Quantcast
Channel: Features
Viewing all 61683 articles
Browse latest View live

The 14 best money management tips from real people's budgets

0
0

thomas-gilmore-budget

In the last few months, over a dozen readers from across the US have been generous enough to share their budgets with Business Insider.

From a 25-year-old with impressive financial management skills to a would-be retiree trying to figure out if he can afford to take the plunge, they all have something to teach the rest of us.

Here are some of the highlights.

Don't sweat the dollars and cents.

It doesn't matter exactly how much you spend, just how it relates to the amount you planned. Clarence Reed, a 57-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, highlights any cell in his Excel spreadsheet that shows he's spent less than 75% or more than 125% of what he planned.

And if a few categories seem a little out of whack in a month, he doesn't drive himself crazy about it.

"I love to travel," he tells Business Insider. "I spend what I consider a reasonably high amount of money, but as long as the yearly number is within the realm, I'm perfectly OK. Boating is another bigger one: I do not care about it."

See Reed's budget.



Keep your budget in perspective.

Brett Schock, a 32-year-old father from Fort Worth, Texas, has two budgets: His real one, based on his actual income and spending, and his "happy budget," or how much he and his wife estimate they'd need to live a life that makes them happy.

In fact, the Schocks have started earning enough money — $142,000 a year before taxes — that their happy budget is more reality than dream. 

"The 'happy budget' is more of a self-realization thing, because I've seen too many people who work themselves really hard for that little bit of extra money, and I don't know if it's worth it," Schock explains. "Right now things are pretty good — we feel like we've kind of made it."

See the Schocks' budget.



Start planning for retirement as soon as you can.

Ron Zahn explains that he and his wife Joan have been investing for retirement from "day one."

"In 1962, we started investing $25 a month into a mutual fund," he remembers. "Those investments, over time, allowed us to have resources in retirement, and I committed to not extracting more money than the required minimum distribution each month."

In retirement, the Zahns live comfortably on a little over $4,000 a month, and don't touch the bulk of their retirement savings.

See the Zahns' budget.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

12 cool things you can do with Apple TV (AAPL)

0
0

Apple TV Tim CookEven though the third-generation Apple TV is over two years old, it keeps getting better.

Apple has added a bunch of new channels to Apple TV over the years like HBO GO, Hulu, Disney, and a lot more.

But that's not all the Apple TV can do.

We put together 12 tips for your Apple TV that will open it up to more content, stream video more reliably, and let you control it all with your phone.

SEE ALSO: 11 ways to make your PC run faster

Ditch the Apple TV remote and use your iPhone or iPad instead.

The Apple TV remote is pretty lame. It's small, the buttons are too close together, and it's difficult to input text for searches in Netflix and other on-screen menus.

With the latest version of Apple's Remote app for iPhone and iPad, you can use your Apple TV over your home's Wi-Fi network with a higher degree of control. Plus, search is a snap because you can type stuff on your device's keyboard. The free app is available for iPhone and iPad.

Download it here.



Put that HBO and ESPN subscription to good use.

Already subscribing to either HBO or ESPN? Apple TV's addition of HBO GO gives you access to every season of every HBO show, available on demand, along with HBO movies and specials. WatchESPN allows you to stream live ESPN straight to your Apple TV.

You'll need to make sure you have an HBO GO account or ESPN subscription. Just sign in with your cable provider's credentials.



Jailbreak it and install extra apps.

There's currently no jailbreak for the third-generation Apple TV. But if you have a first- or second-generation Apple TV, it's worth it. In fact, second-generation Apple TVs are selling for more than double the price of a brand new third-generation Apple TV because of this.

A jailbroken Apple TV will let you run other kinds of apps and streaming services that aren't normally allowed by Apple.

If you have a compatible Apple TV model, it's a relatively simple process to jailbreak it if you have a Mac. Lifehacker has a great tutorial to get you started. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's why the players at Wimbledon have to wear all white

0
0

Wimbledon Federer

The Championships, Wimbledon has the strictest dress code of all the major Grand Slam tennis tournaments.

The players must wear white. All white. It's tradition.

The All-England Club, where the tournament is played, takes this rule very seriously.

The dress code dates back to the 1800s, when tennis was played at social gatherings. The sight of sweat spots through colored clothing was thought unseemly, especially for women, and "tennis whites" became an institution. 

Wimbledon has carried on this strong tradition, even after the US Open allowed colored clothing in 1972.

And the dress code has only gotten more strict in recent years. Last year, the Club issued 10-part "decree" included in the competitor's guide all players must follow. Included in the decree are new rules revolving around the wearing of white, including stipulations like:

  • "White does not include off-white or cream."
  • There can only be “a single trim of color no wider than one centimeter.”
  • "Any [colored] undergarments that either are or can be visible during play (including due to perspiration)” are not allowed. 

Roger Federer Nike shoes

In 2013's tournament, seven-time Wimbledon champ Roger Federer was told his orange-soled shoes were too much and he would need to switch them for the next match. "My personal opinion: I think it’s too strict," Federer said in a press conference. 

Players have also claimed Wimbledon's argument of upholding tradition doesn't hold water. In 2014, Martina Navratilova — who has won the tournament nine times — was told the blue stripes on her skirt crossed the line. She questioned how that was possible, since she's worn the same type of outfits at Wimbledon throughout her long and storied career. Some of the pieces are even held by the Wimbledon Museum.

“I think they’ve gone too far,” she told The New York Times.

wimbledon

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This animated map shows the largest company by revenue for every state

9 books to read if you want to be a billionaire

0
0

warren buffett

If there's one habit most super-successful people share, it's this: They read. A lot.

Many of them have shared the books that helped shape them personally and professionally. If you want to emulate these titans of industry, reading their faves seems like a good place to start.

From classic literature to business management guides, we rounded up their top picks, so you can start stocking your shelves.

'The Intelligent Investor' by Benjamin Graham

Among Wall Streeters, Graham is known as the father of value investing. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett credits Graham's book with laying the foundation for his investment philosophy when he read it at age 19.

"To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information,"Buffett said. "What's needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and the ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework. This book precisely and clearly prescribes the proper framework. You must provide the emotional discipline."

Buy it here >>



'Making the Modern World' by Vaclav Smil

This book by an environmental sciences professor focuses on the costs of increasing material consumption and the potential for dematerialization in the future.

Bill Gates, estimated to be the richest man on earth, calls Smil his favorite author and says the book gave him new insight into the materials that make modern life possible.

"It might seem mundane, but the issue of materials — how much we use and how much we need — is key to helping the world's poorest people improve their lives,"Gates writes."Think of the amazing increase in quality of life that we saw in the United States and other rich countries in the past 100 years. We want most of that miracle to take place for all of humanity over the next 50 years."

Buy it here >>



'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams

This work of science fiction helped billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk through an existential crisis during his adolescence. In the book, a supercomputer deduces the answer to a meaningful life is the number 42, though it's not clear what the original question was.

"It highlighted an important point, which is that a lot of times the question is harder than the answer," Musk said in an interview. "And if you can properly phrase the question, then the answer is the easy part. So, to the degree that we can better understand the universe, then we can better know what questions to ask."

Buy it here >>



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

19 spectacular photos of tourist attractions around the world that were taken illegally

0
0

illegal photosRussian photographers Vadim Mahora and Vitali Raskalovym have gained a lot of media attention after they published their illegal photographs of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

For years, the two photographers have risked frightening heights and legal implications to scale some of the world’s highest and most well-known buildings which they highlight on their website, On the Roofs.

The images are breathtaking and capture views of these famous destinations we might not otherwise see, but their work does come with controversy. This is why they urge that others don’t follow in their path. 

From climbing to the top of China’s highest skyscraper to capturing images of Barcelona’s Sagrada Família from above, here are some of their most stunning and risky shots. 

The Russian photographers have recently gained attention for capturing these illegal photographs of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Cairo, Egypt.

Learn more about the Giza pyramids.



To get the shot, the two hid from guards for four hours after closing time before climbing the pyramid, which they say can come with a punishment of one to three years in jail when caught.

 



But the two have been climbing roofs for years across destinations like Cologne, Germany, where they were able to capture a bird’s eye view of the Cologne Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Learn more about the Cologne Cathedral.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Billionaire John Malone just dropped $38 million on this Florida mansion

0
0

FL Home

John Malone just added a new trophy to his massive property collection.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the chairman of Liberty Media Corp. paid $38 million for a mansion on Jupiter Island.

The former home of Horst Brandstätter — the founder of Playmobil — this beachfront estate has it all.

Originally listed at $45 million, the sale was brokered by Ken and Kandyce Meierling of Engel & Völkers.

SEE ALSO: This $11 million log cabin has all the amenities of a luxury resort

SEE ALSO: DON'T FORGET: Business Insider is on Facebook

Built in 1997, this 22,057-square-foot home sits on over nine acres of land with Atlantic and Intracoastal views.

 



The property stretches 506 feet along the ocean and 510 feet along the Intracoastal. That kind of location affords some pretty fantastic seascapes.



The estate shelters an 8,400-square-foot main house with three bedrooms, a guest house, and a 3,000-square-foot beach house with two bedrooms, an office, and a kitchen.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This is how to send super-secure messages like Edward Snowden

0
0

snowden

We live in a post-Snowden world. For many, that means assuming none of your digital assets are safe from surveillance.

There are ways, however, to use the internet and insane mathematics in your favor to ensure that no one can see whatever it is that you're sending to someone else.

It's called PGP, which stands for "pretty good privacy," and it's a way to encrypt your messages. Encryption, at its most basic form, is a way to cypher a message so that if anyone that sees the data in transit they have no way to know what the message says. OpenPGP is the most popular standard for digital encryption.

In fact, Edward Snowden first contacted journalist Laura Poitras to inform her of his trove of documents using PGP.

So let's take a look at what PGP is and how easy it is to use.

SEE ALSO: Reddit is about to become a lot more secure

So what is encryption?

Encryption is basically a way of jumbling digital data so that no one can see what it really says while it's being sent. For the purposes of this explainer, we're going to focus on what's called "public key encryption" for email. This uses a multitude of cryptographic techniques to cipher every message using two factors that are constant to every person using PGP: a public key and a private key.

A public key is the information that is needed to encrypt a message. People wishing to receive encrypted messages make their public key readily available, as it's the only way for sources to begin the process of sending secure messages.



Encryption can change a plaintext message from this....



To this jumbled mess...

See? No one will know what the heck you're sending!



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's how New York City's subway system looked over 110 years ago

0
0

Screen Shot 2014 10 27 at 5.11.09 PM

The New York City subway system has been around for over 110 years.

Luckily, Google has an awesome collection of images taken from the New York Transit Museum that shows off what the old subway trains looked like, beautifully highlighting what riding the subway was like back in 1904.

From wood-paneled exteriors with ceiling fans to advertisements from the early 1900s, we've collected our favorite photos so you can travel back in time.

Note: Google Virtual Tour provided by Black Paw Photo.

The journey begins at the subway's turnstiles, which were wooden back then.



The New York Transit Museum was actually created in a decommissioned underground station in Brooklyn.



Vintage signs from the time period are on the walls.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The best ways to free up space on your 16GB iPhone

0
0

clutter

16GB iPhones or iPads don't really have 16GB of available storage. Instead, it's more like 13 GB.

That's because some of your device's storage is being used for important things that make it work, like the iOS operating system.

The following steps will help you maximize the little space you have left on your iOS device, and you should be left with quite a bit if you follow all of them religiously. 

Pick and choose what works best for you and your iOS life.  

 

Turn off iCloud Photo Library and download Google Photos.

It may seem counter intuitive to download an app when you're trying to save on storage space, but Google Photos is key if you take any photos or videos at all with your iPhone.

With its free unlimited storage, you can save every single photo you take to Google's servers with Google Photos. After that, you can delete them from your phone's storage to free up space.

Sure, Apple's iCloud does the same thing as Google Photos, but you only get 5GB of free storage, which fills up very quickly and often results in annoying popup alerts telling you your iCloud storage is full. 

Turn off iCloud Photo Library by going to Settings > Photos & Camera > disable iCloud Photo Library.

Unfortunately, photos don't automatically delete themselves from your phone once they've uploaded to Google Photos, so it'll require some manual maintenance every once in a while.

 



Delete videos you no longer watch or need.

Like that movie or TV show you loaded onto your iPhone or iPad for that flight you took last year. And while you're at it, do you really need that music video? It might be a work of art, but if your iOS device only has 16 GB, you need to set your storage priorities straight if you're running out of space. 

Just head over to the Videos app, tap Edit on the top left, and tap the red Delete button next to the video you're deleting.

Don't worry, they'll be saved in iCloud separately from your free 5 GB limit. You can also use Google Photos to upload your videos.



Disable My Photo Stream and don't subscribe to others' shared albums

My Photo Stream will automatically send photos you've taken with one Apple device to any others connected to your iCloud account. For example, a photo you take with your iPad will end up in your iPhone and vice versa.

The iCloud Photo Sharing feature lets you automatically send photos in iCloud to friends and family who subscribe to you. It also works the other way around. Constantly receiving photos from others may be nice, but it'll also fill up your iOS device's storage.

To disable these features, go to Settings > Photos & Camera > and disable My Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Sharing.

 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

There's a re-creation of the 'Seinfeld' apartment in New York and it’s crazy how spot-on it is

0
0

Seinfeld

Ever since going off the air in 1998, "Seinfeld" has remained immensely popular. Though the show had been available daily on syndication, the fact that every episode of the show is now available to stream on Hulu is still a huge deal.

To celebrate the occasion, a pop-up gallery in New York City, running from Wednesday through Sunday, gathers the best of "Seinfeld."

Besides displaying many artifacts from the show, such as the Frogger machine that George unsuccessfully tries to save and the diner table that the gang always sat at, the exhibition also includes a complete re-creation of Jerry's apartment (modeled after season eight). 

While Jerry's Upper West Side apartment may look a little generic, it is also unmistakable. If you show somebody a photo of the kitchen, the person will immediately know whose kitchen it is. 

Walking around the re-created apartment, you will get an even closer look inside the world of fictitious Jerry Seinfeld, who, based on many of his possessions, shares a lot in common with the real Jerry Seinfeld.

Check out how accurate the "Seinfeld" apartment re-creation is.

Welcome to apartment 5A, home of comedian Jerry Seinfeld.



Unlike a lot of apartments in New York, the place is pretty spacious.



Both real-life and fictional Seinfeld share a love of baseball ...



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 20 most bike-friendly cities in the world

0
0

Copenhagen, Denmark

In cities that are clogged with cars, the humble bicycle offers an easy way to get around.

That's true, at least, in cities that also have an extensive bike infrastructure. These are the places that will thrive in the future, as the percentage of the world's population that lives in urban areas quickly climbs. 

Every few years, the Copenhagenize Design Company puts out a ranking of the world's 20 most bike-friendly cities, using factors like bicycle culture, infrastructure, perception of safety, politics, and social acceptance to make its decision. 

For 2015, Copenhagenize evaluated 122 cities — every city with a regional population of more than 600,000 people — and winnowed them down to the top 20. Europe takes up many of the top spots on the list, as it has in the past, while the U.S. is mostly absent, with the exception of Minnesota. South America has one city at the top (Buenos Aires, Argentina), and Asia has slipped out of the top 20 altogether, where it once held down two spots.

More details on the rankings are available here

20. Montreal, Canada

North America gets a spot in the top 20 with Montreal, which has a respectable bike infrastructure that's heavily used by cyclists, as well as a top bike share system. But the city has lots of work to do, including better winter maintenance, and creating a broad vision for the future of cycling in the city, according to Copenhagenize.



19. Hamburg, Germany

A significant number of people in Hamburg use biking as their primary form of transportation, but Copenhagenize rips on the city for its "status quo of weird infrastructure that alternates between road and sidewalk without any logic." By 2030, the city hopes to have bikes make up 25% of all transportation used.



18. Minneapolis, USA

A U.S. city actually made the list — and one with wintery weather that is far from hospitable to cyclists, no less.  Minneapolis has a decent bike share system and 118 miles of on-street bikeways. It might not be the only U.S. city on the Copenhagenize list for long; San Francisco, New York City, and others are all creeping up to the top 20.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

13 mind-blowing facts about Greece's economy

0
0

greek greece priestesses

Everyone is waiting for Greece and Europe's leaders to agree on a bailout deal.

It seems as if every morning brings another incremental development or regression in Greece's battle against its European creditors.

So in the meantime, we've put together a guide to what's been happening in the underbelly of Greece's economy.

Everything from demographics to corruption to cigarettes — check it out.

Greece has a history of financial troubles — the country's first default occurred way back in the fourth century B.C.

Back in the fourth century B.C., 13 Greek city-states borrowed from the Temple of Delos. Most of the borrowers, however, "never made good on the loans and the temple took an 80% loss on its principal."

As a reference point, Plato, Aristotle, and Alexander the Great were alive during the fourth century.

Source: Investopedia



In the modern era, Greece has defaulted a grand total of five times — which is only half as many times as the default leaders, Venezuela and Ecuador, have.

Greece defaulted on its external-sovereign-debt obligations five times:

  • 1826— It happened during the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1843— Greece used funds from the Loan of 1832 on its military and "the upkeep of Otto, a Bavarian prince." The country stopped making payments in 1843.
  • 1860— After this default, Greece was kicked out of international markets until 1878.
  • 1894— When the markets opened, lenders were overeager, borrowing increased to unsustainable levels, and the government suspended payments in 1893.
  • 1932— This happened during the Great Depression.

Source: Investopedia



Greece has spent a combined 90 years — almost half of the time since its independence — in financial crisis.

Greece finally gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830 after Great Britain, France, and Russia intervened to help out in the War of Greek Independence. (Fun fact: even poet Lord Byron joined in to support Greece.)

The country has spent 90 out of 196 years since then in financial crisis.

Source: Business Insider via Bank of America



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Now Google Street View goes under the world's oceans — and the photos are stunning (GOOG)

0
0

google street view pedras secas

To celebrate World Oceans Day, which takes place on June 8, Google has released a series of new Street View imagery from the world's oceans.

Google partnered with the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and the Chagos Conservation Trust to showcase stunning new images from 40 locations around the world, including underwater dives in Bali, the Bahamas, and the Great Barrier Reef.

Google says on its Maps blog that mapping the ocean is key to preserving it, and the company hopes the release of the new photos will encourage people to learn more about the world's underwater and coastal environments.

This little chap was spotted swimming alongside schools of fish around the Isla Campion in the Galapagos Islands.



These steep underwater sea mountains known as Gordon's Rocks in the Galapagos Islands provide a habitat for a whole variety of marine life.



The colorful Tydeman Reef is part of the Great Barrier Reef and is situated just off from the Australian land-mass at Cape Melville.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

An investment bank made this epic presentation on everything you need to know about the state of digital media (FB, GOOG)

0
0

19

Investment banker Terence Kawaja, founder and CEO of LUMA Partners, the company famed for its LUMAscapes, has a new, epic presentation on the state of digital media. 

It takes a specific focus on digital media and marketing. The central themes are around "open" platforms versus "closed" ones.

The top 5 trends LUMA picks out for 2015 and beyond are: Programmatic, mobile, omnichannel/personalization, identity, and convergent TV.

Here we go! LUMA's commentary is on the bottom of each slide.







See the rest of the story at Business Insider

19 popular movies currently being made into TV shows

0
0

movies coming to tv

Hollywood's recycling bin is filling up -- especially for movies being adapted to TV.

In the upcoming season alone, there's numerous TV shows based on movies, including ABC's "Uncle Buck," CBS's "Limitless" and "Rush Hour," Netflix's "Wet Hot American Summer," MTV's "Scream," and Fox's "Minority Report."

In the crowded TV landscape, networks are looking for anything that can break through. Projects which existed in another medium (book, movie, stage play), and better still if they were hits, mean viewers already have knowledge of the show and possibly a connection.

Here are 19 movies currently being developed for TV.

"The Mortal Instruments"

Titled "Shadowhunters," the series is based on Cassandra Clare's "Mortal Instruments" book series. Set at ABC Family, the series has cast "Vampire Academy" actor Dominic Sherwood in the lead role of Jace.



"The Omen"

A&E's follow-up to 1976's "The Omen" finds Damien Thorne all grown up. With very little knowledge of the ungodly forces around him, he'll have to face the truth that he is the antichrist.



"American Gigolo"

Jerry Bruckheimer ("CSI" franchise) is developing the TV adaptation with Paramount TV. In the 1980 film, Richard Gere plays a male escort who's accused of murder.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

9 tech founders who are the 'Mark Zuckerberg' of their countries — rich, successful, and younger than 35

0
0

mark zuckerberg annoyed

It's the stuff of entrepreneurial legend: In 2007, at just 23 years old, Mark Zuckerberg became one of the youngest billionaires in the world on the back of Facebook, a product he built in a dorm room.

And when he rang in his 31st birthday this past May, Zuckerberg's shares of Facebook were worth over $9 billion. 

Zuckerberg is definitely an outlier here, but there are plenty of young entrepreneurs around the world building tech companies and finding their own success. 

Here are other young tech prodigies around the world everyone should know.

Russia: Pavel Durov is 30 and cofounded a popular social network there, VK.

Pavel Durov, age 30, has been called the "Mark Zuckerberg of Russia," since his social network, VK, overtook Facebook in his home country. Unfortunately, he was forced to flee Russia late last year, claiming the government was trying to take control of his company. Now he has a new messaging app called Telegram.



Ireland: Patrick and John Collison, 26, cofounded $5 billion payment company Stripe.

Brothers Patrick and John Collison, both 26, have been called the "Mark Zuckerbergs of Ireland" thanks to the success of their payments startup Stripe — even though they live in Silicon Valley now.

Stripe recently cut a deal to power ApplePay, and it's worth $5 billion.



Singapore: 28-year-old Quek Siu Rui cofounded a fast-growing sales app Carousell.

Quek Siu Rui, 28, dropped out of grad school to cofound Carousell, a person-to-person sales app that's gaining mega traction in Singapore.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

24 people who became highly successful after age 40

0
0

vera wang

For the more neurotic among us, a birthday can be a reminder of how another year has passed and our loftiest aspirations have faded further into the distance.

There are plenty of examples, however, of successful people across many industries who prove that you don't need to have it all figured out by the time you turn 30.

We'll take a look at some of them, from renowned fashion designer Vera Wang, who didn't design her first dress until she was 40, to writer Harry Bernstein, who authored countless rejected books before getting his first hit at age 96.

Get inspired by those who show it's never too late.

Stan Lee created his first hit comic, "The Fantastic Four," just shy of his 39th birthday in 1961. In the next few years, he created the legendary Marvel Universe, whose characters such as Spider-Man and the X-Men became American cultural icons.



Donald Fisher was 40 and had no experience in retail when he and his wife, Doris, opened the first Gap store in San Francisco in 1969. The Gap's clothes quickly became fashionable, and today the company is one of the world's largest clothing chains.



Vera Wang was a figure skater and journalist before entering the fashion industry at age 40. Today she's one of the world's premier women's designers.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

5 cultural faux pas Americans make while traveling abroad

0
0

Female Tourist Looking at Map

No one wants to be that offensive, insensitive tourist.

While you may not do it intentionally — or even realizing you're doing it — certain kinds of behavior that Americans wouldn't think twice about aren't as accepted or favored in other countries around the world.

We spoke to Robert Hickey, the deputy director of the Protocol School of Washington, and author of "Honor and Respect: The Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address," to find out what some of these faux pas are.

Take a look below so you know what to avoid next time you're in a foreign country.

1. Don't assume that it's ok to address someone informally.

Hickey points out that most other countries are more formal than the US when it comes to addressing people.

For Americans, Hickey says, "intimacy equals respect." Whereas in most other countries, "formality equals respect."

So while calling someone you hardly know by their first name in America is a sign that you have a good relationship with them, in other countries calling them by Mr. or Mrs. is seen as a sign of respect, which in turn signifies a good relationship with that person.

"The Koreans work with someone for 20 years and they call them 'Mr. last name,'" Hickey said. "It doesn't mean they're not great friends, it just means they show one another that respect. In our culture that's distance."

2. Don't dress to impress.

Woman Wearing Blue Heels

According to Hickey, originality and individuality is valued much more in the US than it is in most other countries. Americans constantly strive to differentiate themselves — often with what they choose to wear — while in many other countries, such as those in Asia, it's not good to stand out.

"For us, getting dressed is a creative moment in our day because we're all struggling to be unique and different," Hickey said. "Most of these cultures don't value originality all that much. So in some ways, when you go there, dressing a little more in a boring way with less personality is seen to be respectful."

3. Don't assume all foreigners want to be like us.

Hickey says that while people from other countries around the world are often curious about Americans — mostly because of the prevalence of American media — they don't necessarily want to be an American or live in the US.

"They don't want to be like us," Hickey said. "They want to be citizens of the world, just like we're citizens of the world. They want to be comfortable anywhere. But they don't want to be like us because they see the holes in what we have."

4. Slow down while introducing yourself.

Friends Greeting Each Other

In all of his classes, Hickey does an exercise where participants sit in a circle and throw a ball around. Whomever receives the ball has to state their name, but they have to pause in between their first and last names. Hickey says this is because names are important, and we have a tendency to speed through our names, which can confuse foreigners, especially since this may be the first time they're hearing that name.

"When you're dealing with internationals, slow down," Hickey said. He also recommends expressing interest in someone else's name by asking them about it, since people love to talk about their names, and there's often a story behind it. "You learn so much. Names are really cultural."

5. Don't only talk about the US in conversations.

When someone is talking about how things are done in their country, it's easy to reply with how things are done in your country. But Hickey says the conversation won't go anywhere this way, and that it's better to express interest in another country by asking follow up questions.

"It's not playing tennis; tennis is not a conversation," Hickey said. "A conversation is getting to know somebody. If you say, 'we do it this way in Chicago,' the other person can ask, 'has it always been that way, do you think that's the way your parents did it or has it changed in the last 30 years?' Then it becomes a conversation."

SEE ALSO: How NOT to behave in 15 countries around the world

FOLLOW US: BI Travel is on Twitter!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Stunning video captures Vietnam like you've never seen it before

The top 10 food brands for millennials

0
0

mcdonald's bacon clubhouse burger

Millennials are set to become the largest group of consumers in America. 

Ad agency Moosylvania asked 1,500 millennials — defined as 20 to 35-year-olds — to vote for their favorite brands

The results show which food brands dominate among this subset. 

10. Wendy's

Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio

% change in votes from last year's ranking: New to list

Why it's hot: Wendy's new marketing campaign is ultra-focused on millennials, with the young "Red" character in commercials and new items like pretzel cheeseburgers. Wendy's has always emphasized being fresher than competitors, making every burger to-order and not freezing beef. In the era of Chipotle, this message resonates with millennials. 



9. Kraft

Headquarters: Northfield, Illinois

% change in votes from last year's ranking: 217%

Why it's hot: Kraft scored big points with millennials this year when it announced that starting in 2016, its original Macaroni & Cheese will get its color from natural spices like paprika instead of from artificial additives Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.



8. Kellogg's

Headquarters: Battle Creek, Michigan

% change in votes from last year's ranking: 21%

Why it's hot: Cereal sales might be declining, but sales of other products owned by the company, like Eggo waffles, Pop-Tarts, and Cheez-Its, are booming. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How celebrity coach Tony Robbins spends his millions

0
0

tony robbins oprah

From Bill Clinton to Oprah, life coach and author Tony Robbins has coached some of the most powerful and famous people in the world.

His five best-selling books and popular self-help seminars have made him rich. WealthX estimates that he's worth at least $440 million.

Robbins owns a resort in Fiji, travels by private jet, and is an owner of Los Angeles' Major League Soccer team. He's made the most of his success.

Born in downtown Los Angeles in 1960, Tony Robbins comes from humble beginnings. His stepfather, a former minor league baseball player who was working as a salesman, struggled to get by, and the family often couldn't afford to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Source: Business Insider



At a young age, Robbins decided that he wanted to be rich when he grew up, so that he could help people in need. He succeeded: By 24, he'd become a millionaire thanks to his five best-selling books on personal growth.

Source: GoBankingRates



Robbins has coached some of the world's most high-profile people, including Oprah Winfrey, Andre Agassi, Bill Clinton, Paul Tudor Jones, Serena Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana, and Mother Teresa.

Source: Business Insider, TonyRobbins.com



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Viewing all 61683 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images