• Bill Gates, the world's richest man, just shared a list of five books that he recommends others read this holiday season.
• Gates' picks span multiple genres from fiction to history to parenting.
• The list includes the newest dispatch from one of Gates' favorite authors and a recommendation from his daughter Jenn.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The richest man on Earth read a bit more fiction than he usually does in 2019, but there is only one novel he recommends that you pick up this holiday season. 

Bill Gates just shared a list of five of the best books he read in 2019, that he thinks everyone else should read before the year draws to a close. Gates' picks span multiple genres from fiction to history to parenting. The list also includes the newest dispatch from one of Gates' favorite authors, two books from Oprah's book club, and a recommendation from his daughter Jenn.

Keep reading to learn more about Gates' winter reading list.

SEE ALSO: Bill Gates isn't interested in space exploration and doesn't like Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax: Here are 5 highlights from the billionaire's DealBook interview

DON'T MISS: Bill Gates is once again the richest person in the world. Here's how he spends his $110 billion fortune, from a luxury-car collection to incredible real estate.

1. An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones

Gates read An American Marriage on the recommendation of his oldest daughter Jennifer, he wrote.

"Jones is such a good writer that she manages to make you empathize with both of her main characters, even after one makes a difficult decision," Gates wrote on his blog. "The subject matter is heavy but thought-provoking, and I got sucked into Roy and Celestial's tragic love story."

The novel, which tells the story of an African American man and his wife after he is convicted and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, was also chosen by Oprah for her book club in October 2018 and received praise from Barack Obama, according to its Amazon page.

2. These Truths: A History of the United States, by Jill Lepore

These Truths will teach even the most studious of historians something new about American history, according to Gates. The centi-billionaire praised Lepore for her use of "diverse perspectives" in her 800-page overview of the country's chronicle of the United States' rise.

These Truths is "the most honest and unflinching account of the American story I've ever read,"Gates wrote.

3. Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities, by Vaclav Smil

Gates called Smil one of his favorite authors and compared his excitement for the University of Manitoba professor's new releases to that some people feel for new Star Wars films. In his newest book, Smil explores society's obsession with growth through the lens of everything from microorganisms to cities.

"As always, I don't agree with everything Smil says, but he remains one of the best thinkers out there at documenting the past and seeing the big picture," the billionaire wrote on Gates Notes. 

4. Prepared, by Diane Tavenner

InPrepared, the founder of charter school network Summit Public Schools Diane Tavenner uses her vast experience as an educator to explain how to raise children who can succeed in life after high school.

Gates called the book "a helpful guidebook about how to make that process as smooth and fruitful as possible."

5. Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker

Gates calledWhy We Sleep "one of the most interesting and profound" books on human behavior he read in 2019. Walker, the director of UC Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science, explores both the physical purpose of sleep and how to improve your own shut-eye in the book, according to its synopsis on Amazon.

The book even persuaded Gates to change his nighttime routine, the billionaire wrote on Gates Notes.

• Read more about Gates' reading list suggestions:
• 26 books Bill Gates says you should read this summer
• What Bill Gates is reading now, from 3 standout non-fiction titles to 'every word' written by the late beloved novelist David Foster Wallace
• The 10 best books about technology, according to Bill Gates
• 24 must-read books that Bill Gates recommended in 2018

• Greta Thunberg was named Time magazine's 2019 Person of the Year for her climate activism that inspired millions of young people to protest and push for change.
• In past years, Time has chosen far more controversial people for the annual title, including Adolf Hitler.
• The magazine bases its choices on the person or thing that had the "the greatest impact on the news, for good or ill."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

In the past, Time magazine's choices for Person of the Year have often been controversial and, in some cases, have sparked widespread public outcry.

Many criticized the fact Donald Trump was picked as Time's Person of the Year in 2016, for example, after running an extraordinarily divisive presidential campaign and ultimately winning the US election. But those who did so seemed to misunderstand how Time comes to a decision and perhaps weren't aware of some of the more dubious people who received the title in the past.

Time bases its choices on the person or thing that had the "the greatest impact on the news, for good or ill."

Sometimes the most newsworthy person or thing might also be widely despised, so popularity is not necessarily a prerequisite in terms of Time's ultimate choice.

The choice to name 16-year-old Greta Thunberg as 2019's Person of the Year is less controversial than past choices, but still won't please everyone.

Here are some of the most incendiary picks Time has made since it first started naming a "Person of the Year" in 1927.

SEE ALSO: Greta Thunberg has been named Time's Person of the Year for 2019

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler, among the most infamous and reviled leaders in world history, was named Time Person of the Year in 1938.

"Hitler became in 1938 the greatest threatening force that the democratic, freedom-loving world faces today,"the magazine said in early 1939 as it explained the choice.

The Nazi leader's aggression in Europe in the late 1930s shocked the region and the wider world, which was still weary from World War I.

In 1938, European leaders sought to appease Hitler as he pushed the region toward another major conflict by allowing him to annex the Sudetenland, a region in what was then Czechoslovakia. Hitler had already annexed Austria earlier in the year.

The efforts to quell Hitler's imperialistic ambitions ultimately failed, and he launched World War II with Germany's invasion of Poland in September 1939.

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin was chosen as Time's Person of the Year in 1939 and 1942.

The Soviet leader is often pointed to as one of the most ruthless authoritarians in history.

Stalin was an influential figure of the era between his brutal, bloody rise to power in Russia as well as his central role in defeating the Nazis during World War II.

"The year 1942 was a year of blood and strength,"Time said of Stalin in early 1943. "The man whose name means steel in Russian, whose few words of English include the American expression 'tough guy' was the man of 1942. Only Joseph Stalin fully knew how close Russia stood to defeat in 1942, and only Joseph Stalin fully knew how he brought Russia through."

The latter half of 1942 and the early part of 1943 was a major turning point in the war due to the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. Many historians consider it to be the greatest battle of World War II, as it stopped the German advance on the Eastern front and changed the entire outlook of the war for the Allies.

Nikita Khrushchev

Nikita Krushchev became the leader of the Soviet Union with Stalin's death in 1953, and was named Time Person of the Year in 1957.

He led the Soviets during a crucial part of the Cold War, including amid the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

The US and the Soviets had been allies during World War II, but they quickly became adversaries as the globe's most powerful countries in the wake of the conflict.

In 1957, the US went into a panic after the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellites, marking the beginning of the space age and space race between the US and USSR.

As Time explained its choice of Khrushchev for Person of the Year in early 1958, it wrote, "The symbols of 1957 were two pale, clear streaks of light that slashed across the world's night skies... With the Sputniks, Russia took man into a new era of space, and with its advances in the art of missilery, posed the US with the most dramatic military threat it had ever faced."

Richard Nixon

Former US President Richard Nixon was named Time's Person of the Year in 1970 and 1971.

Nixon is undoubtedly among the most controversial presidents in US history at the time, due to the Watergate scandal, which led to his resignation in 1974 as he faced the prospect of impeachment. The cover-up and chaotic aftermath overshadowed any good he may have done as president.

When Time picked him as Person of the Year for 1971, it discussed Nixon's famous visit to communist China and effort to pull the US out of Vietnam. But in what was perhaps an unintentionally foreshadowing description, Time also referred to Nixon as "disconcertingly unpredictable."

Ayatollah Khomeini

Ayatollah Khomeini was Time's Person of the Year in 1979, one of the most tumultuous years of the 20th century.

Khomeini was the central figure in the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, which saw a pro-Western government ousted and involved the Iran Hostage Crisis at the US embassy in Tehran.

The politically active Shi'ite cleric had lived in exile for many years before a public uprising led the Shah of Iran, a US-backed monarch, to flee in early 1979. Khomeini returned shortly thereafter and spearheaded the establishment of a theocratic government based on Islamic law. He referred to the US as the "Great Satan" and dramatically altered the relationship between the two countries to this day.

In November 1979, Khomeini condoned Iranian students who seized the US embassy in Iran and took the staff hostage. The 52 American hostages were ultimately held in captivity for 444 days.

Writing on the decision to name Khomeini Person of the Year in early 1980, Time said, "The lean figure of Khomeini towered malignly over the globe. As the leader of Iran's revolution he gave the 20th-century world a frightening lesson in the shattering power of irrationality, of the ease with which terrorism can be adopted as government policy."

The magazine added, "Khomeini's importance far transcends the nightmare of the embassy seizure, transcends indeed the overthrow of the Shah of Iran. The revolution that he led to triumph threatens to upset the world balance of power more than any other political event since Hitler's conquest of Europe."

• On Wednesday, Disney CEO and Chairman Bob Iger was announced as TIME's Businessperson of The Year.
• Iger is known as one of the most influential and innovative business leaders in Hollywood.
• Starting in a lowly position at ABC, he has spent over 40 years working at what's now The Walt Disney Company and has been responsible for growing the company's profit revenue 335%, Business Insider previously reported. 
• Iger was also at the helm of the company during Disney's acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and most recently, 21st Century Fox. 
• Aside from building up Disney, Iger has also built up a sizeable net worth of $690 million, making him significantly richer than the current Disney heir, according to Forbes. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Bob Iger isn't called the "King of Hollywood" for nothing — and now, the "King" has been deemed TIME's Businessperson of the Year.

Since starting his entertainment career in 1974 as a studio supervisor at ABC, Iger has climbed through the show business ranks to become the CEO of one of the most powerful businesses in the world. Iger recounted this journey in his memoir "The Ride of a Lifetime," released in September, in which he chronicled how he went from making $150 a week doing "menial labor" on ABC shows, to earning over $60 million a year running The Walt Disney Company. 

Business Insider previously reported that since Iger became CEO in 2005, he has raised Disney's profits 335%. For all his work in entertainment it was announced Dec. 3 that Iger will be inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. But after 45 years in the entertainment industry, Disney isn't the only thing Iger has built up — he has also amassed a sizeable personal fortune. 

Forbes reported that Iger has a net worth of $690 million, which is thought to be higher than that of Abigail Disney; the Disney heiress said in July she's worth about $120 million. Iger, meanwhile, was compensated $65.6 million in 2018— which Forbes notes is 1,424 times what the average Disney employee makes.

The Walt Disney Company didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Here's what we know about Iger's life and rise, including how he made and now spends his multimillion fortune.

SEE ALSO: Acquisitions, global growth, and Baby Yoda: How CEO Bob Iger's leadership style turned Disney into a $260 billion colossus

DON'T MISS: Disney CEO Bob Iger steps down from Apple's board ahead of the launch of the tech company's new streaming service

Bob Iger is one of the most influential business leaders in the world. He has been the CEO of Disney since 2005 and has a net worth of $690 million, per Forbes' estimates.

Forbes reports that Iger's net worth is actually higher than the Abigail Disney's. The Disney heiress said in July that she's worth about $120 million.

On December 3, the Television Academy announced that Iger — along with Seth MacFarlane and Cicely Tyson, among several others — would be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The 25th Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place on January 28 at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

He was also announced as TIME's Businessperson of the Year

"In a year when the tide has shifted against Big Business, Big Media and Big Tech, Iger has transformed his enormous media company into a gargantuan media and tech business while ensuring that the Walt Disney Co.'s products remain widely beloved,"Belinda Luscombe wrote in TIME's profile of him."But for now, for just this moment, Iger is unassailable. He's transformed his company from a stuffy media doyen into a sexy cultural force."

Iger was born Robert Allen Iger in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the small town of Oceanside, New York.

"I am very lucky,"Iger told Laurene Powell Jobs at The Atlantic Festival in Washington in September."I was a lower middle class kid or middle class. My father had manic depression so he had trouble holding a job. I started as a $150-a-week employee at ABC 45 years ago and rose up to be CEO of this company. It is a great story, but it is not necessarily because I was extraordinary."

He attended Ithaca College where he graduated magna cum lade in 1973 with a degree in Television and Radio.

At Ithaca College, Iger hosted a campus television show called "Campus Probe." He graduated, originally wanting to be a news anchor, and briefly worked as a local weatherman in Ithaca, New York.

But he quickly realized that being a news anchor was not going to work out for him.

In 1974, Iger joined ABC, working in New York City. He wrote in his memoir "The Ride of a Lifetime" that he did "menial labor" for basically every show ABC produced out of Manhattan at the time.

Iger wrote in his book that he got his first job at ABC because of his uncle, who was in the hospital for eye surgery. His uncle was in the room next to someone who claimed to be a top executive at ABC, who said he would give the younger Iger a job.

Iger took the "top executive" up on his offer, though he quickly realized that the person was not a "top executive" but instead a lower-level one. Still, the person ran a small department at ABC known as Production Services and was able to secure Iger an interview with the department.

At age 23, Iger was brought on as a "studio supervisor."

But after a confrontation with his boss, Iger was fired and began looking for a new job. Soon after, he moved over to a position at ABC Sports.

Iger has said that one of his bosses accused Iger of spreading rumors about him, causing the young Iger to be fired.

"He called me in and accused me of spreading rumors about him,"Iger recalled at the UCLA Awards Gala in 2013, "when I knew the rumors happened to be based in fact. He told me I wasn't promotable and I had two weeks to find another job somewhere in the company or I was gone. Fortunately, I was able to find another job in the company. They didn't think I wasn't promotable, I guess."

He worked his way up the ABC Sports ladder, working closely with Roone Arledge, "a relentless perfectionist" who was the head of ABC Sports at the time.

Iger wrote in his book that Arledge was the one who taught him the mantra which would follow Iger for the rest of his life: "Innovate or die."

Iger went on to become the vice president of ABC Sports. ABC was later sold to Capital Cities Communications for $3.5 billion, in a deal finalized in 1986.

Source: The Ride of a Lifetime, The Los Angeles Times

Shortly after, Tom Murphy and Dan Burke — the heads of Capital Cities/ABC — tapped Iger to become the head of ABC Entertainment, and Iger moved to Los Angeles, California.

Iger wrote in his memoir that the constant traveling put strain on his first marriage, to Kathleen Susan. Eventually, the two divorced. They have two daughters.

While at the helm of ABC Entertainment, Iger was the one who took a chance and put David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" on air.

The critically-acclaimed series was cancelled after two seasons, but Iger wrote in his book that the risk he took putting it on television caught the attention of other famed directors such as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. 

Iger and Lucas then developed a show based on the Indiana Jones franchise, which was cancelled after two seasons. But, Iger wrote in his book, Lucas never forgot the risk Iger took on his show, and he remembered it years later when he decided to sell Lucasfilm to Disney.

In 1993, Iger became president of ABC Network's Television Group. When Burke retired, Iger was tapped to replace him as president and chief operating officer of Capital Cities/ABC.

Source: C-SPAN

In 1995, Iger married journalist Willow Bay who, at the time, was a stand-in weekend news anchor on Good Morning America, and was poised to take over for then-full time host Joan Lunden.

Iger and Bay became engaged in 1995. But after Disney agreed to buy Capital Cities/ABC that same year, Iger had quick decisions to make.

At that time, he wrote in his memoir, he had been commuting weekly to Los Angeles to meet his new Disney colleagues. He knew that after the acquisition was approved, he and Bay would not have much time to honeymoon. So, they quickly married later that same year.

"Willow and I also knew we'd have no chance for a honeymoon once the deal closed," he wrote. "We radically shortened our engagement and got married in early October 1995."

They are still married, living in Brentwood, California, and have two children together.

In 1996, The Walt Disney Company bought Capital Cities/ABC for $19 billion, and renamed it ABC, Inc.

Iger wrote in his memoir that he heavily considered walking away from Disney at this point. But as part of the Disney-ABC merger, Iger agreed to run a media division at Disney for five years.

In 1999, Iger became the president of Disney International, the business division overseeing Disney's global operations. A year later, he was tapped to become the chief operating officer of Disney, working directly under then-CEO Michael Eisner.

Forbes reported that between 1994 and 1999, Eisner made $631 million. In the year 1997 alone, Eisner reportedly made more than $550 million. Over the years, Eisner invested his Disney money and became a billionaire by 2008— perhaps predicting the financial path Iger is well on his way to following.

Source: Variety

In the early 2000s, tensions began to brew between Eisner and Roy E. Disney, the heir of Disney. After Eisner stepped down, Iger became the CEO of the Walt Disney Company in 2005.

Iger wrote in his book that, despite being the COO and thereby second in command behind Eisner, his promotion to CEO was not a guarantee. If anything, he wrote, many had associated him with the turbulence of Eisner's era and wanted an outsider for the job. Iger said he campaigned for months until he was officially named CEO in 2005. 

Forbes reported in 2019 that in his first year as CEO, Iger made $22 million, a salary which did not include the stock options worth $2.9 million.

One of Iger's first major moves as CEO was to rebuild Disney's relationship with Pixar. At the time, the relationship between Disney and Pixar was strained, and Iger felt the future of Disney Animation relied on repairing it.

Before he officially became the CEO of Disney, he called to let Steve Jobs — who was the majority shareholder in Pixar— know he was being appointed CEO and shared his hope they could discuss working together in the future. From there, the two began to slowly work on repairing the fraught relationship between the two companies. 

Iger wrote in his memoir that he felt Disney needed Pixar to help enter the future of animation. Pixar at the time was using technologies to produce content that had never been seen before, Iger wrote in his book.

Iger wanted Disney to be in on it — not just as a distributor for the films, as their previous agreement had stated, but to actually own what Pixar was bringing to the table.

Luckily, the two companies found a way to come together, and in 2006, Disney announced that it would acquire Pixar for $7.4 billion, making Jobs, the majority shareholder in Pixar at the time, the majority shareholder in Disney.

Iger wrote in his book that the two companies were able to come together after he reached out to Jobs to forge a friendship and address any issues between the two companies. 

Iger and Jobs would go on to have a long friendship until Jobs passed away in 2011. A month after Jobs died, Iger joined the Apple Board, where he remained until he stepped down in 2019 ahead of launching Disney+.

In 2009, Iger led Disney's acquisition of Marvel for $4 billion. This gave Disney access to the Marvel comic book library, which was the beginning of the now multibillion-dollar, box office record-breaking Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Iger wrote that part of the reason Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter was willing to sell the company was because Jobs called Perlmutter to "vouch for" Iger and praised how Iger had handled the Disney-Pixar merger.

Still looking to help Disney expand into the future, in 2012, Iger led Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion. This gave Disney control of not just the Star Wars franchise, but also the Indiana Jones franchise.

Iger said that he knew Lucas was nervous to sell Lucasfim to Disney— mostly because the "Star Wars" creator knew he would be selling his legacy along with it. But eventually, Lucas warmed up to the idea.

Lucas enlisted Kathleen Kennedy to lead Lucasfilm right before the company was sold to Disney. The first Star Wars film made without Lucas was released a few years later, in 2015 — "The Force Awakens,"directed by J.J Abrams.

The company's acquisition spree continued in 2018, when Disney agreed to buy 21st Century Fox. Fox at the time was owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch who, after the sale, became one of the largest shareholders in Disney.

Forbes reported in March that, if Murdoch were to cash in all stock available to him from the Disney deal, he owns about $10.5 billion worth of Disney stock. In addition, Variety reported that collectively, the Murdoch family members are now "the largest individual shareholders in Disney."

Iger wrote in his memoir that Murdoch selling the company he had built from scratch was an indicator that the "disruption" which was threatening the entertainment industry was now inevitable. 

"As [Rupert Murdoch] pondered the future of his company in such a disrupted world, he concluded the smartest thing to do was to sell and give his shareholders and his family a chance to convert its 21st Century Fox stock into Disney stock, believing we were better positioned to withstand the change and, combined, we'd be even stronger," Iger wrote in his book. 

In March, the merger between 21st Century Fox and Disney was completed, with a price tag of $71.3 billion. This move made Disney the second largest media company in the world, Forbes reported.

Source: Forbes, Business Insider

Iger is known among peers for being a very kind leader and has been praised by his contemporaries for the way he has handled the mergers of Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm.

In the past 14 years, he has grown Disney's profits 335% to $260 billion, Business Insider reported.

Forbes also reports that under Iger, Disney has created more than 70,000 new jobs. 

"Literally, I have never heard one person say a bad thing about him and I have never seen him be mean,"billionaire David Geffen told The New York Times in a profile on Iger. "To be honorable, decent, smart, successful, and a terrific guy is unusual anywhere. But it is most unusual in the entertainment business. He's in a category of one."

Iger's own increasing fortune has paralleled the rise in Disney's value over the years he's been at the helm.

Forbes reports that Iger's net worth is now a staggering $690 million, making him richer than the current Disney heir, Abigail Disney, who has said she's worth about $120 million.

Forbes reported that that Iger's fortune is split between his Disney shares "and cash or other investment from sales of Disney shares over the decades."

According to Forbes, Iger was compensated $65.6 million in 2018, which is 1,424 times the average Disney employee's salary. He had been given another $26.3 million in stock after he successfully closed the Disney-Fox merger and for agreeing to extend his contract until 2021. His initial compensation last year was $39.3 million (not including stock rewards).

In April 2019, Abigail Disney publicly criticized Iger's high pay on Twitter and later wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post elaborating on her thoughts. 

"I'm not arguing that Iger and others do not deserve bonuses. They do," Disney wrote. "They have led the company brilliantly. I am saying that the people who contribute to its success also deserve a share of the profits they have helped make happen."

As Iger is a very private person, not much is known about his spending. He lives in a $19 million home in Brentwood, California, with his wife and their two children.

They bought their Brentwood home in 2006 from actress Michelle Pfeiffer for about $19 million, the Orlando Sentinel reported that year.

The home is 7,500 square feet and has five bedrooms with nine bathrooms, with a guest house, a tennis court, and a pool. As of a 2018 interview with Vogue, Iger was still living in Brentwood.

The Igers also previously owned an apartment on the Upper East Side of New York City. The property sold in 2018 for $18.75 million, Business Insider reported.

The Igers' former home has a library, living room views of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park, and four bedrooms, including one master suite with two bathrooms and a walk-in closet.

Iger also spends time — and likely money — maintaining his mental and physical health, about which he's notoriously rigorous. He told The New York Times that he wakes up at 4:15 every morning and doesn't touch his phone until he's finished with his morning exercise routine.

Iger has also said that he doesn't eat carbs unless it's pizza, recalling that during his high school years, he worked at his local Pizza Hut.

When he's "off the clock," he travels. Iger is a regular attendee at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. The media conference is a hub for entertainment and tech moguls, and it attracts titans like Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Variety reports that in 2019, Iger attended the conference along with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Shari Redstone, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, and even former Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper.

Source:Business Insider

Iger is also very philanthropic. In December, he and his wife launched the Iger-Bay Endowed Scholarship at Iger's alma mater Ithaca College. The scholarship hopes to boost diversity in the media industry.

The scholarship was funded through the proceedes from Iger's memoir "The Ride of a Lifetime." 

In his personal life, Iger has a set of A-list friends who have been known to rave about him. One of those friends is media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who has said that if Iger were to run for president, she would not just vote for him but eagerly campaign on his behalf.

"I'll tell you the truth, this is not really where I intended to be tonight,"Winfrey said at the Centennial Awards, where Iger was being honored, in October. "I was hoping that by this time in early fall, I would be knocking on doors in Des Moines, wearing an 'Iger 2020' t-shirt. Because I really do believe that Bob Iger's guidance and decency is exactly what the country needs right now."

He is also close to Jeffrey Katzenberg, cofounder of Dreamworks and former chairman of Walt Disney Studios. Katzenberg has a net worth of $900 million.

After Comcast bought Dreamworks in 2016 for $3.8 billion, Katzenberg's net worth rose to $900 million. 

Iger and Katzenberg have been friends for years, and Katzenberg is among the group of people who have been trying to encourage the Disney CEO to run for president.

"No matter how much I begged Bob,"Katzenberg said while presenting the Simon Wiesenthal Center Humanitarian Award to Iger in April."He just wasn't willing to run for president of the United States."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Iger has also been seen on billionaire David Geffen's yacht. In August 2017, Iger was seen on the yacht with Winfrey, Diane von Furstenberg, and Diane Sawyer.

Geffen owns a megayacht, known to be a common hang-out spot for celebrities and fellow billionaires (including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos) during the summer months, as seen on his Instagram page.

As previously reported by Business Insider, the yacht is worth $590 million.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Iger also spends some of his fortune on vacations. Beyond their business dealings related to Disney and Pixar, Iger was also close personal friends with Jobs and has said the two would vacation together in nearby resorts in Hawaii.

"We vacationed at adjacent Hawaiian hotels a few times and would meet and take long walks on the beach, talking about our wives and kids, about music, about Apple and Disney and the things we might still do together," he wrote in his book. "You don't expect to develop such close friendships late in life, but when I think back on my time as CEO — at the things I'm most grateful for and surprised by — my relationship with Steve is one of them."

Iger possibly running for president isn't surprising; he's also spent his free time involved in politics in the past. Shortly after Donald Trump was elected president, Iger joined Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum.

Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum was a business council created to hear the perspectives of different leaders on how to improve job growth in the US. 

But Iger stepped down in 2017 after Trump announced the US would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, Variety reported.

Iger announced his resignation from the council in a tweet stating: "As a matter of principle, I've resigned from the President's Council over the #Paris Agreement withdrawal." 

The council, which has now completely disbanded, also included JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, and Stephen A. Schwarzman, the cofounder of private equity firm Blackstone.

Despite many people urging him to run, Iger publicly remains firm that he has no plans to pursue a presidential campaign. One factor currently standing in the way: His current Disney contract doesn't end until 2021.

Iger admitted in his book that he did once consider running for president, but ultimately decided against it.

"I think the Democratic Party would brand me as just another rich guy who's out of touch with America who doesn't have any sense for what's good for the plight of the people,"he told The New York Times in a September profile.

Still, Iger has backing by some major Hollywood players.

If Iger were to decide to run for president, he certainly has the money to fund a campaign.

And on top of that, Iger has already got some political talking points down.

"America is gravely in need of optimism, of looking at the future and believing that so many things are going to be all right, or that we as a nation can attack some of the most critical problems of our day,"Iger said at The Atlantic Festival in Washington in September."And that could be the environment, that could be income disparity, that could be the technology's impact on the world from a disruption perspective. It could be the cost of education, availability of affordable housing, healthcare. You name it."

Whether Iger's name will appear on a presidential ballot remains to be seen, but some of his famous friends are refusing to give up hope.

• Footwear, cookware, drinkware, and outerwear, it takes a lot of stuff to accommodate a 21st-century human in the great outdoors.
• There's an endless list of things of which the outdoorsperson is in need, but here are some ideas to help check a few things (and hopefully people) off your long list.
• Find more holiday gift ideas for 2019 from Insider Picks. 

The easy thing about shopping for the outdoorsy sorts in your life is that chances are good they're in need of one thing or another. No, playing around in the dirt and the water is not a cheap hobby: Whether they're climbing, fly fishing, camping, surfing, or just hanging out at the beach, there are certain pieces of equipment that are plainly and simply essential. But not just anything will do. Good gear is good gear, and there is no cutting corners to produce it.

Below is a roundup of some gear (most of which we've tried and depended upon ourselves) that should help you knock down a name or two on your holiday shopping list this year.

A nearly smokeless fire pit (and grill) that charges your phone

FirePit Climate Neutral Edition, available at BioLite, $199.95

Thanks to the vortex created by its Bluetooth-controlled fan, Biolite's Firepit is so smokeless you could almost light it indoors. Biolite strongly discourages your doing so, but it's good peace of mind for those who fear a faceful of campfire smoke. 

Boots fit for it all

Men's Bean Boots, available at L.L. Bean, for $139

Women's Bean Boots, available at L.L. Bean, for $139

If they've never owned a pair of these, it may be about time.

A guide to mastery of outdoors-person-ship

The Kaufmann Mercantile Guide, available at Amazon, $11.99

Chop wood, build a fire, carry water, and so on.

A high-grade stainless steel decanter with magnetic tumbler glasses

High Camp Firelight Magnetic Flask Decanter Set, available at Bespoke Post, for $125

So they stop smashing their fifth of fancy Scotch on their way up the mountain.

A waterproof, drop-proof, virtually life-proof smartphone case

LifeProof cases, available at LifeProof, from $56.69

If they really spend time in the great outdoors, this will save their phone exactly 15 times per year, give or take.

A boxful of fishing tackle

Mystery Tackle Box Gift Boxes and Subscriptions, available at Karl's Bait & Tackle by Catch Co, starting at $14.44

Available in three sizes, and in subscriptions, you (or they) can pick the general type of tackle they receive based on their target species and angling methods.

A small but perfectly functional, does-it-all packable cutlery set

Opinel Nomad Kit, available at Amazon, for $55.90

Opinel Oyster Blade, available at Amazon, for $20 

This kit, complete with hardwood cutting board, microfiber towel, serrated blade, straight blade, peeler, and wine opener, is all you really need to perform campfire meal prep. Toss in an oyster shucking tool for good measure.

A handmade bota bag

Traditional Handmade Bota Wineskin Bag, available at Amazon, for $104.95

Nothing screams an afternoon sauntering through the Pyrenees like a bota bag. And there's nothing more romantic than that.

A sleeping bag built for bivouac, alpine camping

Hybrid Sleeping Bag, available at Patagonia, for $299

Grade VII Down Parka, available at Patagonia, for $899

For serious climbers, this half-weight (already lightweight) down sleeping bag, paired with a belay parka, is all they need for a sound(ish) night's sleep dangling from Half-Dome.

A portable stove (and pizza oven) they can pack in that also charges their phone

BaseCamp stove and PizzaDome, available at BioLite, for $309.85

Okay, so maybe it's a bit cumbersome for a true trek, but a short hike to a campsite with this handy little kit will have them cooking, baking, or firing off pizzas just about anywhere they so please. The heat this thing generates also charges a battery, which can then power anything that runs through a USB port. Far out, indeed.

A waterproof, drop-proof, and virtually life-proof power pack

Lifeactív Power Pack 20, available at LifeProof, for $69.99 (originally $99.99)

At 20,000 mAh, it can even charge their laptop out in the wilderness and also comes equipped with a flashlight.

A collection of photographs and stories about fly fishing's most illustrious fish

Tarpon Book, available at YETI, for $99.99

Charles Gaines, Thomas McGuane, Randy Wayne White, Diana Rudolph... if you don't recognize these names, don't worry. They will.

A non-constrictive, eco-friendly scarf for the slopes

Women's Hometown Down Scarf, available at Stio, $59.95 (currently sold out)

If that gator isn't quite their cup of tea, this down scarf (with hidden pocket) is like a down jacket for their face and neck.

Sturdy cooking irons for the campfire

Cooking irons, available at Camp Chef, from $18

No more flimsy sticks or dropping precious dinners into the fire.

A wool blanket to last a lifetime

Faribault Cabin Wool Throw, available at Huckberry, for $149.98

Few wool brands bear as much heritage as Faribault.

A fresh pair of binos

Nikon 8x30 ProStaff Binoculars, available at B&H, for $186.95

Whether they're tracking game or wayfinding, be it by land or sea, these won't go unappreciated.

Proper gear protection

Pelican luggage, available at Amazon, from $318.49

Cameras, laptops, lights: Whatever they're dragging around the world, they can always use another one of these (and if this is their first, then it's about time).

A campfire defender to keep their campfires (and maybe them) dry

Campfire Safety Cover Pro Kit, available at The Grommet, for $199

It's not much, but it'll make all the difference.

A 6-piece cast iron set built for any fire

6-Piece Cast Iron Set, available at Amazon, $89.31

A dutch oven, another one with a skillet for a lid, a regular-sized pan, and even a steel stand for the fire. What else do you really need for cookware in the bush?

A bracelet to save the seas

4ocean Bracelet, available at Amazon, for $20.55

4ocean pulls a pound of trash from the oceans and/or coastlines with every bracelet purchased. Since the project began in 2017, 4ocean has removed more than one million pounds of trash from waterways and coastlines.

A highly stowable vacuum sealer

FoodSaver Space-Saving Vacuum Sealer, $99.99

So they (and you) don't have to endure any more spoiled and/or freezer-burned fish and game.

A 2-in-1 beer cozy (can or bottle) and cocktail cup

Hydro Flask Cooler Cup, available at Hydro Flask, for $24.95

Longnecks, stubbies, cans (of any size), cocktails: This thing can cradle them all.

A sleeping bag fit for winter

Nemo Equipment Inc. Sonic 0 Sleeping Bag, available at Backcountry, for $499.95 to $529.95

If they're into winter camping, or considering it, start them off right.

Sunglasses that contribute to shark conservation

Costa Del Mar Ocearch Sunglasses, available at Amazon, from $104.38

Ocearch is on the forefront of shark research, catching and tagging fish that, at points, scientists never thought possible. Help support Ocearch by helping your loved one(s) protect their retinas out there.

An adventurer, after all, needs the right hat

Packer Hat, available at Filson, for $70 to $85

That ratty old baseball cap just doesn't speak to their soul. Get them something that does, and will last.

A palatial tent upgrade

Wawona 6 Tent, available at The North Face, for $399

This will change their world.

A classy bamboo fly rod

Bamboo Fly Rods, available at Orvis, from $2,598

If they've put in their years with graphite and fiberglass, it's time they uphold the tradition of fly-flinging to its utmost.

• Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders recently announced a $150 billion, four-point plan that would fundamentally transform how the internet works in the United States.
• The plan would effectively turn the internet into a publicly-provided utility, similar to how water and power are distributed.
• The broadest goal of the proposal is to provide every American with access to affordable high-speed internet. "High-speed internet service must be treated as the new electricity," the proposal says, "a public utility that everyone deserves as a basic human right."
• Here's how Bernie thinks it can be done.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders just unveiled a sweeping $150 billion proposal that would fundamentally reshape how the internet works in the United States.

The plan, dubbed "High-Speed Internet for All," would effectively turn the internet into a public utility along the lines of water and power. "High-speed internet service must be treated as the new electricity,"the proposal says, "a public utility that everyone deserves as a basic human right."

To that end, the $150 billion would go to creating "publicly owned and democratically controlled, co-operative, or open access broadband networks." 

Here's how it works:

SEE ALSO: Photos capture how Bernie Sanders went from being a working-class kid in Brooklyn to a top 2020 Democratic presidential candidate

1. Requiring internet service providers like Verizon and Comcast to offer "a Basic Internet Plan that provides quality broadband speeds at an affordable price."

The core of Sanders' high-speed internet plan is to provide internet for everyone in an affordable way.

Its primary method for doing that: FCC regulation.

"The FCC will review prices and regulate rates where necessary, ensuring areas without competition aren't able to run up prices," the plan says. "We will also require providers to offer a basic plan for a regulated rate to all customers, ensuring everyone will be able to affordably connect to the internet."

The "providers" in question are massive media conglomerates like Verizon, Comcast, and Charter. "Bernie will regulate these providers like a utility," it says.

The proposal includes further subsidies for people who qualify for government assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF, and it proposes free broadband in all public housing.

2. Redefining "minimum broadband speeds" so that 100mbps down/10mbps up is the floor.

Calling for "high-speed broadband" doesn't mean much if your definition of "fast" internet is stuck in the past. The current FCC minimum to be considered broadband is 25 Mbps down/3 Mbps up. 

It works, and it gets the job done well enough, but it's a slouch compared to many other parts of the world. Under this proposal, the FCC would increase its minimum to 100 Mbps down/10 Mbps up. 

It's a little detail that makes a big difference in the broader plan, as it guarantees a base level of internet speed that makes using the internet a far easier process.

3. Breaking up companies that offer internet service and provide content — like Comcast and Verizon.

Over the past several decades, the telecommunications industry has consolidated into a few major players who provide internet access, and those companies have, in turn, merged with the major media companies. The resulting giants will sell you the internet and cable service you use and provide the content that runs on those services. 

Under the Sanders proposal, these conglomerates would be broken apart.

Rather than the FCC, the proposal says Sanders would use "existing antitrust authority" to dismantle "internet service provider and cable monopolies." Moreover, he would "bar service providers from also providing content." 

Comcast, which owns NBC, would likely have to unwind that purchase. AT&T, which owns WarnerMedia (HBO, Turner, Warner Bros.), would likely have to unwind that purchase.

4. Providing $150 billion to create "publicly owned and democratically controlled, co-operative, or open access broadband networks."

While enforcing regulations on major internet service providers, the proposal includes a major expenditure: $150 billion to create "the necessary resilient, modern infrastructure" for high-speed broadband that's widely available and affordable.

The money is part of the broader Green New Deal initiative, and is intended for "municipalities and/or states to build publicly owned and democratically controlled, co-operative, or open access broadband networks."

One major condition is included: Grants from the funding must go "toward creating good-paying union jobs," and come with rigorous standards.

5. Ending data caps and speed throttling.

Another notable detail in the proposal: Putting an end to data caps and speed throttling.

As people stream more content and download larger, higher-definition movies, TV shows, and games, they use more data. Just as that amount has increased, some internet service providers have begun placing caps on users — 200 GB per month, for example. If you go over your cap, there's a chance you'll get slapped with a charge.

In some cases, your provider may even "throttle" your service speed in an attempt to dissuade use. The proposal from the Sanders campaign explicitly calls for the elimination of both practices.

• More American millennial millionaires live in Traverse City, Michigan, than any other ZIP code in the US, according to a report by Coldwell Banker.
• Traverse City has seen an urban revival in the past decade, with a walkable downtown, good food and drink, and cultural offerings.
• Its gig economy is also evolving, attracting start-up entrepreneurs and those who want to work remotely.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

You won't find the biggest hub for wealthy millennials in a Silicon Valley ZIP code.

Instead, look to ZIP code 49685: Traverse City, Michigan. That's according to a new report by Coldwell Banker, which looked at the top 10 ZIP codes where America's 618,000 millennial millionaires live.

The Coldwell Banker Global Luxury program worked with wealth intelligence data and research firm WealthEngine to analyze the lifestyles of millennial millionaires, from wealth creation and property investments to spending trends. It defined millennial millionaires as those ages 23 to 37 with a net worth of more than $1 million.

Located along the shores of Lake Michigan, Traverse City has undergone an "urban renaissance," according to the report. It has a lot to offer: year-round recreational activities, strong food and drink, and cultural experiences in the form of many festivals. It's also seeing growth in its start-up scene.

As a result, the city is attracting many former natives of the area and young entrepreneurs. Here's a look at Traverse City.

SEE ALSO: Meet the typical millennial millionaire in America, who has a real-estate portfolio worth $1.4 million, is married, and is more likely to live in California than any other state

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

Welcome to ZIP code 49685, home to Traverse City, Michigan. It's located in northwestern Michigan on Lake Michigan.

Traverse City is about a four-hour drive from Detroit. According to the US Census, its population is 15,651. 

Weather doesn't typically exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit here, but can dip down to 14 degrees in the winter, according to the official Traverse City website.

Historically, it's been a tourist destination, but it's now home to more wealthy millennials than any other ZIP code in the US.

In the past decade, Traverse City has undergone an "urban renaissance." It has a bright food scene, microbreweries, wineries, and a walkable downtown with lots of shops and restaurants.

Traverse City is home to Northwestern Michigan College, whose culinary school churns out chefs. That's created a colorful culinary scene in the area, from tacos and ramen to farm-to-table restaurants, according to Jodee Taylor for Matador Network. 

Its drink scene is also strong. There are more than 12 wineries to choose from in Grand Traverse County, and over 20 in the neighboring county, Steve Reddicliffe reported for The New York Times. In November, there's Traverse City Beer Week, and in 2020, the city is getting a new spring beer festival for craft beer lovers. In the summer, there are paddling pub tours to six different breweries along the lake and river.

In addition to its gastronomic scene, Traverse City is also home to a lot of culture — think music, arts, and festivals.

Traverse City hosts a number of festivals throughout the year. Its most notable is the annual National Cherry Festival during the summer, which it bills as one of the country's largest festivals with more than 500,000 visitors.

It also has a dash of Hollywood. Filmmaker Michael Moore helped launch the Traverse City Film Festival in 2005, reported Reddicliffe. In 2017, it attracted 120,000 moviegoers and exhibited 181 movies.

It's also home to The Dennos Museum, which has one of the largest collections of Inuit Art in the US.

Wealthy millennials have been increasingly attracted to the four-season town for its work-life balance.

Shawn Schmidt Smith, associate broker/owner for Traverse City-based Coldwell Banker Schmidt, said in the report that locals are constantly hopping between play and recreation mode during the week, as Traverse City offers recreational opportunities year-round. 

It's home to Sleeping Bear Dunes, which consists of 64 miles of beaches, forested islands, and hiking trails. At Grand Traverse Bay, you can do everything from scuba dive to play beach volleyball.

"It's a small town where you're never more than 10 minutes from a body of water, which makes it easy to get outside," she said. "On a Tuesday when you're done with work, you can be on the bay SUPing or in a river fly-fishing within 20 minutes."

Traverse City resident Brianne Farley told Jacob Wheeler: "I like that you can be in downtown Traverse City and then three minutes later be in a place that feels like the middle of nowhere, whether that's out on the bay, on a farm or cherry orchard in Leelanau, or snowshoeing through the woods."

Traverse City also has strong schools, according to the report, and a full-service airport.

Traverse City's Cherry Capital Airport offers airline service to more than 300 destinations around the world and the US. American Airlines recently announced new summer weekend routes to Traverse City from Philadelphia and Washington DC beginning in 2020. 

Once there, it's easy to get around via the BATA (Bay Area Transportation Authority) and shuttle companies.

Traverse City has always had a robust second-home market, where luxury homes generally begin at $500,000.

"The younger affluent like that they can get a fabulous home on, near, or overlooking vineyards, fresh water, or beaches for a fraction of the cost of larger metropolitan areas," Smith said.

Traverse City gives wealthy millennials what they're looking for in a home. They "tend to prefer markets that are more affordable — often in suburbs or second-tier cities, where their dollar will carry them further," the report reads.

Most of the wealthy millennials purchasing property here have a connection to the area, according to the report.

"They vacationed here as kids or they grew up here, moved away, and when they were ready to settle down, Traverse City became a natural fit," Smith said, adding that they view buying real estate as a way to build wealth.

She continued: "They understand that this region can be a very good long-term play. We see a lot of millennials deciding that this is a place that they can call home for the rest of their lives. It's not uncommon that their parents, grandparents, and siblings also end up making Traverse City their home base."

Howard Lovy of Crain's Detroit Business called some of these millennials "boomerangs."

Consider Farley, who grew up in Traverse City. She was living in Brooklyn, and on a trip back to visit her hometown, she realized that Traverse City "had changed,"wrote Wheeler. She noticed more people in their 20s and 30s, and ended up moving back for its slower way of life and affordability factor.

Traverse City is attracting many young entrepreneurs and remote workers.

Many of the "boomerangs" work in marketing, web design, or IT — all industries in which you can work remotely from anywhere, Lovy reported. He spoke to several boomerangs who returned only to launch their own website or social marketing companies.

"I think, more and more, people choose the lifestyle and either start a business or become that free agent where they may have three or four different clients," Rob Fowler, president and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan, told Lovy. "They can do it from anywhere in the world, and they choose to do it from Traverse City."

Traverse City was named the fourth-most popular micropolitan areas for new start-ups, according to the US Census. Satellite communications service ATLAS Space Operations and online car marketplace DriveShare are both located there. Co-working spaces, such as Studio Smiths, have also cropped up.

Traverse City is increasingly making efforts to support its growing gig economy and start-up scene.

Erin Monigold launched Traverse City Tweetup, monthly meetings that attract hundreds of freelancers in the area, and the Traverse City Geek Breakfast, monthly gatherings of tech professionals, Lovy reported.

In 2018, tech incubator 20Fathoms launched to help support entrepreneurs. In 2019, it launched Healthtech program HealthSpark — its goal is to attract healthtech companies to the area and create high-paying jobs, Craig Manning reported for The Ticker.

20Fathoms Executive Director Andy Cole told Beth Milligan of The Ticker that people everywhere from San Francisco to Ann Arbor moved into the city's incubator space.

"A lot of people want to move here for lifestyle reasons … but are worried about their careers," he said. "We're trying to flip the script, where we're getting them interested in working here first and then when they get here, they find it's an incredible experience."

• The US Army's Syrian Logistics Cell recently helped conduct the withdrawal of US forces from several bases in Syria.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC), the Syrian Logistics Cell (SLC), located in Erbil, Iraq, is composed of a small team of soldiers who pack a big punch when it comes to supporting the warfighters in Syria.

The 103rd ESC SLC team was directly involved in the recent withdrawal from Syria.

"The SLC was heavily involved in the materiel retrograde from Syria," Sgt. Maj. Jason Palsma, SLC noncommissioned officer in charge, 103rd ESC, said. "Our team assisted in the deliberate withdrawal of US forces from several bases in Syria while simultaneously continuing the defeat of ISIS."

SEE ALSO: How US soldiers tear Black Hawk helicopters apart and put them back together to keep them flying

The SLC doesn't work alone when it comes to supporting combat operations in Syria.

"The SLC partners with and synchronizes efforts of multiple elements from 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, and Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve," Palsma said.

"These critical partnerships are critical to ensure the warfighters in Syria receive the vital support necessary to accomplish their mission to defeat ISIS," Palsma said.

Although a small team, the soldiers at the SLC have a wealth of responsibility.

"Our team works in close cooperation with Forward Logistics Elements in providing mission command with tactical control of sustainment soldiers to direct movement of all classes of supply, maintenance, and contracting support for remote and austere combat outstations," Palsma said.

"The SLC is responsible for the ground movements of required commodities and cargo into Syria," Palsma said.

The Syrian Logistics Cell may be small in numbers but their support will continue making a huge difference in the fight against ISIS.

• Some movies could benefit from being remade with an updated script, a fresh cast, or even advanced special effects. 
• Per critics and audiences, "Ghost in the Shell" (2017) might benefit from being remade with a diverse cast and less special effects. 
• With more substance and author input, "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" (2010) could be a great new franchise.
• The "Twilight" movies could potentially be even better with new CGI technology.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Sometimes even the most anticipated movies miss the mark, no matter how big the budget or how loyal the fan base.

Many of these films deserve a second chance and with the right screenplay, cast, and updates, a critical flop could become an all-around hit. 

Here are some bad movies that could benefit from a remake. 

With more substance and author input, "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" (2010) could be a great new franchise.

According to fans, the novel-series-turned-film "Percy Jackson" deserved a lot better than it got.

The movie attempts to bring Rick Riordan's mythological books to life — and it fails, according to critics, audiences, and the author of the "Percy Jackson" series himself.

Earlier this year, Riordan told Hypable that he hated the film adaptation, saying he would rather "have [his] teeth pulled with no anesthesia" than watch the movies again. For Riordan specifically, he said the films offered little educational value and he referred to them as "vapid."

Perhaps with more substance and author input, a remake of this fantasy film could be a hit that even Riordan would want to watch. 

Recently, fans even got #DisneyAdaptPercyJackson trending on Twitter, asking the major company to add a remake of the film to its to-do list. Some even suggested adapting the books into a Disney Plus series. 

This isn't entirely out of the question seeing as Disney now technically owns the rights to 20th Century Fox's intellectual properties— and that's the studio that produced the first two "Percy Jackson" flicks. 

The "Twilight" movies could potentially be even better with new CGI technology.

Although the "Twilight" films were major box-office successes, critics generally found the Hollywood adaptations to be lacking.

Starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, this novel-based film series debuted over a decade ago and contained computer-generated imagery (CGI) that some were unimpressed by. 

In particular, many called out the poor rendition of the half-human, half-vampire baby Renesmee seen in "Breaking Dawn: Part 1." Even the film's director, Bill Condon told CinemaBlend in 2017 that that CGI was a "disaster" that he wouldn't let happen now. 

Plus, "Twilight" actor Kellan Lutz has also suggested that if the film is remade, it deserves "top-notch" graphics and a bigger budget.

Since CGI techniques evolve quickly, 2008's version of "decent" CGI isn't comparable with today's capabilities — and the fantasy franchise might be even more impressive when remade with some top-notch images. 

A remake of the novel-based film "Eragon" (2006) could perhaps woo audiences the second time around if it was more accurate.

Fans have been asking for "Eragon" to be remade since the film was first released — it received low critic and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes and has been called out for its inaccuracies when compared to the book it is based on. 

Based on "The Inheritance Cycle" novels by Christopher Paolini, the 2006 film "Eragon" was meant to woo young adults with its fantastical themes and characters. Instead, audience members and critics called the film out for its poor interpretation of the first book in the series. 

In 2017, on his website, Paolini said the 2006 movie may have disappointed fans due to his inability to offer too much creative input, though he noted if the movie did ever get a reboot, fans "can rest assured [he will] retain as much control as possible."

"The Black Cauldron" (1985) could be Disney's next live-action remake.

Long-cited as the film that almost killed Disney animation, the 1985 cartoon film "The Black Cauldron" could probably benefit from a 21st-century live-action reboot.

One of the biggest issues reviewers had with this critical flop is that it lacked compelling characters. But, perhaps by making this into a live-action film (something Disney's been doing a lot of lately), a cast of talented actors could breathe new life into the characters. 

"Catwoman" (2004) deserves a second chance and even the lead actress knows it.

Starring Halle Berry, the 2004 "Catwoman" film has an extremely low rating on Rotten Tomatoes and both fans and Berry herself have called for it to be remade. 

"You know, I've gotten a really bad rap for this role and I think 'Catwoman' deserves another goddamn chance, don't you?" Berry told Maxim in 2018.

Yes, there have been a number of films starring Catwoman over the years, but none have followed quite the same premise as the 2004 version. 

Now, 15 years later, with a "Batman" reboot in the works (this time with Robert Pattinson as the lead), it feels like DC has the resources it takes to properly tell the story of this fast-moving criminal and hero. 

An audience favorite that's been panned by critics, "National Treasure" (2004) might benefit from a more realistic plot.

With a low critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, this classic Nicolas-Cage film received less-than-stellar reviews upon its release, with critics calling the film wildly unrealistic, "stale," and "a big, overblown wazoo of absurdity."

Nevertheless, the film holds a special place in the hearts of many, so much so that fans have been begging for a third installment to the series since 2016. Disney has not pushed for a third film in the series, but perhaps the company would be interested in a remake of the original. After all, the film was a box-office hit with a reported gross of $347 million worldwide.

By reigning in the plot a little bit to make it a tad more practical while making the film more fast-paced, perhaps a reboot could satisfy both critics and fans who crave more historical thrillers.

"Ghost in the Shell" (2017) could potentially get better reviews with a more diverse cast and less special effects.

This live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga immediately turned off some audiences by casting white actress Scarlett Johansson as its lead. Many accused the film of whitewashing and there was also a petition calling for DreamWorks to recast the lead character with a Japanese actress.

Johansson ultimately kept the main role but the casting wasn't the only issue individuals had with this film. It received a low score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with many wishing the film was a bit more profound and less overwhelmed with special effects.

With a remake, "Ghost in the Shell" has a chance to cast a diverse lead character and give this beloved manga new life.

Read More:

• 16 movie and TV roles you didn't realize were recast with new actors
• The worst movies 22 of your favorite actors starred in this year
• The iconic 'Game of Thrones' coffee cup and 12 other out-of-place items that fans spotted in movies and TV shows

• Flight attendants spend hundreds of hours in the air each year, so they learn to notice small details about the planes they work on and the passengers that fly on them.
• Whether spotting nervous passengers from their body language or always knowing where the nearest exit is, flight attendants experience air travel in a way totally different from how the average person does.
• Business Insider spoke with seven flight attendants who described 10 things they notice on flights that passengers probably don't.
• 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.

Flight attendants spend hundreds of hours in the air each year, so they learn to notice small details about the planes they work on and the passengers that fly on them.

Whether spotting nervous passengers from their body language or always knowing where the nearest exit is, flight attendants experience air travel in a way totally different from how the average person does.

Read more:Flight attendants reveal how they spot victims of human trafficking

Business Insider spoke with seven flight attendants who described 10 things they notice on flights that passengers probably don't. Four of the flight attendants requested anonymity because of a fear of reprisal from their employers.

These are some of the small details that stick out to flight attendants.

The photos in this story do not depict the flight attendants Business Insider interviewed.

SEE ALSO: Here's how much flight attendants in 10 airlines say they make

When passengers don't have bags

"I notice if people don't have bags with them, and sometimes that strikes me as odd," a flight attendant for United Airlines said.

Passengers who are in a bad mood

"If people are having a bad day, I definitely notice that," the United flight attendant said. "You can tell by the person's body language or facial expressions or if they've been crying. I know that air travel is really hard for people."

What the "ding" sounds mean

"There's a lot of 'dings' that go on on the plane that mean specific things to the flight crew, but passengers don't know what any of them are," a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines said. 

There are "dings" for phone calls, when the plane has reached an altitude of 10,000 feet, and when the seatbelt sign is turned on or off, among other events, she said.

Which passengers need the most help

"I'm noticing the passenger that's a single mom with their kid that might just need a little bit more help or a just a little bit more patience," a flight attendant for Delta said. "I'm noticing the passenger that's clenching on to their armrest really hard that's really freaked out about flying and probably needs somebody to talk to."

The location of the nearest exit

"I know where my closest exit is," Lauren Redling, a flight attendant for the private-jet charter company Worldwide Jet, said.

Which passengers are the most anxious

"I can tell an anxious flyer from a mile away," Kevin Cain, a flight attendant for PSA Airlines, said. "A free glass of wine can just calm their nerves and change their day around."

When passengers try to keep their bags in their laps instead of stowing them under the seat in front of them

"I always notice if they're trying to hold their bag in their lap — always," a flight attendant for Envoy Air said. "They can try to hide it from me. I always notice."

Where the bathroom is

"I, for one, always know where the lavatory is, whereas the average passenger doesn't," the Envoy Air flight attendant said.

Which parts of the plane are dirty

"Passengers seem to not think that anything is dirty on a plane, which is just funny," Sally Ann MacLagan, a flight attendant for Mesa Airlines, said.

What passengers are wearing

"I have concerns if they're wearing a winter coat and it's summer," MacLagan said.

• Read more:
• A flight attendant went above and beyond for a 4-year-old on her flight, and his mom's post about her kindness is going viral
• 2 American Airlines flight attendants tell us the travel essentials they'd never fly without
• The 9 best questions you should ask flight attendants to ensure a smoother, more enjoyable flight
• Flight attendants reveal the 9 most annoying things passengers do

• Netflix's content chief Ted Sarandos said that "The Irishman" was watched by 26.4 million member households in its first week.
• He projected that the movie would be watched by 40 million households in its first 28 days of release.
• We compared its viewership to Netflix's most popular movies like "Bird Box" and "Murder Mystery."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

"The Irishman" is off to a solid start in viewership, according to Netflix.

Netflix's content chief, Ted Sarandos, said during the UBS Global TMT Conference on Tuesday that the Martin Scorsese-directed crime epic was watched by 26.4 million member households in its first week. He added that it's projected to be watched by 40 million households after its first 28 days of release.

That's fewer households than Netflix's "Tall Girl," which it has said was viewed by 41 million households in its first month, and just half of the households that watched its biggest release, "Bird Box," in that same amount of time. 

But more people have certainly watched "The Irishman" on Netflix than would have if it was confined to a theatrical release, though we don't know how many viewers actually finished the movie.

Netflix counts a view if an account completes at least 70% of a movie's runtime, meaning 26.4 million people have watched at least 2 and a half hours of "The Irishman's" three-and-a-half-hour runtime.

Nielsen said last week that 17.1 million unique Netflix users watched "The Irishman" in its first five days of release but just 18% of viewers actaully finished the movie. That's still on par with "Bird Box" (18%) and higher than the "Breaking Bad" movie, "El Camino" (11%), according to Nielsen.

We compared "The Irishman" viewership to what Netflix has said are its most popular movies after their first month of release below:

SEE ALSO: 20 of the biggest box-office flops of the decade, from 'Green Lantern' to 'Dark Phoenix'

"The Irishman"— 26.4 million (after a week)

Netflix description: "Hit man Frank Sheeran looks back at the secrets he kept as a loyal member of the Bufalino crime family in this acclaimed film from Martin Scorsese."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 96%

What critics said: "The Irishman is a work of real retrospection. It's a stunning achievement, worthy of a great director's twilight years."— The Atlantic

Netflix content chief Ted Sarnados projects "The Irishman" will be watched 40 million accounts after 28 days.

"Tall Girl"— 41 million

Netflix description: "After years of slouching through life, 6-foot-1 teen Jodi resolves to conquer her insecurities and gets caught up in a high school love triangle."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 44%

What critics said: "From a one-note mean girl stereotype to a complete disinterest in how social media shapes the lives of teens, Sam Wolfson's lackluster script fails to bring anything new or timely to the teen rom-com table."— AV Club

"The Perfect Date"— 48 million

Netflix description: "To earn money for college, a high schooler launches an app offering his services as a fake date. But when real feelings emerge, things get complicated."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 65%

What critics said: "'The Perfect Date' feels engineered by Netflix algorithms."— Los Angeles Times

"Triple Frontier"— 52 million

Netflix description: "They served their country. Now they're scrambling to get by. A daring heist could net them millions — if they make it out alive."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 72%

What critics said: "If you dig shoot-'em-up sequences, 'Triple Frontier' has plenty and they're often the default. Yet what it does well — though not enough — is introduce the complicated motivations of characters and what's led them to this somewhat impossible mission."— USA Today

"Murder Mystery"— 73 million

Netflix description: "An overdue honeymoon. A shocking crime. A roomful of suspects. If Nick and Audrey can stay alive, this could be their best vacation ever."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 45%

What critics said: "It would be uncomfortably cynical to assume that Sandler thinks these novocaine-like comedies are what common people want to watch, but the guy doesn't leave us much choice."— Indiewire

"Bird Box"— 80 million

Netflix description: "Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a survivor and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 63%

What critics said: "Is it good? Not really, but it doesn't need to be."— Salon

• You can get your MBA for various reasons — but for a lot of people, the main benefit is significantly increasing your salary.
• To see if having a degree really pays off (pun intended), Business Insider sought out four MBA grads to see how their income changed after going to business school.
• Doing the coursework and graduating with a degree are only part of the equation to upping your salary. The rest depends on how MBA students leverage their time in the program and how they apply what they've learned (and the connections they've made) to land higher-earning jobs.
• "It was everything I hoped for. It helped me to pivot ... It increased my network and made my job search easier, especially with formal opportunities with employers coming on campus," said Jill Newell, a consultant at a well-known consulting company based in DC who increased her salary by 100% after her MBA.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

It's well documented that earning an MBA is linked to future salary increases. 

According to the Financial Times, for example, the average pay of MBA alumni came in at around $142,000 in 2017 — up 12% since 2014. 

"Every year up to 2014 and since we began collecting data, MBA graduates always at least doubled their salaries within three years of completing their degree," the Financial Times' Laurent Ortmans reported.

But doing the coursework and graduating with a degree are only part of the equation. The rest depends on how MBA students leverage their time in the program and how they apply what they've learned (and the connections they've made) to land higher-earning jobs. And women and people of color still continue to experience pay gaps even after earning these advanced degrees. 

Meet four MBA grads who credit their degrees to increasing their salaries and job prospects, advancing them to more senior roles, allowing them to make career transitions, and giving them the courage to take professional risks that have paid off. They shared with Business Insider what aspects of their degree and specific programs they think have most helped with these successes.

SEE ALSO: 22 pieces of career advice you're bound to get from business school, according to successful MBA graduates

READ MORE: BUSINESS SCHOOL PREP: The ultimate guides to getting into the top MBA programs in the US

Delano Saporu, founder and financial adviser at New Street Advisors Group — increased his salary by 200%

MBA program:The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, ranked No. 8 out of the 50 best MBA programs in the world, according to education specialists Quacquarelli Symonds, and where grads earn a post-graduation average salary of $130,000 to $140,000 annually

Tuition: $144,000 for the two-year program

Graduating class: 2018

Salary increase since earning an MBA: Saporu saw a 200% jump, from $50,000 to $150,000, going from working as a credit analyst in Iowa before starting his MBA to securing an offer in investment banking in New York City upon graduation.

Why an MBA? "I wanted an opportunity to move into investment banking and then follow my passion for starting my own business."

How did your program's track record of helping grads increase their job prospects and salaries factor into your decision to apply and attend?"One of the big reasons I chose Booth was its reputation in finance and its stellar track record of job placement."

How has your career benefited from your MBA program? "I was able to secure an offer in investment banking and gain the skills and confidence to start my financial advising firm New Street Advisors Group. I was also able to meet really talented folks, some of which I am lucky to call my friends. The alumni network is strong and allows for doors to be opened."

The internship that made the difference: "I was working in Iowa and there would have been virtually no other way to get a finance job in NYC," he said. The investment banking internship he was able to land in New York through his school allowed him the chance to earn an offer with the same company upon graduation. 

Tackling the MBA pay gap head on: "Know the going rate," said Saporu. "[I]f you know what your peers are getting, you can level set and ask, 'Am I receiving [the] same? If not, why?' ... We must address this pay gap issue head-on and make sure that everyone is receiving pay based on the merits of their work and not some other subjective metric." 

Jill Newell, consultant at a well-known consulting company based in DC — increased her salary by 100%

MBA program: BYU Marriott School of Business, ranked No. 17 on the list of the top 30 MBA programs ranked by recruiters, according to Bloomberg Businessweek's "Best B-Schools" ranking

Tuition: $55,440 for the two-year program

Graduating class: 2016

Salary increase since earning an MBA: A degree, two employers, and three positions later, Newell's seen a roughly 100% increase in compensation from the last job she had before starting her MBA program, where she worked for a small education nonprofit with 20 employees. Making the switch to consulting to work at a Fortune 150 company, her first position after an MBA, earned her a 40% increase in salary. She's also moved geographic locations, from costly DC to Omaha, Nebraska, where the cost of living is 8% lower than the national average, meaning her overall pay increase stretches even further given the drop in living expenses. 

Why an MBA? "Previously, I worked in education. I had about 15 years of experience … but I'd kind of hit this ceiling in a way. I started looking around at different degrees and jobs people had. I was deciding between an MPA and MBA. The MBA just [created] a broader opportunity for me. Everyone I talked to specifically was so positive about their experiences."

How did your program's track record of helping grads increase their job prospects and salaries factor into your decision to apply and attend?"It 100% factored into it. I was looking for schools that would clearly increase my job prospects and salary … I went to BYU because I knew they had this amazing track record for their networking and for jumping your salary."

How has your career benefited from your MBA program? "It was everything I hoped for. It helped me to pivot. I knew I had skills, but how do you show people you can do that? It increased my network and made my job search easier, especially with formal opportunities with employers coming on campus."

Negotiating to beat the pay gap odds: You may not be able to control the offer you get, but you can control how you handle negotiating, and, ultimately, what you accept, said Newell. "Be the actor. Do not be acted upon. If something doesn't feel right, walk away … say, 'I don't think it meets my salary requirements.' If they want you, they'll come back," she added. Newell employed this strategy herself. A company that was not able to meet her expectations later came back with an offer she accepted.

Alexandra Gerson, consultant at Bain & Company — increased her salary by 77%

MBA program:Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, ranked No. 39 of the 50 best MBA programs in the world, according to education specialists Quacquarelli Symonds, and where grads earn a post-graduation average salary of $120,000 to $130,000 annually

Tuition: $133,724 for the two-year program

Graduating class: 2019

Salary increase since earning an MBA: Having recently finished her MBA program, Gerson's pay has not increased since graduation, but her salary has jumped 77% since starting the program — not including bonuses.

Why an MBA? "I loved my career at Johnson & Johnson, but I was always curious about the broader business decisions that impacted my work in research and development and operations. Coming back to get my MBA was a fantastic way to learn the business fundamentals and rewire my brain for how I think about the world."

How has your career benefited from your MBA program? "My MBA has opened doors to career paths and trajectories that would not have been possible previously. I decided to start my post-MBA career in consulting, as it is an amazing place to continue learning at a rapid pace and serve as a launch pad for my career."

Leveraging career services: Gerson's base salary increased from $93,000 before business school to $165,000 after, thanks to her school's career center, consulting club, and one-on-one career coaching services, which helped her develop a specific plan for achieving her career goals. 

Animesh Agrawal, senior associate at the Blackstone Group in Mumbai, India — increased his salary by 60%

MBA program:Stanford Graduate School of Business, ranked No. 1 of the 50 best MBA programs in the world, according to education specialists Quacquarelli Symonds, and where grads earn a post-graduation average salary of $140,000 to $150,000 annually

Tuition: $161,034 for the two-year program

Graduating class: 2018

Salary increase since earning an MBA: Having an MBA degree from a US university helped him get promoted to a senior role at Blackstone Group, which increased his salary by 60%.

Why an MBA? "Growing up in Bhopal, a town in the central part of India, I had no idea whether I wanted to do an MBA from a US university or not. A common theme among a lot of the seniors I admired at work was that they [earned an] MBA from a US university. They mentioned that [earning an] MBA helped them both professionally as well as personally. And these role models and mentors were the inspiration behind my decision."

How did your program's track record of helping grads increase their job prospects and salaries factor into your decision to apply and attend? "It was one of the top three factors while choosing to do my MBA from Stanford GSB. Two factors about GSB stood out for me. One, the class size (around 420) is much smaller than some of the other peer schools. This facilitates smaller group and more targeted interactions with the companies you are interested in. Second, GSB is a school that focuses on leadership development and people skills in every aspect of the business school life. And as you grow in an organization, people skills become more and more important. I wanted to choose a program that prepared me not only for the next five years, but for the next 30 years of my career."

How has your career benefited from your MBA program? "One, interacting with my peers who had worked in investing in different geographies and organizations helped me broaden my understanding of investing. Second, investing lessons from GSB professors who are doing pioneering research in the field of investing was an invaluable experience. Third, I did my internship with a public market fund (I had worked in private marked fund before) helped me learn about a whole new class of investing. Fourth, the leadership and people skills I learned at GSB have helped me be a better business partner to the entrepreneurs and management teams we work with. Finally, it helped me break the glass ceiling … in my job where having an MBA degree is a big positive."

The cost of an MBA program is an investment, one that has begun to pay off for these grads. As Gerson said, when considering a program, it's important to remember the long-term potential — not just the starting salary post MBA. 

"You are not solving for just a job after the MBA program, you are solving for a career," Agrawal added.

We rounded up the 9 best sales and deals happening online today, with savings on Amazon Smart Plugs, Brooklinen loungewear, L.L.Bean clothing and boots, video games at Target, and more. 

Deals in this story are subject to change throughout the day. The prices listed reflect the deal at the time of publication. For even more deals and savings across the web, check out Business Insider Coupons.

The best sales and deals happening today at a glance:

• Get an Amazon Smart Plug for $1
• Save 20% on loungewear at Brooklinen
• Save 30% on select items and sale styles at Todd Snyder
• Save 20% sitewide at L.L.Bean
• Get a free $50 gift card when you buy two select games at Target
• Save 25% on orders of $100 or more at S'well

SEE ALSO: The best mattresses you can buy

DON'T MISS: I got my teeth straightened through an online service called Candid for under $2,000 — here’s how it works

1. Get an Amazon Smart Plug for $1

Amazon Smart Plug, $0.99 (Originally $24.99) [You save $24]

By pairing a smart plug with your Echo device, you can use Alexa voice commands to turn on lights, start coffee makers, schedule when electronics should turn on or off, and more. For a limited time, you can get the Amazon Smart Plug for $0.99 by using the promo code "smartplug99" at checkout. If you were one of the millions of people to pick up a new Echo device this Black Friday or Cyber Monday, this is a useful item to pair with it.

2. Save 20% on loungewear at Brooklinen

Shop the Brooklinen sale now. 

Brooklinen is currently holding a 'seven days of giving' sale event and for the fifth day, you can save 20% on loungewear. The sale includes super soft and comfortable hoodies, sweatshirts, pants, and T-shirts. Check out our full review on Brooklinen loungewear. 

3. Save 30% on select items and sale styles at Todd Snyder

Shop the Todd Snyder sale now.

New York menswear brand Todd Snyder walks the line between high fashion and streetwear, which makes it a great place to shop for casual, business casual, and formal styles. To help you fill your wardrobe or shop for gifts, the brand is having a holiday sale. For a limited time, you can save an extra 30% on select full-price and all sale items by using the promo code "HOLIDAY30" at checkout. 

4. Save 20% sitewide at L.L.Bean

Shop the L.L.Bean sale now. 

L.L.Bean is following up Cyber Week with another great sale in time for the holidays. Until December 17, you can save 20% sitewide by using the promo code "CHEER20" at checkout. The sale includes the brand's popular Bean Boots, fleeces, sweaters, outerwear, and more.

5. Get a free $50 gift card when you buy two select games at Target

Shop the Target sale now. 

Video games are likely on your holiday shopping list — and Target is where you'll want to shop (today, anyway). For a limited time, you can get a $50 gift card when you buy two select games, including popular titles like Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Assassin's Creed Oddessy, Rainbox Six Seige, and Far Cry 5. While you can't apply the gift card to the video games, you can use it towards another game or anything else available at Target during your next purchase.

6. Save 25% on orders of $100 or more at S'well

Shop the S'well sale now.

As one of the best water bottles we've tested, S'well combines great function and creative design. Fitted with a triple-walled body, S'well bottles keep your drinks hot or cold for hours on end, and they look good doing it. The current buy more, save more sale the perfect opportunity to pick up a few S'well items as gifts, for yourself, or both. Until December 13, you can save 15% on orders of $50 or more or 25% on orders of $100 or more.

7. Get $750 worth of travel points when you sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred

Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred from our partner The Points Guy.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is a great option if you're new to earning points and miles, as it has a reasonable $95 annual fee. You'll earn 2 points per dollar on all travel and dining purchases and 1 point on everything else, and the card includes some valuable benefits like trip delay coverage and primary car rental insurance.

You can earn 60,000 Chase points with the Chase Sapphire Preferred when you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. That's worth at least $750 toward travel. Read our review to learn more about the card's benefits.

Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network if you apply for a credit card, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

8. Save 25% on Gravity Blankets and more

Shop the Gravity Blanket sale now. 

Weighted blankets are becoming an increasingly popular method for reducing stress and getting a good night's sleep — and the popular Gravity Blanket is on sale now. For a limited time, you can save 25% sitewide with the promo code "HOLIDAY2019" at checkout. In addition to the original Gravity Blanket, the sale also includes travel blankets, weighted sleep masks, aromatherapy pillows, and more. 

9. Save 25% on a Bear mattress, plus get two free pillows

Shop the Bear Mattress sale now. 

Named the best mattress for hot sleepers in our buying guide, Bear Mattresses are designed to keep you cool and comfortable at night. Additionally, the mattresses feature Celliant, a material that converts heat from the body into far infrared — a type of energy that's been proven to help rebuild cells. The technology can help you wake up feeling well-rested and free of aches and pains, plus you won't break a sweat in your sleep. During the extended Cyber Monday sale, you can get 25% off your order with promo code "GIFT" at checkout. You'll also receive two free pillows when you purchase a mattress or bundle.

10. Save 15% on your order at Framebridge

Shop the Framebridge sale now. 

In addition to offering customizable framing options for your prints and original paintings, Framebridge will turn your favorite digital images and smartphone pictures into beautifully framed artwork that's suitable for display. Simply pick a frame, upload or send in your image, and Framebridge will it back ready to be shown off. For a limited time, new customers can save 15% sitewide by using the promo code "INSIDER15" at checkout. 

• A craft beer market report suggests that the industry has peaked, as people drink less alcohol— especially craft brews. But American craft brewers added $79.1 billion to the economy in 2018 and provided more than 550,000 total jobs, according to a brewing industry trade group.
• In the book "Our Towns," the authors write that craft breweries are a useful indicator of the local economic and social vitality of cities and towns across the country. "It has become a nation-wide version of local branding," co-author Jim Fallows tells Business Insider. 
• Business Insider rounded up several small breweries (and one bonus) that are shaping the American craft beer landscape and having a local impact from Maine to California.
• Visit BI Prime for more stories.

A craft beer market report suggests that the industry has peaked, as people drink less alcohol — especially craft brews. But American craft brewers added $79.1 billion to the economy in 2018 and provided more than 550,000 total jobs, according to a brewing industry trade group.

If you ask authors James and Deborah Fallows, craft breweries are arguably the best way to gauge whether a town is in excellent health.

The husband-and wife reporting team spotted the trend in their journey to cities all over the country for their book Our Towns: A 100,000-mile journey into the heart of America.

The Fallowses traversed the nation in a sedan-sized airplane on a journey to visit smaller cities and towns and take the pulse of places often considered "flyover country." For the Fallows, it's fly-to. 

Visiting more than two dozen towns — many of which were still recovering from seismic economic shifts, including the Great Recession — the writers identified several indicators of an area's economic and social well-being.

Places like Burlington, VT, and Greenville, SC, topped their list of towns on the rise, due to strong community engagement and a thriving local economy. Other towns like San Bernardino, CA, and Allentown, PA, have farther to go to return to their former glory.

Wherever they went, the most promising places had one thing in common: craft breweries.

Breweries are "one of the most reliable signs of civic energy," James Fallows writes. "A town that has them also has a certain kind of entrepreneur and a critical mass of mainly young (except for me) customers. It sounds like a joke, but it explains a lot."

"It has become a nation-wide version of local branding," he said in an interview with Business Insider. He explained further how in the days before refrigeration and modern logistics, most towns in the US had their own distinct brewhouses that reflected the local character. 

That all ended with Prohibition in 1920, and remained dormant until 1979, when President Jimmy Carter legalized home-brewing.

Now, production is booming. There are more than 7,400 craft breweries in the US, according to the Brewers Association trade group, and craft brewers added $79.1 billion to the US economy, provided more than 550,000 total jobs, and produced more than 25 million barrels of beer in 2018. 

"Every place had a shopping mall 50 years ago," Fallows said. "Now every place has a brewery, and that is more interesting to me."

Breweries have served as catalysts for local development around the country, as brewers rehab underutilized properties for production. From Williamsburg, Brooklyn to Duluth, MN, Fallows has witnessed spectacular growth in the past 20 years, driven in part by local beer-makers.

Fallows recommended that beer-lovers try the Untappd mobile app to locate near-by craft brewers, but to whet your palette, here are 16 brewers from Maine to California that are having a local impact and are shaping the American beer landscape.

SEE ALSO: MAP: How much a pint of beer costs around the world

Sasanoa Brewing — Westport Island, ME

• Location: 50 miles from Portland, ME
• Town population: 718
• Brewery founded: 2019

Farmers Kyle DePietro and Angie Trombley brew local, sustainable beers using ingredients sourced from or near their farm on the coastal island in Maine.

SOURCE: SasanoaBrewing.com

Shipyard Brewing Co. — Portland, ME

• Location: Downtown Portland
• Town population: 66,700
• Brewery founded: 1994

Shipyard started out as the Kennebunkport Brewing Co. in 1992, and its upstairs restaurant Federal Jack's was one of Maine's original brewpubs. The company has since scaled up output to more than 100,000 barrels per year.

SOURCE: allaboutbeer.com

Night Shift Brewing — Everett, MA

• Location: 4 miles from Boston, MA
• Town population: 46,324
• Brewery founded: 2012

Three friends founded Night Shift after bonding over a passion for homebrewing. The company now has two locations in greater Boston, and hosts seasonal pop-up beer gardens in the area.
SOURCE: nightshiftfamily.com

See Business Insider's feature about how Night Shift's unique growth strategy

Cisco Brewers — Nantucket, MA

• Location: 24 Nautical miles from Cape Cod
• Town population: 11,327 year-round (up to 50,000 in Summer)
• Brewery founded: 1995

Cisco Brewers is part of a craft beverage family that includes a vineyard and distillery. Cisco's products are distributed from the island to 12 states, and growing.

SOURCE: ciscobrewers.com

Athletic Brewing Co. — Stratford, CT

• Location: 66 miles from New York City
• Town population: 52,112
• Brewery founded: 2017

Athletic came about after co-founder Bill Shufelt quit drinking and was disappointed by the available non-alcoholic beers. The company makes a full array of alcohol-free classic craft styles, available at its taproom and a growing number of retailers in the northeastern US.

SOURCE: AthleticBrewing.com

Read Business Insider's coverage of Athletic's innovative brewing and marketing strategy

Brooklyn Brewery — Williamsburg, NY

• Location: 5 miles from Midtown Manhattan, NY
• Neighborhood population: 150,713 (in a city of 8.6 million)
• Brewery founded: 1996

Long before Williamsburg transformed into the trendy enclave it is today, Steve Hindy, Tom Potter, and Garrett Oliver were brewing their creations there. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani cut the ribbon on the Brooklyn brewhouse in 1996 and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, the beer and the borough are widely known as a focal point of influences from around the world.

SOURCE: brooklynbrewery.com

OH Beatty Berry Brew — Columbus, OH

• Location: Ohio's 3rd Disrict
• Town population: 2.1 million
• Beatty's Brew founded: 2017

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) teamed up with brewers from her district (Anheuser-Busch) to make a custom IPA flavored with Ohio raspberries for a tasting competition with 8 other members of Congress in Washington, DC, where this image was made.

SOURCE: untappd.com

The Veil Brewing Co. — Richmond, VA

• Location: Scotts Addition, Richmond
• Town population: 1.3 million
• Brewery founded: 2016

The Veil was chosen as last year's best craft brewer in Virginia by Thrillist. The brewery releases new beers every Tuesday, and hundreds of customers wait in line for a case.

SOURCE: Thrillist.com

Craft Maltsters Guild — Charlotte, NC

• Location: Home of Jen Blair
• Town population: 2.6 million
• Guild founded: 2013

Jen Blair loves beer. In addition to drinking it and making it, she is the Executive Director of the North American Craft Maltsters Guild, current President of the Carolina BrewMasters and a member of the American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee.

SOURCE: craftmalting.com

Raleigh Brewing Co. — Raleigh, NC

• Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
• Town population: 465,000
• Brewery founded: 2013

Kristie Nystedt left her job in healthcare, where she was making a $120,000 salary, to start a beer brewery. Now her company earns $12 million in revenue through it's brewery, taproom, and equipment sales operations.

SOURCE: Business Insider

Read Business Insider's profile of Raleigh Brewing Co. CEO Kristie Nystedt

Tequesta Brewing Co. — Tequesta, FL

• Location: 91 miles north of Miami
• Town population: 6,133
• Brewery founded: 2011

Tequesta Brewing features hand-made beers in a wide variety of styles and flavors, for craft connoisseurs at their tasting room near Jupiter, FL. The company may still be young, but they serve their taproom patrons across a bar-top that is over a century old. 

SOURCE: tequestabrewing.com

El Segundo Brewing Co. — El Segundo, CA

• Location: 20 miles from Los Angeles
• Town population: 16,719
• Brewery founded: 2010

El Segundo features an IPA named for former WWE wrestler 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, seen here guzzling some of his namesake product during a visit to the brewery.

SOURCE: elsegundo.com

Den Sake Brewery — Oakland, CA

• Location: West Oakland
• Town population: 425,195
• Brewery founded: 2017

Brewer Yoshihiro Sako crafts his small-batch sake with a combination of traditional methods and novel techniques. Den Sake Brewery is the first sake brewery in Oakland, and was a semi-finalist for the prestigious James Beard culinary award.

SOURCE: densakebrewery.com

Barley Brown's Beer — Baker City, OR

• Location: 130 miles from Boise, ID
• Town population: 9,757
• Brewery founded: 1998

Barley Brown's is the Brown family's award-winning brewery and restaurant in eastern Oregon, with 24 Great American Beer Festival medals, and the 2013 trophy for best small brewery in the nation. 

SOURCE: barleybrownsbeer.com

Brewability Lab — Engelwood, CO

• Location: 7 miles south of Denver
• Town population: 34,690
• Program founded: 2016

Brewability Labs came about when former special needs teacher Tiffany Fixter saw a need for job training for adults with disabilities, like assistant brewer Devon Agan (pictured). Given the popularity of brewing in Colorodo, Fixter saw an opportunity to train adult students for careers in the craft industry.

SOURCE: Denver Post

Pink Boots Society — International

• Location: US, Canada, and 9 other countries.
• Membership: 1,900
• Society founded: 2007

Emilie Stewart (center, with cap), of the Pink Boots Society, talks with women brewers during an event at Blue Moon Brewery in Denver. The Society has chapters around the world dedicated to advancing the education and careers of women brewers.

SOURCE: Denver Post and pinkbootssociety.org

Oskar Blues Brewery — Longmont, CO

• Location: 35 miles north of Denver
• Town population: 96,577
• Brewery founded: 2002

Most known for its Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar Blues was one of the first craft brewers to sell their product in cans. Since 2002 the company has expanded to brew in three states and distribute its range of beers across the US and in 17 other countries.

SOURCE: oskarblues.com

Coors Brewery — Golden, CO

• Location: 15 miles from Denver
• Town population: 21,254
• Brewery founded: 1873

As the makers of the number two beer in America, Coors is far from a craft brewer, but the employees pictured here are highlighted for a different reason. In June 2019, Jacqueline Harman, Sean Nash, Travis Cordova, Mike Harris, and Louis Gomez (along with Christian Zelenak) saved the life of a woman who was inner-tubing down Clear Creek and was swept away by the rushing current, according to the Denver Post.

And that's not all. Many micro-brewers prefer classic American lagers like Coors after a long work-day of creating more flavorful and potent brews, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"It's hard to drink six Fat Tires," said Lindsay Barr, a former scientist with Fat Tire-maker New Belgium Brewing Co., in an interview with the WSJ. Given the choice between a session with Fat Tire and a Coors, she said she'd stick with the banquet beer.

SOURCE: The Denver Post and The Wall Street Journal

• Nutrition experts caution that dieting is often a losing game, and it's better to stick to an eating plan that you can sustain for life.
• There are plenty of diets that remain extremely popular. High-fat, low-carb plans like keto, as well as eating routines that center around plants were some of the trendiest of the past decade.
• Here's how the science behind each plan stacks up. 
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The low-fat craze of the 1980s and '90s is officially dead. Fat was back in a big way this past decade with the keto diet.

Fat became a popular way to get trim over the past decade. 

The centuries-old keto diet was just one of the many trendy low-carb options that people tried. On a well-planned keto diet, people get 70% to 80% of their daily calories from fat, another 20% to 25% from protein sources, and consume very few carbohydrates.

Keto dieters and other low-carb aficionados fill up on staples like cauliflower, eggs, cheese, and meat, while avoiding grain-based breads, pastas, and other high-carb foods.

Ketogenic diets are doctor-recommended under the right circumstances; it's a well-established way to help control type 2 diabetes, and the plan has for nearly 100 years been used to reduce instances of childhood epileptic seizures. 

The tricky part is being able to stick to such restrictive low-carb plans while staying healthy, which is why it's important to consult a doctor and nutrition expert before attempting any new diet.

If people aren't careful about how they approach it, a fat-loaded eating routine can be disastrous. Relying on protein-packed foods like red meat and cream while not getting enough essential nutrients from plants can raise the odds of developing health problems like gout while putting extra stress on the kidneys. 

"It's not clear that in the long run, a keto diet is going to be better than a diet with some modest amount of whole grains in it," former Harvard nutrition chair Walter Willett previously told Business Insider.

Other examples of the low-carb trend include the South Beach Diet, Dukan, and Atkins.

These three diets are all named after the men who invented them.

The Atkins Diet, pioneered by cardiologist Robert Atkins in the 1960s and 70s, is a low-carb plan that's slightly higher in protein intake than keto. It requires dieters to go through multiple phases, first cutting carbohydrates to 20 grams a day (less than what's in a single apple).

The diet's initial weight loss effects mainly stem from it causing a water-draining diuretic response, not from instilling healthy or sustainable eating habits, which is why nutrition pros are often hesitant to recommend Atkins.

Like Atkins, the South Beach Diet was invented by another cardiologist, celebrated Miami Dr. Arthur Agatston, in 2003. South Beach is a lot like other low-carb plans, though it is a bit more flexible after the first two weeks, when dieters cut sugar, alcohol, and nearly all carbs, focusing on eating more lean meats, nuts, and healthy fats like avocados.

This plan is billed as a long-term eating change, so it may be a bit more sustainable than other fads. In fact, in the maintenance phase, it looks remarkably similar to a Mediterranean Diet, which nutritionists often recommend.

The Dukan Diet, named after French nutritionist Pierre Dukan, is another high-protein, low-carb plan that is not well proven for weight loss.

"Any diet that results in weight loss does so because it reduces calorie intake," as a group of doctors recently wrote in a Jama op-ed. 

Gluten-free diets were also trendy, as carbs, once again, were shunned.

Carbohydrates were public enemy number one in the dieting world during the past decade, but not really for any good reason. 

While it's true that white bread, processed snacks, and sugar aren't good for us in big doses, whole grains and beans are two examples of healthy carb-filled staples. (Even cashews are carb-loaded, and a handful of mixed nuts is a heart-healthy snack.)

"What people are doing is essentially throwing the baby out with the bath water when they label all carbs as being bad," Dr. Shivam Joshi told Insider earlier this year. "I'm not defending refined carbs, which many of my critics think I am. I'm defending your unrefined carbs, your fruits, your vegetables, your whole grains, beans, lentils, things like that. These are some of the most healthful foods on the planet."

For the roughly 1% of the population with celiac disease, or people with a wheat allergy, a gluten-free eating plan makes sense. But for the rest of us, gluten-free diets can make it hard to get enough fiber or iron, and they're not categorically better for weight loss, either. Indeed, some people gain weight when they go gluten-free, perhaps because so many of the gluten replacements off the shelf are loaded with sugar.

Mediterranean diets continued to gather a devoted following.

Studies have shown that a traditional Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, olive oil, nuts, and fish, is one of the best for losing weight and keeping your heart and brain healthy.

It's perhaps no great surprise, then, that two of the world's longest-living tribes of people live near the Mediterranean Sea, in Ikaria, Greece, and Sardinia, Italy.

They reside in "Blue Zones," where people regularly live to 100 or more and eat lots of vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains.

"The secret to eating for 100 is to find the plant-based foods, heavy with beans and grains and vegetables, and learn how to like 'em,"Blue Zones Cookbook author Dan Buettner recently told Insider. 

Fasting was another slim-down strategy that gained traction over the past decade. The idea is that when we eat matters just as much as what we eat.

Intermittent fasting, a trendy weight-loss strategy that became popular among Silicon Valley elites in recent years, is less about what you eat and more about when you eat it. The plan strictly limits the number of hours during the day that people can eat and drink (anything other than water). 

Fasters adhering to I.F. often limit their eating time to a single 8-hour window during the day, and shun calories during the remainder of the day (Terry Crews, for example, says he only eats from 2 pm to 10 pm on the plan). This gives a person's body a big window every day when it's not digesting food (usually, about 14 to 16 hours of rest). which scientists suspect might help cells in the body repair and rejuvenate more effectively.

Recent small-scale studies suggest that intermittent fasting can improve blood pressure and the way the body responds to sugar, while also reducing belly fat and boosting energy. (More long-term, randomized controlled trials are needed, though.)

There's also compelling evidence that fasting in general can help people live longer lives, warding off diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity. But at it's extreme, fasting can kill you, and people have complained about symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, constipation, and vomiting when they limit themselves to only 8 hours of eating per day, so it's best to exercise caution and do what feels right for your body.

Vegan diets gained traction among both die-hard exercise buffs and animal lovers.

Plants are in.

Plant-based burgers have recently joined the menu at fast food joints including Burger King and White Castle, and plant-based vegan diets have become popular with some elite athletes, including UFC fighter Nate Diaz.  

"Veganism is a gift, and it's great to give that gift to people so they can be healthier and feel better, not hurt animals, and not destroy the planet," 9-year-old activist Vegan Evan, who's challenging President Trump to go meat-free for 30 days, recently told Insider. 

The truth is that while it's fine to eat a little meat, a properly-portioned vegan eating plan can boost the body's gut garden (the microbiome). A well-fed microbiome helps people absorb more nutrients from food, which can boost weight loss.

"Eating a plant-based diet with ample fiber changes the gut microbiome composition for the better by feeding the right kind of bacteria," Dr. Hana Kahleova, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, told MedScape Medical News when her study on vegan diets was released in September.

Not everyone has shied away from meat. From the paleo diet to a carnivore's plan, many people were still packing animal protein into their eating regimes.

Pass the meats.

Paleo dieters subsist on meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, while shying away from grains, sugar, dairy products, and anything processed. Paleo aficionados argue this diet is what our bodies are built for, and that modern farming has evolved faster than our guts.

Paleo dieters who fuel up on heavy doses of proteins like meat, however, put themselves at risk for vitamin D deficiency, and may not get enough calcium for their bones to stay healthy. There aren't really any long-term clinical studies on the benefits or risks of the Paleo diet, either.

Besides, most Americans do just fine when it comes to protein intake.

You can calculate your own daily recommended protein dose with this USDA calculator, but for most people under age 65, protein intake isn't anything to worry too much about.

For example, a serving of Greek yogurt along with 3 ounces of chicken is almost enough for one day. If you're a vegetarian, a one cup scoopful of black beans is going to get you most of the way there. 

UC Davis Health dietitian Alex Nella encourages his patients who are excited about Paleo to make some modifications, adding beans, lentils, whole grains, and dairy to their plate.

Similar to Paleo fans, carnivore dieters suggest there might be something special and immune-boosting about subsisting on meats.

Nutritionists don't think going fully carnivorous is a solid plan. There's essentially no dietary fiber in the mix, and the diet is missing a lot of key nutrients we don't get from animals, like the beneficial plant chemicals in fruits and vegetables that may help reduce cancer risk.

"In the absence of adequate fiber, the bacteria in the colon consume and thin the protective mucus lining, which then leads to impaired immune function and inflammation," Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, told The Guardian. 

Despite the fact that our livers and kidneys do a great job of cleaning us out naturally, cleanses were still popular this past decade.

Juicing was another major trend.

Beyonce reportedly liked the"Master Cleanse," and used the extreme no-food regime (also known as the Lemonade diet) to lose 20 pounds before Dream Girls in 2006. Master Cleansers consume only salt water, laxatives, and tons of lemon water with cayenne and maple syrup for at least 10 days.

Cleanses have become even more popular since Beyonce's mid-2000s foray, with the rise of more juice shops and mail-order juicing kits. 

Not eating is certainly an effective way to shed pounds short term, but this starvation diet could slow a person's metabolism, setting them up to gain more weight back when they finish their cleanse.

Other stars including Blake Lively and Jessica Alba have been known to juice cleanse. But science is not on their side. 

"When we breathe, when we go to the bathroom, when our liver is functioning — the body does all the cleansing and detoxifying itself,"registered dietitian Rachael Hartley previously told Insider.

Another idea that didn't hold water, but filled a lot of glasses over the past decade: a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before each meal. There isn't any good research to suggest that this works to speed up a person's metabolism. 

Calorie-counting is still big, too. A number of smartphone apps have made it easier than ever for people to track every bite that they put in their mouths.

Calorie-counting has been around for more than 100 years, but it's perhaps never been easier to track every bite that we eat and every sip we swallow. 

A recent study of calorie-counting apps found that Noom, a weight loss app that provides individualized feedback (for a fee), is possibly the most accurate counter for estimating overall calories.

MyFitnessPal is another app that's often recommended by nutritionists, even as it underestimates some nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamin C. It's favored because it has one of the largest food and nutrition databases around. 

But whatever counter people use, nutrition pros caution that the apps should serve more as a guidepost than a precise calorie measuring tool. 

"People shouldn't be obsessed [with logging]," Noom's chief psychology officer, Andreas Michaelides, previously told Business Insider. "At the end of the day, it's really a matter of forming lifelong, sustainable habits."

Weight Watchers is now just called WW, but the company's point system is still widely popular.

Whether you call it dieting or not, the company now known as WW has long assigned a point system to foods.

The idea is to encourage people to stay away from less healthy items, like a slice of cake, by making those account for more of a person's daily food-intake total. Foods that are healthy to eat in abundance get a low point value.

It's almost like calorie-counting, but with more focus on making healthful choices the norm.

Recently, WW has expanded its list of guilt-free foods, saying dieters need not count points anymore when it comes to many fruits, veggies, and nutrient-rich proteins. WW's list of zero-point items even includes things like eggs and fish.

"These foods form the basis of a healthy eating pattern," Gary Foster, Weight Watchers' chief scientific officer and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania's medical school, previously told Business Insider.  "Very few people come to Weight Watchers because they've had a problem overdoing it on salmon, legumes, beans, and chicken." 

Strict regimens like Whole30 and the alkaline diet draw distinctions between green-lit and off-limits foods, without any hard science to explain why some foods are OK while others aren't.

Created in 2009 by then husband-and-wife pair Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, the premise of the monthlong Whole30 regime is that if you put only "good" things in your body for four weeks, you'll feel better, reduce inflammation, and transform your relationship with food. Whole30 dieters are restricted to eating only fruits, veggies, meat, seafood, eggs, and some fats including avocados, cashews, and olive and coconut oil.

The alkaline diet, similarly, restricts high-acidity foods like tomatoes and dairy, with the goal of neutralizing the pH level of the body (something experts say a diet can't really do).

One reason why these restrictive diets might work is because despite their odd rules, they push people to consume more fresh vegetables — a key source of nutritional fiber— while also shunning the processed fare that can lead people to eat more and get hangry faster. 

Supplements and powder mixes were, once again, a popular way to replace meals (think: SlimFast). In the past decade, Silicon Valley startups like Soylent offered novel eating replacement formulas.

Forgo eating altogether and replace it with a liquid diet. 

That was the idea behind a few Silicon Valley startups of the past decade. Soylent is a leader in the space, embracing its role as a meal replacer that tastes, as Business Insider's Melia Russell once said, "okay." 

Soylent was developed to stand alone as a meal replacement, costing less than $5 per bottle. The mix of carbs, fat, and protein in each portion was not necessarily designed to help people lose weight, but rather to fill a nutritional gap when people feel they may not have time to eat actual food. 

"A lot of meals seem to have this trade-off. You can have something healthy, but it's going to be costly or inconvenient," Soylent's CEO and cofounder Rob Rhinehart previously told Business Insider. "You can have something quick and easy, but it's not going to be healthy. We can use science and engineering to make something efficient, so that you don't have to choose."

If you want to quit food, this is one way to stay alive, but it is a rather untested routine for long-term sustenance.

• You can brew coffee in a number of ways, but many connoisseurs swear by the French press method.
• Of all the French presses we researched and tested, the popular Bodum Chambord is the best one you can buy with its glass and metal design that's as durable as it is beautiful.

Coffee brewing methods are many and varied — there's the pour-over, cold brew, classic espresso, and more. One of the most popular methods is the French press, which lets your coffee grounds swirl around in boiling water to brew before you push the plunger down and pour the coffee right into your mug. There are dozens of great French press coffee makers out there, but they're not all created equal. 

We've researched the best ones and tested a few ourselves to find out which French presses are the best you can buy. Before we get into our picks, let's get into important terms, things to look for in a French press, and how these special coffee makers work.

What to look for in a French press

• Glass French presses: Glass carafes are gorgeous because you can watch the coffee brew and see the grounds go down as you plunge. They are more fragile, of course, so you should get one that's made out of borosilicate glass to avoid thermal shock and breakage. Most glass French presses also have plastic or metal braces for added protection. Having a sturdy base is important, too.
• Stainless steel French presses: A double-walled design is key for stainless steel French presses. Two walls will help keep the heat in and make for a better brew. You should also check for the quality of the stainless steel  — 18/8 and 18/10 ratios of chromium to nickel are best. Stainless steel carafes are more durable, but you miss out on the fun visual element of glass French presses.
• Plunger and handle design: The plunger keeps the grounds out of your cup of Joe, and the handle helps you keep the carafe steady as you push the plunger down. It's also key for pouring coffee into your cup. Most plungers have multiple metal screens to keep the grounds out of your coffee, including a large steel screen and a finer mesh screen to catch tinier particles. Some use a basket design, but most don't. The handle should be sturdy, strong, heat resistant, and not prone to breakage.
• Capacity: How much coffee do you want to make? French presses come in different sizes, as do coffee mugs. It's best to look for a French press with a capacity of one liter or more, depending on your needs. You can always fill a big carafe with less water, but you can't fill a smaller one with more, so bigger might be better. Take into consideration that many coffee mugs range is capacity from 8 to 16 ounces, so "cups of coffee" is a tricky metric to follow.

Here are the best French presses of 2019:

• Best French press overall: Bodum Chambord
• Best high-end French press: Frieling Double Wall Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker
• Best stoneware French press: Le Creuset French Press
• Best affordable stainless steel French press: SterlingPro Double Wall Stainless Steel French Press
• Best travel-friendly French press: Bodum Stainless-Steel Travel French Press Mug
• Best alternative French press: AeroPress

Updated on 12/11/2019 by Lisa Sabatini: Updated prices, links, and formatting.

SEE ALSO: The best espresso machines you can buy

The best French press overall

There are many French presses as simple, but few as elegant as the Bodum Chambord and its "form-follows-function" ethos.

Bodrum's Chambord will, at least in my eyes, forever be the prototype to which all other French Presses are compared, and, unless you're fussy about grit in the bottom of your mug or particularly accident-prone, it's almost certainly the French press for you.

When I was growing up, my parents drank coffee from nothing else, and, apart from someone clumsily dropping one, I can't ever remember a single thing going wrong, some 20 years, day in, day out.

Okay, so there's not a lot to a French press: stainless steel for the frame and plunger, a little polypropylene for the handle, and heat-resistant borosilicate for the carafe. If you want to jazz up your pot a little, consider the cork-topped plunger. Bodum, though a Danish company, makes its French presses in Portugal, which is, after all, the cork capital of the world.

Reviews of the Bodum Chambord on Amazon are largely positive (more than 4,000, rounding out to 4.3/5 stars), but a good number of them complain about the same thing: The stainless steel frame that holds the carafe in place is wont to warp over time, especially if you're not careful when you remove the carafe. That would be more or less fine if the plastic handle weren't supported by it on one side with no fastener.

As a result, the handle tends to slip out of the frame once it's been bent, and that's how catastrophe takes place. I've noticed this myself and had one or two close calls over the years, but I was able to bend it back into place which, touch wood, has held. Still, it's certainly an inconvenience. What's more inconvenient is a limited one year warranty that doesn't cover the glass.

But, while this press may be sort of fragile, and the warranty may not be terribly encouraging, it's fairly inexpensive and does its job well. Just treat it carefully, and be sure to let it cool down before cleaning. Although it is heat-resistant, borosilicate becomes much less stable when heated up. Otherwise, consider investing a little more in a stainless steel model. Glass is still glass, for now. — Owen Burke

Pros: Affordable, easy to use, attractive design

Cons: Plastic handle, delicate frame-to-handle attachment, strainer allows some grounds to get through

The best high-end French press

The Frieling Double Wall Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker is the ultimate high-end French press with its gorgeous design, superb build, and long warranty.

If you want a top-of-the-line, stainless steel French press, the Frieling Double Wall Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker is the best one you can buy. It's made of remarkably high quality 18/10 stainless steel, and it has a double-wall design to keep the heat inside and away from your hands.

The dual-layer steel wall also keeps your coffee piping hot, and Frieling claims it's four times better at keeping your coffee warm than glass French presses. The Frieling French Press we recommend has a 36-ounce capacity, but the company also makes French Presses in sizes ranging from 8 to 44 ounces. 

Inside, there's a two-stage filter system with both a big metal filter and a fine mesh one, and a metal wire inside the coil presses the plunger tight against the stainless steel wall. Together, these features ensure that you don't get many coffee grounds in your cup. Frieling's French Press is also dishwasher safe, so it's very easy to clean when you're done. 

The company offers a five-year warranty in case of any defects, and buyers on Amazon are very happy with how durable it is. While glass French Presses tend to break in accidents, stainless steel ones like this do not. The handle is also long and comfortable to hold.

A number of sites call the Frieling the best high-end French Press you can buy, including Consumer Reports, FreshPresso, Brown's Coffee, the Little Coffee Place, and Coffee Maker Clips.

Pros: Quality stainless steel design, double wall insulates coffee, durable, large handle

Cons: Expensive

The best stoneware French press

Le Creuset's beautiful French press is made from dense stoneware that won't absorb flavors or crack from too much heat. 

Le Creuset is well known for its excellent stoneware and enameled cast iron cookware. Its French Press is also exceptionally well made and uses the same dense stoneware and enamel exterior as Le Crueset's other cookware. You can choose from several beautiful colors to get a French press that matches your style and kitchen decor.

I've been using this French press to make coffee each morning, and it works just like every other French press. I put in some coarsely ground coffee, pour boiling water over the grounds, and let it steep for a few minutes before plunging the mesh-insert down to prevent the grounds from getting into my mug.

I've also used it to brew tea, and it's worked wonderfully. Tea leaves need lots of space to brew properly, and this French Press gives them more room to brew than a small infuser would. I've noticed a big improvement in tea taste with this French Press.

The main benefits of Le Creuset's French Press— beyond its incredibly beautiful design — is that the stoneware is very easy to clean. It's even dishwasher safe. It doesn't absorb any flavors from the drinks I brew in it, nor does it imbue any metallic taste to my drinks.

However, because it is stoneware, it can break and chip if you're not careful with it. It's not as durable as stainless steel, but it is hardier than glass and much nicer looking than plastic.

Pros: Beautiful, fun colors, multiple sizes, solid stoneware, well made, long lasting, stoneware doesn't absorb flavors, dishwasher safe

Cons: Pricey, stoneware can break

The best affordable French press

The SterlingPro Double Wall Stainless Steel French Press is a super affordable, high-class, steel French Press that makes stellar coffee.

If you love stainless steel, but you don't want to pay $100 for a high-end French press like the Frieling, the SterlingPro Double Wall Stainless Steel French Press is a great deal at less than $40.

This French Press comes in two capacities, one liter or 1.5 liters, and it's made out of 18/10 stainless steel. The double-wall design keeps your coffee warm and protects your hands from burning when you touch the sides or handle. There is a plunger with two screens to filter out most coffee particles. You also get two free replacement screens.

It more or less offers everything the $99 Frieling French Press does for less than half the price. The only real difference is that the SterlingPro doesn't have that nice five-year warranty.

User reviews on Amazon are largely positive, and buyers love the slick steel design. Coffee bloggers recommend the SterlingPro French Press, too, including Roasty Coffee, the Little Coffee Place, Brown's Coffee, and Coffee Maker Picks.

Pros: Affordable for stainless steel, durable design, double wall insulates heat, sturdy handle for good grip

Cons: Not as high-end as the Frieling French Press

The best travel-friendly French press

The Bodum Stainless-Steel Travel French Press Mug makes delicious coffee on the go and keeps your cup of Joe hot for hours.

If you always run out of time in the morning, you can make your coffee on the go with the Bodum Stainless-Steel Travel French Press Mug. Just spoon some coarsely ground coffee in the bottom, pour hot water on top, pop the lid on, and rush out the door. Plunge it down a few minutes later when you're in your car, on the subway, or at work, and voila! Fresh French Press coffee is yours.

Bodum makes a few different travel mugs, but you should buy the French Press style stainless steel one. It is vacuum-sealed and has a double-walled design to keep your coffee hot for hours. The stainless steel one won't crack or break like the plastic one, and it'll keep your coffee hotter longer.

Bodum's Travel Press also has a fun colorful silicone grip around the middle that makes this travel mug easy to hold and prevents burned fingers.  You can use it for cold drinks or tea as well, so it's a very versatile mug.

User reviews for the stainless steel Bodum Travel Press Mug are mostly positive. Those who bought the plastic version tend to complain about durability issues. Many coffee blogs — including Coffee Maker Picks, Coffee Gear At Home, and FreshPresso — also recommend the stainless steel Bodum mug as a great French Press mug for people on the go.

Pros: Portable design for coffee/tea on the go, stainless steel mug is durable, retains heat well, rubbery grip protects hands

Cons: Pricey for a travel mug

The best alternative French press

The AeroPress is small, simple, portable, and easy to use. Oh, and it makes a highly competitive, frothy cup of coffee somewhere between a French Press and an espresso.

One of my favorite discoveries in the coffee world this year has been the AeroPress. I'm predominantly an espresso drinker, and I have my various portable devices for that, but if there's anything that will suffice in its place it's a French Press.

The AeroPress is a very simple but effective method for getting a quick foamy cup of rich coffee on the go, and there is a formidable subculture of java heads that have ditched everything else altogether in light of it. It's also quick, especially because it requires espresso grounds, so there's not so much steeping time as there is with a French Press.

No, the AeroPress, as you may have already gathered, is not the prettiest thing around. Far from it, in fact, it looks more like some sort of medical receptacle than something you'd want anywhere near your kitchen. But then that's the beauty of its size: It doesn't have to live on your counter.

The whole process is only marginally more involved than loading a French Press. You pack a compartment with a shot of roughly espresso-ground beans, slap a paper filter on it (a pack of 350 replacement filters costs less than $10), pour some water over it, and plunge it through into your cup. Because the grounds are finer, there's a good chance you'll have a cup ready quicker than you would if you were using a French Press.

For less than $30, it also comes with all the utensils you'll need, start to finish, including 350 paper filters, which can be reused. And if you don't believe me, just have a look at the astoundingly positive set of reviews on Amazon.

On the professional side, Wired was enamored in 2013, and, more recently, so were the coffee wizards over at Driftaway. — Owen Burke

Pros: Portable, affordable, and makes a superbly heady cup of Joe

Cons: Plastic, not the prettiest little contraption around

How to make coffee with a French press

Making coffee in a French Press is relatively simple. Here's a step-by-step guide based on tips from Serious Eats:

• Coffee grind and amount: For a French Press, you should choose a coarse grind to get the most flavor out of your beans. You can adjust the grind to suit your tastes, and a finer grind will result in a stronger brew. There's no exact measurement of how much coffee-to-water you should put in the French Press, but Serious Eats recommends "60-70 grams of coffee per liter of water."
• Water temperature: The water should be boiling at around 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit or so. You can let it cool down 10 degrees if your coffee is a dark roast or decaf.
• Brewing time: You should let the coffee brew in your French Press for six to eight minutes, but first, you need to stir the grounds to ensure that the coffee grounds are properly wetted and brewing. Wait a few minutes with the press uncovered to let the coffee bloom. If the coffee has sunk to the bottom of the French Press, you can pop the lid on and wait for the brewing time to end. All of this is variable based on your tastes, of course.
• How to Plunge: When it's done brewing, hold the handle to keep it steady while you slowly press the plunger down. Slow and steady does the trick and keeps the most grounds out of your cup of Joe.

Check out our other great coffee maker buying guides

The best coffee makers you can buy

We've included top picks for all of these different types of coffee makers. We've tested the majority of our top picks and heavily researched those we have yet to use to bring you the best of all coffee makers.

• Best drip coffee maker: Bonavita BV1900TS Drip Coffee Maker
• Best coffee maker under $40: Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT Machine
• Best coffee maker under $50: Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Coffee Maker
• Best coffee maker and grinder: Cuisinart Burr Grind & Brew Automatic
• Best pour-over coffee: Melitta Ready Set Joe Single Cup Coffee Brewer
• Best French Press: SterlingPro French Press
• Best cold brew machine: OXO Good Grips 4-Cup Cold Brew Coffee Maker
• Best pod coffee machine: Keurig K575 Pod Machine
• Best stovetop espresso maker: Bialetti 6-Cup Stovetop Espresso Maker
• Best espresso machine: Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine

You can also read our other coffee guides on espresso machines, stovetop espresso makers, coffee grinders, milk frothers, and pour-over gear.

• Stanford's Graduate School of Business 2019 employment report highlights starting salaries and trends in its most recent graduating class. 
• Jamie Schein, Stanford GSB's career management center head and assistant dean, said median and mean base salaries increased from last year by 6% and 5% respectively
• Social impact roles, such as sustainable supply chain management, increased in number this year, more women chose entrepreneurship, and there were record-breaking salaries. 
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Stanford's Graduate School of Business is the highest ranked in the US, according to Bloomberg, and graduates from the program go on to earn salaries well in the six figures.

Each year, the school releases an employment and compensation report, highlighting salaries and trends in the most recent graduating class. 

This year, both mean and median base salaries increased for the fifth consecutive time. 

Only 5.1% of applicants were accepted into the class of 2019, for a total of 418 students. A majority (70%) of these students actively sought work, while 15% indicated that they wanted to start a new venture after graduating. Interest in starting new ventures decreased by one percentage point from the previous class. 

Jamie Schein, assistant dean of Stanford GSB and head of the center for career management, pointed to three trends within the compensation report. 

1. Social impact roles increased by 50% this year. Schein defines jobs in social impact as those with a corporate social responsibility focus. 

"I think a great example is a sustainable supply chain," Schein said. "So you might be going into supply chain management, but the thing that is motivating you to go in that direction is that you're interested in promoting sustainability. So it looks like a regular old operations or supply chain role, but the motivation is really around the impact that it has on say climate change."

2. The percentage of women pursuing entrepreneurship has nearly doubled in the past 10 years. 

Women comprised 40% of students who participated in venture-related activities, nearly double the percentage 10 years ago. 

"The percentage of our students going into entrepreneurship is equal to their representation in the class in general," Schein said. "So we like to see that."

3. This year's graduating class posted record-high salaries.

Median and mean base salaries increased from last year by 6% and 5% respectively. More than half of the class that sought a job received a signing bonus, which had a median of $25,000. 

Here are the average base salaries that the Stanford class of 2019 received post-graduation, and the percentage of students that went into each industry. The percentage excludes students who are company-sponsored (8%) or starting a new business (15%).

SEE ALSO: Here's the salary breakdown for Chicago Booth's class of 2019, including the industries that are paying its MBA grads the most

13. Nonprofit

Mean salary: $103,333

Median salary: $85,000

Percent of 2019 class: 1%

12. Retail

Mean salary: $111,667

Median salary: $115,000

Percent of 2019 class: 1%

11. Other industries (e.g. education)

Mean salary: $115,889

Median salary: $118,000

Percent of 2019 class: 4%

10. Consumer Products

Mean salary: $124,167

Median salary: $135,000

Percent of 2019 class: 3%

8. Healthcare

Mean salary: $136,273

Median salary: $150,000

Percent of 2019 class: 6%

8. Transportation/Logistics

Mean salary: $138,000

Median salary: $140,300

Percent of 2019 class: 4%

7. Energy

Mean salary: $141,667

Median salary: $140,000

Percent of 2019 class: 1%

6. Media/Entertainment

Mean salary: $145,833

Median salary: $135,000

Percent of 2019 class: 3%

5. Technology

Mean salary: $146,009

Median salary: $140,000

Percent of 2019 class: 24%

4. Real Estate

Mean salary: $146,333

Median salary: $140,000

Percent of 2019 class: 2%

3. Consulting

Mean salary: $151,083

Median salary: $165,000

Percent of 2019 class: 18%

2. Finance

Mean salary: $174,386

Median salary: $170,000

Percent of 2019 class: 33%

1. Hospitality/Travel

Mean salary: $185,000

Median salary: $180,000

Percent of 2019 class: 1%

• If you gift a product that has been featured on the show "Shark Tank," then you know it'll be both creative and practical. 
• Games, kitchen tools, skin-care products, and food are all thoughtful gifts you can give to the "Shark Tank" fan in your life. 
• If "Shark Tank" doesn't have the perfect holiday gift for your friends and family, we've rounded up a bunch of great gift ideas. 

One of our favorite shows to spot new products and enjoy some entertaining celebrity judge banter is "Shark Tank," which has returned for its 11th season. 

As we've seen over the years, some pitches do extremely well, while others aren't so lucky — but the fact remains that the show brings forward new and innovative ideas most of us have never considered.

That's why the products from the show tend to make especially good gifts. They're far from generic and they usually solve a common problem or annoyance. Conveniently, most are also available on Amazon.

Most of these items are available with two-day shipping, so don't stress too hard about scrambling for a last-minute gift — just remember that the sooner you order, the better your chances of a timely arrival.

The top 5 best gifts from 'Shark Tank':

1. The famous "Comfy" sweatshirt that they'll never want to take off
2. Adorable leather moccasins for babies
3. A reusable smart notebook
4. A drink accessory that keeps their beer cold
5. A baking pan that gives them more edge pieces

If your gift recipient loves watching "Shark Tank," they'll recognize these 26 awesome gift ideas:

The famous "Comfy" sweatshirt that they'll never want to take off

The Comfy Sweatshirt, from $40, available at Amazon

You can practically feel the comfortable softness and warmth of this oversized blanket sweater just looking at it. Cozy up in The Comfy by the fireplace, at sports games, or while watching holiday movies. 

A travel accessory that combines a hoodie with a memory foam pillow

HoodiePillow Memory Foam Travel Pillow, $29.95, available at Amazon

The clever design of this two-in-one hoodie and memory foam pillow, which feels like their favorite fleece sweatshirt, lets them fall asleep comfortably while traveling. The hood helps block out light and noise, while the pillow provides soft neck support. 

A baking pan that gives them more edge pieces

Baker's Edge Nonstick Edge Brownie Pan, $35.95, available at Amazon

The days of fighting over the limited number of edge pieces are over. With this unique pan, every piece has two delectable, chewy edges. Other than to make brownies, they can also use it for other desserts, pasta, or any baked good that requires some extra crust. 

A fun outdoor game

Spikeball 3 Ball Kit, $49.99, available at Amazon

On a beautiful sunny day at any park in the city, you'll probably see at least one group playing this fun and active game. With rules similar to volleyball, it's easy to learn — so the whole family can get involved. The company even holds nationwide tournaments if your recipient gets really good at the game. 

A funny gift box

Prank Pack Bathe & Brew Gift Box, $7.54, available at Amazon

The Prank Pack isn't the actual gift, but it is a funny way to prank your recipient and trick them into thinking they're receiving a strange or gimmicky present. The co-founder is a former writer at The Onion, so expect nothing less than hilarious fake products and product descriptions that your recipient will have to pretend to enjoy. 

Rich, dessert-like peanut butter spread packed with protein

Nuts 'N More Chocolate Maple Pretzel Peanut Butter Spread, $11.99, available at Amazon

For the family's resident sweet tooth or fitness enthusiast, get these chunky, sweet-and-salty peanut butter spreads. They contain whey protein isolate, providing 11 grams of protein per serving, and they're low-sugar and low-carb. Spread the creative flavors, which include birthday cake and ginger bread, over pancakes or fruit, or enjoy them straight out of the jar. 

Mini ornaments to hang in their hair

Beardaments Beard Ornaments, $9, available at Amazon

Beardaments Beard Lights, $20, available at Amazon

Now, in addition to ugly holiday sweaters, they can don fun and flashy beard ornaments. Each ornament has a clip that stays secure in their hair but won't damage it. Though the name may suggest otherwise, the ornaments can go in any type of hair, not just beards. 

A balance bike

KaZAM No Pedal Balance Bike, $49.99, available at Amazon

Featuring a patented footrest design that helps young kids find their center of gravity, this bike builds the confidence needed to transition to riding a proper bike. The ergonomic, adjustable handles and seat will get kids comfortable and ready to ride right away. The bike weighs only eight pounds and the puncture-free tires never need air. 

A memorable 3D card

Lovepop Pop Up Card, $13, available at Amazon

The cards are available in many beautifully crafted seasonal designs, or you can visit Lovepop's Amazon page to find other types of themes. Don't worry — there's still room to write an actual message for your recipient in the included notecard. 

A quirky holiday sweater

Tipsy Elves Women's Santa Unicorn Christmas Sweater, $47.95, available at Amazon

Founded by a former lawyer and a former dentist, the funny clothing brand Tipsy Elves exploded in popularity after its 2013 "Shark Tank" appearance and has made over $70 million to date. Its outrageous holiday sweaters, jumpsuits, and ski suits make memorable gifts for the jokesters and party animals in your life (plus they're really comfortable). 

A beach towel that gives back

Sand Cloud Black Acid Wash Beach Towel, $29.95, available at Amazon

This beautiful 100% Turkish cotton towel also works as a throw or wall tapestry. It's thin and compact, but durable. Plus, the company donates 10% of profits to help preserve marine life.

An appliance that turns any beer into draft beer

Fizzics White Waytap Beer Dispenser, $89.95, available at Amazon

Using sound waves, this cool appliance turns any can or bottle of beer into fresh draft beer by turning its natural carbonation into compacted micro bubbles. All they have to do is insert their favorite beer, then pull and push the tap to receive the enhanced version of their IPA, pilsner, or stout. 

A sturdy, inflatable paddle board

Tower Inflatable 9'10" Stand Up Paddle Board, $740.60, available at Amazon

Gift an avid outdoor adventurer this premium paddle board and you'll have a difficult time getting them to return to shore. Its design provides for better balance and stability, while a bottom fin makes it easier to maneuver. It inflates and deflates quickly, so it can be brought anywhere — but unlike many other inflatable boards, it's strong and rigid. 

A reusable smart notebook

Rocketbook Everlast Reusable Smart Notebook, Executive Size, $29.97, available at Amazon

The innovative tech of the Rocketbook lets them put pen to paper and organize and access those thoughts with the same convenience of digital notes. The 36-page notebook is infinitely reusable because the contents get sent to their chosen cloud service before being wiped clean with a damp cloth. 

Adorable leather moccasins

Freshly Picked Kids' Soft Sole Moccasins (Infant/Toddler), $49-$59, available at Amazon 

The creator of the cutest little baby shoes you've ever seen got her start picking up yard sale leather scraps and selling on Etsy. Today, parents everywhere are obsessed with the unique and comfortable 100% leather designs that infuse style into their baby's every step. 

A temperature-regulating machine that goes under their bed

BedJet V2 Climate Comfort for Beds, $379, available at Amazon

As an engineer who developed the heating and cooling systems of NASA spacesuits, the creator of BedJet has the perfect background to improve the sleep experience. Since temperature often impedes a good night's sleep, the BedJet blows hot or cold air onto the bed and over their body and creates "biorhythm sleep sequences" throughout the night. 

A better protein mixing bottle

Ice Shaker 26-Ounce Stainless Steel Protein Mixing Cup, $35, available at Amazon

The problem with traditional plastic protein powder shakers is that they tend to absorb odor and won't keep the contents cold. Former NFL player Chris Gronkowski's stainless steel water bottle is double-insulated, spill-proof, and odor-free — the upgrade that gym rats deserve. 

A drink accessory that keeps their beer cold

BottleKeeper The Standard 2.0, $37.99, available at Amazon

Is there anything more frustrating to an avid beer drinker than a cold one that's less than cold in just half an hour? The insulated stainless steel BottleKeeper, complete with bottle opener, keeps their beer colder for a longer period of time. It's also a smart way to protect against drops and spills. 

A WiFi-enabled sous vide cooker

Nomiku WiFi Sous Vide 1100-Watt Immersion Circulator, $249, available at Amazon

This sous vide connects to your phone to make sous vide cooking more streamlined than ever. You can create and send recipes to the machine and precisely control the temperature from your phone with the app, letting you keep tabs on your meal even when you're not in the kitchen.

An all-in-one water sports board

ZUP You Got This 2.0 Board Handle Combo, $331.20, available at Amazon 

This versatile board lets all ages and skill levels enjoy the exhilaration of skimming across the water. It can be used as a knee board, water skis, or a wake board, or ridden lying down. Whichever position they choose, they'll feel comfortable and safe during the ride. 

A funny card game that tests the financial limits of various outrageous scenarios

Pricetitution Card Game, $20, available at Amazon

Every card begins with the prompt, "How much money would it take me..." followed by a funny situation. It was a big success on both "Shark Tank," with four Sharks giving offers, and on Kickstarter. 

A smart video doorbell

Ring Video Doorbell Pro, Works with Alexa, $249, available at Amazon

Ring may not have secured a deal with the Sharks, but it did strike up a deal with Amazon for over $1 billion last year, so it's doing just fine. The smart security system has two-way talk, sends motion-activated alerts, and works with Alexa, giving homeowners the peace of mind that their house will be safe, regardless of whether they're home. 

A suction silicone place mat

ezpz Happy Mat, $24.99, available at Amazon

Parents will appreciate any help given this holiday season. The place mat stays right in place on any flat surface, making it that much easier to get food from the plate into their child's mouth.

A back support belt

BetterBack, $49.99, available at Amazon

Insider Picks editor Sally Kaplan can't recommend this posture corrector enough. If your recipient suffers from back pain, this ergonomic belt provides the relief they'll need. 

A rapid ramen cooker

Rapid Ramen Cooker, $7.99, available at Amazon 

What seems like a gag gift has actually come in handy for many busy students, parents, and office workers because it takes away the need for a stove and dish-washing session, cooks the noodles more quickly, and requires less water. It's the perfect size for a block of ramen and a faster, more reliable alternative to stovetop cooking. 

A pair of lightweight running sandals

Xero Shoes Barefoot-Inspired Sport Sandals, Men's Z-Trek, $64.99, available at Amazon

Xero Shoes Barefoot-Inspired Sport Sandals, Women's Z-Trek, $64.99, available at Amazon

After constantly getting injured while running, cofounder Steven Sashen switched to barefoot running and loved the effects, so he created a thin running sandal. These comfortable and supportive shoes are great for runners and could inspire them to kick-start their 2019 running goals. They can also be used for outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking. 

Looking for more gift ideas? We've got you covered.

• Our ultimate list of every gift guide you'll ever need
• Creative gift ideas under $25
• Thoughtful gift ideas under $50
• Clever gift ideas under $100
• Cool stocking stuffers on Amazon
• Affordable tech gifts under $25
• Thoughtful gifts for her, all under $50
• Cool gifts for him on Amazon

• 27-year-old Adeel Shams makes millions reselling sneakers.
• Shams and his business partner, Davon Artis, run Cool Kicks, a store for buying, selling and trading sneakers and streetwear.
• Shams said his fleet of four stores earned $6.9 million in sales last year, marking a 103% increase from 2017 to 2018.
• Shams told Business Insider his top tips for breaking into the market and making the most money in the sneaker resale industry.
• Sign up for Business Insider's retail newsletter, The Drive-Thru.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you can figure it out, selling sneakers can be a gold mine.

The global sneaker resale market could be worth $6 billion by 2025, a Cowen & Co. analysis estimated earlier this year. Sneakers on resale marketplaces like StockX and Stadium Goods have gone for as much as $20,000, and a lot of more rare designs and colorways have the potential to explode in value over time.

Sneakerhead Adeel Shams has hacked the sneaker resale market. Shams said his fleet of four stores earned $6.9 million in sales last year, marking a 103% increase from 2017 to 2018.

But his journey in the industry started in 2008 with a yard sale and a lot of passion.

After buying and then quickly selling a pair of Air Jordans at a yard sale, Shams turned his passion into a business and opened a store in Richmond, Virginia, in 2014, the same day he started graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

"Ever since then, I've had a passion of just collecting sneakers," the 27-year-old told Business Insider.

After graduating in 2016, Shams sold his share of the Richmond store, moved to Los Angeles, California, with around 500 pairs of sneakers, and opened up Cool Kicks. Unlike traditional resale marketplaces like StockX and Stadium Goods, Cool Kicks is a brick-and-mortar shop that owns every item in the store. Instead of acting as a middleman between merchants and buyers, Cool Kicks specializes in buying, selling, and trading new and used sneakers.

The store holds an array of coveted shoes like Air Jordans and Yeezys, which can resell for thousands of dollars.

Today, Shams has three stores in Los Angeles and one in Springfield, Virginia. He's launching a subscription-based app that he says will work to offer subscribers sneakers for less than market value.

We asked Shams for his top tips for breaking into the sneaker resale market and for making the most money.

Here's what he had to say:

SEE ALSO: Meet the 15-year-old who has made 6 figures reselling sneakers

1. Treat the sneaker market like you would the stock market

The sneaker market, like the stock market, ebbs and flows. Shams says that in order to make the most out of reselling, you need to be on top of the latest trends in the sneaker world and look closely to understand what is going on in the market. 

"What I'll always recommend people is you follow the trend," Shams said, adding that he encourages people regularly look at sites like StockX and GOAT. "It's like a stock market." 

The key is determining how the supply of a shoe relates to the demand, Shams explained. If a highly in-demand pair — like a Travis Scott collaboration — is not restocked, the value of that shoe can go up significantly over time, as there are fewer pairs available overall. This would make that shoe a great investment.

2. Invest — and overbuy — in shoes that have proven their worth

Shams said that sometimes, the past is a reliable indicator. If a certain sneaker has proven its worth in previous releases, it is likely worth making a big investment in similar designs and colorways.

"I spent maybe $200,000 last week or the week before overbuying on the same pair of shoes because they released two different colorways before and it was the same thing," he said. "As soon as they released, they were only $500. But as days go by, months go by, they just increased and increased and increased."

Shams says that following the trend of what consistently sells well is the key.

"Buy the right product," he said. "Don't buy a product that you think is going to sell one day."

3. Be wary of shoes that are being overproduced

Air Jordans and Yeezys are some of the most popular sneakers around. But Shams says that the return value for these pairs is not always what it used to be. 

"Jordans are getting mass produced to a point where not all Jordans are resell-able like how it used be," Shams said. "Same thing with Yeezys."

Shams' advice is to always search for how many pairs of each shoe is produced. He says this can be done on different blogs and websites.

"You know if one pair is being produced over a million times, the likelihood of that same sneaker reselling is very low," Shams said.

4. Always buy collaboration sneakers

When celebrities or athletes collaborate with a brand to make a sneaker, that sneaker is generally more valuable, Shams said.

"I always tell people to always buy collaboration shoes because they're less likely to be restocked," Shams said. "Because as soon as a product gets restocked, the value of the item goes back down because now there's more sneakers in circulation."

Examples of popular sneaker collaborations include those with Travis Scott, Drake, and Kanye.

5. Put your money back into your inventory and it will likely grow over time

"I'd rather have no money in my bank account," Shams said. "I'd rather put it all in inventory that I know is going to gradually grow in price because I know it's the right inventory."

Shams said that if you buy the right products, the return on investment is high. Sneakers often explode on the resale market years after they are released, so saving them to sell for later can be a smart move.

Shams gave the example of Nike and Off-White, which have collaborated before. Though the collaboration sneakers were not selling for so much on StockX right away, he still recommended that people buy them and sell them later because he knew they would become more valuable over time due to the hyped-up nature of the collaboration.

6. Passion is important

Shams' business started with a passion, which he eventually grew into a booming company.

Making it in the sneaker business requires time and devotion, so if you aren't totally passionate about it, the grind can be tough. Shams himself works about 40 to 50 hours a week in the store. But to him — and a lot of other sneakerheads — it's a labor of love, in a lot of ways.

"It's just a passion," Shams said. "I love being there. It makes me happy."

• Amazon is offering the Echo Dot for just $0.99 if you sign up for a month of Amazon Music Unlimited.
• The deal comes after Spotify ran a very similar promotion in which it gave away a free Google Home Mini speaker to new Spotify Premium subscribers.
• The promotion gives Amazon more ammunition to boost its Amazon Music subscriber numbers as it competes with Apple, Spotify, and others in the streaming music space.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

If you're thinking about adding Alexa to a new room in your home, Amazon is offering a compelling deal.

The online retail giant is offering the third-generation Echo Dot for just $0.99 if you sign up for one month of Amazon Music Unlimited, which costs $9.99. That means you'll be paying $10.98 as part of the promotion for the Echo Dot speaker and an individual subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited. 

The subscription automatically renews each month, so you'll have to cancel it after taking advantage of the deal if you don't want to pay $9.99 (or $7.99 for Prime members) each month.

That $10.98 cost may not sound as appealing as the $0.99 price headlining the promotion, but it's still a considerable bargain. The third-generation Echo Dot, which Amazon launched last year, usually costs $49.99. But separate from this promotion, the Echo Dot is also on sale right now for $24.99.

The discount is coming as Amazon is competing with Spotify, Google, Apple, and others for dominance in the streaming music market. Spotify recently launched a very similar promotion in which it gave away a free Google Home Mini smart speaker for free to those who signed up for Spotify Premium. 

The benefit for Amazon is twofold: the deal gives it a way to boost its music service as it more aggressively expands into audio with the launch of devices like the Echo Studio. But it also makes it more difficult for consumers to turn down buying a new Echo Dot at a time when the privacy concerns that come with letting voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant into the home are higher than ever.

If you do want to get a $0.99 Echo Dot through Amazon's discount, here's how. 

SEE ALSO: This is the test Amazon uses to decide which ideas are worth turning into new products

Navigate to the Amazon Echo Dot product page.

Follow this link to view the Amazon Echo Dot product page with the promotional price. Once you sign in, you'll be able to see if you're able to access the deal, which is only available for "eligible or new" subscribers, according to Amazon. 

Sign into Amazon.

If you're not already signed in, navigate to the top right corner of the screen to log into your Amazon account. 

Click "Add to Cart" if you want to purchase the Echo Dot.

If you're signed into your Amazon account and are still able to access the reduced price, it means you're eligible for the deal. Click "Add to Cart" and proceed to the checkout.

• Whether he's your brother, partner, dad, or friend, chances are you probably have a man in your life who you're planning to get a gift for this holiday season. 
• To make shopping easy for you, we came up with a list of 82 great gifts for him. They cover all budgets, tastes, and work for pretty much every guy in your life. 
• If you need more gifting ideas, check out all of our 2019 holiday gift guides here.
• Don't wait too long to order your gifts, though, since shipping deadlines for delivery by Christmas Eve are coming up.

As someone who gets special satisfaction from picking out the perfect gifts for everyone in her life, whether they're her coworkers, in-laws, dad, or boyfriend, I'm very lucky it's essentially my job to help other people do just that. In my head, I have a seemingly endless Rolodex of recommendations for special occasions, like engagement parties and baby showers, and holidays like Christmas, which is coming up soon.

If you need some inspiration for what to get for him this holiday (whether he's your boyfriend, husband, fiancé, or otherwise), the Insider Picks team has you covered with some truly excellent gift ideas. Though you can never go wrong with a new leather wallet or Patagonia fleece, we've also included some more unique gifts, like a custom Xbox controller and a cookbook focused on late-night munchies. 

The top 5 best gifts for him:

1. A box of his favorite sports team's memorabilia
2. A comfy Patagonia pullover he'll always want to wear
3. An easy-to-use Fitbit fitness tracker
4. A selection of high-quality, unique, and delicious meats
5. A starter pack of Philips Hue smart light bulbs to add to his smart home

Check out all 80 great gift ideas for him:

This list includes a Sponsored Product that has been suggested by Vincero Watches; it also meets our editorial criteria in terms of quality and value.*

A classic leather wallet

Bellroy Slim Sleeve Wallet, available at Bellroy and Amazon, $79

A wallet doesn't have to be a boring gift when it's from Bellroy. The gorgeous Slim Sleeve fits everything he needs in a slim, efficient profile. We love it so much we named it the best men's wallet in our buying guide.

A flask that'll keep his coffee hot

Hydro Flask 20 oz. Coffee Flask, available at Hydro Flask and REI, $27.95

This insulated coffee flask keeps hot drinks hot (and we mean hot) for up to 12 hours, and cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours. 

A modern and unique timepiece

Vincero Chrono S Watch, available at Vincero Watches, $169

Here is proof that a beautiful timepiece doesn't need to break the bank. Chose from over 75 Vincero men's watches designs, ranging in price from $129 to $299. 

* Sponsored by Vincero Watches

A stylish and comfortable pair of sneakers

Allbirds Wool Runners, available at Allbirds, $95

Popular shoe startup Allbirds came out with a new high-top sneaker this month, dubbed the Tree Toppers, but for the uninitiated (and honestly really anyone), the classic Wool Runners make an excellent gift. 

A comfy pullover he'll always want to wear

Patagonia Cotton Quilt Snap-T Pullover, available at Patagonia, $149

We're firm believers that you can't own too many Patagonia pullovers. This diamond-quilted style that comes in six colors is especially beloved by our team's newest Patagonia convert for its warmth, coziness, and versatility. 

A funky pair (or pairs) of underwear

MeUndies Build-A-Pack, available at MeUndies, from $57

Your first thought may be that underwear is sort of a strange gift, but hear us out. MeUndies are so comfortable they will blow his mind, and they come in tons of colors and limited-edition prints! The Build-a-Pack feature lets you build a 3-, 6-, or 10-pack of your favorite underwear style, and save up to 30%.

A luxurious sheet set that makes bedtime better

Brooklinen Luxe Hardcore Sheet Bundle, available at Brooklinen, from $219

Brooklinen has a well-earned reputation as the internet's favorite bedding startup; its sheets are comfortable and luxurious, and its fun new patterns like Graphite Maze (pictured above) instantly elevate the look of any bedroom. 

A box full of team pride

FanChest Gift Box, available at FanChest, from $59

If he's a serious sports fan, he'll love anything you get him with his team's logo emblazoned on it. FanChest delivers boxes full of licensed memorabilia for NHL, NFL, and NCAA teams at a great value. 

A smart USB car charger with Alexa

Roav Viva Alexa-Enabled 2-Port USB Car Charger, available at Amazon, $35.99

Give his car a smart upgrade with the Alexa-enabled Roav Viva. Not only can the device charge his smartphone, it can also answer questions about the weather or traffic, play music, and even tell him the news.

A beanie that will keep him warm all winter long

Patagonia Powder Town Beanie, available at Patagonia, $39

This 100% recycled polyester beanie from Patagonia will keep his head warm and stylish for years to come. 

A miniature version of his favorite arcade game

Arcade Classics Space Invaders Retro Handheld Arcade Game, available at Amazon, $15.98

Delight his inner child with a classic arcade game he can play on the go. You can choose from Asteroids, Centipede, Tetris, Q'Bert, Pac-Man, and more.

A waterproof, no-glare Kindle e-reader

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, available at Amazon, $99.99

The recently refreshed Kindle Paperwhite is an excellent gift for anyone who loves to read. For $130, he'll get a Kindle that's now waterproof, as well as thinner, lighter, and with twice the storage for books. 

A deep-tissue massager for an at-home spa experience

InvoSpa Shiatsu Back, Neck, and Shoulder Massager with Heat, available at Amazon, $50

This heated massager is a game changer for anyone who struggles with back and neck pain on a daily basis. Read a full review here from one of our reporters who swears by it. He'll be thanking you for years to come.

A festive box of socks that gives back

Bombas Men's Gift Boxes, available at Bombas, from $65

Bombas socks are among our favorites you can buy for their clever designs that offer amazing comfort. The company has a range of gift sets that come prepackaged into a beautiful gift box so you're all ready to go. No wrapping needed.

For every pair of socks bought, Bombas donates another pair.

Professional-quality over-ear headphones

Status Audio CB-1 Studio Monitor Headphones, available at Status Audio, $79

The perfect pair of over-ear headphones are both highly comfortable and sound great. For $79, this pair from Status Audio is among the best you'll find for less than $100.

A bestselling streaming device and gift cards to his favorite streaming services

Roku Ultra, $84, available on Amazon

Gift cards to Hulu, and Netflix, available at Best Buy, from $25

A media streaming device can transform his so-called dumb TV into a smart one that plays shows and movies from Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, Prime Video, and other streaming services. The best of the bunch is the Roku Ultra with its easy-to-use interface, 4K video streaming, voice control, and simple remote. 

A Fandango gift card to sustain his movie-watching habit

Fandango Gift Card, available at Fandango, from $15

A fidget toy that's fun for adults

Speks Classic Magnet Balls, available on Speks, from $24.95

These tiny magnetic balls are meant to be molded, mashed, and built into all sorts of shapes and creations. They keep us productive, can help relieve stress, and happen to collectively be one of our team's favorite fidget toys.

A box of snacks from Japan

Bokksu Tasting Gift, 1-month box, available at Bokksu, $49.99

Give the chronic snacker in your life a box filled with Japanese snacks he can't find in the US. He can even flip through the included catalog to learn all about where the treats come from.

The Amazon Echo Show

Amazon Echo Show, available at Best Buy, $169.99

The Echo Show is my personal favorite Echo because of its crisp HD display. Like every other Echo, it uses Alexa to accomplish any number of tasks, from answering questions to reordering supplies on Amazon. But in addition Alexa's verbal response about the day's weather forecast, for example, the Echo Show displays it on its 10-inch screen. 

A board game that'll keep him and his friends entertained for hours

Ticket To Ride Board Game, available from Target, $44.99

You'd be mistaken if you thought this innocuous-looking board game couldn't entertain adults. I thought it the first time I saw the box too, and then all of a sudden two hours had passed and I was busy plotting out a train route from Montreal to Miami that could give me an edge over my four opponents.

A watch strap that'll up the ante on his Apple Watch

Nomad Apple Watch Strap, available at Nomad, from $39.95

Dress up his Apple Watch with a beautiful Horween leather strap that costs far less than the price of Apple's own straps.

A weighted blanket from a beloved online mattress startup

Weighted Blanket, available at Casper, from $169

The pressure of a weighted blanket has a soothing effect that'll reduce anxiety and help him fall asleep faster. Plus, it'll feel like he's being wrapped in a big hug. 

An innovative gaming console

Nintendo Switch Console, available at Best Buy, $299.99

The Nintendo Switch lets him have a handheld and TV-based console in one. The Switch is compatible with tons of fun games and lots of high-quality accessories that make for a premium gaming experience. You can probably find a great deal on a Nintendo Switch this Black Friday too. 

An Instant Pot for easy weeknight meals

Instant Pot DUO80, available at Amazon, $99

The Instant Pot is one of the most versatile appliances you can add to your kitchen for under $100. Help him make delicious home-cooked meals a cinch, even when he has to work late.

A recipe book for Instant Pot meal inspiration

The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, available at Amazon, $7.79

For meal inspiration, you may want to consider gifting the Instant Pot along with an Instant Pot-specific cookbook. This one is a #1 best seller on Amazon.

A luxurious skin-care set

Kiehl's Travel Size Men's Grab & Go Essentials Set, available at Nordstrom, $47

This TSA-friendly kit from Kiehl's comes with all the skin-care essentials he needs when he's traveling, all in a neat package that's ready to gift. 

A great pair of lounge pants

Tommy John Lounge Jogger, available at Tommy John, $84

They're a little expensive, but if sweats are his unofficial weekend uniform he'll love these joggers from Tommy John, purveyor of some of our favorite men's underwear. Complete his look with with the Men's Lounge Pack, which comes with the joggers as well as a long-sleeve henley and pair of socks. 

A word art print of his favorite sports team's stadium or a city skyline

Art of Words Word Art Prints, available at Amazon, $54.99

Art of Words creates beautiful word art prints of sports stadiums, city skylines, musical artists,  and more. The Yankee Stadium print pictured here is handwritten entirely with the names of every Yankees player in history! It's a unique gift idea you maybe wouldn't expect to find on Amazon. 

Protective spray to keep his shoes pristine

Jason Markk Repel Shoe Spray, available at Amazon, $16.25

If there's nothing he loves more than his sneaker collection, he'll appreciate this practical spray. It repels oil and water without altering the look of the shoe, so he can keep his favorite footwear in prime condition. 

A custom Xbox controller

Custom Xbox One Controller, available at Xbox, from $69.99

At the Xbox Design Lab, you get to play designer for a day (or, actually, more like 10 minutes). There, you can choose from over a billion color combinations (including new camo and shadow options) to design him a totally unique wireless controller. You can also personalize an official NFL team controller, but those start at $85.

A better travel pillow

Trtl Travel Pillow, available at Amazon, $25.49

We didn't think there was such a thing as the perfect travel pillow until we tried the Trtl. Read a full review from one of our reporters who swears by it for red-eyes for its comfort, portability, and affordable price.

Cozy slippers he'll love to lounge around in

UGG Scuff Slipper, available at Nordstrom, $79.95

The suede Scruff Slipper from UGG is a winter staple that will never go out of style. 

A supportive seat cushion

Purple Seat Cushion, available at Purple, from $35

Perhaps better known for its mattresses, Purple makes a variety of seat cushions, from one that's specifically designed for lumbar support to one that's meant for portability. The cushion's grid shape collapses into itself to help accommodate your pressure points, and makes sitting comfortable even if you've, say, left your phone in your back pocket.

A multitool for the handyman

Leatherman Wave+ Multitool, available at Amazon, $99.95

This souped-up Leatherman is the company's most popular, and for good reason. It combines a myriad of tools that come in handy in a pinch, from can and bottle openers, to screwdrivers, to wire cutters.

Truly wireless earbuds with a gorgeous design

Master & Dynamic MW07 True Wireless Earphones, available at Amazon, $186

We've come to think of Master & Dynamic as the master of sound. Claiming the coveted title of the best truly wireless earbuds, the company's MW07s are the pair to buy for anyone you want to spoil this holiday. 

A powerful portable speaker

Soundcore Flare Wireless Speaker, available at Amazon, $62

About the size of a soda can, the Soundcore Flare is a powerful and very portable speaker that puts on a cool LED light show.

A fancy salt sampler that'll elevate any dish

Jacobsen Salt Co. Vial Set, available at Williams-Sonoma, $34.95

This salt sampler features flavors like sweet onion, habanero, and garlic that'll turn any ordinary dish into a trip to Flavortown.

A box of meats that taste best fresh off the grill

Grill Master Box, available at Porter Road, $70

The grill master in your life will find his mouth watering as he opens up this meaty gift box that contains two dry-aged steaks, two pounds of dry-aged burger patties, and two pounds of bratwurst sausage links. 

An Amazon Prime membership that makes shopping online super convenient

Amazon Prime 3-Month Gift Membership, available at Amazon, $39

Amazon Prime opens up a whole new world of access, be it to fast two-day shipping or any of the other 29-plus perks you'll get with a membership. If you know he doesn't have one yet, this is a smart gift — but in the case he does, he'll get to use the $39 on anything he wants or needs from the site.

A sleek leather dopp kit

Leatherology Double Zip Toiletry Bag, available at Leatherology, from $120

This dopp kit from Leatherology is as sleek as it gets. To go the extra mile, you can monogram in with his initials for an additional $10-$15. 

A map that reminds him of a favorite place

Grafomap Custom Map Poster, available at Grafomap, from $49

Grafomap is a website that lets you design map posters of any place in the world. You can make one of his hometown, his college town, or his favorite travel destination — you're only limited by your imagination. 

A coffee subscription that lets him taste beans from around the world

Atlas Coffee Club 3-Month Gift Subscription, available at Atlas Coffee Club, $55

If his veins run dark roast, we recommend a subscription to the Atlas Coffee Club, which curates a global selection of single-origin coffee that gets freshly roasted and shipped to your house from $9 per bag. 

A Lego set for Star Wars lovers

Lego Star Wars Millennium Falcon, available at Amazon, $159.95

With 1,351 pieces, he'll be entertained for hours building this iconic Star Wars model starship. 

An espresso machine for barista-quality drinks at home

Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine, available at Amazon, from $488.99

The semi-automatic Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine isn't cheap at nearly $600, but it is the best espresso maker you can buy, according to our buying guide. It makes top-notch espresso and it includes a burr grinder, tamper, and frothing pitcher — it's perfect for a coffee lover you want to spoil.

A Star Wars-themed phone case for his new iPhone

OtterBox Star Wars Phone Case, available at OtterBox, $44.76

If he's a Star Wars fan, OtterBox has a series of phone cases he'll love. They're ultra-slim, ultra-protective, and ultra-rad! You can choose from five designs, featuring characters such as R2D2, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader.

A small smart speaker

Google Home Mini, available at Best Buy, $25

This little speaker won't take up much room, but will bring plenty of smart features to his space. Thanks to Google Assistant he can play music, check the weather, and even control his smart home with his own voice. 

A cookbook of late night meals

"MUNCHIES: Late-Night Meals from the World's Best Chefs", available at Amazon, $16.55

If he's ever curious about what famous chefs like David Chang, Dominique Crenn, and Anthony Bourdain dig into when they're not in the kitchen, this book answers the question. Expect many more late-night culinary adventures after he peruses this book that's part recipe collection, part exploration of food culture. 

A sous vide machine for ambitious home cooks

Anova Nano Sous Vide, available at Amazon, $84.99

This $100 sous vide machine will make him look like a fancy chef with minimal effort.

A sleek turntable for his favorite vinyl records

Audio-Technica Wireless Turntable and Speaker System, available at Amazon, $169

This turntable is the sleek home accessory he didn't know he needed. Since it connects wirelessly to other speakers and includes one built-in speaker, he won't need to mess around with a bunch of cables and cords. 

A subscription service for new vinyl every month

Vinyl Me, Please 3-Month Gift Membership, available at Vinyl Me, Please, $99

A look back at The Beatles' songwriting process

The Beatles Lyrics: The Stories Behind the Music, available at Amazon, $15.47

Everyone knows someone who loves The Beatles. This beautifully produced look back at more than 100 classic Beatles songs includes original documents like handwritten drafts and notes that remind him of the process behind success. 

The essentials for a close shave

The Art of Shaving Sandalwood Starter Kit, available at Amazon, $30

This shaving starter kit from the revered The Art of Shaving includes a pre-shave oil, shaving cream, after-shave balm, and trial-size badger shaving brush — everything he needs to put his best face forward.

A robotic vacuum for lazy cleaning

iLife V8s Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Mop, available at Amazon, $219.99

Nobody likes vacuuming, but everybody likes robots. The iLife V8s is a moderately priced robot vacuum that offers many of the cleaning features you might expect from pricier Roombas. Read a full review here from one of our reporters to hear how it handled the fur and dust of his house.

A gift pack for a year of pearly whites

Goby Brush Kit, available at Goby, from $60

Goby's toothbrushes feature a gentle oscillating brush head with soft bristles, a built-in two-minute timer, and a long-lasting battery that only requires two charges a month. You can receive new brush heads periodically for only $6 each.

A stain bar for spot-cleaning his favorite shirts

The Laundress Wash and Stain Bar, available at Amazon, $5.38

This stain bar is the perfect stocking stuffer under $10 for any guy who complains about "ring around the collar" stains on his dress shirts. It's not the most exciting gift, but it's one he'll be thankful for each time he runs a load of laundry.

A set of sheet masks for his winter skin woes

Dr. Jart+ 7 Day Mask Experiment Kit, available at Sephora, $27.50

Treat him to a week's worth of sheet masks that address all of the most common skin concerns like dryness and enlarged pores. 

His next pair of everyday boots

Thursday Boot Company Scout Chukka Boot, available at Thursday Boot Company, $149

Thursday Boot Company's boots are sleek enough for the office, but rugged enough to handle the cold and wet weather of winter. They're also very comfortable, requiring little or no break-in period. We love them so much we named them the best men's boots in our buying guide.

Smart light bulbs that can create billions of lighting combinations

Philips Hue Smart Bulb Starter Kit, available at Amazon, $199.95

Philips Hue lighting not only looks cool, but it can also replicate a natural sunrise and combat the effects of seasonal sunshine deprivation. This starter kit is also compatible with Amazon's, Google's, and Apple's smart assistants. 

A smart home security camera

Wyze Cam Indoor Wireless Smart Home Camera, available at Amazon, $24.49

The Wyze Cam is a tiny security camera he can affix to virtually any surface in his house, or leave standing up on his table or countertop. It records video in your home and updates you using a smartphone app when it detects motion, sounds, or alarms. And the best part is it only costs $25. Find a full review here.

A hardshell case to protect his MacBook

Incase Hardshell MacBook Case, available at Incase, from $49.95

Coming in a bunch of colors and sizes, this MacBook case is both protective and stylish. 

At at-home workout system

TRX Home2 Suspension Training System, available at Amazon, $199.95

For the fitness junkie, you can bring the gym home with this TRX trainer.

A SodaStream for seltzer addicts

SodaStream Fizzi Sparkling Water Maker, available at Target, $89.99

The SodaStream lets you to turn plain water into sparkling water in mere seconds. He can adjust the fizziness and flavor level to his personal taste.

A pair of super-stretchy, comfortable jeans

Mott & Bow Dynamic Stretch Jean, available at Mott & Bow, $118

Mott & Bow Dynamic Stretch jeans are beloved by all of the men on the Insider Picks team for their comfort, their clean and modern look, and their durability.

High-end olive oil

Brightland Awake Olive Oil, available at Neiman Marcus, $37

If he loves whipping up exciting dishes in the kitchen, he'll love Brightland's high-end olive oils. They're made with hand-picked, organic olives, and each one has a bright flavor that tastes great on everything from crispy fried eggs to crunchy salads. 

A cozy hoodie

The Felted Merino Hoodie, available at Everlane, from $98

An elevated, but just as cozy hoodie will take him everywhere from days on the town to lounging at home. The merino wool will keep him warm and the fit is anything but frumpy. 

Texting gloves made for winter commutes

Cole Haan ZERØGRAND Knit Glove, available at Cole Haan, $78

Cole Haan's warm, water-resistant gloves have convenient touch tips that are ideal for wintry commutes. And they have a polyester liner that offers an extra layer of warmth. 

A classy catchall tray

Wood and Marble Valet Tray, available at Mark & Graham, $59

Acacia wood and marble make for a classy piece he can use to hold little trinkets or his most-used products, like keys and watches. Choose from charcoal or white marble, and for just $10, add a monogram for some personalization. 

A candle inspired by the season

Manor House Weekend Candle, available at Otherland, $36

We love Otherland's seasonally inspired, limited-edition candles, and we're sure he will, too. The "Manor House Weekend" collection includes a selection of autumnal aromas he'll love, such as musky Dappled Wood with hints of sandalwood, toasted walnut, and sweet hay, a comforting Cardamom Milk with notes of frothy milk, cardamom, and praline woods, and a wintry Mountain Lace with elderflower fizz, anjou pear, and apple blossom.

Booze-infused candies for a delicious treat

Sugarfina 'Aviation American Gin' Candy Bento Box, available at Nordstrom, $28

Booze is always a good gift idea, which is why we're all about Sugarfina's latest collaboration with Aviation American Gin. This limited-edition Candy Bento Box comes with non-alcoholic gummy bears inspired by classic gin cocktails like gin fizz, gimlets, and gin and tonics.

An upgraded kitchen essential

Two Quart Saucepan, available at Sardel, $85

Sardel was founded by three brothers who wanted high-quality cookware to be accessible, both in price and usability. This saucepan is a perfect example of the brand's ethos — made from quality materials but easy for home chefs of any level to use — and a nice upgrade to the old pot he's been using to boil pasta for years. 

If you ask us, the best part is the rounded handle, which makes it easier and more ergonomic to lift or carry the pot when it's full of food.

Soft and sustainable socks

SoftHemp Sock, available at United by Blue, $16

His feet will thank you for keeping them cozy all winter long in these socks made of sustainable hemp fabric. 

Pop-culture inspired playing cards

Genius Music Playing Cards, available at Amazon, $9.89

Game night gets a cool upgrade with these playing cards, featuring illustrations of all the big names in pop, rock, country, and R&B. 

A durable AirPods case

Metallic AirPods Case, available at Incase, $29.95

Whether they're prone to losing their AirPods or dropping them, this metallic case will hopefully help with both of those issues. 

A sleek fitness tracker

Fitbit Inspire HR, available at Best Buy, $79

Help him conquer his New Year's resolution and boost his fitness with this Fitbit tracker. It tracks activity, sleep, and will last up to five days on a single charge. 

A soothing body lotion

The Body Lotion, available at Necessaire, $25

Necessaire's clean body products are filled with nourishing ingredients and wrapped in minimalist packaging. Its body lotion is a small luxury he'll want to indulge in every day. 

A compact and simple aromatherapy diffuser

An eco-friendly, portable meal kit

Meal Kit, available at United by Blue, $38

Whether he's heading out on a camping trip or just bringing his lunch to work, this portable meal kit makes it easy to eat on the go and be a little more eco-friendly. 

A set of small and sleek dishes

Dip Dishes, 4-pack, available at Year & Day, $26

Everything from olives to spices to oil and vinegar will look instantly elevated when he places them in these sleek dip dishes from chic dinnerware brand Year & Day. 

A sleek carry-on and stickers for some personalization

Away Carry-On, available at Away, $225

Away is a relatively new luggage startup that offers roller bags in a handful of different sizes for carrying on or checking. The carry-on versions include an ejectable battery and two USB ports so that he can charge his devices with ease at the airport. Currently, you can choose from 10 colors, plus 2 limited-edition colors. Away also carries a variety of luggage stickers for $15-$25 each.

Looking for more gift ideas? We've got you covered.

• Our master list of every gift guide you'll ever need
• Creative gift ideas under $25
• Thoughtful gift ideas under $50
• Clever gift ideas under $100
• Beauty gift sets that don't feel lazy
• Cool stocking stuffers on Amazon
• Affordable tech gifts under $25
• Thoughtful gifts for her, all under $50
• Cool gifts for him on Amazon