• We may soon be entering a bear market, but it’s not time to panic if you’re an investor.
• As Warren Buffett wrote in his 2016 letter to shareholders, investors should do two things when stocks are falling: stay in the market and buy at a bargain.
• President Donald Trump also said now is “a tremendous opportunity to buy” stocks.

Stocks may be teetering on the brink of a bear market, but now is not the time to panic.

While the Dow and S&P 500 are both on track for the worst losses in a decade, as Business Insider’s Callum Burroughs reported, it’s important to remember the oft-repeated advice of Warren Buffett: “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful.”

As MoneyTalksNews reported, Buffett, the billionaire investor and founder of Berkshire Hathaway, reiterated some of his best advice for sustaining wealth during a bear market in his 2016 letter to shareholders: stay in the market and buy at a bargain.

Buffett wrote:

“During such scary periods, you should never forget two things: First, widespread fear is your friend as an investor, because it serves up bargain purchases. Second, personal fear is your enemy. It will also be unwarranted. Investors who avoid high and unnecessary costs and simply sit for an extended period with a collection of large, conservatively-financed American businesses will almost certainly do well.”

In other words, don’t fall victim to widespread panic and begin selling off stocks, because wealth-generating investments are long term.

Read more: An early retiree who interviewed 100 millionaires found many of them built their fortunes using a simple investment strategy championed by Warren Buffett

“American business – and consequently a basket of stocks – is virtually certain to be worth far more in the years ahead. Innovation, productivity gains, entrepreneurial spirit and an abundance of capital will see to that … Many companies, of course, will fall behind, and some will fail,” he wrote.

Most importantly, it’s impossible to predict when economic crises will happen, Buffett said, but they’re inevitable.

President Donald Trump seems to share the same sentiment as Buffett. As the US stock market experienced record losses leading up to Christmas, Trump on Christmas Eve told reporters that right now is “a tremendous opportunity to buy” stocks, according to a Reuters report.

“We have companies, the greatest in the world, and they’re doing really well. They have record kinds of numbers,” Trump said.

Staying in the market over the long term is a proven way to build and sustain wealth.

John, a self-made millionaire who runs the personal-finance blog ESI Money, interviewed 100 millionaires over the past few years and found that many of them employed Buffett’s signature investing strategy: They invest in low-cost index funds, and they tended not to give into the temptation of frequently changing their investments.

• Padmanabh Singh is the 20-year-old ‘king’ of Jaipur, India.
• Although he’s not officially considered a king by the state in democratic India, his position is still respected.
• Singh is a polo star who has studied at New York University and walked the runway in fashion shows.
• Estimates of the royal family’s wealth vary, but Singh is estimated to control a fortune of between $697 million and $2.8 billion.

At 20 years old, Padmanabh Singh controls a fortune of between $697 million and $855 million and is called a “king.”

Padmanabh Singh, full title Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, is the young monarch of Jaipur, a city in northwestern India famous for its pink architecture and imperial palaces.

Singh’s royal title is not officially recognized by law, as India is a federal parliamentary democratic republic with a president and a prime minister. But it “still inspires respect in this deeply hierarchical country where the aristocracy is venerated despite rapid social change,” according to the Guardian.

The wealth of the royal family is estimated to be between $697 million and $2.8 billion.

Singh spends his time playing polo, studying liberal arts, walking in fashion shows, and traveling the world.

Here’s a look at the young royal’s life.

Padmanabh Singh is the 20-year-old king of Jaipur, India. His full title is Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur.

Source: Elle India

Singh, whose family and friends call him “Pacho,” is the 303rd descendant of the royal family of Jaipur.

Source: Elle India

He became king in 2011 after the death of his grandfather, Sawai Man Singhji Bahadur, who was called “the last Maharaja of Jaipur” when he died because he ascended to the throne soon before royal privileges stopped being recognized in India.

Source: The Guardian, Getty Images

Singh’s title is not officially recognized by law, as India is a federal parliamentary democratic republic with a president and a prime minister. But according to The Guardian, the title “still inspires respect in this deeply hierarchical country where the aristocracy is venerated despite rapid social change.”

Source: The Guardian

Jaipur is the capital of the Rajasthan state in northwestern India, known for its pink architecture and royal palaces.

Source: Britannica

The royal family lives in the City Palace, which was founded in 1727 and spans a series of courtyards.

Source: Royal Jaipur

Portions of the palace are open to the public.

Source: Royal Jaipur

At age 4, Singh left Jaipur to go to boarding school at Mayo College in Ajmer.

Source: The Week

The school is nicknamed “India’s Eton” after the prestigious English school. “My boarding school shaped me the way I am,” Singh told the Week magazine. “It was a tough life with strict discipline and no luxuries.”

Source: The Week

Singh celebrated his 18th birthday on July 12, 2016 at the City Palace in Jaipur.

Source: Vogue India

The young royal spent the day visiting several temples and carrying out traditional rituals and ceremonies.

Source: Vogue India

A pink and gold silk umbrella was carried over his head as he walked into a court of former nobles.

Source: Vogue India

The former nobles were there to offer him Nazar, a traditional form of respect.

Source: Vogue India

Here, Singh is greeted by his younger sister, Princess Gauravi Kumari.

Source: Vogue India

Singh’s mother is Princess Diya Kumari, a politician and member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly …

Source: Times of India

… and his father is Narendra Singh. Singh became king after his grandfather because his mother was his grandfather’s only child and his father, Narendra, was a “commoner.”

Source: The Hindu

The couple announced their separation this month after 21 years of marriage.

Source: Times of India

Singh spends his time studying, playing polo, traveling, and attending charity and fashion events.

He has called polo his “biggest passion.”

Source: Architectural Digest

The young monarch made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2018 for his “prowess on the polo field,” as he served as captain of the first Indian polo team in England in 20 years.

Source: Forbes

Forbes noted that Singh was the youngest winner of the Indian Open Polo Cup and the youngest member ever of a World Cup polo team.

Source: Forbes

Fashion seems to be another of Singh’s passions. In June 2018, he walked the runway at a Dolce & Gabanna show in Milan, Italy.

He was also photographed in Milan with Claire Deroo, who he has called one of his best friends.

Source: Economic Times

According to GQ India, Singh “always been an icon to fans and followers, with his understated yet classic style.”

Source: GQ India

Photos posted to his Instagram account often showcase his sartorial selections.

“I don’t like to fiddle around too much with my style, and try to be as elegant as possible,” Singh once told the Week magazine.

Source: The Week

In 2017, Singh escorted Ava Phillippe, the daughter of actors Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, to the charitable Bal des Débutantes in Paris.

Source: Vogue

They danced to a song from the movie “La La Land.”

Singh is an avid traveler and often documents his voyages on Instagram. His trips have included South Africa …

Source: The Week

… Italy …

… Spain …

… Thailand …

… the Rosario Islands in Colombia …

… Machu Picchu in Peru …

… and Portugal, to name a few.

Singh spent a stint studying liberal arts at New York University in New York City.

Source: WWD

He said living in New York made him discover Netflix and sushi. “Cooped up in my apartment with a bunch of friends, I watched Game of Thrones all winter,” he told the Week. “I realized sushi was so cool!”

Source: The Week

Singh does not appear to have graduated from NYU, but he moved to Rome, Italy, in September 2018 to study art at a private university. “I lost my heart to Italy; it is the most beautiful country in the world,” he told the Week magazine. “With its old buildings and grand architecture, it always feels like home.”

Source: The Week

While in Jaipur, Singh splits his time living with his family at the City Palace and staying at Suján Rajmahal Palace, a former royal guesthouse that was recently renovated.

Source: Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest India

Singh has his own lavish private apartments in the palace called Ram Niwas, where his grandfather used to stay.

Source: Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest India

The apartment includes a bedroom with en suite bathroom, a dressing room, a private dining room and kitchen, a private veranda, and a heated pool.

Source: Sujan

The palace also serves as a luxury hotel.

Source: Condé Nast Traveler

Singh celebrated the Holi festival at the City Palace in Jaipur on March 1, 2018.

Holi is a Hindu festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Today, people often celebrate by lighting bonfires the night before and then throwing colored powder on each other throughout the next day.

Source: CNN

Singh lit a bonfire at the City Palace in Jaipur for Holi this year.

Source: Getty Images

While the origin of the royal family’s wealth is unclear, Singh is likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The Jaipur royal family is known to control “immense wealth,” but estimates of their actual fortune vary, from $621.8 million in 2011, which would be worth about $696.7 million today …

Source: Sunday Guardian, Exchange Rates, The Guardian

… all the way up to 20,000 rupees crores. One crore is equal to 10 million rupees, or about $142,531. So if Singh is worth 20,000 rupees crores, as one Indian newspaper estimates, that would equal about $2.8 billion.

Source: The Free Press Journal, Exchange Rates

In addition to their City Palace residence, the royal family of Jaipur also owns the Jaigarh fort, part of the Amber Palace …

Source: Royal Jaipur

… and Jaipur House, a luxurious summer retreat in Mount Abu, more than 300 miles from Jaipur, that’s now run as a hotel.

Source: Royal Jaipur, Google Maps

Singh has big plans as the Maharaja of Jaipur. “We are in a democracy now, and I cannot let my background go to my head,” he told the Week magazine. He added that he could never be content “to just live in this bubble and not travel the world.”

Source: The Week

He said he considers it his duty to act as an ambassador throughout India and the world. “At the moment, I am focusing on my life, but I want to create Jaipur as a destination, host a lot of people and popularize Rajasthan’s art and culture,” Singh said.

Source: The Week

• Five 15-year-old girls have died after a fire broke out in a Polish escape room.
• The girls were playing the game, which sees participants get locked in a room where they must solve puzzles in order to get out, to celebrate a birthday.
• A 25-year-old man was also taken to hospital with burns.
• Poland’s firefighting chief said “makeshift” electrical wiring which was too close to flammable materials was to blame for the blaze, adding that the man in charge was “probably not there when the fire broke out.”
• A day of mourning has been called for the town of Koszalin, northern Poland.

Five teenage girls have died at a Polish escape room, where a fire broke out while they were celebrating a birthday.

The 15-year-old girls were participating in an escape room game in Koszalin, northern Poland when a fire broke out around 5 p.m. local time (4 p.m. GMT and 11 a.m. EST), according to the BBC.

Police spokesperson Monika Kosiec said the bodies of the five girls were found in a room near the fire when firefighters put out a blaze.

A 25-year-old man was also seriously harmed and taken to hospital with burns.

Poland’s firefighting chief, Leszek Suski, said on Saturday that “makeshift” electrical wiring which was too close to flammable materials was to blame for the blaze, adding that the man in charge was probably not there when the fire broke out, according to AP.

Escape room games, which have risen in popularity in recent years, see participants get locked in a room, where they must solve puzzles and complete complicated tasks in order to get out.

Read more: A burglar allegedly broke into an escape room – but he had to call 911 on himself when he couldn’t get out

Polish officials are now carrying out safety checks on similar games across the country, where the escape rooms are popular.

A day of mourning has been called for Koszalin, while a number of local events have been cancelled, with Polish President Andrzej Duda calling the fire an “appalling tragedy.”

“Five joyful girls starting out in life have had life torn away from them,” he tweeted.

Poland’s Interior Minister Joachim Brudziński also tweeted his condolences to the families of the girls.

“I want to express my sympathy and regrets to the families of the victims of the fire,” he said. “I’ve instructed the chief commander of the State Fire Brigade to carry out fire checks on all places of this type across the country.”

• New York Excelsior (NYXL) is a team of professional gamers playing in the Overwatch League.
• The esports organization recently took over a retail space in Brooklyn, New York for a 6-week pop-up event.
• In addition to letting fans meet the team in person, the pop-up shop offered weekly competitions, the chance to get up close and personal with Grammy-nominated artist Zedd, and NYXL swag from exclusive brands.

For six weekends in a row, fans of the New York Excelsior (NYXL) stormed the Brooklyn storefront hosting the esports team’s pop-up shop.

Each weekend brought something new to the space: Visitors were treated to meet-and-greets with the team, an exhibition match with musical artist Zedd, cosplay competitions, exclusive fashion, and, of course, lots of video games.

Excelsior is New York City’s first official esports franchise, and the team will begin their second season of competition in the Overwatch League this February.

While Overwatch League matches are played in Los Angeles, the team enjoys a dedicated fanbase at home. It shouldn’t be surprising; NYXL had the best record during the league’s inaugural season, and the pop-up helped build even more excitement for the year to come.

Here’s what it was like on the scene at the New York Excelsior’s Brooklyn pop-up shop:

NYXL’s pop-up took over this Atlantic Avenue retail space, near Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Each weekend, fans of the Excelsior piled in to play “Overwatch” (and other games, like “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), and participate in special events.

All 10 players on the NYXL roster are from South Korea…

But the pop-up shop gave the team some face-to-face time with their American fans.

For fans, the event also gave them a chance to prove their “Overwatch” skills against the pros.

NYXL also held free amateur “Overwatch” tournaments; the winners received $500 each in prize money.

Other special events included a cosplay contest, and invitational events for college and high school esports teams.

Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer Zedd joined in on the fun as an honorary member of the team. Zedd teamed up with NYXL in an exhibition match against their Overwatch League rivals, the Philadelphia Fusion.

For those who didn’t bring a costume, streetwear brand UNDEFEATED partnered with NYXL to create a new line of apparel.

NYXL released custom Nike Air Force 1’s for the pop-up and designer Melody Ehsani created custom NYXL jewelry.

NYXL also partnered with New Era for fitted caps carrying the team’s logo.

While the team spends most of the season in Los Angeles, it has built a true community in New York City, judging from the hype around this pop-up shop.

NYXL will compete in season 2 of the Overwatch League starting on Valentine’s Day, February 14th.

• The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) runs from January 8-11 in Las Vegas.
• The event has become an increasingly important venue for automakers to show off their ideas for the future of transportation.
• This year, automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Honda are bringing concept and upcoming production vehicles to the event.

As the auto industry moves toward electrification and autonomy, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has become an increasingly important venue for automakers to show off their ideas for the future of transportation. Last year, Toyota unveiled a concept for a self-driving delivery vehicle and Ford outlined its efforts to create communication technology for autonomous vehicles.

This year, automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Honda are bringing concept and upcoming production vehicles to the event, which runs from January 8-11 in Las Vegas.

These are the 11 vehicles we’re most excited to see at CES.

Audi E-Tron

Audi will bring its upcoming E-Tron electric SUV to CES.

Honda Autonomous Work Vehicle

Honda will show off an autonomous, multi-purpose vehicle.

Hyundai Elevate

Hyundai will unveil its Elevate concept vehicle, which will have wheels attached to legs the automaker says will allow the vehicle to drive, walk, or climb depending on the environment.

Bosch autonomous concept shuttle

Bosch will bring a concept for an autonomous shuttle.

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes-Benz will unveil the new version of its CLA-Class coupe.

Mercedes-Benz EQC

Mercedes-Benz will also show its upcoming EQC electric SUV in the US for the first time.

Mercedes-Benz Vision Urbanetic

The Vision Urbanetic, an autonomous concept vehicle, will also make its US debut.

Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow

The electric Vision EQ Silver Arrow electric vehicle concept will also be on display.

Byton M-Byte

Byton will bring its upcoming M-Byte electric SUV.

Nissan Leaf E-Plus

The German publication Electrive reports that Nissan will unveil the Leaf E-Plus, which will have a larger battery than the current Leaf, at CES. The 2018 Nissan Leaf is shown above.

Harley-Davidson LiveWire

Harley-Davidson will bring its upcoming electric motorcycle, the LiveWire.

• Theresa May warns that Brexit may not happen if MPs vote down her deal.
• The prime minister tells the Andrew Marr show that Britain is heading for “unchartered territory.”
• MPs from all parties have vowed to vote down the deal when it returns to parliament in a week’s time.
• However, May denies reports that she is planning to delay the vote for a second time.

LONDON – Britain is heading for “unchartered territory,” with Brexit potentially being cancelled if MPs vote down Theresa May’s Brexit deal later this month, the prime minister said today.

May warned Conservative MPs who are planning to vote down her deal that they risked triggering “no Brexit” at all.

“Don’t let the search for the perfect [Brexit] become the enemy of good,” May told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

“We would be in uncharted territory… no one knows what will happen”

The prime minister denied reports on Sunday that she is preparing to delay the vote on the deal she has secured from the EU for a second time, suggesting that it will happen on the week of the 14th.

“We will be holding the vote,” May insisted.

She also refused denied that she plans to seek an extension of the two-year Article 50 process, suggesting that calls for an extension were really an attempt to prevent Brexit happening at all.

The prime minister was forced to abandon plans to hold a vote on the deal in December after more than a hundred Conservative MPs and the Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May’s minority government, vowed to vote against it.

She was subsequently hit by a failed leadership challenge in which more than a third of Conservative MPs registered their lack of confidence in her leadership.

The prime minister survived the challenge by promising to stand down before the next election.

She repeated the pledge this morning, telling Marr that “I’m not going to be calling a snap election and I’m not going to lead [the Conservatives] into the general election.”

Downing Street had hoped that MPs would return to their constituencies at Christmas and be told by party members to get behind the prime minister.

However, polling released on Friday suggest that Tory members are even more opposed to May’s deal than their MPs, with a majority calling on parliament to vote it down later this month.

Reports this weekend suggest that Downing Street are planning to put the deal before parliament up to 30 times in an attempt to bludgeon MPs into backing it in order to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

• INSIDER has decided on its best-dressed men of 2018.
• The list is full of actors, musicians, models, and anyone who has had an influence on the everchanging winds of men’s fashion.
• Scroll down to see who made the list and why.

2018 has been a turbulent year in many ways.

With Brexit raging on and the Trump administration continuing to make headlines at a rate of knots, it can be easy to forget the positive advancements we’ve made in society – however small. Culture and, more specifically, fashion is a good place to turn to notice these advancements.

This year has seen the return of ’70s style; bold prints; air ties; turtlenecks; corduroy, and so much more.

As ever, it’s thanks to some very stylish trailblazers that many of these trends have come to the fore.

INSIDER looked over its style coverage from the past year as well as many others’ to decide on its 25 best-dressed men of the year.

Scroll down to see who made the list and why.

25. Tom Hardy

Hardy deserves a place in this list purely for the outfit above, where he expertly showed how to pull off a monochrome outfit without looking like a noughties-era Justin Timberlake.

Read more: Tom Hardy made the biggest fashion faux pas by wearing all white – here’s how he pulled it off anyway

24. Stephen Curry

Chef Curry has great taste in wristwear, it turns out.

Curry was spotted breaking traditional NBA style to wear a $57,000 Cartier watch courtside earlier this year.

Read more: Stephen Curry broke traditional NBA style to wear an elegant $57,000 Cartier watch courtside

Curry’s elegant timepiece is a refreshing break from the louder timepieces worn by his NBA colleagues, who tend to opt for Hublot Big Bangs, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshores, and garish Richard Milles.

23. Kit Harington

Harington relinquished his ‘worst-dressed man’ title this year when he nailed his wedding look.

Previously named GQ’s “worst dressed man,” Harington proved the naysayers wrong with an immensely stylish three-piece morning suit when he married “Game of Thrones” co-star Rose Leslie in June.

Read more: Kit Harington relinquished his ‘worst-dressed man’ title to nail his wedding look

22. Steve Carell

Without a word of warning, Steve Carell has transformed into a silver fox.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about his new role as a sex symbol, Carell said in typical good humor: “I am so sick of people just looking at me for my physical attributes.

“It’s just genetic, there’s nothing I can do.”

21. Prince Charles

Prince Charles turned 70 this year and as his mother’s reign stretches ever further, eyes are turning to the heir apparent.

While Charles’ ruling style remains unclear, what we can deduce is his flawless tailoring, which spans swathes of navies, greys, checks, and creams – all with an elegant Parmigiani Fleurier timepiece sparkling just beneath his cuff.

Read more: RANKED: The 7 most expensive watches worn by the British royal family

20. Rafferty Law

Jude Law’s 22-year-old lookalike son Rafferty (or Raff as he is often called) is fast becoming an influential figure in the world of fashion and runs collective Something to Hate On.

He also models for the likes of Dolce and Gabbana, DJs, and plays in a band.

Read more: The curious life of model, musician and entrepreneur Rafferty Law, Jude Law’s 21-year-old lookalike son

19. Daniel Craig

The “James Bond” actor may be known for his tuxedos, but he’s just as much a master of streetwear as he is bow ties and cummerbunds, as demonstrated by this understated ensemble at JFK airport.

He also showed exactly how to rock a papoose with a weirdly cool gym outfit – a move that was panned by British TV presenter Piers Morgan, who was then roundly mocked by dads everywhere.

18. Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch’s penchant for bold oranges earns him a spot in the ranking, although he arguably went too far when he wore a double corduroy leisure suit this October.

Read more: Benedict Cumberbatch committed one of the cardinal sins of fashion – and even his die-hard fans aren’t sure about it

17. Henry Golding

Nothing about “Crazy Rich Asians” leading man Henry Golding is ordinary (he had no acting credits before the movie, but auditioned because an accountant remembered him as the real-life version of his character).

Read more: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ leading man had no acting credits before the movie

In fashion too, Golding has set himself apart from the rest, as he did with this khaki ensemble (pictured). He also happens to be a watch fanatic.

16. Roger Federer

Federer shocked the sporting world this summer when he announced he was swapping clothing sponsors from Nike to Uniqlo in a deal reportedly worth $300 million.

Surprising though the move may have been, it has paid dividends for his wardrobe, which is now adorned with sleek hoodies, tracksuits, and polos from the Japanese brand.

“I think it’s important to remember the core idea of what tennis [clothing] is; it actually works very well on- and off-court,” Federer rightly told Highsnobiety back in August.

If you want to emulate the Swissman’s on-court aesthetic then you can shop the collection yourself.

15. Michael B. Jordan.

It’s been quite a year for Michael B. Jordan after his seminal role as supervillain Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther” and more recently his second round as Apollo Creed in “Creed II.”

Unsurprising then that Jordan was feeling audacious enough to break one of the golden tuxedo rules last month.

The 31-year-old wore a straight, black tie with his navy tuxedo – and it looked great, as you can see above.

Read more: Michael B. Jordan broke one of the golden tuxedo rules – here’s how he pulled it off anyway

14. Bradley Cooper

Despite Cooper’s refusal to undo the bottom button on his blazer (a cardinal sin in men’s tailoring) his sartorial elegance and understated street style earn him a place in the best-dressed list.

Read more: Bradley Cooper keeps making the same suit mistake, and it’s one of the cardinal sins of men’s fashion

13. Cole Sprouse

Cole Sprouse has finally ditched his shearling jacket and lumberjack shirt tied around the waist for more sophisticated garments like the navy suit above, which he teamed ingeniously with a blood red rollneck for the GQ Men Of The Year Party in Beverly Hills.

12. Chadwick Boseman

Boseman is a strong advocate of the air tie (the trend of wearing a suit with your shirt buttoned up to the top with no tie), and he’s not afraid to rock a bold print either.

His standout fashion moment of the year was his all-white outfit at the Met Gala, which drew comparisons to a religious superhero.

11. Matt Smith

As Prince Philip in Netflix’s “The Crown,” Smith gave a masterclass in acting and style as he took on the rebellious royal. Two series saw Smith jump from decoratively embellished jackets, into co-ordinating safari gear, into boiler suits – and they all looked great.

With a “key role” in “Star Wars: Episode IX” announced, we should be seeing Smith gracing the red carpets with even more great tailoring in the coming year.

10. A$AP Rocky

King of the peacocks, A$AP Rocky never fails to make headlines for his fearless outfits.

This year he got people talking about his babushka headscarf, which he wore to the LACMA Art and Film Gala in Los Angeles in November.

“I just wanted to show off my babushka today, honestly,” Rocky told press at the event.

“I thought it was so immaculate. And I feel like I look so handsome right now with the shades on. I’m just encouraging all guys to wear babushkas from here on out. Silk gang, silk city. You know how we do it.”

You do you, Rocky.

Read more: A$AP Rocky wore a Gucci head scarf on the red carpet and people are saying he looks like a Russian grandmother

9. Rami Malek

“Bohemian Rhapsody” star Rami Malek is a very stylish man indeed.

Esquire hailed him the King of Winter Outerwear when he stepped out in this single-breasted overcoat at the Calvin Klein Collection fashion show in New York, and we can’t blame them.

8. Harry Styles

Never one to shy away from some bold tailoring, Styles was the face of the second instalment of the Gucci Tailoring campaign this year.

The campaign saw the singer/actor feeding pigs, kissing goats, and holding a lamb across his shoulders – which suitably sent his fans into a frenzy.

Read more: Harry Styles posed with goats and pigs in a new Gucci campaign – and fans are going wild for the photos

7. Ryan Reynolds

There’s an argument to say that Ryan Reynolds could make anything look good, but as it happens, he’s a supremely snappy dresser.

His long-sleeved polo neck and pleated trousers in the photo above are a lesson in how to perfect the tricky smart casual dress code.

6. Dev Patel

While many of those on this list earn their place for their proclivity to bold patterns and colors, Patel does the opposite.

As demonstrated by his rollneck and jacket ensemble above, Patel’s is the kind of understated style that will stay cool for season after season.

The “Lion” actor is also an IWC brand ambassador.

5. David Beckham

David Beckham stealing hearts at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal wedding was one of the internet highlights of 2018.

Never one to forget the basics, though, Beckham also showed us exactly how to rock a plain white t-shirt when he was papped touching down in Tokyo in June.

Read more: David Beckham just showed exactly how to rock a white t-shirt – while wearing a $42,000 watch

4. Timothée Chalamet

One of Hollywood’s most promising young talents is also one of its most fashionable.

Chalamet has yet to sign a deal with one fashion house leaving him free to dip into Alexander McQueen, Gucci, and Berluti as and when he pleases

Designer Haider Ackermann – who is responsible for many of Chalamet’s most iconic red carpet looks – told GQ: “Timothée leaves us disarmed by his raw nobility. On the cusp of manhood, he intoxicates us with his effortless elegance.”

3. Donald Glover

The most overused descriptive for Donald Glover seems to be the phrase: “Is there anything he can’t do?”

Well, if there is, fashion is not one of them.

As Glover swooped in to receive countless awards for his acting, directing, and music making, he was always dressed to the nines in striking colors and a lot of ’70s influence.

Perhaps the most admirable element of Glover’s style is the risks is he takes.

At Rihanna’s 4th Annual Diamond Ball in September, Glover broke one of the biggest rules in menswear when he went shirtless under a double-breasted Dior suit.

Did it look good anyway? Absolutely.

2. Ryan Gosling

Gosling is a master of both street style and formalwear; effortlessly blending bold prints and monochrome suits.

His penchant for ’70s style sweaters and jewellery earn him a place near the pinnacle of this year’s INSIDER best-dressed list.

Admittedly, some of his looks are hard to pull off if you’re not… well, Ryan Gosling.

Model David Gandy told GQ: “Ryan has the rare charm, looks, and style of Hollywood greats such as Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. He has an effortless dress sense that never looks overstyled and anything he wears looks instantly cool.”

1. Jeff Goldblum

First place was a surprising no-brainer for 2018.

Jeff Goldblum has undergone a fashion renaissance that has captured the imagination of fashion writers around the world, culminating in seemingly infinite numbers of headline-stealing outfits this year.

The secret to the gently gesticulating silver fox’s fashion elevation is his stylist, Andrew T. Vottero, whom he met on a shoot with GQ in 2014.

“I wish somebody like you would just come to my closet and tell me what to throw away,” he supposedly told the magazine’s styling team at the time. Vottero did, and they’ve been “in cahoots” ever since.

If it means more outfits like the ones we’ve seen this year, long may the Vottero-Goldblum partnership reign.

• Samsung‘s recently announced CRG9 “super” ultra-wide gaming monitor comes with a sharper QHD resolution than the original model’s FHD resolution that was released in 2017.
• With an aspect ratio of 32:9, the CRG9 is the equivalent of two 27-inch QHD monitors.
• The CRG9 comes with HDR10 support for better colors, a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as AMD Freesync 2 for smoother gameplay.

Samsung announced a new member to the “super” ultra-wide gaming monitor family with a higher resolution quad-HD model that’s sharper than the regular full-HD model that the company originally released back in 2017.

Super ultra-wide monitors have an aspect ratio of 32:9. Put into plain English, that’s exactly two normal monitors put together. Measuring 49 inches diagonally, the CRG9 is the equivalent of two 27-inch monitors side-by-side.

The CRG9 has a resolution of 5120 x 1440. It’s a welcome upgrade for those who thought the original 2017 model’s 3840 x 1080 – two FHD monitors – wasn’t sharp enough for their video games, and anything else for that matter.

Indeed, the CRG9 monitor is designed with PC gamers in mind with its smooth 120Hz refresh rate that allows up to 120 frames-per-second on games. Typical non-gaming monitors have a 60Hz refresh rate, which is also smooth, but PC gamers like to go beyond the standard specs. The CRG9 also comes with AMD’s Freesync 2 technology that helps with smoother and more stable gameplay when used with AMD’s graphics cards.

HDR10 is also supported on the CRG9 monitor, which makes for better colors, better detail in dark shaded scenes, and better contrast overall between light and dark areas of a scene.

There’s no pricing or release date to speak of yet. If the original CHG90 monitor from 2017 is anything to go by, the new CRG9 could cost north of $1,000.

Anyone interested in a gaming super ultra-wide monitor now that it’s available in QHD resolution should note that they’ll need a pretty beefy PC to play games smoothly, especially if they want to set their games’ graphics options to higher settings. The CRG9’s 5120 x 1440 resolution isn’t too far off a 4K monitor’s 3840 x 2160 resolution, and you need pretty serious high-end and expensive hardware to play games smoothly at 4K. To make the most of this monitor, your PC will need brawny hardware like Intel’s Core i7 range of processors and Nvidia’s GTX 1080Ti or RTX 2080 or higher.

Despite support for AMD’s game-smoothing Freesync 2 technology, very few – if any – of AMD’s graphics cards would be able to make the most of the CRG9 monitor. The only AMD card that could have a chance is the Vega 64, which is best suited for a single QHD monitor. But whether it can handle the equivalent of two QHD monitors at 120 frames-per-second at higher graphics settings is perhaps questionable.

• To build better habits, you should understand how your brain reacts to your behavior.
• When we are pleased by the results of an action, dopamine is released, which makes us feel good. Over time, this association with feeling good can make a behavior automatic.
• The key to building habits is to establish a good foundation that makes better behaviors automatic.
• Know how to build in failure, focus on time-based activities, find pockets of underutilized time, and avoid cues that trigger bad habits.

It’s that time of year when we put the empty Champagne bottles into the recycling bin and haul out the resolutions. Unfortunately, these best-laid plans often become waylaid, and before long, we tell ourselves, “Well, maybe next year.”

As a neurosurgeon, I know very well the brain’s role in determining whether resolutions succeed or fail.

Resolutions are typically about habits, and habit formation involves a part of the brain called the basal ganglia. Patterns of signals between neurons in the basal ganglia shift as we perform a new behavior. When we are pleased by the results – whether we’re eating a delicious piece of cake or serving a tennis ball – there’s a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good.

Over time, this association with feeling good can make a behavior almost automatic.

Read more: I’m a neurosurgeon, and the best morning routine I’ve found consists of just 3 simple steps

Unfortunately, we often don’t establish the right foundation to allow new, more desirable habits to become automatic. Taking an “all-or-nothing” position can derail our efforts and can result in discouragement when we fail to live up to our high expectations.

We also may be unaware of cues that trigger our behavior. Neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins University demonstrated the power of those cues with a study, wherein 20 participants were given $1.50 for every red object and $0.25 for every green object they saw on a computer screen.

The next day, while their brains were scanned, these same subjects were asked to spot certain shapes on a screen, regardless of color. The participants automatically focused on red objects when they appeared, even though no reward was given this time. As this was happening, dopamine was released into the part of the brain involved in attention; the good feeling from the day before had been retained.

Knowing the cues for our behavior can help guide us to better habits. When trying to lose weight, for example, it may be a good idea to bypass the dessert aisle in a grocery store.

The bottom line: You need to think about your behavior and its context differently if you really want to make a change. Here are four recommendations for giving a new habit staying power:

1. Build in failure

Bumps in the road are normal when changing behavior, so don’t worry if things don’t go exactly as planned. As Stephen Covey, the best-selling author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” tells us, an airplane in flight is off course at least 90% of the time. This doesn’t matter, because the pilot or autopilot computers continually make adjustments to adhere to the overall flight plan and get to the destination on time.

The same principle applies to other goals.

Instead of telling yourself that you must meditate every day, try for five out of seven days a week. If you’re beginning a new exercise regimen, start off with twice a week and then build up from there.

Read more: A psychotherapist says there are 3 common reasons so many people’s New Year’s resolutions end in failure

2. Focus on time-based, rather than task-based, activities

I often say to myself: “I’m going to read this chapter,” “I’m going to clean my office,” or “I’m going to clean out the car.” Invariably, I run out of time because I underestimated the amount of work needed to complete the task and, instead, must run to my next commitment. Rather than feeling good that I was being productive, I feel like a failure because I didn’t complete the task.

I’ve found that instead of saying “I’m going to read this chapter,” I tell myself that I’m going to read for 30 minutes. Then even if I don’t finish the chapter, I am able to feel good about completing my task. Chipping away at a big task ultimately leads to success.

By setting a time and completing that commitment, I find I’m more successful in moving in the right direction.

3. Find pockets of underutilized time

Haven’t got time to for your usual workout? It can take 15 minutes to eat a leisurely self-packed lunch bag. So, if you invest five minutes packing your own lunch, you can reward yourself with 45 minutes of free time during your lunch hour to work out or meditate.

If your resolution is to exercise 30 minutes a day, you can rack up those minutes in a lot of ways, like taking a vigorous walk during your lunch hour. A friend of mine who works in a tall building walks up and down 15 flights a few times when he knows he must work late and won’t get to the gym. The opportunities are always there … so be creative!

4. Monitor your progress

Smartphones and smartwatches can be great “assistants” for tracking your progress. And some new apps help you recognize where you waste your time. I’ve found the app Moment has been eye-opening, allowing me to see how much time I spend on social media.

You can also use an alarm to trigger action at a desired time or a stopwatch to time your activity, so you feel more in control of your efforts. If you’re not into using your smartphone for these activities, you can also keep track in a day planner that allows you to compare, at a glance, your performance from week to week.

Of course, there’s nothing magic about January for making resolutions. You can start a new habit any time.

And you shouldn’t be disheartened if you’ve been stuck in a bad habit for many years. As Charles Duhigg wrote in “The Power of Habit,” “Habits are malleable throughout your entire life.”

Mark McLaughlin, MD, practices neurological surgery at Princeton Brain and Spine Care and believes that we can all use the core principles behind brain surgery and apply them to our daily lives. His mission is to use the lessons he has learned from his career to help others manage stressful situations and engage with problem-solving.

• A billionaire who has produced movies including “Crazy Rich Asians” is selling a one-bedroom apartment in New York City for $39.5 million.
• It takes up an entire floor of Manhattan’s iconic Ritz-Carlton building and is one of just 11 homes at the Ritz-Carlton Residences.
• The 8,000-square-foot home includes a 2,000-square-foot master suite, onyx and marble bathrooms, and a 53-foot terrace with front-and-center views of Central Park.

A lavish one-bedroom apartment in New York City’s iconic Ritz-Carlton building has hit the market for $39.5 million.

The seller is Sidney Kimmel, a billionaire movie producer worth an estimated $1.3 billion, according to Forbes.

His New York City apartment, one of just 11 residences in the Ritz-Carlton across the street from Central Park, is on the market for $39.5 million, listed by Corcoran. Kimmel and his wife bought the apartment in 2001 for $22.3 million, according to Curbed, and commissioned architect Thierry Despont to redesign the space, which includes a 2,000-square-foot master suite, two terraces, two elegant dressing rooms, a full gym, and two onyx and marble bathrooms.

Kimmel made his fortune in retail by founding Jones Group, an apparel company, that went on to sell brands including Stuart Weitzman and Nine West. More recently, he founded SK Global, an entertainment company, through which he was a producer for movies including the 2018 hit film “Crazy Rich Asians” along with “Moneyball” and “The Kite Runner.”

Here’s a look inside the opulent home, with its unbeatable views of Central Park.

The one-bedroom apartment is in the iconic and historic Ritz-Carlton building, a luxury hotel that includes 11 permanent residences.

Source: Ritz Carlton, Corcoran

The building at 50 Central Park South was originally the St. Moritz Hotel from 1930 to 1999. After extensive renovations, the hotel reopened in 2002 as the Ritz Carlton.

Source: Ritz Carlton

Sidney Kimmel’s one-bedroom apartment takes up the entire 27th floor of the building, spanning more than 8,000 square feet. The grand entryway offers an elegant welcome to the home.

Source: Corcoran

The living room features an antique marble fireplace and French doors that open up to an impressive terrace.

Source: Corcoran

The 53-foot terrace offers sweeping views of Central Park.

Source: Corcoran

In the library, which is connected to the living room, you can spot a “Crazy Rich Asians” poster.

Source: Corcoran

The formal dining room occupies one corner of the floor, allowing for panoramic views of the park and Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Source: Corcoran

The 2,000-square-foot master suite, which occupies the entire East wing of the floor, is larger than many New York City apartments.

Source: Corcoran

It includes two onyx and marble bathrooms …

Source: Corcoran

… two dressing rooms …

Source: Corcoran

… as well as a private office and a sitting room.

Source: Corcoran

The top-of-the-line chef’s kitchen has ample counter space and glass-doored cabinets. An additional terrace off the kitchen serves as a space for outdoor dining.

Source: Corcoran

The apartment also includes a staff suite that could be reconfigured to add more bedrooms.

Source: Corcoran

• To achieve financial independence – or to no longer work to live – most millionaires follow a similar path, according to a researcher who has studied more than 600 millionaires.
• They share three traits: spending below their means, finding a side hustle, and moving to self-employment.
• These ultimately allow them to build wealth more quickly and reach financial independence sooner than most.

Building enough wealth to achieve financial independence requires a lot of resilience and perseverance, but there’s more to escaping the rat race than that.

Sarah Stanley Fallaw, an author of the book “The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth” and the director of research for the Affluent Market Institute, surveyed more than 600 millionaires in America and found that those who dusted off the 9-to-5 – whether they wanted to no longer work or to start working for themselves – followed a similar path to financial independence.

“Millionaires have shared three themes related to removing yourself from the trap of working to live: creating margin in their lifestyle to allow for career moves, particularly significant ones (e.g., living off of savings while starting a business); exploring career opportunities while generating revenue from a traditional job (i.e., moonlighting); and making a move to self-employment,” she wrote in her book.

Here’s a closer look at each of those themes:

1. Spend below your means.

Many of the millionaires Stanley Fallaw interviewed stressed the freedom that comes with spending below their means.

“The freedom translates into opportunities to make career changes that provide either (a) more time and flexibility to pursue efforts outside of work, and/or (b) the potential for increase in revenue,” she wrote.

She added: “Spending above your means, spending instead of saving for retirement, spending in anticipation of becoming wealthy makes you a slave to the paycheck, even with a stellar level of income.”

Chris Reining, who retired at 37 as a self-made millionaire, previously told Business Insider that being rich and becoming financially independent isn’t about a paycheck or how much money you have – it’s about how much you spend and living below your means.

“Getting rich, and staying rich, is overwhelmingly a game of living below your means,” he said. “If you can do that you’ll enjoy a freedom that people living rich will never experience.”

Read more: A researcher who studied over 600 millionaires found 2 qualities helped them get rich, and anyone can develop them

2. Find a side hustle.

Moonlighting, or taking on a side hustle, has been favored by many millionaires – it’s a good way to explore options while remaining employed full time, according to Stanley Fallaw. But making a side hustle successful “requires resources, both time and money, to develop and maintain,” she wrote.

“Those who are able to create multiple opportunities to generate revenue, who can translate hobbies into income-producing activities, will be successful at becoming millionaires next door in the future,” she added.

Read more: The author of ‘The Millionaire Next Door’ explains 3 ways anyone can build more wealth

It’s possible to transform a side job into a full-time career if you have the hunger, execution, decisiveness, and perseverance for it, Susie Moore, a high-performance coach, consultant, and author, previously wrote in an article for Business Insider.

One investor who plans to retire early found that earning an income with a side job is the path of least resistance for reaching financial independence.

It can certainly help you get there faster – Business Insider recently spoke to a handful of people who have taken on side hustles, and they said they earned anywhere from an extra $1,000 to $30,000 a year. Invest that money, and the power of compound interest can lead to wealth.

3. Become self-employed.

Those who are financially independent can grow their wealth even more by working for themselves.

The self-employed “millionaire next door” of tomorrow is likely to take risks to transform their resources into something of value, according to Stanley Fallaw, who said 42% of the millionaires she spoke with were self-employed.

“The potential payoff for those career risks, specifically for the risk associated with starting one’s own business, is the ability to generate revenue, more revenue often than would be possible working for someone else,” she wrote.

Stanley Fallaw found in her latest survey that self-employed millionaires had more than 1.5 times the median income of those who work for others. Their actual net worth minus their expected net worth is on average double that of those who work for others, she wrote.

Stanley Fallaw said that investing in one’s own business is a hallmark of the economically successful, as long as they have the right strengths – like perseverance and resilience – to survive the journey.

• Fourteen hotels were named the best boutique hotels in the world for 2018.
• Boutique Hotel Awards chose a series of standout boutique hotels from more than 300 nominees in 80 countries.
• The hotels were judged on dining and entertainment, design, facilities, location, service, and “overall emotional impact.”
• A hotel in Bali was named the best overall boutique hotel, while hotels in Portugal, South Africa, Greece, New Zealand, and other countries also won top honors.

A hotel has the possibility to make or break your vacation – but, if it’s one of the best boutique hotels in the world, chances are you’ll be in very, very good hands.

In 2018’s Boutique Hotel Awards, fourteen hotels around the world took home top honors in a range of categories.

The hotels were judged on “all aspects of the guest experience covering six categories: dining and entertainment, design, facilities, location and, most importantly, staff service and overall emotional impact,” according to the news release.

A hotel in Bali was named the best overall boutique hotel, while hotels in Portugal, South Africa, Greece, New Zealand, and other countries also won top spots. Categories include World’s Best Beach or Coastal Hotel, Best Honeymoon Hideaway, Most Stunning Views, and more.

Here are the top boutique hotels in the world, from a beachside retreat in the Maldives to a wellness resort in Austria.

World’s Best Beach or Coastal Hotel: Reethi Faru Resort

Location: Filaidhoo, Maldives Rates starting at: $171

World’s Best City Explorer: Corpo Santo Lisbon Historical Hotel

Location: Lisbon, Portugal Rates starting at: $133

World’s Best Classic Elegance Hotel: Relais & Chateaux Hotel Heritage

Location: Bruges, Belgium Rates starting at: $222

World’s Most Inspired Design Hotel: Hotel TwentySeven

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands Rates starting at: $570

World’s Best Honeymoon Hideaway: Drake Bay Getaway Resort

Location: Drake Bay, Costa Rica Rates starting at: $523

World’s Best New Hotel: Hotel Grand Windsor

Location: Auckland, New Zealand Rates starting at: $129

World’s Best Relaxation Retreat: Carpe Diem Exclusive Boutique Resort

Location: Santorini, Greece Rates starting at: $406

World’s Most Romantic Retreat: Akademie Street

Location: Franschhoek, South Africa Rates starting at: $342

World’s Most Sustainable Hotel: Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

Location: Tofino, Canada Rates starting at: $6,500

World’s Best Wellness Spa: Green SPA Resort Stanglwirt

Location: Going am Wilden Kaiser, Austria Rates starting at: $395

World’s Best Private Villa: The Resort Villa

Location: Rayong, Thailand Rates starting at: $150,000/week for whole property

World’s Most Stunning Views: Hanging Gardens of Bali

Location: Bali, Indonesia Rates starting at: $565

World’s Best Family Hotel: Blue River Resort and Hot Springs

Location: Dos Rios, Costa Rica Rates starting at: $89

World’s Best Boutique Hotel and Best Culinary Excellence: Awarta Nusa Dua Resort & Villas

Location: Bali, Indonesia Rates starting at: $403

• Alaska Airlines had an outage in Seattle on Sunday morning that left flights grounded.
• The flights still showed as on time, leaving passengers confused about whether flights had been canceled.
• Some passengers were headed to a big consumer electronics conference called CES in Las Vegas, and others were headed to JPMorgan’s healthcare conference in San Francisco.

Alaska Airlines halted flights on Sunday morning, leaving customers stuck at the airport, after a national outage that began at 3:30 a.m. Pacific time and ended at 5:15 a.m.

The airline stopped some customers from boarding flights, and gate agents weren’t sure when flights would resume.

A representative for Alaska Airlines told Business Insider that the outage took place in the airline’s Seattle office, impacting the operations system and causing the airline to ground flights.

The representative on Sunday morning said five flights were canceled and 27 were delayed because of the outage.

The outage likely occurred because of high winds in Seattle.

The delays and cancellations are affecting travelers heading to the annual Consumer Electrics Show in Las Vegas and the JPMorgan Healthcare conference in San Francisco, including Business Insider reporters.

• The employment report out Friday flew past economist expectations.
• That contrasted with recent talk of an imminent downturn.
• Now, questions have emerged surrounding whether concerns about the economy are overdone.

Eyeing a burgeoning labor market, some are rethinking warnings of an imminent downturn.

The December employment report out Friday showed the US added the most jobs since February and that wage gains accelerated at their fastest pace since 2009, raising questions on whether concerns about the economy have been overdone.

“The far bigger than expected 312,000 jump in non-farm payrolls in December would seem to make a mockery of market fears of an impending recession,” Paul Ashworth, chief economist at Capital Economics, said in an email.

A flurry of concerns, including an ongoing trade war, fading stimulus and rising interest rates, have led to a blustery few months in financial markets and unnerved officials from Wall Street to Washington. In December, more than half of economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal predicted a recession would begin within the next two years.

“I would prepare for it,” Sheila Bair, who served as head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation during the 2008 financial crisis, recently said of a downturn. “Economic ups and downs are a part of the market-based system.”

But with wage growth and the labor force participation rate moving higher, there may be more slack in the economy than had been previously thought, according to Principal Global Investors chief economist Bob Baur.

“This is an astounding report,” he said. “If there’s a bubble somewhere, it’s in the talk of a recession.”

President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attempted to discredit official Labor Department data in the past, celebrated the employment figures with an all-caps tweet. His administration also seized on the report, with White House Economic advisor Larry Kudlow saying on Bloomberg TV “there’s no recession in sight.”

Still, the outlook for the US economy remains murky, especially in wake of sharply lower consumer confidence and manufacturing figures out this week. While the jobs report signals current and past business conditions, according to economists, factory-activity indicators tend to point to future performance.

Strong employment numbers have preceded downturns before. As Nick Timiraos of The Wall Street Journal pointed out Friday morning, the US economy added a robust 467,000 jobs just one year before the 2001 recession began.

In any event, market watchers will be closely monitoring what booming employment could mean for monetary policy. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled on Friday the central bank sees a flexible rate path this year, saying that “wages going up is not necessarily inflationary.”

But officials will keep an eye on recent manufacturing figures that were “well below expectation,” he added while speaking at an economics conference in Atlanta.

Other economic indicators could offer more clarity in coming months, though key data is currently unavailable due to a partial shutdown of the federal government. While the Department of Labor is funded through September, other agencies like the Department of Commerce are unable to operate.

“We clearly need more data to get a better sense of how things are shaking out across the U.S. economy,” said Josh Wright, chief economist at iCIMS Inc., reacting to the employment report. “Too bad the partial government shutdown will reduce our data flow.”

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The stock market’s best-performing trade has gotten a massive overhaul – here’s what that means for investors and how they should adjust

A VC wanted to bet on a company to upend the $360 billion prescription-drug industry. He couldn’t find one, so he just built his own.

• A judge in Canada said Uber’s arbitration policies are designed to take advantage of drivers, who are powerless against the massive company.
• It’s the latest in a string of court cases around the world brought by drivers unhappy with their status as independent contractors instead of employees.

The court rulings against Uber are stacking up.

As the company races towards an initial public offering this year, a number of outstanding lawsuits by drivers unhappy with their status as independent contractors could weigh on the IPO.

A judge in Ontario’s highest court said in a ruling on Wednesday that Uber has used its (technically) optional arbitration clause, one that forbids drivers from bringing court actions against the company, to “take advantage of its drivers, who are clearly vulnerable to the market strength of Uber.”

The ruling allows the suit, lead by driver David Heller, to proceed in its attempts to certify the group of drivers as a cohesive group and attain the class status of a class action lawsuit.

Under Uber Canada’s terms and conditions, drivers who want to pursue arbitration for any disputes against the company have to do so overseas, in the Netherlands, and pay $14,500 up front to begin the proceedings. Those requirements are “unconscionable” and “invalid” the court said.

Read more: 12,000 Uber drivers say the company is refusing to honor the arbitration clause in its terms and conditions

Michael Wright, the lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case, said he’s never seen anything like Uber’s arbitration requirements in his career.

“This doesn’t make it difficult for people to pursue arbitration,” he said in an interview. “It makes it impossible.”

Uber is reviewing the court’s decision, it said. “We are proud to offer a flexible earning opportunity to tens of thousands of drivers throughout Ontario,” spokesperson Josh McConnell said in an email.

Canada has been a tricky market for Uber, but is also the hearth of one some of its newest- and fastest-growing businesses. In Montreal, where it faced stiff backlash from taxi drivers and operated illegally for some time, its offices were raided by investigators in 2015 after years of tension. But in the largest city of Toronto, it’s quickly staffing up an office to handle things like grocery delivery and more Uber Eats expansion.

Arbitration has been a headache for Uber outside of Canada, too. While its policies for arbitration differ in the US, most notably in that the company must pay an arbiters fee to begin proceedings, drivers there are also prohibited from taking legal action against the company through the courts.

Last month, a group of more than 12,000 drivers filed a lawsuit against the company, saying it has refused to begin their arbitration processes. Even if it were to begin paying the fees on their disputes, working through all of the claims could take up to a decade.

And in Britain, a court in December sided with U.K. drivers in a decision that could give them a type of employment status, and thus be entitled to some benefits like paid vacations or a minimum wage.

“I think the message here is for companies,” Lior Samfiru, another of the plaintiff’s lawyers, told Canada’s Financial Post. “If you’re going to operate in Ontario, if you’re going to operate in Canada, you have to abide by our laws … You have to play by the same rules as everyone else.”

Do you work or drive for Uber? Got a news tip? Contact this reporter at grapier@businessinsider.com

• Some fantastic business books are coming out in early 2019.
• For example, you can learn about the financial crisis or learn how to become a top-notch manager.
• Below, we’ve listed the books we’re most eagerly anticipating.

If your New Year’s resolution was to read more, we’re here to help you out.

The first few months of 2019 have in store some fantastic business books, from an investigation of how incompetent men become leaders, to a guide to making your career dreams a reality, to a biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook. Each one will make you think differently about work, leadership, and success.

Get out your reading glasses – and get excited.

‘The Surprising Science of Meetings’ by Steven G. Rogelberg (Jan. 2)

You know what might be more useful than sitting through an hour-long department meeting? Taking that hour to read a book about why most workplaces are doing meetings all wrong.

Rogelberg is a professor of management at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, as well as a consultant to organizations including IBM and Procter & Gamble. Based on extensive research and reporting, he put together this guide to more effective meetings.

That doesn’t mean eliminating meetings entirely, as some disgruntled employees would have it – instead it might mean holding walking meetings, limiting meeting times to 48 minutes, or instituting periods of silent reading. The book even features an assessment that will diagnose your “meeting quality” – i.e. how much of your day you’re currently wasting in conference rooms with your coworkers.

Find it here »

‘Be Fearless’ by Jean Case (Jan. 8)

Case’s book is a welcome kick-in-the-pants for anyone who feels stuck in their career. The first female chairman of the National Geographic Society, as well as a former executive at AOL, Case has broken down success into five guiding principles: make a big bet, take bold risks, capitalize on failure, look beyond your comfort zone, and prioritize urgency over fear.

The book is packed with examples of legendary innovators, from Henry Ford, to Jeff Bezos, to Jose Andres, to Case herself, and the paths that led them to greatness. Some key lessons based on the stories are testing and validating ideas quickly and taking the long view of your life.

Melinda Gates was one of the early readers impressed by the book, saying, “If you need a dose of courage, I recommend this powerful collection of stories, evidence, and optimism.”

Find it here »

‘The Age of Surveillance Capitalism’ by Shoshana Zuboff (Jan. 15)

The monoliths of today’s business world are the big tech companies, and unlike corporate giants of the past, they know a scary amount about each of us and hold tremendous sway over our lives. And much of the power they hold takes place in spaces that are unregulated by the government.

In “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” Harvard Business School professor Shoshana Zuboff explores the deal that makes it all possible, the agreement to sacrifice privacy for benefits like interacting with friends and shopping online.

Zuboff takes an in-depth at how this system has transformed the economy, politics, and society in general, and where we go from here.

Find it here »

‘The Prosperity Paradox’ by Clayton Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, and Karen Dillon (Jan. 22)

From one of the world’s foremost management thinkers comes a highly thought-provoking and heavily researched book about the keys to successful economic development. Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School and the author of “The Innovator’s Dilemma,” explores how innovation can trigger social and economic change.

Decades ago, Christensen was a missionary in South Korea, a country that he says serves as a prime example of an economic turnaround. In the book, he explains how other nations can experience the same type of progress. It starts with the need for three types of innovation: efficiency, sustaining, and market-creating. It’s also important to target a “nonconsumption” economy, which Toyota did when it produced automobiles for people who couldn’t afford cars made by Ford or Chrysler, for example.

Overall, the book is an impressive and inspiring read that will hopefully shape economic-development practices around the world.

Find it here »

‘Digital Minimalism’ by Cal Newport (Feb. 5)

Newport is a computer-science professor at Georgetown University, and the concept of “digital minimalism” is closely related to that of “deep work,” which he explained in his 2016 book by the same name.

Whereas deep work is about focusing on a complex task without distraction, digital minimalism means decreasing the time you spend online, by choosing a few activities that are meaningful to you and leaving everything else behind. Both, in Newport’s view, are keys to success.

In the book, Newport highlights a variety of people who practice digital minimalism, and offers tips for readers to do the same.

Find it here »

‘Zucked’ by Roger McNamee (Feb. 5)

Roger McNamee was an early investor in Facebook and even mentored its cofounder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Now, with “Zucked,” he’s publishing a book that declares Facebook is ruining the world and has to be stopped.

McNamee denounces Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg for the way they’ve handled crises of the last couple years, including Russian hackers’ attempt to influence elections and reports around a potential lack of transparency around personal data sharing.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, you’ll want to see why one of Facebook’s biggest champions became one of its fiercest critics.

Find it here »

‘Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?’ by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (Feb. 19)

This book grew out of one of the most popular Harvard Business Review articles, published in 2013 with the same title. Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor at University College London and Columbia University as well as the chief talent scientist at Manpower Group, draws on decades of research and real-life examples to illustrate how men who won’t necessarily be effective leaders wind up getting the job.

Readers learn to distinguish between legitimate competence and mere confidence, and find out about a dangerous upside of narcissism: You get better at selling your ideas to others.

Toward the book’s end, Chamorro-Premuzic cautiously posits that women can make more successful leaders than men, partly because they tend to be more self-aware and emotionally intelligent.

Find it here »

‘The Enlightened Capitalists’ by James O’Toole (Feb. 26)

At Business Insider, we’ve been chronicling in our Better Capitalism series the way businesses have lately been considering corporate social responsibility as a necessity.

James O’Toole is the founding director of the University of Southern California’s Neely Center for Ethical Leadership, and in “The Enlightened Capitalists,” he chronicles the ways business leaders have previously tried to align their profits with social good, sometimes to poor results.

With the issue top of mind for Wall Street and Silicon Valley today, O’Toole’s book will be a valuable collection of case studies on what works and what doesn’t.

Find it here »

‘Loonshots’ by Safi Bahcall (Mar. 19)

“Moonshot” is a word popularized by Silicon Valley to express the type of goal a company pursues aggressively, even if it has a minute chance of working, on account of the potential payoff of even a partial success.

In “Loonshots,” physicist and biotech entrepreneur Safi Bahcall analyzes the ways groups will suddenly shift from embracing radical change to resisting it, whether that’s on a corporate project, in politics, or even a traffic jam.

The book has already earned high praise, including from Nobel laureate economist Daniel Kahneman, who said its “convincing analysis” makes it a can’t-miss read.

Find it here »

‘The Making of a Manager’ by Julie Zhou (Mar. 19)

Facebook’s vice president of product design wrote this book based on her own experience becoming a first-time manager (and panicking) at age 25. And according to Ev Williams, Medium CEO and Twitter cofounder, the book’s “practical wisdom” is just as useful for brand-new managers and old hands.

Zhuo is a frequent writer on Medium, where she’s shared her management tips before, like “Having all the answers is not the goal. Motivating the team to find the answers is the goal” and “Sometimes, a great person will not work out on a great team, and that is okay.”

In the book, she addresses topics from job interviews gone awry to the difference between a mediocre manager and a great one. In a Medium post, Zhuo said that part of her motivation for writing this book was adding her perspective as a minority woman to existing management guides, especially since the majority of managers in the US since the 1980s are women.

Find it here »

‘Nine Lies About Work’ by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall (Apr. 2)

Buckingham, the author of “First, Break All the Rules” and “The One Thing You Need to Know,” has become something of a guru when it comes to management and professional development. He’s perhaps best known for his writings on “strengths-based coaching,” or allowing employees to spend most of their time doing what they love and do best.

In this new book, Buckingham and Ashley Goodall, senior vice president of leadership and team development at Cisco, debunk the most dangerous myths about the workplace, like the idea that company culture trumps everything else. The authors write about the “freethinking leader,” who’s able to move past these misconceptions and embrace what makes each person different.

Find it here »

‘Firefighting’ by Ben Bernanke, Timothy F. Geithner, and Henry M. Paulson (Apr. 16)

To mark the tenth anniversary of the financial crisis last year, the top three economic policy leaders who lived through it reflected on their experiences.

Former secretaries of the Treasury Hank Paulson and Tim Geithner, along with former chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke, break down the reasons for the crisis, why they made the decisions they did, and what lessons they believe the world must carry forward from it.

Find it here »

‘Tim Cook’ by Leander Kahney (Apr. 16)

Following up his bestselling biography of Apple’s chief design officer Jony Ive, Cult of Mac.com editor Leander Kahney has now taken on Apple’s CEO Tim Cook.

Kahney is a big fan of Cook, and chronicles the way Cook exceeded consumers’ and shareholders’ expectations of Steve Jobs’ successor, and turned Apple into the world’s first trillion-dollar company.

Find it here »

‘Trillion Dollar Coach’ by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle (Apr. 16)

When Bill Campbell died in 2016, Silicon Valley lost “The Coach,” as he was affectionately known.

Aside from his roles as an influential tech exec, Campbell was revered as the executive coach to Valley legends like Apple’s Steve Jobs and Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

In “Trillion Dollar Coach,” former Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt, Page’s advisor Jonathan Rosenberg, and Google’s director of communications Alan Eagle share lessons they gathered from 80 of Campbell’s students that you’ll want to incorporate into your own work life.

Find it here »

• Apple made its presence felt at CES 2019 with a massive billboard highlighting the iPhone’s privacy features.
• Apple doesn’t attend CES, the world’s biggest tech trade show, as an exhibitor, but many of its Android rivals do.
• The company sees privacy as a major differentiator from its competition.
• The ad was positioned near Las Vegas’ monorail system, whose shuttles are emblazoned with Google ads.

Apple doesn’t officially attend the massive Las Vegas tech show CES, but it’s still making its presence felt at the 2019 edition.

The show kicks off Tuesday, and Apple has taken out a giant outdoor ad on the side of a Marriott hotel in Las Vegas showing the outline of an iPhone and the slogan “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone.” At the bottom of the poster is a URL pointing to Apple’s privacy policies.

This is Apple flipping the bird at its Android rivals, since the ad plays on fears that the Google-operated mobile system leaks people’s data, be that to governments or hackers.

Apple, on the other hand, has sold itself as the phone maker that respects its customers’ privacy. Apple, for example, made a point of fighting the FBI when the agency asked the company to unlock an iPhone used by a gunman in the 2015 San Bernardino, California, shooting.

Read more: This stark chart shows how much Apple stands to lose from Netflix dumping iTunes billing

And when Facebook was in the spotlight for the Cambridge Analytica data scandal last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly angered Mark Zuckerberg by weighing in. “We’re not going to traffic in your personal life,” Cook said in June. “Privacy to us is a human right. It’s a civil liberty.” Cook has also called for digital privacy laws in the US.

The ad happens to be positioned next to Las Vegas’ monorail system, whose shuttles are emblazoned with ads for Google. Here’s a photo showing an ad for Google’s virtual assistant, with the trigger words “Hey Google,” right next to the Apple ad.

There is a perhaps further unintended irony in that Marriott was affected by a major data breach. The hotel chain announced in January that it had been affected by a major hack, and it said on Friday that hackers got hold of 5.25 million passport numbers.

Apple doesn’t attend CES as an exhibitor, meaning it doesn’t make any announcements at the show and doesn’t appear on the show floor. Its employees, however, do show up to observe the competition.

This wouldn’t be the first time the company has mocked its competitors. An ad targeted at Android users beginning in April portrayed the App Store, with its strict vetting processes, as much safer than rival stores like Google Play.

You can read our roundup of everything we’re expecting at CES 2019 here.

• The 2019 Golden Globes took place Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
• INSIDER was on hand for the official after-party where the night’s winners got their statues engraved.
• We mapped out all the best behind-the-scenes moments you want to know.
• Among the highlights were Richard Madden was gleeful, Glenn Close and Patricia Clarkson each got a round of applause from the staff, and Bill Murray sneaked back into the catering area for a sandwich.

Sunday evening’s Golden Globes award ceremony, hosted at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, was a celebratory evening of movies, television, and Hollywood’s biggest stars.

INSIDER was on hand at the official after-party where many of the Golden Globe winners came to get their new statues personally engraved.

Let’s walk through the night together to reflect on the best celebrity moments of the evening you definitely didn’t get to see on camera.

7:51 p.m. My first major celeb sighting of the night occurs when the meme-famous “Fiji water girl” offers me the last bottle of Fiji water on her a tray. I take this as an auspicious sign.

Read more: Melissa McCarthy smuggled 40 ham sandwiches into the Golden Globes to stop any stars getting too hungry

8:04 p.m. Richard Madden, who won best actor in a TV series (drama) comes in the room grinning like a kid on his birthday. His shock and excitement over the win for his role on “Bodyguard” is palpable. He snaps selfies, takes videos on his cell phone of the engraving happening, wipes his forehead with a handkerchief, and stares lovingly at the award when it’s finally handed back to him.

8:17 p.m. As Madden turns to leave, he catches the eye of Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”). Criss holds up his own Golden Globe in acknowledgment. As Criss gets farther down the line, he turns away from the engraving to look at the TV showing Rami Malek’s acceptance speech for best actor in a drama movie. When “Bohemian Rhapsody” is announced as the best picture winner, Criss turns again and slow claps.

8:29 p.m. “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star and best actress winner Rachel Brosnahan watches with fascination as Aldo Padilla, an RGA staff member, uses a cell phone to scan the bottom of her Golden Globe before handing it back to her.

Read more: Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh thanked her parents in Korean and people are loving it

8:31 p.m. I ask Padilla what exactly he’s doing to the awards, and he explains how the statues are microchipped and programmed with a verification system. He scans each award in order to verify it’s real and belongs to the named winner standing in front of him.

8:33 p.m. Jeff Bridges winks at a massive crowd of fans watching him wait for his Golden Globe to be returned to him.

8:44 p.m. Chris Miller pretends to use his Golden Globe award for best animated feature (“Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse”) as a weight and does several bicep curls for the camera. The entire movie team – Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Robert Persichetti Jr., Peter Ramsey, Christina Steinberg and Rodney Rothman – are the most exuberant and joyous group I see all night.

8:47 p.m. Lord is given back his newly engraved award. “Now what?” he asks. “Onto the pawn shop?”

9:00 p.m. Christian Bale and Glenn Close are chatting and smiling as they both wait for their Golden Globes.

9:12 p.m. Glenn is the first star to get a round of applause from the large engraving team as she accepts her finished award and turns to leave.

Read more: The 25 best outfits celebrities wore to the 2019 Golden Globes

9:36 p.m. Bill Murray is suddenly standing next to us, on the wrong side of the barrier. The security guard is conflicted, because she’s not supposed to let anyone up that way.

9:37 p.m. Murray changes direction and instead wanders back towards the catering kitchen, shaking the hand of the server along the way. He resurfaces from the kitchen with a plate of food in hand. He stands off to the side, behind a curtain, to avoid being seen. Of course, I see him.

9:46 p.m. On my way to the bathroom, I pass Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve,” “Harry Potter”) and resist the urge to talk to her about Aunt Petunia.

9:52 p.m. Mahershala Ali puts his arm around Amatus Sami-Karim while they watch his statue get engraved.

Read more: Sandra Oh called out ‘Aloha’ for whitewashing during the Golden Globes and Emma Stone yelled ‘I’m Sorry’ from the audience

9:56 p.m. Brian Currie, ahead of Ali in line, has two awards. When Ali comes to collect his Golden Globe, Padilla double checks with his co-workers that Ali only has the one statue. Ali cracks up, feigning offense at the way he was just almost roasted for only having one Golden Globe instead of two.

9:59 p.m. A man walks up to the barrier in front of me, scanning the area for a server. Seconds later Patricia Clarkson comes up behind him and touches his shoulder, saying “Champagne!” Or maybe she said “No champagne!” because the man soon procures two bottles of Fiji water. After gulping down some water, Clarkson and her ethereal dress train dance around to the loud music blaring.

10:06 p.m. Clarkson’s engraved Golden Globe is returned to her, and she thanks the team profusely. This triggers the second applause of the night from the engraving team, all of whom cannot stop beaming at her.

Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more.

• Read more:
• All the looks celebrities wore to the 2019 Golden Globe Awards
• All of the 2019 Golden Globes winners
• Fiji Water Girl makes a splash on the Golden Globes red carpet

• General Electric‘s aircraft leasing unit is being eyed by the alternative-asset-manager Apollo Global Management, a report said.
• Apollo has met with lenders to secure about $30 billion in financing to purchase GE Capital Aviation Services, which could be worth as much as $40 billion.
• A sale would raise considerable capital for cash-strapped GE, which recently sped up efforts to reduce debt by selling assets.
• Watch General Electric trade live.

General Electric rallied as much as 3.16% to $8.49 a share before Monday’s opening bell following news that Apollo Global Management is eyeing its aircraft-leasing unit.

The New York-based alternative-asset manager has met with lenders to secure about $30 billion in financing to purchase GE Capital Aviation Services, which could be worth as much as $40 billion, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

No deal is imminent and GE may opt to keep the business, which has drawn interest from other potential buyers, Bloomberg’s sources said.

The leasing unit, known as GECAS, is an Irish-American commercial-aviation leasing company and the world’s top plane lessors by the number of aircraft. GECAS owns or services a fleet of nearly 2,000 aircraft, according to the company’s website.

A sale would raise considerable capital for cash-strapped GE. The iconic American industrial company has been questioned by Wall Street about its liquidity. Goldman Sachs said in November that General Electric’s lending arm, GE Capital, has to fill a $20 billion funding gap.

To increase investor confidence, GE’s management has sped up efforts to reduce debt by selling assets. In November, GE announced plans to expedite efforts to sell a $4 billion stake in the oil-field-services provider Baker Hughes. Additionally, its finance arm, GE Capital, sold a $1.5 billion healthcare-equipment finance portfolio to the US lender TIAA Bank.

And last month, General Electric said its digital unit would sell a majority stake in ServiceMax, a software provider, to the technology-focused private-equity firm Silver Lake. GE is also taking steps tospin off its health-care unit to narrow its focus on building jet engines and power equipment.

GE had a tough year in 2018, losing more than half of its value, but entered the new year with a monster rally, up 6.25% so far.

Now read:

• GE slashes its dividend to a penny, says the SEC and the DOJ are investigating its power-business charge
• General Electric’s new CEO should ‘put a floor in the stock,’ RBC says
• General Electric jumps after reportedly filing a confidential IPO for its healthcare unit

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you’ll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchases.

Cooking is an art form that encourages creativity, but it also requires precision and control if you want a meal that is actually fully cooked and tastes good.

Smart kitchen gadgets combine tech with traditional appliances and guide you through the cooking process to help make cooking easier. They also free up your schedule so you’re not spending unnecessary time watching your meal cook – many of the appliances below pair with apps that let you monitor and adjust temperatures, cooking times, and power switches remotely.

Whether you’re a novice who is typically afraid of stepping foot into the kitchen, or a seasoned cook who wants to multitask, the following smart kitchen appliances can help you create the perfect meal.

A meat thermometer

Nutrichef Smart Bluetooth BBQ Grill Thermometer, $32.99, available at Amazon

This smart thermometer has an outdoor wireless range of 200 feet and sends you a notification and alarm when your meat reaches the set temperature. Through the app, you can see real-time temperatures and save cooking presets for your favorite recipes. The thermometer itself has an easy-to-read LCD display.

A cocktail scale

Perfect Drink 2.0 Smart Scale, $19.95, available at Amazon

Become the party’s resident mixologist with this scale that will make you the perfect drink every single time. Explore over 400 recipes, or discover new ones based on the ingredients you already have on hand. To use the scale, pour the ingredients into the glass until you hear a “ding.” If you overpour, the scale will re-calculate the proportions so your drink still tastes delicious. Shake or stir away, and the built-in timer will tell you when you’ve reached the optimal dilution and chill.

A fridge

Samsung Family Hub 4-Door French Door Smart Refrigerator, $3,599.99, available at Best Buy

This fridge is more than a food storage appliance. Set expiration notifications so your food never goes bad, plan a meal based on the available ingredients in your fridge, and see the contents of your fridge from anywhere. You can share photos and synced calendars on the screen, plus control smart home devices like lights, thermostats, and doorbells, and stream music, all through voice commands.

A full-sized blender

Vitamix A3500 Ascent Series Smart Blender, Programmable w/Built-in Wireless Connectivity, $549.46, available at Amazon

Make smoothies, dips, desserts, and soups with this versatile, professional-grade blender. Its motor base can detect the container size, then adjust program settings and blending times accordingly, while the programmable, built-in timer turns the blender off automatically when your custom recipe is done blending. The app features 17 blending programs and more than 500 recipes.

A slow cooker

Crock-Pot Wemo Smart Wifi-Enabled Slow Cooker, 6-Quart, $109.59, available at Amazon

Slow cookers are great for creating meals that are ready once you get home, but it’s disappointing to lift the lid to an overcooked or under-done dish. This smart version of a classic appliance lets you adjust the cooking time and temperature, and shift to warm or turn off the Crock-Pot through a convenient app, so you can still keep an eye on and control the cooking process wherever you are. The Crock-Pot also features three heat settings, cool-touch handles, and built-in cord storage.

Note: Currently only available through third-party sellers

A sous vide

ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide, 1100 Watts, $179, available at Amazon

This light, sleek, and powerful sous vide is less than a foot tall, so it won’t take up too much room in your kitchen drawer. It’s also Alexa-compatible and connects to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The accompanying app is filled with recipes, and has a Visual Doneness feature that shows you exactly how your food will turn out. Reviewers, including Insider Picks’ own Brandt Ranj, rave about its ability to produce restaurant-quality results.

A more user-friendly and affordable sous vide

Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker, 900 Watts, $159, available at Amazon

Anova’s precision cooker is another popular sous vide choice. It’s also Bluetooth-, Wi-Fi-, and Alexa-compatible, though it’s a little clunkier than the Joule. The Anova must be clipped to the pot, but it wins points for having a readable display and a huge library of more than 1,000 recipes.

A personal blender

NutriBullet Balance Bluetooth Enabled Smart Blender, $149.95, available at Amazon

This smart blender and corresponding app help you lead a healthier lifestyle by tracking nutritional information and creating customized grocery lists for you. The set includes a 1200-watt power base with a smart nutrition sensor, two colossal cups, one extractor blade, two flip-top to-go lids, and two lip rings. It’s the power and convenience of the traditional NutriBullet, with an additional layer of tech to address your specific nutritional needs and goals.

A kitchen scale

Drop Scale, $44.99, available at Amazon

Baking relies on ultra-precise measurements, so if you love baking, get this smart scale. It’s easier and faster than using spoons and cups, and can make following even the most complicated recipes less intimidating. It also reduces clean-up time since you can just place all your ingredients in one bowl.