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☆ I was a senior producer on 'The Wendy Williams Show.' Seeing how she was painfully portrayed in her documentary crushed me.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Yazmin Ramos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I met Wendy Williams for the first time in September 2009 on set at her old studio on West 53rd Street. I love Wendy and loved my experience working on her eponymous talk show, so watching Lifetime's recent documentary, "Where Is Wendy Williams?" Wendy Williams with former senior producer Yazmin Ramos. AdvertisementThe Wendy Williams I worked with was supportive, sharp, and prioritized funFormer senior producer Yazmin Ramos on set of "The Wendy Williams Show." Former senior producer Yazmin Ramos on set of "The Wendy Williams Show."

Persons: Wendy Williams, —, Wendy, Yazmin Ramos, Wendy Watchers, Wendy What's, Yazmin Ramos Wendy, It's Organizations: Service, West, Trap Music Locations: Chelsea, New York City, The Bronx, Honduras, Atlanta

☆ I worked as a Starbucks barista for over a year. Here are 9 signs you're about to get a bad drink.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dylan Clair | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

As someone who worked as a Starbucks barista for over a year, here are some of the biggest red flags to look out for. It's not always wise to mobile-order a drink with cold foam or shaken espressoCold foam won't last that long on top of a drink. Mary Meisenzahl/InsiderCold-foam cold brews have boomed in popularity over the past few years — pumpkin cold foam, Irish-cream cold foam, almond milk-honey cold foam, the list goes on. A little mixing can taste nice, but you lose the texture of the cold foam, which is a delight in itself. The same principle applies to any shaken espresso drink.

Persons: Baristas, —, aren't, Mary Meisenzahl, barista, I'm, It's, Ramin Talaie, Getty, it's, that's, Sarah Jackson, I've Organizations: Starbucks, Service

☆ A House Democrat admits Biden's aging is noticeable, but says the president is 'firing on all cylinders'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In a speech largely complimentary of President Joe Biden, Democratic Rep. David Trone said the 81-year-old president's age has begun to affect him. As first reported by Politico on Monday, a video shows Trone telling the crowd at a Maryland Democratic club's meet-and-greet on February 21 that the president is "working and firing on all cylinders." "I often say I wish I was 10 years younger," Trone said in a statement.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, David Trone, Trone, Democratic Sen, Ben Cardin, Larry Hogan Organizations: Service, Democratic, Politico, Maryland Democratic club's, Business, Congressional District, GOP Gov Locations: Maryland, Maryland's

☆ Olive oil prices are skyrocketing. Here's how my startup is managing to keep costs low.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andrew Benin, the cofounder of olive oil startup Graza. Putting out a high-quality olive oil is difficult for a young brand, but it's even harder now as prices hit record highs. Before I launched Graza in early 2022, we purchased nearly 50,000 liters of olive oil from Italy for about $3.10 a kilo. If you know a bit about olive oil production, you'll know that extra virgin olive oil is extremely inefficient to produce — that's one of the reasons it's more expensive. Law enforcement agencies have seized tens of thousands of gallons of olive oil and arrested suspects worldwide for fraud in the past several months.

Persons: Andrew Benin, we've Organizations: Business, Walmart, Target Locations: Italy, Spain, Greece, Graza, We're

☆ China, Xi Jinping Plan to Crush Elon Musk, Tesla, and the US EV Industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

If China EV Inc. were allowed to enter the US today or next year, the legacies would be gutted." The year Musk tittered at the idea of Chinese EVs overtaking Tesla, the country produced only 5,000 electric cars. It has more trade barrier protection from a China Auto Inc. onslaught, but it may not work forever. AdvertisementWe want to maintain an auto industry in the US — that's essential for jobs, national security, and for other sectors of the economy. Sure, Chinese EV makers are lean and mean, but they've never had to deal with international markets before.

Persons: Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Le, haven't, carmakers, Jim Farley, Tesla, Xi, Andy Wong, Xi Jinping, Li Auto, BYD, Trump, Mary Lovely, Joe Biden's, Biden, it's, Lovely, they've Organizations: Tesla, Bloomberg TV, America's, GM, Ford, Sino, EV, China EV Inc, ascendance, Chery, US, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Companies, SAIC, Energy Department, China Auto Inc, Peterson Institute, United Auto Workers, White, Auto Locations: Chinese, China, Beijing, Japan, Europe, North America, Brussels, Washington, Hungary, Mexico, Canada, America

☆ 23-year-old's dorm room side hustle brings in $124,000 a year: 'You can start with as little as $5'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

After making $200 off her own used clothes, she turned to some of her favorite places to shop: thrift stores. Much of her business' growth came from her dorm room at Duke University, where she graduated last year with a degree in psychology. I had maybe 200 or so items in my dorm room my sophomore year, and now I have 1,300 items [in a storage unit]." How much cash do you need to start a thrifting side hustle? [In terms of the thrifting], you can start with as little as $5.

Persons: they've, Sophie Riegel didn't, I've, Riegel, she's, She's, —, you've, You've Organizations: CNBC, eBay, Duke University, YouTube Locations: AskMakeIt@cnbc.com

☆ Traveling teachers work with families who travel the world — here's what it pays
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Marylou Costa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

She embarked on her first traveling teaching role seven years ago. Lucy Spencer, near the Italian island of Capri. Lucy Spencer Education Boutique"It's not about me imparting knowledge," she told CNBC Travel. Spencer said she wants to make traveling teachers available to more families, by creating cheaper options, such as pairing families with trained students taking a gap year. Source: Lucy Spencer

Persons: Lucy Alexandra Spencer, —, Spencer, she's, Lucy Spencer, hadn't, you've, that's, I'm Organizations: CNBC Travel Locations: Oman, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Europe, United States, Capri, French, Saint, United Kingdom, Dubai, Thailand, Austria

☆ 'Ring the register call' — That's how Jim Cramer describes a Caterpillar downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer said Tuesaday he sees a Wall Street analyst downgrade of heavy equipment maker Caterpillar as a "ring the register call." CAT 1Y mountain CAT stock performance. Caterpillar, whose shares were up roughly 26% over a three-month period, reported "an amazing quarter," Cramer said. "When you downgrade Caterpillar, you're downgrading the king." But Cramer booked profits and exited the stock in January due to profitability concerns down the road.

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Tuesaday, Evercore, Ingersoll Rand, TimkenSteel, Cramer Organizations: Caterpillar, Evercore ISI, Trust, CNBC

☆ You can put a price tag on the value of a personal finance education: $100,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Taking a financial education class in high school does pay off. In fact, there is a lifetime benefit of roughly $100,000 per student from completing a one-semester course in personal finance, according to a recent report by consulting firm Tyton Partners and Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit focused on providing financial education to middle and high school students. Much of that financial value comes from learning how to avoid high-interest credit card debt and leveraging better credit scores to secure preferential borrowing rates for key expenses, such as insurance, auto loans and home mortgages, according to Tim Ranzetta, co-founder and CEO of Next Gen. "Students bring these lessons home," Ranzetta said. "When you take that $100,000 in savings and multiply it across families and communities, it's an incredible economic engine."

Persons: Tim Ranzetta, Ranzetta, isn't, Kerri Herrild Organizations: Tyton Partners, Finance, Biden, De Pere High School Locations: Wisconsin

☆ Millennial millionaires are maxing out an investment account that offers a triple tax benefit. Here's how it works and who's allowed to open one.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

BI verified the Schlagbaums' net worth by looking at account screenshots and a copy of their personal balance sheet. The Schlagbaums max out their HSA but don't touch the money so it can grow and compound over time. After 65, you can use your HSA money to cover any expense without incurring a penalty, but the funds are subject to income tax. While they technically can use their HSA funds for medical costs, they opt not to touch that money so it can grow. Like the Schlagbaums, the Keyses could use their HSA funds for their medical costs, but they prefer to pay out of pocket with their cash flow so their HSA funds can remain untouched.

Persons: —, Brennan Schlagbaum, Erin, Brennan, Erin Schlagbaum, HSAs, It's, Schlagbaum, Lauren, Steven Keys, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Medicare

☆ Russia's military alliances are giving it a major edge — just as Ukraine's are faltering
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A closer relationship with ChinaChina and Russia have deepened their military ties in recent years with the help of arms sales and joint military exercises. It has hosted Russian military drills, soldiers, and equipment, and enabled the transportation of Russian weapons close to Ukraine's borders. The situation is looking bleak for UkraineThe support from Russia's allies matters, especially when paired with the country's soaring defense budget. Its military appears to have a major edge over Ukraine as the country's financial and military support from its allies is faltering. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Senate passed a $95 billion emergency defense-aid bill that could support Ukraine, Israel, and Tawain — but the bill is expected to face stiff opposition by Republicans, BI previously reported.

Persons: —, That's, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Nils Andreas Stensones, Stensones, Trump, Putin, YURI KADOBNOV, Patrick Bury Organizations: Ukraine, Service, Norway's Intelligence Service, Sputnik, Moscow Times, UN, North, European Council, Foreign Relations, UK's Ministry of Defence, Reuters, University of Bath, Putin, Trump, Republicans Locations: Russia, Ukraine, China, Belarus, Iran, North Korea, Europe, Ukrainian, China China, Japan, Russian, Ukraine's, Helsinki, Israel

The best air fryers and best air fryer toaster ovens cook food quickly, make great gifts, are easy and safe to use, and so much more. Our top picks for air fryers Insider Reviews has tested over 40 air fryers to find the best ones on the market. Jen Gushue/Business Insider Best overall: Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven - See at AmazonInstant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven - See at Amazon Best value: Beautiful Touchscreen Air Fryer - See at WalmartBeautiful Touchscreen Air Fryer - See at Walmart Best toaster oven: Oster Digital Air Fryer Oven with RapidCrisp - See at AmazonHow does an air fryer work? In practice, what this means is achieving the Maillard reaction from hot air rather than hot oil. Plus, food also cooks faster in the air fryer thanks to the compact size and hot air circulation.

Persons: You've, fryer, Jen Gushue, Maillard, Dan Zuccarello, James Brains, Hardy veggies, Jason Lloyd, Laura Miner, Cook, Sandy Younan Brikho, they're Organizations: Business, Walmart, Oster Digital, Fryer, MDA Locations: Cavan, Brussels

☆ Transferring from community college to a four-year school isn't often successful — it's 'terribly unfortunate,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Going to community college and then transferring to a four-year school is often considered one of the best ways to get a degree for significantly less money. More students are choosing community college at the outset. Enrollment last fall at community colleges rose 2.6%, far more than any other institution type, according to the National Student Clearinghouse's latest research. However, nationwide, only about one third of students who start at community colleges ultimately transfer to four-year schools, and fewer than half of those transfer students earn a bachelor's degree within six years. That means just 16% of all community college students attain a bachelor's degree, according to recent reports by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Persons: Josh Wyner, Tatiana Velasco, Rodriguez Organizations: National, Community College Research Center, Columbia University, Aspen Institute College Excellence, Student Clearinghouse Research, Finance, Biden, Aspen Institute College

☆ This matchmaker's fee can top $500,000. Here's her best advice to find love
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

People typically pay between $75,000 and $500,000 for Adler's services (and in some cases, even more), according to business records reviewed by CNBC. Her team of matchmakers conducts in-person interviews with clients, which delve into their childhoods, desires, aversions and romantic histories. Adler shared her best dating advice. As part of this reflection, it can be useful to think about why previous relationships didn't work out, Adler said. Don't settleAdler's matchmakers dedicate a lot of time helping clients to identify their deal breakers and their must-have qualities in a partner.

Persons: Colin Anderson, Barbie Adler, Adler, It's, matchmakers, they've, that's Organizations: Colin Anderson Productions, Digitalvision, Getty, CNBC, Finance

☆ The Vision Pro's scary side effect
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The reviews are in, and the tech press is lauding the Apple Vision Pro headset for delivering on the company's promises. Apple and Meta are hoping that this virtual world will be so compelling that you won't just visit. Apple Vision Pro AppleThese are all, as the IT people say, known issues. When people adapt to a perceptual change for long enough, the real world starts to look wrong in the opposite direction. In the meantime, while he's doing his work, maybe don't forget to take that Vision Pro off once in a while.

Persons: It's, They're, you'll, Jeremy Bailenson, You've, That's, they're, techies, Bailenson's, passthrough, Bailenson, doesn't, I've, William Gibson, We've, he's, Adam Rogers Organizations: Apple, Meta, Stanford, Honda, Business

☆ This legendary investor likes taking contrarian views — but only if they meet 3 criteria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewFrom Michael Burry's "Big Short" against the housing market to Warren Buffett's warnings during the dot-com bubble, some of the biggest names in finance have taken contrarian stances that paid off. Legendary forecaster Gary Shilling is also defying market consensus by warning the S&P 500 could crash 30%, and predicting a recession will strike this year. He told Business Insider in an interview he actively seeks to disagree with Wall Street for several reasons. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Michael Burry's, Warren Buffett's, Gary Shilling, Shilling, Merrill Lynch's, John Paulson, doesn't, Copernicus, David Rosenberg, it's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Newton

☆ Why influencer-marketing firm Izea is betting big on AI campaigns with a new image-generation tool
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewIf you can't beat them, join them — that's the mantra that influencer-marketing firm Izea has adopted when it comes to AI. AdvertisementAs a first step in bringing its own AI framework to reality, Izea recently launched AI "Mixers" as part of its AI offering (which it calls "FormAI"). The concept behind "Mixers" is to offer creators and brands the ability to train their own AI models. Influencers will create digital representations of themselves, while marketers can train AI models of their products. Around the same time, another survey found that over half of creators had been asked to use AI by brands.

Persons: —, Izea, Ted Murphy, Murphy, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Dollar

☆ The real 'Mob Wives' aren't offended that you want to dress like them
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But has anyone bothered to ask what real mob wives think? If you want to talk about the mob wife aesthetic, who better to do it than a Sicilian mob princess?" 'The perfect mob wife looks like she's going to a funeral'Renee Graziano has always loved the mob wife aesthetic. AdvertisementThe mob wives aren't offended that you want to dress like themThe "Mob Wives" stars hope the mob wife trend is here to stay. Nothing lasts forever, especially on TikTok, but the "mob wife" trend will never die for the real "Mob Wives."

Persons: Jennifer Graziano, Renee Graziano, Natalie Guercio, —, TikTok, Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez, Renee's, Graziano, Renee, Jennifer's, Anthony Graziano, Bonanno, Hector Pagan Jr, Jennifer, Veronica Graziano, Carmela Soprano, Adriana La Cerva, Kayla Trivieri —, TikTok —, Peggy Bundy, Josh Ryan, Sophia Loren, what's, I've, Sofia Richie's, Gucci, Versace, they've, Guercio, aren't Organizations: Service, Vogue, VH1, American, FBI, Huffington, Bravo, HBO, Fox Locations: Sicilian, Staten Island, New York City, Renee's, South Philadelphia

☆ DBS slashes CEO's variable pay by 30% after multiple digital disruptions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

DBS Group Holdings suffered an outage in its digital services on March 29, 2023. SINGAPORE — DBS Group reported record earnings for the full year in 2023, but cut the variable compensation for its senior management to "hold them accountable" for a number of digital disruptions that year. For the full year, net profit jumped 26% to a record SG$10.3 billion compared to SG$8.19 billion in 2022. Data from LSEG showed analysts expected a net profit of SG$2.37 billion in that quarter. In March 2023, DBS' digital services were disrupted for about 10 hours, and during that time, users were not able to access online banking services or make trades via its brokerage.

Persons: Piyush Gupta Organizations: DBS Group Holdings, SINGAPORE — DBS, LSEG, DBS, Monetary Authority of Locations: SINGAPORE, Asia's, Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore

☆ Voyager Ventures backs climate tech startups. It just raised its second $100 million fund.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewClimate tech VC firm Voyager Ventures has raised another fund hot on the heels of its first, bringing its assets under management to $200 million. The new fund can invest alongside or after Voyager Fund I and independently where it has developed competitive access. AdvertisementThe fund hit final close in May 2023, which was previously undisclosed, just 15 months after closing its first fund. It is also eyeing the second edition of the earlier-stage Voyager Fund, which Peterson and Sclarsic will start raising this year. Voyager Ventures currently has 19 portfolio companies across the two funds.

Persons: —, Sierra Peterson, Sarah Sclarsic, Peterson, Sclarsic Organizations: Service, Voyager Ventures, Business, Voyager, Northwestern University, Novo Holdings Locations: San Francisco and New York, North America, Europe

☆ Insurers such as State Farm and Allstate are leaving fire- and flood-prone areas. Home values could take a hit
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Lindsey Jacobson | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

What happens when a homeowner can't get insuranceDarlene Tucker and Tom PinterWithout insurance, many homeowners can find themselves in big financial trouble. Darlene Tucker, 66, and Tom Pinter, 68, are longtime homeowners in Sonora, California. Darlene Tucker and Tom Pinter's home in Sonora, California. Dogs play at Darlene Tucker and Tom Pinter's home in Sonora, California. Darlene Tucker and Tom Pinter

Persons: Darlene Tucker, Tom Pinter, Tucker, Pinter, Tom Pinter's, — that's, Porter, That's, Kevelighan Organizations: Allstate, CNBC, Insurance, homebuyers Experts, Insurance Information Institute Locations: Sonora , California, California

☆ Don't have $3,499 to spend on the Apple Vision Pro? Try these five headsets instead.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewThe Apple Vision Pro — the tech behemoth's highly anticipated mixed-reality headset — hit the market on Friday. In Apple's words, it's a "revolutionary spatial computer that transforms how people work, collaborate, connect, relive memories, and enjoy entertainment." While preorders for the Apple Vision Pro were reportedly snapped up almost instantly — despite mixed reviews from early users of the headset — that's still a lot of money. Here are five of the latest headsets that offer a more affordable alternative to Apple's Vision Pro right now:

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business, Apple Vision, Vision

☆ Marcelo Claure and Paul Judge bought SoftBank's diversity fund. Now they're trying to raise $200 million for it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewFormer SoftBank executive Marcelo Claure and serial entrepreneur and investor Paul Judge are in the throes of raising a new $200 million fund. The past year has been transitional for the fund since Claure and Judge bought the $100 million fund from SoftBank. Since then, there haven't been any new investments, but the two are poised to capitalize on the success of the first fund and are raising the second Open Opportunity Fund. He said that limited partners' interest has been positive overall since the Open Opportunity Fund's first fund has had so much success. AdvertisementJudge said that he expects the first Open Opportunity Fund to continue to deliver "top quartile" returns to its investors over the next five to seven years.

Persons: —, Marcelo Claure, Paul Judge, It's, Claure, haven't, SoftBank —, I've, Judge, George Floyd's, Masayoshi, Shu Nyatta, Stacy Brown, what's Organizations: Service, Business, Opportunity Fund, Opportunity, Fund, Mastercard, Vista Equity Partners, Ventures, Sprint, Bicycle Capital, TechCrunch Locations: SoftBank, Atlanta, America

☆ Self-made millionaire never 'scrimped on' 3 things: 'Everything else I don't care about as much'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | In Kamaronmcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Throughout her come-up, though, Dunlap says some of the things she chose to spend money on were fairly consistent — even if she could have saved more by cutting back. "It means that my spending is reflecting my values and my hard-earned money is going to the things that I actually love." Fellow self-made millionaire and bestselling author Ramit Sethi calls it the "money dial" approach. It allows him to "spend extravagantly on the things I love, but cut way back mercilessly on the things I don't," he told CNBC Make It last year. "If I tell you, 'never spend money, never step foot in a restaurant,' that doesn't work, that's not sustainable, and frankly, it's not fun," she says.

Persons: Tori Dunlap, hasn't, Dunlap, TJ Maxx, She's, Ramit Sethi Organizations: New York Times, CNBC

☆ Annuity sales hit a record in 2023. Here's what to know about one popular option
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Fixed indexed annuity sales brought in a record $95.6 billion, up from 20% from the record hit the year prior. Indexed annuities earn interest that is calculated based on the changes within a market index, such as the S & P 500 or the Nasdaq 100. However, they also receive downside protection: They are credited zero interest if the index their annuity is tracking declines. The term of index annuities typically range from three to 15 years, according to Annuity.org . Fixed indexed annuities can also be complicated, warned David Blanchett, head of retirement research for PGIM DC Solutions.

Persons: Bryan Hodgens, Buyers, Hodges, Cannex, Melody Evans, Evans, David Blanchett, Blanchett, DIAs Organizations: Nasdaq, Cannex, Products, Insurance, TIAA, DC Solutions, FIA Locations: Connecticut

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