23-year-old Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II is next in line to the Jordanian throne.

A Sandhurst graduate and second lieutenant in the Jordanian Armed Forces, he shares his adventurous lifestyle with an Instagram following of 1.3 million— and also uses the platform to promote his initiatives to support and engage the youth in Jordan. 

From indulging in his passion for extreme sports to meeting Obama, scroll down for a peek inside the life of Jordan's Instagram-famous Crown Prince.

SEE ALSO: The insane life of Brunei's super-rich Prince, who flies choppers, chills with tiger cubs, and plays polo

23-year-old Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II is next in line to the Jordanian throne.

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Source: Instagram 

He officially became Crown Prince in 2009, aged 15.

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Source: alhussein

He has amassed an Instagram following of 1.3 million, and uses the platform to promote his military and political work — and share his adventurous lifestyle.

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Source: Instagram

It's only a couple years old, but at JPMorgan Chase's office at Five Manhattan West the walls have already been defaced.

And it's not just the walls. Chairs and other surfaces have been scribbled all over as well. 

At the headquarters for JPMorgan's digital ambitions, this is all by design — writable surfaces are part of the effort to foment the collaboration, serendipity, and freeform thinking that run amok at Silicon Valley's most agile workplaces.

JPMorgan developers and designers have embraced the wall-and-furniture-as-medium ethos. So much so that, after some early misunderstandings — not every white surface can be written on, it turns out — helpful signage has been added to guide spontaneous bursts of code, formulas, and workflow mapping to areas that can more readily be cleaned up, when necessary.    

It's a stark contrast from other big bank offices Business Insider has visited in Manhattan, where writing is typically confined to paper or whiteboard, and the overall vibe errs on the side of rarefied stuffiness. Being at front and center of the financial universe tends to come with a drabness and solemnity that telegraphs focus and regard for the important work at hand. 

Not so at Chase's tech hub, which with its bright, colorful walls, modern floor plan, and dedicated space for table tennis, billiards, and foosball, makes you question whether you're actually in a bank at all. 

Nonetheless, it's ground zero for some of the most vital work underway at America's largest bank. The firm, which recently told Business Insider it has a $10.8 billion tech budget and 50,000 technologists on its payroll, courts comparisons to Amazon and has gone all in on a bet that a "Digital Everywhere" strategy will help win the future of banking. 

"Digital capabilities will really differentiate players in our industry in the coming years. And in a digital world, we are always open for our customers, continuously, 24/7," CFO Marianne Lake said during the company's investor day presentation in February. 

Whether it's opening and maintaining an API store, mining internal data and analytics, implementing updates to Venmo rival QuickPay with Zelle, or building Finn, an all digital bank that's being trialed in St. Louis, Five Manhattan West is home base to some of the bank's most innovative new features.  

And as banks increasingly compete for the same talent as the Google, Amazon, Facebook and other tech giants, the lively tech hub and its casual ambiance also serves as a recruiting tool for young talent that may instinctively view the "Midtown Uniform" with suspicion. 

"This is the mothership," Jason Alexander, head of digital platforms at Chase, told BI on a recent tour of the office space. 

Take a look inside the headquarters for JPMorgan Chase's $10.8 billion digital tech blitz.

Behold: Five Manhattan West, headquarters for JPMorgan's tech ambitions. This stretch of premo Manhattan real estate is tucked conveniently within Hudson Yards — the largest private real estate development in US history — and is a short work from the High Line, the Hudson River, Penn Station, and Madison Square Garden.

Chase has other tech offices around the country — in Columbus, Ohio; Plano, Texas; and Wilmington, Delaware, for example — but Manhattan is the mothership, as Jason Alexander puts it. 

JPMorgan Chase was an early, anchor tenant at Five Manhattan West, a project from real estate developer behemoth Brookfield Properties. The bank has 125,000 square feet on the 9th floor, and moved there in December 2015.

Other tenants in the building? Amazon, Whole Foods, and Peloton. 

Before we look inside, let's take a step back. What kind of work goes on in here? Primarily the coding, design, maintenance, and updates for JPMorgan Chase products and features that the bank's 47 million digital customers regularly interact with — whether that's an eATM, the mobile app, or QuickPay with Zelle. Here's a quick overview.

JPMorgan Intelligent Solutions (JPMIS) — a separate, big data and data science division focused on mining and leveraging its massive cache of proprietary data — also shares this space, though they're a much smaller proportion of the more than 800 JPMorgan employees at the tech hub. 

The US is a massive, complex economy, and so too are the component economies of the 50 states and Washington, DC, that make up the whole.

Business Insider combined six measures of labor-market and general economic health for all the states and the District of Columbia. They are the unemployment rate, job growth, per-capita GDP, GDP growth, average weekly wages, and wage growth. By putting all those on a common scale and combining them, we came up with an overall score for each state's economy.

Click here to see our detailed sources and methods.

Here's how the economy of each state and DC is doing right now, along with one of each state's official symbols, according to Wikipedia — just for fun:

SEE ALSO: The 3 most common languages in every New York City neighborhood

51. South Dakota

South Dakota was only one of two states with negative GDP growth in Q4 2017, with the state's GDP declining by 0.5%. The state's April 2018 average weekly wage of $754 was fourth-lowest in the country, but its unemployment rate of 3.4% was lower than the average rate of 4.0% among the states and DC.

50. North Dakota

North Dakota had the worst year-over-year change in its labor market among the 50 states and DC, with the number of non-farm payroll jobs declining by 1.8% between April 2017 and April 2018. The state also had the worst economic growth, with GDP falling 1.3% in Q4 2017. 

49. Mississippi

Mississippi's Q4 2017 GDP per capita of $37,997 and April 2018 average weekly wage of $709 were both the lowest among the states and DC.

• The Mitsubishi Outlander helped keep the brand alive during its darkest days.
• It's also Mitsubishi's flagship SUV.
• The current Outlander has been around since 2013 but was refreshed in 2016.
• The Outlander compact crossover starts at $23,945 while our test car costs $29,260.

Throughout the 80s and 90s, Mitsubishi churned a string of hits including the Elicpse, the Montero, the 3000GT, Galant, and the legendary Lancer Evolution.

Sadly, Mitsubishi's fortunes took turn for the worse over the past 15 years. Saddled with an aging lineup of products, the devastating effects of a financial crisis, and a lack of resources to develop competitive new models, Mitsubishi looked to be on the verge of exiting the US market.

In fact, the brand's share of the US auto market was, at one point, down to just 0.5%.

But now, things are starting to look up for Mitsubishi. The company's decision to ride the wave of demand for crossover SUVs finally paid off with sales rebounding over the past few years. In 2017, Mitsubishi's US sales jumped 7.7% over the previous year to just under 104,000 cars. A 2016 takeover by the Renault-Nissan Alliance means Mitsubishi will finally have the money and resources to develop a new generation of cars.

However, we probably won't see the real fruits of that development work for a couple of years. In the meantime, Mitsubishi is dependent on the vehicles it already has in its stable.

In the US, it can be argued that no model has been more important to Mitsubishi's bottom line than its flagship offering, the Outlander crossover SUV. (The Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero/Shogun exited the US market more than a decade ago.)

Earlier this year, Mitsubishi delivered a 2018 Outlander 2.4 LE S-AWC in Diamond White Pearl to Business Insider's suburban New Jersey road test facility for evaluation. 

The Mitsubishi Outlander starts at $23,945 while our mid-grade Limited Edition costs $29,260 as tested. 

Here's a closer look at the Mitsubishi Outlander crossover SUV.

SEE ALSO: The 10 best used cars you can buy to get the most bang for your buck

FOLLOW US: on Facebook for more car and transportation content!

The compact Outlander crossover is the flagship model in Mitsubishi's lineup. It competes directly against the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox, Volkswagen Tiguan, and many more.

The current generation Outlander has been around since 2013 but received a major mid-cycle refresh for the 2016 model year.

Overall, the Outlander isn't a bad looking machine. It wears the Mitsubishi corporate front fascia well. The look is fairly generic, but works.

• Romantic attraction is complicated.
• But scientists have generated many insights into what might make men attractive to women.
• For example, men who look older, sport a light beard, or do volunteer work are generally considered more appealing.

Romantic attraction is a complicated thing that scientists still don't completely understand.

But, through research and experimentation, they've come up with many ideas about what draws one person to another.

Below, Business Insider has rounded up some of the most compelling scientific insights about the traits and behaviors that make men more appealing to women.

The best part? None of the items on this list require you to get cosmetic surgery or do a major personality overhaul. We're talking small tweaks, like acting nicer and swapping your deodorant.

Read on for simple ways to step up your dating game.

This is an update of an article originally posted by Drake Baer.

SEE ALSO: 13 science-backed ways to appear more attractive

Look for the universal signals of flirtation

Rutgers University anthropologist and best-selling author Helen E. Fisher says that women around the world signal interest with a remarkably similar sequence of expressions.

As she shared at Psychology Today, it goes like this:

"First the woman smiles at her admirer and lifts her eyebrows in a swift, jerky motion as she opens her eyes wide to gaze at him. Then she drops her eyelids, tilts her head down and to the side, and looks away. Frequently she also covers her face with her hands, giggling nervously as she retreats behind her palms.

"This sequential flirting gesture is so distinctive that [German ethologist Irenaus] Eibl-Eibesfeldt was convinced it is innate, a human female courtship ploy that evolved eons ago to signal sexual interest."

Look for someone 'in your league'

Men — and women — are attracted to people who are as attractive as they are.

In one study, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley looked at the behavior of 60 heterosexual male and 60 heterosexual female users on an online dating site. While the majority of users were inclined to reach out to highly attractive people, they were most likely to get a response if that person was about as attractive as they were (as judged by independent raters).

"If you go for someone roughly [equal] to you in attractiveness, it avoids two things,"Nottingham Trent University psychologist Mark Sergeant, who was not involved with the study, told The Independent. "If they are much better-looking than you, you are worried about them going off and having affairs. If they are much less attractive, you are worried that you could do better."

Present yourself as high status

A 2010 study from the University of Wales Institute found that men pictured with a Silver Bentley Continental GT were perceived as way more attractive than those pictures with a Red Ford Fiesta ST.

And a 2014 study from Cardiff Metropolitan University found that men pictured in a luxury apartment were rated more attractive than those in a control group.

Interestingly, men don't seem to be more attracted to women when they're pictured in a high-status context.

• I got a deal on a first-class one-way ticket because I was breaking up my transcontinental flight.
• American Airlines was the carrier.
• There were pluses and minuses, but I'd do it again.
  

When I travel on my own dime, I sometimes bump myself up to business class, but rarely first class.

At Business Insider, we typically fly coach, but I recently had a chance to add a first-class ticket to a return trip from Los Angeles, so I thought I'd flip for the seat and pay the extra $250.

The reason I got a good deal was that I flew back to the New York area on two planes. I don't mind breaking up my flights for a cheaper ticket, but I do have to add in some margin for error if I miss a connection or experience a delay.

I haven't flown domestic first class in a long time, mainly because I don't really think it's worth it. Transatlantic flights are a different story, but even then I think business class is a better deal. These days, although coach is cheap, it can be an unpleasant experience, so more travelers are thinking about business and even first class.

So how was domestic first class this time around, on American Airlines? Read on.

SEE ALSO: I flew JetBlue for the first time and finally understand why it's one of the best airlines in the world

FOLLOW US: on Facebook for more car and transportation content!

For comparison's sake, let's start with my coach flight out. It was on an Airbus A321.

I'm not a big guy (5-foot-7) so tight seating usually doesn't bother me unless it's ridiculously tight. My window seat on this American flight wasn't too bad.

And the plane wasn't packed, so I had the whole row to myself.

• The fastest-growing restaurant chain in the United States is a pizza brand that many Americans have likely never visited. 
• Trade publication Nation's Restaurant News just released a list of the chains that grew the fastest in the US over the past year.
• Chains including MOD Pizza, Blaze Pizza, and Shake Shack topped the list. 

Up-and-coming pizza chains are taking America by storm. 

In June, Nation's Restaurant News released its annual Top 200 list, which included a breakdown of the 10 fastest-growing chains as measured by American sales growth in 2017.

While these chains aren't necessarily the biggest in the United States, they're well on their way.

Opening dozens of locations in 2017 and increasing sales by millions of dollars, these brands are the ones to watch out for. If there isn't one in your town yet, there probably will be soon.

Pizza led the way in 2017, with two fast-casual pizza chains battling it out for the top spot on this year's list. 

Here are the five fastest-growing restaurant chains in America: 

SEE ALSO: A 23-year-old has been arrested after being accused of making $1.3 million in fake returns at more than 1,000 Walmart locations, and it reveals a dangerous trend sweeping the industry

5. Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant

As casual-dining chains such as Chili's and TGI Friday's have been reworking their strategies, Cooper's Hawk has been thriving. While the chain has just 30 locations, sales increased by more than 30% and reached $241 million. 

The wine-centric chain has found a niche in the casual-dining industry, producing 50 wines and 15 specialty blends.

4. First Watch

First Watch is the fastest-growing family-dining chain in the US, with sales up more than 30% over the last year. The breakfast-, brunch-, and lunch-focused chain reached 239 locations, a 21.3% increase from last year. 

First Watch — which also operates the breakfast chain The Egg & I — also got a boost from an investment from private equity firm Advent International in July 2017.  

3. Shake Shack

Shake Shack's sales grew 32.5% over the last year as the chain finally hit the 100-location mark. Sales added up to $367.3 million. 

As the international burger chain continues to expand, it is also developing its menu and tech. Over the last year, the chain has dabbled with cashless locations and tested a new veggie burger. 

Kimberly Guilfoyle, 49, has made a name for herself on Fox News. The former lawyer started appearing as a legal analyst in 2004, and has been a full-time host on the network since 2006.

President Donald Trump is a fan, and considered her for the role as White House communications director. Before that, she was once first lady of San Francisco when her first husband was mayor.

Frequently appearing on the Manhattan scene over the last decade, Guilfoyle is now dating Donald Trump Jr. amid his public divorce from his wife, Vanessa Trump.

Here is an inside look at the rise of Guilfoyle:

SEE ALSO: Fox News' Kimberly Guilfoyle continues hosting show as she reportedly makes push for Trump press secretary

DON'T MISS: Fox News' Guilfoyle up for White House press secretary job

Guilfoyle was born in San Francisco on March 9, 1969. Her father had a career in construction, and raised Guilfoyle and her brother as a single dad after her mom died of leukemia when she was 11.

Sources: Mediaite, SF Gate, IMDB

Guilfoyle graduated Magna Cum Laude from UC Davis and received her law degree from the University of San Francisco. She interned for the San Francisco district attorney, and modeled for Macy's and Victoria's Secret while she was in law school.

Sources: SF Gate, New York Daily News

After graduating law school, Guilfoyle worked as a prosecutor in San Francisco before spending four years in Los Angeles as a deputy district attorney. She then returned home to San Francisco where she served as assistant district attorney for four years.

Source: SF Gate

Mental health problems — most commonly depression, anxiety, and drug use — are some of the main causes of the overall disease burden worldwide. In fact, in the past week, it is estimated that one in six people have experienced an issue with their mental health.

It's likely either you personally or someone close to you has come up against a mental health problem. But unfortunately, we are not always well equipped to know what to do or what to say.

Sometimes it will be obvious that someone is struggling, but other times the signs will be a lot more subtle. According to the Mental Health Foundation, sometimes you don't actually need to know.

"It's more important to respond sensitively to someone who seems troubled than to find out whether or not they have a diagnosis," the foundation says on its website.

It's also really important you don't minimise the other person's experience in any way, which many people can do without realising. Sometimes, by trying to give advice or be helpful, the friends and family of someone with a mental health problem can do more harm than good.

Therapist and psychologist Perpetua Neo spoke to Business Insider about what you shouldn't say to someone who is struggling with their mental health. Here are the main topics and phrases to avoid.

1. 'But you're so rich, famous, successful...'

Someone lives in a nice house, has a good job, and has close friends. From the outside their life is successful and seems perfect, but they still struggle with depression. Neo said it's important not to minimise someone's pain by pointing out how super someone's life is despite their mental health.

"Don't tell them things like 'oh but you're rich, you're famous, you're intelligent,' because pain does not discriminate," she said. "And sure, if you are a starving child in Africa with one meal every three days, then your pain sucks, your pain is very different — but that doesn't mean that pain from depression doesn't matter."

If someone is suffering from a trauma from an abusive relationship, or is anxious and depressed about their life, comparing them to those who are "worse off" isn't likely to be much of a comfort. Instead, keep in mind that everyone's feeling are valid, no matter how things look from the outside.

2. 'I went through the same thing when I...'

Sometimes we relate to someone in pain by talking about our own experiences. But this isn't always necessary, and can come across like you're trying to compete.

"It is really not a competition," said Neo. "Sometimes when you want to tell someone the truth, no matter how you say it, other people come in and will tell you all this historical stuff, like they just want to compete with you. And that's just not what you should be doing."

Maybe you are trying to be empathetic by saying you have been in pain too, but it's more helpful to the other person to simply bare witness to their pain and tell them you are here for them. That way, they don't feel like they are burdening you with their feelings, and they know you're really listening — rather than waiting for your turn to talk.

That being said, there's every chance they might appreciate hearing about your own experiences. But wait for them to ask about it first.

3. 'You're just looking for attention.'

You should never tell someone they are just looking for attention. You have no insight into what they are feeling, so you should never try and invalidate them.

"We have a lot of empathy towards cancer patients, or anyone with a physical ailment, but why is it that we don't have the same empathy towards someone with an invisible illness?" said Neo.

"And by invisible, I don't just mean someone suffering from anxiety or depression, I also mean things like fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, things that don't really register on scans, but are obvious problems for the person suffering through it — it's not a bid for attention."

There are some people, like narcissists and psychopaths, who might mimic mental health problems or fake having diseases, but that doesn't mean the majority of people are untrustworthy.

• Toys R Us stores across the US will be closing this week as part of a liquidation process after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year. All Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores will close on or before Friday. 
• The company struggled to keep up with competitors and was burdened with over $5 billion worth of debt.
• Over its more than 60 years in business, Toys R Us gained lots of fans, many of whom are now mourning the death of the store and remembering their favorite childhood memories there.

As Toys R Us nears its end, fans of the store are lamenting its demise.

The retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September and officially filed for liquidation in March. As a result, more than 700 Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores across the United States will be closing for good by Friday. 

The store has been saddled with debt since a leveraged buyout in 2005 and struggled to keep up with competitors.

Though many Toys R Us fans were aware of this, they're still heartbroken to see it go.

In 1948 in Washington, DC, Charles Lazarus opened a baby-furniture store that would become the first Toys R Us after expanding into toys in 1957.

In the 1990s, Toys R Us was the biggest toy seller in the US, expanding rapidly as it pushed out smaller chains. But by 1998, things had changed, and Walmart began selling more toys than Toys R Us in the US — a signal of more trouble ahead.

Take a look back at what Toys R Us was like in its heyday:

SEE ALSO: We went to a Kohl's store and saw how it's bucking the trend of dying department stores and malls

As Toys R Us prepares to close its doors for good, fans are lamenting the death of the chain and looking back on their favorite childhood memories.

This is what a store in New Jersey looked like in 1996.

It had everything a kid could want. This photo from 2001 shows the Imaginarium section of a New Jersey store.

The reason someone cheats isn't usually as straightforward as not being able to control your hormones. It's messy, convoluted, confusing, and so much deeper than an immature, spur of the moment decision.

According to psychotherapy counselor Claire McRitchie, the reasons someone cheats can be incredibly complex. "When we hear about people cheating we often look at the external factors of their life and question, `why`or `how could they`," McRitchie told INSIDER. "The uncomfortable truth is, the answer lies behind the carefully manufactured exterior – in fact the exterior can often be the clue as to why."

The root cause of infidelity might not always be apparent, but McRitchie said cheaters often have a common link to one and other: Cheating acts as a temporary cure to "alleviate a symptom."

It is for this reason the McRitchie suggests the "symptom" is what causes someone to cheat and figuring out the "root cause" of this symptom can help better understand someone's choice to be unfaithful to their partner. While there are many reasons why people choose to be faithless, McRitchie reiterates that infidelity acts as a mask for pre-existing problems in a relationship. And, one of the biggest problems in a relationship is a lack of communication.

Communication can be a trigger.

Perhaps one of the most common reasons someone is faithless in a relationship can be traced back to a lack of open communication between partners. Being open about both the good and the bad things in a relationship means both partners feel safe expressing their emotions and sexual desires. This, in turn, can help foster a strong connection, which can help you through any unforeseen rough patches, and let's be honest, every couple has them. And, don't forget, communication takes two people.

"Communication is often the common and surprising theme behind infidelity; the person cheating is, in a very unconscious way, letting the world know about  their unhappiness or dissatisfaction," McRitchie said. "It is a way to express themselves in a way that feels perversely safer than using words."

McRitchie continued, saying "communication is not just the art of speaking – it is also the art of listening without prejudice or defense" and not knowing how to communicate within a relationship can lead to dissatisfaction.

She compared this to how a "misunderstood toddler or teen will act out" and said cheating is a person's way of expressing discontent due to a lack of communication. "Some people will turn to drugs or alcohol, some work, some will stay out late, others will cheat – and the effect can be devastating."

People can cheat out of malice.

Anger is another common reason people often choose to be disloyal in a relationship. While they might be getting off sexually, McRitchie said infidelity can be used out of vengeance, not passion.

"In this case … anger is being suppressed and then released in the act of cheating – offering a feeling of satisfaction beyond the sexual; the feeling of power and control – and the knowledge that the other person is being punished without realizing is for some people a cruel and unusual way of punishing them – sometimes for perceived slights rather than real ones."

Loneliness can be destructive.

Feeling lonely, especially as a part of a couple, can feel isolating — and that isolation can make people do some out-of-character things like, you know, cheat on their partners, no matter how loving. Cheaters who do so out of loneliness often feel "revitalized."

"Communication between couples is often only at surface level...that do not delve too deep into a person's real psyche," McRitchie said. "Add a third person to this mix and suddenly the ìnvisible`person feel wanted, important. The person cheating is often trying to jolt themselves alive again in the form of cheating. Once again — at the heart of this is often a need to express unhappiness or dissatisfaction but instead of speaking to their partner they communicate their loneliness through infidelity and will believe that a connection with another person is what will 'cure' them – when in fact it can often lead to them feeling more confused and lonely."

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

• Vacuuming is a real pain, but robot vacuum cleaners can suck up the dust for you. Of all the robot vacuum cleaners we tried, the iRobot Roomba 690 proved to be the best for most people with its easy-to-use app, smart features, great suction, and affordable price.

Nobody likes household chores, but they have to be done. Unfortunately, we don't live like the Jetsons yet, but you can get capable robot vacuum cleaners to take care of the dust and dirt for you. Robot vacuums can't completely replace manual cleaning, but they can help cut down on the amount of time you spend waging war on dust bunnies.

Robot vacuums work best in smaller homes and normal-sized apartments between 800 and 1,200 square feet. They handle hard floors and short carpets best, though they can get stuck now and then. Robot vacuums need a good motor for powerful suction, decent battery life, a brush roll, and enough smarts to be self-sufficient. Many robot vacuums work with apps on your phone and some will even run when you tell them to with voice commands if you have Amazon's Alexa at home.

You can get robot vacuums for as little as $220, but the high-end models run up to $1,000 or more. We tested out a number of highly reviewed robot vacuums that run the gamut from $220 to $900. We also included a $170 robot mop and duster in our guide because it's a great vacuum alternative for basic cleaning. 

• Best overall: iRobot Roomba 690  
• Best under $250: Eufy RoboVac 11S 
• Best connected vacuum: Neato Botvac Connected 
• Best for big homes: iRobot Roomba 960 
• Best self-navigating vacuum: Electrolux Pure i9
• Best mop: iRobot Braava Jet 240 Robot Mop

Updated on 06/25/2018 by Lulu Chang: Based on testing, we added the new Eufy 11S as our budget pick and the Electrolux Pure i9 as a high-end self-navigating robot vacuum. 

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

SEE ALSO: The best vacuums you can buy for less than $300

Best robot vacuum overall

Why you'll love it: The iRobot Roomba 690 sucks up dirt and debris, responds to voice commands, and costs less than high-end bots.

You don't have to spend a fortune to own a robot vacuum cleaner, but you don't have to go with a low-powered one, either. The iRobot Roomba 690 sits right in the middle of the road, making it the best robot vacuum for most people. It has strong suction and smart features like voice control that put it above most budget vacuums. It's an even better deal now, coming in at $300.

iRobot's three-stage cleaning system loosens dirt and debris so it's easy to suck up. The vacuum has a spinning side brush, which is very effective. Setup is easy and the companion app is excellent. You even get introductory videos with tips to help you get started. It's so easy to use that we had our bot up and running in about 10 minutes. 

The Roomba 690 can clean carpet, rugs, tile, hardwood, and laminate floors without any problems. It navigates around obstacles like furniture, clutter, and other objects. You can also set up barriers, so your bot doesn't clean the wrong room or stumble onto your thick shag carpet and stop running. We created a barrier between our hardwood and tile floors so we could separate the rooms better.

We tested out the iRobot Roomba 690 and came away very impressed. It picked up dirt, dust, cat and human hair, cat litter, crumbs, and just about everything else we threw at it. It wasn't quite as powerful as the $700+ robot vacuums we tested, and it did get stuck on a stray shoelace, but overall, it impressed us, and we think it offers the best bang for your buck.

Since it's a smart vacuum that's Wi-Fi-enabled, you can set a schedule for it to clean during specific times and more in the companion app. You can even control it with your voice using Amazon's Alexa or the Google Assistant. We tried it a few times, and it really felt like living in the future. 

The Roomba 690 runs for 60 minutes and returns to its base for charging as soon as it runs out of juice. It's funny to see your robot amble its way home without any assistance. The robot vacuum played nice with our cat, too, so have no fear that your Roomba will run over your pets. If anything, be worried that your cat may pounce on your Roomba.

Pros: Affordable for a smart robot vacuum, voice control, app-controlled, can be programmed

Cons: Not as powerful as high-end models, doesn't clean the whole house in one go like the 960

Buy the iRobot Roomba 690 on Amazon for $299 (originally $374.99)

The best robot vacuum for less than $250

Why you'll love it: For just $220, the Eufy RoboVac 11S is significantly cheaper than every other robot vacuum we tested, but it's just as good at cleaning.

Who says you have to pay an arm and a leg to robotically clean your home? Certainly not the startup Eufy, which launched its budget-friendly RoboVac line last year. We tried the 11 and we loved it, but the startup's latest robot vacuum, the Eufy 11S, is our new budget pick because it has a slimmer profile that fits in tighter spaces, a slightly longer runtime, and improved features.

Most importantly, the 11S will help you do your chores, so you can save time and money. Because it only costs $220, we called it the smartest investment you'll make all year in our full review.

While the 11S is smaller than previous RoboVac models, the 11S boasts a larger dustbin to collect more dirt, and 30% stronger suction to clean floors even more efficiently. Although the 11S is only 2.85-inches tall, its diminutive size allows it to sneak under bed frames, cabinets, and other tight spaces without getting stuck. It navigated across hardwood, tile, and carpet effortlessly.

The 11S gets 100 minutes of battery life while cleaning, and its suction has also been upgraded, so it is better equipped to pick up dirt and debris from your carpets or cracks in your floor.

One of the RoboVac 11S' most notable strengths is that it has several modes. Spot mode, for instance, will focus on cleaning a small, specific area for two minutes, while Single Room mode will start a 30-minute cleaning session in a certain space.

The RoboVac's remote also lets you set up a schedule, so you can start your vacuum before you go to work, and return home to spotless floors.

Overall, the vacuum maneuvers pretty gracefully around furniture and molding, and picks up all the dust, hair, and everything else that amasses in a home with ease. Sure, you may be horrified when you empty the dustbin every couple of days to see just how much stuff is collecting on your floor, but hey, it beats dealing with it on your own. And with a price tag this low, it won’t feel like a robotic vacuum is a luxury, but rather a necessity.

It may not have all the smart features like app or voice control, but it cleans just as well as our top pick and costs almost $200 less. The only reason it wasn't our top pick is that it is lacking smart features like voice and app control, and we're nerdy enough to wish for those features. However, if those things don't matter to you, it's an excellent deal. — Lulu Chang and Malarie Gokey

Pros: Extremely affordable without sacrificing key functionality, low profile allows the vacuum to get into small spaces

Cons: No voice control or connectivity

Buy the Eufy RoboVac 11S on Amazon for $219.99

The best connected robot vacuum cleaner

Why you'll love it: The Neato Botvac Connected vacuum is the ultimate smart bot with killer suction and other great features.

If you want one of the very best robot vacuum cleaners available, you need to check out the Neato Botvac Connected. This Wi-Fi connected bot works with a companion app and voice control with Amazon Alexa. It has great suction, and it'll clean your home better than cheaper robot vacuums. The Botvac excels at picking up hair, which is great news for pet owners and anyone with long hair.

The bot will send you notifications when it's done cleaning and you can schedule cleanings right in the app. Neato also supports voice control with Amazon's Alexa, so you don't even have to open the app if you're feeling lazy.

It can clean any type of flooring, and its D-Shape design lets it fit in weird spots where other vacuums have trouble. The shape may make it harder to adjust course at times, though. Its CornerClever technology helps the bot cut closer to corners and tight spots to get the dust that others might miss. The Botvac uses a laser to map your house and navigate around objects instead of running into them and correcting course.

You can choose between two cleaning modes: Eco is quieter and conserves energy, while Turbo picks up more hair, dust, and debris in the least amount of time possible. Both modes are great, though you'll probably use Eco more often than the Turbo mode. 

The only downside here is the high price tag, but it may be worth it for the smart features and strong suction.

Pros: Great suction, works on any flooring, app and voice control

Cons: Expensive

Buy the Neato Botvac Connected on Amazon for $517.40 + $12.50 shipping (originally $799.00)

The horror movie genre has seen a surplus of fresh talent in recent years, including newcomer Ari Aster, whose chilling feature directorial debut "Hereditary" is in theaters now. And with that talent has come a bevy of future classics in the genre, including "Hereditary,""The Babadook," and "Get Out."

The genre has produced hit after hit, even if you only look at this year and last. "Get Out" scored $255 million worldwide on a $4 million budget and won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. "It," based on the Stephen King novel, blew away expectations and pulled in over $700 million worldwide. This year, John Krasinski's "A Quiet Place" has made over $326 million globally with a $17 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.

It's no wonder that studios are recruiting horror directors for blockbusters. "Saw" and "The Conjuring" horror-master James Wan is finishing up "Aquaman" for later this year, and "Annabelle: Creation" director David F. Sandberg is directing another DC superhero movie, "Shazam!"

But hopefully they don't forget the genre they came from.

Jason Blum, the producer of "Get Out" and other horror hits like "Happy Death Day" and the upcoming "Halloween" movie, thinks that the genre has been a little too successful. In an interview with Variety, he said there will be a "depression in the horror market real soon, because when you get a bunch of hit scary movies, everyone wants to make them." Hopefully that's not the case, because the genre has been churning out some of its best movies in years.

Whatever happens, we know there are plenty of talented filmmakers bringing new ideas to horror who have bright futures ahead of them. Even some veterans, like Guillermo del Toro, are still redefining what the genre can be and accomplish (see Best Picture winner "The Shape of Water").

Below are 13 of the best horror directors working today:

SEE ALSO: 'It: Chapter 2' has started filming — here's everything we know about the blockbuster horror sequel

Fede Alvarez

Most recent film: "Don't Breath" (2016)

Next film: "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2018)

First horror film:"Evil Dead" (2013)

Alvarez will be taking on the next chapter in the Lisbeth Salander saga later this year with "The Girl in the Spider's Web." His "Don't Breathe" was a tense thriller about a group of thieves who break into a house where a blind, but dangerous, man stalks them. 

Ari Aster

Most recent film: "Hereditary" (2018)

Next film: Unknown

First horror film:"Hereditary"

"Hereditary" is proving to be a polarizing movie with audiences, but Ari Aster delivers a brutal and meticulously crafted horror film for the ages with his feature directorial debut.

Guillermo del Toro

Most recent film: "The Shape of Water" (2017)

Next film: "Nightmare Alley" 

First horror film:"Cronos" (1993)

Del Toro finally won the directing Oscar this year for "The Shape of Water," which also won Best Picture. Some may argue that it's not a horror movie, but I beg to differ. Whatever the case, del Toro is one of the horror masters working today, simply because he so often blurs the lines of what a horror movie can be. His career stretches back over two decades, and includes the likes of fantasy superhero movies (with horror elements) like "Blade II" and "Hellboy," and fantasy horror like "The Devil's Backbone," and the critically acclaimed "Pan's Labyrinth." Next, he'll remake the 1947 film noir "Nightmare Alley."

Overeating is a struggle that many people deal with. Whether you’re hoping to eat fewer sweets, have difficulty with binge-eating, or are just generally looking for ways to have more balance in your overall diet, these are six helpful and effective ways that can help you to stop overeating.

1. Use a smaller plate.

Perception can be a big contributor to overeating.  

A study by Cornell University claimed that halving plate size leads to a 30% reduction in the amount of food consumed on average, which can add up in terms of the amount of calories saved with each meal by just downsizing your dish.

The Food and Brand Lab of Cornell University suggests eating healthy foods on larger plates to encourage consumption, while eating less healthy foods on smaller plates to trick ourselves into feeling satisfied with less volume.

2. Drink a full glass of water before eating your meal.

The average adult is made up of at least 60% water, so you can imagine why eight glasses a day is encouraged, but why a full glass right before a meal?

Drinking a full glass of water before a meal helps to provide a sense of fullness, which lessens your likelihood of overeating as less food will be required to feel satisfied.

With water as your drink of choice, you also decrease the amount of calories consumed from sodas, or alcohol and other empty-calorie beverages.

3. Try volumetrics.

According to Healthline, "volumetrics is a way of eating that focuses on filling up with low-calorie, high-fiber foods like non-starchy vegetables." One reason this type of dieting actually works for weight maintenance and doesn't lead to overeating is because it isn't super restrictive.

Registered dietitian, nutrition editor for Bodybuilding.com, and founder of Fit In Your Dress, Paul Salter, told Women's Health, "volumetrics is not a precisely prescribed diet plan, but rather a concept and overarching nutritional approach."

This way of eating makes you feel more full by eating less, which ultimately makes you less likely to overindulge.

The keto diet has been quite buzz-worthy as of late, especially since the high-fat and low-carb way of eating has spawned tons of keto-friendly products and online recipes this year. But while the keto approach supposedly has its advantages (some claim it lowers sugar levels and gives you improved energy), there are other disadvantages (we’re talking a lot of fat consumption) to the diet that are worth acknowledging.

Yes, the keto diet is said to help accelerate weight loss, but if you aren’t careful, the diet can actually lead to unintentional weight gain. To see just how you can gain weight on the keto diet, we spoke to expert nutritionists, dietitians, trainers, and medical professionals about all the sneaky ways the keto diet may be making you gain weight. Here are some things they recommend keeping in mind.

1. Your genetics are working against you.

“The keto diet may not be working for you if it isn’t right for your body type and your genetics,” nutritionist Dr. Elizabeth Trattner told INSIDER. To determine if keto is the right diet match for your body, Tratter recommended getting your APO-E gene tested, especially since she said this gene will help you discover how you metabolize fat. She also recommended looking into other possible genetic issues, as she explains that this will help you find the best diet match for your body.

2. You aren’t taking care of yourself in other ways.

“No matter what diet you’re on, not working out or sleeping enough will definitely make you gain weight,” Dr. Trattner said. Food allergies and stress are other culprits of weight gain according to Dr. Trattner, as she said they allow for the secretion of cortisol, which causes you to hold onto weight instead of losing it.

3. You really aren’t observing the keto diet correctly.

“The only way someone would gain weight on the keto diet is if they binged on high calorie foods for an extended amount of time such as full-fat dairy, avocados, coconut oil, fatty cuts of meat and nuts,” board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Luiza Petre explained to INSIDER. To avoid sabotaging any progress you’ve made on the diet, Dr. Petre recommended being cautious of any low-carb foods, and consuming whole, real foods as much as possible.

If the director is the most important crew member on set, in most cases the cinematographer is the second-most important.

A skilled director of photography can turn a mediocre movie suddenly into a critical darling or a good movie into an Oscar contender. But unlike directors, who can have a breakout indie and suddenly get snatched up to do the next Hollywood blockbuster, cinematographers are in it for the long game.

Many have to work a decade or two on independent films, shorts, TV shows, and commercials before scoring a studio feature. And even at that point you still have to compete for work with the legends in the field like Emmanuel Lubezi, Robert Richardson, and Roger Deakins to land a job. 

Here are 11 cinematographers who are beginning to make their mark in Hollywood — including the visionaries behind "Moonlight" and "The Last Jedi."

SEE ALSO: "Superfly" director on how making music videos for Drake and Rihanna taught him how to thrive in the Hollywood studio system

Mike Gioulakis (“It Follows,” “Split”)

Gioulakis has found success in the thriller genre with the indie darling “It Follows” and M. Night Shyamalan’s latest hit, “Split,” being the standouts. For both, Gioulakis’ use of natural light and shadows to amp up the spookiness is a very useful tool.

James Laxton (“Moonlight”)

Jumping around from low-budget indies to a few Kevin Smith movies (“Tusk” and “Yoga Hosers”), Laxton reteamed with Barry Jenkins (he shot Jenkins’ debut feature “Medicine for Melancholy”) to make “Moonlight” — and the rest his history. The beautiful exterior shots of Miami are one of the reasons the movie went on to win an Oscar.

Jody Lee Lipes (“Manchester by the Sea,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”)

In the early 2000s, Lipes was the guy at NYU everyone wanted to shoot their short films, and since he’s been in high demand on the professional level. From shooting episodes of “Girls” to lensing “Trainwreck,” he’s worked on every budget level. His standouts, though, have been his beautiful shooting of tough stories like Sean Durkin’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” in 2011 and Kenneth Lonergan’s 2016 Oscar-winning movie, “Manchester by the Sea.”

What do George Clooney, David Beckham, Ryan Reynolds, and Angelina Jolie have in common — apart from being incredibly famous?

They're all making money from your liquor cabinet.

The number of celebrity liquor brands has gone through the roof in recent years — and with Clooney's tequila company selling for $1 billion last year, it's easy to see why.

Endorsements and side businesses are some of the easiest ways for celebrities to diversify their revenue streams and earn passive income — and you may be surprised to find how many celebrities choose to make their business ventures in the liquor industry.

Business Insider compiled a list of brands you may not have known were owned by celebrities and ranked them by the average the price of a bottle from cheapest to most expensive.

Scroll down to see which celebrity tipples made the list.

SEE ALSO: Ryan Reynolds just bought a gin company he called 'the best on the planet' — but his email reply to us makes it seem like a joke

13. Drew Barrymore, Barrymore Wine — $22 to $28 (£16.70 to £21.25)

Price source: Barrymore Wines.

Barrymore partnered with the Carmel Road winemaker Kris Kato to create an offering of Barrymore Wines.

"I am passionate about wine," Barrymore says on the brand's website. "There is so much to discover and experience and my travels help me do that."

12. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Miraval Rosé — £20 ($26.35)

Price source: Majestic Wines.

While they were together, Jolie and Pitt produced the award-winning Château Miraval rosé wine.

The pair bought Château Miraval in Provence in 2008 for a reported 40 million euros. They even got married on the estate in August 2014.

While it was believed that Pitt was more involved in the winemaking process than Jolie, in October the couple announced they would be selling Miraval following their split.

11. Channing Tatum, Born and Bred Vodka — $30 (£23)

Price source: Universal Package Store.

Tatum partnered with Grand Teton Distillery to create Born and Bred Vodka in 2017.

"Now, I'm a stripper that became an actor that I guess is working in vodka," Tatum told Bon Appetit. "Nothing surprises me anymore."

• Early retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be.
• There are a few downsides to retiring early, such as losing out on money and benefits, potentially experiencing mental and physical decline, and lacking purpose and identity.
• But if you plan well financially and mentally, the downsides can be non-existent — you just have to be prepared.

Please welcome back to the site today, John, aka "ESI," from ESI Money and Rockstar Finance! We've lured him back after two years of retirement to share the negative sides of the early retirement coin (big thanks to reader Bill who prompted this!), and we hope this gives you a more fuller perspective on life after pulling the trigger… Since retiring early – or at all – isn't always amazeballs!

Last year I wrote a guest post for Budgets are Sexy titled 10 Things I Didn't Expect in Early Retirement. The post detailed ten awesome things I had discovered about early retirement since taking the dive months earlier.

The article was picked up by Business Insider and created quite a bit of publicity. Its message is popular with a broad audience so BI runs it again every now and then. When that happens, a new wave of readers visit this site as well as mine.

A recent re-run of this post brought a new reader here who left this comment:

"I know this is an old post, but I just recently found it in my news feed. I retired 9 months ago at age 47, and I have the same 10 surprises with little regrets, too. This is a great summary of how I currently feel.

But it's NOT all just good surprises and there can be a dark side, so I would hope you could balance the positives with a few negatives to paint a clearer picture. Maybe you could do another post with a list of the potential downsides? I'm not talking about money concerns here: the top of my list is social isolation."

After receiving this comment, J. Money forwarded it to me and asked if I was up for a "one year later" post covering some early retirement drawbacks instead of the positives.

While I have not experienced much of any of the downsides associated with early retirement, I have followed the subject closely for years and realize there are some. With that said, I'd like to share ten early retirement downsides to consider as part of an early retirement decision. I'll also include ways I've overcome some of these, plus suggestions for avoiding them.

And while the commenter wanted to focus on non-financial issues (and social isolation specifically), there are significant monetary downsides to early retirement. Leaving these out would make the post incomplete in my opinion, so my list will include both monetary and non-monetary downsides.

With that said, let's get on to the list (in no particular order)…

SEE ALSO: What 8 people wish they knew before retiring in their 20s and 30s

DON'T MISS: Forget early retirement — people who saved enough money to travel for weeks or years say a 'mini-retirement' is just as rewarding

1. Loss of income

Let's face it, the reason people go to jobs they (generally) dislike and put up with all the politics, long commutes, brutal hours, and so on is because of the money. Very few people would "keep working even if they didn't pay me." Therefore, the loss of income has to be listed as a big downside for almost all early retirees.

Just the thought of losing an income is enough to stop potential early retirees in their tracks. My parents are an example of this. They would like to retire (not early, mind you) but my dad just "keeps thinking about all that money I'll leave on the table." At this point I'm not sure he'll ever retire because he fears the loss of income too much.

Of course, anyone can plan to combat this issue through several means:

1. Knowing your retirement spending needs
2. Saving enough to cover expenses (i.e. drawing down assets to pay for retirement)
3. Investing assets to generate income (real estate, dividend investing, etc.)
4. Building in margins of safety into your financial plan.

But all of these require planning, self-control, and at least a basic understanding of personal finances. Many Americans are not so keen on any of these much less all of them.

To be honest, I considered this downside myself before I retired. I made a great salary for most of my career. During my 50's alone I was set to cash in big-time. But the truth was, I already had enough a DECADE before I actually retired. I finally discovered that I could stop accumulating assets and move on. That said, I still wonder from time to time how I might have spent that few extra million dollars I gave up.

2. Reduced social security income

My financial plan is based on zero help from Social Security. If I get one penny from the government it will be more than I'm planning on.

But for those who need Social Security to retire early (or perhaps need it later in retirement), retiring early is going to put a huge dent in what you'll receive.

Here's a somewhat understandable explanation of how Social Security benefits are calculated.

So if you work 35 years, your total is based on those years. If you work less than 35 years, your total is based on the years you worked plus zeroes averaged in for the years you didn't work, dramatically lowering your benefits.

As an example, let's say Joe worked 35 years and averaged $50,000 in income those years. His Social Security would be based on that $50k average.

Now let's say Joe's twin, Jim, retired early. He worked 20 years at $50k and the other 15 years at $0. Jim's Social Security would be based on an average of $28,571 (($50k * 20)/35).

So if you're going to need all the money you can get from Social Security, retiring early can be a significant downside.

3. Healthcare insurance issues

Between my websites I have interviewed many millionaires over the years.

I changed the questions several months ago, and this was a recent question I added to the list:

Are there any issues in retirement that concern you?

Almost every single one of them mentions health insurance. And these are millionaires! If they are worried about affording medical insurance, how does the rest of the world stand a chance?

Retiring early further aggravates the issue because there are limited options prior to Medicare.

Insurance under the Affordable Care Act is not affordable for most people with even an average income. Others don't like the criteria imposed by alternatives like health sharing ministries, are concerned by their ability to pay, and/or don't qualify (they often mandate the insured avoid several activities that are known to cause health issues, like smoking).

We have used a health sharing ministry since I retired, pay a fraction of what we would under the ACA, get better coverage, and have seen it pay out for us. I know many others who have similar testimonies from other health sharing companies.

Some other options that have worked are healthcare coverage locked in by time of service (like in the military, or provided to teachers in some school districts), one spouse keeps working to provide insurance, or taking a basic job just to cover health insurance (for example, with Starbucks).

However, there are few alternatives and all come with as many problems as solutions. It's clear why millionaires and any other early retirees would be concerned about this downside.

On Monday morning, Trump reiterated his position that a multi-billion-dollar border wall is the "only real answer" to undocumented immigration.

"If this is done, illegal immigration will be stopped in it’s tracks — and at very little, by comparison, cost. This is the only real answer — and we must continue to BUILD THE WALL!" he tweeted.

While the US has installed hundreds of miles of steel fencing on the US-Mexico border since the mid-1990s, the Trump administration hopes to build an even more robust barrier.

But for some, the border is not just a divider between the US and Mexico. It's home. 

Reuters visited people in Tijuana, Mexico, who live in a variety of home types, from a small treehouse to a mansion with views of California and the Pacific Ocean, on the border.

Their stories are below.

SEE ALSO: 26 photos that show the US-Mexico border's evolution over 100 years

Steel fencing spans about 654 miles of the 1,933-mile US-Mexico border. Other areas have a "virtual fence," featuring scanners, guards, and drones.

Carlos Torres, an architect, has lived in a mansion on the Tijuana side for three decades. The fence begins at the end of his garden. He tells Reuters he named his mansion the "First House in Northwest Mexico."

Torres' garden is littered with border paraphernalia, including a signpost with arrows that point toward cities in California and Mexico.

Just like summer fashions, summer destinations go in and out of style. Some glamorous US resorts that once hosted A-list celebrities and offered luxury amenities have since been sold, partially demolished, or abandoned altogether.

From the Catskills to California, here are 10 abandoned places that were once summer hotspots.

Grossinger's Catskill Resort — Liberty, New York

Grossinger's was part of the famed "Borscht Belt" of resorts popular with New York City Jews in the 1950s and '60s. Elizabeth Taylor married Eddie Fisher there, and according to the New York Times, it served as the inspiration for the setting of "Dirty Dancing." 

The resort's owner died in 1972 and the property was sold to a hotel developer, but nothing ever came of it.

Today, its once-glamorous swimming pools and gazebos are being overtaken by the surrounding woods.

Penn Hills Resort — Analomink, Pennsylvania

The Poconos used to be known as the "honeymoon capital of the world." The rooms at the Penn Hills Resort included heart and wedding bell-shaped beds and bathtubs, and were a popular destination for newlyweds.