Are you dreaming of an investment portfolio that would be the envy of the financial hot-shots on Wall Street, but don't know where to start?

Granted, no one should discourage your investment dreams – but you can't settle for mere daydreams, either. The power to launch financial fortunes begins with knowledge, and for every acronym and bit of jargon, there's an easy explanation to boost your confidence.

Here are 12 terms from the world of finance and investing explained in simple, clear language.

SEE ALSO: Here's where Jim Cramer says young people should invest their first $10,000

Spinoff.

This is when a parent company takes one of its divisions or owned properties and turns it into an independent entity. For example, eBay (ticker: EBAY) spun off its PayPal online financial services business last year, creating PayPal Holdings (PYPL). From an investment standpoint, spinoffs have a strategic value: Both the parents and spinoffs stand a strong chance of becoming more valuable after the split.

The Fed.

This is short for the Federal Reserve Bank (or Federal Reserve System). Investors watch this body closely because its board of governors sets short-term interest rates that affect how much banks charge consumers and businesses to borrow money. When interest rates rise, stocks may dip or plummet in price (often temporarily) as investors worry about how this will affect businesses in their attempts to grow by borrowing funds, or consumers trying to finance mortgages.

Market timing.

This is an investment strategy where one attempts to profit by predicting stock movements as a way to buy and sell shares. Though popular with some investors, market timing gets low grades from many experts, who maintain that it's extremely difficult to do because so many unpredictable economic and financial factors affect a stock's price.

The worst part of going out to dinner with a group of friends is figuring out who owes what at the end of the night. All too often, once everyone's chipped in, there's either not enough money on the table, or way too much.

When trying to plan for retirement, or figure out whether to make an investment, one helpful thing to know is how long it will take to double your initial capital.

And when you're considering taking a new job with an annual salary, it might be useful to know how that salary compares with what you'd earn at a job with an hourly pay rate.

Some handy math tricks can help you figure out each of these situations quickly — and without having to resort to pulling out the calculator on your phone. We've assembled seven such tricks and talk a little about how they all work.

Eric Platt and Walt Hickey contributed to earlier versions of this article.

WATCH: We Did The Math: Which iPhone 6 Should You Buy?

Converting your salary to an hourly figure

The Trick: Take your salary, drop the last three zeros, and then divide by two.

Example: So if you earn $40,000, you're left with $20 an hour.

Maybe you're a salaried employee trying to figure out whether you should take that job that pays by the hour. This trick would certainly help.

This comes from making a couple of assumptions about your working hours and some quick observations about time. There are 52 weeks in a year, and so if you're working a 40 hour week for 50 of those weeks, you'll be working 40 x 50 = 2,000 hours in a year. Take your annual salary and divide by those 2,000 hours (equivalently, drop the last three zeros and divide by two), and voila, you get your hourly rate.

Figuring out sales tax and tips

The Trick: Assuming an approximately 9% sales tax, as in New York, if you take your pre-tax part of the bill, divide by four, and add this amount to the pre-tax part, you'll be leaving about a 16% tip. If you're feeling more generous, divide by three and add that amount instead, leaving about a 24% tip.

Example: Say your part of the pre-tax bill comes to $18. If you want to leave a 16% tip, divide $18 by four to get $4.50. Add that to your $18 pre-tax cost, and leave a total of $22.50. If you want to leave a larger tip, divide $18 by three to get $6, and combine that with the pre-tax cost to leave a total of $24.

Here's why this works: Dividing the pre-tax bill by four is the same as taking 25% of that amount. That's enough money to cover the 9% sales tax, with 16% leftover for the tip, because 25 - 9 = 16. Similarly, dividing by three gives about 33% of the pre-tax bill, covering the 9% sales tax and a 24% tip, because 33 - 9 = 24.

Business Insider's Sarah Schmalbruch also recently wrote about a few other nice tricks to calculate tips, like moving the decimal point one place to the left and multiplying by two to find 20% of the bill.

So, if the bill is $18, the moving the decimal points gets you $1.80. And multiplying it by two gets you $3.60.

How long it'll take to double your investment

The Rule of 72: Need an easy way to determine how long it will take to double your investment? Simply divide the number 72 by your projected growth rate.

Example: So, if you're getting a return of 9% per year, it will take about eight years for your investment to double in size, because 72/9 = 8.

The rule of 72 comes from manipulating the basic mathematical formula for calculating compound interest. The exact number you need to divide your growth rate by is actually closer to 69, but 70 or 72 are frequently used for quick mental estimates, because most common single-digit rates of return will divide evenly into one of these.

Some of the most accomplished people prove that no two paths to success are alike.

While the Steve Jobses and Richard Bransons were already dominating the business world at 25, others took a little longer to hit their stride and saw their mid-20s as transformative years.

Here's what 12 of the world's most successful people were doing at 25.

SEE ALSO: The unglamorous first jobs of 12 presidential candidates

The wealthiest, most successful people continually self-educate, which is why most of them spend so much time reading.

If the classic finance books don't work for you, there are other ways to get smarter about money.

Here, we've compiled eight documentaries that will keep you entertained and teach you valuable lessons about how the economy, the business world, and the markets affect your money.

SEE ALSO: 11 podcasts to listen to if you want to get rich

'The Ascent of Money'

This four-part series details the creation of the world's financial system and the history of money, starting from the ancient city of Babylon and finishing with the 2008 financial crisis.

Based on Niall Ferguson's book, "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World," the 2008 film is narrated by Ferguson himself, who delves into how our financial system has evolved over time and shaped our world today.

Watch it on PBS.

'Broke'

Part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, this 2012 documentary examines how professional athletes have gone from rags to riches, and then managed to lose those riches in only a few years.

The heartbreaking accounts from former players who have lost tens of millions of dollars teach an important lesson about lifestyle inflation — and although "Broke" focuses on athletes, anyone is susceptible to financial ruin with a few bad choices.

Watch it on Netflix.

'Inside Job'

This Oscar-winning documentary gives you a front row seat to the 2008 financial crisis, examining how corruption in the financial services industry led to the recession. "Inside Job" is split into five parts, starting with how the economy was set up to fail, and closing with who was accountable and where we go from here.

Anyone can learn from this 2010 film — from those who haven't read the news or followed the markets in a decade, to the most experienced investors.

Rent it on Amazon.

Samsung has just released its Gear VR, the first real consumer headset for virtual reality, and the reviews are stellar. But if you don't have one of the few smartphones that it supports (Galaxy S6, Note 5, etc.), or the money to spend, the Gear VR hype can just be frustrating. 

But luckily there is a way to get set up with a basic virtual reality experience for only $20: Google Cardboard.

Google Cardboard headsets are basic virtual reality goggles made out of cardboard — and they actually work. All you have to do is velcro your smartphone in place, and you're ready to go (it works with both iPhone and Android). You can then look and move around while inside spherical 3D videos or games.

And if you've never experienced that, it can be jaw-dropping.

While the quality on Google Cardboard will not be as good as on something like the Gear VR — which features highly accurate head-tracking sensors powered by the team behind the Oculus Rift — the platform will certainly give you a novel experience, and has some prominent supporters. In fact, The New York Times recently sent all its Sunday print edition subscribers a pair. The Times wants people to be able to watch all its new virtual reality content.

But if you're not a Times subscriber, you can snag a Google Cardboard for only around $20 from several manufacturers. I Am Cardboard is a reliable one ($19.99), but there are many most listed here.

Once you have the Cardboard, it's time to find virtual reality videos and games. 

We've selected the best ones for you. Here are 10 free Google Cardboard apps that will give you an eye-opening introduction to virtual reality. 

Polar Sea 360 is 10-part series that drops you into the breathtaking Arctic to see the lives of sailors, scientists, and the others that brave the wilderness.

Download for iOS or Android.

War of Words VR puts you in the middle of the war that inspired Siegfried Sassoon's poem, "The Kiss," while reading it to you.

Download for iOS or Android.

VRSE gives you polished virtual reality videos from the likes of Vice, NBC, The New York Times, and prominent filmmakers.

Download for iOS or Android.

Tattoos are pretty popular in the NBA. Lots of players have them, and several of them have tattoos covering their arms and chests.

But even the guys who are covered, like "Birdman" and J.R. Smith, were once clean slates.

Some of the NBA players who now have the most tats looked like completely different people early in their careers.

NOW: Chris "Birdman" Andersen

Andersen in 2003.

NOW: J.R. Smith

Just in 2015, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander has played a famous painter, a secret agent, and an artificial intelligence that wants to be human.

It's been quite a year for the 27-year-old, and it might all end with her receiving an Oscar nomination.

Playing artist Gerda Wegener in "The Danish Girl" (opening in theaters this weekend), Vikander gives a scene-stealing performance as the wife of fellow artist Lili Elbe (played by Eddie Redmayne), one of the first identifiable recipients of sex-reassignment surgery.

But it's just the latest in a stellar series of performances Vikander has done, which also includes the hit indie film "Ex Machina."

Let's learn more about this star on the rise.

SEE ALSO: The fast-rising career of 26-year-old Brie Larson, 'Room' star and Hollywood's new 'it girl'

Vikander's first taste of success came in 2007 with the Swedish soap opera "Andra Avenyn" ("Second Avenue"), which looked at the lives of a group of people living in the second-largest city in Sweden.

In 2009, she starred in her first feature film, "Pure," in which she plays a troubled 20-year-old who, in leaving her family life, ends up in the arms of a married man.

Vikander then found notice in the US playing Kitty in the 2012 adaptation of the Tolstoy classic "Anna Karenina," starring Keira Knightley in the lead role.

There aren't many rivalries in movies as rich in history as that of boxers Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).

For four films in the "Rocky" franchise, the two went from mortal enemies to best of friends. Now with the series getting a rebirth with the film "Creed," which tracks the rise of Apollo's son Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) in the boxing world, it's a good time to look back on the history behind the sequel. Specifically the link between Rocky and Creed.

Here's a refresher on the two boxers' relationship, which is referenced more than a few times in "Creed" (currently in theaters).

SEE ALSO: Why "Creed" is a strong contender for this year's Oscar race

We first meet Apollo Creed in "Rocky." Then the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, he must find a replacement for his match in Philadelphia after his original opponent injured his hand.

He chooses to face Rocky Balboa, a southpaw fighter from Philly who was known better on the streets as a loan shark than a boxer.

Not taking his opponent seriously, Creed comes to the fight unprepared, thinking it will be an easy win.

There used to be a time when a $1 billion valuation was considered a massive success for tech startups.

Then that threshold rose to $5 billion.

But in recent months, these numbers almost seem routine — so we have raised the bar yet again.

Looking at recent media reports and The Wall Street Journal's "The Billion-Dollar Startup Club" list, we have created a list of tech startups that are valued at $10 billion or more.

SEE ALSO: 13 tech IPOs compared: How much a $10,000 investment would be worth today

No. 10 (tie) WeWork: $10 billion

Valuation: $10 billion

CEO: Adam Neumann

Founded: 2010

What it does: WeWork rents out co-working spaces to individuals and companies. 

Total funding:$1 billion

Notable investors: Goldman Sachs, T. Rowe Price, Benchmark Capital, Fidelity Investments, JP Morgan

No. 10 (tie) Dropbox: $10 billion*

Valuation: $10 billion

CEO: Drew Houston

Founded: 2007

What it does: Dropbox allows users to easily store and share files on the web. It has over 200 million users worldwide.

Total funding:$1.1 billion

Notable investors: Accel Partners, Benchmark Capital, Greylock Ventures

*Fidelity Investments and BlackRock both recently wrote down the value of their holdings in Dropbox.

No. 9 Pinterest: $11 billion

Valuation: $11 billion

CEO: Ben Silbermann

Founded: 2008

What it does: Pinterest allows users to share/store stuff online by "pinning" images and content.

Total funding:$1.32 billion

Notable investors: Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Rakuten

The touchdown dance is a controversial tradition.

Some people think that such overt celebrations of scoring are a sign of bad sportsmanship. Others think they're totally harmless.

Either way, though, you have to admit that seeing a burly dude break it down in utter joy is pretty entertaining.

With that in mind, we've assembled a list of the 22 best touchdown dances you can find on Vine, the video looping service that was practically tailor made to celebrate the touchdown dance.

Keep reading to see the best touchdown dances on Vine.

Let's get this started with some casual Gangnam style.

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Some light twerking.

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Whatever this is.

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For many of us, a home is the biggest investment we'll ever make — yet most Americans are clueless about their home's value, including the things that can ruin it.

From unappealing renovations to an unfortunately-placed sinkhole, numerous factors can devalue your greatest investment.

We've rounded up 11 threats that could torpedo your home's value:

SEE ALSO: 9 hidden costs that come with buying a home

Sinkhole damage.

While there's insurance coverage specifically for sinkhole damage in case your property is hit by a sinkhole, they still hurt property values. 

"It definitely stigmatizes the property," Rob Arnold, a Florida real estate investor and realtor who has bought and sold more than 30 sinkhole properties in the last five years, told CF13 News. He tells owners of damaged homes to knock 30% off their asking price, plus the cost of any repairs.

City dumps and power plants.

When researchers looked at five municipal landfills near residential property in Cleveland, Ohio, they found the stench was enough to drag down property values by 5.5% to 7.3%. Landfills are most hurtful in populated, expensive, residential areas. The effect was basically nonexistent in sparse, rural areas.

Likewise, the University of California at Berkeley found homes within two miles of a power plant drop 3% to 7% in value.

Hoarders or messy neighbors.

If your neighbors' homes and yards look sloppy, home shoppers tend to put a lower value on your home.

A nearby property's overgrown yard, peeling paint, and clutter can easily knock 5% to 10% off the sale price of your home, Joe Magdziarz, the president of the Appraisal Institute and a real-estate appraiser with 40 years of experience, told MSN Money. 

Aaron Rodgers isn't the most outspoken quarterback in the NFL, but he might just be the most competitive. 

The reigning MVP and four-time Pro Bowler has called himself "obsessively competitive," claims to remember every interception he's ever thrown, will sometimes go days without talking to his teammates because of locker-room card-game disputes, and last year dropped an f-bomb on "Celebrity Jeopardy!" after missing a question. (He went on to win, of course.)

This sort of competitiveness is what helped an undersized high schooler with no Division 1 scholarship offers go from playing junior-college football to winning two regular season MVPs and a Super Bowl MVP. It's what makes the Packers a Super Bowl contender year in and year out, and what makes Rodgers arguably the best quarterback on the planet.

Here are 23 anecdotes to illustrate just how competitive the Green Bay quarterback really is.

Rodgers claims to remember every single interception and touchdown he's ever thrown — even from as far back as eighth grade. He also remembers specific high-school plays, down to the defensive formation.

Source: MMQB

When he was 9, Rodgers' family moved from Oregon to California. To be accepted to his new school, Rodgers needed to do an interview, and when asked what he would contribute to school, he said football. When he was 15, he would show up every morning in his coach's office before class to pick his brain about offensive and defensive schemes.

Source: E:60

As a senior in high school, he decided to play baseball after getting no Division 1 football offers. Once, he threw at a pitcher's head after the pitcher threw a 94-mile fastball at him while he was at bat. The two were separated moments before the benches cleared.

Source: JS Online

An organization's logo is the first thing a prospective customer sees.

And when it's bad, it can scare people away for good.

We've gathered some of the worst logo fails of all time. These unintentionally (or sometimes intentionally) reminded consumers of sex acts, lewd behavior, and other things that make 13-year-olds hysterical.

Many were pulled, and all will go down in internet infamy.

This is an update of previously published article by Aaron Taube and Laura Stampler.

SEE ALSO: Did you notice that these 20 companies changed their logos this year?

The English press had some fun with the London 2012 Summer Olympics logo, saying it resembled both Lisa Simpson performing a sex act and a "punk" swastika. The Iranian government even claimed the stylized "2012" spelled out "Zion" and entertained boycotting the event in protest. The logo ended up looking better in action in its various stylings, but the damage was done.

Via the Guardian >>

Brazil's Federal University of Santa Catarina's Institute of Oriental Studies was going for a Japanese temple against the Japanese rising sun. As soon as someone saw the uh, roof, in a butt, the logo achieved meme status in 2005 and the school took it down.

Via the Telegraph >>

Kostelecké uzeniny is a popular Czech sausage company that has been around since 1917. It's easy to see why non-Czechs find the logo so amusing, but it's been on all the company's products since the '20s.

Millennials make up a crucial group of consumers.

Ad agency Moosylvania asked over 3,500 millennials — defined as 20 to 35-year-olds — to select their favorite brands over the past three years.

Great Questions, LLC helped rank the winning brands.

These brands are the food brands that came out on top.

Some are surprising — others, not so much.

17. Nestle

Headquarters: Vevey,  Switzerland

Why it's hot: Nestle's Nescafe created "social art" in Croatia by placing its red mugs all over the city. This, Moosylvania says, appealed to millennials. Nestle also manufactures many popular candies.

16. Subway

Headquarters: Milford, Connecticut

Why it's hot: Subway has long reigned supreme when it healthy fast food, but recently, Chipotle has dethroned the chain. Still, the brand has considerable popularity. 

15. General Mills

Headquarters: Minneapolis, MN

Why it's hot: General Mills' Fiber One brand has been nailing its marketing, with its funny ads, and its socially-driven contest like #FiberOneCheesecake, which gave users the opportunity to win cheesecake for an entire year.

The Volvo XC90, one of the Swedish carmaker's best-selling models of all time, has been redesigned.

This is Volvo's top-line SUV, and this new example shows that Volvo is trying to prove itself as a modern contender in an evolving luxury-car market. Volvo tossed Business Insider the keys to the 2016 XC90 so we could give this all-wheel-drive, supercharged — and turbocharged! — Swede a proper workout.

Naturally, we started our weeklong stint with a road trip.

SEE ALSO: This is why Tesla always overpromises and underdelivers

SEE ALSO: Bentley's Bentayga is the first of a new kind of hyper-luxury SUV

The only thing that could make this more interesting: spinning the XC90's four corners from LA to San Francisco on one tank of gas. Done!

Here we are filling up in Burbank, California, the suburban cousin of Los Angeles.

The XC90 we're driving here has a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. There's also a supercharger and a turbocharger attached, producing a reasonable 316 horsepower.

Filling the not-quite-empty gas tank with premium unleaded cost a respectable $40 and change. That sounds pretty good, but bear in mind that a few years back, a fill-up would have cost twice that in LA. The SUV market is back big time, thanks to low gas prices.

With the tank filled, we're ready to put some road behind us.

The car's computer tells us we've got about 500 miles of range on this tank of gas, but the estimate changes quickly depending on traffic, how fast you're driving, and whether you're climbing any steep hills.

Time to start her up.

This is indeed a luxury SUV. Notice all the attention to detail on the contact points (the parts of the car that your hands will touch on a daily basis). 

There's subtle knurling on the engine dial and on the Drive Mode selector. The effect is repeated on the volume knob beneath the giant center touch screen.

Over the past two months, I've fallen in love with a new retail service that gives me unfettered access to gorgeous clothes and jewelry from designers like Tory Burch and Jason Wu.

Called Rent the Runway Unlimited, it lets me pay a monthly subscription fee (originally $99 a month, now $139 a month) to get access a wide variety of outfits and accessories.

The service hasn't been without its problems. Rent the Runway's CEO Jenn Hyman admits Unlimited, which rolled out a year ago, has gone through about 40 different versions as the company struggles to make it successful.

But from a customer perspective, it's worked well the past few months. And it has completely changed the way I view my wardrobe.

Here's the deal:

SEE ALSO: There are two kinds of tech people — which are you?

I first heard about Rent the Runway Unlimited when company CEO Jennifer Hyman talked about it at last year's South By Southwest conference.

Rent the Runway's primary business is leasing out dresses on a one-off basis. They usually cost under $100 for either a four- or eight-day rental. But Unlimited offers something completely different.

The rules are simple: Pay $99 and receive as many dresses, accessories, or everyday-wear clothing that you can squeeze into a month's time.

Household finances are tricky for everyone, and the number-crunching is especially hard for families. But location also has a huge effect on families' costs and ability to meet them. A study from the Economic Policy Institute, for instance, found that the average costs of a two-parent, two-child family could vary by as much as $57,000 each year from the cheapest community it surveyed (Morristown, Tenn.) to the most expensive (Washington, D.C.).

While child-rearing costs vary greatly by city, there are also significant differences from state to state. Some states offer higher incomes, whereas others keep key costs like food, housing and child care low. Some of the best states for families offer paid family leave, a crucial benefit that can help families fill the financial gaps in times of need.

GOBankingRates looked at all of these factors to rank the states and determine which ones make raising a family financially feasible. Here are the 10 cheapest states to raise a family, where households face the lowest costs while earning higher incomes.

Read: 10 Most Expensive States to Raise a Family

SEE ALSO: 10 states where raising a family costs the most

10. New Jersey

The biggest benefit for families living in New Jersey is the overall higher incomes they earn. The state median household income of $65,321 is the fifth highest in the nation, giving families more means within which to live.

New Jersey is also one of just three states to offer paid family leave, with state laws that grant up to six weeks of paid family leave in a 12-month period. Workers on paid family leave receive two-thirds of their pay up to $604 a week for total benefits of up to $3,624 for the six-week period. New Jersey laws allow a total of 12 weeks of family leave in a 24-month period (including paid family leave).

New Jersey's Senate Democrats have also introduced an initiative, New Jersey: Investing in You, which includes a focus on expanding prekindergarten education and other programs for children ages 5 and under, according to NJ.com. These benefits could be a welcome relief for families in New Jersey, where they face higher-than-average food and child care costs and the fifth-highest housing costs in the nation.

9. Nebraska

Nebraska lands at No. 9 among the best places to raise a family for its low costs, particularly for housing. Nebraska housing costs are below the national average, with a median monthly rent of $1,238 and the median listing price at $149,000. Nebraska's food and child care costs are also lower than most other states' average costs.

Even better, these lower costs aren't accompanied by lower earning potential for workers in this state. With a higher-than-average median household income of $55,107, Nebraskan families can enjoy lower living costs while still earning decent wages. Although the state lacks a family leave policy, Nebraskans still have a higher chance of being able to get ahead of their finances than many other U.S. families.

Related: Why Women Are Taking Over Family Finances

8. Missouri

Missouri's housing costs are the seventh lowest in the nation, with a median home listing price of $139,900 and a median monthly rent of $1,071. While the state's median income of $49,290 is below the $52,047 national median, families earning this amount and renting at a typical price could still keep housing costs fairly low at 27 percent of their pay, which is less than the 30 percent-of-income rent standard that most rental housing programs and personal finance experts use.

Food costs that are 5.8 percent lower than the national average and low child care costs help Missouri residents stretch their incomes further. For child care, Missouri residents pay less than the national median for all age groups considered in this study. For example, full-time care for a 4-year-old costs $6,074 in Missouri versus the $7,748 national median — a savings of $140 a month. Although Missouri lacks a parental leave policy, the state offers other benefits. For example, Governor Jay Nixon announced a $3 million investment in the state's early education program, Missouri Start Smart, in September 2015.

Anna Faris turns 39 on Sunday, November 29.

One of the most talented actresses in entertainment today, Faris got her big break as the lead on the "Scary Movie" franchise, starring as Cindy Campbell on all four films.

She then went on to do dozens of movies before becoming part of the latest trend of film actors who made the leap to television.

On CBS's "Mom," she plays Christy, a newly sober single mother who's picking up the pieces of her life with the help of her own mom, Bonnie (Allison Janney).

In real life, Faris is married to "Parks and Recreation" actor and "Guardian of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt and they have a three-year-old son, Jack.

Learn more about the accomplished actress. Here's the fabulous life and career of Anna Faris:

SEE ALSO: Meet Chris Pratt, 'Parks And Rec' Funnyman Turned Oscar-Worthy Actor

MORE: Meet Priyanka Chopra, the former Miss World winner who snagged the lead role on ABC's new hit show, 'Quantico'

Anna Faris was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 29, 1976. Her parents, sociologist Jack Faris and special education teacher Karen Faris, moved Anna and her brother to Edmonds, Washington circa 1982. Anna's parents enrolled her in a drama program and encouraged her to act.

SOURCE

After doing loads of community theater, Anna starred in her first TV commercial. It was for yogurt. She said that she also played the perfect hostess on a Red Robin training video that is apparently still used.

SOURCE

After appearing in a few unsuccessful independent movies, Anna got her big break on horror film parody "Scary Movie" in 2000. She played lead character Cindy Campbell in the franchise's four installments through 2006. Her movie career took off with roles in 2002's "The Hot Chick" and 2003's "Lost in Translation."

Watch Anna in "Scary Movie" below:

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 SOURCE

With their eight arms and giant egg-shaped head, octopuses are one of the most alien-looking creatures on the planet.

Yet scientists have an extremely difficult time studying them in the wild because these highly intelligent invertebrates are the ultimate masters of disguise.

In her book, "Octopus!" Katherine Harmon Courage travels the globe to swim, observe, and even taste some of the many octopuses of the world. Here are 30 mind-blowing facts she learned about this squishy predator of the sea along her epic journey.

CHECK OUT: New study could explain why your dog gets so excited to see you

LEARN MORE: Tesla's cars and NASA's Mars rovers have this one mysterious material in common

Over 95% of all animals on Earth are invertebrates. The octopus is the smartest of them all and has approximately 300 million neurons throughout its body. That's not much compared to the 100 billion in humans, but it's a giant leap from the 16 million in frogs.

Octopuses are solitary creatures who spend most of their lives swimming alone, even when it comes time to mate.

Some, but not all, types of male octopus will steer clear from a female mate. Instead of getting close, he'll send a package of his sperm to her from a distance, which she'll grab and store for later.

You walk into an expensive restaurant and approach the hostess station to confirm your reservation.

The hostess is texting and has her back to the customers waiting to be seated.

Her blouse is wrinkled, she has chipped nail polish, and she's chewing gum.

Part of a questionable tattoo shows around the collar of her blouse.

The phone rings; she picks up the receiver and slams it down without answering it or stopping her texting.

When a customer standing at the desk tries to get her attention, she turns her back completely on the customer.

If you've never been to this restaurant before, what's your expectation of the service likely to be? Even if the food and later service turn out to be stellar, you will always have a negative first impression, created before one word was said.

Psychologists at Princeton University conducted a study of university students who were shown images of people for 100 milliseconds, and were asked to judge people on attractiveness, likability, trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness.

The students made judgment calls in less than a second. Even when given more time, the initial impression remained the same. 

So your grandmother was right: First impressions count. These things could be sabotaging you before you say a word:

SEE ALSO: How to get powerful people to notice you

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

1. Wrinkles

We're not talking facial features, but wrinkles in your clothing. If you show up to a business meeting in a shirt that is crumpled and wrinkled, you convey the impression that the person you are meeting with isn't important.

You could also be judged as lazy or ambivalent. If you have never learned how to properly iron a shirt, it's time to learn. It's a life skill everyone needs to know. And while you're at it, invest in a lint brush.

2. Gum

People chew gum for a variety of reasons. Maybe it's a stress technique. Maybe it's a smoking cessation thing. Maybe it's an antidote to the garlicky Caesar salad at lunch.

There is nothing wrong with gum, unless you're smacking it and blowing bubbles as you walk into a business meeting. Chewing gum conveys an impression of immaturity. Ditch the wad before the meeting ... in the garbage can, please.

3. Too much makeup

Heavy makeup, or makeup more suited to a night out, sets off alarm bells with some people who ponder what the person is hiding with all the paint.