deficiencies were more predisposed to weight gain compared to women with a normal range of the nutrient.

And earlier this year, Medical News Today cited research published by the VU University Medical Center and Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands that revealed higher body fat across all genders were linked with low vitamin D levels.

Although further investigation is needed on why this occurs, Rachida Rafiq, a scientist from the study, told Medical News Daily that the strong association suggests a possible connection between the deficiency and the way abdominal fat is stored.

Approximately 42% of US adults have a vitamin D deficiency, which means its fairly common. Other symptoms of the deficiency include fatigue, joint pain, and frequent infections. If you are experiencing any of these in conjunction with weight gain, you might have low vitamin D levels.

When you're running late for your flight and time is of the essence, it can be tempting to just empty the contents of your closet into a suitcase and hope for the best.

However, it's actually possible to pack a bag the hour before your trip and still wind up bringing everything you need.

Here are a few tips for packing a carry-on or checked bag at the very last minute.

First, make sure you choose the right bag.

If you're packing a bag at the last minute, it's crucial that you make sure your luggage suits your needs.

Going on a spontaneous adventure to parts unknown? You're better off choosing a smaller bag that won't weigh you down. If you're heading overseas for a month, a larger suitcase is probably appropriate.

It's also a good idea to double-check your airline's cabin and carry-on luggage restrictions. Showing up with an oversized or overweight bag might cost you a few extra bucks or even cause you to miss your flight.

If you frequently pack at the last minute, consider setting aside a travel drawer.

Paradoxically, successful last-minute packing is all about preparation. Keeping all your travel essentials in one spot greatly decreases the chances that you'll find yourself at the airport without a passport.

Blogger Monica Stott, who runs The Travel Hack, recommended creating a travel drawer, which makes throwing a last-minute suitcase together much easier. According to Stott, she learned this trick from travel blogger Abigail King, who runs Inside the Travel Lab.

A good travel drawer includes things like passports, hotel reservation documents, and boarding passes. For extra points, consider tossing in a mobile charging pack or a few notes of foreign currency.

Of course, your travel drawer doesn't need to be a literal drawer. Put together a travel pouch, folder, or box to accomplish the same goal of having all your travel stuff conveniently grouped in the same place.

It's important to make a list before you pack anything.

No matter how rushed you feel, take a deep breath and sit down to draw up a quick packing list. Spending a few minutes outlining what you need to bring might save you the agony of realizing you've arrived at your destination with seven pairs of jeans and no underwear.

You can also make a list of every activity you have planned for your trip and use that to decide exactly what you'll need for your journey — a common feature in many popular packing apps today.

At the Met Gala in early May, a surprising new couple showed up on the red carpet: billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk and Canadian musician and producer Grimes.

While Musk has long been known to date successful and high-profile women, the two made a seemingly unlikely pairing. Shortly before they walked the red carpet together, Page Six announced their relationship and explained how they met — over Twitter, thanks to a shared sense of humor and a fascination with artificial intelligence.

Since they made their relationship public in May, the couple has continued to make headlines: Grimes for publicly defending Musk and speaking out about Tesla, and Musk for tweeting that he wants to take Tesla private, sparking an SEC investigation.

But shortly after Musk's run-in with the SEC, Grimes and Musk unfollowed each other on social media, igniting rumors that the pair had broken up. 

Now, it appears that the couple is spending time together again: they were spotted with Musk's five sons at a pumpkin patch in Los Angeles last weekend. 

For those who may still be wondering who Grimes is and how she and Musk ended up together, here's what you need to know about the Canadian singer and producer.

SEE ALSO: How to dress like a tech billionaire for $200 or less

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. She attended a school that specialized in creative arts but didn't focus on music until she started attending McGill University in Montreal.

Source: The Guardian, Fader

A friend persuaded Grimes to sing backing vocals for his band, and she found it incredibly easy to hit all the right notes. She had another friend show her how to use GarageBand and started recording music.

Source: The Guardian

In 2010, Grimes released a cassette-only album called "Geidi Primes." She released her second album, "Halfaxa," later that year and subsequently went on tour with the Swedish singer Lykke Li. Eventually, she dropped out of McGill to focus on music.

Source: The Guardian, Fader

Getting your driver's license is a rite of passage ― but it's also a long process.

Most states have some form of graduated license programs in place to ensure you're ready to be driving on the road. These often include a supervised learning period and a restricted license before you're able to receive a full-privilege license. 

A 2017 study found that these graduated license programs have been instrumental in reducing car crashes among 16 and 17-year-olds. 

Here are 10 things you need to know about getting a US driver's license, from how old you need to be to how often you need to renew it.

Most states require you to obtain a permit before getting your license.

To get issued a restricted, or provisional license, teen drivers must first obtain a learner's permit, which allows them to drive while supervised under specific conditions. Most states require you to be at least 15 to obtain a learner's permit but some, like Iowa, only require you be 14.

To know the exact permit requirements for your state, click here.

You'll most likely have to go driver's education.

Aside from having a learner's permit, states require you to undergo driver's education and pass the state's driving test.

For example, in Maine, a driver must complete a driver’s training course that includes 30 hours of classroom instruction and ten hours behind-the-wheel training. Different states, however, have different requirements.

To find out your state's driver's education requirements, here's a state-by-state overview. 

In the majority of US states, you can get a restricted driver's license at 16.

For a majority of states, at age 16 you can get a restricted license, meaning you might not be able to drive during certain hours or have passengers depending on your state. 

These states include California, Colorado, Texas, and many more. 

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• While traveling light is great, I find it equally important to travel organized.
• I tend to bring a few different things with me on every trip — whether a long weekend or a multi-week journey — to help me stay mobile and efficient.
• Here are my must-haves on any international trip.

When I travel, I tend to go for "organized" more than "minimalist." Sure, I try to keep it light, packing as few articles of clothing as I can get away with and asking myself "will I need this?" before anything goes in my bag. Ultimately, though, I might take a couple of things I don't absolutely, strictly need if it makes my trip easier or more comfortable.

I've taken a number of trips over the past few years, ranging from long weekends away or quick work trips to weeks-long treks to four or five different cities or countries. While I obviously pack differently depending on the trip, there are a few things that go in my bag any time I travel abroad, whether its for a few days or a few weeks. Here are my essentials.

SEE ALSO: I pay $1,000 in annual fees for the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum — and as far as I’m concerned, the math checks out

A passport wallet to keep my travel documents together.

Bellroy Travel Wallet, $119.95

I never really bothered with passport holders before, preferring to just slip my passport in a jeans or backpack pocket. Then I tried one out, and I became a convert. The Bellroy Travel Wallet is basically a folio for all of your travel documents, like a passport, boarding passes, landing cards, extra currency, and anything else you have. I can even put my Priority Pass airport lounge card and a back-up credit card in there so that I don't take up room in my regular, everyday wallet. It's an easy way to streamline everything and stay organized at the airport and at passport control. You can also take a look at a few of the other passport wallets I tested.

A pair of noise-cancelling headphones to keep things quiet on the plane.

Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, $349, available at Amazon

Bose's noise-cancelling headphones are simply a life changer. Bose developed the first active noise cancellation headphones for commercial use in the 1980s and brought the technology to the masses with the original QuietComfort headphones in 2000. Since then, each iteration of headphones has gotten better and better. The QuietComfort, or 'QC' 35 headphones are effective, wireless, comfortable, and just about perfect. They also come with a wire and an adapter in case you need to connect to something that isn't equipped with Bluetooth — for instance, and airplane's in-flight entertainment system. While my colleague Brandt prefers Sony's latest noise cancelling headphones, I definitely prefer my Bose.

The right credit card — without foreign transaction fees — to earn rewards and access lounges.

Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy

Click here to learn more about the Amex Platinum from Insider Picks' partner: The Points Guy

I absolutely never travel without my Platinum Card® from American Express and my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. That may seem nuts, since it means I pay $1,000 in annual fees between the two cards, but it makes sense for me — you can read why here. Even if you don't want to carry both, just one can be incredibly useful.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 3x points per dollar spent on all dining and travel — so the vast majority of your purchases during a trip, including internationally — as well as an annual $300 travel credit that offsets a big part of the annual fee. It also includes numerous protections including trip and baggage delay insurance, trip interruption coverage, and primary rental car insurance, as long as you use the card to pay for your trip.

The card also offers access to airport lounges through the Priority Pass program, which you can read more about here.

The Amex Platinum offers 5x points on airfare purchased from the airline and prepaid hotels reserved through AmexTravel.com, but doesn't have the same level of protections as the Sapphire Reserve. It does, however, offer a number of useful credits, and significantly more extensive lounge access within the US.

Both cards have no foreign transaction fees, and come with rich bonuses for new card members. The Sapphire Reserve offers 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points when you spend $4,000 in the first three months, while the Amex Platinum offers 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points when you spend $5,000 in the first three months.

• The Sword Gate House is the most expensive and oldest mansion in Charleston, South Carolina, with a whopping $16 million price tag.
• It's 200 years old and has nine bedrooms, lavish antique furnishings, and 12 fireplaces.
• It also boasts priceless historical value —the home was designed in the Federal Period, was the private residence of the granddaughter of President Abraham Lincoln at one point, and locals say it's inhabited by a friendly ghost. 
• But it's spent nine stale years on and off the market with multiple price drops.

In the South Carolina city of Charleston sits a beautiful, 17,000-square-foot mansion immersed in history, luxury, and exquisite design — and no one seems to want to buy it.

The 200-year-old home, known as The Sword Gate House, was listed in 2009 and since then has seen multiple price drops from its original $23 million price tag; its current asking price is $16 million.

Check out the charming Southern estate and why it has struggled on the market.

SEE ALSO: 50 photos show how obsessed the wealthy are with underground mansions

The Sword Gate House at 32 Legare St. is the most expensive home in Charleston, South Carolina.

Source: Work and Money and Zillow

The asking price? Almost $16 million.

Source: Zillow

The property was last sold in 1998 for $3 million. It landed on the market again in 2009 for $23 million, after some major renovations.

Source: Realtor and Work and Money

• Starbucks has a menu that consists of over 100 drinks, desserts, and pre-packaged meals.
• Some of these items may be more damaging to your health than others, based on the calorie, fat, sugar, and protein content.
• INSIDER used a ranking system to determine the 50 items that may be more damaging to your health — and you maybe be surprised at what you see.

There is nothing wrong with sipping on a salted caramel frappuccino with extra whipped cream or treating yourself to a double chocolate chunk brownie for Starbucks. After all, aside from providing necessary nutrients, the main purpose of food is to enjoy it.

But as diets like keto and Weight Watchers become increasingly popular, people are becoming more cognizant of what they eat. And your daily Starbucks order could be doing more damage to your diet than you may think.

Since the nutritional value of a food item can't be based on one number, INSIDER examined the calories, fat, sugar, and protein of every item on Starbucks's extensive menu using the nutrition section on the website. (Though, full disclosure, we skipped anything on the secret Starbucks menu. You'll have to calculate that on your own.) Each menu item was assigned specific point values based on calories, fat, sugar, and protein content. Those with the highest number of points were deemed the “worst.”

It should be noted, however, that there is no such thing as good food or bad food; better food or worse food.

Additionally, all drink information was determined based on a grande order with 2% milk unless otherwise specified.

Keep scrolling to see the 50 Starbucks menu items that may be most damaging to your health, if consumed on a daily basis.

SEE ALSO: All your favorite Starbucks drinks, ranked by calories

50. Macadamia oat cookie

This vegan cookie is high in fat, but that likely comes from the protein-packed nuts that fill the cookie.

49. Chocolate hazelnut croissant

Though this pastry has more calories, fat, and sugar than the plain chocolate counterpart, it has more protein which gives it a slight health edge.

48. Chocolate croissant

If you crave a croissant in the morning, it might be best to order the ham and cheese croissant, which has less calories, fat, and sugar, and almost three times the protein for a more filling meal.

Halloween comes once a year, and it's the perfect time to show off your pup's festive looks and adorable costumes. That is, if your dog is comfortable wearing them.

Here are 20 funny and adorable costume ideas for dogs. 

You're a wizard, Harry Pupper.

Show your love for "Harry Potter" by having your dog sport a wizard costume. There are pre-assembled costumes available, but this one is also fairly simple to DIY.

Plus, your dog can carry around their favorite stick as a wand.

Have your dog be a lion for the night.

This fairly simple costume only requires one piece to complete the outfit, a lion's mane. This look typically works best on blonde or light-colored pups.

Have your pup dress up as a spooky skeleton.

If you have a dog with a dark coat, using non-toxic, pet-safe white paint is an easy way to get your dog ready for Halloween. Because there are no clothing items or accessories, this is a good option for dogs who are likely to eat or shred a costume.

But, there are also fabric versions of this costume available. 

If you're searching for a new dog, making the decision to adopt one from a shelter is a great choice. But before you can sign off and take your new best friend home, how can you tell if this particular shelter dog is the right fit for you?

If adopting a dog is in your near future, here are 10 ways to tell you've chosen the right companion.

If their body language is relaxed and welcoming, that's a good sign.

One of the easiest signs to tell whether or not a dog feels safe around you is to check their body language. A dog that feels comfortable around you will have a more relaxed body language, allowing you to pet them and play with them.

According to the American Kennel Club, however, a dog that is cowering, lacking movement, or moving erratically could mean they are stressed, scared, or don't want to be touched. 

If they're playful and energetic around you, your dog is probably a good fit.

Not all dogs will be full of energy. Since a lot of shelter dogs may be more advanced in age, it's likely that they won't have that over-the-top energy that a puppy has.

Still, though, if your dog is the right fit for you, he'll most likely enjoy playing, at least occasionally, with you. You'll be able to tell they're wanting to play with you if they do what Animal Kingdom calls the "play bow."

You'll know you're witnessing a "play bow" if your dog suddenly put his butt in the air with his front legs forward and his tail wagging. 

If they make eye contact, they're most likely bonding with you.

It turns out, if a dog makes eye contact with you, they're most likely bonding with you.

CBS News reported that a new study in Science led by Takefumi Kikusui, an animal behaviorist at Azabu University in Japan, found that your pups eye contact is actually incredibly meaningful. 

"Our data suggest that owner-dog bonding is comparable to human parent-infant bonding, that is, oxytocin-mediated eye-gaze bonding," Kikusui said. "And this is surprising to us because there is not a reproductive relationship between human and dogs, but both of them have acquired similar skills. "

I've tested and played with an impressive crop of high-end Android devices this Fall. But after spending a week with Google's new Pixel 3XL I was quickly reminded why, when it comes to choosing my day-to-day device, my SIM cards tend to stay in Pixel phones. 

My appreciation for Pixel phones has never been about the design, but that's changed a little bit with the Pixel 3XL. Still, if I was basing my buying decision on purely design, I probably wouldn't land on the Pixel 3XL, despite the improvements.

The real beauty of Pixel phones has always been a mixture of getting an unadulterated Android experience, which would have been great on its own, as well as knowing that every photo I take is better on the Pixel 3XL than it is on any other phone.

Check out the Pixel 3XL, which goes on sale October 18:

SEE ALSO: Samsung's latest smartphone has more cameras than any premium phone from Apple, Google, or LG — but that doesn't mean it's better

The Pixel 3XL has the foundation that makes great smartphones "great."

The Pixel 3XL has everything that other top Android phones have:

• An excellent, sharp display
• Fast and responsive performance
• Good battery life
• Water resistance
• Wireless charging
• A fast and responsive fingerprint sensor
• A great camera (more on this later)

These are more-or-less standard expectations form a high-end Android phone these days, and the Pixel 3XL ticks every box. 

Google's Pixel 3XL shines in a meaningful way that most other Android phones don't.

There's just something about using a device where everything is made "in-house": The Pixel 3XL is a marriage of Google's hardware and Google's software. It's the Google experience rather than the "Samsung and Google experience" or the "LG and Googl experience." While some other Android devices can suffer from conflicts with performance and updates, the Pixel runs like a tight, well-oiled machine. 

Android 9.0 "Pie" on the Pixel 3XL feels up to date, optimized, clean, responsive, fluid, and reliable. Other Android smartphones that aren't made by Google check some of those boxes, but not all of them.

Some exceptions are OnePlus phones and the Essential Phone, both of which run the cleanest versions of Android outside of Google's own Pixel devices. To note the Essential Phone has been getting Android updates at the same time as Pixel phones, and it's the only non-Google phone to do so.

What do I mean by clean and why is it so important? It means no bloatware and a "less is more" approach to features that makes it easier to use than a phone with lots of features. 

The notch isn't great, but it doesn't ruin the experience.

After using the Pixel 3XL for a week, I've come to completely ignore its massive notch. It doesn't detract from the experience of using the phone at all.

If you write off the Pixel 3XL because of its notch, you'll be doing yourself a disservice for the sake of looks. You'll be missing out on everything that's great about the Pixel 3XL, including the great software and the absurdly good camera, which I'm coming to next. 

Tech stocks took a beating in last week's market-wide sell off. 

But one Wall Street analyst thinks a special breed of software companies are well positioned to withstand choppy stock market conditions. 

In a note published Sunday, Evercore ISI analyst Kirk Materne flagged a group of software companies and compared them to February 2016 levels — that's when the stock market reached a short-lived low point amid uncertainty and fear.

"We believe that when it comes to software investing, times of macro stress and market volatility have usually ended up being good buying opportunities," Materne wrote, adding that investors who look past the "noise in prior crises have generally been rewarded," three to six months later.

The key? Many companies in the software sector have built businesses based on recurring revenue, giving the businesses a "durability" that's now well-understood by investors, Materne wrote.. The top 25 software companies today have 69% of their revenue from recurring business customers, compared to 42% 10 years ago, he said. 

Materne highlighted software companies with estimated growth of more than 20% in the upcoming years. Those stocks tend to have an enterprise value of around 5x their revenue. And as their revenues grow, so will their valuations. 

Here are 18 high-growth software companies to keep on your radar:

SEE ALSO: $7.2 billion Twilio is spending $2 billion to buy one of its publicly-traded partners

Carbon Black

Analysts expect Carbon Black (CBLK), which went public this year, to grow its revenues by 22.7% in 2019 and 24.3% in 2020. Its enterprise value— a slightly different figure from market capitalization — is 2.6x its estimated revenue over the next twelve months. Materne thinks that multiple could reasonably grow to 5x. 

Box

Box (BOX) has had a rough time on the stock market in recent months, and is trading down 10% from a year ago, but its revenues are still slated to grow 20.9% and 17.7% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The company's enterprise value is 3.7x its estimated revenue over the next twelve months, and Materne thinks it could reasonably grow to a 5x multiple.

Rapid7

Rapid7 (RPD) is up 80% from where it traded a year ago. With 20% revenue growth expected in 2019 and 22.3% growth expected in 2020, the company could continue to see its valuation grow. Its enterprise valuation is curretly 5.2x its estimated revenue over the next twelve months

• Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new transnational organized-crime task force on Monday. It's part of the Trump administration's crackdown on crime that has been one of its priorities since President Donald Trump took office.
• The Justice Department, following Trump's lead, has intensified its efforts against the transnational gang MS-13, which started in the US and is now based in Central America.
• Sessions designated the group a priority for the department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
• Subcommittees within the new task force will focus on the five groups named by those officials.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new transnational organized-crime task force on Monday, furthering a crackdown on crime that he said has been a Trump administration priority since Day 1.

"The same day I was sworn in as attorney general, President Trump ordered me to disrupt and dismantle these groups," Sessions said in remarks delivered in Washington, DC.

The Justice Department, following Trump's lead, has intensified its efforts against the transnational gang MS-13, which started in the US and is now based in Central America. Sessions designated the group a priority for the department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, which he said had been able to hit it "from all angles."

Sessions directed that task force, as well as Justice Department officials, the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration to name the top transnational criminal groups threatening the US. Subcommittees within the new task force will focus on the five groups named by those officials.

"I have ordered each of these subcommittees to provide me with specific recommendations within 90 days on the best ways to prosecute these groups and ultimately take them off of our streets," Sessions said.

Below, you can see the five groups on which the Justice Department's new task force will focus.

SEE ALSO: The Coast Guard is catching more drug-running subs, but most 'very stealthy' narco subs are probably going undetected

MS-13

Trump has inveighed against MS-13 throughout his time in office.

Often calling its members "animals," Trump has claimed MS-13 has turned US communities "into blood-stained killing fields," accused child migrants of being members (though the number of unaccompanied minors with suspected links to the gang is minuscule), and falsely claimed to have seen ICE agents "liberate towns from the grasp of MS-13."

The gang started among migrants from Central America, El Salvador in particular, who fled civil wars in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of them ended up in Southern California, where, without family networks or other connections, they gravitated toward gangs.

Deportations returned many members to their home countries in the 1990s and 2000s, where the gang blossomed in the post-conflict environment.

The gang's influence has since spread throughout the region, including to the US, where it often carries out extortion, robberies, and other crimes in areas with large migrant communities, like the Washington, DC, suburbs or Suffolk County on Long Island.

Though MS-13 members have committed particularly heinous crimes, experts have said the Trump administration misunderstands the reach and power the gang.

"Our research found that MS-13 is hardly a lucrative network of criminal masterminds," Steven Dudley, a senior fellow at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, wrote earlier this year. "Instead, it is a loose coalition of young, often formerly incarcerated men operating hand to mouth across a vast geographic territory."

The Jalisco New Generation cartel, or CJNG

The Mexican organized-crime group CJNG is the youngest group on the list compiled by the Justice Department. It is believed to have sprung from one faction of the Sinaloa cartel, which is also on the list, around 2010.

Based in the southwest state of Jalisco, the CJNG has grown rapidly since then, expanding throughout the country. It often violently forces out competitors and has corrupted numerous law-enforcement officials.

It has focused on synthetic drugs like crystal meth, and it has helped push up homicide rates along Mexico's Pacific coast, fighting for control of ports needed to bring in precursor chemicals needed to make those drugs. The CJNG has expanded into other criminal enterprises; in some parts of Mexico it is believed to be fighting for a piece of the lucrative oil-theft trade.

Perhaps the group's most high-profile crime was shooting down a Mexican army helicopter over Jalisco in May 2015. The shoot-down killed six soldiers, who were among 15 people killed in wave of violence in the state that day. (Mexican authorities said earlier this year they caught the suspects responsible for bringing down the helicopter.)

In the years since, the CJNG and its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka "El Mencho," have become high-profile targets. The capture of a number of CJNG financial operators, including the wife of "El Mencho," in recent years likely indicates Mexican authorities are trying to go after the gang's money. (Though the wife was released on bail in September.)

The group also appears to be facing competition at home. A group called the Nueva Plaza cartel, believed to be led by a one-time confidant of Oseguera, is thought to be challenging it on its home turf in Guadalajara, with backing from groups like the Sinaloa cartel.

The Sinaloa cartel

Over the past two decades, the Sinaloa cartel has risen to the top of Mexico's narco hierarchy, operating throughout the country and around the world, linking coca fields in South America and drug labs in Mexico to consumers in the US, Europe, and parts of Asia.

Formed in the western state of the same name, the Sinaloa cartel emerged in the 1990s, after the breakup of the powerful Guadalajara cartel. Led by cartel chief Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Sinaloa cartel muscled rivals out of valuable territories, including cities bordering the US.

In the process, the cartel helped stoke dizzying bloodshed in Mexico, making its cities some of the most violent in the world.

The cartel's outlook has been cloudy since Guzman's January 2016 arrest, which came about six months after he broke out of jail for the second time. Rumors of a looming third breakout appeared to be snuffed out in January 2017, when Mexican officials whisked him to New York and turned him over to the US.

Since then, the Sinaloa cartel appeared ready to crack up. Guzman's sons and presumed heirs to the cartel were kidnapped by rivals in late 2016, and in early 2017 they were challenged by Guzman's former right-hand man and his son.

But Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a shadowy cartel chieftain who helped form the group with Guzman and is backing Guzman's sons, appears to have reestablished some of the cartel's "cohesion" and avoided a major fracture.

The Sinaloa cartel is better understood as an alliance of factions rather than a hierarchical cartel — a organizational structure that is believed to give it some resiliency in the face of law-enforcement pressure.

With Guzman absent, the group is believed to have continued operating with a lower profile, led by experienced smugglers like Zambada. A sophisticated narco tunnel — a smuggling method pioneered by the Sinaloans— was recently discovered in Tijuana, where the group is still active despite a challenge from the CJNG.