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The 19 most popular football clubs on social media

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lionel messi ronaldo barcelona madrid

The 19 most followed football clubs in the world on social media in the 2014/15 season have been announced by Deloitte.

Deloitte based its ranking on each team's Facebook page likes, but also included Twitter and Instagram followers as well.

Mirroring the football club rich list, eight of the top rated clubs were English, while Germany and Spain took three places each.

As with the rich list, Barcelona and Real Madrid fought for the number one place.

Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain had the biggest percentage growth from the year before on Twitter, with both growing their number of followers around 60%.

Check out the list below.

19. Newcastle United — England

2014/15 season followers (millions):

Facebook: 1.8 

Twitter: 0.7

Instagram: 0.01

Despite a disappointing season of relegation worries, Newcastle still has a healthy following of diehard fans, both at the stadium — revenues on matchdays grew this season — and online.



18. Everton — England

2014/15 season followers (millions):

Facebook: 2.4

Twitter: 0.7

Instagram: 0.2

A fierce rivalry with neighbours Liverpool means that Everton fans like to show their support on social media, ensuring the club easily made the top 20 most followed social media sites of any team.



17. Schalke 04 — Germany

2014/15 season followers (millions):

Facebook: 2.7

Twitter: 0.4

Instagram: 0.2

The "04" stands for when the Club was founded... in 1904. With that much history you can bet the team has built up a huge fanbase, and much of that has migrated online.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The top 9 cities for business in Britain

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Oxford

The top nine UK cities for business have been announced by IT company Sungard Availability Services.

It examined a range of metrics — including start-up survival rates, average internet download speeds, office rents and graduate populations — and combined them together to come up with an overall ranking.

London didn't make the top three thanks to its expensive rates, while university cities of Oxford and Cambridge did well.

English cities make up eight of the top nine, while a Scottish city took the remaining spot.

Check out the list below:

9. Leeds

Start-up survival rate: 60.2%

Employment rate: 73.1%

Office price per sq. foot: £110.5

Leeds has a huge student population thanks to its four universities, ensuring a steady stream of talented, ambitious workers. The relatively cheap office rent also makes it great for start-ups.



8. Northampton

Start-up survival rate: 61%

Employment rate: 78.6%

Office price per sq. foot: £145.2

Northampton has the highest employment rate of any city in the country, which probably explains why it's also fourth highest on the list for start-up survival rates. The lack of a significant tech hub has resulted in some cyber breaches in the area though.



7. York

Start-up survival rate: 68.1%

Employment rate: 74.4%

Office price per sq. foot: £90

York ranks top in the list for start-up survivals, due to its strong infrastructure and high university graduate numbers. It also has an exceptionally low crime rate, which is always good for business, though its low average broadband speed of 19Mbps and population density means it's not higher up the list. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Spike Lee threw an awesome Prince block party with 5,000 fans — here's what it was like

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spike lee prince party

Spike Lee is a hardcore Prince fan, and he showed it Thursday night.

The director hosted a block party in Brooklyn for anyone who wanted to come and celebrate the life of Prince, who was found dead that morning.

A packed crowd showed up to dance, sing along, and say goodbye to their idol.

See what it was like below.

SEE ALSO: Prince's incredible life: The 16 most memorable photos of the musician

Spike Lee threw the block party in his native Brooklyn, and he said 5,000 Prince fans showed up to sing and dance for the "historic" event.

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Spike Lee himself did some singing and dancing.

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There he is celebrating. The party was right outside the offices of Lee's production company, 40 Acres and a Mule.



Fans showed off their purple and some face paint.

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See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The 9 greenest new buildings in the US

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Rene Cazenave Apartments

In honor of Earth Day, the American Institute of Architects has announced its selections for the top "Green Projects" of 2016.

Pulled from around the US, the buildings are stellar examples of how renewable energy sources like wind and solar can be harnessed to create efficient buildings.

Their designs range from the complex to the minimal, but they all embody a spirit of sustainability.

The Center for Sustainable Landscapes in Pittsburgh, PA is the first and only building to meet four of the highest green certifications: the Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum, WELL Building Platinum, and Four-Stars Sustainable SITES.

Architects: The Design Alliance



Which isn't surprising, given that it's a building where people work on plant conservation.



In San Francisco, the Exploratorium at Pier 15 showcases innovations in design while also walking the walk with its own design.

Architects: EHDD



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

RANKED: These are the breakfast cereals with the least sugar

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cereal aisle grocery store

Breakfast cereals may have the most obtrusive advertising in the whole grocery store.

"Whole grain! Excellent source of fiber! No high fructose corn syrup!" they shout at you from the shelves.

But most cereals are highly processed foods, often with a lot of added sugar, whether it's named on the ingredients list as regular sugar, milled cane sugar, brown sugar, or honey.

Americans eat twice as much sugar as we're supposed to on average, and one of those sources of sugars could be your morning cereal. All you have to do is check the package to find out.

I went to the grocery store and photographed every cereal on the shelves to see how much sugar they contained (don't worry, I narrowed this list down to the most popular ones). These are ranked from most sugar to least sugar based on a serving size of 3/4 cup, which was most common.

See how they stack up — you may be surprised:

All Bran Buds: 18 g



Quaker Real Medleys: 14 g



Raisin Bran: 13.5 g



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Snapchat lets you swap with any face in your camera roll — and it's insanely fun

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Snapchat face swap

By now you've probably seen people swapping faces in Snapchat. It produces a hilarious and often frightening effect.

Until now, you could only face swap with someone if you were both in the camera view of Snapchat's app. It was an inherent limitation that kept the feature reserved for people you're physically next to (or maybe an inanimate object that looked like a face if you were lucky). 

Now Snapchat lets you face swap with any photo in your phone's camera roll, which is a game changer. It's insanely fun to play with.

You can find Snapchat's camera roll face swap by tapping and holding on your face to activate the app's list of special lenses.

snapchat lens



You'll eventually find this purple face swap lens next to the original yellow one. It will automatically pull up photos in your camera roll that have faces to swap with.

finding snapchat face swap



Just tap on each photo to have the face placed over your own. Here I am as Kylie Jenner, Kanye West, Nic Cage, and DJ Khaled:

face swap snapchat camera roll



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How to save more money with less effort

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retired couple beachIn a recent post, I outlined how your savings rate is the single biggest factor that determines whether or not you will build wealth to achieve early retirement. In our household, we currently save well over 60% of our take-home income. The average American saves only about 5% of their income.

For most people, the knee-jerk reaction is that saving over half of their income is impossible. The perception is that saving that much money every year would require a massive income and/or a lifestyle of suffering and sacrifice. I can tell you from our experience that both of those preconceptions are completely false.

Very few people will ever approach this high savings rate. However, I don’t believe it’s because people can’t do it or don’t want to try. Most people simply aren’t focused on the right things.

There are tons of tips about how to earn more or spend less. But the reality is that most of these tips require significant effort and produce small results.

Today I will share the three things my wife and I have found most effective in developing a high savings rate with the least effort or perceived sacrifice. We aren’t successful because we regularly spend time or energy working on our savings rate. We are successful because we apply some thought and effort up front so we can spend little to no effort on saving day to day.

SEE ALSO: 5 things that could inflate your rent before you even sign a lease

1. Invest in increasing your income

There’s an assumption, especially in the U.S, that getting more education will allow you to make a higher income. There is also an assumption that you can never have too much education. There’s some truth in both of these statements, but they overlook a key point: you can never have too much knowledge or too many skills, but you can pay to much to obtain them.

We viewed developing our skills and obtaining an education as an investment which would allow us to make more money. However, as any good investor knows, you make your money when you buy an investment. Nearly anything can be a good investment if bought at the right price. And nearly anything can be a bad investment if you pay too much for it in the first place.

The college class of 2015 graduated with an average debt of $35,051. Compare this to my wife and I who, despite coming from humble backgrounds, have managed to collect 3 degrees each with minimal debt. The debt was all from my wife’s first degree and was paid off within one year of her obtaining it.

Our degrees have paid off with higher incomes. We each make approximately double the income of an average American. However, within our respective fields, we have average jobs with average incomes. Still, we save far more than average among our peers. This is in large part because of the advantage of paying so much less for our education and being debt free.

Whether obtaining any particular degree, certification, or body of knowledge is a good investment is specific to each individual. However, the universal principal to follow is this: pay close attention to how much you’re paying to obtain the skills and education that allow you to make more money.



2. Control the biggest expenses

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, the three largest expenditures for most households are housing, transportation and food. Therefore, to have the biggest impact on savings rate, it would be wise to focus on your spending in these key areas. But how exactly do you do that most effectively?

When we were starting our professional lives, we followed conventional wisdom. We bought a house we could afford with a conventional 30-year mortgage, thinking it was a good investment. We drove the same inexpensive used cars we bought while in college, avoiding car loans.

So what did our financial situation look like? I suppose it looked a good bit better than most people starting out, but it still was not pretty.

We realized our home was much more of an expense than an investment. After a year of mortgage payments, we still owed nearly 99% of the original amount of the loan. Nearly all of our mortgage payments went towards interest. At the same time, we spent even more money as well as using our time to upkeep this home we rarely had time to enjoy.

Transportation was still a major expense, too. We saved on our vehicle purchases, but were still paying out the ears in other areas. We were each wasting time commuting about 45 minutes each way in opposite directions every day. Our commutes produced big expenses every month in the form of gas, car depreciation and upkeep, and a bus pass.

Our food expenses were astronomical. With all of the time we spent working and commuting, neither of us felt like cooking. We ate take-out or restaurant meals four to six nights every week. I grabbed fast food lunches most days each week.

This lifestyle was not only expensive in the short term, but we quickly saw we were paying with our health and relationship. We were burning out quickly.

We decided to make some major changes. We sold our home only two years after buying it, moved to a different area, and started over. We made a few big decisions based on our prior mistakes:

1. We would rent a cheap place and save money until we developed a long-term plan.
2. When buying our next house, we would buy one we could afford with a 15-year mortgage and a plan to pay it off in less than 10 years.
3. We would try to optimize our work commute times.

Making just these few key decisions allowed us to magnify everything we were already doing right. It also corrected many of our other problems.

We paid our next home off in less than 8 years. We saved 22 years of interest payments compared to most people. At the same time, we automatically saved on all corollary expenses such as taxes and home maintenance costs that tend to be more with a more expensive home “we could have afforded.”

I cut my commute time to 20 minutes, while my wife cut her commute to less than 5 minutes. This saved us a tremendous amount on all of our transportation costs. At the same time, it freed up about an hour a day for each of us.

With this increase in time, we have both become good cooks and enjoy making most of our own meals. We typically eat at restaurants only a few times a month for social reasons. We now eat far healthier than we did before. We also spend far less on food without making any conscious effort to change our habits.

The key to all of this is that we never felt like we were sacrificing. While we drastically increased our savings rate, we also drastically improved our quality of life. We made a few key decisions with housing and transportation that led to dramatic savings. This made it much easier to save on food as well.



3. Be a DIY investor and tax planner

For a decade, we used a financial adviser because we thought being a DIY investor was difficult and extremely confusing. We felt taxes were an inevitability and never had a tax plan. In reality, this third principle was probably the easiest thing to actually implement.

Learning to manage your own money definitely does require some effort up front. However, once you master a few basic concepts, it’s really very simple to have massive impacts that increase an already high savings rate. We spend only a few hours in an entire year on our finances.

Our investment plan focuses on maximizing our return by limiting fees and taxes. We do this by choosing simple, transparent investments that we fully understand. We accomplish this by utilizing Vanguard index funds whenever possible. When not available in work sponsored retirement plans, we utilize the closest comparable investments that meet our objectives.

Tool Tip: Use the free financial dashboard from Personal Capital to track and analyze your investments (both retirement and taxable accounts).

Prior to learning to manage our own investments, we had all in investment expenses of 2% investing with an adviser. We paid over 1% on the investments in our retirement plans. Our all in investment costs are now .13% of our investments annually. We decreased our expenses by over 90%. These savings easily cut our expenses, many of which we never realized we had, by at least $10,000 every year. At the same time, the changes we made virtually guarantee improved investment returns by eliminating the conflicts of interest that come with professional advice.

Our tax plan is equally simple and effective. We first max out all tax-advantaged investing before investing in taxable accounts. We then utilize asset location to place the most tax-friendly investments in taxable accounts and the least tax-friendly investments in tax-advantaged accounts. We avoid selling any investments in our taxable accounts unless it is to our advantage for tax loss harvesting.

Maximizing tax deferral alone will cut our tax bill by $9,000 this year. We will also easily save thousands more by limiting capital gains taxes with these simple strategies.

Nearly all of this is done by automating our investing. We check for changes in tax laws once at the end of each year. We then set up automatic investments for the appropriate amounts into appropriate accounts and never have to think about it for another year. This takes less than an hour. We rebalance our accounts to our target asset allocation once a year. This takes about 2 hours. I check our taxable accounts quarterly for tax loss harvesting opportunities. This generally takes minutes.

The Common Thread

Are you trying to increase your savings rate? Are you working really hard to build wealth? Are you frustrated by lack of success? Step back and look at the common threads among our three principles.

We put in nearly all of our effort up front to work hard and make really good decisions. We focus on principles that have massive impacts on either increasing our income, decreasing our spending, or doing both simultaneously with minimal ongoing effort.

We focus on getting huge wins without giving up things we value. This allows us to never feel that we’re sacrificing to save money. When was the last time you found yourself longing to pay more taxes?  Do you ever dream of paying more interest payments to the banks for school, car, and home loans? Have you ever wished you could pay more fees to your financial adviser for advice unlikely to be in your best interest so he could retire earlier or send his kids to a better college? Do you ever get bummed that you can’t spend more time sitting in traffic on the way to work idling away your gas? If you answered each of these questions “never,” I agree!

I can guarantee you we are not successful because we work harder than others on saving money every month. Our success with saving is easy because a few key actions up front mean we don’t work on it much at all.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

6 renovations that can hurt your home's resale value, according to HGTV's 'Property Brothers'

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Property Brothers

According to Jonathan and Drew Scott, stars of the HGTV show "Property Brothers," you'll want to be careful how you renovate or remodel your home.

"Just as there are features you want in a house, and that also increase the value of the space, there are changes you should not make to a house," they write in their book, "Dream Home: The Property Brothers' Ultimate Guide to Finding & Fixing Your Perfect House." "These are features that can bite you back when it's time to sell."

Here are six renovation "no-nos," according to the Property Brothers:

SEE ALSO: 2 inexpensive tricks that could help your home sell for more money, from HGTV stars the 'Property Brothers'

DON'T MISS: The secret to selling your house for more money

1. Don't sacrifice limited bedrooms for storage

If you're considering converting your tiny third bedroom into a walk-in closet, take a moment to reconsider.

"In family-friendly neighborhoods, a house with three small bedrooms is still more valuable than a house with two bedrooms and a big closet," they write.

But if your home has four medium-size bedrooms with no master bedroom, then converting one of the rooms to expand another is a safer move, according to the Property Brothers.



2. Don't get rid of the only bathtub

Families with kids will — more likely than not — want to look for a house with a bathtub, the brothers warn.

"You don't have to have a bathtub in the master, unless the house is in a retirement community, but do keep a tub in the shared or family bedroom," they write.



3. Don't spend a fortune building a custom home theater

The idea of a movie room or home theater might be loved by buyers, but not everyone will be willing to pay for it, the brothers caution. It's also hard to keep up with the newest, best, or flattest televisions when technology is always changing.

"All the gear you spent a fortune on easily becomes dated," they write.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 tax strategies the rich don't want you to know

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wealthy men table outside

You work hard for your money but, unfortunately, Uncle Sam takes a bite out of every paycheck for income and other taxes. And if you’re in the middle class, you probably think that bite is a little bit too big.

According to a 2015 Gallup poll, nearly half of Americans — 46 percent — believe the middle class pays too much in taxes. Yet, some of the wealthiest people find crafty ways to minimize their obligations.

Here are seven secret tax strategies the rich use that you can steal to legally decrease your tax bill.

Read: These 7 Tax Loopholes Could Save You Thousands

SEE ALSO: 5 money habits that make you look old

1. Deducting taxes for business expenses

If you run a business, you might reap enormous tax benefits. Business owners can claim potential tax deductions for some business expenses incurred for vehicles, meals, travel, office supplies, advertising, courses and a home office.

However, not every venture will qualify as a business that entitles you to these tax write-offs. You must intend to try to make a profit and not engage in what the IRS considers merely a “hobby.”

How do you distinguish between a hobby — an activity that produces some income — and a bona fide business? The IRS considers these factors, which can also be found on the IRS website:

• Whether you carry on the activity in a businesslike manner
• Whether the time and effort you put into the activity indicate you intend to make it profitable
• Whether you depend on income from the activity for your livelihood.
• Whether your losses are due to circumstances beyond your control (or are normal in the startup phase of your type of business).
• Whether you change your methods of operation in an attempt to improve profitability.
• Whether you or your advisors have the knowledge needed to carry on the activity as a successful business.
• Whether you were successful in making a profit in similar activities in the past.
• Whether the activity makes a profit in some years and how much profit it makes.
• Whether you can expect to make a future profit from the appreciation of the assets used in the activity.



2. Hiring your kids

According to the IRS:

Payments for the services of a child under age 18 who works for his or her parent in a trade or business are not subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes if the trade or business is a sole proprietorship or a partnership in which each partner is a parent of the child.

Instead of paying high taxes on your business income, you can transfer some of that income to Junior as wages for services her or she performs. However, your child’s work must be “legitimate,” and their salary must be “reasonable,” said Gail Rosen, a certified public accountant. who gave this example of how this strategy works:

“Suppose a business owner operating as a sole proprietor in the 39.6 percent tax bracket hires his 17-year-old daughter to help with office work full time over the summer and part time into the fall. She earns $6,100 with no other earnings. The business owner saves $2,415 in income taxes at no tax cost to his daughter, who can use her $6,300 standard deduction (for 2015) to completely shelter her earnings.”

Brian Vosberg, a certified financial planner (CFP) with Vosberg & Associates in Glendora, Calif., and an enrolled agent with the IRS, said that you might also be exempt from paying self-employment taxes for Social Security and Medicare in respect of your employed children. Otherwise, if they were adult employees, you would owe these taxes on their salaries.



3. Earning income from your investments, not your job

Accountant Eric J. Nisall, founder of AccountLancer, said that the wealthy can make their money work for them, rather than working for their money.

The tax on earned income can be as high as 39.6 percent, which means that people in the highest tax bracket take home only about 60 percent of their gross income.

But, Nisall pointed out that anyone can invest in high-yielding dividend stocks. You collect the dividends that the companies pay at regular intervals and later sell the appreciated stocks. Your benefit is that the tax rate on long-term capital gains resulting from these sales is only 20 percent. This means you pay a smaller amount of taxes for long-term capital gains than the high taxes you pay for income you earn slaving away at your salaried job.

Another option to earn money from investments is to invest in real estate for rental properties. But make no mistake: This process is not easy. Long before you become a landlord and rake in rent money, you have to make a substantial up-front financial investment to acquire the properties and fix them up if necessary. Also, picking lucrative properties in the right locations can be risky. You have to find tenants who will pay the rent on time and won’t trash your place. Urgent repairs and periodic improvements can be costly as well.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Justin Trudeau, Canada's dreamy prime minister, went boxing in Brooklyn

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Justin Trudeau boxing

Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, is in New York on a three-day visit to sign the Paris climate treaty and promote Canada's climate agenda. Work aside, he found some time to sneak in a little boxing, one of his favorite sports. He sparred with Yuri Foreman, a professional boxer, at the famous Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn shortly after giving a talk on climate change at NYU, according to the Daily Mail.

Trudeau made headlines last week for astounding reporters with his in-depth knowledge of quantum computing— a subject most world leaders know nothing about. See below pictures of Trudeau — the world's dreamiest leader— showing off his tattoos and boxing prowess:

SEE ALSO: Justin Trudeau gave a reporter a quick lesson in quantum computing

Justin Trudeau walks to the ring at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, New York, on April 21.



Trudeau enters the ring.



Trudeau's Canada jersey was emblazoned with his name.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Spotify can tell you which 'Game of Thrones' character you are based on your music tastes

Proof that every Matt Damon poster is basically the same

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the martian

When the trailer for the upcoming "Jason Bourne" movie dropped, it came with a simple, stark poster.

Star Matt Damon's face is front and center with the tagline "You Know His Name" over it. Unlike previous films in the series, "The Bourne Identity" or "The Bourne Supremacy," the fifth film is simply the super spy's name: "Jason Bourne."

It seemed a reasonable, straightforward design until Tom Butler, deputy editor of Yahoo UK, made a very astute observation about the Damon's movie posters: Many of them are the same. Damon's face is featured prominently with simple text overlaid atop it.

The similarities are undeniable: 

The poster for the fifth Bourne movie banks on the character's infamy.



Last year's "The Martian" gave us Matt Damon in a space suit telling the audience he'll need saving.



Matt Damon didn't need any saving in the poster for 2013's "Elysium," which comes in even closer on his face. This time he was going to save us all.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

4 secrets to building wealth in your 30s

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wealth

Unless you win the lottery or inherit a sizable windfall, becoming wealthy isn’t usually something that happens overnight.

The sooner you get started on the path to building wealth the better. If you’re in your 30s, there’s really no time like the present.

If you can make these smart financial moves now, you can reap the rewards for years to come.

SEE ALSO: 5 investing rules rich people swear by

Think long-term.

If you’re not actively investing already, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to build your wealth base. Investing isn’t a get-rich-quick game and it requires not only money but time to result in success.

At this stage, you’re young enough to accept a higher degree of risk than someone who’s in their 40s or 50s. With retirement still decades away, your portfolio has time to rebound if the market takes a tumble. Investing in stocks might seem like a gamble but since time is on your side you can generate real wealth.



Make pumping up your earnings a priority.

Most people don’t hit their peak earning years until they’re in their late thirties (for women) or 40s (for men). It’s important to lay the groundwork now to maximize your earning potential. Keep investing in your skill set and don’t forget to network.

You might consider investing in additional training or education to make yourself more marketable. Switching fields completely could be another route to beefing up your paycheck. If that’s not an option, you might want to think about starting a side hustle to bring in more money that you can use to invest and save for the future.

Related Article: Top 4 Ways to Increase Your Income



Trim the fat.

Earning more money can be a catch-22 because the more you have coming in, the more tempted you might be to spend it. When you’re in your 30s, that might mean buying new cars or a big house. But it’s important to slow down. Lifestyle inflation can be a serious wealth-killer, so it’s a good idea to resist the urge to give in to this temptation.

If you’re not free of student loans or credit card debt at this point, it’s best to make putting those debts on the chopping block a top priority. If you own a home, focusing on chipping away at your mortgage is also a good idea. The more you can streamline your budget, the easier it’ll be to accumulate wealth instead of watching your money go to your creditors.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

12 reasons to visit Maui, the world's best island according to TripAdvisor

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maui hawaii

TripAdvisor released its annual Traveler's Choice awards for islands this week, and Maui in Hawaii took home top honors. The second-largest island in the Pacific state, Maui is celebrated for its lush climate, tranquil beaches, and wealth of outdoor activities. 

We've found 12 of the best — and most beautiful — reasons to visit this tropical paradise.

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Now Watch: A lavish Indian palace was just ranked the number one hotel in the world by TripAdvisor

Much of Maui is situated inside beautiful Haleakala National Park, home to a dormant volcano. Catch the sunrise from the top of its 10,023-foot peak.



The Road to Hana is a popular driving tour on the north side of the island. The narrow road has 600 curves and 54 bridges, many of them on just one lane. Those braving the harrowing road will be rewarded with stunning waterfalls, lush rainforest, and hidden beaches.



Molokini Crater is a tiny, crescent-shaped island off Maui's southwestern coast. The protected conservation district is rich in coral and fish biodiversity, and a popular spot for snorkelers and scuba divers.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

7 mental shifts that helped me become a millionaire by 22

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man silhouette

As of this writing, I’m 22.

In the last 12 months, I’ve generated a million dollars in commissions in one of the most competitive industries on the planet, where my average competitor is at least double my age with 10 times the tenure in the business.

I have a master’s degree from a prestigious university, which I received when I was 20 after fast-tracking four years of school. I’ve traveled to more than 50 countries, completed 13 triathlons and have an extremely happy, stimulating life.

Things are very good — but the future wasn’t always so bright.

When I finished graduate school, I moved to California's Orange County to launch a new office for my family’s commercial real-estate business. The first couple of months were brutal, and I quickly came to the conclusion that the success we’d have (if any) would be astronomically more difficult than I could ever have imagined.

Despite being an overachiever all my life, I found myself wondering how to truly excel in the real world when it all finally mattered.

Related: 5 Ways Personal Growth Makes Your Business Stronger

After reinventing the wheel for myself time and time again I’ve come to realize that the secret to millennial success in the business world is a combination of grit and creative thinking. Here are the seven mental shifts I implemented to turbo-charge my growth.

SEE ALSO: Why you should start a business in 2016

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

1. Age is just a number.

Embrace your youth wholeheartedly. If you spin your age as an asset, which can be done in a variety of ways, it can be an extremely powerful differentiator. The moment you begin to give yourself an excuse for not being successful is the moment of almost certain failure.

If you believe you can really make it then you will make it. Besides, there is nothing people want to see more than a hard-working, intelligent and dedicated young professional who succeeds. Create a snowball of momentum that makes people want to be a part of your life.



2. Reinvest in yourself.

The safest investment I’ve ever made is in my future. Read at least 30 minutes a day, listen to relevant podcasts while driving and seek out mentors vigorously. You don’t just need to be a master in your field, you need to be a well-rounded genius capable of talking about any subject whether it is financial, political or sports related. Consume knowledge like air and put your pursuit of learning above all else.

I also believe that it is critically important to spoil yourself to a healthy extreme in order to reward your hard work and avoid burnout. Consider splurging on memorable experiences and luxuries that will enhance your lifestyle. I get a weekly massage like clockwork, and it is one of the best productivity hacks I employ.



3. Avoid decision fatigue.

Attention is a finite daily resource and can be a bottleneck on productivity. No matter the mental stamina developed over time, there is always going to be a threshold where you break down and your remaining efforts for the day become suboptimal.

Conserve your mental power by making easily reversible decisions as quickly as possible and aggressively planning recurring actions so you can execute simple tasks on autopilot. I know what I am wearing to work and eating for breakfast each day next week. Do you?

Related: 7 Surprising Lessons About Success Learned From Interviewing More Than 65 Millionaires



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3 important things to do before you leave your job

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Layoffs

In today's world, it's more common than ever for people to make fast career changes.

You may not be looking to make any changes today, but at some point, you're going to want to start a new venture. 

Whether you're thinking about resigning or planning to sell your business, taking the first steps is the hardest part of your exit strategy.

Related: The 10 Telltale Signs It's Time to Quit Your Job

So, before making any rash decisions, you should have a plan in place for transitioning into a new role.

Here are three things you can do before leaving a job:

SEE ALSO: 16 signs it's time to quit your job

DON'T MISS: 23 signs you're burnt out at work

1. Evaluate the risk and opportunities

There are a variety of reasons for leaving a job or selling a business. You might have other opportunities waiting on the horizon that you're eager to pursue. Or possibly you're tired of your current role. Maybe you're looking for a change of pace.

As you begin to consider your options, make sure to evaluate both the risks and opportunities. Don't forget that work is work, no matter what role you're looking to move into. You will have both good days and bad days at your new job.

On the risk side of things, have you been saving up? Do you have a good amount of money stored away for a rainy day? A transition into a new role can be difficult and even costly. And in a world with no guarantees, that job you thought you had lined up may not pan out by the time you're ready to pursue it. If you're dependent on your employment income, then make sure you have a comfortable nest egg before putting in your notice.

As for opportunity, what exactly are you planning on doing next? Do you have a clear idea? Do you have a new job lined up, and do you have a backup plan in case it doesn't work out? Will you be getting an increase in salary at your new position? Will your new job be more enjoyable and fulfilling than your last? Do you have a long-term plan for your career progression? Will you be learning new skills that will help you expand your opportunities?

Don't get too caught up in the excitement of moving into a new position, as it can blind you to the potential risks and opportunities that exist.

Related: 9 Reasons to Quit Your Job As Soon As You Can



2. Tie up loose ends

Many people tend to "check out" before they've even handed in their two weeks' notice.

As hard as it may be, try to stay engaged in your work as you are wrapping up your term. Check in with a manager on a daily basis if you need some motivation. Also make a list of everything that needs to get done before you leave.

There is the possibility that your projects and tasks will be taken over by coworkers before you officially leave, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take responsibility for what you've already started and agreed to do. If you have the opportunity, delegate smaller tasks so you can focus on your top priorities and see them to completion.

Keep a line of communication open with management and coworkers. There may be those who need to hear directly from you — don't leave them in the dark about your decision to move on to new opportunities. Get in touch with clients if you need to, and share the news with coworkers or managers who need to be in the loop.

This should help you establish clarity around what you need to do before moving on. Your former employer will appreciate it if you leave your tasks in capable hands, instead of leaving a trail of incomplete assignments and appointments your co-workers need to chase down.

It's also best to leave on a good note. If you game-plan and communicate who is going to handle your tasks while your manager looks for your replacement, you're likely to form a lasting, positive relationship with your former employer — and you very well may need that for a good recommendation later on.



3. Clean, purge and organize

Make an effort to leave your office, desk or working space in good shape before making your exit.

Start separating out your personal possessions — family pictures, stationery, electronics — into boxes. Don't forget about your personal files on your work computer. Back up whatever information you need: documents, music, pictures and so on — and save it on an external hard drive or thumb drive. Don't touch sensitive company data or save it for personal purposes. Only keep contacts with whom you've personally built a relationship.

Get rid of old files or memos that no longer hold any relevance. Archive important documents that belong to the business. Pass on other relevant documents to your co-workers if they need them.

Throw away any trash and wipe away any dust and dirt. Discreetly remove T-shirts, mugs and other swag from your desk and put these items away.

There is the chance that you won't have much time to clean, purge and organize. Sometimes, when people quit their jobs (particularly sales positions), they are escorted out of the building in fairly short order. If you don't have much time, just prioritize what matters most to you so you can be on your way.

Even if your boss is away, he or she should be able to trust you to get your desk in order before you leave, so you can make a smooth exit. But "smooth" largely depends on the amount of trust you've built up with other people in the company while you were working with them.

There may be other steps you need to take to make a smooth exit from your job. The exact nature of your work is a factor here, as is your relationship with coworkers, management and your boss.

Related: 5 Steps to Take Before Quitting Your Job to Become an Entrepreneur

Don't forget: It's best not to burn bridges unnecessarily. It is possible to leave a job in an honorable way. You can also give your employer feedback on any issues that may be at the root of your departure. Providing this information at an exit interview is often valuable in improving the company's operations, so long as it's constructive and specific. After all, you never know when you might want to go back. 

Read the original article on Entrepreneur. Copyright 1969. Follow Entrepreneur on Twitter.



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The 10 best islands in Europe, according to TripAdvisor

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Santorini

TripAdvisor recently released the results of its Travellers' Choice Awards 2016 to reveal the top islands in the world and in Europe.

The travel review site filtered through millions of user reviews to rank the world's best islands and broke down its results by region.

European destinations that made the cut include large Portuguese archipelagos with breathtaking scenery to Greek islands sprinkled with quaint villages and idyllic beaches.

Here are the ten best islands on the continent:

10. Capri, Italy — This historic island in the Bay of Naples boasts beautiful grottos and fishing ports, and stunning blue water off the coast. TripAdvisor recommends enjoying "some gelato while you stroll around the harbours of Marina Piccola or Marina Grande, an ancient Roman fishing port."



9. Jersey, UK — Located between the UK and France, the largest Channel Island is "a mix of English reserve and French savoir-faire," according to TripAdvisor. The pastel-coloured houses flanking the harbour are the epitome of picturesque.



8. Corsica, France — "A breezy vibe that’s part European weekend and part tropical honeymoon" defines this French island, according to TripAdvisor. Corsica is known for its picturesque walking trails with gorgeous views from quaint villages to the rugged coastline.



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10 airports with the world's most scenic approaches

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Malta International Airport

Flying into certain airports around the world can yield some seriously stunning views from the plane seat window.

To find the most scenic airport approaches, the private jet charter company PrivateFly asked its users to vote for their favourite airports to land in for its Airport Poll Results 2016.

Over 7,500 votes were cast for 115 airports all over the world, with the results shortlisted by a panel of judges.

The airports voted the most picturesque include European cities with skyscraper views and Caribbean islands with dangerously close landings.

Here are the 10 winning airports:

10. London City Airport, UK — Unlike Heathrow or Gatwick, this London airport offers truly spectacular views of the British capital upon landing with Canary Wharf, the O2 Centre, and the Thames all in sight.



9. Los Angeles International Airport, US — Flying into Los Angeles yields sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, the city's downtown skyline, and even the iconic Hollywood sign in the Hills.



8. St. Maarten Airport, Caribbean — Whether you're in the air or on the ground, planes landing into St. Maarten give incredible views. From the air, fliers get an unspoiled view of the translucent waters and golden sand of Maho Beach, while thrill-seeking beachgoers are just a few feet away from low incoming jets.



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MORGAN STANLEY: These 4 charts show how 'Brexit' could be more likely than people think

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ISS europe night

The June 23 EU referendum is the biggest event in the political calendar.

Looking at the polls, Morgan Stanley analysts Jacob Nell and Melanie Baker estimate there's a 40% chance of a Brexit in June.

But while it's slightly more likely that the UK votes to stay in the European Union, Morgan Stanley has picked up on a few trends that could scupper that.

They see the result as close run because of several built-in beliefs that separate Brits from continental Europeans.

Here are the charts that should make the Remain campaign nervous.

Only Austria and Greece, which has battled with Eurozone member states over its sovereign debt, see Brussels in a more negative light than the UK.



The majority of people in the UK see themselves as British first and European second.



The Leave campaign is seen as stronger on immigration, which has become a key concern for voters.



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19 things you should never say on your first day at work

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coworkers talkingAs it turns out, what you say during your first day on the job doesn't just impact what your colleagues think about you — it could also end up costing you the gig.

"If you say something that's off, it sets the tone, and that could be the reason for you to be let go in your first three months," says J.T. O'Donnell, a career and workplace expert, founder of career-advice site CAREEREALISM.com, and author of "Careerealism: The Smart Approach to a Satisfying Career."

"It's natural to want to be liked — to impress and fit in quickly," explains workplace-confidence expert Michelle Kerrigan. "However, many try too hard, and talk too much when they should be listening."

Here are 19 things you should avoid saying, especially during your first day on the job:

SEE ALSO: 32 things you should never say to your boss

'In my last job ...'

No one likes a know-it-all.

Rosalinda Oropeza Randall, etiquette and civility expert and author of "Don't Burp in the Boardroom,suggests walking into the new job with energy, but she also recommends a splash of humility. "Not the timid, reserved definition, but with an attitude of learning — not knowing-it-all."



'OMG, I LOVE that!'

You're already hired — there's no need to try too hard to get people to like you.

While it's nice to know that people think you're personable or that you really "get" the company, Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job," says this is a waste of energy — you'll impress naturally by just being yourself.



'When do I get a raise?'

"How about getting through the ninety-day probationary period first," Randall suggests.



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