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☆ I added the 'scary hour' hack to my mornings. My ability to focus shot up and so did my productivity — here's how it works
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He said the "scary hour" productivity hack helps him complete his most daunting task each day. My best productivity hack is popularly referred to as the "scary hour" — one hour where you tackle the most daunting but impactful task on your plate. But defining your top priority can be tricky, which is why I prefer to call it "scary hour" rather than "golden hour" as some people do. One of my "block sets" in LeechBlock ensures that I can't browse email, social media, my investment portfolio, or other distractions during scary hour. I use a Notion Habit Tracker to log what I completed during scary hour each day, which helps me stay accountable to my scary hour tasks.

☆ Why Biden can't gloat about Trump becoming the first former president to face potential criminal charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"Let Trump steep in his own juices." "Let Trump steep in his own juices." If Trump is indicted, Biden undoubtedly will be asked for a response in every interaction he has with reporters. Biden has been more rhetorically disciplined as president than he was as vice president and a senator, when his verbal gaffes were routinely used as punchlines. The smart move would be to say he'll let the criminal justice system take its course and let Republicans fight it out, said Bannon.

☆ A day trader who returned 380% in 2022 explains why he's keeping his portfolio entirely in cash right now — and how shorting crypto in the face of a recession could lead to another big windfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Szemeszki returned 380% last year by getting into the oil trade and by shorting bitcoin. On a recent podcast, Szemeszki shared the macroeconomic indicators he tracks for his trades. He also explained why he's currently 100% in cash — but why shorting altcoins could soon make sense. But whenever an occasion arises where this correlation inverts, he'll short altcoins as their prices begin to relatively increase. "I always try to position it so even though in the short term I may not be right, in the long term I will be right eventually," he explained.

☆ Blackface, booze, and blurred lines at the $2 billion tech firm Rokt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Jack Newsham | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

A cropped version of an image shared with Rokt employees at the 2020 meeting. Buchanan told Insider. "We think it's important that we stand up and fight it," he told Insider when asked about that message. In an email, Viles told Insider that he hasn't had any day-to-day involvement with Rokt since 2020, when he did some contract work. Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesOne employee told Insider they were encouraged to post the photos and proclaim 2023 to be Rokt's "best year yet."

☆ An investing expert who says 'cash is king' right now explains how investors should stockpile so they're ready to jump on new opportunities following the economic downturn
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Investing expert Lauren Simmons recommends avoiding the stock market right now. Today's financial climate is unusual: the stock market continues to be volatile and inflation has been out of control. Those "less conservative vehicles" currently include the stock market, she noted: "The stock market is still very volatile. Rather than investing in the stock market right now, she advises stockpiling cash. (The savings account interest rates offered at major banks like Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo are around 0.01%.)

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Snowflake, Salesforce, Nio, Nvidia & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

JPMorgan downgrades Nio to neutral from overweight JPMorgan said it sees too many challenges after the Nio's earnings report on Wednesday. JPMorgan downgrades Dollar Tree to neutral from overweight JPMorgan said it sees too many macro headwinds for the discount retailer. Morgan Stanley upgrades Pinduoduo to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said the ag-tech company is a "long-term growth story." Morgan Stanley reiterates Liberty Formula One as overweight Morgan Stanley said it's bullish on shares of the auto racing company. Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla as overweight Morgan Stanley said competitors can't keep up after Tesla's investor day on Wednesday.

☆ Warren Buffett praised the practice of long-term investing in his annual shareholder letter. These are the 10 longest-held stocks in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Warren Buffett has long praised the practice of long-term investing when it comes to stocks. "The world is full of foolish gamblers, and they will not do as well as the patient investor," Buffett said in Berkshire Hathaway's 2022 shareholder letter. These are the 10 longest-held stocks in Berkshire Hathaway's $299 billion stock portfolio. These are the 10 longest-held companies in Berkshire Hathaway's $299 billion individual stock portfolio. UPSJustin Sullivan/Getty ImagesTicker: UPSTime Held: 17 yearsPortfolio Value: $10.3 million7.

☆ Rupert Murdoch said Fox News continued airing Mike Lindell's ads even after his voter fraud rants because of how much 'green' Lindell provided for the network: court filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Dominion Voting Systems' new court filing details how important Mike Lindell was to Fox News. Murdoch went on to admit in his deposition that he could have pulled Lindell's MyPillow advertisements — but did not. "Ever since Smartmatic sued Fox News, no one in this country can go on any conservative stations and talk about the election," Lindell told Insider. A Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson told Insider: "Dominion is a strong believer in the First Amendment and its protections. In February, Lindell told late-night host Jimmy Kimmel that he has spent more than $40 million pushing Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud.

☆ Reshoring is accelerating—These stocks should benefit as companies return to the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Reshoring declarations are amping up, as more companies look to return operations to the United States from overseas. Corporate reshoring announcements jumped 17% in the fourth quarter compared with the prior quarter and are now tracking nearly 300% higher than the fourth quarter of 2021, according to UBS. In fact, reshoring and foreign direct investments jobs reached a record of at least 360,000 jobs last year, according to the Reshoring Initiative. The move back to the U.S . can also be seen in corporate earnings, said Ron Graziano, managing director of global accounting and tax for Credit Suisse. The company's equipment is needed for big semiconductor manufacturing plants as companies test chips as they are produced, Snyder said.

☆ Former Google staffer says she's gone from viewing the company culture as 'paradise' to 'quite grim'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ex-Googler Claire Stapleton said her perspective on Google's culture has shifted dramatically over the years. Stapleton said she was once a "cheerleader" for Google, but now she sees its culture as "quite grim." In 2018, Stapleton, organized a protest, walking off the job along with about 20,000 Google workers in response to the company's handling of sexual harassment allegations. Now nearly four years later, Stapleton says she sees Google's culture as "quite grim," especially since the company laid off about 12,000 employees in February. Stapleton is one of several former Google workers to speak out against the company in recent months.

☆ TikTok's 'lucky girls' say they manifest success by simply believing things always work out for them — because, why not?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The "lucky girl" technique has been criticized as pseudoscience, wishful thinking, and little more than pop psychology. "If you want to be that lucky girl, you've got to step into her and embody her." She sees being a lucky girl as a "way to have control and hope," she said. "When you believe you're lucky, you follow the cues that come to you, and trust that the universe will do its part." Natasha BadgerFor Badger, "lucky-girl syndrome" is akin to a spiritual practice.

☆ Ex-Tesla CEO says the company's culture might be 'nicer' if he had stuck around: 'I'm not into random firings'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla cofounder Martin Eberhard said the carmaker's company culture might be "nicer" if he'd stayed. He said he's not into "random firings," a practice Musk has denied engaging in in the past. "I'm a believer of treating employees with respect and I'm not into random firings and things like that," Eberhard told Insider in an interview. Eberhard previously told Insider that Musk and Tesla's board had met behind his back and had voted to replace him as CEO. Musk became Tesla's CEO in 2008 and has become virtually synonymous with the brand's image in recent years.

☆ A real estate investor who owns over 1,000 units explains how he was able to officially retire at age 36 by 'reverse engineering' his financial freedom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

He was able to achieve this feat by "reverse engineering" his financial freedom. In fact, he attributes much of his success today as a real estate investor to setting "audacious" goals for himself — and achieving them by whatever means necessary. To Allred, achieving true financial freedom meant having enough recurring passive income to entirely cover his family's cost of living. At that time, he decided to officially retire from door-to-door sales and go into real estate full-time. Continuing to grow his real estate fundAround 2015, Allred also began getting involved in real estate syndications.

☆ I'm an experienced female solo traveler—here are 4 tips I use to be smart about my money on the go
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Solo travel is one of my favorite perks of being single. Plus, like the everyday costs that rack up quickly for singles, solo travel can often be more expensive than going with a companion. I'm not alone: Search interest in female solo travel specifically recently hit a 10-year high, according to Google Trends. These are my top four tips for smarter saving and spending on your next solo trip. The destination itself might even be a chance for you to save money.

☆ Ousted Tesla cofounder Martin Eberhard sounds off on Elon Musk, how the company has changed, and the EV wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

But Eberhard and Musk butted heads, and Musk ousted Eberhard from his CEO role in 2007. Musk said that Eberhard was holding up production of Tesla's first car, the Roadster, and that Eberhard was responsible for other operational issues. And the proof is for the first time ever in decades we built a car company successfully. "His behavior changed dramatically as soon as we started having press about Tesla," Eberhard said. Musk has said the company "is as much a software company as it is a hardware company."

☆ Trump condemns DeSantis' potential 2024 White House bid as 'disloyalty'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump told radio host Jenna Ellis that he never asked DeSantis to stay out of the 2024 nomination. Speaking to radio host Jenna Ellis on American Family Radio, Trump called himself "a very big believer in loyalty." Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley made her run official on Tuesday, but Ellis asked Trump about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as well, who hasn't made his intentions clear but often polls second to Trump in a hypothetical primary matchup. DeSantis, who was a US congressman at the time, had sagging poll numbers during the primary until Trump endorsed him.

☆ 4 ways to re-engage employees who have checked out at work, according to an HR consultant
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Elle Hardy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He recommends pulse surveys and scaling questions to help work through employee engagement issues. Encourage employees to write personal mission statementsI'm a big advocate of organizations getting employees to write personal mission statements. A personal mission statement defines an employee's values, who they are, and how they define success. When employees feel they have a clear purpose at work and believe their leaders set clear directions and expectations, companies' bottom lines benefit, too. In one case I worked with, incorporating personal mission statements into the hiring process helped the recruitment team find candidates who were aligned with company values and fully committed to their roles.

☆ How Moonhub, an AI recruiting platform, raised $4.4 million from OpenAI-backer Khosla Ventures and Google Ventures without a pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Moonhub is an AI startup aiming to make the recruiting process more automated and less biased. The company scrapes billions of public data points and makes them easily searchable for recruiters. The startup recently raised $4.4 million in seed funding from Khosla Ventures and Google Ventures. OpenAI-backer Khosla Ventures and Google Ventures were equally enthusiastic about Moonhub's mission, recently providing the startup with $4.4 million in seed funding. Luckily, she was able to leverage her network to raise the round in less than two weeks, she said.

☆ I tried 25 of Trader Joe's award-winning foods, and would buy at least 21 of them again
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Savanna Swain-Wilson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +42 min

I hit up my local Trader Joe's and bought as many award-winning foods as I could to see which ones deserved their hype. In other words, I agree with the many customers who have dubbed this their favorite Trader Joe's snack. As long as I live within reasonable driving distance of a Trader Joe's, I will continue to buy this loaf. Trader Joe's butter chicken with basmati rice is a satisfyingly spicy comfort meal for oneTrader Joe's butter chicken with basmati rice had a delicious sauce. Trader Joe's cheddar with caramelized onions offers a memorable balance of savory, salty, and sweetThe cheddar smelled like caramelized onions.

Persons: —, Monterey Jack, burrito, Savanna, Wilson, didn't, I've, It's, Joe's, I'm, they're, chorizo, I'd, Butter, they'd, Joe's cashiers, who's, fryer, Swain Wilson Organizations: Service, of Fame, Business, I'd, Wilson, panini Locations: Monterey, Monterey Jack, skillet, Savanna, Peru, treacly, San Francisco

☆ Meta's short video Reels may finally be ready to challenge TikTok, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Improving Reels engagement is boosting analysts' confidence in the short-form video platform's ability to compete with TikTok. META 1D mountain Meta Platforms shares surged more than 28% Thursday, on pace for their best day since 2013. Looking ahead, some analysts believe that Reels plays a dominant role in improving Facebook's efficiency. Easing TikTok tensions As for TikTok, some analysts say Reels is in position to overtake the short-form video leader that finds itself under increasing pressure as calls for a nationwide bans grow. JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth views improving Reels engagement trends and artificial intelligence investments as a way to temper threats from TikTok.

☆ Analysts laud Meta Platforms' focus on efficiency, say the stock is transitioning from 'doghouse to pedestal'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Meta Platforms is turning its focus toward efficiency, and analysts seem to like the narrative shift from the battered technology giant. "Our management theme for 2023 is the 'Year of Efficiency' and we're focused on becoming a stronger and more nimble organization." META YTD mountain Meta Platforms shares have already surged 27% this year Analysts also seemed to praise the company's move to lower its outlook for capital expenditures and operating expenses. The word "efficiency" came up over 25 times on the company's earnings call, according to Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak. The analyst has an outperform rating on Meta and hiked his price target to $275, which implies upside of nearly 80%.

☆ These stocks have been hit the hardest by Fed rate hikes — now they could rally if there's a pause
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

To find such names, CNBC Pro looked back at the stocks that were hit the hardest in the five trading days after each of last year's Fed rate hikes, starting with the first quarter point increase last March. Of those, we took the worst median performance within that five-day period for each of 2022's seven rate hikes. Warner Bros Discovery tops the list, losing a median 10.7% after the Fed rate hikes (bearing in mind the present company was put together in early April last year.) Chipotle Mexican Grill was also hit in the wake the Fed's rate increases, losing a median 6.9% overall. Overall, the electrical vehicle leader lost a median 6.8% in the week following last year's Fed rate hikes.

☆ Blinken reaffirms two-state solution ahead of Israeli-Palestinian visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he boards his plane upon departure from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, in Tel Aviv, Israel May 26, 2021. In new bloodshed, Palestinian officials said Israeli troops killed a 26-year-old man at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. "There is no question that this is a very difficult moment," Blinken told reporters in Cairo before departing for Tel Aviv. The last round of U.S.-sponsored talks on founding a Palestinian state alongside Israel stalled in 2014. Nevertheless, Blinken described Washington as "a stalwart believer in the negotiated two-state solution - the only path to a lasting resolution for the conflict".

☆ Suze Orman is staying conservative with her investments, shunning tech and buying T-bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Bree Doyle | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"Starting quite a while ago now, I got totally out of tech," Orman, the SecureSave founder, recently told CNBC's " Fast Money ." Yet, she wouldn't cash out of another winning sector: Energy. "I am still a big believer in energy stocks," said Orman. XLE 1Y mountain Energy stocks, 1-year Admittedly too-early on the call, she recommended investors pile into energy in March of 2020. As of Friday's close, the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund, which tracks the energy sector, is up four percent so far this year and 66% over the past three years.

☆ A 26-year-old founded a medical startup — the same year he lost almost half his vision
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Kevin Choi, who is Medi Whale's CEO, said he is a firm believer that his diagnosis is "not a coincidence." MediwhaleAs a rifleman in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps who endured harsh training as part of his national service, Kevin Choi had "no doubt" about the state of his health. Long patient journey is a big hurdle to get past. "Long patient journey is a big hurdle to get past. Every conversation I have with doctors or experts … is a lesson to be learnt," said Kevin Choi.

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