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QUIZ: Who brews your beer? (SAB, ABI, BUD)

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beer

SABMiller and Anheuser-Busch InBev are getting together in an expansive $108 billion deal.

Once combined they're going to produce roughly one-third of the world's beer by volume.

In the US alone, six out of the country's 10 most popular beers now belong to SABMiller and AB InBev.

Which, if you're American, makes it more likely than not that your favorite beer is owned by the combined leviathan.

So scroll down to test yourself and see if you know what beer brands the combined company owns.

Aside from SABMiller's Miller and AB InBev's Budweiser, the new company also owns some more obscure beers and craft breweries.

1. Stella Artois



Yes! But don't get too excited. That was an easy one to get you warmed up.

Stella Artois is one of AB InBev's most prominent and famous brands, after all.



2. Wild Blue



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Power players: the most important Facebook execs you've never heard of (FB)

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mark zuckerberg

We all know Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his top lieutenant, Sheryl Sandberg. Close company followers might know big product leaders like David Marcus and Chris Cox.

But most of Facebook's important executives fly under the radar.

Here's who's shaking things up at the social network while leading some of its most important products and initiatives.

SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg explains how his most controversial acquisition will live in Facebook

Jan Koum joined Facebook through the massive $19 billion acquisition of his messaging platform WhatsApp.

Koum grew up on foodstamps in Ukraine, but is now worth an estimated $7.7 billion dollars, thanks largely to the WhatsApp acquisition. He and his cofounder, Brian Acton, both still work at WhatsApp today, and Koum is the only employee other than Zuckerberg and Sandberg to serve on Facebook's board of directors.

Although he keeps a pretty low profile, he does announce all of the app's milestones — like that it now has 900 million monthly active users— on his public Facebook page.



Brian Boland is helping Facebook take over the digital ad world.

As VP of advertising technology, Brian Boland has turned Facebook's ad-tech business into a force to be reckoned with. With Atlas, Audience Network, and LiveRail forming a powerful suite of tools for advertisers, the company aims to steal ad dollars from Google

Boland also has a firm idea on where the future of ad tech is headed: "Forget the ongoing debate over 'open' and 'closed' ecosystems or walled gardens — the future of ad tech is integration."

Before Facebook, Boland founded Kinetic Entertainment, an entertainment marketing and promotion firm.



Jay Parikh is Facebook's resident network problem solver.

Jay Parikh, the VP of infrastructure engineering, oversees Facebook’s vast technological ecosystem. If you don’t receive a notification or tag in a post, it is Parikh and his team’s job to find out why. Under his leadership, Facebook has continually optimized its computing infrastructure, saving it over $1 billion. 



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Amy Schumer is selling her Manhattan apartment for $2 million — and it's a lot nicer than she made it sound

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Amy Schumer

It turns out Amy Schumer's "tiny" one-bedroom Upper West Side Manhattan co-op isn't actually so tiny.

Though the comedian joked not too long ago about how, despite her fame, she still lives in a one-bedroom walk-up apartment, she neglected to mention that it was also a penthouse.

It's located on the top floor of beautiful brownstone building, steps from the Museum of Natural History and a block away from Central Park.

It looks like Schumer will be trading up in real estate after she landed a book deal worth between $8 million and $10 million this year. Schumer is quietly listing the apartment for $2.075 million, as was first reported by the New York Post.

Compass Real Estate will reportedly carry the listing.

SEE ALSO: Michael Jordan is trying really hard to sell his outrageous Chicago mansion

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

The apartment is no typical New York shoe box — it's actually a penthouse on the top floor of an Upper West Side brownstone.



A gorgeous stone entryway with a wooden door allows entrance into the five-unit co-op building.



Schumer wasn't kidding about the walk-up, however. The apartment is on the fifth floor, and there's no elevator. At least the hallways are nice.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

11 facts about Houston that make it the best city in America to build wealth

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texans toro

If you want to build a fortune, you may want to consider Houston, Texas — Bankrate recently ranked it as the best big US city for accumulating wealth.

With its thriving economy and abundance of Fortune 500 companies, it's no surprise Houston secured the top spot.

We rounded up 11 facts about the Bayou City that show why it's an ideal place to strike it rich:

SEE ALSO: Here's the salary you need to be in the top 50% of earners in 19 major US cities

It's got the jobs. Houston is the No. 1 city for job creation in the US. By a lot.

Since 2003, about 650,000 jobs have been created in Houston, Reuters reports.



Between 2009 and 2013, its real GDP increased by 22%, more than twice as fast as the American economy as a whole.

Much of Houston's booming economy can be attributed to its lucrative oil and gas industry. Oil brings jobs, from refineries and drillers, to office jobs at ConocoPhillips and Halliburton, both of which have their headquarters in Houston.

Source: The Economist

 



Houston is home to more Fortune 500 company headquarters than anywhere in America except for New York and Chicago.

In all, Houston has 26 companies on the list — including six in the top 100 — while New York has 68, and Chicago has 32.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Instagram users might want to check out this Android phone for its camera

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smartphonesMost power Instagram users edit their photos and add filters from apps like VSCO, Priime, Adobe's Darkroom, or even Instagram itself.

While editing can make even the worse smartphone camera look like it can take great photos, there are some smartphones that do a better job than others in specific situations.

For this test, we went out on an overcast day to see how well each phone could capture cloud detail and still make the picture look good without any editing. A pro Instagrammer would normally tweak a photo like this, but we wanted to see which device took the best unaltered photo.

The smartphones we tested, include the HTC One M9, LG G4, Moto X Pure, OnePlus 2, iPhone 6s Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 5, and Nexus 6P.

Cloud detail is often overlooked, but it makes for a shot with more depth and character compared to a shot with a featureless white sky. It's possible to fiddle around with manual settings in a smartphone's camera app so that it captures cloud detail. But we tested the automatic settings in each phone to replicate a scenario when you don't have time to adjust those settings.

Overall, in most situations, the iPhone 6s Plus and the Nexus 6P are considered the best smartphone cameras available.

We ranked the phones that are the best for capturing the best detail on a cloudy day. You'll be surprised to see which ones came out on top. 

7.) The LG G4 washes out the colors and makes the red car look almost orange. It didn't capture any cloud detail, which makes for a featureless and relatively boring sky. It's not great for editing.



6.) The Galaxy Note 5 has colors that pop, which looks great. But again, the sky is void of detail.



5.) The HTC One M9's colors are pretty accurate, if a little bright. Still, it doesn't capture any cloud detail.



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This is what it looks like when a company prepares to sell $14 billion in merchandise in a single day

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Alibaba Singles DayAlibaba generated a record-breaking $14.3 billion in sales on Singles' Day, the biggest online shopping day in the world, the company said Wednesday. 

The sales number blows past Alibaba's previous record of nearly $9.3 billion during the 24-hour period on November 11 last year.

Now comes the fun part: shipping all those orders. 

Here are some photos from Alibaba warehouses and delivery companies on Singles Day and the days leading up to it.

Alibaba says it expects to ship 310 million delivery orders, up from 278 million orders the previous year.



The shopping event is held every year on Nov. 11 (11/11) to celebrate Singles' Day, an anti-Valentine's Day holiday that emerged in China two decades ago as a time for bachelors and bachelorettes to celebrate the single life.



Since then, Alibaba — China's largest e-commerce company — has turned the occasion into the biggest 24-hour cyberspending blitz in the world by offering deep discounts on items as varied as cars and clothes.



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FANTASY FOOTBALL QB POWER RANKINGS: Where all 32 starters stand entering Week 10

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Tom Brady

The NFL season is now nine weeks old, and Cam Newton and Jameis Winston are moving up, while Peyton Manning is not.

Using one advanced stat and two metrics from fantasy football, we came up with a formula to rank all 32 NFL starting quarterbacks.

The formula uses Football Outsiders' DYAR metric (looks at a quarterback's overall effectiveness), FanDuel's fantasy points (total points, scaled to account for bye weeks), and the percentage of teams that own each quarterback in ESPN's Fantasy Football game (think of this as a job-approval rating, an indication of how fans think of each quarterback's potential moving forward).

In the case of injuries, we will continue to rank the injured starter unless he is out for the rest of the season or there is doubt about his role once healthy.

Here is how the 32 starters are ranked so far.

1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Last week: 2

Team record: 8-0

DYAR rank: 1

Fantasy points rank: 1

ESPN Fantasy Owned: 99.6%

One thing to know: Tom Brady has been the best fantasy QB this season, and it really hasn't been that close.



2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Last week: 3

Team record: 6-2

DYAR rank: 5

Fantasy points rank: 3

ESPN Fantasy Owned: 99.9%

One thing to know: Rodgers has gone from the top quarterback to missing wide-open receivers and slamming Surface tablets in disgust



3. Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

Last week: 1

Team record: 6-2

DYAR rank: 2

Fantasy points rank: 5

ESPN Fantasy Owned: 95.2%

One thing to know: Kent Somers writes that Palmer has enjoyed decent protection this season, but is still forcing too many deep passes when shorter passes are available.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Facebook misfires: Weird apps and experiments that never took off (FB)

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Facebook

Today, Facebook launched Notify, an iPhone app that sends news alerts to your phone's homescreen.

It's the latest in a long line of experiments from the company that orders employees to "Move Fast and Break Things."

Some of these experiments have been spectacularly successful — like Facebook Messenger, which took Facebook's messaging platform and broke it out into a separate mobile app back in 2011, and now has more than 700 million users.

Others, not so much...

SEE ALSO: The most important Facebook execs you've never heard of

The Facebook Phone. For years, Facebook was rumored to be building a phone based on its own fork of Android. The final result, the HTC First, was simply an inexpensive Android phone with Facebook's "Home"— an Android lock screen and app launcher that favored Facebook services. It was quickly discontinued.



The Facebook Home interface also failed to gain traction, and the Facebook Home web site has quietly disappeared.



Facebook Beacon was part of a broader Facebook advertising system that was meant to track users between third-party sites to let Facebook target ads more accurately. Privacy zealots freaked out and Facebook retreated, although now ad retargeting is pretty standard across the industry, and Facebook has since come up with other methods of increasing ad effectiveness with additional data, like Facebook Custom Audiences.



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GOLDMAN: Here are 14 great stocks with fat dividends and huge buyback plans

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coins money stacked

Companies are sitting on record piles of cash, and that's good news for investors in certain companies.

According to David Kostin at Goldman Sachs, S&P 500 companies will spend $2.2 trillion in excess cash in 2016 and 46% of that will be returned to shareholders in the form of dividends ($432 billion) or buybacks ($608 billion).

Additionally, the stocks of companies returning large amounts of cash to shareholders have done well over the past few years.

"Investing in companies returning cash to shareholders via a combination of buybacks and dividends has proven to be an effective long-term strategy relative to the market and other uses of cash," wrote Kostin. "Since 1991, a sector-neutral basket of the S&P 500 stocks with the highest trailing combined dividend and buyback yields has returned an annualized 15.7% versus 13.8% for the top capex + R&D spenders and 12.8% for S&P 500." 

To help capture this trend, Goldman has assembled a list of the 50 top stocks for shareholder cash returns called the Total Cash Return basket.

We've compiled the top 14 stocks returning more than 12% yield to their investors. Each stock also includes the breakdown of returns from buybacks and dividends, as well as a comment on the returns from the company's most recent earnings call.

Check out the companies dumping cash to investors below.

Marriott International: 12.0% total yield

Ticker: MAR

Industry: Consumer Discretionary

Buyback Yield: 10.7%

Dividend Yield: 1.3%

Executive Comment: "Given the considerable amount of capital recycling this year, combined with strong operating cash flow, we expect to return more than $2.25 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends this year, a new record. Year-to-date through today, we've already returned over $2 billion to shareholders," said CFO Carl Berquist.

 

Source: Goldman Sachs



VeriSign Inc.: 12.2% total yield

Ticker: VRSN

Industry: Information Technology

Buyback Yield: 12.2%

Dividend Yield: 0%

Executive Comment: "Our $2.75 per share dividend in 2011 was a 100% tax-free return of capital. We believe the long trend lines of growth in the top line and bottom line, along with the consistent track record in returning generated value to our shareholders through effective capital allocation and an efficient capital structure are what matter most to our shareholders," said CEO James Bidzos.

 

Source: Goldman Sachs



Deere & Co.: 12.4% total yield

Ticker: DE

Industry: Industrials

Buyback Yield: 9.6%

Dividend Yield: 2.7%

Executive Comment: "As a closing thought, John Deere is well on its way to another good year and doing so in the face of some pretty significant headwinds. Our performance highlights our success establishing a wider range of revenue sources and a more durable business model," said Susan Karlix, head of Investor Communications.

 

Source: Goldman Sachs



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This life-sized replica of Andy's room from 'Toy Story 3' is perfect

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toy story

The original "Toy Story" will celebrate its 20th anniversary this month.

The franchise remains extremely popular — and still inspires fans.

Morgan and Mason McGrew, two brothers from Iowa, are in the midst of directing a live action "Toy Story 3" fan film, which they have been working on since 2011. 

The even built an exact replica of Andy's bedroom in "Toy Story 3." (Via The Pixarist on Tumblr).

Take a look for yourself at all the little details they got right in bringing one of Pixar's greatest creations to life.

SEE ALSO: The most popular TV show set in every state

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In "Toy Story 3," the door of Andy's room is covered in stickers, posters, and a dartboard. The combination "really gives off the teenager-vibe," the McGrew brothers said.



The McGrews were able to find a nearly identical dartboard "for only $5 at a thrift shop."



In the movie, Andy's room looks just about as messy as any incoming college student.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

I followed around a professional grocery shopper to see if I had what it takes

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Instacart shopper

Instacart, a digital grocery delivery service, makes it easy to shop for food without ever leaving your apartment. 

But what happens between submitting your order online and your doorbell ringing?

We decided to find out and spent a morning shadowing an Instacart shopper at a Whole Foods in New York City. 

Turns out, a lot of time and effort goes into getting your grocery order just right and delivered to your door in under an hour. 

Keep reading to find out what it's like to be an Instacart shopper. 

It was a cold, rainy morning when I headed to the Whole Foods Market in the Bowery of New York City.



Inside, I met up with Sam Cruz, the Instacart shopper I'd be shadowing for the morning.



Cruz, 31, says Whole Foods is like his office — he typically works there from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and fills about ten grocery orders each day. Shoppers earn a base salary that starts around $15-an-hour.



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21 books by billionaires that will teach you how to run the world

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Bill Gates Summer Books

Whether you want to launch an empire or become the best in your field, who better to consult than those who've achieved the peak of professional and financial success?

That's why we've rounded up 21 books by self-made billionaires. From the business insights of Bill Gates to the leadership lessons of Richard Branson, the wisdom collected in these pages extends far beyond the classroom.

Learn how these masters of industry achieved the impossible, in their own words.

SEE ALSO: 9 books to read if you want to be a billionaire

DON'T MISS: The 27 jobs that are most damaging to your health

'The Virgin Way' by Richard Branson

Although Branson confesses he's never read a book on leadership, his nearly 50-year entrepreneurial career has taught him a thing or two about building a business.

In "The Virgin Way," the billionaire founder of Virgin Group offers lessons on management and entrepreneurialism, including the importance of listening to others and hiring the right people. Branson is honest about his successes as well as his failures, such as underestimating Coke's influence when he tried to launch Virgin Cola in the 1990s.

Overall, the book is a compelling glimpse into the life of someone who's never shied away from a challenge.

Find it here >>



'Onward' by Howard Schultz

After resigning as Starbucks CEO in 2000, Schultz returned to the post in 2008, just as the company was struggling through a financial crisis. "Onward" details how the billionaire brought the global coffee chain back to life.

Readers will learn how Schultz made tough decisions — like temporarily shutting down more than 7,000 US stores — in order to help Starbucks grow without neglecting its core values. They'll learn, too, about Schultz as a person, as he weaves together his unique business strategy with anecdotes about growing up in Brooklyn, New York. It's an honest and passionate recounting that will inspire entrepreneurs and everyone else to be brave in the face of adversity.

Find it here >>



'How to Win at the Sport of Business' by Mark Cuban

In "How to Win at the Sport of Business," Dallas Mavericks owner and "Shark Tank" investor Cuban fleshes out his best insights on entrepreneurialism from his personal blog.

He writes candidly about how he progressed from sleeping on his friends' couches in his 20s to owning his own company and becoming a multibillionaire. It's a story of commitment and perseverance — Cuban writes that even though he didn't know much about computers, he beat his competition because he spent so much time learning about the software his company sold. 

Find it here >>



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Here's the salary you need to be in the top 50% of earners in 19 major US cities

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new york city

Looking at the money it takes to be among the top 1% and top 10% of earners in major US cities might feel discouraging.

However, if you didn't crack the top 10%, you're not necessarily doing too badly for yourself. In the New York City metro area, for example, if you're earning $52,000 a year, you're earning more than half the population.

That's according to an interactive tool from The New York Times that allows you to enter your household income and compare your earnings across 344 zones throughout the US.

Here, we've highlighted the annual household income required to be in the top 25% and top 50% in 19 major US metro areas, from lowest to highest income needed.

SEE ALSO: How much you have to earn to be considered middle class in every US state

19. San Antonio, Texas

Income required to be in the:

Top 25%: $83,345

Top 50%: $48,787



18. Charlotte, North Carolina

Top 25%: $88,427

Top 50%: $51,200



17. Nashville, Tennessee

Top 25%: $87,424

Top 50%: $51,247



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17 eerie photos that show just how polluted China's air has become

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China Pollution

Although no one knows the exact amount of carbon that China emits each year, it's a well-known fact that the country has some of the most polluted air in the world. A recent study from UC Berkeley found that 4,000 people die every day because of complications from air pollution in China. 

In March, Chen Jining, the country's minister of environmental protection, said that while China cannot hold back on efforts to address the pollution, the turnaround is not going to be immediate. 

On November 9, the country was once again blanketed in acid smog from burning coal, breaking the record for the highest amount of pollution ever recorded in China. That weekend, the levels of airborne harmful particles were more than 50 times the number that the World Health Organization deems safe. The smog is estimated to remain lingering in the air throughout the rest of this week.

Here are a selection of photos that illustrate the escalation of China's pollution problems over recent years.

SEE ALSO: 20 shocking photos that show the many ways humans are destroying the Earth

A woman strolls through polluted air in front of a construction site of a residential compound in Wuhan.



Residential buildings are shrouded in a haze in Shenyang.



Even the night skies are hazy over downtown Shanghai.



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What it's like using YouTube's quirky new Spotify competitor

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Screen Shot 2015 11 12 at 1.19.00 PM

There's a new music streaming app in town.

Well, it's actually for watching music videos too. And concert videos. And instructional videos on how to play music. Basically anything music related on YouTube.

It's called YouTube Music, and it's available for free in the App Storeand Google Play.

I just took it for a spin, and while it's hard to say if it will replace Spotify or Apple Music for most people, you should definitely check it out.

Here's why:

  • YouTube is offering a free 14-day trial of its $10-per-month YouTube Red subscription with the app, which removes all ads on YouTube and lets you save videos and audio for offline playback.
  • The app gives you complete access to basically every licensed song and music video on YouTube, the latter of which is mainly powered by Vevo.
  • You also get access to Google Play Music with a Red subscription, which is more of a direct alternative to Spotify and Apple Music.

Here's the first thing you see when you open the YouTube Music app.



It automatically recognizes the Google accounts you're logged into on your phone and let's you quickly sign in.



Then you're prompted to begin a free 14-day trial of YouTube Red, which removes all ads on YouTube and gives you some other perks.



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These photos of 'Star Wars' ships on Earth are mesmerizing

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Vesa Lehtimaki Star Wars Scale Models 7

More than three decades after first falling in love with "Star Wars" in theaters, Finnish photographer Vesa Lehtimäki is bringing the franchise's most beloved ships and fighters to planet Earth.

Lehtimäki dug up his old scale models from the 1980s and carefully photographed them in the great outdoors, so the ships appear to be parked on Earth. The results will delight any aspiring Rebel pilot.

You can check out more of Lehtimäki's stunning work on Instagram or buy his book, "LEGO Star Wars: Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy."

"I saw the first [movie] in its theater run back in 1977," Vesa Lehtimäki tells Tech Insider. "For my generation, that's like Woodstock."



As a kid, he bought scale models and built them from scratch. Later, they made their way into cardboard boxes where they collected dust for three decades.



In 2009, the Finnish photographer began photographing his son's “Star Wars” LEGO toys and rediscovered his passion for the franchise. He dug up his old scale models.

Instagram Embed:
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5 things Albert Einstein got totally wrong

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Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein changed the world forever 100 years ago this month by publishing his theory of general relativity.

Relativity is now a centerpiece of modern physics, the reason GPS satellites and mobile internet exist, and why Einstein is easily the most famous scientist in history.

But a legendary status doesn't mean you're infallible. Einstein made plenty of errors and oversights, and sometimes, he was flat out wrong.

Here are five of Einstein's biggest mistakes explained.

We can probably all agree that Einstein was brilliant.



But he made some pretty epic mistakes.



1. A notable error shows up in his most famous work: Relativity.



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11 tips about money from my new millionaire friend

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park path hedges boots

I don’t know what y’all are drinking these days, but you’re dropping off some mighty fine nuggets around this blog lately! And I’m loving it! I think you need to merge together and come up with your own financial blog or something, haha …

But for now, you sit there and read this gem my new friend Mark posted and you enjoy it. He was kind enough to share his financial journey with us on last week’s book giveaway post, and it was a nice refresher of how this money stuff all comes together.

Check it out:

I’m a millionaire. Been investing in mutual funds for 40 years. Never made more then $70,000. Paid cash for everything. Still have an allowance of $100.00 a week. That is for gas and if I want something new. I’ve been debt free for 15 years. I often sit back and ask how I did this, and then remember my mom who at 16 worked in the ship yards during WW2, never graduated from HS, but gave me a book called Your Last Dollar. I still live off of $40,000 a year and no longer work, outside of a part time job as a coach as I love high school kids.

Look at that! An average guy making average money with not-so-average results. And people say it’s hard to become a millionaire, pssh … you just need a simple plan and some time.

Let’s go over all 11 tips he dropped in this jam-packed paragraph – did you catch them?

SEE ALSO: Remind Yourself Of This One Fact When You're Feeling Envious

1. Invest for the long haul.

Not for two or three or even ten years, but for decades. Mark did this successfully for over 40 years (longer than most of us have been alive — hah!) and he kept going through all the booms and busts and utter nonsense. You need this long term mentality so you don’t trick yourself into chasing the quick wins and get off track. It’s all about harnessing time.



2. Funds get the job done.

Yes you can try your hand at stocks and get your research/luck on and pray you hit the jackpot, but let’s face it – not even “professionals” get it right. For most people, sticking with mutual funds (or my personal preference – index funds– since the costs are much cheaper) are a safer bet. You won’t “beat the market” and have bragging rights amongst your friends, but matching it is better than underperforming it. And it’s one area I don’t mind being average.



3. It doesn’t matter how much you make – you can still save.

While $70,000 is surely a lot of money for most of us/the world, keep in mind it’s not the case when you’re nearing retirement. And even so, it probably took Mark 10-20 years to make it up to that level, so for decades he was making substantially less.

Regardless, putting money aside every paycheck no matter how much you make WILL add up over time and especially over 40 years. Do the best you can with what you’ve got, and then up it every time you get a bonus or raise or any other types of promotions. Mark is proof that any of us can become millionaires over time.



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An insane Florida mansion that was once the most expensive home in the US is back on the market — and now it's even more expensive

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Le Palais Royal

One of the most expensive houses ever listed for sale in the US is back on the market — and this time it's asking even more.

"Le Palais Royal," a 60,000-square-foot, Versailles-inspired compound in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, spent a year on the market without selling at an asking price of $139 million. Though that price made it the most expensive home for sale in the US at the time, its main residence's construction has now been completed, and it's currently listed for sale with an even higher price tag: $159 million.

That price includes new additions on a lot adjacent to the property, which the listing refers to as "phase two" of the construction. When completed, it will feature some crazy amenities, including an underground party zone with an ice skating rink, a track for go-karting, a two-lane bowling alley, and even space that can be used for a nightclub. 

It is currently owned by construction mogul Robert Pereira, who had originally planned to live in the residence, but changed his mind, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Mayi de la Vega of One Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.

SEE ALSO: Inside One57, the new most expensive building in New York City

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

The Le Palais Royal is not your typical mega-mansion.



Instead, it's a 60,000-square-foot, 4-acre compound along 465 feet of oceanfront in Hillsboro Beach, Florida. This particular stretch of beachfront housing is known by some as "Millionaires Mile."



Construction on the main home just finished. It sat on the market as an unfinished project for a year.



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5 secrets to building willpower from an FBI agent

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fbi agent

The FBI Academy’s Fitness Test required a minimum of 50 pushups, and I only got 49 in before the whistle blew.

My training class moved as a group to the next test — pull ups. But I felt defeated. I already knew I hadn’t passed; so why continue?

Disappointed with myself, I prepared to sit it out. But my coach told me to get up and finish the competition.

It took more strength than I thought I had in me to continue.

And not just continue, but compete as hard as possible for two more hours knowing that I had no real chance of passing.

This wouldn’t be the last time the FBI Academy pushed me through obstacles. Obstacles that I never thought I would be able to get through, at least not on the first try. But from those experiences I learned that just attempting to do it prepares you for success — if not this time, then next time.

That’s called willpower. And here are the five secrets I learned about harnessing it from my personal experience.

 

 

 

SEE ALSO: The 27 jobs that are most damaging to your health

1. Keep an eye on your goal

To activate your willpower, you must remind yourself why something is important to you. If you’re engaged in meaningless tasks or jobs, willpower will not save you. (That’s why it’s so hard to find time for that project you absolutely hate.)

In my case, I knew I wanted to become an FBI Agent and that gave me a purpose, every single day.



2. Avoid shortcuts

The FBI Academy is located on the Marine Corp base in Quantico, Virginia. (Yes, Quantico, like the hit show on TV right now.)

One of the running trails made several sharp turns, and since I was among the last in the pack, I had the “screw it” attitude and started literally cutting corners in order to shorten my run.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) my coach saw me, made me go back, and take the extra few steps to take the corner properly. Meaning my shortcuts only added more time to the whole thing. Lesson learned.



3. Train your brain

Meditation may sound a bit touch-feely for the average FBI agent, but I first learned about the importance of emptying my mind and pushing away unwanted thoughts in firearms training.

The best shooters are those who can enter a zen moment and focus entirely on the target in front of them.

Few would describe shooting a gun as a meditative moment, and yet the same principles apply: Control your thoughts so you can choose your focal point. Do this again and again — and that mediation will build willpower.



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