The mortgage website HSH.com has updated its estimate of how much annual income a household would need to buy a home in major cities in the US according to fourth-quarter 2014 data.

Compared to the previous quarter, home prices, monthly mortgage payments, and estimated salaries decreased across the board.

The site looked at median home prices from the National Association of Realtors, along with interest rates for common 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages and property taxes and insurance costs, to figure out how much money it would take to pay a median-priced home's mortgage principal, taxes, and insurance — and how much you would have to earn to afford it.

Salaries listed are rounded to the nearest $500.

15. Detroit

Population: 921,147

Median Home Price: $135,800

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $828

Salary Needed To Buy: $35,500

14. Phoenix

Population: 1,476,331

Median Home Price: $200,300

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $948

Salary Needed To Buy: $40,500

13. San Antonio

Population: 1,258,733

Median Home Price: $185,500

Monthly Mortgage Payment: $1,058

Salary Needed To Buy: $45,500

Before they rose to fame, many of the world's wealthiest and most recognized celebrities struggled for money.

And some weren't just poor — they were homeless. 

Here are 15 incredible stories of famous people who at some point in their lives had nowhere to sleep but the streets. 

They all eventually turned their lives around, becoming an inspiration to anyone who dreams of a professional career, despite starting from nothing.

Jim Carrey once lived out of a VW camper van and in a tent on his sister's front lawn.

Yahoo reported that the comedian dropped out of high school and lived in a VW bus with his family parked in different places throughout Canada. They eventually moved into a tent on his older sister's lawn and parked the van in the driveway.

Carrey said it was during these tough financial times growing up when he developed a sense of humor. 

Oscar winner Halle Berry once stayed in a homeless shelter in her early 20s.

When she first moved to Chicago to become an actress, Berry ran out of money, and her mother decided the best thing would be to not send her daughter more cash. 

During these struggling times, the actress acknowledges, she stayed in a homeless shelter.

In an interview with Star Pulse, Berry said:

It taught me how to take care of myself and that I could live through any situation, even if it meant going to a shelter for a small stint, or living within my means, which were meager. I became a person who knows that I will always make my own way.

America’s most famous psychologist once lived in a car with his father.

According to BusinessPundit.com, when Phil McGraw (Dr. Phil) was 12 years old, he was homeless and living in a car in Kansas City with his father, who was interning as a psychologist.

McGraw later went on to obtain his own bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D., and he joined his father’s psychology practice in Texas.

In the 1990s, Oprah Winfrey invited McGraw to appear on her show. He later became a regular on “Oprah” and eventually launched his own syndicated advice program. 

Today the author and TV personality is worth an estimated $280 million.

Moscow's financial district, with its $12 billion worth of skyscrapers, was meant to be a gleaming beacon for Russia's post-Soviet market economy.

But now with Russia's economy in free-fall, the Moscow City complex property values have nosedived, construction sites are abandoned, and vacancy rates have soared to 45%, according to real estate consultants Blackwood.

Moscow-based photographer Konstantin Salomatin visited the area for Business Insider on a recent weekday to see how bad it really is.

Conceived in 1992, the Moscow International Business Center was meant to rival Manhattan or London.

The 148-acre area boasts four of the five tallest buildings in Europe, including the tallest one, The Federation Tower East.

All the towers were built to impress, though, like the 54-story, double helix-shaped Evolution tower.

Michael Jordan is now a billionaire. Jordan made $90 million in salary throughout his NBA career.

Now, Jordan reportedly still makes $100 million a year on his Nike brand, and owns the Charolette Hornets, valued at $725 million.

Forbes put out its annual Billionaires list on Monday and the billionaires of the sports world aren't out there on the field, they're the ones behind the scenes. These are some of the most well-known billionaires in sports.

#1 Steve Ballmer

Net Worth: $21.5 billion

Age: 58

Former CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer bought the L.A. Clippers in 2014 for a record $2 billion. The eccentric billionaire is known for going absolutely nuts cheering at games.

Forbes

#2 Paul Allen

Net Worth: $17.5 billion

Age: 62

Paul Allen has a stronghold on professional sports in the Pacific Northwest. Allen owns the Seattle Seahawks (NFL), the Portland Trailblazers (NBA), and the Seattle Sounders (MLS).

Allen's Seahawks won their first Super Bowl in 2014, and made their second appearance in 2015, losing to the Patriots.

Forbes

#3 Mikhail Prokhorov

Net Worth: $9.9 billion

Age: 49

Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian politician, owns the Brooklyn Nets but rumors have circulated that he is looking to sell the team. If Prokhorov does sell the team, he could make a killing as people are estimating the team is worth between $1.3 and 2.7 billion.

Forbes

The Italian housing market is flooded with historical buildings that owners no longer want to pay taxes on or keep up, according to Curbed.

Fortunately, the upside to this comes in the form of a giant Italian castle brand new to the market.

There's never been a better time to fulfill your dreams of owning 1556-acres of pristine Tuscan countryside in northern Italy with a 12th century castle on it. Just $32 million nets you a 115-bedroom castello, with an olive grove, vineyard and rooms updated in the 18th century.

Sotheby's International Realty has the listing.

The first thing you should know about this castle: It's absolutely huge.

By the numbers, the house has a whopping 154,139 square-feet of living space...

On an incredibly expansive 1556-acres of pristine Tuscan countryside in northern Italy.

Singapore was just named the world's most expensive city by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). 

The cosmopolitan city-state is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, but it's also one of the wealthiest, with about 105,000 millionaires living there— and that means that it has prices to match. 

The EIU reported that Singapore is the most expensive place in the world to buy clothes, but the upscale malls of Orchard Road are still bustling as shoppers vie for designer goods. 

And there are deals to be had: Singapore is world-famous for its inexpensive street food. And driving may cost a fortune, there's no need to own a car since the city has one of the most efficient and cleanest metro systems in the world. There are also dozens of free parks to wander in — Singapore is called the "garden city" for a reason, after all.

Downtown Singapore's skyline is dominated by massive modern towers.

The Marina Bay Sands isn't necessarily the top hotel in the city, but it's now become one of the most recognizable landmarks of the Singapore skyline.

It's most famous for its rooftop pool, which overlooks the city from the 57th floor.

There are nearly 5,000 Airbnb listings in San Francisco, but some are nicer than others.

The most expensive listing we've seen is a Pacific Heights mansion called Travive.

The chateau-style home, which has 10 bedrooms and can accommodate over 16 people, goes for $7,010 a night.

And that gets you quite a lot.

Travive was built by Albert Farr in 1916. It's in a quiet residential neighborhood.

When you come in the front door, you're greeted by an enormous winding staircase, a chandelier, and a piano for entertainment.

Here's that winding staircase from above.

China has more billionaires than almost any other country in the world.

In Forbes' 2015 ranking of the world's richest, 213 of the billionaires are from China. That number is second only to the United States, with 536 billionaires.

The rankings, which were released Monday, included 290 new additions, 71 of which were from China. However, the total number of Chinese billionaires decreased from 242 in 2014.

At the top of the list is Wang Jianlin, who owns China real estate company Dalian Wanda Group. Wang catapulted from 4th place last year to 1st in 2015 at a net worth of $24.2 billion, overtaking Alibaba's Jack Ma, who was previously number one.

Other well-known Chinese tech company CEOs also made the top of the list, including the heads of companies Tencent, Baidu, and Xiaomi.

Here are the top 21 richest people in China, who have made their fortunes on everything from mining to technology to real estate. 

21. Yang Huiyan

World rank: #309

Net-worth: $5 billion

Age: 33

Company: Country Garden Holdings

Industry: Real estate

Source: Forbes

20. Lu Guanqiu

World rank: #301

Net-worth: $5.1 billion

Age: 70

Company: Wanxiang Group

Industry: Diversified

Source: Forbes

19. Guo Guangchang

World rank: #259

Net-worth: $5.7 billion

Age: 48

Company: Fosun International

Industry: Diversified

Source: Forbes

"White Guys Wearin' Oculus Rifts" is a popular, funny Tumblr blog, created by BuzzFeed's Joe Bernstein.

At Mobile World Congress this year we've been struck by inspiration for another lol-worthy Tumblr, on a similar vein.

"Businessmen Tryin' Out Virtual Reality Goggles." They are everywhere.

SEE ALSO: More coverage of Mobile World Congress 2015

South Korean carrier SK Telecom had the best VR-set up of the lot.

The balloon the businessmen were standing in even moved up and down like a theme park ride.

So realistic you can almost feel it.

When Keen Heick-Abildhauge moved to Russia six years ago, his friends back in Denmark bombarded him with questions about his new home. Are there bears running wild in the streets? Is it freezing? Is everyone drunk?

He decided that he needed to create something that answered these questions. "I am not a good writer, but I can take pictures," he told Business Insider. So he photographed the people: "Not Putin, not vodka, just the people I saw every day, living their lives."

To do this, he attempted to meet and photograph Russian people ages 1 to 100. He found people through friends as well as on the street, introducing himself and learning more about their lives. He said he found Russians to be "humble, kind, and extremely generous."

Heick-Abildhauge hopes that viewers of his series will realize the similarities between themselves and the Russians. "We are the same," he says. "We dream, we love, and survive."

Alexander, age 1. Passion or Dream: Cars are our passion (mother’s words).

Arseniy, age 2. Profession: Goes to kindergarten. Passion or Dream: "Cars."

Anna, age 3. Profession: Goes to kindergarten. Passion or Dream: "I like walking, dancing, drawing, studying the alphabet, and playing with balls."

San Francisco has a diverse and exciting dining culture.

When choosing a new restaurant to try out, you might turn to Yelp for a recommendation. And perhaps no one knows the art of writing a restaurant review better than Yelp's cofounder and CEO, Jeremy Stoppelman. 

We've highlighted all of the San Francisco restaurants Stoppelman has given five-star reviews since 2012. Consider it a dining guide from the CEO himself.

L'ardoise Bistro

151 Noe Street

"Ever since this delightful French bistro opened I've been smitten. It's so approachable, looking like just another neighborhood joint that totally underpromises and then overdelivers," Stoppelman writes in his five-star review. 

The lamb chops are a highlight, as is the newly returned foie gras. 

Quince

470 Pacific Avenue

At Quince, chef Michael Tusk creates innovative French-Italian dishes with ingredients from local California farms.

"Quince will continue to be one of my go to spots for special occasions or whenever I need an outstanding dining experience," Stoppelman said. He hosted his birthday party there two years in a row.

Samiramis Imports

2990 Mission Street

This specialty grocer has some amazing pita, olive oil, and spices.

"If you're a fan of middle eastern cuisine, it's worth a pop in," Stoppelman said in his review.

46 million Americans listen to a podcast every month.

Podcasts are gaining in popularity for a number of reasons: You can listen in the car or on the train to work, you can dig deep into a topic, and you don't have to burn your eyes out on a screen.

'Radiolab' will help you appreciate how mysterious science is.

While it may seem normal, existence is weird. 

WNYC's "Radiolab"— the brainchild of topflight journos Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich — investigates that weirdness with a blend of science, philosophy, and music. 

You probably want to start with the "Colors" episode.

Start listening here > 

'Invisibilia' will lead you on a journey to the frontier of psychology.

Radiolab spun off 'Invisibilia," whose name is Latin for all the invisible things.

It's a podcast about the unseen, unconscious forces that guide our lives: biases, dreams, quirks of perception.

The first episode tells the story of a boy who couldn't communicate for 12 years. His only company was his thoughts — until, one day, it wasn't. 

Start listening here > 

'StartUp' chronicles the glorious challenge of founding a company.

NPR veteran Alex Blumberg wanted to make a podcast startup. 

So he made a podcast about it.

The result is StartUp, and it's deliciously entrepreneurial listening.

Start listening here > 

The private intelligence firm Strategic Forecasting, or Stratfor, recently published its Decade Forecast in which it projects the next ten years of global political and economic developments.

In many ways, Stratfor thinks the world of ten years from now will be more dangerous place, with US power waning and other prominent countries experiencing a period of chaos and decline.

Russia will collapse ...

"There will not be an uprising against Moscow, but Moscow's withering ability to support and control the Russian Federation will leave a vacuum," Stratfor warns. "What will exist in this vacuum will be the individual fragments of the Russian Federation."

Sanctions, declining oil prices, a plunging ruble, rising military expenses, and increasing internal discord will weaken the hold of Russia's central government over the world's largest country. Russia won't officially split into multiple countries, but Moscow's power may loosen to the point that Russia will effectively become a string of semi-autonomous regions that might not even get along with one another.

"We expect Moscow's authority to weaken substantially, leading to the formal and informal fragmentation of Russia" the report states, adding that "It is unlikely that the Russian Federation will survive in its current form."

... and the US will have to use its military to secure the country's nukes.

Russia's nuclear weapons infrastructure is decentralized and spread across a vast geographic area. If the political disintegration Stratfor predicts ever happens, it means that weapons, uranium stocks, and delivery systems could end up exposed in what will suddenly become the world's most dangerous power vacuum.

The breakout of Russia's nuclear weapons stockpile will be "the greatest crisis of the next decade," according to Stratfor.

And the US will have to figure out what to do about it, even if it means dispatching ground troops to secure loose weapons, materials, and delivery systems.

"Washington is the only power able to address the issue, but it will not be able to seize control of the vast numbers of sites militarily and guarantee that no missile is fired in the process," the Decade Forecast states. "The United States will either have to invent a military solution that is difficult to conceive of now, accept the threat of rogue launches, or try to create a stable and economically viable government in the regions involved to neutralize the missiles over time."

Germany is going to have problems ...

Germany has an export-dependent economy that has richly benefitted from the continent-wide trade liberalization ushered in by the EU and the Euro, but that just means the country has the most to lose from an even more protracted Euro crisis and a resulting wave of Euro-skepticism.

The country's domestic consumption can't make up for this dip in Germany's export economy or for a projected decline in population: The result is Japan-style stagnation.  

"We expect Germany to suffer severe economic reversals in the next decade," the Decade Forecast states.

Philz Coffee is just about the official beverage of Silicon Valley. Founder Phil Jaber tells Business Insider that his 30 unique blends fuel employees of Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn through long coding sessions into the night.

The San Francisco-based coffee chain just raised $15 million in venture capital from Summit Partners and angel investors, including Yahoo's chairman, Maynard Webb, Facebook's chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer, former Apple exec Ron Johnson, and rapper and investor Snoop Dogg, according to TechCrunch.

The company has 18 shops in the Bay Area and one outpost in Los Angeles. It plans to expand in 2015, possibly to New York, DC, Detroit, Austin, Denver, and San Diego, although Jaber's still scouting locations. "I'm like a German shepherd — I like to sniff a place out," he says.

We checked out Philz' original location on 24th Street in San Francisco's Mission District to see what we could expect.

San Francisco-based chain Philz Coffee is the darling of the tech industry.

Founder Phil Jaber tells Business Insider that Google, Twitter, Apple, and LinkedIn employees buy the beans wholesale for their offices. Facebook has a standalone location at its Menlo Park campus.

The company plans to expand nationwide, thanks to a $15 million Series B round led by Summit Partners, which has invested in Uber, Belkin, and Arista. It's not every day you hear about a coffee chain getting venture-capital money from a firm that usually backs tech.

Source: TechCrunch

New York City-based photographer Vlad Leto has an interesting job. The Russian native makes his living sneaking around parks, hiding in bushes, and secretly photographing people's most intimate moments. And they love him for it.

Leto is an "engagement photographer," as he calls it. He is hired by future husbands or wives to photograph, from a distance, their marriage proposal. The photographs he takes capture the surprise and delight of the couples in their special moment for years to come.

Since he began, Leto has photographed couples all over New York City and the surrounding area, from parks and bridge to boats and hotels. "I can do it with my eyes closed," he recently told The New York Times.

Leto shared a few of his favorite shots with us.

Leto came to the US in 2010 and worked odd jobs before following his passion for photography and becoming a wedding photographer. Four years ago, he was approached by a man wanting Leto to photograph him when he proposed to his girlfriend on Governors Island.

Since then the idea — and the business — have taken off. Most people find Leto via his ad on Craigslist for "Secret Proposal Photography." Leto says he charges $250 to $400, depending on how complicated the proposal or location is.

Leto has to be discreet so as not to be seen by the couple before the proposal. This involves sneaking around and hiding and waiting for the moment. When people around him see him skulking, they assume he's a member of the paparazzi and spying on a celebrity, Leto says.

Jeff Wilson spent the last year living in a dumpster.

It's not what it sounds like: Wilson — who goes by the alter-ego "Professor Dumpster"— is an environmental science professor and dean at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas who worked with his students and a team of experts to transform that dumpster into a sustainable home that cost under $10,000.

We first came across the project in The Atlantic, and now The Washington Post reports that Wilson's residency in the dumpster has come to an end.

The project's director of operations Karen Magid says that the dumpster's development is far from over, and that they're currently accepting applications from educators to spend a night in the dumpster as a catalyst for teaching their students about the environment and sustainability.

Wilson is now transitioning back to a noisy life full of the usual bills in a normal-sized house with his girlfriend, but plans to begin a new project soon: 99 Nights ATX, where he will spend 99 nights sleeping on couches in 99 different households in Austin.

Here, Team Dumpster shared photos of the 6x6-foot trash receptacle that served as Wilson's home for the last year.

The Dumpster Project was originally intended to be completed in three phases, starting when Wilson took occupancy in February 2014: camping in a bare-bones dumpster (shown here); living in a dumpster "home," with additions such as storage and a bed; and then fine-tuning the dumpster into the ultimate sustainable home, which will continue now that Wilson has vacated.

Earlier in stage two, the project's current stage, a fake floor was installed to store Wilson's belongings and limited wardrobe. This dumpster will probably be preserved mid-stage two, and the team will turn their attention to another prototype.

The dumpster has been hooked up to electricity, although the team is looking at bringing in solar power. As far as water, "the bathroom will always be a sticking point," Magid says.

Credit Suisse published its latest list of top investment ideas on Wednesday.

Their analysts ranked up to 3 stocks based on a 6-12-month time horizon.

We're highlighting one of their top stocks in each of the 8 sectors.

Note: These are a snapshot of the analysts' top picks in the industries they cover, and should not be viewed as portfolios. Prices are as of the market close on March 3.

Basic Materials

Company: Monsanto

Ticker: MON

Price: $120.20

Price Target: $141.00

Market Cap: $58.6B

Comment: "Increased biotech acres in S. America with stacked traits and the potential for further expansion into E. Europe via MON's hybrid seed portfolio should drive increased revenue and higher margins," wrote Credit Suisse's Chris Parkinson. "While 2015 growth will likely be below the historical average, we remain confident in a reacceleration in 2016 and beyond."

Source: Credit Suisse

Consumer

Company: Hanesbrands

Ticker: HBI

Price: $31.99

Price Target: $130.00

Market Cap: $12.9B

Comment:"Strong and steady free cash flow generator with opportunity to catalyze EPS growth via acquisitions and mix shift towards premium priced products," Credit Suisse's Christian Buss wrote.

Source: Credit Suisse

Energy/Utilities

Company: SunEdison

Ticker: SUNE

Price: $22.74

Price Target: $34.00

Market Cap: $6.2B

Comment: "SunEdison's solar project business is at an inflection point of growth as the company delivers on their solar project pipeline and expands into wind and smaller-scale distributed rooftop solar projects," Credit Suisse's Patrick Jobin wrote. "The company is well positioned with significant benefits of scale, cost of capital advantages given their recently-launched YieldCo vehicle, a low-cost poly JV with Samsung and a road-map to further cost reductions."

Source: Credit Suisse

A beautifully renovated mansion in Santa Monica, California has hit the market for $23 million.

Originally designed by architect-to-the-stars Peter Choate, the nearly 10,000-square-foot home has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, two living rooms, and a wine room that can fit over 800 bottles. 

“I fell in love with this house and what it could be the moment I saw it,” Sandra Brass, the owner who had the mansion renovated and is now selling it, told Douglas Elliman. “I felt that, with a thoughtful eye to the right balance of reinvention and restart, this property had the potential to be truly remarkable.”

Outside, the contemporary home has a large salt water pool and spa, fire pit, and lots of open space. It’s also right next to the Riviera Golf Course so it has gorgeous views of its rolling greens.

Ann Eyrsing of The Agent is co-listing the property with Tracy Tutor Maltas of Douglas Elliman.

Welcome to the $23 million Santa Monica mansion in California.

The luxury home was originally built by famous architect Peter Choate and recently renovated.

The home has an open floor plan and two huge living room areas.

Samsung took a totally different approach with its new Galaxy S6 phones.

Rather than cramming tons of new features into the phones, the company improved on a few core elements including design, build quality, and the fingerprint sensor. 

Samsung may not have added as many new features to its latest Galaxy phones as it has with previous devices, but the S6 and S6 Edge can still do quite a few things the iPhone can't.

1. You can use the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge to make payments at any store with a credit-card reader using Samsung Pay.

Apple Pay, which is compatible with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, works only at terminals with near-field communication enabled.

2. You can also charge Samsung's new phone wirelessly with a charging pad instead of plugging it in.

The way we access the internet has changed rapidly over the past few years, transitioning from desktops to mobile devices.

Now, the internet is expanding again — coming to all of the everyday devices found in our homes, businesses, and cities.

BI Intelligence has created a slideshow highlighting the most important ways the Internet of Everything market will develop, the benefits newly connected devices will offer consumers and businesses, and the potential barriers that could inhibit growth. 

BI Intelligence is a new research and analysis service focused on the mobile and Internet of Things computing markets. 

Only BI Intelligence subscribers can download the individual charts and datasets in Excel, along with the PowerPoint and PDF versions of this deck. Please sign up for a trial membership here.