As the resale market continues to grow, Poshmark is in a favorable position. The peer-to-peer reselling and shopping app is one of many shopping platforms to witness massive growth during the pandemic.

Poshmark started trading Thursday, pricing its IPO at $42 a share and giving the company an initial valuation of more than $3 billion. ThredUp, another resale platform, filed paperwork for a US initial public offering (IPO) in October.

Poshmark's cofounder and CEO Manish Chandra said in May that resale will likely emerge as a leading player in a new retail landscape that is based on personalization and immersive experiences. By June, Poshmark was nearly doubling the number of listings shared on its platform, to about 60 million per day. The growth was influenced, in part, by a general shift towards e-commerce amid the pandemic and consumers committing to reselling side hustles to supplement impacted primary income. 

Read more:Target just announced a diversity push across its workforce. Here's how much the big-box retailer pays its tech workers, from software engineers to managers.

As of December 15, Poshmark employs over 500 people across the globe, including a variety of engineers, analysts, and product managers. Many of these positions offer salaries around or above six-figures. And while it is not rare for some employees' income to go up after a company files for an IPO, length of tenure or how many stock options an employee owns can factor into that added compensation.

Business Insider analyzed the US Office of Foreign Labor Certification's 2020 disclosure data for permanent and temporary foreign workers to see how much Poshmark paid some employees for various roles in different categories. The Office of Foreign Labor Certification discloses salary data each year after US companies report how much base compensation workers are offered when filing paperwork for visas on behalf of current or prospective foreign workers.

For the US, Poshmark applied for 32 H-1B visas for these and other roles. All of these jobs listed are based in the company's headquarters in Redwood City, California. Poshmark declined to comment for this story. 

In some cases, Poshmark's tech salaries are similar to those in other tech-focused industries. For example, software engineers' base salaries at Amazon and Google are generally about $155,086 and $177,933, respectively, according to Glassdoor. At Poshmark, software engineers can make between about between $110,000 and  $185,000.

From software engineers to product managers, here are some of the annual salaries and salary ranges for different jobs at Poshmark.

SEE ALSO: Walmart just announced a bid for TikTok via its partnership with Microsoft. Here's how much the big-box retailer pays its tech workers, from software developers to managers

Software engineers

There are various levels of software engineering roles at Poshmark, including senior and staff engineer positions. Software engineers at Poshmark can make between $110,000 and $185,000.

At Poshmark, software engineers help design and build services across Poshmark's website using methods based on data. Software engineers also write code, and collaborate with other product and customer support teams to fine-tune the experience for shoppers.

According to five approved visa applications from Poshmark, people with the title "software engineer"— a more junior role— made between $110,000 and $130,000.

Meanwhile, the average salary for a senior software engineer is $160,000. People in this role can also make up to $190,000, Business Insider found.

Other engineering roles

Other engineering positions at Poshmark include staff engineer, principal engineer, and a senior site reliability engineer.

According to six approved visa applications from Poshmark, all of these roles offer salaries over $175,000. However, a principal engineer at Poshmark can make more than $200,000.

According to three approved visa applications from Poshmark, people with the title "staff engineer" made between $190,000 and $195,000. A senior staff engineer at Poshmark can make $215,000, while a senior site reliability engineer can also make around $175,000.

Data analyst

Data analysts at Poshmark can make between $100,000 and $131,000.

People in this role help track and analyze data from the company's site to offer insights to various teams.

According to five approved visa applications from Poshmark, people with the title "data analyst" made between $100,000 and $120,000 while one approved visa application showed that a senior data analyst made $131,000.

Business analysts

Business analysts at Poshmark can make up to $130,000. These types of analysts help Poshmark grow and improve by offering data-based business insights to leadership and various teams at Poshmark. 

According to three approved visa applications from Poshmark, people with the title "business analyst" made between $70,000 and $120,000 while one approved visa application showed that a senior business analyst made $130,000.

Senior growth analyst

Similar to other analysts at Poshmark, senior growth analysts work with data to solve problems and help the company grow.

People with the title "senior analyst, growth," make at least $125,000.

Manager roles

Certain managerial positions at Poshmark offer more than $130,000 in salary.

Below are some sample salaries for managers according to visa applications from Poshmark.

Associate manager, analytics: $155,000

Associate manager, analytics: $155,000

Product manager: $160,000

Data and analytics manager: $132,000 (This position has a salary of $175,000 on average).

Netflix's "Cobra Kai" dethroned Disney Plus' "The Mandalorian" as the most popular original streaming series in the US this week after debuting its third season on January 1.

Every week, Parrot Analytics provides Business Insider with a list of the nine most in-demand TV shows on streaming services in the US.

The data is based on "demand expressions," Parrot Analytics' globally standardized TV-demand measurement unit. Audience demand reflects the desire, engagement, and viewership weighted by importance. The list is ranked by how much more in demand the top series are than the average TV show in the US.

SEE ALSO: 'The Mandalorian' finally beat 'The Office' as the most watched streaming series in the US, according to Nielsen

9. "The Expanse" (Amazon Prime Video)

Times more in demand than average show: 31.4

Description: "In different parts of the Solar System, the crew of the Rocinante and their allies confront the sins of their past, while Marco Inaros unleashes an attack that will alter the future of Earth, Mars, the Belt, and the worlds beyond the Ring."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 5): 100%

What critics said:"The emotional stakes are high in The Expanse season 5, and although the action takes a few episodes to really kick in, once things shift into high gear, it's full speed ahead."— Den of Geek (Season 5)

Season 5 premiered on Prime Video on December 16. See more insights "The Expanse."

8. "The Crown" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 34.3

Description: "This drama follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 4): 97%

What critics said:"The Crown's fourth outing is the show back at its best. You may well come to it for the visual feast of Diana and Thatcher, but you'll leave with lots of food for thought — the mark of great telly."— Digital Spy (season 4)

Season four premiered on November 15 on Netflix. See more insights for "The Crown."

7. "Animaniacs" (Hulu)

Times more in demand than average show: 37.3

Description: "They're back! The Warner brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister Dot, have a great time wreaking havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone they meet. After returning to their beloved home, the Warner Bros. water tower, the siblings waste no time in causing chaos and comic confusion as they run loose through the studio, turning the world into their personal playground. Joining Yakko, Wakko and Dot, fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain also return to continue their quest for world domination."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 1): 78%

What critics said:"In the world of Animaniacs the best jokes often come in the deep cuts, like one about, of all things, the Oldboy remake."— RogerEbert.com(season 1)

Season 1 premiered on Hulu on November 20. See more insights for "Animaniacs."

6. "Star Trek: Discovery" (CBS All Access)

Times more in demand than average show: 37.5

Description: "After making the jump in the second season finale, season three of "Star Trek: Discovery" finds the U.S.S. Discovery crew dropping out of the wormhole and into an unknown future far from the home they once knew. Now living in a time filled with uncertainty, the U.S.S. Discovery crew, along with the help of some new friends, must together fight to regain a hopeful future."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 3): 90%

What critics said:"I'll fully admit that, as a fan of the first season of Discovery, I miss the pedal-to-the-metal, go for broke nature of those episodes. But that said, that sort of breakneck pace might feel exhausting to watch in the current moment."— Decider (season 3)

Season 3 premiered October 15 on CBS All Access. See more insights for "Star Trek: Discovery."

5. "Titans" (HBO Max)

Times more in demand than average show: 37.9

Description: "'Titans' follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire and lovable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 2): 81%

What critics said:"Superheroes, mysteries and brawls, Titans has it all."— CinemaBlend (Season 2)

Season 2 premiered on DC Universe in September, 2019. See more insights for "Titans."

4. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (Disney Plus)

Times more in demand than average show: 40.7

Description: "From Dave Filoni, director and executive producer of 'The Mandalorian,' the new 'Clone Wars' episodes will continue the storylines introduced in the original series, exploring the events leading up to 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.'"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 7): 100%

What critics said:"The standout aspect here is the much-improved animation, especially in the action department."— Collider (season 7)

Season 7 premiered on February 21 on Disney Plus. See more insights for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

3. "Stranger Things" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 51.8

Description: "When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 3): 89%

What critics said:"Season 3 balances good-natured laughs with charming nostalgia through likable characters doing battle against looming horrors. Yet it feels like it's propping up its past to justify its present."— Observer (Season 3)

2. "The Mandalorian" (Disney Plus)

Times more in demand than average show: 86.3

Description: "After the fall of the Empire, a lone gunfighter makes his way through the lawless galaxy."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 2): 94%

What critics said:"Where Season 1 sometimes struggled to maintain a coherent arc, though, Season 2 has a higher-stakes narrative thrust that builds momentum more effectively."— Sight and Sound (Season 2)

Season 2 premiered on Disney Plus on October 30. See more insights for "The Mandalorian."

1. "Cobra Kai" (Netflix)

Times more in demand than average show: 127.8

Description: "Decades after the tournament that changed their lives, the rivalry between Johnny and Daniel reignites in this sequel to the 'Karate Kid' films."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 3): 91%

What critics said:"Even with all the teen soap opera shenanigans, this is so clearly Johnny's story — without Zabka's nuanced take, Cobra Kai wouldn't work."— Paste Magazine (season 3)

Season 3 premiered on January 1 on Netflix. See more insights for "Cobra Kai."

• Though research remains limited, some recent findings say that weighted blankets can aid in sleep and reduce anxiety by providing constant gentle pressure, so we tested 11 weighted blankets to find the best ones.
• If you want a full comforter for your bed, our top pick is the Brooklinen Weighted Comforter. If you want to lounge on the couch, you're better off with the Bearaby Napper.
• If you're looking for a weighted blanket to help your child sleep better, we have a whole list of kids' weighted blankets here.

If you toss and turn at night, wake up frequently, or find your mind racing as you try to fall asleep, you might benefit from adding a weighted blanket to your bedding. Usually weighing somewhere between 15 and 25 pounds, weighted blankets provide gentle constant pressure as you sleep, and recent studies have shown promising results in their ability to ease anxiety and reduce insomnia, though research still remains limited.

I spoke with Rebecca Robbins, sleep researcher, author, and post-doctoral fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and she said the reason why weighted blankets tend to work is actually quite primal. "It really hearkens back to the way we entered the world," said Robbins. "You were in a womb, compressed on all sides by water and fluid, and so there was a sense of pressure. We try to emulate that with infants, by swaddling them. We might look at weighted blankets as the adult version of swaddling or emulating those circumstances where we feel at ease."

Prevailing wisdom states that you should purchase a weighted blanket that's at least 10% of your body weight, but there are a variety of other factors to consider. For more advice on what to consider when buying a weighted blanket, click here or scroll to the bottom of this guide.

I tested 11 of the most popular weighted blankets on the market to determine the best ones you can buy, evaluating them for how well I slept while using them, quality of materials and construction, how easy they were to wash and care for, and, of course, how comfy and cozy they were.

The best weighted blankets in 2021

• Best weighted comforter: Brooklinen Weighted Comforter
• Best cooling weighted blanket: BlanQuil Chill
• Best weighted throw blanket: Bearaby Napper
• Best on a budget: Luna Weighted Blanket
• Best extra-heavy weighted blanket: Gravity 35-Pound Blanket

Prices and links are current as of 1/14/21. We added additional testing notes about the Bearaby Napper and Luna Weighted Blanket.

The best weighted comforter

Brooklinen's Weighted Comforter is a premium quality plush weighted blanket that blends seamlessly with the rest of your bedding.

Pros: Looks just like a normal comforter, lots of plush fill, made of 400-thread-count cotton sateen, has duvet cover loops, accepts returns in any condition within one year of purchase

Cons: Dry clean only, duvet cover sold separately, difficult to adjust while using it

One of the biggest downsides to weighted blankets that I discovered while researching this guide is that design options are limited, and finding one that matches your bedding is no easy task. Over the testing period, I often hid the less pretty ones under my existing comforter, which quickly led to overheating.

If you don't want to stack blanket upon blanket or compromise your bedroom's look, you'll want a weighted comforter, and Brooklinen makes the best one I tried. It looks and feels just like a traditional plush comforter … only with an extra 20 pounds of weight integrated by way of small glass beads. The blanket itself is made of 400-thread-count cotton sateen, and it's soft enough to throw on your bed without a duvet cover.

That being said, we recommend adding a duvet cover — corner loops make it easy to tie one on — because the blanket itself is dry-clean only, though it can be spot-cleaned and spot-dried with a hair dryer in a pinch. Adding a duvet cover allows you to keep the blanket cleaner longer. Brooklinen sells them separately, but any duvet cover of your choosing will do.

I found that the 20-pound comforter I tested actually weighed closer to 24 pounds, but the extra weight didn't make too much of a difference once I laid it out on the bed. Sleeping under it was pretty dreamy (excuse the pun). I felt enveloped by the cushy fill, but not too overwhelmed or overheated. I did find that it was difficult to adjust while lying under it due to the weight and size, but I found this to be true for just about every comforter-sized weighted blanket I tested.

Senior editor Jada Wong is also the proud owner of this weighted comforter and after using it for over a year, she still finds it positively impacts her sleep. "I sleep more deeply, my legs are less restless, and my body just feels like it's getting a big hug for eight hours," she said.

This blanket is expensive, but considering that it will entirely replace your comforter instead of being an additional blanket on your bed, it's worth the investment. The biggest downside is that it's difficult to clean, and if you do need to go the dry cleaning route, a bill for a comforter could run you anywhere from $20 to $50. Though Brooklinen advises against putting it in the dryer, Wong has done to refresh it not and again and it's held up fine. "It's still looking great — there are no holes or rips to report," she said. 

Because this comforter is such an investment, you want to make sure it's right for you, and Brooklinen is not going to stick you with a product you don't love. The brand has an incredibly lenient return policy, accepting returns for any reason in any condition within 365 days of your purchase.

The best cooling weighted blanket

The BlanQuil Chill's unique cover disperses heat and stays cool to the touch as you fall asleep, but its slick fabric can cause it to slide off the bed.

Pros: Stays cool to the touch, no beanbag feel, glass beads don't shift, 60-night sleep trial

Cons: Slides off the bed easily; internal blanket is spot-clean only; only one size, one color, and two weights available

The BlanQuil Chill is the weighted blanket I have the longest relationship with. It's been on my bed for about a year and a half, and I've had two iterations of the design. 

I sleep hot, and while the blanket's cover does an excellent job of staying cool, the side touching your body absorbs heat more quickly. I often found myself adjusting an arm or a leg to find a cool spot on the blanket à la flipping to the other side of the pillow. I lined up all the cooling blankets I tested for this guide and ran my hand across each one and the BlanQuil felt noticeably cooler than all the others, plus it did the best job of "refreshing" itself by dissipating heat and getting back to its cool baseline.

It's only available in one size, 48 inches by 74 inches, which is just a bit bigger than a twin mattress, and two weights: 15 or 20 pounds. It's not a blanket that's intended to be shared, but I drape mine over my queen bed horizontally so both my partner and I can benefit. Glass beads add weight, but there's no beanbag feeling, and I've never felt them shift in a way that causes the blanket to feel lumpy or uneven.

The zipper on the removable washable cover of the first version of the design was quite weak and broke just a couple of months into its use. It couldn't handle the weight of the blanket and it popped as I was adjusting it on the bed. But BlanQuil has since improved this shortcoming and reinforced the zipper. It feels much stronger now, and I've yet to have a problem with it. I even stress tested it by holding the weight of the blanket against the zipper, and it held strong.

One persistent shortcoming that still remains in the new iteration is a consequence of the material used in the cooling cover. The fabric has a bit of a sheen to it and is therefore a bit slick. If you toss and turn at night — which I do, even under a weighted blanket — the blanket will slide off the bed. As soon as it gets off-center, the blanket's own weight in combination with a lack of friction provided by the cover will cause it to start to slide.

I've mitigated this a bit by sandwiching it between my top sheet and my comforter, but it's still not a reliable fix. Because of this, I debated not choosing this as the best cooling blanket, but none of the other cooling blankets I tested even came close to keeping me cool for as long or as consistently. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect cooling weighted blanket, but I consider the BlanQuil Chill to be the best cooling weighted blanket for now.

The best weighted throw blanket

The open-knit construction of the Bearaby Napper keeps you cozy yet cool as you lounge on the couch, it's entirely machine washable, and it's one of the heftiest blankets we tested.

Pros: Aesthetically minded design, has significant heft, made from organic cotton, washable and dryable, comes in three weights and multiple colors, 30-day return policy if blanket remains unwashed

Cons: Doesn't fit in compact washing machines, takes multiple cycles to dry, open weave may catch toes and fingers, heavier than advertised (though this may be a pro, depending on your preference)

Many of the weighted blankets on the market emphasize function over form, often because they have to encase and evenly distribute heavy beads. But in the case of the Bearaby Napper, all the weight comes from the dense organic cotton strands hand-knit into one of the most aesthetically-minded weighted blankets I've ever seen.

If you're not convinced straight-up cotton could be woven into a blanket with significant heft, you'd be sorely mistaken. This is a really heavy blanket — so much so that the blanket I tested, which was advertised as the 15-pound version, actually tipped the scales at 24 pounds. I even contacted the company to verify that they sent me the right item, and they assured me they did. 

The Nappers are offered in 15-pound, 20-pound, and 25-pound versions, and each one has slightly different dimensions, so I was able to confirm that mine was intended to be the 15-pound version. It's not necessarily a bad thing that they're heavier than advertised — I appreciated the coziness — but it's something to keep in mind when you order.

A blanket this heavy — and bulky — can be tough to shift around, and if it's going to live on your couch, it will take up quite a bit of space. As I've continued to test this blanket, it became too bulky to keep as a throw on the couch to I shifted it to my bed. It drapes nicely over me and my partner on top of our existing comforter, but the open weave makes it prone to stretching if you need to pull it up in the night. It hasn't misshapen in any significant way, thankfully.

The open weave of the Napper allowed for plenty of airflow, so it didn't feel as stifling as some of the other blankets I tested. It's not quite a cooling blanket — Bearaby does offer one called the Tree Napper that I haven't tested — but it doesn't trap heat. The holes in the weave are quite large, though, so if you'll be bothered by some toes or fingers poking through, you might want to look elsewhere.

The Napper is fully machine washable and can go in the dryer on the delicate setting. I wanted to see how the blanket washed and dried as part of my test, but it didn't fit in my space-saving apartment-sized washing machine — certainly something to keep in mind if you're in the same boat. 

It's currently available in eight colors, and Bearaby often launches limited edition seasonal colors as well.

The best on a budget

Weighted blankets are typically expensive, but the Luna Weighted Blanket is downright cheap despite being constructed from Oeko-Tex-certified cotton and filled with natural glass beads.

Pros: Excellent quality at a low price; comes in wide variety of colors, sizes, and weights; fully machine washable; Oeko-Tex Certified construction; true to weight

Cons: Thinner blanket than some others on our list

I'll be the first to admit that most of the weighted blankets on this list are true investment pieces, but Luna bucked the trend by offering an excellent weighted blanket at a wallet-friendly price point. Not only was it the most affordable of all the blankets we tested, but its quality also matched or exceeded other weighted blankets at much higher price points.

I tested the 15-pound queen-size blanket, and the glass beads inside were barely noticeable, producing no beanbag effect. Where many other cheap weighted blankets are loaded with chemicals, the Luna Weighted Blanket is Oeko-Tex Certified, meaning it contains no harmful materials.

The blanket itself is much thinner than some of the others I tested, but in a sea of products known for causing sleepers to overheat, a thin blanket was actually a welcome change. It stayed breathable, and was light enough that I could easily adjust it in the middle of the night. It wasn't quite as cozy as some of the others, but it's a great option to layer with your usual comforter or use during the warmer months.

As I've continued to test these blankets, the Luna has become a bit of a travel-sized weighted blanket for me. Now that I've gotten so used to sleeping with a weighted blanket, I have a hard time going without. I wouldn't recommend taking it on an airplane — it's a bit bulky for that — but the Luna is thin enough that it folds up to a size that can easily be tossed in the trunk of my car for road trips.

The 60-inch by 80-inch blanket was a true 15 pounds according to my scale, but that weight was dispersed over a larger surface area than some of the other blankets I tested, making it feel lighter. Speaking more generally, that's something to keep in mind: you'll feel more pressure resting under a full-size blanket than a king-size one of the same weight.

Luna's blankets are available in a huge variety of colors, sizes, and weights from a five-pound kids' blanket to a 30-pound king-size one. The larger and heavier you go, the most expensive the blankets become, but even the largest and heaviest blanket won't break the bank. Each blanket comes with duvet loops, so it can be tied into a duvet cover if you prefer, but there are enough color and pattern options to match most bedroom decor. 

It's also one of the easiest blankets to clean that I tested. The entire thing fit into my compact washer-dryer, and was fully dry within one cycle — and I swear, it got softer after just one wash.

The best extra-heavy weighted blanket

Gravity's 35-pound weighted blanket evenly distributes weight across your king-size bed and is perfect for those who need or prefer a blanket with some extra heft.

Pros: Great for those who need a heavier blanket, weight is evenly distributed, no beanbag feel, cover is machine washable, comes in three colors, low profile blanket

Cons: Queen/king size only comes in 35 pounds, cover should be washed before use, too heavy to adjust in the middle of the night, inner blanket is hand-wash only, customers are responsible for return fees

Prevailing wisdom states that you should use a weighted blanket that's roughly 10% of your body weight, but many blanket brands we tested max out at 25 pounds. So if you weigh more than 250 pounds, you may find yourself struggling to find a weighted blanket that feels sufficiently heavy. Larger blankets, like king-sized ones, also distribute their weight over a wider surface area, so they don't feel as heavy.

When I first received the Gravity 35-pound blanket and it was folded up in its packaging, I thought it would feel impossibly heavy once laid out on the bed, but I found it to be pretty manageable, even though it was much heavier than recommended for my weight. It did tend to slide down the bed, and I'd often wake up about a foot lower than usual because I was chasing the blanket around through the night. It was simply too heavy to pull up or adjust while laying under it, though someone stronger than me will likely not have this issue.

One strange issue I encountered with this blanket was that the micro-plush duvet cover that it comes with felt oddly greasy out of the package. It left a film on my hands as I tried to smooth it out over the bed. But the zip-on cover is removable and washable, and a run through the wash resolved the issue. The inner blanket is hand-wash and air-dry only, but I can't imagine hauling such a heavy blanket into and out of a washing machine, so this is probably the most practical way to clean it anyway.

The Gravity blanket is low-profile without any excess fill, so it's a thinner blanket that won't add a lot of bulk to your bed. That said, it's not as plush or cozy as something like the Brooklinen comforter, which does also come in a 35-pound version, though it's much more expensive.

Gravity's 35-pound blanket is available in three colors, and it's the only weight Gravity makes in a queen/king size. The brand also makes "single" size weighted blankets that measure 48-inches by 72-inches. I tested a 15-pound one with a cooling cover and found that it performed well, but there was nothing that made it really stand out from the pack.

How we test weighted blankets

There are several factors I took into consideration while assessing weighted blankets. Aside from general coziness and comfort provided by each blanket, I also assessed things like quality of material, value, weight options, and aesthetics. For example, a blanket that came in more color and weight options beat out a blanket of equal quality that came in fewer options. I also considered things like return policies, sleep trials, and how easy these blankets were to clean.

The following are three tests I ran each blanket through to assess general user experience.

Sleep test: I slept with each of the weighted blankets on my bed for at least three consecutive nights. I noted how well I slept overall and how the blanket regulated my sleep temperature. I also paid attention to how well the blanket stayed in place as I slept and how easy it was to adjust it while laying under it. Part of this test also included making the bed every day. Hauling a weighted blanket is harder than it looks.

Wash test: I washed every weighted blanket or cover that was machine washable at least once to ensure that they held up well in the wash, and didn't shrink, shed, or otherwise show signs of wear. I noted if the added weight made them more difficult to haul into and out of the washing machine. I also discovered that one of the machine washable blankets was so bulky it didn't fit into my washing machine. For those blankets that weren't machine washable, I made note of the care instructions and factored that into the cons of the blanket as I assessed them.

Weight test: I wanted to ensure each blanket was actually the weight it was advertised. To get an accurate reading, I weighed myself and then weighed myself again while holding each blanket, noting any discrepancies in the advertised weight versus the actual weight.

Long-term testing: Though my initial testing period lasted roughly one month, we acknowledge that issues may present themselves with extended use of a product. I have continued to test all of the top picks since this guide was published in November 2020. This guide is periodically updated with new findings and long-term discoveries.

What else we tested

• Yaasa Weighted Blanket: The Yaasa Weighted Blanket is a knit-style blanket similar to the Bearaby Napper. The two blankets are the same price, but Bearaby had Yaasa beat when it came to quality. Yaasa's weave was much tighter and therefore allowed for less airflow, and the material also felt spongier and less cozy than the Napper's. The Yaasa blanket was also dry clean only.
• Baloo Cool Cotton Weighted Blanket: The Baloo weighted blanket struck a great balance between comfort and cost. It's not as expensive as the high-end blankets we're recommending, but it's not as affordable as the Luna. And its construction and quality felt similar enough to the Luna that we'd rather recommend the one that's even more affordable.
• Helix Weighted Blanket: The Helix blanket is dual-sided with a white sherpa fleece side and a gray minky fleece side. I found the sherpa side especially cozy, and so did my cat. But it had one of the worst beanbag effects of any of the blankets I tried, and there is only one size and color option available, though it did come in three weights. If this blanket suits your style, it's a decent buy for an affordable price.
• YnM Weighted Blanket: The YnM Weighted Blanket is Amazon's number one bestseller in weighted blankets, so we wanted to put it to the test. It's a perfectly serviceable budget blanket, but the glass beads created a sort of beanbag effect that the Luna did not. Plus, the Luna is even cheaper and made of Oeko-Tex certified cotton, and the YnM is not.
• Gravity Cooling Blanket: Gravity is probably the best-known weighted blanket brands on the market, so I wanted to give them a shot. The blanket itself is well-built and high-quality, but the cooling cover did little to actually cool me off as I slept. It just felt like any other weighted blanket, and didn't do much to distinguish itself from the other blankets I tried.
• Brooklyn Bedding Dual Therapy Weighted Blanket: Brooklyn Bedding's weighted blanket is dual-sided with a silky cooling side and a minky textured side, and it was my favorite dual-sided weighted blanket. The silky side stayed cool to the touch and the bumps on the minky side provided a nice sensory option. It didn't feel beanbaggy and the weight was evenly distributed. But it was only available in one size, two weights, and one dark gray color that severely limited how many home decor scenarios it would work within.

What we're looking forward to testing

• Bearaby Sleeper: This is the only weighted blanket I've discovered designed specifically for couples. While there's little data available to determine the best weight for a couple to share, Bearaby has eliminated some of that guesswork by weighting the two halves of the blanket differently, allowing you to choose the right weight for each person. This is especially useful if you and your partner are drastically different sizes and therefore would benefit from different blanket weights. The two halves can unzip from each other and become two distinct blankets. Right now, they are sold out, but Bearaby has assured us that they'll be restocking soon, and we hope to test it once they do.
• Luxome Luxury Weighted Blanket: The Luxome weighted blanket comes with a reversible cover with a plush minky fabric on one side and a cooling bamboo fabric on the other. This allows you to customize your blanket with the seasons. I'm curious to see if this versatility actually makes a difference in how the blanket affects my body temperature. It's also a nice mid-range option in terms of price, and I'm hoping to add some more affordable options to this guide.
• Slumber Cloud Weighted Blanket: In my ongoing quest to find a cooling weighted blanket that stays put throughout the night, I'm looking forward to testing the Slumber Cloud. It's made using thermoregulation technology developed by NASA to keep astronauts comfortable in their spacesuits. The technology called Outlast uses small beads that absorb body heat when you get too hot and release it back to you when you get too cold. I'm fascinated by this concept and I'm excited to see if it works.

What weight should a weighted blanket be?

Many weighted blanket brands and sites like Healthline suggest choosing a blanket that's roughly 10% of your body weight. But Robbins adds that there are no clinically established guideposts for choosing a blanket weight. "It's hard for the one size fits all approach because we're all just so unique and have different physiologies," she says.

This is especially true when blankets come in different sizes. A 15-pound throw blanket is going to feel much heavier than a 15-pound comforter since a larger blanket distributes its weight over a larger surface area. Robbins suggests trying out weighted blankets before purchasing them. If you can't test weighted blankets in a store, look for brands that offer sleep trials or have buyer-friendly return policies like many of our top picks.

What if I'm sharing the weighted blanket with a partner?

If you're sharing a weighted blanket with a partner, you'll likely want something a bit heavier, mostly due to the fact that larger blankets feel lighter than smaller ones. A blog from Layla Sleep advises purchasing a blanket that's roughly 7.5% of the couple's combined weight. I reached out to the brand to determine how they established this number and a representative responded, "Most suggestions in terms of weight are based on anecdotal evidence. We also factor in the customer satisfaction data that we have when making suggestions, but ultimately the weight that's right for any one person will depend heavily on personal preference."

It's important to note that this parameter hasn't been established in any sort of clinical trial or scientific study, so take it with a grain of salt. As long as you're comfortable and can move freely under the blanket, you should choose the weight that works best for you.

What size weighted blanket should I get?

If you are sharing a blanket with a partner and you both have similar body weights, you'll want a weighted blanket that covers your entire bed. Many brands, including almost all of our top picks, offer blankets in multiple sizes to fit standard twin, full, queen, and king beds.

Some weighted blankets in these sizes are a bit smaller than typical comforters so the weighted blanket doesn't hang off the side of your bed too much. Excess fabric that hangs off the side can pull the weighted blanket off-center as you shift around in the night.

If you and your partner are very different weights, consider opting for two smaller separate blankets in a throw or twin size. This way, you can each get the weight that's most comfortable for you. Plus, you'll have the added benefit of not having to worry about blanket theft in the middle of the night.

How often should I wash my weighted blanket?

Brian Sansoni, Senior Vice President at The American Cleaning Institute, recommends you treat your weighted blanket like any comforter, washing it once or twice a year, provided it's covered by a duvet cover that you're washing monthly. If it doesn't have a removable cover, the entire blanket should be washed roughly once a month.

Check out our other sleep and bedding guides

• The best pillows
• The best mattresses
• The best sheets
• The best duvet covers

• 2020 strained many things, including some of our closest relationships, which were pressure-tested with new challenges.
• Some people went through breakups, fights with family members, tensions with coworkers, or rifts in friendships.
• I asked my colleagues at Insider for the books, podcasts, and resources that helped them build better relationships this year. You can find our picks below.
• Read more: 18 insightful books, podcasts, and online resources that helped us manage our mental health while quarantining
• Sign up for Insider Reviews' weekly newsletter for more buying advice and great deals

To state the obvious, this year has been challenging. Relationships ended, friendships went long-distance, and families moved back into multi-generational homes under increasingly stressful conditions. There are more opportunities for friction, short tempers, and avoidance. Living through a pandemic, it turns out, can put a huge strain on relationships.

But it also amplifies the importance of them. Strong bonds with our friends, family, and partners are some of the only things that can get us through a year marked by isolation and fewer meaningless distractions. There is no better place to focus our energy than boosting our ties with the people we're closest to.

So, I asked my friends and coworkers for their input. What, if anything, helped them build stronger, better relationships this year? 

Below, you'll find the 8 books and podcasts that helped us strengthen our relationships this year:

"Everything Isn't Terrible" by Dr. Kathleen Smith

"Everything Isn't Terrible," available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target, from $11.99

 I'm grateful to the person who recommended this to me because it really covered aspects of anxiety-management that I don't really hear about as much, especially when tied to relationships. The book explores potentially unhealthy dynamics you might be stuck in without realizing, and made me notice how I tend to distance myself from conflict sometimes or take on other people's responsibilities out of anxiety. It was a quick read and definitely made me approach all my relationships in a more easygoing, trusting way. –Julia Pugachevsky, editor

"Dear Therapists" by Lori Gottlieb

"Dear Therapists," available on Apple Podcasts, free 

I find I'm better — more relaxed, generous, compassionate — in my relationships when I take care of myself first. When you're unconditional loving towards yourself, it makes it easier to extend that same grace to others.

"Dear Therapists" is a podcast that has helped me gain that deeper, more nuanced perspective on myself and other people. I first learned about it from one of its hosts, Lori Gottlieb, when I interviewed her about a very similar resource: Her book, "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone".

"Dear Therapists", like "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" lets you step inside actual therapy sessions without going yourself. Gottlieb and her co-host, Guy Winch, record therapy sessions with people who write in about challenges they're facing (affairs, estrangement, stress, etc.). You get to hear the session, and Gottlieb and Winch offer a set of action items the person can take in the next week to improve their situation. Then, they record a follow-up call so you can see how it went.

With the podcast and Gottlieb's book, therapy is demystified from a comfortable distance. You can benefit from other people's "aha" moments too. As Gottlieb told me, "what you see is that it's all about relational issues." So, you may see yourself in a totally different scenario. It also has helped me get the most out of my own therapy; I've recognized myself in some of the fears and responses of other people that I've brought into therapy, and by listening to Gottlieb and Winch discuss the situations I understand my own therapist's questions — and her reasons for asking — so I can respond in a way that's more efficient for us both. – Mara Leighton, senior reporter

"The Art of Showing Up" by Rachel Wilkerson Miller

"The Art of Showing Up," available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, $9.99

Rachel is one of the most empathetic editors I've worked with in my career, and her book on showing up for other people makes it obvious why. Split into two parts, it covers the basics of showing up for yourself before going into how you can show up for others. It made me realize how, in taking time to relax on my own, I actually feel more social and recharged in the long-run (instead of doing my usual thing of texting all my friends and getting quickly burned out from all the messages). – Julia Pugachevsky, editor

"Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" by Lori Gottlieb

"Maybe You Should Talk to Someone," available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop, from $17.29

"Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" is one of the most useful books I've read in a long time. In it, psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb outlines her firsthand experience in therapy as well as sessions from a few of her patients — a Hollywood producer, a young newlywed with a terminal illness, a twenty-something with dissatisfying relationships, and an isolated senior citizen. Gottlieb leads us through these intimate vignettes with candor, wit, and a conversational tone that makes therapy feel approachable. Who doesn't want to know themselves better, so they can be a little better to themselves and other people?

This book gave me a newer, deeper perspective on myself and other people — and it serves as a fresh reminder to ask more questions and be more generous when I'm tired or stressed. We're all trying to figure life out, and most of us are doing our best. When a relationship isn't working for me, some kindness and communication can go a long way. — Mara Leighton, senior reporter

"The Body Is Not An Apology" by Sonya Renee Taylor

"The Body is Not an Apology," available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, from $16.79

I'll say it again: I'm best in my relationships when I put my relationship with myself first. And this book is essentially a manifesto on that idea. It's about "radical self-love"— and how much better life is when we love, rather than simply tolerate, our bodies and their differences. Sonya Renee Taylor is a poet and activist, and the book reads exactly like that's who wrote it; The title comes from a conversation she had with a friend with cerebral palsy who had, like many of us, felt she had to essentially apologize for an aspect of her body. It's a sentiment that many of us can relate to. Taylor starts there and works outward to rebuild the self-love and wonder that we had for ourselves as kids. 

She helps disentangle our indoctrinated body-shame and poses "unapologetic inquiries" that enable us to think critically. In doing so, it helps us identify something so deeply embedded in our lives that it can seem inseparable from it. 

This book has been one of the many tools that have helped me prioritize a healthy relationship with my body and, by extension, the humanity of other people. It also helped me reaffirm something I know, but need reminders of: We don't need to apologize for any part of our physical form. Life, and our relationships, are infinitely richer and more meaningful when we don't. — Mara Leighton, senior reporter

"But, What's Next?" podcast with Michelle Reed

But, What's Next? With Michelle Reed podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, free

With the restlessness of 2020, I truly learned the immeasurable value of investing in my relationships. Maybe that means a video chat or two with a friend each week, or possibly a midday walk with a family member. And, while I love spending quality time (a.k.a. my love language) with people, it's just as important to be mindful with the digital content I'm consuming, so I decided to make a change  — substituting entertainment-embedded podcasts for more soulful, life-giving ones.

The But What's Next? With Michelle Reed podcast is just that, offering listeners practical advice to navigate the next step in their lives and encouragement to approach life's next season with grace, gratitude, and wisdom. Michelle's podcast is always playing at my desk each Monday and I consistently feel rejuvenated with each episode. I worked with Michelle, a 22-year-old, Dallas-based content creator, on a reporting piece a month ago, and the genuine mission of both her podcast and personal brand is incredibly inspiring.

When discussing the podcast with her, she said, "My mission for 'But What's Next' is to inspire my listeners to make small changes in their everyday lives to be ready for what's next in their own journeys. By interviewing qualified guests and creating a community online, I aim to introduce my listeners to positive influences online and connect them to a greater community."– Victoria Giardina, buying guides fellow

"The Book of Questions" by Gregory Stock, Ph.D.

'The Book of Questions," available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, from $8.49

This pocket-sized book of questions may seem like a mindless flip through to pass the time, but it is chock full of thought-provoking conversation starters to share with your loved ones, or even someone you just met. Amid the pandemic, I went through this book with a volunteer group on Zoom and also with my boyfriend when we started dating (and still go through, because the questions really make you think)!

Sure, if you have known this person for a while, you probably know every virtue and vice about them, but this paperback (authored by a biophysics doctorate, may I add) offers compelling topics that will bring you undoubtedly closer and connected with the people in your life. Covering ethics, love, money, sex, technology, and more, this relationship-building book is a steal for under $10 on Amazon. – Victoria Giardina, buying guides fellow

"Eight Dates" by Dr. John and Julie Schwartz Gottman

"Eight Dates," available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, $13.29

Whether you're living with a partner or just started dating someone, this book is filled with specific prompts to get to know each other better. Each chapter has a set of deeper questions to ask each other (which is a nice and engaging way to spend time together in quarantine). IRL therapist power couple John and Julie Schwartz Gottman of the Gottman Institute have done a ton of research on what actually keeps couples together, so this book is also infused with advice on how to stay in love with each other for many years to come. – Julia Pugachevsky, editor

• The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the premier event for new TV announcements and product demos.
• Despite switching to a virtual format this year, the 2021 show was still packed with new TV models from LG, Sony, Samsung, and TCL.
• Highlights from CES 2021 include brighter OLEDs, the first consumer Micro LED TV, and one of the most affordable 85-inch TVs we've ever seen. 
• See also: The best budget TVs

CES 2021 might be virtual this year, but that hasn't stopped companies from debuting a slew of impressive new 4K and 8K TVs. Samsung, LG, Sony, and TCL all detailed their 2021 lineups, showcasing the latest advancements in picture technology, premium design, and smart TV features.    

This year, companies are highlighting new LED technology, OLED improvements, larger screens, and more 8K models. Joining TCL, Samsung and LG are both jumping on "Mini LED" tech for their flagship LCD TVs, enabling more precise contrast and better dimming. Meanwhile, Sony and LG are both promising new OLED TVs with higher peak brightness. TCL is also helping 8K expand to the mainstream, along with a surprisingly affordable 85-inch 4K set. 

Since this year's show was primarily online-only, we didn't get to see as many new TV models in person as we normally would. That said, we did get to attend a few in-person demonstrations from Samsung and LG to get an early look at some of their flagship models. Based on spec details announced so far and initial impressions on select models, we've put together our picks for the best new TVs revealed at the show. 

Our picks focus on a variety of factors — including picture quality, design perks, and potential value. On that note, pricing and exact release dates haven't been announced yet. That said, all of the TVs we've selected are expected to be available to buy this year.   

Here are the best TVs from CES 2021:

• LG G1 OLED 4K TV
• Sony A90J OLED 4K TV
• Samsung Micro LED 4K TV
• Samsung QN900A Neo QLED 8K TV
• TCL 4-Series 85-inch 4K TV

LG G1 OLED evo 4K TV

LG's new G1 4K TV will be its first "OLED evo" display, which promises improved brightness to complement the set's incredibly thin design.

LG's OLEDs consistently offer some of the best picture quality and smart TV features on the market. And, for 2021, the company is updating its gorgeous Gallery Series display with a few key upgrades.

Like last year's GX, the new G1 4K OLED TV will feature an incredibly thin panel that can be mounted flush to a buyer's wall. This allows the TV to hang in your room like a piece of art. A new Gallery Stand will also available this year. Despite a depth of only 0.79 inches (on the 65-inch model), all of the TV's connections are housed on the panel itself so there's no need for a separate box. 

Outside of the beautiful design, the G1 will also be LG's first "OLED evo" model. The "evo" branding is meant to highlight new panel improvements LG has made to the OLED screen. The company says that this will allow the TV to get brighter than any of their previous OLED models. OLEDs are known for being dimmer than other TV types, so this could be an exciting upgrade for home theater and casual viewing fans alike.

I got to see the new 65-inch G1 OLED 4K TV during a CES demonstration at LG's headquarters in New Jersey, and the TV looks beautiful in person. It's hard to say how much brighter this model is compared to last year's without taking exact measurements, but the display appeared colorful and punchy even with a lot of ambient light in the room. 

We don't know exactly how much the new G1 will cost just yet, but the TV will be available in 55-, 65-, and 77-inch screen sizes this spring. Meanwhile, last year's 65-inch GX 4K OLED TV currently sells for $2,600 at Best Buy. That model should offer similar performance, but doesn't have the improved brightness or upgraded processor. 

LG G1 55-inch 4K OLED evo TV, price TBA

LG G1 65-inch 4K OLED evo TV, price TBA

LG G1 77-inch 4K OLED evo TV, price TBA

Sony A90J OLED 4K TV

The flagship Sony A90J 4K OLED TV will offer new cognitive image processing and a brighter picture. 

Like LG's new OLED evo models, Sony's upcoming A90J 4K OLED TV will boast improved brightness capabilities for more intense highlights that pop with a greater sense of contrast and depth. Low brightness was one of the only cons for Sony's 2020 OLED models, so we're excited to see how the A90J compares.

Also new for 2021, is the switch from Android TV to the Google TV operating system. The upgraded interface offers a more modern smart TV design with a focus on content, making it easier to select your favorite shows and movies.

The A90J uses Sony's latest picture processor, the Cognitive Processor XR. This advanced system is able to intelligently optimize the image by analyzing different areas and emphasizing the focal point. Sony says this method is able to enhance a picture to better suit how people actually see images.

Like previous Sony OLED models, the A90J uses a unique speaker system based on Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology. This tech turns the screen itself into the TV's speakers.

Sony hasn't announced pricing yet, but last year's 65-inch Sony A8H OLED currently sells for $2,500, and has been on sale for as lows as $1,800. The new A90J will be available later this year in 55-, 65-, and 83-inch screen sizes.

Sony Master Series A90J 83-inch 4K OLED TV, price TBA

Sony Master Series A90J 65-inch 4K OLED TV, price TBA

Sony Master Series A90J 55-inch 4K OLED TV, price TBA

Samsung Micro LED 4K TV

Samsung's Micro LED could be the future of TV, but the initial lineup will likely be ridiculously expensive.

Samsung has been showcasing massive Micro LED displays at CES for the last few years, and the advanced panel technology is always a stunner. Though the company did launch a giant modular version, called "The Wall," for business and luxury customers, a more simplified TV model has remained out of reach. That is, until now. 

In 2021, Samsung will release Micro LED 4K TVs in 88-, 99-, and 110-inch screen sizes. Though these TVs are still expected to be prohibitively expensive for the average buyer, unlike The Wall, you may actually be able to order them from a store and install them without a team of experts.

Micro LED TVs use millions of microscopic red, green, and blue light-emitting diodes (LED). Each LED is self-emissive, allowing them to dim, brighten, or turn off individually. As a result, Micro LED TVs have the potential to combine everything we love about the infinite contrast of OLED TVs with the higher brightness of QLED TVs. And unlike OLED TVs, Samsung says Micro LEDs aren't prone to burn-in.

We got a first look at the new Samsung Micro LED last week, and the TV's bright picture and perfect black levels are jaw-dropping in person. Samsung hasn't announced official pricing just yet, but according to ZDNet, the 110-inch model sells for 170 million won in South Korea. That's around $156,000. In other words, it's clear that Micro LED tech still isn't ready for most people, but this first consumer lineup could help pave the way for more affordable models in the future. 

Samsung QN900A Neo QLED 8K TV

Samsung's Q900A Neo QLED TV combines 8K resolution with advanced Mini LED tech for improved contrast.

Samsung is upgrading its flagship QLED models for 2021, and the QN900A 8K Neo QLED TV is the most impressive of the bunch. The "Neo" branding is being used to signify that the TV uses new "Quantum Mini LED" technology.

These smaller LEDs should help to create better contrast and HDR performance compared to last year's already impressive QLED models. According to Samsung, each Mini LED is about 1/40 the height of a standard LED that you'd find in a typical TV. Smaller LEDs enable more precise control of local dimming with more zones.

The 8K Neo QLED TV also features a nearly bezel-free "Infinity One Design," which makes it look as if the image has no borders. It also uses an attachable Slim One Connect box to house the TV's ports, enabling a slimmer panel and easier cable management.

I go to see the QN900A 8K Neo QLED TV at a Samsung First Look event last week, and the display doesn't fail to impress in person. Though I'm still hesitant to recommend 8K TVs purely for their higher resolution, there's no denying that the 8K model looked better than the 4K version that was also on hand at the demonstration. 

We'll need to get more in-depth time with the TV to make a full judgement, but the display's brightness, colors, contrast, and clarity were all exceptional. Samsung hasn't announced pricing or a full list of screen sizes for the QN900A 8K Neo QLED TV yet, but the model being demonstrated was 85 inches. 

TCL 85R435 4-Series 4K TV

TCL's 85R435 4-Series 4K TV will offer an immersive 85-inch screen size without breaking the bank.

Though the company's 2020 TV lineup maxes out at 75-inches, TCL is set to offer super-sized 85-inch versions of its displays for 2021. The new XL Series will feature three performance tiers, but it's the entry-level 4-Series 85R435 that has our interest piqued the most thanks to its surprisingly affordable cost.

It's rare to get pricing details during CES, but TCL did reveal that the 85R435 is set to launch later this quarter for $1,599. That's not exactly cheap, but it's very low for a TV this big. In fact, that's less than any other 85-inch 4K TV model currently available at Best Buy, besting even the Hisense H6510G which goes for $1,700.

To be clear, the 4-Series isn't anything special when it comes to picture quality, but it offers solid performance for the size and price you're getting. This model delivers basic 4K HDR support with built-in Roku streaming for easy access to a ton of apps. That said, it doesn't include more advanced features, like a QLED panel or Mini LED backlighting.

For those perks, you'll have to pay extra for one of the two step-up XL models. But, for buyers who want a truly big-screen experience for a more budget-friendly price, the TCL 85R435 could be the 85-inch TV to beat in 2021.

• Underwear is a wardrobe essential you wear every day, so it should be the most comfortable and durable clothing you own.
• It's hard to pinpoint the absolute best pair of underwear, as everyone's needs and preferences vary, but there are several brands that are getting it right.
• We turn to brands like Tommy John, Everlane, and Parade for underwear, and our guide outlines our top picks from each brand. 

Underwear. You won't give it a second thought if it's fabulously comfortable, but if it's anything less than that, it's all you'll be able to think about. But thankfully, there are plenty of options these days that are as comfortable as they are playful, and you really can't ask for more when it comes to your undergarments.

But how do you know if your underwear is or isn't working for you? One, if not the most important factor to consider is comfort. Does your underwear stay in place all day or does it continuously ride up? Does your underwear feel like your second skin or is it irritating? It's also crucial to check out material. Underwear fabrics should not only be soft and cozy, but sound enough to withstand several washes. And if you have a more active lifestyle, you might want to find underwear that's made of stretchy, breathable materials. 

And if you purchase a pair of underwear that you realize doesn't look or feel quite right, many online underwear companies have satisfaction guarantees. That typically means you can get a replacement, refund, or store credit. Hopefully, though, this list of brands and product recommendations can help guide you down a path that most suits you.

Here are the best places to buy underwear in 2021:

Updated on 1/14/2021 by Katie Decker-Jacoby. Updated prices and links. Rewrote the introduction and summary bullets. 

Tommy John

Tommy John has mastered the art of underwear with styles like its Second Skin Brief, Air Cheeky, and Air Thong.

Sizing options: XS-XXL

For too long feminine underwear has been about sex appeal instead of comfort, but no longer. Tommy John's underwear is hands down the most comfortable underwear you can buy.

Tommy John may have started off with men's underwear, but its new feminine Second Skin and Air underwear collections prove that the company's designers know a thing or two about what people want in a great pair of underwear. That means no scrunching, chafing, bunching, or riding up. And boy does Tommy John's underwear deliver on its promise that there will be "no adjustment needed."

The Insider Reviews team tested out both the Second Skin and Air underwear collections and loved every pair. From the sexy thong and cheeky styles to the practical and attractive briefs, Tommy John's underwear is super comfortable.

I particularly loved the Second Skin Brief, which is made from 90% micro-modal and 10% Spandex. It gives full coverage everywhere you need it without embarrassing panty lines. Most importantly, it looks good, feels great, and never needs adjusting throughout the day.

The entire Second Skin collection is made from the same material, so you can choose the boyshorts, thong, or cheeky instead of the brief, too. Tommy John has lots of color options, including a nice deep purple, a deep rosy pink, white, black, nude, and more.

The Air collection is fantastic for hotter weather or workouts because it's made with improved ventilation, moisture-wicking, and deodorizing fabric. The Air underwear comes in briefs, cheeky, and thongs that are made from 77% Nylon mesh and 23% Spandex.

I really liked the cheeky Air underwear for its comfortable fit and ventilated fabric. My fellow co-workers were also fans of the Air thong for its barely-there feel.

The only real downside here is the price, because at $22 and up, this underwear is very expensive. We recommend going with a value pack to minimize the cost a bit. Besides, you're going to want to wear these every day, so you'll need more than one pair. — Malarie Gokey

What to buy:

Everlane

Everlane goes back to basics with supremely soft Supima cotton that's ethically sourced and transparently priced.

Sizing options: XXS-XL

If you don't want to spend $20+ on one pair of underwear, you're in luck, because our favorite basics brand Everlane has an underwear collection. The online company is known for its transparent pricing and ethically produced clothing, so you can feel good about the underwear you're buying.

Everlane's underwear collection features bikini, thong, hipster, and high-rise hipster styles that are all made with Supima cotton that's grown in the United States and made into underwear at ethical factories. The cotton's extra-long fibers are super soft on your skin and the material is breathable. 

We at Insider Reviews reviewed Everlane's cotton underwear and recycled nylon underwear and we loved them. The cotton high-rise hipster was a group favorite with its full coverage and comfortable feel. I also personally loved the regular hipster style, which is both sexy and comfortable. Those of us who prefer thongs were also favorably impressed with Everlane's take on that classic sexy style.

All of Everlane's underwear is completely basic, or as the ad campaign says, "No frills. No bows. No bullsh*t." It's your everyday underwear. It's made for you and puts your comfort above anything else.

Perhaps best of all, one pair of Everlane cotton underwear costs $12, which is nearly half the price you'd pay for a pair of Tommy John's underwear. You can get a three-pack for $27, which averages out to $9 a pair. Its ReNew underwear ranges from $15 Hipsters to a $15 thong in neutral colors. You can also buy three pairs of underwear for $33 ($11 each).

If you're looking for affordable, high-quality underwear that's made ethically from the best material, Everlane's Supima cotton underwear is for you. —Malarie Gokey

What to buy:

Aerie

You only have to pay $25 for 6 pairs of underwear from Aerie, but just because it doesn't cost an arm and a leg doesn't mean it's not a fantastic piece of underwear. 

Sizing options: XXS-XXL

Great underwear can also come at a great price, and that's precisely where Aerie by American Eagle comes in. Before you write this brand off as one that is only appropriate for tween-aged girls, hear this: You can get 10 pairs of comfortable undies for just $35.

Beyond the unbeatable price point, Aerie also makes truly comfortable and dependable underwear. Simple and unfussy, the majority of these undergarments are made of good ol' cotton. But we're not fazed by the lack of rayon, satin, and silk. 

To say that Aerie has a wide selection would be an understatement — No matter what kind of style or color or print you're looking for, this brand has it.

If all this isn't enough to convince you to give Aerie a try, perhaps the message that the company is trying to send will do the trick. The brand's #AerieReal campaign may have first debuted in 2014, but it's still appealing to people who aren't buying feminine underwear from airbrushed supermodels. The company has long pushed for honest acceptance of people's bodies, and when it makes underwear this wearable, it's pretty easy to accept yourself. 

What to buy:

TomboyX

TomboyX makes gender-inclusive underwear that ranges in style from thongs to 9-inch boxer briefs and comes in sizes XS to 4X.

Sizing option: XS-4XL

In the words of its founders, Tomboy X has been making "underwear that any body could feel comfortable in, regardless of where they fell on the size or gender spectrum" since 2012. Our reviewer says TomboyX "single-handedly changed my underwear standards forever."

TomboyX adapted masculine-style underwear like trunks and boxer briefs to suit women's bodies, giving people who prefer wearing underwear styles that aren't traditionally feminine a more tailored option.

If, for example, you prefer wearing men's boxer briefs, but you're sick of feeling that annoying bunching that comes from creating space for certain parts of male anatomy, TomboyX has boxer briefs for you. Whether you want boyshorts, 4.5-inch long shorts, 6-inch long shorts, or 9-inch long shorts, TomboyX has you covered. 

The company also makes more traditionally feminine styles like thongs, bikinis, and briefs. Sizes range from XS to 4X to suit many different body shapes and sizes, so there really ought to be something for everyone.

The underwear is made with Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex cotton that's eco-friendly. You can also get MicroModal and athlete-friendly Active Drirelease fabric if you prefer.

A few members of the team have tried TomboyX's underwear, and we all love it. Our reviewer Jen Gushue loves the cotton boyshorts. I personally wear the 9-inch briefs in lieu of shapewear under dresses in the summer to avoid chub rub and I find them exceedingly comfortable to sleep in as well. — Malarie Gokey

What to buy:

Parade

Bright, colorful, and extremely budget-friendly, Parade is perfect for those looking to stock up on comfortable underwear. 

Sizing options: XS-3XL

If you haven't heard of Parade, you've likely seen the brand's ads without realizing it. The social media darling is known for its bright colors, budget-friendly prices, and its body-positive message. But that's not the only reason you'll dig this brand.

Parade is known for stretchy, comfortable, can-barely-feel-them underwear — from cheeky-cut briefs to high-waisted thongs. The underwear comes in two materials; the Re:Play fabric is made of breathable, recycled yarn, while its Silky Mesh is stretchy, breathable cotton you can barely feel against your skin. There are also five different styles to choose from, so you can always get a comfortable pair of panties

The Insider Reviews team tested Parade's underwear and found all of the styles they tried to be super comfortable. Reporter Mara Leighton relies on the Parade Thong as her go-to workout undergarment, because of the material's silky feel and non-roll waistband. 

I'm a huge fan of the stretchy waist panel in Parade's Briefs, which is able to stretch to twice its size without rolling. It makes for a super comfortable, yet supportive, pair of underwear. Parade also wins points for its commitment to fun colors and patterns. The brand is constantly rolling out new collections, from bright neons to kitschy mesh dots.

The only drawback — Parade can sometimes have low stock in its popular styles, especially during the brand's many sales. So snap up your favorites when they're available! — Maria Del Russo 

What to buy:

Other shops to consider:

While we tend to favor the brands mentioned above after testing, we'd also recommend picks from these shops, too:

• Hanky Panky: This brand is responsible for many cult-favorite lace styles — primarily thongs. While we love Hanky Panky underwear, they're admittedly a little pricey for what you're getting. If you're a fan it'd be wise to stock up during annual sale events.
• Spanx: We're fans of the brand's pants and bras, but we haven't yet tested their underwear. However, the brand offers a good style variety, comfortable materials, and a decent XS-3X size range.
• MeUndies: We think MeUndies makes some of the most comfortable underwear ever, and the brand has the best variety of patterns. 
• True & Co: For those of us who don't want our underwear to be just barely there, the hipster is the perfect underwear, and True & Co makes great hipsters.
• Lively: Lively is another great underwear startup that makes affordable underwear at $10 a pair or 3 pairs for $25. We like the brand's underwear as well as its bras and recommend both.

What we're looking forward to testing:

We're constantly on the hunt for our new favorite pair of underwear. Here is what we're testing next:

• Knix:Knix is known for its leakproof period underwear that rivals other, similar brands on the market. But it blends that functionality with fashion, and regularly releases beautiful collections of chic prints and colors. Plus, it's ultra-inclusive advertising is a breath of fresh air. We're looking forward to seeing how the period underwear stands up. 
• Stripe & Stare: The brand is known for delicate, feminine "knickers" in kitschy patterns and colors. But don't like the girlish prints fool you. Stripe & Stare is made from Tencel Mirco Modal, an eco-friendly fabric that is totally sustainable. The brand claims its the softest material we'll ever wear — a challenge we're ready to accept. 

• Having an accurate digital thermometer on-hand and knowing how and when to use it is a must for every household.  
• The CDC recommends checking your temperature in conjunction with other virus-protection protocols before heading to work, school, or other public places.
• We consulted with experts, looked at evidence-based research, read product reviews, and talked with 20 parents to select 10 of the most popular digital thermometers to test.
• Our top pick, the iProven Forehead and Ear Thermometer DMT-489, delivers accurate, one-second reads, can be used in-ear or contactless via a forehead reading, and comes with a soft carry pouch for convenient storage.
• This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, MD, CPST-I, FAAP, professor of pediatrics, Oregon Health and Science University.

Editor's note: Due to fluctuating stock, some of the recommendations on this list are either temporarily out of stock or currently back-ordered. We will update this piece with new information when we can. 

The ability to quickly and accurately determine a person's body temperature is an important factor in assessing their condition during an illness, after an injury, or in the event of exposure to inclement conditions. Whether it's a temperamental toddler, a nonresponsive accident victim, or someone who just starts to feel ill, when trying to determine what's wrong with a person and gauge the severity of their issue, a thermometer is a crucial component in the diagnostic process.

Thanks to modern thermometers, getting a temperature reading is remarkably easy and safe. Gone are the days of sticking a mercury thermometer under your tongue and waiting for five minutes, only to then try and accurately read the temperature of where the rising red liquid leveled off — which is always approximate but never precise. Now, there are a variety of thermometers that offer rapid readings, are highly accurate, and have intuitive enough operating instructions that make it easy for anyone to use them. 

Thermometers and COVID-19

Scientists are still learning plenty about how COVID-19 spreads, and it's for this reason the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends checking your temperature in conjunction with other virus-protection protocols before going off to work, school, or other public places.

Many schools and districts across the country require parents to self-certify in an online form or app that their child is fever- and symptom-free before entering a school building or even getting on a bus. Therefore, owning a reliable digital thermometer and knowing how and when to use it is vital for every household.  

"Temperature checks should not take the place of broader symptom screening, mask-wearing, and social distancing," Dr. Jenifer Johnson, a family medicine physician and internist at Westmed Medical Group, told Insider. "Sore throats, strep throat, sinus infections, urine infections, gastrointestinal infections (stomach flu), pneumonia, and even a common cold can cause a fever."

It's worth noting that influenza usually produces higher fevers than common colds, and not everyone with COVID19 even spikes a fever. The AAP also recommends all adults and children 6 months and older should get a flu shot each year. 

At the end of this guide, I've included some insight into the most common types of home thermometers you'll find, which numbers on a thermometer constitute a fever, as well as how to have your thermometer purchase covered by HSA or FSA.

I've also added some information regarding fever phobia and outlined my entire testing methodology and every source used in creating this guide.

Here are the best thermometers to check for a fever:

• Best thermometer overall: iProven Forehead and Ear Thermometer DMT-489 
• Best budget thermometer: Vicks Comfort Flex Thermometer
• Best infrared non-contact thermometer: iHealth No-Touch Forehead Thermometer PT3
• Best multiuse stick thermometer: Kinsa Quick Care Smart Thermometer
• Best thermometer for children: Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer with Smart Glow

Updated on 1/14/2020 by Rick Stella: Updated the sections on what constitutes a fever and the guidelines for COVID-19, checked the availability of each recommended thermometer, and updated the prices and links where necessary.

SEE ALSO: The best baby thermometers

Best thermometer overall

The iProven Forehead and Ear Thermometer DMT-489 was the most impressive thermometer tested with one-second reads, accuracy, versatility, comprehensive instructions and quality packaging.    

Pros: User friendly, easy to read, nice storage pouch, precise

Cons: Cap to change methods difficult to snap on, no probe covers 

With the single press of a button, the iProven DMT-489 uses infrared technology to quickly take temperatures with its contactless forehead setting or by using its in-ear probe. Each functionality is distinctly calibrated, and it reads in just a second on a backlit screen. 

Two AA batteries are preinstalled in the device, so it's ready to go out of the box. The separate buttons for "head" and "ear" are clearly labeled. A fever alarm and color temperature indication take the guess work out of it, but the manual does include a very comprehensive comparison table on how to interpret measurements based on age and method. One beep with a green light equals no fever while seven beeps and a red-light alert you to a fever.  

The iProven DMT-489's one-second response time made it easy to test the accuracy and repeatability of readings (up to 20 are stored in its memory). 

In my testing, the forehead readings were precise within 0.5 to 1.0 degrees. Make sure to have the device touch the skin in the middle of the forehead, as this is not a non-contact thermometer. While medical research hasn't determined an exact correlation between oral, rectal, ear, armpit, and forehead temperature measurements, Kaiser Permanente notes that an ear (tympanic) temperature is 0.5 to 1 degree higher than an oral temperature and a forehead (temporal) scanner is usually 0.5 to 1 degree lower than an oral temperature. 

To change to the ear method, you'll need to snap off the top cap of the thermometer — a task I found a little difficult but still doable. Anytime you take an ear temperature, it's important to place the device correctly. For example, if the probe tup is pointed in the wrong direction or is not inserted in the ear canal deep enough it can affect the accuracy of the reading. It took me a couple tries to feel confident taking my own temperature this way. Always place the probe as deep as possible pointing down the horizontal canal at the eardrum. A good trick to straighten the ear canal is to tug the ear upward and backward. Similar to the forehead mode, I found the precision of the ear mode to be within 0.5 to 0.8 degrees. 

While pediatricians advise against using an ear thermometer on infants younger than 3 months, the owner's manual recommends not using this thermometer on infants under 6 months.

This model comes with a soft pouch for storage, making it nice for travel and diaper bags. Cleaning instructions are also included in the manual that say to regularly use a damp cloth – not alcohol or benzine — to clean the device; it's not waterproof. No ear probe covers are included.

The product also comes with a two-year limited warranty from the date of purchase, but a special insert in my box had an offer to get an extended year warranty free by registering the product at iproven.com/weloveyou. The iProven DMT-489 was the only thermometer I tested to offer product registration — something to take advantage of because it is the only way manufacturers can quickly notify consumers if a product they purchased has been recalled.

Best budget thermometer

The Vicks Comfort Flex Thermometer was the most affordable out of the thermometers tested, easy to use, and has a large digital screen with color-coded readings to indicate fever.

Pros: Affordable, multiuse, precise, large digital display, comes with probe covers

Cons: Very loud beep, must turn off and on between readings, colored fever alerts misleading 

When it comes to using this thermometer right out of the box, the words "no- brainer" seem an appropriate description. A coin cell button battery is already included in the device, there's only one button to operate it, and you have the option to use it orally, rectally, or under the arm. I found the large digital display on this model to be the easiest to read of all the thermometers I tested, too. The beeping was also the loudest of the group, making it especially helpful for seniors with visual and hearing impairments. The beeping could, however, be a nuisance for those taking temperatures on sleeping children and infants. (It also beeps for a full eight seconds once peak temperature is reached). 

Along with showing the temperature reading, the LCD screen on the Vicks Comfort Flex Thermometer lights up for various temperatures: green (98.6 F to 99.8 F), yellow (99.9 F to 101.4 F), and red (101.5 F), as described in the manual. While this alert methodology raised some red flags because fever is not the same for everyone, the precision and repeatability of the thermometer was quite good and only varied by approximately 0.5 degrees. 

On the box, the speed of response is advertised as eight seconds, but the fine print in the manual says results may vary by method: orally (usually 12 seconds), rectally (usually 10 seconds), or under the arm (11 seconds but sometimes more). I found the thermometer actually overperformed with a response time of around 5 to 6 seconds orally and about six to seven seconds when I tested it rectally on my 4-month-old niece. 

A minor inconvenience: You have to turn it off and back on to take another reading, and it only recalls the last reading taken. I did like the fact that this model comes with 100 disposable probe covers and a protective holder. The device also comes with a one-year limited warranty and instructions in English and Spanish that say to clean the thermometer with soap and warm water or rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol). Do not boil or clean the device in the dishwasher, as it will cause the thermometer to no longer function while also voiding the warranty. 

Best infrared non-contact thermometer

The iHealth No-Touch Forehead Thermometer PT3 reads in only one second and makes it easy to accurately take anyone's temperature while being socially distant. 

Pros: Fast reading, precise, no beeping, helpful content in user manual  

Cons: Vibration may be missed, prone to user error 

Prior to testing the iHealth No-Touch Forehead Thermometer PT3 thermometer, I'd already had my temperature taken with it at the dentist and watched my daughter's day care use it on her every morning. It seemed like a good product that offered quick readings. Instead of a beeping alarm, the device vibrates once a reading is obtained and while the vibrations could be missed, you can easily see the numbers light up in the LED display area in well-lit or dark rooms. If the measurement fails, it won't vibrate and the screen will display "---." Upon testing, I found the precision and repeatability varied only by 0.5 degrees. 

A user manual in English and Spanish, a quick guide with pictures, and two AAA batteries come with this thermometer. Knowing how to use this thermometer correctly is essential for getting accurate readings. I did notice upon testing that the device won't even read if it's too far away from the skin — a good thing! For accuracy, hold the no-touch thermometer within 1 inch of the forehead and aim at the center. Press the scan button and watch for the temperature reading on the screen. 

The iHealth also comes with a one-year limited warranty. Cleaning instructions are included in the manual that say to gently swab the surface of the probe using a cotton bud soaked in > 75% medical alcohol and use a piece of soft, dry cloth to clean the display screen and external surface of the thermometer. If the thermometer is very dirty, the cloth can be moistened with some medical alcohol to clean the device. The product is not waterproof, so do not clean it with detergents.

Best multiuse stick thermometer

If you're tech savvy and looking for a great smart thermometer, the Kinsa Quick Care Smart Thermometer can be used three ways and even allows you to contribute to public health research. 

Pros: multiuse, great app features, contributes to public health research  

Cons: needs app to work, does not include probe covers

Every morning before my kids head off to school, I have to self-certify that they are free of COVID-19 symptoms. A smart thermometer like the Kinsa, which stores all that data on my phone and helps me monitor their baseline temperature, makes that daily routine much easier to manage.

The Kinsa Quick Care connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth. In order for it to work, you first need to download the app and follow the setup instructions. Setup only takes a couple of minutes and afterwards, you're free to use Kinsa Quick Care with or without a smartphone. I created profiles for each member of my family and included their birthdays, which helps the app's algorithm provide appropriate care instructions and content based on individual thermometer readings. 

You can also add notes, symptoms, and track medication doses within the app. After each reading, the thermometer displays the appropriate emoji along with the temperature: A happy face means no fever, a neutral face means mild/moderate fever, and a sad face means high fever.

This model gives three options for checking temperature: oral, underarm, and rectal. The Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer also syncs with an app, but I preferred the multiuse thermometer since it can be used on the entire family. The box says the response time is eight seconds, but the fine print reads, "reading time will vary by individual and method used." I found the response time to only be about two to three seconds when used orally and the precision to vary between 0.8 and 0.5 degrees.

One CR 2032 battery is already included inside the device at purchase, and cleaning instructions are provided in the instructions that advise cleaning the probe before and after use with a damp, soapy cloth or by disinfecting with rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol). You can wipe it dry with a soft cloth. Don't put it in the dishwasher, as it voids the one-year limited product warranty. To further prevent the spread of germs, Kinsa recommends placing a cover on the probe tip each time the thermometer is used. However, unlike the Vicks Comfort Flex Thermometer, no probe covers were provided. The instructions note that covers can be purchased at most drugstores or pharmacy departments. 

From a public health perspective, I really love what Kinsa is doing behind the scenes with the data they aggregate from app users. Hilary Brueck, Business Insider's senior health and science reporter, has covered everything the company has been doing to effectively forecast outbreaks of both the coronavirus and the flu, including detecting fever spikes weeks before hospitals and clinics start to see an influx of patients. 

"Kinsa has found its at-home smart-thermometer network can be used as an early-warning system to see where contagious illnesses like the coronavirus and the flu are spreading in schools, workplaces, cities, and states around the US," Brueck wrote.

Best thermometer for children

The Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer with Smart Glow was the most accurate and consistent out of all the thermometers I tested with over 80 peer-reviewed clinical studies to back up its use on children. 

Pros: Most precise tested, suitable for all ages older than three months

Cons: Unintuitive, dim display, plastic cap to protect the sensor easy to lose 

Next to rectal thermometers, temporal artery thermometers are the most reliable way to get an accurate reading on children and babies over 3 months of age. Infants under 3 months should still have their temperature taken rectally, if possible. 

With the Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer, a gentle stroke across a child's forehead captures the naturally emitted heat waves coming from the skin over the temporal artery to give a temperature reading in two to three seconds. Simply swipe the thermometer across the forehead to hairline. You'll hear beeping and see a red light flashing during the scan. Once you reach the hairline, release the scan (on/off) button to view the reading. Unlike other models I tested with backlight displays, the Exergen has a relatively small LCD display screen with a dim readout. It may be hard to see if you are in a dark room. 

Upon repeated testing, the Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer with Smart Glow delivered the most consistent and precise results of any model tested on myself and my kids — within 0.3 degrees — within two to three seconds. This thermometer also stores up to eight readings. However, unlike some of the other thermometers that were easy to use straight out of the box, this one wasn't as intuitive — even with use instructions printed directly on the back of the thermometer, I wasn't sure if I was correctly stroking the top of the unit across the forehead.  It's a good thing the instruction manual included a QR code to watch videos demonstrating its use." 

The model comes with a 9V battery already installed. Cleaning instructions are included in the manual that note to wipe the silver cone with a small cloth moistened with alcohol. The lens should be cleaned with an alcohol dampened cotton swab. The thermometer comes with a small plastic cap to protect the sensor, but it isn't the greatest quality and can easily pop off and get lost. The thermometer has a five-year limited product warranty.

Read our guide to the best thermometers for babies and children for additional options.

What else we considered

Braun Thermoscan 7 Ear Thermometer: This is a fantastic thermometer and many of the parents I spoke with had this model at home already. If you are looking for an ear-only thermometer with plenty of peer-reviewed research to back it up, I highly recommend the Braun Thermoscan 7. Precision and repeatability varied by 0.5 degrees, but the measurement in one ear may differ from that of the other ear. The Age Precision color-coded display is the only thermometer to factor in how the definition of fever changes as newborns grow into children and children grow into adults. The only downsides are the 10-second read time and the cost. It was the most expensive out of the ones I tested. You also need to replace the disposable lens filters to maintain accuracy and hygiene — more money. 

Dr. Talbot's Infrared Forehead Thermometer, Non-Contact: The precision and speed of Dr. Talbot's thermometer was very comparable to the iHealth varying only by 0.5 degrees. It's designed for infants over 3 months through adults and measures a temperature in one second from a large digital display. It can take a forehead temperature from up to almost 2 inches away, making it a good option for many businesses screening temperatures at the door. While it was easy to operate after I installed the provided batteries, it was difficult to change the settings using only the trigger. It is also more expensive than the iHealth. 

Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer: The Kinsa is super sleek and easy to use on yourself, which can be tricky for the ear. I also found the app to be tremendous in terms of content with very helpful instructions. Even though the readings only took a second, the precision tended to vary by 1.5 degrees.

CVS Health Flexible Tip Digital Thermometer: This unit was disqualified because did not function at all. 

Vicks SpeedRead Digital Thermometer with Fever InSight: When it has "SpeedRead" in the name, one would think that meant not waiting eight seconds (as advertised) with a thermometer in your mouth. The Vicks Comfort Flex, our best budget thermometer, also advertises 8-second response time, but overperformed with readings as fast as five seconds. When testing the SpeedRead orally, it also gave off a metallic taste in my mouth — something the Comfort Flex did not. Precision varied by 1.5 degrees. 

Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer Original: We were unable to test this due to an inventory shortage at the time we were evaluating thermometers for this guide.

Home thermometer types

With so many thermometer options on the market — and plenty of COVID-19 misinformation circulating — deciding on which model is best for you and your family can be a little confusing. And if you have young children like I do, you may be looking for a certain type of age-appropriate thermometer.

Here are your basic digital thermometer options to pick from: 

• Single-use stick thermometer (marketed for rectal only) 
• Multiuse stick thermometer (rectum, mouth, or armpit)  
• Tympanic thermometer (ear) 
• Temporal artery thermometer (forehead)
• Tympanic and temporal thermometer (ear and forehead) 
• Infrared non-contact thermometer (forehead)  

Though there's plenty of apprehension about no-contact thermometers, a column in Ask a Pediatrician by Dr. Elizabeth Murray, an official spokesperson for the AAP, addresses those concerns directly. Murray says that "the claims about their danger are false … It is the infrared energy coming from the person that is being gathered by the thermometer, not infrared light being projected to the person."

No matter if you opt for an infrared thermometer or a strictly ear-based model, it's important to know fever isn't the same for everyone and that it varies by age, gender, and time of day, among other variables. Using a thermometer at various times of the day when you're feeling well gives you an idea of what's normal for you, or your baseline temperature. 

It should ease your mind to know all thermometers sold in the United States must meet federal standards and are already calibrated for home use at the time of purchase. As a public health communications consultant, certified medical writer, and former editor of HealthyChildren.org at the AAP, facts, health literacy, and health equity are central to my work and are all components I factored in when selecting and testing the 10 thermometers included in this guide. I'm also a mother of three young children who has dealt with plenty of fevers over the past eight years.

Over the course of three days, I tested each of the 10 thermometers for precision and repeatability nine times on myself (a healthy adult without fever) and nine times on each of my two school-age kids. I also tested them on my sister (a healthy adult without fever) and two of my nieces, one of whom is an infant. All of the children were healthy and without fevers at the time of testing. Factors included practical features like availability, speed, sounds, memory, warranty options, storage containers, and ease of cleaning and disinfecting. Read more about our testing methodology here.

Each of the two infrared no-contact thermometers included in this guide were also given to an essential business that screens adults and children daily. After one week, I interviewed them for feedback. 

What constitutes a fever?

According to a national survey of 1,000 adults, 56% of Americans polled did not know what temperature is considered a fever, falsely believing that anything over 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is a problem. 

Despite what ranges your thermometer manual might provide, Rik Heller, a biomedical engineer and thermographic expert, contends that fever is not the same for everyone. "98.6 degrees Fahrenheit should certainly not be universally applied — nor should 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit be a magic number to indicate elevated body temperature," he said. "Age, gender, and even time of day impact normal body temperatures." 

What you'll want to do is find your baseline temperature (i.e., what's normal for you) by checking your temperature at various times of the day when you are feeling well. 

Dr. Jesse Hackell, a practicing pediatrician with New York-based Pomona Pediatrics, said some children's temperatures just run higher than others, but any reading of 100.4 F or higher in a baby younger than 3 months is reason to call the pediatrician. "Another reason to call is if the fever persists for more than 24 hours in children younger than two and more than three days in a child 2 years of age or older," he said.

Older adults tend to have lower baseline temperatures than younger adults; sometimes fevers in the elderly are completely absent. When I asked Dr. Johnson why this happens, she said it's thought to be part of the aging process, yet it can contribute to an infection in an older adult being missed or a delayed diagnosis.

Are these temperature anomalies a big deal? Heller, who founded the clinical-grade thermometer company, Wello, said "not really when we are under normal circumstances," but he warns not accounting for them is "a grave mistake from a public health standpoint in the middle of a pandemic or during any heightened season of infectious disease."

How to use HSA or FSA funds

If you have an HSA or an FSA account, you may want to use it to purchase a thermometer listed in our guide. Over-the-counter digital thermometers are eligible for reimbursement without a prescription. 

Many employers offer flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health savings accounts (HSA) as part of a benefits package, so be sure to see if one's available to you. If you have one already, check the balance. FSAs have a "use-it-or-lose-it" policy and any money you have left at the end of the calendar year disappears. HSAs do not have deadlines and funds roll over from year to year.

Here's how it works: 

• If you pay with cash or credit card in a store or online, you can request a reimbursement from your HSA/FSA account. Different HSA/FSA plans have different requirements about what's needed for reimbursement but usually, a copy of your thermometer receipt will be enough. Many providers let you file claims online or through an app on your phone. Snap a picture of the receipt and you're good to go. 
• There are HSA and FSA-specific retailers, like the HSA Store and the FSA Store that make shopping for items that qualify for reimbursement really simple. According to both websites, when shoppers use an HSA or FSA card to pay, they typically don't have to submit receipts; purchases on these websites automatically substantiate. It is worth noting, however, that the thermometer options available on these websites are limited and cost more than other retailers. 

Note: Thermometers are not eligible for reimbursement with a limited care flexible spending account (LCFSA) or a dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA).

What is fever phobia?

Fever is a general indicator of infection or inflammation in the body, but I think it's fair to say that most of America are suffering from "fever phobia"— a concept first introduced by pediatrician Dr. Barton Schmitt in 1980 to describe excessive and sometimes unrealistic fear of fevers. It's easy to let our minds "go there," yet there are many different reasons why an adult or a child would spike a temperature.

According to Hackell, who also chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine, people lose sight of an illness by focusing on the number on the thermometer. "Whenever parents call me about fevers, the first thing I say is 'tell me how your child is acting.' If they're hot, you'll know it," he said, "and if you screen everybody for fever it gives a false sense of security."

How we test thermometers

When I first started working on this buying guide in August 2020, I reached out to a number of pediatricians for their general thoughts on thermometers. 

Dr. John Vann, a pediatrician in Omaha, Nebraska, told me that only a rectal temperature offers a true outpatient reading. "Everything else is an estimate," he said. "Luckily, the exact number is not usually as important as how the patient looks."  There are also reliable methods for checking your temperature even if you don't have access to a thermometer.

I went on to read journal articles, "Consumer Reports," and customer reviews on retailer sites and spoke with 20 parents about their temperature-taking experiences. One mom told me she finally convinced her own parents to get rid of their old mercury thermometer, which are is no longer recommended because mercury is poisonous and glass thermometers can break. 

After this rather extensive research, I landed on the 10 thermometers included in this guide. In addition to standard features found on all thermometers, I considered each product's speed, size of display, mute options, memory recall, batteries, warranty options, and storage containers. I also took a hard look at the following during my tests:

• Accuracy, precision and readability of thermometer instructions: More than 80 million Americans have limited health literacy, according to a systemic review in the "Annals of Internal Medicine," and the majority of Americans have difficulty understanding and using available health information and services. With that in mind, I evaluated the information included on each thermometer's box and inside its user manual from a health literacy perspective, including the quality and readability of the instructions. Some models include a quick guide with pictures, some include information in Spanish, one includes a QR code for video instructions, and some have print so tiny you need a magnifying glass to read it.  
• Cost and availability: Like toilet paper, thermometers were a hot commodity at the start of the pandemic and inventory in stores and online has fluctuated for some models. I asked all of the representatives of these thermometer manufacturers about any stock issues we should know about. From a health equity standpoint, I considered a range of price points. Read about how you can save money on a thermometer by using your health savings account or flex spending account. 

Over the course of three days, I tested each of the 10 thermometers nine times on myself (a healthy adult without a fever) and 9 times on each of my two of my school-age kids (also without fevers). I marked down readings to look for accuracy and repeatability. I also tested each thermometer on my sister (also a healthy adult without a fever) and two of my nieces, one of whom is an infant.

For testing infrared thermometers, I reached out to A.C.E Behavior Solutions, an essential business screening adults and children with special health care needs upon entry. Owner, Cindy Mrotek, said they were previously using other thermometer brands, so I provided them with both the Dr. Talbot's Infrared Forehead Thermometer, Non-Contact and the iHealth No-Touch Forehead Thermometer PT3 for use over the course of one week. 

"We found both infrared thermometers to be accurate but felt the iHealth was a faster read," Mrotek said. Because her clinic treats children with autism spectrum disorder, she noted that the iHealth was more difficult to use on kids who can't stand still or need to rock. She preferred the Dr. Talbot's for children who needed more input from moving. Beyond screening and tracking temperatures of children and staff, Mrotek added that her clinic is following CDC guidance.

Sources we consulted for this guide

• Jesse Hackell MD FAAP, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine and a practicing pediatrician with New York-based Pomona Pediatrics, a division of Boston Children's Health Physicians
• John Vann, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician at Omaha Children's Clinic in Omaha, Nebraska
• Dr. Jenifer Johnson, a family medicine physician and internist at Westmed Medical Group in Westchester, NY
• Rik Heller, a biomedical engineer and thermographic expert who founded the clinical-grade thermometer company, Wello
• Cindy Mrotek, business owner of ACE Behavior Solutions
• AP News. Infrared thermometers used for COVID-19 testing do not pose risk to pineal gland. July 28, 2020
• Consumer Reports. Thermometer Buying Guide. September 23, 2016
• NASA. Ingestible Thermometer Pill Helps Athletes Beat the Heat. January 8, 2007
• EPA. Mercury Thermometers. June 26, 2018
• CDC. How COVID19 Spreads. October 5, 2020
• Business Insider. Coronavirus temperature scans are nothing more than pandemic security theater. In some cases, they're dangerous.
• Mayo Clinic. Thermometers: Understand the options. September 15, 2018
• HealthyChildren.org. When to Call the Pediatrician: Fever. November 21, 2015
• HealthyChildren.org. How to Take Your Child's Temperature. October 12, 2020
• HealthyChildren.org. Are Infrared Thermometers Safe? October 15, 2020
• New York Times. Can Smart Thermometers Track the Spread of the Coronavirus? March 18, 2020
• Kaiser Permanente. Fever Temperatures: Accuracy and Comparison. June 26, 2019
• HSA Store website
• FSA Store website

• CES 2021 is officially over, meaning it's time to decide which products were the best of the show.
• Our favorite products shown at CES 2021 include rollable phone displays from LG and TCL, a cleaning robot from Samsung, and probably the most technologically advanced face mask to date.
• Visit Insider Reviews' homepage for more stories and buying advice.

With CES 2021's all-digital event having now come and gone, it's time at last for our favorite part of the show: awards. We've seen dozens of products over the past four days from in front of our screens, and now we've collected what we think are the best of the show across 15 different product categories.

From the best smartphone of the show to the best health-focused device, this is the cream of the crop when it comes to CES announcements and reveals. We've seen a tech-filled face mask that solves a lot of the problems of normal masks, as well as rollable smartphone displays.

We also spotted major advancements in the smart home from a voice-activated fridge to a home-cleaning robot that's less like a Roomba and more like a Rosie of "The Jetsons" fame. It's innovations like these that are not only available today, but will be the foundation of huge advancements in daily convenience and general coolness.

Some of these products are available for either preorder or direct purchase, while others will be launching over the coming months. But, more importantly, they've all earned our seal of approval as products to keep an eye on this year as potential buys.

Best laptop: HP Elite Dragonfly Max

Many companies are tailoring their products for a work-from-home life at CES 2021, and that's especially true with HP's Elite Dragonfly Max. 

The business-focused laptop has features that are optimized for our new remote work routines, like four wide-range microphones that use artificial intelligence to optimize audio and a 5-megapixel camera. Considering most laptop webcams aren't very good, and it's unusual for a laptop to come with that many microphones, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max seems well-positioned to boost the quality of your daily Zoom video meetings. 

In yet another sign that the Max is built with remote work in mind, it also has EyeSafe technology to reduce eye strain after prolonged use — another common theme among this year's laptops at CES. 

Otherwise, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max, which launches in January for an unannounced price, runs on 11th-generation Intel processors, features a 13.3-inch screen and comes with the option for 5G connectivity. — Lisa Eadicicco, Senior Tech Correspondent

Best phone: LG and TCL's rollable smartphones

Smartphone makers are still figuring out the next big thing for smartphone design, and CES 2021 shows that LG and TCL are advancing on rollable smartphone displays instead of foldable ones. 

The concept is the same as foldable displays — to make a smartphone screen bigger than normal when you want the extra screen real estate. The way in which these rollable smartphones deliver on that concept is completely different to foldable phones, and fairly simple to grasp. Inside the phones is a rolled up OLED screen that unfurls, allowing the phones to keep a similar size and shape of a traditional smartphone. The mechanisms to expand the phones as the screen unfurls from their enclosure, however, will undoubtedly be incredibly complex, and there will be many questions to answer regarding their reliability.

Little is known so far about LG and TCL's smartphones with rollable screens, but rumors suggest that LG plans to launch its own model sometime this year. Regardless, these are certainly the most impressive and exciting phones of CES 2021. — Antonio Villas-Boas, Senior Tech Reporter

Best high-end TV: Samsung Micro LED 4K TV

Samsung has been showing off Micro LEDs at CES for the last few years, and the advanced display technology never fails to impress. That said, the company has yet to actually release a consumer Micro LED 4K TV. For 2021, that's finally going to change.

Micro LED 4K TVs in 88-, 99-, and 110-inch screen sizes are set to hit the market by the end of the year. Yes, this first wave will likely be prohibitively expensive for anyone but those with the deepest of pockets — my best guess is at least $30,000 for the smallest size — but the fact that the tech is starting to scale down to the consumer level is very exciting. Why? Because Micro LED TVs have the potential to combine everything we love about the pixel-level contrast of OLED TVs with the high brightness of QLED TVs. 

We got a first look at the 110-inch Samsung Micro LED last week, and if prices eventually come down to a reasonable range, we think this tech could be the future of TV. — Steven Cohen, Tech Editor

Best 4K TV: LG G1 and Sony A90J OLED TVs

OLED is our favorite display technology for picture quality because OLED panels offer the best contrast and viewing angles on the market right now. That said, they have one drawback compared to competing QLED TVs: they can't get as bright. 

This makes OLEDs less suited for rooms that let in a lot of light, and it can make certain high dynamic range (HDR) videos look dimmer than they would on a QLED. This year, however, Sony and LG have made key improvements to their flagship OLEDs in order to deliver higher brightness than previous models. 

We don't know exactly how much brighter they'll be just yet, but the upgrade could help cement the upcoming Sony A90J and LG G1 as top 4K TV contenders. In addition to OLED picture performance, the LG G1 also features an incredibly thin "Gallery" design that enables it to be mounted flush to a wall. Meanwhile, the Sony A90J uses the company's Acoustic Surface Audio+ tech to create sound from the screen itself. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but new TV models usually start hitting stores in the spring. — Steven Cohen, Tech Editor

Best gaming device: LG 42-inch OLED displays

While monitor and TV manufacturers are still working to produce models that make the most of the newly released PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, LG's OLED TVs have become an increasingly popular choice for PC and console gamers who want the latest features, like adaptive refresh rate, high dynamic range, and low input latency.

LG Display's newly announced 42-inch OLED TV panel is the company's smallest OLED yet, and it will undoubtedly compete with premium gaming monitors when it's released. LG's CX OLED is already our top rated OLED TV with sizes starting at 48 inches, and a 42-inch display will be an ideal fit for a monitor replacement or bedroom gaming setup. The 42-inch panels are expected to go into production this year, but it's not yet clear when a consumer model will be available to buy. —Kevin Webb, Tech Reporter

Best soundbar: TCL Alto R1 Wireless Soundbar

Soundbars are generally designed to offer a more convenient audio solution than separate speakers or surround sound setups. Though there are some impressive high-end models with advanced audio features like Dolby Atmos, many buyers turn to soundbars primarily for their simplicity. TCL's new Alto R1 aims to make setup easier than ever before.

The soundbar is the first to use Roku's new Wi-Fi audio system, enabling the device to wirelessly connect to a Roku TV. You just need to plug the power cable in and then turn the bar and TV on. From there, the soundbar is designed to seamlessly pair and communicate with a Roku TV without any additional wires. This also makes it easy to use one remote and on-screen interface for the display and soundbar. Roku says the tech should prevent any audio syncing issues as well. 

Though we'll need to get hands-on with the Alto R1 to see how well the wireless tech really works, the feature looks very promising. The soundbar is set to launch later this year, but there's no word yet on an exact release date or price. — Steven Cohen, Tech Editor

Best robot: Samsung Bot Handy

Robots are a common sight at CES events, and companies simply won't stop showing off their robo-tech. This year at CES 2021, the best robot we came across is Samsung's Bot Handy, It's an upright robot with a rolling base, and it has a long mechanical arm equipped with a clamp to pick things up. 

The Bot Handy is designed to help with house chores, like cleaning up messy rooms, picking up and throwing away trash, and putting dirty laundry into washing machines. It's even delicate enough to put dirty dishes into the dishwasher. But, why stop there? The Bot Handy will truly prove its worth when it pours you a glass of wine. Good robot. 

To perform these complex tasks, the Bot Handy relies on AI and delicate mechanics to apply an appropriate amount of force with its clamp.

The Bot Handy is still in development with no definitive price or sales date at the moment. However, Samsung will have its smart robo-vacuum, called the JetBot 90 AI+, available this year. It's essentially a smarter and better vacuuming robot that doubles as a travelling security camera. Unfortunately, we don't know how much the JetBot will cost yet, or exactly when it'll be released. — Antonio Villas-Boas, Senior Tech Reporter

Best smartwatch: Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR

Skagen already makes one of our favorite minimalist smartwatches, and now at CES 2021 the Fossil-owned brand is launching a new wearable that should blend in even more seamlessly as a timepiece. The $195 Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR, as its name suggests, is a hybrid smartwatch that combines the look of a classic watch with the connectivity and health-tracking features of a smartwatch. 

The Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR's signature feature is its always-on e-ink display, which should offer two-week-long battery life if it lives up to its claims. It also includes health features like a heart rate monitor and activity and sleep tracking, and can deliver notifications from your phone to your wrist. The only major feature it appears to be missing that's usually standard on smartwatches is built-in GPS. Instead, the Skagen Jorn HR will connect to your phone's GPS when needed.

All told, the Skagen Jorn Hybrid HR looks like a promising new watch for those with a preference for sleek, minimalist looks and long battery life in a smartwatch. — Lisa Eadicicco, Senior Tech Correspondent

Best health device: Razer Project Hazel

CES is always chock full of wearable technology and wellness gadgets, but the COVID-19 pandemic has put health in focus more than ever in 2021. One of the most promising devices at this year's CES is Razer's Project Hazel, which aims to fix many of the shortcomings and inconveniences that come with wearing masks today. 

Project Hazel is an N95 respirator prototype that comes with a special UV light charging case for disinfection, a built-in microphone and amplifier to make it easier to speak loudly while wearing the mask, and clear design so that others can actually see your mouth when worn. And of course, in typical Razer style, the mask also lights up automatically in the dark. — Lisa Eadicicco, Senior Tech Correspondent

Best smart home device: LG InstaView ThinQ Refrigerator with Voice Recognition

Voice recognition is now available on refrigerators, obviously, and as it should be. The LG InstaView ThinQ Refrigerator with Voice Recognition, which we'll call "InstaView" from now on, can open its doors with a simple voice command — something no other refrigerator can do.

This kind of device is exactly what CES is best at showing. The InstaView sounds excessive and superfluous, because it is. But, so does all the futuristic stuff you've seen on modern TV shows and movies. And, if you've ever wanted to live in that kind of futuristic setting, you can't ignore things like the InstaView. Indeed, the InstaView is another notch in our progress towards a cool future where our fixtures and appliances listen to our voice commands rather than using our hands like cavepeople. 

LG has a more practical implication for the InstaView. The company says the voice-activated refrigerator that can open its doors on your voice command will help with the "struggle to open the refrigerator door when their hands are full of groceries." Scoff all you like, but it's a legitimate "thing" to improve — placing a large object that needs two hands into your refrigerator is a task that needs planning. You need to open the refrigerator door first and hope it stays open while you fetch the large food item. People in the future don't have that problem because they have the InstaView. 

And, of course, you can ask InstaView about what's coming up in your calendar and check the status of the ice and water dispensers. Although, it's unclear if InstaView will talk back or display the information on a screen. 

But, let's face it: It's all about the futuristic feels, really.  

So far, InstaView doesn't use a popular smart assistant like Amazon's Alexa or Google's Assistant. Instead, it uses LG's own ThinQ AI, which should be perfectly capable of understanding when you want it to open its doors. — Antonio Villas-Boas, Senior Tech Reporter

Best home appliance: Kohler Stillness Bath

Baths are kind of gross, but Kohler's Stillness tub is more about recreating an at-home spa experience than de-griming you. It starts at $6,000 and comes to $16,000 with all the trimmings, so it's ridiculous and over the top. It takes inspiration from Japanese soaking baths, with a special hinoki wood moat that catches water as it gently spills over its sides. Soft LED lighting illuminates it from below, and the experience tower releases a fine fog and aromas from essential oils. The bath is also voice-activated, so you can ask it to fill to your desired depth and temperature.

Put it all together, and it's almost enough to make you forget that you just sunk $16k into a bathtub, almost. — Jenny McGrath, Buying Guides Editor

Best small home appliance: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Sur Mesure Powered by Perso

Last year, L'Oreal introduced its personal beauty device, the Perso. It was still unclear when it would come to market and how much it would cost. Now we know. You can preorder the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Sur Mesure for $299.99 right now. 

The device is focused on creating unique lipstick shades. It draws the liquid from three tubes of YSL Velvet Cream Matte Finish. The result will depend on the amount it's pulled from each. The app can help you try to recreate a color you see on Instagram, too. If it's too red or orange, you can try again without wasting a ton of product. L'Oreal also hopes it will cut down on packing, since you can get so many colors from just a few cartridges. 

It's a pricey gadget, but I'm looking forward to what it means for the other version of the Perso I saw at CES last year. The skincare model mixes lotions and serums for you, factoring in things like the weather -- maybe you need more sunscreen on a sunny day — and your preferences. Its design helps keep delicate ingredients out of contact with air. Of course, it does mean you'll have to stick to products from the L'Oreal family of brands, which might be a deal-breaker for a lot of people who like to buy from an array of companies. 

L'Oreal said the skincare Perso should hit the market later this year, though pricing is still unavailable. — Jenny McGrath, Buying Guides Editor

Best fitness tech: Ultrahuman

Digital fitness is in the midst of a major moment, as at-home workouts are now the norm instead of some time-constrained exception. Because of this, fitness classes are everywhere; they're live-streamed on Instagram, produced as a series for YouTube, and downloadable on your smartphone. It should come as no surprise then that CES 2021 (a show that also embraced a fully digital presentation) was chock-full of this new wave of keeping fit. 

At the forefront of the fitness innovation displayed at the show was Ultrahuman, a self-described "masterclass-like" workout app that aims to connect users with world-class athletes, neuroscientists, psychologists, and artists all in the name of improving one's heath, wellness, and fitness.

Though the analogy to Masterclass seems gimmicky, Ultrahuman does at least have the credentials to back it up. Included in its roster of experts are Crossfit champion Kara Saunders, bodybuilder and athlete Kris Gethin, and fitness influencers, Amanda Cerny and Johannes Bartl. And that just skims the surface of what the brand has planned — its site says it intends to have "100+ of the world's best athletes."

But what also makes Ultrahuman intriguing is its concept. The brand aims to teach subscribers everything from mindfulness and meditation to the impact of sleep and the science of working out. There's even content around how to boost productivity and how to improve focus. The classes are intensive, not unlike what Masterclass offers, and come loaded with expert- and doctor-approved lessons (most of which are developed by the expert or doctor actually leading the class). These include 14-week marathon training classes, a group of sessions on developing a balanced mind, and strength training basics, among many others. The range of classes offered seem fit for people of literally any fitness level or skill, too. 

The platform was designed specifically for the Apple Watch and any iOS-compatible device, but also works on Android devices via an Android smartphone or through a Google Chromecast. Ultrahuman also offers a tiered subscription plan, so users can choose to pay either $14 per month, $41 every six months, or $75 a year for full access to the platform. 

The app is available now on both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. — Rick Stella, Health & Fitness Editor

Best auto tech: Mercedes-Benz MBUX Hyperscreen

There were plenty of futuristic car tech unveiled, but most were more fantasy than reality. One that is actually coming is Mercedes-Benz's next-gen vehicle infotainment system, the MBUX Hyperscreen.

The highlight is a high-resolution 56-inch OLED display that spans across the entire dashboard. Technically divided into three components — digital gauge for the driver, a central 17.7-inch touchscreen, and a screen for the front passenger — the Hyperscreen incorporates artificial intelligence to help the driver adjust controls without taking hands off the wheel or eyes off the road. While such telematics aren't entirely revolutionary, the Hyperscreen digitizes nearly every control — something we will start to see more and more in new cars.

The MBUX Hyperscreen will debut in the all-electric Mercedes EQS this spring. — Les Shu, Senior Guides Editor

Best photography device: Sony FE 35mm F1.4 G Master Lens

Finding a new camera at CES to write about is as elusive as spotting a rare bird, as few companies use the tech conference to launch new products — compared to 15 years ago when every camera maker would unveil multiple models. But, that doesn't mean CES is entirely void of camera and photo-related products.

While not an official CES release, Sony this week announced the FE 35mm F1.4 G Master lens for its highly lauded full-frame mirrorless cameras. A compact lens designed for shooting photos and videos, it weighs 18.5 ounces yet has the complex optical construction and fast f/1.4 aperture to capture high-quality images with sharpness and beautiful bokeh. Although we haven't used this particular lens, we have used other fast G Master lenses. Some of the best images we've ever taken were with a G Master lens.

The lens goes on sale in February for $1,400. — Les Shu, Senior Guides Editor

We rounded up the best sales and deals happening online today, with savings at Nintendo, Frontgate, 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 deals available right now

• Visit Insider Reviews' deals page for more sales.

The best on-going sales and exclusive discounts happening right now

Save on digital download Switch games from Nintendo

Shop the Nintendo New Year Sale now.

Now through January 21, the Nintendo eShop is offering shoppers savings on popular games from both major and indie developers. If you own a Switch, this sale is a great chance to stock your library up with great games, from nostalgia plays like "Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and the Lion King" to beautiful indie-developer games like "GRIS." For more inspiration, you can always check out our guide to the best Nintendo Switch games, a handful of which are included in the sale.

Get up to 50% off sitewide from Frontgate

Shop the Frontgate sitewide sale now.

 Though it may still be a bit too chilly to be lounging out on your patio just yet, Frontgate's sitewide sale is a great time to get some outdoor furniture. It's one of our favorite places to shop for patio pieces; it has a wide array of great brands along with its own designs. If you're looking for more savings, you can also get up to 70% off Frontgate's clearance selection right now. 

Get 10% off sitewide from Nest Bedding

Shop the Nest Bedding New Year Sale now.

For the whole month of January, Nest Bedding is offering shoppers 10% off sitewide. Furniture, bedding, and much more is on sale from the brand, making now a great chance to upgrade your sleeping situation. We've reviewed a ton of Nest Bedding products, with some even making it as picks in our guides to the best latex pillows and foam mattresses. 

Get 20% off sitewide at Silpada

Shop the Silpada sitewide sale now. 

Now through January 18, Silpada is offering an extremely rare, sitewide sale. Everything is 20% off with free standard shipping, as always. The brand makes high-quality silver jewelry, perfect for gifting, or just treating yourself. This is the first sale we've written about from Silpada, so if something sparkly catches your eye, don't miss out on this rare chance to buy at a discount. 

Get up to 60% off from Casper

Shop the Last Call Sale at Casper now.

If you've ever shopped online for bedding and mattresses, Casper needs no introduction. Right now, the mattress start-up is offering up to 60% off select bedding and mattresses, including 60% off the Airy Linen Quilt and 30% off the Casper Hybrid. To figure out which one is best for you, check out our reviews of the 5 most popular Casper mattresses.

Get up to 40% off Valentine's flowers from 1-800-Flowers

Shop the 1-800-Flowers Valentine's Day sale now.

Just over a month is left before the big day, but it's never too early to plan ahead for Valentine's Day, especially with deals this good. Right now, flowers and gifts including bouquets, plushes, gift baskets, and more are up to 40% off, no code necessary. The retailer is one of our favorite online flower delivery services, especially for last-minute shoppers.

Get up to 60% off at Lovehoney

Shop the Lovehoney sale now.

Valentine's Day is coming, and Lovehoney is ready to help you prep with deep discounts on sex toys, lingerie, and more. Sales from the retailer aren't very common, and with deals as good as only $24 for a 4-piece vibrator set, it's hard to pass. For more shopping inspo, check out our guides to the best vibrators and the best sex toys. 

Get up to 50% off at Adidas

Shop the Adidas End of Season Sale now.

Right now, Adidas is offering up to 50% off a selection of shoes, tops, activewear, and more for the end of the season. It's one of many sales from the brand, and it's worth a look if you're in the market for some new apparel. We've reviewed a ton of different Adidas styles, including the Pulseboost HD, and found them to be among the most comfortable shoes you can buy. 

Get men's outerwear from JACHS NY for $29

Shop the Outerwear Blowout Sale now.

Winter has only just begun and JACHS NY is offering a big sale to keep you warm. Right now, you can get select men's outerwear — including sherpa jackets and puffer vests — for only $29 apiece with promo code OT29. It's not the first sale we've seen from JACHS NY, but it's one of the deepest discounts for sure, with some items up to 85% off. If you're not in the market for a new jacket, the rest of the site is also 70% off with promo code NEWYEAR. 

Get up to 60% off at Lululemon

Shop the We Made Too Much Sale now.

Lululemon made too much this year and has been offering athleisure apparel for men and women at discounts all season. Right now, you can save big on everything from the brand, including tops, leggings, socks, and much more. It's one of our favorite athleisure brands for women, and we don't expect to see sales as good as this throughout the rest of 2021, so don't miss out. 

• The Troubadour Hotel in New Orleans is part of Hilton's elevated Tapestry Collection, offering excellent service and amenities.
• Entry-level rooms currently start as low as $90, plus taxes and fees.
• I recently stayed in a King Room and found it to be an exceptional value given the spacious size, elegant decor, and comforting new COVID-19 policies.
• Read more: Is it safe to stay in a hotel right now? An infectious disease doctor, a cleaning expert, and hotel reps all share what you should know before you check-in.

Though it often doesn't get as much buzz as other storied properties in New Orleans, the Troubadour Hotel is a sleeper hit in the Central Business District that boasts surprisingly stylish interiors and exceptional value thanks to entry-level rooms starting below $100 per night.

The Troubadour Hotel doesn't exude much charm from the outside, but it opens up into a more exciting and aesthetically pleasing space as soon as you step through its doors. The hotel is part of Hilton's Tapestry Collection, a brand within a brand that is reserved for properties with a little more visual flair and elevated service levels. 

It's 184 chic rooms and suites, convenient location, and (during non-pandemic times) hopping rooftop bar and restaurant rightfully earn it a spot on the list of the city's best hotels. The Troubadour is ideally situated to be close enough to most of New Orleans' downtown attractions while retaining a tasteful distance from the clamor of the French Quarter. 

I recently booked a mid-week stay in a King Room, affectionately called a 'Troubie' on the hotel's own website, for just $90, plus taxes and fees. While some hotel rates have dropped amidst the pandemic in an effort to lure travelers back, this rate is comparable to price during non-pandemic times, which just goes to show what great value this hotel is year-round. The entry-level rooms are plenty spacious, but the hotel's suites are also a steal, with a Junior Suite starting at $179 per night, and the impressive, top-of-the-line King Suite available for as low as $279 per night. 

Although the hotel's restaurant, Jayne, was closed, the rooftop Monkey Board bar and restaurant was open, albeit with distancing and capacities in place. As a Hilton property, the hotel has also implemented the brand's Hilton Cleanstay protocols. I was thoroughly impressed with the new measures and my stay reaffirmed that I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone visiting New Orleans. 

• The first impression
• The room
• On-site amenities
• What's nearby
• What others say
• What you need to know
• COVID-19 policies
• The bottom line
• Book the Troubadour Hotel starting at $90 per night

Keep reading to see why I was so impressed by the Troubadour Hotel.

On approach, the Troubadour Hotel looks like what it once was: a rather bland 1960s office building. A discreet awning is the only real sign that a hotel lurks beyond the prosaic exterior. It's a misleading impression, though, and the ruse ends as you step through the doors and gives way to a whimsical and colorful interior. 

I was immediately hit by retro-looking, geometric patterns and striking vintage furniture. Three-dimensional murals that represent parts of guitars and other instruments crept around the walls and bright abstract artworks framed the space. 

It was quiet, with just one lone assistant behind the desk, which included plastic shields as a safety measure. I also noticed a couple of hand sanitizer stations and signage reminding guests to socially distance, especially in the elevators (limited to two people or one family/pod). 

I had arrived an hour before the official check-in time, but didn't have to wait around. I was allocated a King Room, as booked, on the tenth floor, and it was ready immediately. The front desk clerk explained the dining situation before handing me my keys. The rooftop bar, Monkey Board, was open in the evenings, but their restaurant, Jayne, was closed. A nearby food court (The Pythian Market) was offering free delivery to guests, so that was another option. 

The desk clerk also explained that the minibar offerings had been removed from the rooms, but the front desk had an array of items that would normally be offered available to buy from them directly. Keys in hand, I headed to the tenth floor.

My King Room was at the very end of the corridor. I saw as I went to open it that it had been closed with a Hilton Cleanstay seal, meaning that nobody had entered the room since it had been sanitized by the housekeeping staff. 

My room, known by the hotel as a 'Troubie', was very generously sized. Offering 330 square feet of space, these rooms are among the biggest entry-level options in the city. Even as a couple traveling with luggage, there's room to spread out in the Troubie. The low-slung bed and soft wooden tones further accentuated the amount of space. 

Booking into an entry-level room at a Hilton-branded property might not fill you with inspiration, but that's where the Tapestry Collection difference comes in. I loved the design of this room, and I would argue that it's the most thoughtfully put together and interesting room you'll find at this price point in New Orleans.

There was a steely patina to the background color palette, with greys and metallic blues mixing with off-whites. Statement fixtures took the room to the next level, including bright orange lamps that hung above the dark blue fabric headboard.

The furniture was similarly impressive. Sleek retro lines were the name of the game from the white chairs at the glass desk to an Art Deco-inspired cocktail bar. (It's just the ice bucket, mixing glass, and spoon during COVID, but there's usually a full kit complete with liquor.) All of this was against a background of translucent white curtains with just a hint of a geometric pattern. 

There was an open hanging space situation for storage rather than a true closet, which might not appeal to some. However,  it seems to be a feature of most modern boutique hotels and I personally didn't have a problem with it, especially for one night.

The in-room amenities were confined to a small Keurig coffee machine and a few sanitizing wipes, both of which were welcome. There was a small, raised table to work from or a longer desk, both with plenty of regular and USB charging ports available. 

The King Bed itself was set low to the ground and was very firm and comfortable. The hotel isn't located on a particularly busy street, but the sound insulation was effective and I didn't hear any ambient noise. 

In the bathroom, contemporary fixtures mixed with Art Deco flourishes, such as the spherical hanging lamps and bright orange tissue and soap holders that popped against the white countertops. The bathroom products were by Crabtree & Evelyn, again a step up from the usual chain offering.  

The walk-in shower was very spacious and the controls for the water and temperature were not located directly under the showerhead — a sensible design feature that hotels everywhere would do well to follow so you don't have to stick your head under the faucet to adjust the settings. The only letdown was that the hot water took quite a while to arrive, but once you knew that this is the case it was easy to work around, though it would have been a bigger inconvenience for a longer stay. 

For $90, I felt like this was an exceptional value that delivered thoughtful design and memorable features. Entry-level rooms are more than spacious enough for most guests, but those with a special occasion or a need for more space might consider the extra 100 square feet that comes with a Junior Suite for $80 more per night. And, as previously noted, if you're looking for a spot to go all out without breaking the bank, the King Suite starts at $279 per night. 

Throughout my stay, it was clear that the Troubadour Hotel was maintaining a careful balance of keeping some amenities open while ensuring employees and guest safety. 

Sadly, the hotel's excellent signature restaurant, Jayne, was closed. It's usually an excellent casual spot and their elevated breakfasts are a particularly great value. The breakfast alternative was a grab-bag of a muffin, fruit, a hard-boiled egg and coffee, available at the front desk. This was complimentary if you were a Hilton Honors member, or $9 otherwise, which felt like a fair price.

The hotel's excellent rooftop bar and restaurant, Monkey Board, was open for business from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the week and until 11 p.m. on weekends, including Sundays.

If you want to dine in, reservations are recommended because of possible capacity limitations, but I ordered my burger to go. I grabbed a quick cocktail while I waited for the food to come out, and enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere. Tables were well spaced and there was a good number of couples and small groups enjoying drinks and dinner. There was plenty of room, and the staff were all masked, which was reassuring.

If you need some quiet work or lounging space that isn't in your room, there's a lovely, little-used Mezzanine level that has comfy couches and tables, and is framed by some genuinely impressive large format photography by Hawaiian photographer Christy Lee Rogers.   

There's an excellent food court nearby, The Pythian Market, that has signs about the hotel offering free delivery to guest rooms. Menus were available via QR codes. 

Additionally, the small exercise room was available for use as long as social distancing could be observed.

The Troubadour Hotel is located in the city's Central Business District. It's just two blocks from the historic French Quarter and the notorious nightlife found there. Guests can also walk to the banks of the Mississippi River within a few minutes. 

The shops and malls of Canal Street and the art galleries of Julia Street are both within easy striking distance, and it's not much further to the world-class National World War II Museum. Similarly, antiquing on Royal Street in the Quarter is an easy stroll. 

The hotel is well placed for public transportation, with bus terminals just a minute or two away and streetcar lines to Uptown and other city spots all also easily reached by foot. 

Check flight prices to New Orleans on Expedia

The Troubadour Hotel has an 8.5 out of 10 on Booking.com and 4 out of 5 stars on Trip Advisor. It is ranked 78 of 178 hotels in New Orleans with just over 1,000 reviews.

This may seem low, but almost 600 of the reviews are marked "Excellent" and the hotel did, unfortunately, go through a period of managerial instability that has long since been improved upon. 

The hotel's looks are a big hit among the people that have enjoyed staying there, with one recent reviewer saying, "I found the eclectic decor of the rooms to be my favorite attribute of the rooms. They were decorated so uniquely and beautifully. Most rooms have a small living area, well-curated art, and local books, a minibar of local NOLA delights, and a small cute cocktail-making bar set. I felt as if I was staying in a studio apartment."

Some guests are less impressed with the storage space situation and bemoan the lack of actual closets in some of the entry-level rooms, but fans of modern hotel room design will be more at home.

Read reviews, compare prices, and book the Troubadour Hotel on Trip Advisor

Who stays here: Guests who like the reassurance of staying in a Hilton-branded hotel, or who want to use their loyalty points, but also want to enjoy rooms designed with a little more imagination than standard chain properties.  

We like: The rooftop space, Monkey Board, which has a great elevated bar food menu and decent mixed drinks, as well as lovely views of the downtown skyline. 

We love (don't miss this feature!): The striking and original design of the rooms. Combined with the generous amounts of space, it makes for one of the best entry-level rooms in town at a steal. 

We think you should know: If you'd like a full breakfast you'll have to find a spot off site for now. There are plenty of local options, though. 

We'd do this differently next time: Take time out and read a book or work for a while on the Mezzanine, and take in the art found there that most guests don't ever see.

Hilton-branded hotels have a company-wide COVID policy called CleanStay, which you can find here.

In summary: 

• From the Hilton CleanStay Room Seal to focused disinfection of high-touch areas in the guest room, we're committed to providing guests with a clean, comfortable space.
• Hotel housekeeping services can be tailored to the individual guest experience for individual comfort levels.
• From social distancing, increased scheduled cleaning of public spaces, and changes to our amenities and services, the hotel is committed to protecting guest wellbeing while using public spaces.
• In addition to changes to in-room room dining services, breakfast and dining options, the hotel is providing designated locations and guidelines for contactless food delivery.

I generally felt that the Troubadour Hotel was doing a good job of implementing social distancing and hygienic protocols across all of its amenities, and I felt safe at all times. I appreciated the signage and sanitizing stations throughout the public areas, as well as the plastic screens and the sanitizing stations at check-in. The hotel did a nice job upholding its hygiene commitments while still offering guests a safe dining experience.

The Troubadour Hotel is an oft-overlooked property in New Orleans, but it shouldn't be. It delivers memorable interior design, spacious entry-level rooms, and a fantastic location — all under $100 per night. Plus, as a member of the Tapesty Collection, Hilton loyalists can enjoy a stay earning or using points at a hotel that feels anything but chain. 

Despite reduced staff, the hotel's customer service levels held up well, and I was pleased with the COVID-19 protocols that included plastic screens at the front desk, sanitization stations, signage throughout the common areas, complimentary in-room wipes, and room safety seals. 

While favorite restaurant Jayne is sadly closed right now, keeping Monkey Board open instead was a sensible decision as it easily copes with distancing requirements and retains one of the hotel's best features. 

I would gladly book my same room again, though I may even be tempted to upgrade to a suite given that the starting price of $179 is still relatively affordable. With these starting prices and the thoughtful touches found throughout the entire property, this hotel is hard to beat.

Book the Troubadour Hotel starting at $90 per night

Around 260 million Americans are eligible to receive coronavirus vaccines, but procuring a shot may be easy or difficult, depending on where they live.

US federal officials recommended Tuesday to expand vaccinations to all Americans ages 65 and older. Many states haven't finished vaccinating their first priority groups, which mainly include healthcare workers and nursing home residents. Some states have also prioritized vaccinations for frontline essential workers or individuals with health problems that raise their risk of severe disease.

Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's coronavirus vaccine initiative, recently advised states to vaccinate these priority groups in tandem in situations where vaccine supply exceeds demand or doses might expire. Warp Speed officials have also pushed states to begin deploying vaccines at pharmacies, community health centers, and mass vaccination sites.

That's a daunting challenge for many states with understaffed or underfunded health departments— though an $8.7 billion coronavirus relief package will soon assist states with vaccine distribution issues. States have also struggled to oversee mass vaccinations while simultaneously dealing with an unprecedented surge of coronavirus cases that has overwhelmed hospitals. 

Here are the states where it's easiest and most difficult to get a shot, based on the number of doses administered per capita.

SEE ALSO: State leaders say Operation Warp Speed overpromised and underdelivered, setting them up to fail in the vaccine rollout

West Virginia leads the country in vaccinations per capita. As of Monday, none of the state's doses were sitting on shelves.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice told CNBC on Monday that 100% of the state's vaccine supply was either in people's arms or had been tagged for a specific individual who would receive the shot in the coming days.

The state has also vaccinated all of its nursing home residents and staff, as well as those in assisted living, Justice said. That's because West Virginia didn't rely on a federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens to start vaccinating these individuals on December 21. Instead, it partnered with local pharmacies and deployed its National Guard to get nursing home vaccinations underway about five days earlier.

The state is also offering 14 vaccination clinics this week for individuals 70 and older. The first of these clinics opened on January 7. 

As of Wednesday, West Virginia had administered more than 6,600 doses for every 100,000 people, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

South Dakota has administered 6,100 doses for every 100,000 people.

Around 4.5% of the state's population had been vaccinated as of Wednesday. So far, South Dakota has prioritized vaccinations for healthcare workers, nursing home residents, law enforcement, and correctional officers, but the state plans to extend vaccines to residents over 80 starting January 18. From there, it will open up doses to people 65 and older.

Health officials have attributed the state's successful rollout to strong partnerships with local stakeholders, including three major health systems: Avera, Monument, and Sanford.

"We sat down with the other healthcare systems and the state of South Dakota and mapped out — county by county — which system is vaccinating which county," Dr. Mike Wilde, chief medical officer at Sanford, told The Mercury News.

Alaska was quick to vaccinate elderly residents after a shortage of demand among healthcare workers.

Alaska opened up vaccination clinics for healthcare workers at the end of December — only to find that there were appointments left over after a few days. The state took it as a sign to move on to its next priority group: people age 65 and older.

"We just said, 'OK, let's keep moving forward,'" Dr. Anne Zink, the state's chief medical officer, told Alaska Public Media.  

Starting January 6, Alaska began allowing people 65 and older to sign up for appointments online. Many of the state's vaccine providers have registered with PrepMod, a website that connects residents to local vaccination sites.

Appointments for elderly residents in Alaska have been ongoing since Monday. The state has administered 5,800 doses for every 100,000 residents so far.

North Dakota's vaccine rollout benefited from early planning.

The state has administered more than 5,600 doses for every 100,000 people, even after receiving fewer doses than health officials had anticipated. In addition to shipping doses to hospitals, North Dakota also delivered them to healthcare providers straight away.

"We are able to break down COVID-19 vaccine shipments into smaller quantities to get vaccines to rural areas of the state, where many healthcare providers are located," the state's health department told Becker's Hospital Review.

The department added that "healthcare providers were trained regarding the COVID-19 vaccines before they were authorized for use in the United States, which allowed for vaccines to be administered immediately."

Like West Virginia, North Dakota also didn't rely on the federal government's partnership with CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate nursing home residents. Nearly 60% of the state's long-term care facilities didn't participate in the program, meaning they received their shots either directly from the state warehouse or through independent pharmacies and public-health agencies.

Warp Speed officials have also heralded the speedy rollout in Connecticut.

Connecticut has administered around 4,800 doses for every 100,000 residents so far. The state finished administering the first round of shots to its 213 nursing homes and long-term-care facilities on January 8.

Local health officials say there are multiple reasons for Connecticut's successful rollout. One is seamless communication between hospitals and Gov. Ned Lamont's office, which engage in weekly calls. Hospitals have also helped one another by sharing doses if a facility falls short of demand, or finding healthcare workers to vaccinate if extra doses are available.

Josh Geballe, Connecticut's chief operating officer, told the Hartford Courant that the state is attempting to strike a balance between "micromanagement and the wild west." That means expanding vaccinations to first responders or residents ages 75 or older if there's a surplus of shots at the end of the day. Many of the state's vaccine providers keep a waitlist of these individuals so they can call upon them quickly to get vaccinated.

Starting Monday, Connecticut will begin vaccinating individuals 75 and older as part of its routine schedule. A state phone line will help coordinate appointments, but large healthcare systems are also being asked to reach out to residents and schedule appointments on their own.

Alabama's vaccine rollout, on the other hand, has fallen short. Fewer than 1,900 doses for every 100,000 residents have been given out so far.

Alabama's public health officer, Dr. Scott Harris, told local news channel WRBL that the state's vaccine supply was actually smaller than had been reported by the federal government.

"We absolutely acknowledge that we need to be doing this faster. Although, I take issue with the numbers being reported," he said on Wednesday. "Alabama supposedly has allocation of 300-and-something-thousand doses. We have actually only received about 270,000 doses in our state."

The state also has a large rural population — around 45% of residents live in rural areas, making it difficult to find centralized locations to deliver shots.

"Administering a vaccine in rural Alabama is not about pulling up to a Walmart parking lot," John McGuinness, former state surgeon for the Alabama National Guard, told The Washington Post. "This amounts to a military campaign, moving from town to town and gathering demographics, relying on local leaders and being comprehensive in that way."

Georgia has also struggled to put shots into arms.

The state has administered less than a quarter of the doses it has received so far. For every 100,000 residents, only 2,200 doses have been given out.

Like Alabama, Georgia has run into issues with vaccinating residents in rural areas. Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, told local news channel 11Alive that some residents were wary of taking the vaccine.

Staffing shortages at local hospitals may have further slowed the vaccination process.

Georgia also ran into technical issues when it opened up appointments to people 65 and older on Monday. An online registration form for two counties, Cobb and Douglas, crashed. Phone lines jammed. And several district health departments were eventually forced to stop taking appointment requests. 

South Carolina hospitals have encountered a lack of demand among healthcare workers.

At the start of its vaccine rollout, South Carolina stipulated that 70% of eligible healthcare workers and nursing home residents needed to be vaccinated before moving on to the next priority groups. But by early January, local hospitals said not all healthcare workers were taking advantage of the available doses, and some vaccines appointments remained empty.

On January 5, Gov. Henry McMaster told healthcare workers they had 10 days to get a shot or "move to the back of the line."

South Carolina has administered fewer than 2,300 doses for every 100,000 residents, according to the CDC, but some hospital officials say that data could be behind.

Patrick Cawley, vice president for health affairs at the Medical University of South Carolina, told The State that the federal government's reporting system was slowing down his center's ability to record vaccinations in real time. Indeed, for many states, the number of reported vaccinations typically lags 24 to 72 hours behind those that have actually been administered.

Idaho planned for more doses than it received in December.

Out of every 100,000 Idaho residents, fewer than 2,400 doses have been given out. At that rate, it could take three years to vaccinate all of the state's 1.8 million residents.

With the pace of vaccinations starting to ramp up, state health officials estimate they can immunize about more than half of Idaho's population by the end of 2021.

But Idaho officials were thrown for a curve in December, when the state received far fewer doses than it had anticipated. Idaho's vaccine supply for the week of December 21 was cut by 44%. Gov. Brad Little urged residents at the time to "be patient with the distribution."

Technical glitches slowed down vaccination appointments in Arizona.

Arizona ran into issues with scheduling appointments for healthcare workers at the start of its vaccine rollout. In Maricopa, the state's most populous county, the health department website directed residents to vaccination sites well outside their immediate area. The system also had trouble downloading insurance information or following up with individuals about their second doses.

County representatives told local radio station KJZZ that the error "slowed down the entire vaccine operation and put us days behind" in delivering shots.

Though the state has expanded its rollout to more priority groups, Arizona has administered fewer than 2,400 doses for every 100,000 residents. On Monday, residents said they were having trouble making appointments through the Arizona Department of Health Services website, likely due to heavy online traffic.

The state's healthcare system is also overburdened by a tsunami of coronavirus patients, meaning there aren't enough staffers to administer shots. By the end of December, NBC News reported, four out of five doses were sitting on shelves, waiting for someone to administer them.

• Keeping your home clean includes the floors, and that means mopping. 
• Libman Spin Mop and Bucket is our top pick because it works in kitchens, bathrooms, and mudrooms, and can help keep wood floors gleaming.
• For more info on the right type of cleaner to use on your flooring, check out our guide to the best floor cleaners for wood, vinyl, tile, and more.

To keep your home sparkling clean, you have to mop your floors. Of course, that's often a dreaded chore.

You should always sweep or vacuum first to pick up small debris and dust so you're not just moving dirt around with your mop later. It also helps to mop weekly so it's more like maintenance work as opposed to a big undertaking. But the best way to make mopping easier is to have a good mop that actually gets the job done.

A quality mop should make quick work of even sticky floors, be easy to use, and ideally, have a removable head so it can be washed and disinfected to keep bacteria from growing. In fact, if your mop ever smells bad or looks particularly grimy, don't use it.

All of the floors in my home require mopping, so I've been testing mops and cleaning products for decades. I've also been a home economist for companies and publications, so I'm always looking for the most effective and easiest to use products. 

Here are the best mops

• Best overall: Libman Spin Mop and Bucket
• Best on a budget: Libman Wonder Mop
• Best for wood floors: Swiffer WetJet Wood Mopping Kit
• Best for ceramic tile floors: Libman Nitty Gritty Roller Mop with Scrub Brush
• Best disposable mopping system: Swiffer Sweeper Dry and Wet

Updated 1/14/21. We updated prices, links, and formatting. We've also included an additional mop we're looking forward to testing for a future update of this guide.

The best overall

With the Libman Spin Mop and Bucket you can clean every hard surface floor in your home with the same mop, from dry-dusting hardwood to wet mopping sticky kitchen messes.

Pros: Simple to use for all hard surface floors, hands never have to touch water, easy to assemble, removable and replaceable mop head

Cons: Plastic lever can break if used with excessive force

If you have multiple types of hard surface floors to clean in your home, it can be expensive to buy several different mops and frustrating to store them. With the Libman Spin Mop and Bucket, you can clean every floor with just one mop.

Libman combined a deep-cleaning microfiber mop and a mop bucket with a stainless-steel spin chamber to give you everything you need for mopping. The microfiber mop works great as both a dry-dust mop and a slightly damp mop for hardwood floors. Then, with the right cleaning solution, it's perfect for scrubbing dirty floors in the bathroom and kitchen. The head is removable from the handle and can go straight into the washing machine to be cleaned.

I'm particularly impressed with the durable, adjustable stainless-steel mop handle and the stainless-steel spin bucket. Other brands have plastic components that are more prone to breaking.

With the lever system to activate the spinning mechanism, my hands never have to touch the mopping water, and I can adjust the amount of moisture left in the mop head. I've been using it for many months with no issues, but it's good to know that replacement mop heads are available if this one ever wears out.

The best on a budget

Want clean floors without breaking the bank? Libman Wonder Mop uses microfiber strips, wrings out easily (but keeps hands dry), and is easy on the wallet.

Pros: Microfiber head is removable and machine washable, wringing action keeps hands dry, can be used wet or dry, the mop head is replaceable

Cons: Wringer can be difficult for someone with limited hand and wrist movement

If you are looking for a good, basic mop, the Libman Wonder Mop is inexpensive but durable.

Despite the multiple components of the mop, it's also quite compact. The mop head can be removed and tossed in the washer for a good cleaning, the built-in wringer keeps your hands out of the cleaning solution, though it's not ideal for anyone with limited mobility or movement.

I've owned a Wonder Mop for many years and found an amazing number of ways to use it beyond mopping the floor. Since the head is made of microfiber that attracts dust, I pull down the wringer sleeve to shorten the mop fibers into something resembling a stiff brush. I then use the mop to reach corners that seem to attract every spider web and insect possible. I've used the mop to absorb water from ice chests and to capture spills in car trunks. All this in addition to actually mopping floors.

Since I use it so often, I buy a couple of replacement heads so I can always be sure to have an extra for non-mopping use. When I do use it for regular mopping, I find that with hot water and a good floor cleaner, the mop does a very good job.

The best for wood floors

The easy to use Swiffer WetJet Wood Mopping Kit gives you everything you need for shiny, streak-free wood floors.

Pros: Compact, all-in-one mop and floor cleaner, cleaning solutions for other types of floors are interchangeable, refills are simple to find, great customer service

Cons: Spray nozzles can become clogged if the mop isn't used regularly, cleaning pads aren't reusable, pricier to maintain

Whether you have solid hardwood or engineered hardwood floors, the Swiffer WetJet Wood Mop will make cleaning them a breeze. With disposable cleaning pads and an all-in-one mop and cleaning solution, it's a no-mess, no-fuss cleaning system.

Hardwood floors can easily be ruined if you don't clean them correctly. They don't stand up well to regular mopping with a strong cleaner and lots of water. Instead, when muddy tracks and spills happen, a delicate touch is best. As with any floor, they must be swept, vacuumed, or dry-dusted before any cleaning with a mop.

I love the Swiffer WetJet Wood Mopping Kit for many reasons. The pads are disposable so I can begin each cleaning session with a fresh surface. The cleaning solution is "built-in" to the mop so with just a touch of the battery-operated micro-mist spray, I can add the solution to the floor while I mop. And, as a bonus, the nozzles are illuminated so I can see just how much solution is hitting the floor and check if the area is dry after mopping.

With the Swiffer WetJet Wood Kit, you get the power mop, five mopping pads, a bottle of wood floor cleaner, and four batteries. You can easily buy refill bottles and pads and there are cleaning solutions for other types of floors like vinyl, stone, and ceramic tile.

If you have problems with the Swiffer WetJet, Procter & Gamble's customer service is very helpful with tips to get you mopping again.

The best for ceramic tile floors

The grout between ceramic tiles is the toughest part of the floor to clean unless you have the Libman Nitty Gritty Roller Mop with Scrub Brush.

Pros: Built-in scrub brush with sponge mop head, simple to use, rollers for squeezing out water

Cons: Sponge mop heads usually do not last as long as microfiber

Ceramic tile floors in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and mudrooms are probably the easiest floors to clean. The tile doesn't absorb stains, doesn't scratch easily, and stands up to harsh cleaners. But just to make your life a bit more challenging, the tiles are put together with grout. Grout absorbs stains and doesn't react well to harsh cleaners that can make it become brittle and crack.  

Enter the Libman Nitty Gritty Roller Mop with Scrub Brush. The soft absorbent sponge roller with textured cleaning pads works great to remove spills and surface dirt on the tile. Then, the built-in scrub brush can be used to get rid of the grime on the grout without having to get on your hands and knees to scrub.

To get your grout clean, I dampen the floor and sprinkle a bit of baking soda on the stained areas before scrubbing with the mop brush. Then pull the handle to activate the rollers and squeeze out the water back into a bucket or utility sink, and use the damp sponge mop to lift away the baking soda and dirt. Again, what I love is not having to get my hands wet with the dirty mopping solution.  

The best with disposable pads

If you don't have space for a broom, mop, and bucket, the Swiffer Sweeper Dry and Wet is a good choice. 

Pros: Simple to use, no additional floor cleaner or water solution needed, refill pads readily available

Cons: Does not clean heavy soil effectively, refills can be costly

The best mopping results come from getting rid of dry loose dirt and hair first before you wet mop. With the Swiffer Sweeper Dry and Wet Mopping kit, you have everything you need at hand to take care of hard surface floors. The kit comes with a lightweight, easy-to-assemble sweeper, seven dry disposable cloths, and three wet disposable cloths.

I'll say upfront that the Swiffer Sweeper Dry and Wet Mopping is not going to tackle floors that are really dirty. If you have lots of pets and kids who leave muddy footprints and spills, you need a heavy-duty mop. But, for light soil and quick cleanups, this is the ticket. There is no fuss, no mop bucket, and no need for additional cleaning solutions. I use mine all the time in my guest bedrooms and bathroom that don't get daily use.

Once you buy the starter kit, refills are available everywhere. Swiffer just introduced Heavy Duty Wet Pads and Dry Pads refills that trap even more soil if you have been lax between cleanings.

What we're looking forward to testing

We're constantly testing new mops, so here's what we're looking forward to testing:

Rejuvenate: They make stick mop and cleaning systems that are similar to Swiffer, though the microfiber cleaning pads can be washed and reused. There are also different colored pads for dry dusting, wet mopping, and polishing so it's easier to keep track of each one's purpose. 

Check out our other great cleaning guides

• The best floor cleaners
• The best laundry odor removers
• The best cleaning products for kitchen and laundry appliances
• The best disinfecting cleaners

Goldman Sachs believes Europe's digital economy is at a tipping point.

In a new research note released on January 7, Goldman Sachs equity analysts take a look at why Europe might soon move from a laggard position to a leader in the digital economy space.

"Historically, the region has lagged behind North America and Asia when it comes to the digitalization of the economy, with no super platforms comparable to the FAANGs in the US and BATs in China; we believe this is partly due to the fragmented nature of Europe's local markets, with differences in culture, language and regulatory settings making it more difficult for online businesses to achieve significant scale," said Goldman Sachs lead analyst on the report, Lisa Yang.

The team base the dramatic shift on five factors:

1. A faster pace of adoption due to COVID-19

The pandemic has significantly accelerated digital adoption in Europe.

Across business to consumer verticals, the analysts believed that in 2020, three to five years of online penetration occurred.

In more immature digital markets, such as food in the UK, the penetration has been up to 10 years.

"Against the backdrop of the recent positive vaccine news, we believe much of the change is structural and see an accelerated path to reach longer-run equilibrium rates for online penetration," Yang said.

2. Proliferation of key enabling technologies

To understand the digital economy landscape, the analysts mapped out the technology stack and key catalysts that will likely facilitate growth in Europe's digital economy.

"From a technology perspective, we see cloud infrastructure, platform-as-a-service technology and networking technology as especially important to the rapid expansion of this sphere," Yang said. "We argue that the landscape will continue to evolve, and scope out several avenues for technological development, for example the use of 5G/IOT technology, robotic process automation and VR as elements that could lead to further tangible digital economy opportunities."

3. Improved availability of funding

The report looks not only at public markets but also at private, highlighting the investment being made in new technology and digital across Europe.

"Improved availability of VC funding and increased public market appetite for digital economy stocks in Europe have created more fertile ground for the creation and scaling up of online businesses, as demonstrated by the recent IPOs of The Hut Group and Allegro and the significant increase in the number of unicorns in Europe," Yang said.

The report highlights that Europe has had more tech Initial Public Offerings than the US over the past five years. However, it is worth noting that the average deal size is often smaller.

And over the last three years, Europe's venture capital investment has doubled, which is outpacing growth seen in the US and Asia, although still three times smaller than the other two regions, Yang said.

Read more: An ETF provider whose specialty funds have smashed the market breaks down how to capitalize on the red-hot SPAC craze — and shares 4 to watch in 2021

4. More supportive backdrop from policy makers

'A Europe fit for the digital age' is one of the European Commission's six key political priorities, the report said, which demonstrates the Commission's commitment to digital investment.

The analysts believe there will be a stronger push from policy makers at the regional and national level to create a level playing field between the European digital landscape and Big Tech. This will likely result in investment in digital capabilities and infrastructure.

At least 20% of the €672.5 billion EU Recovery & Resilience fund will be dedicated to support Europe's digital transition, the report said. This amounts to around at least €134.5 billion of investment in the digital economy.

5. Industry consolidation

Industry consolidation is taking place ,as several European companies look to attain global leadership through large-scale and cross-border M&A, Yang said.

"Most recent examples include Adevinta in classifieds following the proposed acquisition of eBay Classifieds Group, Just Eat Takeaway in food delivery following the proposed acquisition of GrubHub and Flutter in sports betting following the acquisition of TSG," Yang said. "We believe consolidation could become more widespread in certain sectors (e.g. telecoms) in a drive by governments to allow for higher returns/investments."

Stock picks

To capture the trend in investment, Goldman Sachs maintains a list of over 70 stocks exposed to the digital economy theme and features it within the report. The stock list makes up more than  30% of the STOXX 600.

"We believe investor appetite for European digital economy stocks will continue to be fueled by strong growth prospects," Yang said.

Read more:Investing legend Terry Smith's $30 billion equity fund returned 449% to investors over a decade — Here's his 4-part strategy for success and 10 pieces of investing wisdom to take into 2021

The 154 page report also takes a deep dive into a range of industries including classifieds,  beauty, telecommunications and gambling to understand how the industries will shift as the transition is made and what companies are set to benefit.

The basket of digital economy stocks have delivered strong share price performance comparable to that of the FAANGs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google/Alphabet) and stronger than the BATs (Baidu Inc, Alibaba Group Holdings, Tencent Holdings), Yang said.

"We believe this [performance] is partly due to the relative scarcity of growth assets in the European investment universe, particularly relative to the US and China, with only 12% of companies in Europe having sales growth over 10%, compared with 30% in the US," Yang said. 

From Goldman Sachs' key digital economy stocks bucket, we list the 12 key stocks expected to benefit from the surge in digital investment and achieve an upside of at least 30% in the next 12 months, including one stock with an upside of 77%.

1. Prosus

Ticker: PROSF

Sector: Media

Digitization themes: Gaming, classifieds, food delivery, education

Price target:€133.00

Price target upside (%): 49%

Analyst commentary: 

"We also highlight Prosus (Buy, CL), which operates one of the world's fastest-growing online classifieds groups, OLX (37%/108% proportionate revenue/EBITDA CAGRs 2020-24E), which has 300mn average monthly users and operates across 19 core markets, mostly in EM."

"Prosus offers exposure to gaming through its 31% stake in Tencent (87% of target NAV), which is the largest online games company globally (in terms of revenue)."

"We also point to Prosus (Buy, CL) and its increasing focus on EdTech investments across the globe from the leading K-12 app in India (Byju's) to online learning marketplace (Udemy), to social learning (Brainly, SoloLearn) and tech skills offerings (Code Academy)." 

Source: Goldman Sachs

2. Stillfront

Ticker: STLFF

Sector: Gaming

Digitization themes: Video games

Price target: 145.00 Swedish krona

Price target upside (%): 44%

Analyst commentary:"We believe the company's 'free to play' approach, with no upfront fees but leveraging intelligent analytics to drive subsequent in app purchases, can maximise monetisation scope and hence growth."

Source: Goldman Sachs

3. Cellnex Telecom

Ticker: CLNXF

Sector: Infrastructure 

Digitization themes: Tower companies

Price target:€84.00

Price target upside (%): 77%

Analyst commentary: "5G requirements for tower densification combined with EU financial support could boost towerco value creation opportunities – e.g. for Cellnex and INWIT – with the incremental cost to operators mitigated by EU and local financial support. "

Source: Goldman Sachs

4. Deutsche Post DHL

Ticker: DPSTF

Sector: eCommerce Enablement

Digitization themes: Logistics

Price target:€53.00 

Price target upside (%): 32%

Analyst commentary:"Within the postal sector, we see Deutsche Post DHL (Buy, also on our Conviction List) as well positioned to leverage on the medium-term growth in B2C parcels, both in the traditional domestic parcels business (in Germany, as well as in some European and Asian markets) and in the premium parcels Global Express division, where three players dominate the global market (DHL, Fedex and UPS have a combined c.90% market share), but where Deutsche Post has a c.50% market share in the fast growing cross-border B2C segment."

Source: Goldman Sachs

5. Deutsche Telekom

Ticker: DTEGF

Sector: Infrastructure 

Digitization themes: Telecommunications operators

Price target:€23.00

Price target upside (%): 52%

Analyst commentary:"If EU authorities approve in-market mobile consolidation, this should enable higher returns for European telecoms to allow them to become 'digital champions' with greater scope to invest – e.g. Vodafone and other large cap telcos."

Source: Goldman Sachs

6. Ericsson

Ticker: ERIXF

Sector: Hardware

Digitization themes: Fixed access/wireless access hardware, core network software

Price target: 133.00 Swedish krona

Price target upside (%): 33%

Analyst commentary:"We see European wireless equipment vendors Ericsson and Nokia as potential beneficiaries of [5G/IOT], as well as industrial software vendors such as Hexagon and Dassault."

Source: Goldman Sachs

7. Infrastrutture Wireless SpA

Ticker: IFSUF

Sector: Infrastructure 

Digitization themes: Tower companies

Price target:€13.60

Price target upside (%): 41%

Analyst commentary: "5G requirements for tower densification combined with EU financial support could boost towerco value creation opportunities – e.g. for Cellnex and INWIT – with the incremental cost to operators mitigated by EU and local financial support."

Source: Goldman Sachs

8. Network International

Ticker: NWKLF

Sector: Payments

Digitization themes: Payments

Price target:£460.00

Price target upside (%): 52%

Analyst commentary: N/A

Source: Goldman Sachs

9. Poste Italiane

Ticker: PITAF

Sector: eCommerce enablement 

Digitization themes: Logistics

Price target:€12.60

Price target upside (%): 48%

Analyst commentary:"We are also Buy rated on Poste Italiane, where the overall B2C contribution to the group is still relatively small, but the company is gaining market share (currently c.35%) in what is one of the least penetrated of the larger European e-commerce and thus B2C parcel markets."

Source: Goldman Sachs

10. Software AG

Ticker: SWDAF

Sector: Software 

Digitization themes: Analytics infrastructure/Internet of things infrastructure, middleware/database

Price target:€45.00

Price target upside (%): 36%

Analyst commentary: N/A

Source: Goldman Sachs

11. Teleperformance

Ticker: TLPFY

Sector: Business services/Analytics

Digitization themes: Business services

Price target:€365.00

Price target upside (%): 38%

Analyst commentary:"With its omni-channel, integrated customer care offering, which covers all types of media from chatbots to video calling, we see Teleperformance as a key enabler of growth for e-tailers. This has already driven strong organic growth for the company, with Teleperformance's share of revenues from e-clients growing from 5% in 2013 to 21% in 2019 and 24% in 1H20. We see further significant growth potential for the company from these activities. We forecast a 10% organic revenue CAGR for Teleperformance over 2021-24, which we expect to help drive a further re-rating of the shares."

Source: Goldman Sachs

12. Telia Co

Ticker: TLSNF

Sector: Infrastructure

Digitization themes: Telecommunications operators

Price target: 48.00 Swedish kronas

Price target upside (%): 41%

Analyst commentary: N/A

Source: Goldman Sachs

Read more:

• BANK OF AMERICA: Buy these 8 US stocks poised to soar in the first quarter of 2021— and avoid these 2 at all costs
• Buy these 12 software stocks poised to crush Wall Street expectations in 2021, Evercore ISI says — including 4 2020 laggards that are set to bounce back
• Goldman Sachs says buy these 16 pandemic-hit stocks set to rebound in 2021 — including one set to shoot 159% above profit estimates

If you're in the middle of job searching at the start of the new year, you may want to think about not just what a potential new position entails, but also if the company you're targeting has strong leadership and a welcoming culture.

And if you're like a lot of people, you turn to a site like Glassdoor, which provides a forum for employees to anonymously share information about what it's like to work at different companies across America.

In addition to its anonymous reviews, reported salaries, and interview advice, for the past decade Glassdoor has been publishing an annual list of the best places to work, as decided by the employees who work there.

Since the release of the inaugural 2009 list, over 200 companies from various industries — including consulting, biotech, fast-food, aviation, and more — have made up the annual top 50. These rankings are based on anonymous employee reviews and include eight different metrics, such as work-life balance and compensation. 

To get a clearer picture at which companies consistently ranked at the top of Glassdoor's lists, Insider conducted an analysis of all companies appearing on the list since 2011. Based on our analysis, those that made the top stretch across multiple industries and sizes.

Two companies have consistently been part of the top 50 since the beginning: consulting firm Bain & Company and tech giant Google. Apple has also been on the list every year, although it has fallen below the top 50 in recent years after the list expanded in 2018 to the top 100 companies.

Read more: The ultimate guide to getting a job at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, or Accenture, according to 3 headhunters for these top management consulting firms

Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor, told Insider that Glassdoor research shows there are three main factors that are seen among the highly-rated companies.

One of these is being a mission-driven company "with the culture and values that are larger than the business," Chamberlain said. These values make people feel like they're part of a mission that does social good as well as being a great, profitable business. The other two are the number of career opportunities and the presence of strong leadership.  

"Almost all of the best places to work consistently have senior leaders that people say are transparent, empathetic, and who look out for employees," Chamberlain said. 

Keep scrolling to check out Insider's full list of the best of the best places to work, according to more than a decade of Glassdoor rankings.

SEE ALSO: The top 25 companies where employees feel happy and fulfilled

DON'T MISS: Execs who've worked at Google, Starbucks, and other top employers share their best advice for acing a job interview and landing your dream role

20. Nestlé Purina US

What it does: Produces pet food and treats

How it's performed in the rankings: Consecutive appearances from 2014-2018 but didn't make Glassdoor's top 50 in recent years. Made the top 15 four times, with its highest ranking in 2015 at #3.

Top selling points: Employees on Glassdoor have mixed reviews about the work-life balance. Additionally, employees can bring their pet to work, and the company website mentions its headquarters in St. Louis has a dog park and "pet-friendly offices and common areas."

19. MathWorks

What it does: Computer software company that produces math software MATLAB and Simulink

How it's performed in the rankings: Has been on and off the list since it first placed in 2013 with six mentions overall. Its ranking has varied from #36 in 2013 to #16 in 2020. 

Top selling points: Feedback on Glassdoor frequently mention the work-life balance and work environment as a positive, but the pre-pandemic work from home policy as a con with one mentioning it as "limited."

18. Slalom

What it does: Consulting firm

How it's performed in the rankings: Part of the top 50 seven times since 2011, six of which making up the top 25. It fell to #85 in this year's list from #56 in 2020.

Top selling points: Many Slalom reviews on Glassdoor note the people you get to work with are great and a few noting a collaborative workplace. 

"At Slalom, we help people reach for and realize their visions so that together we can build a world where each person has the opportunity to love their work and their life," Brad Jackson, Slalom CEO and co-founder, said in a news release after the company was recognized on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2020. 

17. Trader Joe's

What it does:Grocery store chain

How it's performed in the rankings: First placed on the list in 2011 at #16 and has since been part of the top 50 on the list seven times. It placed #35 in the 2021 ranking, down from #14 the previous year.  

Top selling points: According to previous reporting by Insider's Áine Cain who interviewed employees and reviewed what they had to say online, some employees enjoy the flexibility at work, friendly co-workers, and good benefits. Glassdoor reviews also mention the benefits and flexible schedules. 

16. Delta Air Lines

What it does: Airline

How it's performed in the rankings: Has appeared about half the time in the past decade and typically places in at least the top 25. After not placing in the list last year, it moved up from #28 in the 2019 list to #7 in the latest 2021 list.

Chamberlain said he thinks Delta's higher ranking this year may be partly due to the company avoiding layoffs and furloughs amid the pandemic as some employees chose to take early retirement.

Top selling points: Employee reviews on Glassdoor mention the travel benefits, like reduced fares, are a great bonus to working there, but note the long hours as a negative. People also note the flexibility as another reason why they like working there.

15. Nvidia

What it does: Computer chip company that produces graphics processing units

How it's performed in the rankings: First placed in 2012 and has been on the list seven times. Usually is further down on the list, making the top 25 two times before the newest ranking. Nvidia made its highest ranking in 2021, coming in right behind Bain & Company, at #2. 

Chamberlain said Nvidia has done a good job in offering flexibility and support amid the pandemic, which may have positively impacted its ranking this year. 

Top selling points: Employees on Glassdoor have mixed reviews about the work-life balance at the company, but many note they enjoy working on "cutting-edge technology" as noted in around 200 reviews. 

14. Power Home Remodeling

What it does: Exterior home remodeling company

How it's performed in the rankings: Consecutive appearances on the list since 2016 with its highest ranking as #10 in 2017. It fell out of the top 50 in the 2021, ranking placing at #55. 

Top selling points: Employees on Glassdoor enjoy the work environment and their teams. Besides good medical coverage and 401(k) plans, employees also like available discounts. Glassdoor added in an email to Insider that people also enjoy the career development opportunities and skills you get to learn while working there. 

13. Lululemon

What it does: Athletic apparel retailer

How it's performed in the rankings: Appearances on the annual list since 2017. Made the top 10 three times, placing at #8 in the 2021 ranking. 

Top selling points:  A previous 2018 Glassdoor blog post noted that the company offers workers "impressive fitness reimbursement program" and discounts as two of its perks.

Chamberlain said employees have told Glassdoor that this retailer has a fun work environment, contributing to its employee satisfaction.

"I think many employees there see it as not just another retailer for athleisure. They see it as a supporting role in a broader health and fitness movement," Chamberlain said. "So I think that people get a lot of value out of being part of being part of that culture." 

12. DocuSign

What it does: Tech company that helps companies with e-signatures and agreements

How it's performed in the rankings: Made its debut to the annual large companies ranking in 2017 where it was ranked #23. Its highest ranking was in 2020 at #3. And according to Glassdoor's analysis, it is also one of a handful of companies that made the list as both a small or medium company and later a large company. It placed on the small and medium company list in 2014.

Top selling points: Dan Springer, CEO of DocuSign, told Glassdoor in a 2019 blog post as to why the company is such a great place to work that the company listened to employees to offer more benefits, such as adding 401(k) match, an educational reimbursement, and 24 hours of paid time off to volunteer at a nonprofit.

11. Salesforce

What it does: Software as a service company

How it's performed in the rankings: Since 2011, the software company has made the list every year, except for 2015, and has made the top 20 several times. It just missed the top 10 in 2019 and was #17 in the latest 2021 ranking.

Top selling points: Many of the employee reviews on Glassdoor note the great company culture at Salesforce.

10. HubSpot

What it does: Sales and marketing software company

How it's performed in the rankings: Has been on the list for five of the last six years. It has made the top four three times, including being the best company in 2020. It also previously placed on the small and medium list in 2014 and 2015, notably one of the few companies to be on the small and medium company list before later being on the large list. 

Top selling points: Great career and skill development, per Glassdoor. Employees note they enjoy the flexibility offered at the company, as one employee told Insider's Shana Lebowitz in 2018, allowing for work-life balance. 

Katie Burke, HubSpot's chief people officer, previously told Insider's Minda Zetlin that "employees are encouraged to build work around their lives, and not the other way around."

Chamberlain said that this flexibility at the company really helped them be successful during the pandemic. He said that employees also enjoyed leadership conducting ask me anything sessions to ease the concerns of employees during this unprecedented time.

9. H-E-B

What it does: Texas-based grocery-store chain

How it's performed in the rankings: First placed on the Glassdoor list in 2014 and has placed on this annual list ever since, with its most recent ranking as #10 in 2021.

Chamberlain notes that H-E-B's response to the pandemic, including its emphasis on safety at work and $2 per hour increase in pay, helped the company move up in the list this year. Its highest ranking was #7 in 2015 and its lowest was #31 in 2019.

Top selling points: Employees on Glassdoor have mixed views about hours, some citing it as flexible, which one reviewer notes is good for working students.

In the years before the pandemic, Chamberlain told Insider that employees have said they enjoy the pay and the great relationships they form with their co-workers. 

"People really feel like they are partners in the business, and that's that special magic that makes people love H-E-B," Chamberlain said. 

8. Southwest Airlines

What it does: Airline

How it's performed in the rankings: Appeared on the list ever since 2010 as the best place to work in 2010 and the second best in 2011. Since then it has ranked #10 in 2019 and 2020 but has also placed further down on the list, including in the latest ranking coming in at #21.

Top selling points: Employees on Glassdoor think the free flights and travel benefits are some of the positives to working there. Some other employees mention the profit sharing as a positive, which according to Dallas Business Journal is the same as more than six weeks worth of pay.

Chamberlain also added that a satisfied employee base makes for a more enjoyable customer experience, as passengers feel the warmth from their flight crews.

7. McKinsey & Company

What it does: Consulting firm

How it's performed in the rankings: Ranking has varied over the decade, including placing in the top 10 four times since 2011. After placing at #19 in 2019 and falling to #24 in 2020, it has since moved up 19 places to #5 in 2021. 

Chamberlain said it makes sense to see consulting firms like McKinsey fall at the top of the annual ranking because this type of company really depends on their workers, so they need to have good employee satisfaction and company culture to attract talent.

Top selling points: Although it can be a challenging company to be hired from the pool of applicants, employee reviews indicate a passion for working at the consulting firm. On Glassdoor, employees note they enjoy the learning and development opportunities you get while working there. 

6. LinkedIn

What it does: Careers social networking site

How it's performed in the rankings: First appeared on the list in 2013 at #14 climbing to 11 spots the following year, and has placed on the list ever since. It has made the top 10 four times. 

Top selling points: Based on employee reviews on Glassdoor, people enjoy the food at the office and the company culture. Some comments, however, noted the work-life balance as a con in their reviews.

5. In-N-Out Burger

What it does: Family-owned fast-food chain

How it's performed in the rankings: Has been highly ranked on the list over the decade. It first joined the top 50 in 2013 and has been on the list since 2015, putting itself among consulting firms and tech companies in the top four since 2018.

Top selling points: Chamberlain said one of the reasons this company is liked among its employees is that it's "value-driven." This includes continuing its mission to be a private company and striving to provide quality food.   

"You can kind of see that in the culture in practice when you visit an In-N-Out. You can see the smiling faces and that people are satisfied with their work," Chamberlain said.

Additionally, employees may enjoy being able to move up in the company. All store managers start out as hourly associates who work their way up, per its website. Anonymous employee comments on Glassdoor also boast the good pay but some note that it can be a stressful, fast-paced job.

4. Boston Consulting Group

What it does: Consulting firm

How it's performed in the rankings: Has appeared on the list nine times since 2011, with its lowest ranking in the 2020 list at #13. It moved up one spot in the latest 2021 ranking, and its highest rankings were in 2017 and 2018 at #3.

Top selling points: Employees on Glassdoor note they enjoy the health insurance plans and available paid time off.  Some employees, however, note the long hours that come with the job.

3. Facebook

What it does: Social networking site

How it's performed in the rankings: Facebook has made the list every year since the 2011 results with its lowest rank in 2020 at #23. It just missed the top 10 in the 2021 ranking coming in at #11. It has been named the best place to work in three different years: 2011, 2013, and 2018.

Chamberlain said despite the often-negative news surrounding Facebook over the years, he hasn't seen that largely affect the company's ranking.

"If anything, people have told us that they feel more energized than ever working there because they want to fix the perceived problems," Chamberlain said. "And they really do believe in the mission of Facebook of connecting the world." 

Top selling points: People at Facebook enjoy some generous perks. This includes a generous vacation policy and four months of paid parental leave. Other perks include wellness and mental health-related benefits like reimbursements of "up to $720 for eligible wellness expenses" and easily accessible health centers at and around the Menlo Park location.

2. Google

What it does: Internet services tech company

How it's performed in the rankings: One of two companies to make the top 50 every year since the start of this ranking and has placed in the top 10 nine times since 2011. Since ranking as #30 in 2011, Google's placement has varied, ranking as the best company in 2015 and falling just out of the top 10 in 2020.

Top selling points: Employee reviews on Glassdoor frequently cite the food, health insurance, and 401(k) match offered as some of the positive perks to working there. People who are philanthropic may be excited that Google also adds donations to an employee's volunteer hours per its website. 

Chamberlain said Google has built a great company culture, which attracts top talent, because it knows it is highly dependent on its employees. He called that "the secret to their success"— that is, "providing autonomy and flexibility to people and letting them work on creative things with big scale."

The campus in Mountain View, California, also offers employees some great outdoor perks, like volleyball, as well as similar great offerings at a proposed new campus.

1. Bain & Company

What it does: Consulting firm

How it's performed in the rankings: One of three companies to be on the list every year, and part of the top four every year. It has been ranked as the best or second best nine times since the 2011 Best Places to Work ranking, including in the 2021 ranking where it was rated #1.

Top selling points: Work at the consulting firm can be grueling, as one former worker previously told Insider's Weng Cheong. But the firm also helps teach the necessary skills needed to succeed as a consultant, such as through training sessions and boot camps.  

Chamberlain said employees tell Glassdoor that they they enjoy working on such "high-profile projects with global leaders" and working alongside talented co-workers. 

"We work hard to create a culture second to none, and our employees continually reaffirm that we're succeeding," Russ Hagey, Bain & Company's Chief Talent Officer said in a press release about the 2020 ranking in 2019. "Bain's culture is a key reason people join the firm and choose to build their careers with us."

Methodology

Because Insider wanted to look at which companies are highly-rated throughout the decade, we chose to look at the companies that have made the list since the 2011 Best Places to Work list.  

To get our overall list of the best of the best companies over the past decade, Insider took a weighted average of each company's ranking across the last decade, where we gave rankings in recent years a larger weight. That is, a company's ranking among the top 50 in 2021 has the largest weight and its ranking in 2011 the smallest weight.

Because Glassdoor expanded its list to 100 companies in its 2018 list, we decided to just look at those that made the top 50 each year, although a company may have been further down on the list in some years. For instance, Trader Joe's made our list as one of the best companies over the past decade when just looking at the top 50 but was ranked just #70 in 2018.

Adtech IPOs are back in fashion again.

The sector has benefited from COVID-accelerated trends, such as the shift to digital content consumption and e-commerce and the wider stock market rally. Adtech stocks have undergone a resurgence, led by The Trade Desk with a market capitalization of more than $36 billion in January.

Viant, an adtech company that offers a demand-side platform and data services to advertisers filed to go public on the Nasdaq on Friday. It intends to list its shares under the stock ticker symbol "DSP." The company reported $165 million in revenue (or $104 million, minus traffic acquisition costs) in 2019 and $9.9 million in net profit, accoding to its S-1 filing.

It will join a flock of newly public adtech companies. Supply-side platform Pubmatic went public in December. MediaAlpha, an adtech company that focuses on the insurance sector, had its IPO in October. Kubient, which offers adtech tools including a fraud prevention service, debuted on the Nasdaq in August. 

Special-purpose acquisition companies are also said to be circling the space, which could ease more mature adtech companies' path to IPO. 

Read more: Wall Street is in love with digital ad stocks again — but investors could be missing a big blind spot

"230 SPACs have raised over $70 billion [in 2020] — let's see where that gets deployed," said David Ethridge, PwC deals managing director and US IPO services leader. "There may be earlier-stage exists by way of a SPAC than previously thought versus traditional IPOs."

Business Insider spoke to 10 adtech experts, including executives, consultants, analysts and bankers, who named seven adtech companies they think are most likely to IPO in the coming months. The list, in alphabetical order, is speculative and not all of these companies are in a process to go public.

DoubleVerify

Total funding: $549.5 million, according to CrunchBase; Providence Equity Partners acquired a majority stake in 2017 at an undisclosed sum.

DoubleVerify is seen by experts as the most likely to go public, with plenty of signs pointing to an imminent IPO.

Founded in 2008, DoubleVerify helps advertisers, publishers and big platforms measure their ads and confirm if their campaigns were served into "brand safe" environments. 

New CEO Mark Zagorski previously led publicly-traded adtech company Telaria, which recently merged with fellow public adtech company Rubicon Project. In October, DoubleVerify raised a $350 million funding round, led by investment firm Tiger Global Management. 

Bloomberg reported in October DoubleVerify was looking to raise at least $500 million in an early 2021 IPO at a $5 billion valuation. A person with direct knowledge of the matter told Business Insider the company had selected JP Morgan to lead the process, which is expected imminently. DoubleVerify and JP Morgan declined to comment.

Experts described DoubleVerify as a solid business with room to grow, given its recent expansion into detecting fraud in connected TV.

"It's a cashflow machine," said Shawn Riegsecker, CEO of adtech company Centro.

Iponweb

Total funding: No external funding to date.

Experts named Iponweb as a prime candidate to go public, even if more out of curiosity than certainty.

"Iponweb is one of the largest and most mature ad tech companies very few have heard of," said Centro's Riegsecker. "A lot of people will be surprised at how big they are."

Founded by "the Godfather of adtech" Boris Mouzykantskii in 2001, Iponweb builds tech infrastructure for adtech companies, advertisers, agencies, publishers and TV broadcasters. The company also owns BidSwitch, a programmatic exchange. 

"Iponweb should go public," said Ciaran O'Kane CEO at WireCorp, which owns the ExchangeWire adtech publication and events company. "Their numbers are just as good as Pubmatic's — it's a great company, great tech, and they could go public on their tech-infrastructure focus."

Michael Rasmussen, Iponweb's VP of global marketing, said the company has no plans to IPO.

"Being independent has always allowed Iponweb to remain nimble, experimental, and fast-moving, which we think will be even more critical as programmatic adoption continues to grow, and advanced media buyers and sellers increasingly look to unlock differentiation and competitive advantage in advertising through technology innovation," Rasmussen said.

IronSource

Total funding: $555 million, according to Crunchbase

Israel-based IronSource operates in the highly competitive and lucrative mobile gaming space, offering developers adtech to help them monetize their games and find new users.

Israel-based financial newspaper Calcalist reported in November that IronSource was preparing for "the biggest IPO in Israeli history" on the Nasdaq in early 2021 and targeting a valuation between $7 billion and $8 billion.

IronSource's annual profit is reportedly around $170 million, according to Calcalist. Its last investment round — when private equity firm CVC Capital Partners injected $450 million for a 25.7% stake in the firm — valued the company at $1.75 billion.

Octavius Mihaies, partner at investment firm Access Capital Partners, gave three key reasons IronSource is a strong IPO candidate: "The fact that it's a [tech company] with a clearly competitive in-app solution; it's focused on the holy grail that is monetization; and it's about gaming ... an area [that is] pretty hot with respect to capital markets."

An IronSource spokesperson said the company doesn't comment on rumors.

MediaMath

Total funding:$500 million in debt and equity financing

New York-based MediaMath offers a demand-side platform and data-management platform for advertisers and agencies to buy and manage digital ad campaigns. In 2019 it launched a framework to give advertisers and publishers more visibility into their digital advertising supply chains.

MediaMath hired investment bank Centerview Partners in early 2020 to explore its strategic options, which could include additional financing, a debt restructure or a potential sale, Digiday reported. When MediaMath last raised money in 2018, it was valued at north of $1 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported.

MediaMath has raised a lot of money at a healthy valuation, said Bill Wise, CEO of advertising industry software company Mediaocean. "It's been around for a decade, has good people, is a good asset and is a great candidate to go through a SPAC," he said.

Other experts said MediaMath could go down the SPAC route and combine with other companies — possibly in the digital identity space — to grow and help differentiate it from rival DSP The Trade Desk.

A MediaMath spokesperson said adtech's momentum with investors "validates the strong secular growth trends across a large addressable digital advertising market."

"MediaMath is one of only a handful of adtech platforms with global scale, with the identity and technology partnerships needed to help brands and agencies navigate this dynamic environment," the spokesperson said. "We are always exploring multiple avenues to develop and bring differentiated capabilities to market and evaluate options how we seize that opportunity."

Mediaocean

Acquired in 2015 by private equity group Vista Equity Partners at a valuation of $720 million

Mediaocean, a software company that processes billions of dollars in analog and digital ad spending, was formed in 2011 from the merger of rival tech companies MediaBank and Donovan Data Systems, a deal then valued at $1.5 billion.

Mediaocean then sold a majority stake to private-equity firm Vista Equity Partners in 2015, which valued the company at $720 million.

Vista has been shopping Mediaocean in 2020 and people with direct knowledge of the matter said Mediaocean recently turned down an offer of $1.7 billion. 

The company is profitable, generating $135 million in annual EBITDA at an organic growth rate of around 5-6%, PE Hub reported in October.

A person close to the company said the public markets would look favorably on Mediaocean's profitability — especially when compared to smaller public adtech companies — but less so its single-digit growth rate.

In 2020, Mediaocean acquired marketing tech firm 4C Insights to broaden its capabilities in areas like fast-growing streaming TV. 

Mediaocean declined to comment on the possibility of an IPO.

Taboola

Total funding: $160 million

Best known for placing the "content you may like" widgets at the bottom of news articles and home pages, Israel-founded Taboola is the largest player in the content-recommendation space. 

In 2019, the company had announced plans to merge with rival content-recommendation firm Outbrain to generate more than $2 billion in gross annual revenue. The plan fell apart in 2020.

At the time, Taboola CEO Adam Singolda told staff in a memo that the company would look toward "our path to IPO with our capital and shares,"Digiday reported.

In December, Israeli titles Calcalist, Haaretz and its business publication TheMarker reported that Taboola was in talks with ION Acquisition Corp, a SPAC that raised $259 million in its 2020 IPO on the New York Stock Exchange and is seeking a Israel-based tech unicorn for a merger. 

Taboola declined to comment.

White Ops

Total Funding: Acquired by Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking Division, ClearSky Security and NightDragon in December 2020 for an undisclosed sum. Prior to Goldman's initial investment in May, White Ops had raised $33 million.

Founded in 2012, White Ops helps companies avoid digital ad fraud, where scammers use methods like bots to create fake human web traffic. The company has expanded to other areas such as application security and music streaming.

White Ops was acquired in December by Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking Division, with additional investment from ClearSky Security and NightDragon. Industry observers say the investment and hiring of five new leaders suggest that White Ops could be preparing to IPO.

White Ops CEO and co-founder Tamer Hassan told Business Insider the option to go public is "certainly on the table" and that its investors enhance its ability to do so.

Experts predicted White Ops will be looking to make acquisitions and roll-up the anti-fraud and verification space, a strategy that would be boosted by an IPO. 

Some hourly workers will see larger paychecks in 2021. Twenty states already increased their minimum wages at the start of the year, and several more will see boosts in the coming months. 

Workers in New Mexico will get the largest bump. They'll receive an additional $1.50 an hour, with the state's hourly wage now cracking four digits. 

Overall, the movement to increase the minimum wage saw major gains in 2020, and the federal minimum wage could see a major boost in 2021: President-elect Joe Biden's new stimulus plan would boost the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

"Nobody working 40 hours a week should be living below the poverty line,"Biden said in a speech Thursday.

As Insider's Joseph Zeballos-Roig noted in an analysis, raising the minimum wage has not consistently negatively impacted employment — and could put more money in the pockets of 27 million workers.

A 2019 Pew Research Center poll found that 67% of Americans support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour; Insider polling from 2019 also found that 63% of respondents supported the increase. 

A record-breaking number of jurisdictions will increase their minimum wages in 2021, according to a report from the National Unemployment Law Project. Here's where workers are already getting paid more — and where they will soon.

SEE ALSO: Florida residents voted for a $15 minimum wage. Here's how much $15 is really worth in the Sunshine State and other states and cities that have increased their minimum wage.

In Alaska, the minimum wage rose by $0.15 to $10.34 effective January 1.

The increase is part of an annual adjustment for inflation, according to the state's Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Arizona's minimum wage also increased annually for inflation, going from $12 to $12.15.

Per the Economic Policy Institute, the city of Flagstaff actually has its own, higher minimum wage. In 2021, the minimum wage in Flagstaff will be $15.

In Arkansas, the minimum wage increased from $10 to $11 effective January 1.

The raise comes from a 2018 ballot measure.

In California, the minimum wage increased from $13 to $14 effective January 1.

From 2017 on, the minimum wage has increased yearly.

In Colorado, the minimum wage increased from $12 to $12.32.

After the minimum wage reached $12 in January 2020, the state now adjusts annually for cost of living.

Connecticut is set to increase the minimum wage from $12 to $13 on August 1.

The wage will gradually increase until it's $15 in 2023.

On January 1, the minimum wage in Florida increased from $8.56 to $8.65. It will increase to $10 effective September 30.

Florida is incrementally raising its minimum wage to $15 by 2026, making it the most conservative state to do so, as Insider previously reported.

In Illinois, the minimum wage increased from $10 to $11.

Illinois also has two areas with different minimum wages, according to the Economic Policy Institute: Chicago and its surrounding Cook County. In Chicago, the minimum wage will increase from $14 to $15 on July 1. In Cook County, the minimum wage of $13 will see an annual increase on July 1 tied to the consumer price index.

In Maine, the minimum wage increased from $12 to $12.15.

It's the first annual increase for cost of living.

In Maryland, the minimum wage increased from $11 to $11.75 effective January 1.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, Maryland also has two areas with different minimum wages: Montgomery County and Prince George's County.

On July 1, the minimum wage in Montgomery County will increase from $14 to $15. Prince George's County had its own minimum wage of $11.50 until January 1, when it changed to Maryland's state rate.

In Massachusetts, the minimum wage increased from $12.75 to $13.50 effective January 1.

The minimum wage will increase by an additional $.75 in 2022 and in 2023.

In Minnesota, the minimum wage rose from $10 to $10.08 effective January 1.

The rate was adjusted for inflation.

In Missouri, the minimum wage increased from $9.45 to $10.30 effective January 1.

The minimum wage will increase by $0.85 again in 2022 and 2023.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, both Kansas City and St. Louis passed their own minimum wage ordinances in 2015, although their rates are the same as the state's.

In Montana, the minimum wage increased from $8.65 to $8.75.

Gov. Steve Bullock said the wage is tied to inflation.

In Nevada, the minimum wage is set to increase from $9 to $9.75.

The wage will gradually increase to $12 in 2024.

In New Jersey, the minimum wage increased from $11 to $12.

The state's minimum wage will increase by $1 each year until hitting $15 in 2024.

In New Mexico, the minimum wage increased from $9 to $10.50.

The state minimum wage will gradually increase through 2023, when it will become $12.

In New York, the minimum wage increased from $11.80 to $12.50, effective December 31, 2020.

In New York City, the minimum wage is $15, and in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester Counties the minimum wage increased from $13 to $14 on December 31, 2020, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

In Ohio, the minimum wage increased from $8.70 to $8.80.

The state had an annual increase on January 1.

In Oregon, the minimum wage is set to increase from $12 to $12.75 on July 1.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, both the Portland Urban Growth Boundary and non-urban counties have different minimum wages. (Under state law, each metropolitan area has such a land use planning line around its perimeter, to control urban expansion.)

In the Portland Urban Growth Boundary, the minimum wage will increase from $13.25 to $14.50 on July 1. And in non-urban counties, the minimum wage will increase from $11.50 to $12 on July 1.

In South Dakota, the minimum wage increased from $9.30 to $9.45.

The state had an annual increase on January 1.

In Vermont, the minimum wage increased from $10.96 to $11.75.

The wage rose as part of annual indexing.

In Virginia, the minimum wage is set to increase from $7.25 to $9.50 on May 1.

The wage will gradually increase until it is $15 in 2026.

In Washington, the minimum wage increased from $13.50 to $13.69.

The state adjusts the wage each year with a cost-of-living increase.

Usually, when someone or something retires, it's because they've grown a little older — and maybe a little slower — over time. Maybe their skills aren't as useful as they once were, so they opt to spend their sunset years peacefully watching others take over their old duties.

But not the SR-71 Blackbird. It went out with a sonic boom.

The SR-71 was in the prime of its amazing life. This was a titanium bird designed to outrun and spy on the Russians, a bird that was fooling Russians even before it was assembled.

When the Blackbird was retired in 1990, not everyone was thrilled with the idea. Much of the debate around the SR-71's mission and usefulness was because of political infighting, not because of any actual military need the plane couldn't fill.

Still, the program was derided by Congressional military and budget hawks as being too costly for its designated mission. Some speculate the old guard of Air Force Cold Warriors had long since retired and newer generals couldn't explain the plane's mission in the post-Soviet order.

Whatever the reason for its retirement, the Air Force's most glorious bird was headed for the sunset — but not before making history and setting a few more records.

When it was operationally retired in 1990, a Blackbird piloted by Lt. Col. Raymond E. Yeilding and Lt. Col. Joseph T. Vida was tasked to fly one last time from Palmdale, California, to its new home at the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

Apparently, they had somewhere to be in the DC area that day, too. During that Blackbird's final flight on March 7, 1990, the plane and its pilots set four new speed records:

SEE ALSO: 7 wild photos of the SR-71 Blackbird's afterburners in action

1. West Coast of the United States to the US East Coast — 2,404 miles in 68:17.

2. Los Angeles, California, to Washington, DC — 2,299 miles in 64:20.

3. Kansas City, Missouri, to Washington, DC — 942 miles in 25:59.

4. St. Louis, Missouri, to Cincinnati, Ohio — 311 miles in 8:32.

The SR-71 refueled in mid-air over the Pacific Ocean before beginning its transcontinental journey. It arrived at Dulles International Airport to a throng of onlookers and well-wishers who knew a good thing when they saw one.

Addressing the full Senate after the historic, record-setting 1990 flight, Sen. John Glenn told the assembly that the flight would be remembered as "a sad memorial to our short-sighted policy in strategic aerial reconnaissance."

As Wall Street navigates a health pandemic that's changed the way we work and dramatically changed the economic landscape, we take a look at the players rising up despite the challenges and grasping opportunities as they see them.

From launching game-changing groups within global financial institutions, to having a hand in restructuring entertainment giants like AMC, these 25 stood out as the leaders for tomorrow.

In addition to being at the top of their class, these finalists are also trailblazing in new areas like data science and machine learning, executing on sustainability goals, and paving the way for a more diverse and equitable workforce by speaking out and taking part in recruiting efforts.

Selecting the final list wasn't easy. We received hundreds of nominations from bosses, colleagues, recruiters, and others working in the finance industry. We asked that nominees be 35 or under, based in the US, and stand out from their peers. Editors made the final decisions.

We've included people with a variety of roles and experiences from companies including Bridgewater Associates, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, and the Carlyle Group.

Here's our full list of the next crop of Wall Street leaders.

We also asked our rising stars of Wall Street to give us their best advice for people just starting out as well as for their best book recommendations.

Read some of the lessons and insights they've learned along the way

Here are the 32 books our 2020 rising stars of Wall Street think everyone should read

SEE ALSO: Meet 2020's Rising Stars of Wall Street from firms like Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, and Bridgewater shaking up investing, trading, and dealmaking

SEE ALSO: Meet 2019's Rising Stars of Wall Street from firms like Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, and Apollo shaking up investing, trading, and dealmaking

SEE ALSO: We built the first-ever searchable database of the top Wall Street recruiters for banking, hedge funds, and private equity

Alex Tingle, 27, UBS

Alex Tingle wears several hats at UBS, where he is a New York-based director in the firm's investment bank focused on the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors.

Outside of working with clients day to day and executing deals, he's also long been interested in the strategy side of what it takes to keep an investment bank humming.

Last year he helped launch the bank's private financing markets group, a unit geared toward connecting wealthy clients with private capital markets investments, a fast-growing space that firms are increasingly embracing. That group was expanded across the firm this year.

He is involved with recruitment and workforce diversity efforts at the bank, sitting on the investment bank's Diversity & Inclusion Council and the Pride Leadership Council for UBS Americas.

"I'm really proud of the brand that we have built for students in the LGBTQ community, because I think for a lot of gay kids Wall Street still looks like somewhere that's unapproachable, that it's very macho, very traditional," Tingle said, adding he believes the wider industry has made progress in distancing itself from that image over the years.

A native of Ontario, Canada, Tingle has been with UBS for his whole career on Wall Street, since he graduated from Boston College six years ago. He now coheads campus recruitment, a passion, for his alma mater, which is UBS' largest target school for junior investment banking hires. He also heads up the firm's LGBTQ+ recruiting efforts in the Americas.

He was previously a summer analyst as a college sophomore and junior with the Swiss firm before joining full time in 2014.

Click here to read the full list.

Alice Leng, 31, Bank of America

Alice Leng is part of a cutting-edge team at Bank of America, the data and innovation group within the firm's global markets division. A machine-learning expert who has master's degrees in financial engineering and economics, Leng leads an initiative in the group that amasses giant troves of information on trading flows and positions across asset classes on a single platform, mining some 2 billion daily transactions for market signals and insights.

Leng has had an unorthodox, circuitous path to a leading role in the hottest corner of Wall Street. Born in China, Leng left home for boarding school at age 8, and then moved across the world at age 18 to study applied mathematics at the University of Toronto, earning a bachelor's and master's degrees in 3 1/2 years.

In 2011, at 21, she moved to Chicago and started studying economics with University of Chicago Nobel Prize winner Gary Becker, whom she credits for instilling in her the importance of melding human intuition with deep analysis. She left with her master's in economics and briefly moved to London to work with BlackRock before starting another master's degree — this one in financial engineering — at the University of California at Berkeley, which she completed in 2015.

Leng then spent 2 1/2 years at Moody's Analytics in San Francisco doing quantitative fixed-income research before jumping to BofA in 2017. Initially, she worked in research, helping construct complex derivatives trades and authoring an influential report in 2018 on the applications of machine learning to FICC trading, the first of the big banks to publish such research. She started working with the data and innovation group later in 2018.

Leng earned an executive master's in business from HEC Paris this year.

Want to meet the rest of Wall Street's rising stars? Click here to read the full list.

Arguably no residence in the United States is as famous as the White House.

Home to every president since John Adams in 1800, the White House has undergone many renovations throughout history that reflect the current owners' tastes. Multiple presidents have spoken about how they made the White House their home, whether that be by bringing four-legged friends into the residence or by having regular family dinners.

Here's what presidents and first family members have said about what it's like to live in the White House.

SEE ALSO: Inside the homes where 12 US presidents lived after leaving the White House

The 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, enjoyed spending time in the White House with man's best friend.

"Any man who does not like dogs and want them about does not deserve to be in the White House," Coolidge once said.

President Harry S. Truman referred to the White House as a "glamorous prison."

While security in the White House is undeniably top-notch, and presidents never leave without a full security detail, that didn't mean Truman wouldn't put his own touches on his own personal "prison."

In March 1948, Truman replaced the original awnings overlooking the south lawn with a balcony.

"I'd like to take better advantage of the view. I'm going to put a balcony there," the president reportedly said of the renovation.

President Gerald R. Ford called the White House "the best public housing I've ever seen."

That probably shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the White House contains six levels, 32 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, and 28 fireplaces.

Read more: A look inside the White House, which has 132 rooms, a restaurant, and the offices of some of the most powerful people in the world

John F. Kennedy's family later reflected on how much he enjoyed the gardens surrounding the White House.

"Jack took both pride and interest in the rose garden. He wanted to know the varieties. He had ideas about the juxtaposition of colors, and if there were yellow leaves or other signs of distress he wanted to know what ought to be done and who would take care of it," Rose Kennedy wrote in "Times to Remember."

"I must say I was a bit surprised, for I had never heard nor seen him demonstrate any interest in horticulture at home."

Nancy Reagan said living in the White House was like living in a fancy hotel.

"Every evening, while I took a bath, one of the maids would come by and remove my clothes for laundering or dry cleaning. The bed would always be turned down. Five minutes after Ronnie came home and hung up his suit, it would disappear from the closet to be pressed, cleaned, or brushed," the former first lady wrote in her memoir "My Turn."

"No wonder Ron used to call the White House an eight-star hotel," she continued.

As a wartime president, President George W. Bush delegated much of the major White House interior design decisions to his wife Laura.

"George said he knew this was going to be a job of decisions, but he didn't realize he was going to have to make a decision on what kind of rug to have in the Oval Office,"Laura Bush told Architectural Digest. "So he did what he thinks is the smart thing for a leader to do — he delegated it to me."

"George and I read in bed," Bush said of the bedroom's design, "and so we're very aware of having good lamps. And I also have a mother-in-law who stays now in these guest bedrooms and will be perfectly frank about what she would like in the rooms and what she wouldn't."

Read more: How the White House's decor has changed over the years

President Obama made time for family dinners while his family lived in the White House.

"When we're in town here in Washington, in the evenings, 6:30 we want to be at the dinner table with our kids and I want to be helping with the homework," he said, according to the Obama Foundation.

However, President Obama also described the lacking Wi-Fi in the giant house and the many "dead spots" that "frustrated" his two daughters.

President Trump described the lavish renovations he made to the dining room of the White House.

"We found gold behind the walls, which I always knew. Renovations are grand," he told Time.

Trump also added a crystal chandelier to the room, joking, "I made a contribution to the White House."

• Sony's PlayStation 5 launched with two models— the $500 standard PS5 and a $400 digital edition with no disc drive.
• The console has been consistently sold out since release, but major retailers have been restocking every few weeks.
• We'll continue to update this post with purchase options if a restock is announced and if we learn any new details about the PS5's long term availability.
• For detailed impressions on the PlayStation 5, you can read our full PS5 review here.

Sony's PlayStation 5 is now available with a standard edition priced at $500, and a digital edition with no disc drive priced at $400. While millions of gamers were lucky enough to land online preorders and in-store sales when the console launched back in November 2020, high demand has kept the PS5 consistently out of stock.

GameStop is one of the few retailers that has made PlayStation 5 consoles available in-store due to the ongoing pandemic. Other retailers have been making PlayStation 5 consoles available online as stock becomes available, though the dates and times are rarely announced very far in advance.

Sony sent us a PlayStation 5 to review ahead of release, along with some of the top PS5 launch games, like "Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales." With new features including a customized solid state drive, support for 120 frames per second gameplay, and real-time ray tracing graphics, the PlayStation 5 is currently our top recommended video game console overall.

Sony's next-gen PlayStation is competing with two new Xbox models from Microsoft, the $300 Xbox Series S and $500 Xbox Series X. The PS5 has been more popular among gamers so far, but the Xbox consoles are sold out in stores as well.

PlayStation 5 units continue to pop up at Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and other major retailers when available. We'll continue to update this post as stock refreshes at other stores.

Updated on 1/15/2021 by Kevin Webb: Updated piece to reflect early Q1 PS5 availability.

PlayStation 5 price and retailers

The PlayStation 5 comes in two different models — one that has a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray drive and a "digital edition" with no disc drive at all. The standard model is priced at $500, and the digital edition is priced at $400. While the digital edition is $100 cheaper, you might need to use your PlayStation 4 discs to claim the PlayStation 5 versions of those games later on.

Several stores, including Best Buy, GameStop, Target, and Newegg have regularly restocked PlayStation 5 consoles since launch but they typically sell out as soon as they're available online. Some GameStop stores have had consoles for sale in-store, but availability depends on when they're shipped.

You can check the links below to see if the PS5 is currently available at each retailer; we'll update this post if a specific store announces a restock.

PlayStation 5 (Standard Edition) 

PlayStation 5 (Digital Edition)

PlayStation 5 specifications

The PlayStation 5 boasts much more powerful hardware than the PlayStation 4 and PS4 Pro. Upgrades include a solid state hard drive and a graphics card capable of ray-tracing technology.

"Fortnite" creator Epic Games used the PlayStation 5 for an impressive technical demonstration of its upcoming Unreal Engine 5 software, giving gamers an early look at the new console's potential. For detailed impressions, check out our full PlayStation 5 review here.