• The 15 richest club owners in the NFL have a combined worth which exceeds $85 billion.
• The wealthiest is the Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, who is worth $12 billion.
• Here is the full list, ranked in ascending order by their individual net worths according to Forbes, as well as an explanation as to how they each made their fortunes. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

15. Dan Snyder — Washington Redskins ($2.6 billion)

Age: 54

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: A dropout from the University of Maryland, Snyder started his own marketing business, Snyder Communications, in 1989.

A decade later, the company had more than 12,000 employees and had boasted over $1 billion in annual revenues, according to the Washingtonian. He sold it to French firm Havas in 2000 for $2.1 billion worth of stock.

Titles won as owner: NFC East Division (1999, 2012, 2015)

14. Jeffrey Lurie — Philadelphia Eagles ($2.7 billion)

Age: 68

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: Lurie began as an executive at his family business, General Cinema Corporation, in 1983, before founding his own movie company, Chestnut Hill Productions, two years later.

In 1994, Lurie and his mother took a $190 million loan to buy the Eagles, backed mostly by stocks in his businesses. 

Titles won as owner: NFC East Division (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2013, 2017), NFC Conference (2004, 2017), Super Bowl Championship (2017)

13. Jimmy Haslam — Cleveland Browns ($2.8 billion)

Age: 65

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: Haslam was named CEO of his father's truck stop company, Pilot Flying J, in 1980. At the time he took over, annual sales were around $50 million. In 2018, that figure was $29 billion, according to Forbes.

Titles won as owner: AFC North Division (2014, 2016, 2017)

12. Gayle Benson — New Orleans Saints ($3.1 billion)

Age: 72

Nationality: American

How she made her fortune: Benson started her career as an interior designer, before inheriting both the New Orleans Saints, as well as NBA franchise the New Orleans Pelicans, following the death of her third husband, Tom Benson, in 2018.

Titles won as owner: NFC South Division (2018)

11. Denise York — San Francisco 49ers ($3.2 billion)

Age: 69

Nationality: American

How she made her fortune: York was named vice president of her father's construction contracting company, The DeBartolo Corporation, after her graduation from Saint Mary's College.

After his death in 1994, she inherited the company, as well as NHL franchise, Pittsburgh Penguins. She was handed control of the 49ers in 2000 from her brother.

Titles won as owner: NFC West Division (2002, 2011, 2012), NFC Conference (2012)

10. Janice McNair — Houston Texans ($4 billion)

Age: 83

Nationality: American

How she made her fortune: McNair cofounded the Houston Texans in 1999 alongside her late husband, Bob McNair, using funds from the sale of his power generator company, Cogen Technologies.

Following his death in 2018, Janice became majority owner of the NFL franchise alongside her son, D. Cal McNair.

Titles won as owner: AFC South Division (2018)

9. Steve Bisciotti — Baltimore Ravens ($4.5 billion)

Age: 59

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: At 23-years-old, Bisciotti started the staffing company, Allegis Group (formerly Aerotek), from his basement alongside his cousin, Jim Davis.

The business is now the largest of its kind in the world, with 12,000 staff and an annual revenue of over $12 billion, according to Forbes. He became majority owner of the Ravens in 2004. 

Titles won as owner: AFC North Division (2006, 2011, 2012, 2018), AFC Conference (2012), Super Bowl Championship (2012)

8. Terrence Pegula — Buffalo Bills ($4.9 billion)

Age: 68

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: Having established the natural gas drilling company, East Resources, for just $7,500 in 1983, he Pegula later sold it to Shell for $4.7 billion in 2010.

Using the money from the sale, he bought NHL franchise the Buffalo Sabres in 2011, before purchasing the Bills three years later.

Titles won as owner: N/a

7. Arthur Blank — Atlanta Falcons ($5.4 billion)

Age: 77

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: After a spell as an accountant, Blank cofounded Home Depot in 1978 alongside Bernie Marcus.

He stepped down from the company in 2001, and has since turned his attention to sports — buying the Atlanta Falcons in 2002, and founding soccer team Atlanta United in 2014.

Titles won as owner: NFC South Division (2004, 2010, 2012, 2016), NFC Conference (2016)

6. New England Patriots — Robert Kraft ($6.9 billion)

Age: 78

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: Harvard graduate Kraft has made his money in the paper and packaging industries, controlling both the Rand-Whitney Group and International Forest Products. 

A Patriots fan since birth, his sports empire today includes MLS side New England Revolution, whom he founded in 1996, and a professional video gaming team which he started in 2017. 

Titles won as owner: AFC East Division (1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), AFC Conference (1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018), Super Bowl Championship (2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018)

5. Stephen Ross — Miami Dolphins ($7.6 billion)

Age: 79

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: Ross founded affordable housing developer Related Companies in 1972, and the company has since either built or acquired over $60 billion worth of properties across the world. 

Titles won as owner: AFC East Division (2008)

4. Jerry Jones — Dallas Cowboys ($8.5 billion)

Age: 77

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: A former footballer with the University of Arkansas, Jones started his own oil and gas exploration business, Jones Oil and Land Lease. 

His love for the game brought him to purchasing the Cowboys in 1989 for $140 million, whom he's since guided to three Super Bowl Championships. 

Titles won as owner: NFC East Division (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2018), NFC Conference (1992, 1993, 1995), Super Bowl Championship (1992, 1993, 1995)

3. Shahid Khan — Jacksonville Jaguars ($8.6 billion)

Age: 69

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: Once dubbed "the face of the American dream" by Forbes in 2012, Khan made his fortune in the automotive and hospitality industries.

He's now a sports tycoon as he owns the Jaguars, English soccer club Fulham, and professional wrestling organization All Elite Wrestling.

Titles won as owner: AFC South Division (2017)

2. Stan Kroenke — Los Angeles Rams ($9.7 billion)

Age: 72

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: Kroenke married Walmart heiress Ann Walton in 1974, and shortly after founded a real estate development firm that built most of it's properties near Walmart stores.

Kroenke first ventured into sports when he bought the Denver Nuggets in the late 1990s, and he now owns the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids soccer team, and LA Rams, amongst others.

Titles won as owner: N/a

1. David Tepper — Carolina Panthers ($12 billion)

Age: 62

Nationality: American

How he made his fortune: Tepper, the 125th richest person in the world, was recruited as a credit analyst by Goldman Sachs in 1985. He quit seven years later however to start his own private hedge fund, Appaloosa Management, which now has a value of around $13 billion.

He purchased the Panthers in 2018. 

Titles won as owner: N/a

• Thanks to leaps and bounds in the field of artificial intelligence in the past decade, robots are increasingly beating humans at our own games.
• AI-powered programs have proven their prowess at competitive games and academic tests alike throughout the past 10 years.
• Many advances in AI can't be quantified with competitions or challenges, but robots' victories at games ranging from Jeopardy to Dota show how far AI has come.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When IBM's Deep Blue chess machine defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997, the world responded with surprise and angst at how far computers had come: "Be Afraid," read a Weekly Standard headline reacting to the news.

Artificial intelligence has since made advancements that were unthinkable just 20 years ago — in the past decade alone, robots have achieved dominance over humans in games far more complex than chess.

While most of those advances can't be quantified with milestones like chess victories, programmers have continued the tradition of building machines designed to outsmart humans at our own games.

Here's a comprehensive list of the competitions, games, and challenges that robots beat humans at in the past decade.

SEE ALSO: The 13 biggest tech companies that bombed, died, or disappeared in the 2010s

2011: IBM's Watson beats two former champions to win Jeopardy

Watson defeated 74-time Jeopardy winner Ken Jennings and 20-time winner Brad Rutter after a three-day contest, showcasing the strength of IBM's supercomputer.

2014: Facebook's DeepFace facial recognition algorithm achieves an accuracy rate of 97%, rivaling the rate of humans

Facial recognition technology has only become more sophisticated since Facebook achieved that milestone in 2014. However, some research has questioned whether human facial recognition can accurately be compared to AI facial recognition.

2015: Google DeepMind's AlphaGo defeats Go champions in Korea and Europe

In the years following AlphaGo's 2015 victories, it went on to defeat several other international champions, and by 2017 it was able to win 60 rounds of Go back-to-back.

2016: Microsoft speech recognition AI can transcribe audio with fewer mistakes than humans

Microsoft said that its software achieved an error rate of 0.4%, compared to the human error rate of 5.9%.

2017: Libratus, an AI bot, defeats four of the world's leading poker players in a 20-day tournament

Unlike Chess or Go, poker is an imperfect information game, meaning players have to guess each others' hands — making Libratus' victory all the more impressive.

2017: An OpenAI bot defeats a human esports player at the multiplayer online battle arena game Dota 2

The bot, developed by OpenAI, has repeatedly beaten the world's top Dota 2 players.

2017: An AI system developed by researchers at Northwestern is able to beat 75 percent of Americans at a visual intelligence test

The program can solve logic games simply by looking at them — while most vision-based AI at the time focused on recognition, this one takes an extra step with visual reasoning.

2018: Alibaba's AI outscores humans in a Stanford University reading comprehension test

After answering 10,000 reading comprehension questions, Alibaba's AI scored 82.44, just above the 82.304 score achieved by humans.

• The Tasmanian tiger — a marsupial that looked like a cross between a large cat, a fox, and a wolf — is thought to have gone extinct in 1936.
• But according to a document recently released by the Tasmanian government, eight sightings of Tasmanian tigers have been reported in the last three years.
• The most recent report came in July, when a man found what might be a Tasmanian tiger footprint in Hobart, Tasmania.
• Tasmanian tigers were carnivorous and ate kangaroos, wombats, and sheep. They were hunted to extinction in the 19th century by British settlers in Tasmania. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

On September 7, 1936, the last Tasmanian tiger died in captivity in Hobart's Beaumaris Zoo. 

Or so we thought.

Last month, Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment released a document that revealed Australian citizens have been reporting Tasmanian tiger sightings. In the last two years, there have been eight reported sightings; the most recent was in July.

The tiger was a member of the Thylacine family of carnivorous marsupials. It was recognizable by its yellow-brown fur and a pallet of black stripes across the lower back and tail (hence the tiger moniker).

Tasmanian tigers preyed on kangaroos, wombats, and occasionally sheep and livestock, which brought them into conflict with British colonists who settled in Tasmania in 1803.

Some 130 years later, the last wild Tasmanian tiger was thought to have been hunted to extinction.

Here's everything we know about the elusive animal — and why some experts and hunters think it may not be extinct after all. 

SEE ALSO: The last Tasmanian tiger is thought to have died more than 80 years ago. But 8 recent sightings suggest the creature may not be gone.

WATCH NEXT: People say they're seeing an animal that supposedly went extinct 81 years ago

The most recent report about a Tasmanian tiger was in July: A man said he'd found a tiger footprint in the mountains near Hobart, Tasmania.

Two years before that, a couple saw an animal that they said they were "100% certain" was a Tasmanian tiger near Corinna, Tasmania.

"The animal had a stiff and firm tail, that was thick at the base. It had stripes down its back," the report read. "It was the size of a large Kelpie (bigger than a fox, smaller than a German Shepherd)."

Another sighting occurred in February 2018 in western Tasmania, about 120 miles north of Hobart. That report described "a large cat-like creature" with black stripe markings on the back of its body.

The government has kept the individuals who filed the reports anonymous.

Since the tiger's extinction in 1936, Tasmania's Parks and Wildlife Service has investigated more than 400 reported sightings. But none have yielded any definitive proof.

"It all proved terribly poor value," Nick Mooney, the wildlife biologist currently in charge of the agency's investigations, said in January. "Hundreds and hundreds of times people have gone to look where a sighting report has been, and there's been nothing."

In September 2017, a group called the Booth Richardson Tiger Team made waves by releasing video clips and still images of a creature's blurry snout. The group captured the footage using trail cameras in the Tasmanian wilderness.

"We believe 100% that it is a thylacine," tiger expert Adrian Richardson said during a press conference after releasing videos. 

But Mooney was skeptical.

"My first impression was a flash of excitement which sobered on analysis," he told Gizmodo. Optimistically, he said, there was a one in three chance the animal was a Tasmanian tiger.

Tasmanian tigers resembled a cross between a fox, a wolf, and a large house cat.

The creatures were are also known as Tasmanian wolves due to their similarities to dogs, coyotes, and (of course) wolves. A September 2019 study revealed genetic and skeletal similarities between Tasmanian tigers and modern wolves, too. 

The creature a marsupial. Like kangaroos and koalas, it carried its young in a belly pouch.

Unlike most other marsupial species, both male and female Tasmanian tigers had these pouches. 

The animal's name, Thylacinus cynocephalus, translates roughly to "dog-headed pouched one."

According to American anthropologist Richard K. Nelson, "The thylacine is, or was, one of the most extraordinary and improbable animals on Earth — a kangaroo redesigned as a wolf."

Tasmanian tigers grew to between 39 and 51 inches, with a 20-inch tail. They weighed up to 66 pounds.

They could live up to seven years in the wild. 

The tiger's closest living relative is the Tasmanian devil, a carnivore that still occupies the island of Tasmania.

Tasmanian tigers had stiff tails like a kangaroo's, short legs, and jaws with 40 to 50 sharp teeth.

Tasmanian tigers were carnivorous: They hunted kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and farm animals like sheep and chickens.

The predators liked to hunt at night, either alone or with a partner. 

The creatures' taste for sheep brought them into conflict with British settlers that came to Australia in the early 1800s.

The tigers communicated via husky, coughing barks or "terrier-like, double yaps," according to the Tasmanian government.

The tigers disappeared from mainland Australia at least 3,000 years ago, but they remained plentiful on the island of Tasmania.

In 1806, Tasmania's surveyor-general described the tiger this way: "Eyes large and full, black, with a nictant membrane, which gives the animal a savage and malicious appearance." 

These animals were shy and easily captured.

In 1888, Tasmania's government started paying trappers and hunters to kill the creatures. 

Between 1888 and 1909, the government paid out bounties for 2,184 Tasmanian tiger scalps.

Before it went extinct, the Tasmanian tiger had been around Australia, Tasmania, and Papua New Guinea for 4 million years.

Around 5,000 Tasmanian tigers lived on the island when the British settled there, according to the National Museum of Australia.

In May 1930, a farmer named Wilf Batty shot the last wild Tasmanian tiger after he discovered it in his hen house.

Competition from non-native wild dogs and habitat destruction also contributed to the tigers' decline. 

Members of the species persisted in captivity over the next six years.

The last known Tasmanian tiger, an animal named Benjamin, died at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart in September 1936.

Ironically, the Tasmanian government had declared it a protected species just two months prior.

Benjamin died of exposure after zookeepers accidentally locked him out of his shelter on a cool night.

Benjamin's death marked the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger, though it took the government until 1986 to officially declare the species extinct.

Even before that declaration, in the early 1980s, reports of tiger sightings became so frequent that the government started equipping wildlife officials with "Thylacine Response Kits." That way, researchers could properly gather pawprints and scat as evidence of potential sightings, the New Yorker reported,

Researchers have even made efforts to bring back the Tasmanian tiger.

In 1999, scientists at the Australian Museum started the Thylacine Cloning Project — an attempt to clone a Tasmanian tiger. The research team extracted DNA from female Thylacine tissue that had been preserved in alcohol for more than a century.

But the project was canceled in 2005 after the scientists deemed the DNA unusable. 

Although scientists' efforts to clone Tasmanian tigers hit a dead end, the search for the creatures continues.

As recently as 2005, the Australian magazine Bulletin offered a reward of 1.25 million Australian dollars for "a live, uninjured animal." 

"Many people are just fascinated with this creature," Greg Berns, a scientist at Emory University, told Smithsonian magazine. "It was iconic."

• Drama erupted in the London mommy-blogger community when a prominent influencer admitted to being behind an anonymous account that bullied many of her peers. 
• AliceInWanderLust had repeatedly targeted prominent mommy bloggers on an online discussion board.
• Over the course of several months, users grew suspicious that midwife and social-media figure Clemmie Hooper was behind the insults against other bloggers and even her own husband. 
• After trying to throw forum observers off her scent and being called out by a fellow blogger, Hooper posted an apology on her Instagram story. 
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The London mommy-blogger community was rocked by one of its own this week when it was revealed that midwife and social-media personality Clemmie Hooper had been issuing personal attacks through anonymously targeting some of her closest friends in the community. 

The 34-year-old London-based blogger lost at least 30,000 of her approximately 700,000 followers when reports revealed she was behind the account AliceInWanderLust that had repeatedly dragged prominent mommy bloggers on the online discussion board, Tattle Life. 

Hooper admitted that she had been posting behind the handle after a fellow influencer posted a mysterious warning that the true poster should reveal herself after months of bullying. 

See how the drama unfolded around the seemingly squeaky-clean community. 

For several months, AliceInWanderLust was a regular poster on Tattle Life. However, some observers of the mommy-blogging community had become suspicious that Hooper was behind the account.

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AliceInWanderLust took aim at different mommy influencers, including calling Bethie Hungerford, known on Instagram as Hunger-mama, "desperate," and accusing blogger Candice Brathwaite, who is black, of being "aggressive" and using her race "like a weapon to silence people's opinions."

Fellow users on the forum grew suspicious after something seemed off with the account, including when some noted that some posts had been tagged in the same location as Hooper's St. Lucia vacation, according to Grazia. The account seemed to ramp up its insults when other users floated their suspicions that Hooper was behind it, and posts took aim at the blogger's husband Simon, calling him a "t---" and saying she couldn't believe his wife "puts up with his nonsense."

After months of suspicion, several influencers were reportedly contacted by a fellow blogger who owned up to posting nasty insults online, but didn't reveal the true identity of "Alice."

The first and most direct address to the anonymous poster came from fellow influencer Laura Rutherford, who posted a photo referencing Alice in Wonderland alongside a long caption decrying AliceinWanderlust's online insults.

"You've goaded and encouraged trolls to tear my reputation apart for the last 8mths,"Rutherford wrote. "Mine and a handful of other influencers- and for what gain?
No I won't talk to you or discuss with you your justifications for online bullying. There is absolutely no justification for this behaviour."

After Rutherford's post, Hooper issued a public apology in her Instagram story, where she said she first created the account when she saw people were talking about her and her family.

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"I know there are some rumors circulating and I want to take the opportunity to explain," Hooper wrote, according to The Telegraph. "Earlier this year, I became aware of a website that had thousands of comments about my family and I. Reading them made me feel extremely paranoid and affected me much more than I knew at the time."

Hooper said over time, maintaining the secret account "became all-consuming and it grew bigger than I knew how to handle," especially as other users grew suspicious.

"When the users started to suspect it was me, I made the mistake of commenting about others. I regret it all and am deeply sorry – I know this has caused a lot of pain," she wrote.

"Undoubtedly, I got lost in this online world and the more I became engrossed in the negative commentary, the more the situation escalated. Engaging in this was a huge mistake. I take full responsibility for what has happened and I am just so sorry for the hurt I have caused everyone involved, including my friends and family."

Hooper's husband later addressed the controversy.

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Hooper's husband Simon, who runs the account @father_of_daughters and has garnered one million followers, posted after the reveal that he was in a "crap position" and wish he had known about it all along.

"I'm in a crap position as I only really have two options - 1) to stay silent to protect my wife and knowing that if I do, the silence will be deafening or 2) to comment on something I had no knowledge of. It's not a fun place to be," he wrote.

Hooper echoed some of his wife's references to their troubles with others posting about them online, saying that he had "seen first hand what three years of being attacked online can do to a person and the dark places it can drive you to – I guess whereas I can happily ignore it all, she couldn't and ended up getting lost."

"To be clear, I'm not here to defend my wife's actions or provide excuses because I have none," he wrote. "What I do know is online actions have real-world consequences - this has impacted our family and it will take some time to recover."

This isn't the first time she's been at the center of online drama.

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In May 2018, Hooper left Instagram amid accusations that she was inappropriately using her children for paid advertising partnerships that set off a dramatic discussion on Mumsnet, a parenting forum. 

However, it remains to be seen how her account will weather this scandal as her latest posts have some assorted negative comments criticizing her and some have called for the Nursing and Midwifery Council to strip her of her title at Kings College Hospital in London.

• For the past 10-plus years, Apple has made billions of dollars by manufacturing and selling the iPhone.
• But what's next, after the iPhone? That's the big question.
• Apple has a few major projects in the works, from a set of smart glasses to self-driving car technology to — yes — more iPhones.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple dominated the last decade in tech with the ubiquitous iPhone, and it's gearing up for the next 10 years with a variety of projects.

Notably, at least one of those projects is intended to outright replace the iPhone. 

From self-driving cars to smart glasses to taking on Netflix, these are Apple's plans for continued domination in the decade to come.

SEE ALSO: Apple reportedly revealed the devices it expects to replace the iPhone during a secret employee meeting in October

1. The iPhone replacement: Apple's smart glasses.

Apple's looking to replace the iPhone "in roughly a decade," according to a new report in The Information.

But what comes after the iPhone?

Some version of smart glasses, the first pair of which could arrive as soon as 2022, the report said. A "sleeker" pair is scheduled to arrive in 2023 — and Apple's senior managers see the headsets replacing the iPhone "in roughly a decade."

Neither product has been announced by Apple, but the two headsets were reportedly detailed to a packed room of employees in a secret October meeting at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.

According to people who attended the meeting cited in The Information's report, Apple detailed the two devices as such:

• The first device, expected in 2022, is said to resemble the Oculus Quest virtual-reality headset, with a high-resolution display, cameras mounted on the outside, and the ability to map its surroundings.
• The second device, expected in 2023, is more akin to sunglasses, with a thick frame to house a battery and processors. These glasses are intended for all-day use and are a step closer to Apple's eventual goal of releasing a device that replaces the iPhone.

Previous reports about Apple's smart-glasses project have pointed to a release as soon as 2020. Apple has reportedly been working on some form of so-called augmented-reality eyewear since at least 2015.

2. Services galore, and maybe even a bundling of those services.

First it was Apple Music, and then it was Apple News Plus, and Apple Arcade, and, most recently, Apple TV Plus.

In the last few years, Apple has rapidly evolved into a major player in a subscription services market dominated by the likes of Netflix and Spotify. But the company's next big move in that space may be a contraction of sorts: Apple is considering a subscription bundle that would include Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, and Apple News Plus, according to a report from Bloomberg's Gerry Smith and Mark Gurman.

And that new bundle could arrive as soon as next year, in 2020, according to the report. The bundle of services that is said to be coming next year doesn't include Apple Arcade, the video game subscription service Apple launched in September.

Starting with Apple Music in 2015, Apple has pushed hard into digital subscription services across the last several years. In 2019 in particular, Apple has launched three major new subscription services: Apple News Plus, Apple TV Plus, and Apple Arcade.

And Apple is showing no signs of slowing down in the coming years — especially as competition from the likes of Disney, Netflix, HBO, and more continues to heat up.

3. Self-driving cars, anyone?

Even the secret codename for Apple's self-driving car efforts is grandiose: "Project Titan" is what it's known as internally.

The company has been working on self-driving car tech for five years at this point — the project has thousands of employees, and has even had layoffs along the way.

Apple hasn't officially unveiled Project Titan, but the company has acknowledged that such efforts are underway. "We continue to believe there is a huge opportunity with autonomous systems, that Apple has unique capabilities to contribute, and that this is the most ambitious machine learning project ever,"the company said in a statement to CNBC back in January, when it moved hundreds of employees to other projects.

So, uh, what is the mysterious project?

At one point, it was said to be an entire car — an Apple car! — with self-driving technology. In the years since, Project Titan has reportedly evolved into a software-focused project.

4. The fastest iPhone yet, with 5G speeds, could be coming as soon as 2020.

It's true: Apple will continue to make the iPhone for years to come, regardless of the various projects in the works.

2020 is no exception, with analysts and media expecting the iPhone 12 — next year's iPhone — to have 5G connectivity.

5G is the next major step for smartphone data after 4G LTE, the current standard. In short, 5G will bring faster-than-ever speeds to smartphone users. But the jump from current speeds to 5G will be gradual, and only phones with hardware that works with 5G networks will be able to take advantage of the speed increase.

According to several reports thus far, Apple's next iPhone will have hardware built-in that enables it to work on 5G networks. Next year's iPhones are also expected to feature better cameras and a new form of Touch ID underneath the glass screen — Apple holds its iPhone reveal event each year in September, so we're unlikely to learn more about the next iPhone until many, many months from now.

• Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year in the US, is Friday, November 29.
• Although shoppers will find great deals on countless products on Black Friday, there are some red flags to be wary of.
• We asked experts to list the biggest red flags to watch out for on Black Friday.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Black Friday deals are popping up sooner than ever. 

In fact, all of November has been seemingly Black Friday-themed, with early deals marketed as "previews" flooding inboxes across the country. 

While this means that shoppers no longer have to wait in line for hours after Thanksgiving dinner, it also means they need to be especially vigilant for scams and other deceptive practices that take place during Black Friday season.

We asked experts for the red flags shoppers should watch out for when it comes to Black Friday deals. Here are all the things they said to be wary of.

SEE ALSO: 7 unbelievable facts about Thanksgiving food consumption in the US

DON'T MISS: Eerie photos of an abandoned airport that hasn't been touched in 25 years

Don't fall for early temptations — the deals could be better on the actual day of Black Friday.

It's not easy to avoid shopping in the days leading up to Black Friday, given all the flashy early deals advertised, but Michael Bonebright, a consumer analyst with comparison shopping site DealNews.com, told Business Insider that self-control could pay off in a big way. 

"Black Friday ads from stores like Best Buy and Target have set the bar really high for competitors like Amazon and Walmart with their pre-Black Friday sales, but while it may be tempting to pick up a TV that's priced for Black Friday today, it's important to be patient," Bonebright said. "Avoiding early sales gives you the chance to score an even better price on Black Friday — and even if you don't see a lower price, you can almost always get the Black Friday price on Black Friday."

Watch out for deceptive store hours.

All shoppers should familiarize themselves with 2019 Black Friday store hours. Stores tend to open earlier than normal, with many opening the night of Thanksgiving to kick off Black Friday deals. 

"The most important thing to note, however, is that some stores only give you a one- to two-hour window to come claim a door-buster, so you need to be in line on time," Bonebright said. "These stores will often hand out wristbands or tickets for high-demand doorbusters, so if you arrive too close to the time of opening, you might miss the handout of those door-buster tickets or wristbands."

Be careful with handing out sensitive information when you're calling stores to put items on hold.

Some shoppers try to call dibs on certain promotions by asking the store to put items on hold.  Be very wary of any pre-sale transactions, even in luxury retailers. 

"Unfortunately, most retailers will not hold items for more than 24 hours without the client putting down sensitive information like your address and credit card details," Coach manager Markia Boone told Business Insider. In the hands of the wrong person, your information can be used for fraudulent activity, so if you're going to take advantage of pre-selling, it's best to only go with a client adviser you fully trust and have a rapport with."

Examine all delivery-related emails and texts closely — some of them may not be legitimate.

While package thieves are stealing your Amazon boxes off your porch, digital thieves are after your identity. 

"As you're expecting more deliveries this year, be wary of text messages or emails saying things like 'there is a problem with your shipment' or 'a problem with your order' and prompting you to click a link," Frances Dewing, CEO and cofounder of cybersecurity company Rubica, told Business Insider.

"Those are common phishing scams that look like they're from UPS, FedEx, or USPS. If you click the link, the next page will ask for your password or personal data (that they then steal), or the link can secretly infect your device (even your phone) with malware."

Beware of fake offers from non-trusted and third-party sites.

In the race to get the best deals online, it's important to stop and inspect the deals you click on, even when you're on an online shopping site you trust. 

"Many people don't know that fake offers and fake ads lurk even on legitimate websites," Dewing said. "Ads and banners along the side of sites are often from third parties, not the hosting site, so think twice if an offer asks for payment through non-mainstream, non-trusted sites, or asks you to log in to your bank or email to complete a payment."

He also underlined that shoppers should always be suspicious of sites that require installing software in order to get the deal.

"Any legitimate coupon app will be available for download via the Apple Store or Google Play Store, so never download software from non-app store sites," he said.

Don't fall for unusually high discounts or sales.

Do your research leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Bethany Hollars, content director of the online deals website BrickSeek.com, said some retailers will inflate their prices leading up to Black Friday weekend so that their subsequent discounts seems more appealing by comparison. 

"Gather the pricing info on your must-buy items several weeks ahead of time so that you have an accurate foundation to determine whether something is really a good deal," Hollars told Business Insider.

Watch out for stores suspending their price-matching policies, or else you could end up stuck with a bad purchase.

"Some retailers will suspend their price matching policies during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and others will enforce a return policy specific to the holiday season, perhaps only allowing exchanges of an item or prohibiting the return of certain merchandise altogether," Hollars said. "Make sure that you are aware of these limited time changes so that you aren't stuck with a bad purchase."

Read the fine print on coupons and promotions — your favorite products might be excluded.

When you find a great Black Friday coupon, watch out for the exclusions. 

"Department stores like Belk and Macy's are notorious for offering store-wide coupons that exclude many of the brands you care about, such as Levi's, Calvin Klein, or Michael Kors," Bonebright said. "Along the same line, watch out for department store coupons that secretly offer smaller discounts for certain categories. Typically you'll see a coupon that says '20% off everything!' and then there's small text below that explaining how you'll actually get 15% off furniture or another category."

Be wary of freebies.

Few things are truly free, so be wary of any freebies and giveaways that require signing up for anything.

"At best, you'll be added to a junk mail or spam call list and at worst you could put your identity at risk," Bonebright said.

Beware of door-buster deals.

Some products are manufactured specifically for Black Friday, as they may not be of the caliber you're expecting.

"These products are often missing key features or made of inferior quality, so make sure you research products by model number to read reviews, review the products descriptions, and features,"Andrea Woroch, a personal finance writer, told Business Insider. "You don't want to end up with something you have to replace in six months."

And you'd be wise to ignore deals on certain products that will get even cheaper at other times of the year — even as early as December.

Black Friday is a great time to buy many products, but for others, you're better off waiting for another time of year.

You should save luggage purchases for the spring, when prices go down ahead of the summer travel season, Sara Skirboll, shopping and trends expert at coupon site RetailMeNot, told Business Insider. 

And while you might find discounts on makeup and cosmetic sets on Black Friday, fragrances are best purchased closer to Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, she said.

Meanwhile, you should hold off on buying new exercise equipment until after the new year rolls around "in tandem with New Year's resolutions," she said.

Shopping expert Trae Bodge said that products like outerwear, holiday-themed merchandise, and hardware, will be more deeply discounted in December. Further, while there will be some travel deals on Black Friday, she said the best travel deals will be on Travel Deal Tuesday, the day after Cyber Monday.

• These companies are in the business of making weapons. Not just pistols and rifles, but also tanks, jets, and rockets.
• As wars continue and more people are feeling insecure around the world, business is flourishing.
• The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) looked into which arms companies were making the most money.
• These are the top 25 arms manufacturers around the world, according to 2017 data.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

SEE ALSO: These are the 31 countries that don't have a military

25. Rheinmetall (Germany): $3.4 billion

The German company specializes in mobility and security technology.

24. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan): $3.5 billion

While we might think Mitsubishi only produces cars, the company also specializes in mechanical engineering and the aviation industry.

23. Tactical Missiles Corp. (Russia): $3.5 billion

The Russian company is mainly a weapons manufacturer. Its arms trade revenue is $3.5 billion.

Source:Stockholm International Peace Research Institute 

22. General Electric (US): $3.8 billion

General Electric specializes mainly in plane engines.

21. Booz Allen Hamilton (US): $4 billion

The American company specializes in technology consulting.

20. Textron (USA): $4.1 billion

Textron is an industrial conglomerate that owns many subsidiaries.

19. Naval Group (France): $4.1 billion

The Naval group specializes in shipbuilding, naval surface vessels as well as submarines.

18. Leidos (US): $4.3 billion

Leidos specializes mainly in software manufacturing but also in aviation, biomedical research, and information technology. Its arms trade revenue in 2018 was $4.3 billion.

Source:Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

17. Rolls-Royce (UK): $4.4 billion

While Rolls-Royce is mainly known for luxurious and expensive cars, the British engineering company also specializes in engines, aviation, and seafaring.

16. Honeywell International (US): $4.6 billion

Honeywell is a conglomerate that produces engineering services and aerospace systems.

15. United Shipbuilding Corp. (Russia): $4.9 billion

As the name suggests, this Russian company specializes in shipbuilding and submarines as well as repair and maintenance.

14. United Aircraft (Russia): $6.4 billion

The Russian company specializes in aerospace and defence.

13. Huntington Ingalls Industries (US): $6.8 billion

The American company specializes in shipbuilding and technical solutions.

12. L3 Technologies (US): $7.7 billion

The American company specializes in communications, intelligence, and surveillance.

11. United Technologies Corp. (US): $7.7 billion

United Technologies Corp. is a multinational conglomerate that specializes in aircraft engines and space systems. Its arms trade revenue is also $7.7 billion.

Source:Stockholm International Peace Research Institute 

10. Almaz-Antey (Russia): $8.5 billion

The Russian company is expert in weapons and the arms industry.

9. Leonardo (Italy): $8.8 billion

This Italian company specializes in aerospace, defence, and security.

8. Thales (France): $9 billion

Another European contender, Thales builds electrical systems mainly and also has an expertise in aerospace, defence, transportation, and security markets.

7. Airbus group (Trans-European): $11.2 billion

Probably one of the more recognizable companies, Airbus is a multinational aerospace corporation that designs aerospace products,

6. General Dynamics Corp. (US): $19.4 billion

General Dynamics Corp. focuses mainly on aerospace and defence.

5. Northrop Grumman Corp. (US): $22.3 billion

The company also focuses on defence and aerospace and is also one of the world's largest weapon manufacturers.

4. BAE Systems (UK): $22.9 billion

The British company specializes in multinational defence, security, and aerospace technology. Its arms trade revenue was $22.9 billion in 2018.

Source:Stockholm International Peace Research Institute 

3. Raytheon (US): $23.8 billion

The American company focuses on weapons and military and commercial electronics.

2. Boeing (US): $26.9 billion

Boeing, which is one of the most well-known manufacturers in the world, focuses on selling everything from aeroplanes to rockets, satellites and telecommunications equipment.

1. Lockheed Martin Corp. (USA): $44.9 billion

The largest arms manufacturer in the world, Lockheed Martin specializes in everything from global defence, security and aerospace.

• Most small businesses don't access venture capital when they launch. Instead, they often rely on personal savings and credit cards. 
• But these aren't the only ways to get cash for starting, funding, or expanding your business. 
• Funding expert, mentor, and Harvard-grad Arielle Loren owns and operates the first business-funding app for women, 100K Incubator.
• To determine what method is best for your business, she breaks funding into three levels based on monthly revenue.
• Click here for more BI Prime content.

There are many ways entrepreneurs can fund their small businesses, but one method seems to be talked about more than the rest: venture capital. Yet most small businesses don't access venture capital when they launch. 

The rest rely on options like personal savings, business loans, and credit cards. According to a 2019 report, almost 65% of entrepreneurs rely on personal and family savings for startup capital. 

There are plenty of ways to get cash for starting, funding, or expanding your business — the first obstacle is learning what's available and determining the best fit for your goals. 

To that end, we spoke with funding expert, mentor, and Harvard grad Arielle Loren, who owns and operates the first business-funding app for women, 100K Incubator. She breaks funding into three levels based on monthly revenue, from $0 to over $100,000. 

Here are 12 ways you can fund your small business, level by level.

SEE ALSO: Women-owned businesses are tapping into millennial-friendly growth markets like houseplants and hostels.

SEE ALSO: 2 millennial women just won $100,000 to scale their vegan ice cream business. Here’s how they perfected their 'scoopable' banana-based recipe and landed their pints on Whole Foods shelves.

Level 1: Business credit cards

To Loren, a level-one business is at its earliest stage, often a mere concept that hasn't started earning revenue yet. Maybe you have a lifestyle blog that you want to turn into an online store and you need to hire a web developer or designer. 

Loren tells entrepreneurs to keep their jobs when they're first starting out, not only to pay their personal expenses, but to have a back-up income. "The most important thing is to never take out funding that you're not comfortable repaying," Loren said.

If you're confident you have the cash flow and income to pay your bills on time, a business credit card is one of the easiest ways to build up your business credit without having substantial revenue, since you can get approved with little to no profit. And it could help you access other types of funding in the future. It's relatively low-risk, plus many business credit cards come with benefits and perks, like miles, discounts, and cashback deals.

If you've never opened a business credit card before, your application will be based on your personal credit score. Loren suggests having a score of 650 or higher. A lower score doesn't mean you can't get approved, but it may come with higher interest rates and more aggressive payback terms. 

Level 1: Personal loans

It can be very difficult to secure a business loan or line of credit when you're just establishing your business. Loren says these options usually require revenue, a personal guarantee, or some form of collateral. 

Personal loans from a bank are based on your income and personal credit, so they can be easier to get if you have a good credit score and high income. As long as the lender doesn't stipulate the loan for personal use only, it can help you afford retail or office space, initial supplies, or marketing. 

Level 1: Home equity loans or lines of credit

If you're willing to put your home up as collateral, there are two options to get some major capital. A home equity loan gives you access to all the funds at once, or a home equity line of credit (HELOC) disburses the funds incrementally.  

There are a couple big advantages to a home equity loan. First, you can get large amounts of capital at interest rates that are very low compared to most small business loans. Typically, home equity loans have long payback terms, up to 10 or even 30 years, so you have more time to pay them off.  

Some people prefer not to mix their personal assets with their business, so there's a lot to consider before taking out a home equity loan or line of credit. For example, if you co-own your home with a partner, they would be jointly involved in many of the decisions that impact your business.

Level 1: Crowdfunding

Loren doesn't recommend crowdfunding to a business in its very early stages, because they effectively act as more of a marketing campaign than anything else. "It's not as simple as loading a page up on Kickstarter or Indiegogo and then expecting people just to flock to you because you have a good idea," Loren said.

Crowdfunding campaigns usually get funded in one of two ways: either you have an existing audience or you pay to access someone else's audience. If you're a new entrepreneur, you're likely in the latter group, without a major following on social media or in your industry. So you may have get publicists, influencers, and advertisements to promote your campaign — in that case, you're paying money to make money.

If you have the capital and an established audience to crowdfund, rewards-based campaigns, the most popular method, can help you identify and gain target customers.

Level 2: Pitch competitions

Once you've established your business, it's steadily increasing revenue, and you're confident in your concept, pitch competitions are an accessible way to get cash that will help you continue growing. 

That means you've reached level two, where businesses are typically looking to expand and scale. Imagine a local bakery earning $5,000 in sales per month after two years. The shop owner may want additional funding to hire a couple employees or offer catering.

Business owners put a lot of effort and creativity into their business concepts, but Loren says the most important element is often overlooked. "You have to know your numbers," Loren said. For example, explain your customer acquisition costs or how much you profited from an advertising campaign compared to the budget you set for it. 

"If you can get those numbers in place, even on a small scale, it's going to be so impressive to the judges, because the majority of entrepreneurs who walk into that room are not prepared on that level," Loren said.

Level 2: Business grants and government contracts

Business grants and government contracts can give you consistent cash and leverage your business to then pursue more traditional funding like investments. 

There are several grants the Small Business Administration (SBA) gives to small businesses, which you can learn more about here. Many opportunities are catered to small businesses owned by veterans or that can fulfill needs in research and development. 

If your business makes a product that could benefit the government, whether it's uniforms or office supplies, you could get some serious funding from a government contract. The US government requires federal agencies to list buying opportunities and consider bids from small businesses. 

This option does come with a lot of requirements, such as registering your business, compliance, and ensuring you have the supplies and resources to fulfill the contracts. You can find government contracts on databases such as governmentbids.com or through the Small Business Administration (SBA). 

Loren recommends businesses to get certified as woman-owned or minority-owned, if either of those apply to you, since the government has to meet minimum quotas for contracts within certain demographics.

Level 2: Government small business loans

If your business doesn't qualify for a grant or government contract, you can also apply for an SBA loan. They can take longer to disburse than personal loans, but are more accessible than private business loans and can have lower down payments.

Your business concept is part of the application, but numbers reign supreme. Loren says most institutions and underwriters consider the numbers as 80% of your application, if not more. They'll need to see your most recent tax return and business bank statement, your personal credit score should be average or above, and they may want to see capital projections for at least 12 to 36 months out. 

Your overall business history is also important. Strong numbers show underwriters that you have a good grasp on your plans for the capital, especially if you demonstrate a track record in producing revenue and flipping capital, like if you doubled your sales after launching an online shop for your retail store. 

Lastly, government institutions will look at how your business benefits the community. Are you going to create jobs in your neighborhood or town? How will your business impact the local economy? "They're not looking to just give solo entrepreneurs a bunch of money," Loren said.

Level 2: Payment processor loans

If you use a payment processor for your sales transactions, sometimes companies like Paypal, Square, and Stripe will loan funds to their clients. Revenue generated through the company's payment processor is the most important factor for getting this type of loan. The company will also likely consider your personal credit score.

If you qualify for one of these loans, the company takes a percentage of your sales until you pay off the loan, with interest. Loren said many business owners like these loans because payback terms are more comfortable than traditional loans and are based on sales volume, rather than a weekly or monthly payment.

Level 2: Private business loans

If you're not able to secure financing through a traditional bank, you may have better luck going to a private lender. Business loans are harder to get than personal loans, but they protect you from any personal liability should your business encounter any financial difficulties. 

As with any other loan, getting approved is not just about your business pitch. "Lenders who loan directly to businesses, they want to see traction," Loren said. So that revenue and credit history is just as important as with other funding options.

Level 2: Business lines of credit

A business line of credit works much like the home line of credit mentioned above, but in most cases don't require collateral like real estate or inventory. Again, revenue and credit history are important to secure a line of credit, so usually this option is best for entrepreneurs who have been in business for a couple years. 

Level 3: Angel investing

Level three brings us into investor territory, when your business is showing enough growth and revenue to start sourcing major funding. For example, the owner of a bed and breakfast could be making $150,000 in annual revenue and decide to open up a second location. 

The biggest advantage to investment is that, unlike loans and credit, there's nothing for you to repay — it's a cash-in transaction. But giving up equity means more people involved, so think of every investment as a relationship. Can you commit to this person asking about your revenue and weighing-in on decisions? 

The most important factor for you to prove to an angel investor is that they'll get a return on their money. Most are willing to take risks, but they won't make the commitment if you can't demonstrate a promising track record.

Angel investors can bring valuable mentorship and expertise to your business, since they are often experienced business owners and tend to invest within the industries they know. 

Level 3: Venture capital

Venture capital will affect your small business much the same as angel investments — capital gained is equity earned. But apart from pitching an individual, you can seek venture opportunities from the many VC firms across the country, looking to invest in promising startups and small businesses.

Loren says many entrepreneurs ask her why they should seek capital of any kind if they can start their business from personal savings. She tells them: "You can do a lot more with $50,000 in capital and you can scale a lot faster, versus if you just did $100, $300, $500 every pay period, it's going to take a lot longer to build the business."

• For the past five years, Business Insider has selected 15 finalists for its Car of the Year competition. For 2019 we added a 16th.
• The cars are chosen from the more than five dozen we road-tested during the year.
• The vehicles include family SUVs and sedans as well as supercars and electric vehicles.
• Brands represented this year are Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Ford, Honda, Lamborghini, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, RAM, Subaru, and Toyota.
• One of the 16 finalists will be named Business Insider's 2019 Car of the Year.

You might not believe this, but Business Insider's annual Car of the Year awards, now in its sixth installment, started out as a bit of a goof. When I was transportation editor and Ben Zhang was a newly hired reporter, we'd reviewed all of a half-dozen vehicles in 2014. I said we should pick one and name it car of the year. The best thing we'd driven at that point was the new Chevy Corvette Stingray. Presto! Our first Car of the Year!

The following year we got ambitious, and we haven't looked back. In 2015, our Car of the Year was the Volvo XC90. In 2016 the Acura NSX captured the trophy. In 2017, we chose the Porsche Panamera. In 2018, the Kia Stinger took home the prize.

Our review pace for 2019 matched 2018: about 60 sedans, sports cars, supercars, pickup trucks, and SUVs, luxury brands and mass-market vehicles, machines that run on gas, electricity, and a combination of both. In all, we estimated that something like $5 million to $7 million in four-wheeled fun rolled through the driveway of our suburban New Jersey test center.

Zhang and I wrote most of the reviews. (Zhang graduated to transportation correspondent before moving on from Business Insider earlier this year to try his hand at working for an actual carmaker.) We got an assist, as usual, from senior transportation editor Bryan Logan, based in Los Angeles. Photographers Hollis Johnson and Crystal Cox produced our distinctive, urban-tinged vehicle images, and designers Skye Gould and Shayanne Gal added compelling graphics to 2019's Car of the Year package.

Our Car of the Year methodology is straightforward, focused on basic questions:

• Is there a strong business case for the vehicle?
• Did our reviewers agree that the vehicle should be included? We have to come to a consensus, even though we might disagree on some particulars.
• Was the vehicle objectively excellent? There has to be some sort of wow! factor.
• Did the vehicle stand out from the sea of competition, particularly when it comes to technology? A Car of the Year finalist has to be special.
• Can we strongly recommend buying or leasing the car? We demand to know whether we'd buy the vehicle ourselves if we had the resources.

We'll announce the 2019 Car of the Year on November 23 and prepare you for the big event by revealing our five runners-up the week before.

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

Audi RS5 Sportback

Engine tested: 2.9-liter twin-turbo 444-horsepower V6

Price as tested: $97,815

Why it's here: Audi exchanged the 450-horsepower V8 from the RS5's previous generation, and both Bryan Logan and Matt DeBord were excited to drive this versatile, sporty RS and its new powerplant in both sportback and coupé configurations.

In his review Matt wrote:

The bottom line on the Audi RS 5 is that it's absolutely crammed with tech while serving as a spectacularly versatile daily driver that can be instantly transformed into nearly race car. It has, in a word, range. The turbo V6 provides lagless power, abundantly spread through the RS 5's gearing; ask for some pop, and the car is happy to deliver. The steering is crisp, and the suspension can be set for severe tightness, enhancing feedback. You'd be both dragster quick in a straight line and agile around corners in this thing.

Plus, the Sonoma Green Metallic paint job is GOR-JEE-US! I couldn't take my eyes off it. And it received numerous envying stares during my testing adventures.

BMW X7

Engine tested: 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged 456-horsepower V8

Price as tested: $108,000 (for the BMW X7 XDrive50i trim level)

Why it's here: The BMW X7 is the largest vehicle the Bavarian brand has ever produced and is intended to go up against the Mercedes GLS, the Audi Q7, the Volvo XC90, and a host of other premium seven-seat full-size SUVs.

In his review Matt wrote:

The X7 provides what the Ultimate Driving Machine needed: a three-row hauler to slot in atop the X5. It's sort of a bimmer bus, but what ya gonna do? We're a long way from the turbo 2002 of the early '70s.

The X7 serves up what you'd expect from a $100,000-plus SUV, from the elegant yet purposeful interior to the forceful output of the V8 motor and surefootedness of the all-wheel-drive system, yielding zero to 60 in about 5 seconds.

To this bimmerness the X7 adds a cargo area that can be configured to work like a small pickup while seating two extra humans if the third row is deployed. It's all good, but these days I have to admit that I look at these large premium SUVs as a segment rather than as individual vehicles. The X7 does the same job as the Audi Q7 or the Volvo XC90 or the Mercedes GLS. And so it goes and so it goes, and where it's going everybody knows: fatter profits for the luxury automakers.

Cadillac XT4

Engine tested: 2.0-liter turbocharged 237-horsepower four cylinder

Price as tested: $52,000

Why it's here: The XT4 fills out the brand's luxury crossover lineup, joining the XT5 compact SUV and the XT6 three-row midsize. The XT4 is a critical vehicle for Cadillac, which is moving decisively away from a long history of big luxury sedans.

In his review Matt didn't hold back:

The 2019 Cadillac is the best car I've driven so far this year. [I drove it in January, so it was among the first vehicles I tested.]

With fuel-economy ratings of 22 city/29 highway/24 combined, the XT4 is moderately easy on gas but doesn't lack for pep. With a 0-60 mph speed of about 8 seconds, the XT4 isn't really quick, but its motor supplies abundant torque early, so it feels punchy (without being jerky, which would, of course, indicate actual speed).

What we have here isn't a thrilling crossover, but rather one that wears its mission with a dignity and reserve and belies its size.

Ford Ranger

Engine tested: 2.3-liter turbocharged 275-horsepower four cylinder

Price as tested: $45,000

Why it's here: The Ford Ranger is the Blue Oval's return to the midsize pickup market in the US. It will do battle against the popular Chevy Colorado and the Toyota Tacoma.

Here's what Matt had to say about the Ranger in his review:

The Ranger is a winner. It's going to compare favorably with the Chevy Colorado and provide a much nicer package than the Toyota Tacoma (although the Tacoma is noted for its toughness, so the new Ranger should require some time to distinguish itself on that front).

I actually used the truck extensively, driving it around the New Jersey suburbs, in New York City, and on a long run out to the east end of Long Island. I also loaded up the bed with a variety of stuff.

The Ranger handled everything and was easy to drive on top of it. Sure, it bounced me around on uneven Manhattan streets, but everywhere else the truck was smooth.

Honda Pilot

Engine tested: 3.5-liter 280-horsepower V6

Price as tested: $49,015

Why it's here: Honda now depends more and more on crossover utes like the midsize Pilot. The three-row SUV was updated for the 2019 model year with fresh styling, a more refined drivetrain, and new tech.

In his review Ben wrote:

Three-row midsize crossover SUVs are effectively the family minivans of this decade. They deliver exceptional people-hauling and cargo-hauling ability in a friendly and reliable package.

The Honda Pilot is the epitome of excellence in this genre. The third-generation Pilot was always a strong competitor in the segment, but the updates for the 2019 model year have corrected some of most glaring faults and bolstered its position as one of the finest family SUVs money can buy.

Lamborghini Urus

Engine tested: 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged 641-horsepower V8

Price as tested: $250,000

Why it's here: You had to ask? It's the first true Lamborghini SUV — although the Italian automaker calls it the world's first "super sport utility vehicle."

In his review Matt wrote:

The Urus is every bit a Lamborghini and a worthy first "SSUV." As it turned out, I got to at least sample how its 40-60 front-rear-wheel traction distribution adapts to lousy weather, and it adapts magnificently. I drove the Urus into and out of Manhattan in a sloppy snow-and-ice storm, and while in a Huracan I might have been extremely nervous, in the Urus I was in command. I can only imagine what this thing is like on dirt roads.

In more benign conditions, the Urus is ferocious. It has abundant horsepower and abundant torque on tap in any gear, and even if you aren't busting toward the legal speed limit — testing the 0-60 mph dash of 3.5 seconds or tasting the top speed to 190 mph — you can always do that Lambo thing, making use of the paddle shifters and the manual mode, wringing unholy engine howls and whines from the V8 while tooling this two-ton beast around at mellow velocities.

Mazda CX-5

Engine tested: 2.5-liter turbocharged 250-horsepower four cylinder

Price as tested: $39,905

Why it's here: Mazda made several key updates for the 2019 model year, including the addition of the optional turbocharged engine that we sampled. The CX-5 compact SUV competes directly against the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, and Nissan Rogue — the toughest segment in the US market.

In his review Ben enthused over the refreshed CX-5:

What Mazda has managed to do is deliver, hands down, the best-driving mass-market compact SUV money can buy. It's an impressive feat considering it's fighting for sales in the most brutally competitive segment of the market to which everyone brings their A game.

And for that reason, if I had $40,000 to spend, the 2019 Mazda CX-5 Signature would be the compact SUV for me.

Mercedes-Benz A220

Engine tested: 2.0-liter turbocharged 188-horsepower four cylinder

Price as tested: $46,000

Why it's here: The A220 is an entry-level four-door in Mercedes' A-Series line, which has only recently hit US shores.

In his review Matt wrote:

The A220 is a capable daily driver, and even though its trunk isn't huge, it's big enough to provide some versatility for weekend road trips and grocery-store runs. The back seat is snug, but this is a subcompact sedan, so expecting more would be pointless.

With a passel of performance features added in, I found the A220 to be one of those cars whose power can be fully accessed by mere mortals. Too many driver-oriented cars have so much punch that owners never get to use their vehicle's full potential. Not so with the A220. I felt that I could grab all 188 ponies and 221 pound-feet of torque and direct it joyfully to the wheels.

The 0-60 time is about 6 seconds, which is plenty quick. You're also going to get reasonable fuel economy, something in the ballpark of 30 mpg (the official numbers are 24 city/35 highway/28 combined). Impressive, and a strong argument for torque-y little turbo fours.

Mercedes Benz CLS

Engine tested: 3.0-liter turbocharged 429-horsepower inline six cylinder

Price as tested: $112,000 (in AMG CLS53 trim)

Why it's here: The sticker price is steep, but for this much luxury and performance to come in a single package, it's ultimately a bargain.

In his review Matt wrote:

What Mercedes now excels at is the COMPLETE PACKAGE. BMW might deliver slightly more engaging driving. Audi might have slightly better technology. Lexus might represent modern luxury in superior fashion.

But nobody puts everything together as well as Mercedes, and when you throw in the AMG action, you put a wonderful car over the top into memorable territory. The coupé four-door idea, too, is dandy: Why not pair performance that's just shy of supercar-dom with the ability to haul luggage and groceries and passengers?

What a truly well-executed automobile!

Nissan Altima

Engine tested: 2.0-liter variable compression turbocharged 248-horsepower inline four cylinder

Price as tested: $30,655

Why it's here: The Altima is one of the most popular midsize sedans in the US and was outsold only by the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. The sixth-generation Altima was all new for the 2019 model year.

In his review Ben wrote:

Even as the midsize-car market in the US continues to shrink, the competition for supremacy remains brutal.

For 2019, Nissan certainly upped its game with the Altima. It looks good, it's got a roomy cabin, it's loaded with tech, and it features one of the most innovative engines around. It may not necessarily be the best car on the market right now, but you'd be a fool if you didn't at least give it a serious look.

Nissan Leaf Plus

Engine tested: 160 kWh 214-horsepower electric motor with 214 miles of range

Price as tested: $44,000

Why it's here: The 2019 Nissan Leaf SL Plus is the fanciest version of the vehicle, which first appeared in 2010. Although more than 300,000 Leafs have been sold worldwide, the electric car has always been held back by its range. Not any longer.

In his review Matt was particularly impressed by the Leaf Plus' performance:

The 6.5-second zero-to-60 should flip your switch. That's darn quick for a car that outwardly resembles something you'd find parked on the streets of Paris and used mainly for baguette runs. My beef with the Leaf, compared to other EVs (Tesla's Model 3, the Chevy Bolt, and a new generation of luxury vehicles such as the Jaguar I-Pace) is it felt solid yet sluggish. Against the Bolt, the shorter-range Leaf seemed to lack snap.

Not so anymore. The larger battery and more peppy motors have made the Leaf Plus feel downright sporty. My test car also included a suite of driver-assist and semi-self-driving features (Nissan's ProPilot, for example, which can handle steering assist), so the Leaf has become a rather complete package that, for $44,000, as tested, was genuinely packed with content.

Porsche Cayenne

Engine tested: 4.0-liter 541-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8

Price as tested: $136,000

Why it's here: The Cayenne has been the undisputed king of high-performance SUVs since 2002. It was updated for the 2019 model year.

In his review Matt wrote:

The Cayenne is simply good, good, and more good, and the top-level Turbo trim is especially delightful, capable of orchestrating a brutal symphony of horsepower from that magnificent 541-horsepower twin-turbo V8. But that's just one dimension of performance bliss.

You also have the bracing handling, delivered through an intricate orchestration of mega-tech features, ranging from a rooftop spoiler than can adapt to increased speed to rear-axle steering and electro-hydraulic roll stabilization.

It's my policy to avoid getting too deep in this gearheady stuff (my driving is 90% emotion and 10% engineering). But with the Cayenne Turbo, it definitely adds up to an SUV that drives, as it always has, like a Porsche — but with the vehicle's upgrades, now more like a Porsche than ever.

RAM 1500

Engine tested: 5.7-liter 395-horsepower Hemi V8 with "eTorque" mild hybrid drivetrain

Price as tested: $68,500

Why it's here: The RAM 1500 was all new for the 2019 model year. It's the most important vehicle in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' US lineup and has to go up against the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado.

In a comparison of the RAM 1500 and the Chevy Silverado, Matt wrote of the triumphant RAM:

This is the best full-size pickup truck I've ever tested. I even got to challenge the 4x4 system with about a foot of snow at our suburban New Jersey test center, and the RAM brushed it off like nothing.

OK, I'll accept that the F-150 and Silverado loyalists out there don't like the RAM's (fully independent) suspension. Yes, it could break down under serious stress. But in my testing, this truck was bliss to drive.

With the all-new 2019 pickup, RAM might have moved past that No. 3 niche and positioned the Silverado in its sights. The RAM 1500 is a no-compromise pickup, perfectly pitched for the new pickup market, which is as much about everyday driving as hardcore performance.

Subaru Forester

Engine tested: 2.5-liter 182-horsepower boxer four cylinder

Price as tested: $31,815

Why it's here: The Forester was all new for 2019 and competes against the world's best-selling compact crossover SUVs and competes against the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and the Nissan Rogue.

In his review Ben wrote:

The 2019 Subaru Forester isn't perfect. Its engine doesn't quite have enough power for the job, and its overall demeanor feels unrefined. Some may love the rough-around-the-edges nature of the Forester, but with top-end models pushing $40,000, it's time to do some polishing.

Apart from that, there isn't a heck of a whole lot to complain about. In fact, the 2019 Subaru Forester is one of the most complete and capable compact crossovers we've come across.

It's solidly built with a well-designed and spacious interior. It's loaded with an impressive array of standard safety features and, of course, there's Subaru's tried-and-true all-wheel-drive system.

Over the past two decades, the Forester has built a strong and loyal following among consumers. With the new 2019 Subaru Forester, things just got even better.

Toyota Supra

Engine tested: 3.0-liter turbocharged 335-horsepower inline six cylinder

Price as tested: $56,220

Why it's here: The Supra comes from an iconic line of cars that dates to the late '70s. The new model was controversial because it shares many components — including its engine and transmission — with BMW and is made in Austria.

In his review Matt wrote:

For about $57,000, this could be among the best values in road-to-track cars on the market. Not for nothing, but the horsepower level was ideally matched to the car — throttling the Supra is a seamless addictive experience, almost devoid of turbo lag, and the sensation of the rear tires locking in and digging down under acceleration is the stuff of dreams.

A six-speed manual would have made the Supra more tempting, and one is supposedly in the works. The eight-speed automatic was competent, but of course it had three more gears that I wanted to use. So I found myself in auto-manual mode for most of my test time, gleefully paddle-shifting and watching the tachometer dance. Third and fourth gears in this car are dazzling.

The bottom line is that although the Supra and the BMW Z4 are made at the same factory, they're miles apart — and at $10,000 less, the Supra is the superior machine in price and performance.

Was it worth the wait? Good question. I wasn't waiting. But my time with the Supra left me craving more, and it continued a theme in my life of truly digging Japanese sports cars. Even if this one speaks with an Austrian accent.

Toyota RAV4

Engine tested: 2.5-liter 203-horsepower inline-four-cylinder

Price as tested: $38,565

Why it's here: The RAV4 was new for the 2019 model year. It's the best-selling compact crossover SUV in the US, ahead of rivals like the Honda CR-V, the Nissan Rogue, the Chevrolet Equinox, the Ford Escape, the Subaru Forester, and the Mazda CX-5.

In his review, Ben qualified his enthusiasm because of the RAV4's somewhat disappointing lack of engine-transmission refinement:

The Toyota RAV4 is the best-selling SUV in America for a reason. It has for more than two decades now delivered solid, sensible, and reliable transportation with an extra dose of fun. And it is set to continue that trend with the fifth-generation RAV4.

The new Toyota RAV4 delivers a capable, high-tech, and easy-to-live-with compact crossover in a handsomely styled package. Now I just need Toyota to add to some sound insulation and retune the transmission.

• Electronic Arts'"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is a single-player game designed to invoke the same spirit of mythic adventure that inspired the first generation of "Star Wars" fans back in 1977.
• While recent "Star Wars" games have been focused on online multiplayer, "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is a story-driven experience that returns to the roots of the franchise.
• The game stars Jedi-in-training Cal Kestis as he works to repair his connection to the force and restore the Jedi order.
• "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Just like the movies, "Star Wars" video games have millions of fans dedicated to each new release, but in recent years the excitement has shifted towards a tepid impatience with Electronic Arts' handling of "Star Wars."

While "Star Wars: Battlefront 2" was widely criticized for its generic military gameplay and early emphasis on microtransactions, the newly released "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" returns to a story-driven experience that's both recognizable and intimate for "Star Wars" movie fans, moving away from the large-scale online multiplayer that defined "Battlefront."

Developed by Respawn Entertainment, "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is a single-player game designed to invoke the same spirit of mythic adventure that inspired the first generation of "Star Wars" fans back in 1977.

SEE ALSO: These are the best 'Star Wars' games you can play right now

"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" returns to the mythical themes of "the hero's journey."

Star Wars creator George Lucas built the original "Star Wars" films on the idea of the monomyth, a broad thematic structure that follows a hero's journey through challenging trials, temptation, and encounters with the supernatural. While the premise of "Star Wars" is a clash between futuristic military forces, the core theme is a familiar coming-of-age story about power and responsibility.

"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" follows Cal Kestis, a young man who's Jedi training was cut short by the nebulous Empire's rise to power. While "Star Wars" fans won't take long to figure out how the game lines up with the movies, newcomers can simply focus on Cal's story. During the journey, players work to restore Cal's connection to the force, gaining new powers to fight the Empire in the process.

Like the original "Star Wars" movie, "Fallen Order" is a story about growth.

Aaron Contreras, Respawn's lead narrative designer for "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," said the game's story is directly inspired by the original "Star Wars" and the concept of the hero's journey.

"So from the beginning, our team director's said they wanted to tell this David and Goliath story — the classic battle of good versus evil," Contreras said. "So on the narrative side, we kind of fine-tuned it to follow that sort of mythic format."

Contreras said the "Star Wars" movie studio Lucasfilm was originally resistant to having a Jedi as the protagonist of "Fallen Order" but Respawn was eventually able to get the company to approve Cal as the game's protagonist.

While past "Star Wars" games let players control superpowered Jedi who could pull spaceships out of the sky, Cal is a former apprentice working to complete his training.

"We want Cal and the player to feel like they're growing with each challenge, from each step of the quest that he goes through," Contreras said. "Becoming more and more competent with his lightsaber, with the force. So there's a real progression and a real rising action in how people feel."

Respawn worked with Lucasfilm to make sure "Fallen Order" felt authentic.

Respawn worked closely with Lucasfilm to ensure that "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" met all of the film studio's criteria for an authentic "Star Wars" product. The two companies were in constant communication throughout development, with Lucasfilm employees play-testing multiple versions of the game. Respawn also had employees of Lucasfilm's former game development studio, Lucasarts, working on the project.

The game includes tons of recognizable "Star Wars" motifs, but also brings planets to life with unique alien creatures and varied environments. "Fallen Order" introduces an ancient alien species that trained to master the force, and delves into the origins of the Jedi's teachings. Cal explores these temples in hopes of restoring his own connection with the force.

"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" is a must-play for "Star Wars" fans, and a refreshing return to story-driven "Star Wars" games.

"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" delivers a focused experience without the distractions of multiplayer, online features, and downloadable content. It's a surprisingly straight-forward product at a time where video game releases are getting increasingly complex.

You can find the game now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

• The cost of living is notoriously high in the US – but it can vary widely from state to state.
• GoBankingRates recently released a report determining the "living wage" necessary to live comfortably in each US state.
• Some states, like New York, require an annual income of $95,724 to live comfortably. But the living wage for other states, like Mississippi, can be as low as $58,321.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Living paycheck to paycheck is an unfortunately common hallmark of American life.

Having it all — the ability to cover basic expenses, while still having "fun money" and contributing to savings — can be a difficult feat.

That total amount — also known as an annual "living wage"— varies significantly depending on what state you're in.

GoBankingRates recently determined the necessary living wage in each state using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the 50/30/20 budgeting rule. This popular general budgeting rule allocates 50% of annual income to necessities like housing, 30% to discretionary expenses like travel, and the remaining 20% to savings.

The median necessary living wage across the entire US is $67,690. The state with the lowest annual living wage is Mississippi with $58,321. The state with the highest living wage is Hawaii with $136,437. Other expensive states (unsurprisingly) included New York and California, which have notoriously high costs of living and expensive housing markets.

Keep reading to see what the annual living wage necessary is to live comfortably in every US state, listed in alphabetical order by state name. Also included is the actual median household income in each state according to 2018 data from the US Census Bureau and the median price of homes listed for sale in each state from Zillow.

SEE ALSO: Forget New York — millennials are better off in these 30 US cities, where they're paid well and can afford to buy a home

DON'T MISS: The top 10 ZIP codes where America's wealthiest millennials live, ranked

The living wage in Alabama is $60,016.

Median household income in 2018: $61,584

Median price of homes currently listed: $219,900

The living wage in Alaska is $91,996.

Median household income in 2018: $74,346

Median price of homes currently listed: $288,000

The living wage in Arizona is $68,504.

Median household income in 2018: $59,246

Median price of homes currently listed: $295,000

The living wage in Arkansas is $59,641.

Median household income in 2018: $47,062

Median price of homes currently listed: $178,500

The living wage in California is $99,971.

Median household income in 2018: $75,277

Median price of homes currently listed: $549,000

The living wage in Colorado in $74,215.

Median household income in 2018: $71,953

Median price of homes currently listed: $427,300

The living wage in Connecticut is $90,278.

Median household income in 2018: $76,348

Median price of homes currently listed: $324,900

The living wage in Delaware is $71,254.

Median household income in 2018: $64,805

Median price of homes currently listed: $300,000

The living wage in Florida is $67,614.

Median household income in 2018: $55,462

Median price of homes currently listed: $296,000

The living wage in Georgia is $62,074.

Median household income in 2018: $58,756

Median price of homes currently listed: $260,000

The living wage in Hawaii is $136,437.

Median household income in 2018: $80,212

Median price of homes currently listed: $630,000

The living wage in Idaho is $66,486.

Median household income in 2018: $55,583

Median price of homes currently listed: $334,900

The living wage in Illinois is $66,847.

Median household income in 2018: $65,030

Median price of homes currently listed: $235,950

The living wage in Indiana is $62,086.

Median household income in 2018: $55,746

Median price of homes currently listed: $189,900

The living wage in Iowa is $63,397.

Median household income in 2018: $59,955

Median price of homes currently listed: $175,000

The living wage in Kansas is $62,090.

Median household income in 2018: $58,218

Median price of homes currently listed: $190,000

The living wage in Kentucky is $63,086.

Median household income in 2018: $50,247

Median price of homes currently listed: $195,000

The living wage in Louisiana is $63,842.

Median household income in 2018: $58,218

Median price of homes currently listed: $190,000

The living wage in Maine is $80,336.

Median household income in 2018: $55,602

Median price of homes currently listed: $250,000

The living wage in Maryland is $92,227.

Median household income in 2018: $83,242

Median price of homes currently listed: $325,000

The living wage in Massachusetts is $93,895.

Median household income in 2018: $79,835

Median price of homes currently listed: $468,500

The living wage in Michigan is $67,712.

Median household income in 2018: $56,697

Median price of homes currently listed: $189,000

The living wage in Minnesota is $68,944.

Median household income in 2018: $70,315

Median price of homes currently listed: $274,900

The living wage in Mississippi is $58,321.

Median household income in 2018: $44,717

Median price of homes currently listed: $188,000

The living wage in Missouri is $60,858.

Median household income in 2018: $54,478

Median price of homes currently listed: $189,900

The living wage in Montana is $70,719.

Median household income in 2018: $55,328

Median price of homes currently listed: $325,000

The living wage in Nebraska is $65,162.

Median household income in 2018: $59,566

Median price of homes currently listed: $212,000

The living wage in Nevada is $75,902.

Median household income in 2018: $58,646

Median price of homes currently listed: $324,900

The living wage in New Hampshire is $74,415.

Median household income in 2018: $74,991

Median price of homes currently listed: $304,900

The living wage in New Jersey is $86,244.

Median household income in 2018: $81,740

Median price of homes currently listed: $345,000

The living wage in New Mexico is $63,629.

Median household income in 2018: $47,169

Median price of homes currently listed: $240,000

The living wage in New York is $95,724.

Median household income in 2018: $67,844

Median price of homes currently listed: $399,900

The living wage in North Carolina is $64,406.

Median household income in 2018: $53,855

Median price of homes currently listed: $274,900

The living wage in North Dakota is $69,085.

Median household income in 2018: $63,837

Median price of homes currently listed: $223,900

The living wage in Ohio is $63,204.

Median household income in 2018: $56,111

Median price of homes currently listed: $176,900

The living wage in Oklahoma is $60,318.

Median household income in 2018: $51,924

Median price of homes currently listed: $190,000

The living wage in Oregon is $93,285.

Median household income in 2018: $63,426

Median price of homes currently listed: $388,000

The living wage in Pennsylvania is $68,581.

Median household income in 2018: $60,905

Median price of homes currently listed: $216,995

The living wage in Rhode Island is $83,942.

Median household income in 2018: $64,340

Median price of homes currently listed: $324,000

The living wage in South Carolina is $65,953.

Median household income in 2018: $52,306

Median price of homes currently listed: $249,500

The living wage in South Dakota is $67,657.

Median household income in 2018: $56,274

Median price of homes currently listed: $225,000

The living wage in Tennessee is $60,682.

Median household income in 2018: $52,375

Median price of homes currently listed: $255,900

The living wage in Texas is $63,469.

Median household income in 2018: $60,629

Median price of homes currently listed: $279,000

The living wage in Utah is $67,807.

Median household income in 2018: $71,414

Median price of homes currently listed: $367,400

The living wage in Vermont is $83,878.

Median household income in 2018: $60,782

Median price of homes currently listed: $275,000

The living wage in Virginia is $69,886.

Median household income in 2018: $72,577

Median price of homes currently listed: $310,325

The living wage in Washington is $77,207.

Median household income in 2018: $74,073

Median price of homes currently listed: $419,900

The living wage in West Virginia is $62,635.

Median household income in 2018: $44,097

Median price of homes currently listed: $165,700

The living wage in Wisconsin is $67,667.

Median household income in 2018: $60,773

Median price of homes currently listed: $219,900

The living wage in Wyoming is $61,788.

Median household income in 2018: $61,584

Median price of homes currently listed: $264,900

• Insider spoke to a New York City-based interior designer to see which holiday-decor items she would buy from Walmart right now. 
• One of her top seasonal picks is a pink-colored artificial tree that is 6 feet tall. 
• She also suggested a few other items including a giant pre-lit wreath, gold-rimmed cocktail glasses, and blue twinkle lights.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

'Tis the season to decorate for the holidays — and Walmart has a lot of affordable decor options to choose from.

To help narrow down the options, Insider spoke to New York City-based interior designer Megan Hopp to find out some of the best seasonal items to pick up at Walmart.  

Here are the holiday decorations an interior designer would buy at Walmart right now. 

A set of silver bristle-brush trees can make your home sparkle.

Hopp said she especially recommends using these to decorate for Hanukkah, Christmas, or in homes that celebrate both holidays. 

"These will look great paired together on a table or bookshelf,  or distributed throughout your home," she said.

Silver Tree Table-Top Christmas Decoration, Set of Six, $14

Deck the halls with a set of vintage-looking holiday ornaments.

Hopp told Insider that a set of vintage-inspired holiday ornaments is "as classic as they come." 

"The simple ball shape will have your tree looking extra crisp with a variety of colors and sparkle throughout," she added. 

Shiny Vintage Glass Ball Ornaments, Set of 12, $27.49

Hang your stockings with care using these gold hooks.

According to Hopp, stockings should be the focal point of a space without being too ornate or thematic. To achieve that look, she recommends these gold hooks because "they have a chic silhouette and simple elegance" about them.

Gold Stocking Holder, Set of Four, $13.99

This luxurious stocking comes in colors like green, ivory, and red.

Hopp said she loves decorating with stockings for the holidays, but she particularly likes these quilted velvet ones because of their "striking richness and texture" and luxurious-looking fabric.

Hand Quilted Velvet Stocking, $26.61

You can go big with this 4-foot wreath that comes with built-in lights.

When it comes to holiday wreaths, Hopp said you should go big or go home.

"In the case of a wreath, bigger is better," she told Insider. "An oversized wreath above your fireplace or dining table will create an instant showstopper focal point in the room, and take your holiday home decor to the next level."

48-inch Wreath with LED lights, $303.99

This set of cocktail glasses will add glitz and glam to your upcoming holiday party.

All holiday cocktails deserve a special glass since they can help visually elevate any drink, Hopp told Insider. 

Her pick is these gold-rimmed or silver-rimmed glass cups that offer an "extra dose of glitz" while still having a classic style. 

Better Homes & Gardens Metallic Rim Glasses, Set of Four, $14

You can spruce up your sofa with pillows that offer the right amount of holiday style without going overboard.

When it comes to home decor that is suited for the holidays, Hopp said she always tells her clients that anything too obvious (like a cushion featuring Santa Claus' face) will leave you with more of a theme rather than an ambiance or a feeling. 

She told Insider she suggests these red plaid pillows because "they have just enough holiday style while still fitting in right at home with your year-round decor."

Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Plaid Decorative Pillow, $12.87

This simple menorah combines gold-colored candle holders and white marble.

"This menorah is luxe with its marble stone base and striking sleek silhouette," Hopp said.

She told Insider her favorite part is the pairing of the gold and stone because it "makes for a beautiful standalone piece that's flexible to fit with a variety of home decor schemes."

Gold Menorah Candle Holder on Marble Base, $75.42

This small plate features a classic holiday design.

Made from fine ivory china, this plate earned top marks from Hopp because it's a "classic nod to Christmases past with its delicate and nostalgic border." 

"These plates will look great on their own, or paired with your everyday dishes to transform them into a holiday place setting," she said.

Lenox Holiday Butter Player, $14.99

Decorate with a pink tree instead of a green one for a whimsical twist.

"I still love an alternatively colored tree and this full pink tree is the absolute perfect shade of pink for those looking to have a rosy holiday," Hopp told Insider.

6-foot Pink Artificial Christmas Full Fir Tree, $84.99

This colorful candle smells like a candy cane.

Hopp told Insider that design is not just about what you see, but also what you smell — and she loves this festive-looking tin candle that has two wicks. 

"Who wouldn't want to small a candy cane? Not only a striking scent but this candle also comes in a beautiful modern jar designed to look like the candy," she added.

Voluspa Crushed Candy Cane Candle, $36

You can celebrate with a strand of blue twinkle lights.

Hopp said one of her biggest holiday-decorating faux pas is hanging outdoor lights inside, but this blue twinkle light set is an exception to the rule.

"Traditional holiday lights can be clunky and sloppy when used on the inside," she noted. "However, these blue twinkly lights will add a very delicate twinkle to your Hanukkah decor."

Blue Twinkle Light Set, $16.99 

This crystal-cut dessert stand will elevate your holiday treats.

Hopp told Insider this cake plate is perfect for displaying your favorite holiday treats.

"A special treat deserves a special plate, and this crystal-cut cake plate and dome is certainly that," she said. "The intricate design and crystal material make this cake plate perfect for any holiday."

Godinger Dublin Footed Cake Dome Plate, $81.22

Read More:

• Interior designers reveal the 12 biggest mistakes people make when decorating a bedroom
• 14 things an interior designer would buy at Dollar Tree right now
• We had interior designers critique 10 famous apartments from shows like 'Friends' and 'Gossip Girl'

• Insider spoke with a group of interior designers to learn about the top decorating rules people should never break.
• One designer said that if you don't have a rug big enough for your space, you're better off having no rug at all.
• Buying all your furniture from the same collection can make your space feel like a showroom.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The way you decorate your home is entirely up to you — but there are a few guidelines and design suggestions you may want to keep in mind as you're decorating.

Here are the decorating rules you should never break, according to the experts.

Having curtains that are too short can make your space feel incomplete.

Lauren White, the owner and principal designer at Ellen W. Interior Concepts, told Insider that curtains should hit always hit the floor.

"Curtains that are too short are like wearing high-water pants," she said. "It does not look good and makes your space look unfinished."

A rug that's too small can throw off an entire room.

A high-quality rug isn't cheap — and the bigger you go, the more expensive they become. Because of this, you may be tempted to go for a smaller, more affordable option, even if that means sacrificing design.

If that's the case, the best thing you can do is forgo a rug altogether, White said.

"A rug that is too small takes away from the space, although you would hope it adds visual value," she told Insider. "I would recommend not adding a rug if it's not scaled properly to space."

But if you insist on getting a small rug, it should at least be able to sit under the front legs of your furniture pieces, White said.

Ordering furniture without measuring your space can lead to expensive mistakes.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but taking the time to measure your space is a crucial first step to a successful design, White said.

"The easiest way to do this is to get the dimensions of the furniture you're interested in, grab some blue painter's tape, and create the shape of the furniture with the painter's tape and dimensions," she told Insider. "This will give you a visual guide to ensure your furniture will be functional in your space."

Choosing stylish pieces without thinking about their function can cause your space to look cluttered.

"When choosing furniture for your home, it is important to not only incorporate pieces you love, but to ensure these pieces work for your lifestyle," Gena Kirk, the vice president of design at KB Home, told Insider.

Because of this, you want to avoid buying stylish pieces that aren't functional and instead opt for pieces that have a lot of storage space.

Doing so helps to "keep your home looking beautiful without the clutter," Kirk said.

Having only one source of light in a room can make the space fall flat.

Kirk told Insider that having just one source of light, such as recessed lights, could make the ambiance of a room fall flat.

"It's important to layer the lighting in your home by incorporating pendant lighting, chandeliers, or trendy wall sconces to soften the light sources in your home," Kirk said. "This creates a calm and welcoming environment throughout your home and can complement your design style."

When it comes to expensive, tough-to-replace pieces, you might want to stick to timeless colors and designs.

Kirk said she always tells her clients to "play it safe" with items that aren't easy to replace, like countertops, cabinets, and built-in furniture pieces.

"You can incorporate current trends through accessories and easy-to-replace pieces such as backsplashes, cabinet hardware, or small pieces of furniture," she said, adding that this can help you keep up with trends in an easier, more affordable way.

You should always make sure there's ample room to move through your walkways.

Having enough space to move through your home is important to the overall flow of your space, Alessandra Wood, the vice president of style at Modsy, told Insider.

"You should always be mindful of walkways and how you move about space and tailor your layout to preserve the flow," Wood said.

She recommends, if possible, leaving about 36 inches free in your hallways so you can "maintain a sense of movability and keep your room from feeling stuffed with furniture."

You shouldn't cover a fireplace, even if it's inoperable.

Wood told Insider that a fireplace — working or not — is a "beautiful architectural focal point that can take your space to the next level."

She also said that blocking it off or trying to cover it could make your space feel strange.

"When you block a major architectural feature like this with furniture, it makes the room feel awkward, and like something is off," she said.

Your space might feel awkward if you hang artwork too high.

"Art is commonly hung too high and looks best at eye-level," Sara Ray, the owner of Sara Ray Interior Design in Nashville, Tennessee, told Insider.

She said the sweet spot is about 57 to 60 inches above the floor.

"There are exceptions to every 'rule,' but this one holds true most of the time," she said.

Buying all your furniture from the same collection can make your home look like a showroom.

It can be tempting — and certainly convenient — to purchase all your furniture, rugs, and accessories from one store, but Ray said that unless you want the space to feel like a furniture showroom, you should mix your pieces.

"It's better to buy from a variety of sources, as well as from different eras, so you can mix vintage and new pieces," she said. "The space feels more collected when older pieces are used, and it adds to the 'story' of your home."

• Read more:
• We had interior designers critique 10 famous apartments from shows like 'Friends' and 'Gossip Girl'
• 14 things an interior designer would buy at Dollar Tree right now
• Interior designers reveal the 12 biggest mistakes people make when decorating a bedroom
• The worst interior design trends everyone was obsessed with the decade you were born, according to experts

• As the idea of polyamorous relationships becomes mainstream, more celebrities are coming forward about their non-monogamous dating styles.
• YouTube stars and social media influencers like Tana Mongeau, Jake Paul, and Bella Thorne have been vocal about their "open" dating. 
• Here are six celebrities who have spoken out about being polyamorous. 
• Visit Insider's homepage for more.

Polyamory is having its moment in the spotlight, with public curiosity about non-monogamy on the rise and more celebrities speaking openly about their non-traditional approaches to love. 

Not to be confused with polygamy, Psychology Today defines polyamory as the "practice of having multiple intimate relationships, whether sexual or just romantic, with the full knowledge and consent of all parties involved." In simpler terms, polyamory involves sustaining a relationship with more than one person in which everyone is aware of the other partners involved. 

While there are a number of prominent celebrities rumored to be engaging in non-monogamous relationships, here are six who have spoken about their polyamorous preferences.

Actress Bella Thorne has been in a number of publicly non-monogamous relationships.

Bella Thorne, actress, model, and adult film director, is far from camera shy when it comes to displaying her non-monogamous dating style. Thorne first publicly confirmed she was in simultaneous relationships with rapper Mod Sun, or Dereck Smith, and YouTuber Tana Mongeau in an interview with Gay Times magazine.

"I don't think anybody will really understand the bonds that I share with Mod or Tana," Thorne told the publication. "Yeah, we joke around about [polyamory], but we aren't in the sense that we don't put a word, a box or label too many things. It is what it is."

Thorne ended her relationships with both Mongeau and Mod Sun earlier this year, but hasn't stopped displaying her open dating preferences on social media. Thorne's current boyfriend, Italian singer Mascolo, expressed his support of Thorne's newest romantic interest, Alex Martini, after Thorne posted a picture of her and Martini on Instagram.

While Thorne has not labeled her simultaneous relationships with Martini and Mascolo as polyamorous, a slew of fans and publications have expressed support for the actress promoting non-monogamous visibility in mainstream media. 

YouTube star and Instagram influencer Tana Mongeau discussed her polyamorous relationship with Thorne in 2019.

Tana Mongeau opened up to her 5 million YouTube subscribers in January 2019 about her relationship with Thorne. Thorne and Mongeau confirmed they were dating in September 2017 while Thorne was in another relationship with Mod Sun.

"It's funny because meeting Bella and going into it, in the beginning, I felt like there was this tension between Mod and I … " Mongeau said in the video. "Here I am just coming in and Bella wants me here but she has a whole a--- boyfriend and he wasn't my boyfriend and I didn't want him to be my boyfriend. He didn't want me to be his girlfriend. It was this weird thing of him and I sharing her. But after time, it became so harmonious and absolutely normal to us." 

Thorne and Mongeau dated for over a year, and announced their split publicly in February 2019.

"Being in that relationship taught me so much about myself and polyamory and openness and how close-minded the world can be — and how open-minded the world can be,"Mongeau said in a video.

Mongeau and YouTuber Jake Paul tied the knot this year. Paul later confirmed the pair’s marriage was an “open” one during an interview with ET Live.

YouTube superstar Jake Paul began his relationship with Mongeau in April 2019. 

Paul and Mongeau got married this past July. 

Paul confirmed in a later interview with ET Live that the couple had always had an "open" arrangement after hosts Denny Directo and Cassie DiLaura questioned Paul about Mongeau and singer Noah Cyrus possibly hooking up.

"Since the start of our relationship it's been, like, an open type of thing because that's just how we both are," Paul said. 

The YouTuber added that he would be more than fine with his wife and Cyrus sleeping together, "especially if I could be there."

‘Grace and Frankie’ actor Baron Vaughn has opened up about past non-monogamous relationships.

As with monogamous relationships, people approach polyamory and non-monogamy in different ways. Actor and comedian Baron Vaughn addressed this when speaking about his own experience in open relationships when he was a guest on the YouTube show Reality Bytes in 2017

"It can be daunting, it depends what you want out of it. And also what style you do, because there are many styles," Vaughn said.  "There've been a couple times where I've been in a triad, which is essentially an equilateral 'throuple,' some people might call it, where everyone was in a relationship with everyone else." 

The actor also touched on the concept of "poly fidelity" in explaining his throuple — the idea that a person engaging in a triad relationship doesn't date anyone aside from the other two people in the relationship. 

Vaugh appeared on an episode of Nicole Byer's podcast "Why Won't You Date Me?" earlier this year where he spoke about a long-distance open relationship he was in. Vaugn said jealousy wasn't an issue for him. 

"Jealousy is a feeling that something you believe is yours is going to be taken from you," Vaughn said. "Jealousy makes your partner an object."

DeRay Davis has been dating more than two people at a time since he was 12-years-old.

DeRay Davis, a comedian and actor known for his appearances in "21 Jumpstreet" and "Empire," publicly displayed his "three-lationship" with his two girlfriends at the time when his Oxygen show "Living with Funny" premiered in 2016.  

Davis went on "The Real" in 2017 to discuss his polyamorous lifestyle further. After being asked how his girlfriends felt about the nature of the relationship, Davis said "They're very comfortable, because I'm very open. I don't make it where it's all, 'Oooh, look what I'm doing!' I'm not a player."

The comedian opened up earlier this year about being poly for basically his entire dating life when he appeared on Nicole Byer's podcast,"Why Won't You Date Me?," stating he has had multiple girlfriends at a time since he was 12-years-old. 

Davis explained that the process of meeting his multiple partners is "more of an organic thing," rather than an intentional search for multiple partners. 

"I brought it upon myself to say 'Hey, this is what my life is like. This is what I need,'" Davis told Byer of his approach to polyamory.

Aubrey Marcus, New York Times bestselling author and CEO of ONNIT, has been in an open relationship with his fiance since 2013 and gives advice on ethical non-monogamy on his website.

Engaging in non-monogamous relationships can teach people about themselves in addition to providing the freedom to explore dating others. 

Lifestyle influencer, CEO, and author Aubrey Marcus speaks publicly about what he's learned from his open relationship with his fiance, Whitney Miller. Marcus provides advice and tips on the complicated parts of non-monogamy like communication and dealing with jealousy. 

"I'm still learning every single day, things that are not trivial … This way is a way to teach me deep deep lessons about myself that I absolutely wouldn't have gotten another way,"Marcus said in a podcast conversation with Miller about what they've learned in their open relationship.

He still believes polyamory is not for everyone. 

"I am not an advocate for anyone being in an open relationship," Marcus wrote on his website. "It is a challenging way to learn about Love, learn about the self, and it is not for everyone. But the rewards have been immense for me. I just try to speak as honestly as I can about the subject and hopefully that helps some people out." 

• The impeachment hearings dominated the news cycle this week, as many of the major networks carried the testimonies of diplomats George Kent, Bill Taylor, and Marie Yovanovitch live.
• A person's understanding of the testimonies however is dependent on which station they watched the proceedings on Wednesday and Friday, as CNN and Fox News carried two different versions of the same event.
• On the conservative-friendly Fox News, Republican talking points were often posted on the screen.
• To see more stories, visit Business Insider's homepage. 

Millions tuned in on Wednesday and Friday to watch diplomats George Kent, Bill Taylor, and Marie Yovanovitch testify on President Donald Trump's interactions with Ukrainian leadership.

Their stories were so compelling that the major news networks decided to run the testimonies live, without breaks, for hours.

But that does not mean viewers of CNN were treated to the same experience as those that watched Fox News' version of the hearings. The conservative-friendly Fox News, which had the most viewers of any network according to Nielson, frequently seemed to use graphics, among other programming decisions, in a manner that was friendly to Trump.

While Fox News hosts like Brett Baier made waves for talking about the seriousness of the allegations from the diplomats, the channel's opinion hosts derided the events, attacking the witnesses' character and even their water-drinking habits. 

Below are examples of how CNN and Fox produced radically different coverage of the same events. 

Fox presents Republican talking points as fact

It's common for networks to run biographical information about people who are not well-known to the general public. Obscure Foreign Service officers are not usually on TV for hours on end, but diplomats like George Kent, Bill Taylor, and Marie Yovanovitch were subpoenaed by Congress to testify about President Donald Trump's actions in Ukraine. 

Fox included the biographies of the three diplomats, but also included some Republican talking points that could easily be viewed as stone-cold facts by an unknowing viewer.

The audience quickly learned that Taylor, for instance, had been attacked by Trump previously, and that the GOP had already criticized his knowledge of the situation. 

Fox also put up background information about California Democrat Adam Schiff, who is leading the impeachment hearing, which Politifact has already partially debunked. 

CNN stuck to general facts and recent testimony for its on-screen graphics about the witnesses. 

Fox's quick commercial break

Media Matters editor Parker Molloy quickly noted on Wednesday what would be the start of drastically different coverage options of the two hearings with this tweet:

The networks showing the hearings — it was played on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and others — hardly ever took a commercial break, saving ads for pauses in the hearings. Fox News, however, quickly cut to commercial right when Schiff began his questioning. 

Some Fox affiliates didn't even carry the hearing

In politics-crazed Washington D.C., everyone was tuned into the hearings, with even the local news channels running the testimonies. 

Except for one station that is. 

The national network carried the hearings, however, and the conservative news network covered it online as well, though not without controversy. The lead headline on the site's homepage Friday focused on Trump's tweet about Yovanovitch, not her testimony. 

Networks' big-name hosts have different takes

Fox News has often defended its conservative opinion shows by saying its straight news anchors are unbiased, and the testimonies did bear some of this out. Brett Baier, for instance, pulled no punches after one string of testimony. 

On CNN, the analysis roundtable format the network has gotten famous for included voices on both sides of the political spectrum.

But the most-watched and most famous hosts on Fox kept up their unwavering support of Trump. Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham all spent time attacking the witnesses during their shows this week. One that many online found funny was the focus Ingraham's show had on George Kent's water bottle.

• Ben Crudo is the CEO of Diff, a full-service agency that designs and builds ecommerce solutions for major retailers. Ben is passionate about demystifying ecommerce while using technology to enhance human experience and connection.
• A year ago, he decided to make a huge permanent change: swapping out his smartphone for a "dumb one." As the CEO of a growing tech company, he knew it was a risky move, but he thought it would ultimately help him in the long run.
• While he hasn't been able to go smartphone-free, he has found that you don't need to go completely cold turkey to curb a tech addiction. Instead, it's all about balance. 
• Now, he only uses his smartphone during working hours, and can only be reached by dumb phone on nights and weekends.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

About a year ago, I made a huge change. After spending my honeymoon in the backwoods of New Zealand — out of WiFi and cell range — I realized, for the first time, just how addicted I was to the supercomputer in my pocket. When I got back, I traded in my smartphone for a "dumb" one, with the intention of making a permanent switch. 

It was a risky move considering I'm the CEO of a growing tech company. Still, I figured being more present in the world would benefit both my home and work life. I went into this experiment with gusto, and at first, I found it liberating. Yes, there were some blips in the road — like getting lost without my GPS and constantly worrying I'd miss important work emails — but I learned to adapt and was confident I'd seen the last of my smartphone.  

I wish I could say that was true. Over the past year, I've encountered some real hurdles — mostly technological — that have kept me from going completely smartphone free. But it hasn't been a total loss. I've still managed to cut way back on my smartphone use by removing distractions like apps and setting firm boundaries around my communication patterns. In the process, I've learned that curbing a tech addiction isn't about cutting off access to technology but rather finding a healthy balance with it. And it's even helped me become a better CEO.

SEE ALSO: I'm the CEO of a tech company and I permanently gave up my smartphone after my honeymoon 6 months ago. Here's why I haven't looked back

It turns out, dumb phones are way too dumb

When I started this experiment, I was mostly concerned that my own inability to break my habits would be my downfall. Truthfully, there was some withdrawal at first, but I soon learned to adapt. Without a smartphone, I carried around a notebook and pen, I got a GPS for my bike, and I brought a book on the subway to occupy my time. But there were still things I needed a phone to do — make calls, send texts, and offer WiFi hotspot capability. Finding a device to reliably perform these simple tasks was, by far, the biggest challenge. 

While dumb phone sales are on the rise as more people seek to disconnect, I found the technology behind them to be seriously lacking. I scoured the internet for one that met my needs, but each new phone I bought proved to be more disappointing than the last. The first would repeatedly drop calls. The second refused to ring when there was an incoming call, and my latest — praised as being the best in the business for breaking a smartphone addiction — has an insufficient battery life and won't upload all of my contacts. Oh, and every time I try and sift through the phone it freezes, to the point where even making a quick call is a complicated, multistep process. I even resorted to coding my own hacks to try to improve these devices, to no avail.  

The reality is, my business has been growing at a major clip. We've doubled in size over the last few years and I now run a team of over 100 employees. I just can't risk missing out on crucial communications. Sadly, I had to go back to using a smartphone, although I noticed that after my hiatus I used it in a totally different way. 

Rather than allowing my phone to hijack my attention span and lure me down rabbit holes, I've limited its capabilities. There are no apps, no browsers, and all notifications are disabled — nothing buzzes, pings, or rings unless I allow it to. I use it during working hours only, and most of the time it's buried in my backpack so it's hard to reach. Putting these boundaries in place has helped me prioritize communication that matters — which has been essential as my company has grown. 

Limited contact equals better leadership

Without all the bells and whistles of a fully-loaded smartphone, I've been able to be extremely intentional with my time. Instead of answering emails and slack messages as they come in, I have designated times throughout the day when I check my email, and people have learned how to get in touch with me (a phone call if something is urgent, and an email if it can wait). This leaves me with uninterrupted blocks to focus on the big picture: how my company is evolving and how to communicate that to my clients and my team. You'd think pulling back on constant communication during this critical growth phase might have been a hindrance, but I've actually found it was necessary to help me develop as a leader. 

Dumbing down my smartphone let me engage more fully in meetings and have more conversations with people face to face. It gave me a better read on my team, which is particularly important given how quickly we've grown. I've even started to notice a trickle-down effect, with some of my employees making a conscious effort to cut back on their smartphone use as well. 

I should note though — while it's cool to see other people being more conscious of their phone use, I'm not out to inspire copycats. If I've learned anything this year, it's that forming a healthier relationship with technology is a highly personal thing. 

Finding balance through trial and error

Even though I've gone back to my smartphone, I've still achieved a lot of the goals I set one year ago. I'm much less susceptible to the distractions of technology, and I see my smartphone as a tool, not a toy. Imperfect as it may be, I still use a "dumb" phone on nights and weekends, which allows me to be much more present with my family and friends — and I've (mostly) gotten over the urge to zombie scroll to avoid boredom or awkward social situations. 

Most importantly, though, I've realized breaking your smartphone addiction isn't all or nothing. You don't have to sign up for a digital detox or go cold turkey like I did. Even simple actions, like leaving your phone in your backpack during the work day or turning it off during dinner, can be a catalyst for positive change. If that works, getting a dumb phone and using it on the weekends is an easy next step. 

The important thing is to find a balance that's right for you. So try it out. You might be surprised at just how easy it is — and how good it feels — to put some distance between you and your smartphone.

• I recently flew Alitalia from New York's JFK Airport to Rome in business class after I scored an incredible deal, and managed to stack two different discounts on the flight.
• I was impressed by the onboard food and drinks, and the comfort of the cabin on the Boeing 777-200 — the airline has a fun Italian flair that lends itself to a great experience.
• There were a few minor flaws, like a poor in-flight entertainment system, but I would absolutely choose the airline's business class again, if I get the chance.
• Sign up for Business Insider's transportation newsletter, Shifting Gears, to get more stories like this in your inbox.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Business class is obviously the ideal way to fly, but for most of us, it's completely unaffordable.

However, sometimes, you'll get lucky and manage to snag a great deal that makes a flight only a little more expensive than coach (or you can get a seat for free or cheap by using frequent flyer miles).

By using Google flights and searching multiple dates, nearby airports, or routes, you might be able to stumble on a deal. There are also a handful of blogs and services that highlight the best premium cabin sales, including a new Premium Plus subscription service from Dollar Flight Club.

I went to Europe for vacation this fall, and started in Germany. When I was looking for flights, I serendipitously learned about an unannounced sale on Delta and its partners that brought business class tickets between New York and Berlin below $1,900.

Plus, because I have an Amex Platinum credit card, I could save a few hundred more by booking through Amex's International Airline Program, a benefit that offers discounts on premium tickets with certain airlines.

While that was still more than I would normally spend, I decided to go for it because of one other benefit: I was close to requalifying for my frequent flyer status with Delta, and by flying in business class, I'd earn 50% more qualifying miles on the flight. The value I'll get from the status benefits made it worth spending a bit more up front for this flight.

I booked my outbound flight on Italian airline Alitalia. Although the airline has been on the brink of bankruptcy for a long time, and is still in a tenuous financial situation, I'd heard good things about the on-board experience in both business class and economy.

My flight from New York left at around 5:00 p.m., and I'm happy to say that the experience lived up to the airline's reputation.

Keep on reading to see what it was like.

SEE ALSO: I flew in Delta's extra-legroom seats to Iceland, and the flight was fine, but the extra space comes with a catch

Alitalia flies from Terminal 1 at JFK, which often feels like a "catch-all" terminal.

I got to the airport super early, as Terminal 1 can have horrific lines at security (I've been burned before). While it wasn't terrible on this particular day, it was still worse than I'm used to elsewhere.

Alitalia had a particularly long line, but since I was in business class, I was able to check in at the priority counter.

I also got to use the priority security line. However, Alitalia doesn't participate in TSA PreCheck, so I wasn't able to keep my shoes on and my bags packed.

As soon as I was through security, I went to Alitalia's lounge. It was a little tricky to find, since most of the signage is blocked by seats.

The lounge isn't the flashiest, but it's a comfortable enough space with lounge seating like couches and chairs ...

... And restaurant-style table seating.

Off to one side, there's a snack bar with a handful of packaged goods ...

... A machine that produces watery coffee ...

A self-service bar ...

... An empty heating tray ...

... And a refrigerator with juice, water, and soda. There was also Budweiser — I would have expected an Italian beer like Peroni, but who knows.

There was another refrigerator with pre-made sandwiches.

A little while before boarding, they also brought out "pizza" for the bar.

I'm a bit surprised an Italian airline lounge was willing to call this "pizza." It was really just a bland bread with bland sauce and rubbery cheese. Fortunately, the food experience was about to get way better.

Boarding was announced in the lounge, so I went over to the nearby gate. It was a bit of a mob scene, but somehow still quick.

Here's my home for the flight to Rome: 5L, a lay-flat seat that turns into a flat bed.

The business-class cabin has a 1-2-1 layout, which means each seat has direct access to the aisle.

Each of the business-class seats has a small side table, so the rows are staggered. That means that some seats, like mine, have the the table between the seat and the aisle, making it feel more private when you go to sleep (more about that later) ...

... And others — like the seat in front of me — are directly against the aisle and have the table on the inside, in this case, against the window. On some planes, those seats can feel a lot less private and make sleeping a bit harder.

Each seat had an in-flight entertainment screen above an ottoman.

The tray table swiveled and folded up, staying unobtrusively out of the way when you don't need it.

There was an armrest to my left, next to the side table, with a small storage space underneath. It was perfect for a water bottle and headphones.

On top of that table, there was an adjustable reading lamp and a pocket with a few magazines.

There was an ottoman in front of the seat, which served as the end of the bed once a passenger lays the seat flat. There was a shrink-wrapped pillow and comforter on the ottoman.

Underneath that, there was a small cubby for shoes.

There was also a nifty coat hook. Sometimes in business class, flight attendants can put your coat in a closet up front, but honestly this was more convenient.

Overall, a really comfortable setup. Sadly, though, there weren't individual air nozzles. On the plus side, the cabin was kept nice and cool.

A few minutes after I sat down, a flight attendant came by and offered me a glass of Prosecco or orange juice. I sat back and enjoyed it while passengers finished boarding.

A few minutes later, the flight attendant brought over a wine list and a dinner menu ...

... And a plastic-wrapped business class amenity kit.

It had all of the essentials, like an eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste, lip balm, and ear plugs.

I flipped through the wine list ...

... And then the full menu, which included snacks, cocktails, breakfast ...

... And dinner. The flight attendant came by to take our dinner orders before we took off — I also asked for a pre-dinner aperol spritz, because "when in Rome." He asked if I wanted to be awakened for breakfast before landing — I said no.

Pretty soon, we watched the safety video, pushed back from the gate, taxied to the runway ...

... And about 15 minutes later, we took off.

My in-flight entertainment screen was only showing static, and the remote wasn't doing anything. It started working about 15 minutes later.

A few minutes after takeoff, the flight attendants came through the cabin with hot towels.

Right after that, he brought my aperol spritz with a dish of warm mixed nuts.

I'm pretty sure I was the only one on the plane to order a cocktail ... but I don't even care, it was delicious. Trendy drinks on a plane, what's not to love?

As I was sipping on spritz, my entertainment screen started working.

It was pretty outdated and clunky, and the selection wasn't great. I ended up watching something on my iPad instead.

It's worth noting that there were noise cancelling headphones provided, although, since I was using my own tablet, I used my own headphones.

About 40 minutes into the flight, my table was prepared, and my appetizer came out. I had initially asked for the potato flan appetizer, but apparently they had all been ordered already. I guess it was a popular choice for the front few rows.

I got the bresaola roll with goat cheese instead, and I was actually happy that they didn't have my first choice. It was phenomenal.

For the pasta course (remember: Italian airline) I had the basic, but perfect, pasta with tomato sauce and cheese.

For my main, I had the beef fillet with mushrooms. Since the menu listed suggested wine pairings, I was also enjoying a delicious red.

Beef can be a challenge to do in the air, but Alitalia pulled it off. It was maybe a bit more done than I'd prefer, but — despite the lighting here, which doesn't show it well — there was still some pink in the middle, and it was tender and tasty.

For dessert, I went with the cheese plate, because who doesn't love eating a ton of salt during a flight?

I was thoroughly impressed by the dinner on Alitalia. The only blemish was that the roll came with "fresh buttery taste spread" instead of ... butter. That's a tiny, nit-picking little fault, though.

After the flight attendants' last pass through the cabin with refills of water and wine, the lights went down and it was time for bed.

My seat lowered into bed mode with the push of a button. It was only 7 p.m. in New York, but I got into bed, watched another movie, and eventually managed to fall asleep.

I slept for a few hours, though it was such an early flight that I never fully fell asleep. I woke up once or twice during turbulence, and then woke up on my own as the flight attendants were serving breakfast.

We were about 90 minutes from Rome, so I asked for breakfast. I had a couple of pastries, a fruit salad, and, most importantly ...

... Coffee.

We landed at 6:15 a.m. Rome time, about 35 minutes ahead of schedule.

And with that, I headed to a nearby lounge to wait for my connecting flight.

I was thoroughly impressed by Alitalia's business class.

Premium cabins are important for airlines' bottom lines. You can score the tickets for relatively little during flash sales or by using miles, but most of the seats are sold to business travelers and high-earning leisure travelers for full price, offering airlines dramatically higher margins than coach seats.

It's important for airlines to get the business-class experience right (and first-class, if they offer it), to attract clients.

Alitalia was a fun, great experience. The food on board was fantastic, and the airline felt representative of its home market, rather than being fairly generic. And, most importantly, the seat and bed were comfortable.

The food in the lounge was sub-par, but I really didn't mind as I saved room for dinner onboard.

I would also caution anyone flying the airline to bring their own entertainment, as I found the inflight system clunky, and it had a relatively poor selection.

Despite those small issues, and its extensive financial difficulties, I felt the airline did a good job, and I wouldn't hesitate to fly it again.

• In an interview with the New York Times, Tom Hanks discussed his antique typewriter collection, which used to number somewhere in the hundreds. It has now "dwindled" to around 120.
• He's not the only celebrity collector.
• Ben Stiller has spent thousands of dollars on "Star Trek" props, while Rod Stewart is a devoted model train enthusiast.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sometimes celebrities really are just like us — they get obsessed with random things and become dedicated to collecting them. The only difference? They have thousands of dollars to spend on building their collections.

Tom Hanks, for instance, revealed that he's been building his typewriter collection since he was 19 — although it's beginning to shrink because he's been giving them away. He's not the only one who has started to offload their prized possessions. Leonardo DiCaprio has also auctioned off some of his action figures (hundreds of them).

Keep scrolling to learn more about celebrities and their sometimes bizarre collectibles.

Tom Hanks has over 100 typewriters.

According to an interview with the New York Times, at one point, Hanks had "hundreds" of antique typewriters, though his collection is currently down to 120.

He started collecting them when he was just 19 years old. "I'm soothed by having it. I'm soothed by knowing that I can take it anywhere with me,"Hanks said of his typewriter collection.

In classic Lara Croft fashion, Angelina Jolie collects daggers.

In 2008, Jolie told W Magazine that her mom took her to buy her first daggers when she was 11 or 12 years old, and she even passed down her love of knives to her kids. Jolie also said that she and then-partner Brad Pitt had "already bought Maddox some things," though she did make sure to note all the daggers Maddox had were dulled.

Quentin Tarantino has a sizable board game collection.

A 1994 Rolling Stone profile called the director's hoard of TV and movie-themed board games "one of the world's most impressive collections." Rolling Stone cites some of Tarantino's favorites as "The Dukes of Hazzard,""Dawn of the Dead," and "Universe" games.

Demi Moore recently insured her vintage doll collection for millions of dollars, according to Radar.

In a September 2019 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Moore revealed she collects dolls "by the roomful," and that her hobby started after her 2000 divorce from Bruce Willis.

Radar reported in April 2019 that, according to an insider, Moore had insured her collection for $2 million, and that it "consists of thousands of playthings."

Mike Tyson is particularly fond of X-Men action figures.

Tyson's love of comic books is well-documented. In his autobiography, "Undisputed Truth,"Tyson cops to quoting one of his favorite characters, Apocalypse, in an interview. "I was just a big kid, quoting a comic book," he wrote.

In a 1996 episode of "Inside Edition," Tyson can be spotted showing off his respectably sized collection of X-Men action figures on his coffee table.

Rock star Rod Stewart is a model train enthusiast — and he just unveiled a set that took him 23 years to build.

The "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" singer even books a second hotel room when he travels so he can bring his model train collection along. He also has a permanent set at his house, which as of November 2019, takes up the entire third floor of his home. It is modeled after Manhattan.

"For me it's addictive. I started, so I just had to finish. I'm lucky I had the room. If I'd have [realized] at the start it would have taken so long, I'd have probably said, 'No! No! Nah!'" he told Railway Modeller.

Leonardo DiCaprio has auctioned off parts of his extensive collection of action figures and toys.

At one point, DiCaprio had in his possession "over 150 'Star Wars' figures, including the legendary Vinyl Cape Jawa,""over 200 superhero figures, featuring a 'complete set of Mego superhero figures,'" and "approximately 200 robots and space toys,"according to Celebrity Inventory.

Jerry Seinfeld is partial towards Superman memorabilia.

The comedian's car collection is well-known, as he has an entire series dedicated to it, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee." But in a Reddit AMA, Seinfeld revealed that he also has some notable items of Superman memorabilia, including " a few old Supermans with the Curt Swan art from the '60s," and "a really nice model of Kal-El being loaded into the rocket and then another model of the rocket landing in from of Ma and Pa Kent."

Martin Scorsese has been amassing vintage movie posters for five decades.

Scorcese's poster collection is so extensive that it warranted an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 2015. The exhibition featured 34 posters and was "centered around a rare, billboard-size poster for the 1951 film 'The Tales of Hoffmann.'"

"For me, and anyone who grew up before a certain time — sometime in the 1980s I'd say — posters were a key part of the movie-going experience,"Scorsese wrote in the introduction to the coffee table book, "Starstruck: Vintage Movie Posters from Classic Hollywood."

Ben Stiller has a few iconic props from "Star Trek," making him the envy of Trekkies everywhere.

Not only did Stiller name his production company"Red Hour" as a reference to an episode of the original '60s "Star Trek" series, he's also revealed that he owns two pairs of Spock ears that Leonard Nimoy himself has signed. He also spent a reported $27,500 on the only known surviving Gorn head (an alien from the iconic episode "Arena").

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• Night Shift Brewing co-founders Rob Burns, Mike O'Mara, and Michael Oxton started brewing 3-barrel batches of unique craft recipes in their apartment kitchen in Somerville, Massachusetts, near Boston.
• In late 2014, they opened their current brewhouse in the nearby town of Everett and production jumped 7x almost overnight. Brewing capacity is up to 120-barrels between their own 20-barrel brewhouse and a 100-barrel contract facility.
• The beer was initially distributed using one of the founders' Subaru Outback, and in 2016 they launched Night Shift Distributing to disrupt Massachusetts' anti-competitive alcohol wholesale regulations.
• Business Insider spoke with co-founder and president Rob Burns about the strategies his team used to grow the brand into a local favorite, and BI visited the brewhouse to see where it all happens.
• Visit BI Prime for more stories.

SEE ALSO: 16 craft breweries that are shaping the American beer landscape — and boosting their local economies along the way

SEE ALSO: A millennial craft brewer pioneering a boom in nonalcoholic beer shares 7 marketing strategies he says drove production from 1,000 to 15,000 barrels in one year

Cofounders Burns, O'Mara, and Oxton used this 3-barrel steel vessel to brew their first batches of beer in their apartment in Somerville

Night Shift Brewing was founded as a company in 2012, and now offers a rotating selection of roughly 100 unique craft beers through their distribution company, taprooms, and pop-up beer gardens in the greater Boston area.

In 2012 they started the company and moved production to Everett, a small city near Boston

The Boston Globe named Everett one of the top-10 communities in the area, just one year after calling it an unlikely location for a brewery.

In just 2 years they were out of space and had to move again. When they opened their current 20-barrel location, production jumped 7X.

The founders own 80% of the company and the remainder is owned by friends and family who helped get the business started. Burns says his relatives regret not taking a bigger stake: "They were like, 'I wish I put in 10-times what I gave you … You didn't ask for my money hard enough!'"

The new space enabled them to experiment with other aging techniques, such as these old bourbon barrels…

Oak wood imparts a distinctive character to barrel-aged beer.

…and these former wine Foudre vats from Napa Valley, California

The massive containers hold vastly more than a traditional barrel for aging brews.

The warehouse was formerly a dance and gymnastics center

The adjacent warehouse was a cheese-packing plant with a massive refrigerator that Night Shift uses to store finished beer and perishable ingredients like yeast, hops, and raspberry puree.

And the space has given the company room to expand with state-of-the art BrauKon brewing equipment from Germany

One recipe that a Night Shift employee developed called for a sequence that went against some conventional rules of German brewing. The brewers had to convince the equipment company to reprogram the machine in order to complete the process.

Whatever you do, don't push the green button

The new equipment allows brewers to run and monitor almost the entire process from a smartphone.

The Everett facility is also home to the Night Shift tasting room, where beer-lovers can try the latest offerings on tap

Night Shift also hosts seasonal beer gardens in popular outdoor locations around Boston. Earlier this year the company opened a second taproom in the Seaport district of Boston.

Night Shift's distinctive owl logo began popping up in bars and instagram feeds around Boston and helped build powerful brand recognition

In addition to the beer gardens, Night Shift built a following with social activities like fun runs, yoga, and a paws-and-pints charity event for animal lovers.

The Owl was quickly associated with mainstay brews and experimental concepts

Whirlpool Pale Ale is Burns' personal favorite, while smaller batches have a following he describes as "culty."

"Fluffy is a super saturated New England style IPA, and we do a pretty popular imperial barrel-aged style called Darkling," Burns said. "We've also done a ton of weird beers that also have like their own niche subgroups."

Viva Habanera, flavored with agave nectar and hot peppers, is "for people who go who collect hot sauces," he added.

And the labels are more than just decorative, they help the brewers make better beer

Cans of the company's "Beers in Development" series now feature QR codes that link to detailed information about the brew and an option to rate it and give feedback.

For a few years, the company offered a Barrel Society program where members could receive the latest creations for a one-time subscription

The program started with 200 subscribers who got special perks like t-shirts and glassware, and the $250 payments up front gave Night Shift much-needed cashflow in those early days of growth. But the program got too popular to continue. "When it got to 2000 people it was so hard for us to manage," Burns said. "It kind of crumbled under its own weight."

The growth of Night Shift Brewing was supported through another, far less visible, business channel: Night Shift Distributing

Night Shift was self-distributed in the early days using a Subaru Outback station wagon. Now they have a fleet of trucks to get their beer to stores and restaurants around New England.

The co-founders were frustrated by Massachusetts' anti-competitive alcohol wholesale regulations, so they launched their own distribution company in 2016

State laws that were enacted back in the 1970s force manufacturers into a permanent relationship with a distributor. Jim Koch, brewer of Sam Adams, has said, "It's easier to get out of a bad marriage than a bad wholesaler relationship."

Night Shift is now the distributor for a wide array of craft beer, liquor, and wine brands that wanted an alternative to the status quo

The laws are still the same, but the company has pledged to release manufacturers without forcing them to meet the extremely high bar that is normally required to end a relationship. One such brewer is Athletic Brewing Co., which was previously profiled by BI.

For the morning crowd, the company recently began sourcing, roasting, and serving coffee at their tasting rooms

A recent event paired Night Shift Coffee with another Boston-area small business. Pouring a shot of espresso over a scoop of Beckon ice cream makes a lactose-free affogato.

Further expansion is in the works, with a new facility planned in Burns and O'Mara's hometown of Philadelphia.

The new space will give Night Shift an additional 130,000 square feet of production space, positioned closer to more of the US market. "It's a kind of a homecoming," Burns said.

It's possible that the company could grow even faster, but the founders say they are most interested in taking the time to do it right.

"We've done a number of things through the years to help create a tribal community around Night Shift," Burns said. "We're definitely not marketing masterminds, but I think it's just about being genuine, honest, and transparent."

• Mina Chang, a 35-year-old State Department official, prompted a flurry of interest over her credentials this week after she was alleged to have embellished her work history and educational experience.
• In a statement from her previous nonprofit group, executive director Ian Dailey characterized the news reports as a "classic 'hit-job'" and said he was "disgusted with the unwarranted attack" against Chang.
• Here's what we know about Chang, who joined the Trump administration in April.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Mina Chang, a 35-year-old State Department official, prompted a flurry of interest over her credentials this week after she was alleged to have embellished her work history and educational experience.

At first glance, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary to the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations appears to have received extensive training and education from prestigious institutions, but a closer look reveals she may have misrepresented her background.

In a statement from her previous nonprofit group, executive director Ian Dailey characterized the news reports as a "classic 'hit-job'" and said he was "disgusted with the unwarranted attack" against Chang.

"Shame on you every outlet [sic] that picked up this story without doing your own research and merely surmised the onerous positions of the original," Dailey wrote, in reference to NBC News's original report. "You wonder why the media isn't trusted? … it's this, right here."

Here's what we know about Chang:

SEE ALSO: Trump official with dubious résumé appears to have even skipped a 6-day leadership seminar

Chang worked as the CEO of a nonprofit group.

Chang was the CEO of nonprofit group Linking the World for nine years.

"We create broad awareness of America's unique role in the world," the group says on its website. "By first helping others recognize why a stable and strong America is vital for global security, we will be able to make the case for a proactive national security, defense policy, and foreign policy rather than the more traditional reactive approaches of the past."

Linking the World advocated for the use of drones in international humanitarian responses, including disaster relief.

"Applying insights gleaned from a broad range of civilian and military data sets, data analytics, social science and geo-spatial intelligence capabilities to identify and assist vulnerable communities, the organization worked to isolate root causes of instability, and direct development initiatives to remove exploitation points used by violent extremist groups," the website adds.

According to the nonprofit group, $10,000 was spent for overseas work in 2015. The group claims that the low spending is indicative of a highly efficient model of "minimal US staff and no local offices or employees." 

In 2019, the group was notified by the IRS of a "potential issue" relating to its previous tax filings. The group stopped taking donations while it works to resolve the problem, according to Ian Dailey, the executive director.

Chang was an aspiring musical artist.

In 2014, Chang told The Dallas Observer that she previously had a career in music and recorded albums in Korean and English. The 2010 earthquake in Haiti is what she cites as the reason for her career shift.

"I took a huge chance stepping away from something I thought was safe and such a huge opportunity, but I knew this is where my heart is," she said to The Dallas Observer at the time.

Her works, including a rendition of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," can be found on YouTube.

"My work has given me such a perspective and it's taught me to walk through a period of my life," Chang reportedly added. "When you're in the field you're stripped of who you are. You're just existing together in that moment. It's not about your clothes, or your image, it's about what you're giving. This year is just one season on my journey."

Chang traveled the world for the nonprofit work.

Chang claims to have traveled the world for her nonprofit work. Her destinations included Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Nigeria, and the Philippines, where she frequently uploaded photos and videos of her travels.

At least one member of the media scrutinized her work during her trips.

"I spent two days in Mogadishu at the same hotel as her in 2016," Kevin Sieff, a Washington Post bureau chief, said on Twitter. "A truly bizarre experience."

"There were photo shoots in front of the city's ruins and vlogs back at the hotel," Sieff added.
"She talked a lot about 'stability operations,' but mostly seemed confused. I remember thinking it was one of the more misguided humanitarian missions I'd seen."

Chang joins the US State Department.

Chang, who joined the Trump administration in April, was nominated to manage the US Agency for International Development in Asia and its $1 billion budget. According to her former nonprofit organization, she formally withdrew her nomination, despite NBC News's reporting that Congress pulled it.

"Simply, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has been rather busy with other activities and all nominees were subject to extensive delays," the nonprofit group said. "Mina loves her position at State and decided to withdraw herself from the process to focus on stabilization operations."

The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Chang educational experience is under scrutiny.

Chang's biography has come under intense scrutiny following an NBC News investigation.

Her information from the State Department mentions she is an "alumna" of Harvard Business School. In 2016, Chang attended a seven-week course at the college, but did not obtain a higher-education degree from the university, according to NBC News.

Chang's nonprofit group says she had "correctly stated that she is an alumnus of the school," given that she completed the $82,000 course.

In addition to her claim of being an alumnus of Harvard, Chang mentions she had graduated from other prestigious institutions after attending seminars, including the Army War College.

It is unclear whether Chang has obtained an Associate or Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.

According to her educational history on LinkedIn, Chang writes that she took part in a six-day "Executive Nonprofit Leadership" program at Southern Methodist University in Texas.

Business Insider discovered that Chang's enrollment information is absent. Her basic information was found in the school's database, but it never received payment or course records on Chang, according to a course official.

"I wouldn't understand why somebody would lie about the program," a course employee said, adding that the course is beneficial for those who are interested in the nonprofit sector.

According to her now-private LinkedIn profile, she also attended the University of Nations with a focus on "Development" and "Aid Practices."

The University of Nations, which describes itself as an international, Christian learning center founded on biblical principles, claims to have chosen not to apply for accreditation due to "major differences" in national accrediting agencies.

Chang appeared on a fabricated TIME magazine cover.

Chang appeared on a fake TIME magazine cover, which a magazine spokesperson confirmed to be "not authentic," according to NBC News.

Asked about the origins of the magazine cover in 2017, Chang told an interviewer her focus on drone work and disaster response "brought some attention to that." 

In the video interview, the interviewer suggests that Chang brought the cover with her to the interview.

Chang's former nonprofit group said she did not create or commission the work, and that an artist created it after a request from a personal friend. The group added that Chang was surprised by the magazine cover during the interview, which was purportedly reflected by her broad response.

"In retrospect, she should have clarified the origins of the cover in that moment, instead, she answered the question she was posed, more broadly," Ian Dailey, the executive director for "Linking the World" said in a statement. "We have never inferred this was a real magazine cover, nor that we were the creator of it."

Chang claims she has roots in the military.

Chang claims to have "come from a Marine family" in her now-hidden personal blog posts. 

In a blog post titled "Symbols of a Shared Flight" Chang uploaded pictures of a Marine Corps Recon paddle, a ceremonial item, which was purportedly given to her by a special operations trainer.

"I do not deserve this and am verecund to be given something reserved only for the heroes I look up to," Chang wrote in the May blog post. "Though we have the privilege of working alongside our military partners in conflict zones, we as a support community have a big needle to move before we can feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in contributing to our national security efforts."

"I love our country deeply. It stems from the gratitude for all the opportunities our country has given to me and my family, and to so many all over the world," Chang added. "I'm grateful ... just grateful for the opportunities to continue to serve. I will work to deserve this."

According to a Dallas Observer report in 2014, Chang said her parents worked as Salvation Army officers.