• We mistakenly assume we'll have more time in the near future than we do right now.
• That's one reason why we postpone unenjoyable commitments (and even enjoyable ones).
• But we don't assume we'll have more money in the near future than we do today, leading us to often prioritize money over time.

It happens to me more often than I care to admit. I check my calendar for the following workday and see a call I scheduled weeks ago, when I was busy and overwhelmed and couldn't take on any new assignments.

The only issue? Right now I am also busy and overwhelmed and can't reasonably take on any new assignments. I'd assumed that, by now, things would have slowed down. I was mistaken.

Apparently, and somewhat hearteningly, I'm not the only victim of this delusion. Reading an article in the Harvard Business Review by Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans, I came across the term "future time slack."

It's the belief that you'll have more time in the future than you do in the present. That's why so many of us are inclined to postpone commitments for weeks or months, when we assume we'll have more leeway in our schedules.

Read more: Ask yourself a question from a behavioral economist to make your schedule less stressful

The term "future time slack" was coined by Gal Zauberman and John G. Lynch, Jr. in a 2004 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

In a series of experiments, the researchers demonstrated that people think they'll have more time in the (relatively near) future, but roughly the same amount of money. As the researchers put it, you think you're unusually busy now and will be less busy soon; but you don't assume you're unusually broke today.

Another implication of future time slack, that Whillans points out, is stress. Whillans writes, "We decide to make some sacrifices now with the promise of enjoying more time later. Of course, when the future comes, we don't have more time. We just repeat the same mistake."

You might skip your friend's party to stay late at the office, thinking you'll be freer to spend time with her next month. Then next month rolls around, and the pressure to work is the same. Yet research suggests that people who value time over money tend to be happier, possibly because they work fewer hours and spend more time on activities they enjoy.

There isn't an immediate solution to this problem, except perhaps being aware of your tendency to put off certain commitments until you'll presumably have more time. You won't, and your future self (or at least my future self) will be glad to see an empty calendar.

SEE ALSO: What makes you happy today probably won't make you happy tomorrow, but a simple question can help you figure out what will

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NOW WATCH: Here's why we give better advice to our friends than we give to ourselves

• Republican Sen. Pat Toomey suggested President Trump's new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico does not have any path forward in the new Congress.
• Toomey said there is too much Democratic "resistance" to the plan, despite "concessions" made by the White House.
• Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from NAFTA, which lawmakers have said he has no authority to do.

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Pat Toomey suggested that President Donald Trump's proposed trade agreement with Mexico and Canada to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is essentially dead on arrival in Congress, citing heavy resistance from Democrats who now control the House majority.

In a meeting with reporters in his Capitol Hill office Thursday, Toomey discussed his legislation that would require congressional approval of Section 232 tariffs like those the White House has implemented on steel and aluminum.

Regarding the new USMCA trade deal, Toomey insisted the plan does not have a clear path forward to being ratified by Congress.  

Read more: Republicans and Democrats agree: Trump can't just do what he wants with NAFTA

Toomey noted that he urged the White House to get moving on having Congress approve the USMCA last year, in which Republicans controlled both chambers, by steering parts of the agreement in the direction of free trade policies.

Because many Republicans were hesitant about the deal, Toomey said certain tweaks could have been made to get a Republican Congress on board. 

"Obviously that ship has sailed and now we're in a position where our Democratic colleagues are — I’m not a aware of a single elected Democrat member of Congress who've endorsed this," he said. "Maybe you are but I'm not. I'm aware of many who have panned it."

Despite what Toomey characterized as "a lot of concessions" by the White House and "protectionist provisions that were meant to satisfy the protectionist urges of some of my Democratic colleagues," those changes have not been sufficient to get any Democrats on board.

"So it’s not clear to me what the path forward is," Toomey added. "As I’ve warned the administration, there’s a lot of resistance from Democrats. I don’t see this as a high priority for Speaker Pelosi — maybe I’m mistaken."

Lawmakers are increasingly nervous about Trump's NAFTA threats

Trump has repeatedly threatened to unilaterally withdraw from NAFTA, a move legal experts and members of Congress say he has no such authority to even do.

Toomey himself has criticized the threat, noting that a rapid NAFTA withdrawal "would be extremely disruptive."

"The markets would go haywire," he told INSIDER in December. "I mean supply chains would be very, very disrupted. It'd be very harmful to the economy, to jobs in the United States."

SEE ALSO: Democrats unveiled a new border-security plan that still doesn't include money for Trump's wall but 'everything's on the table'

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NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

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• Video games should not require a spreadsheet to figure out when you can buy them.
• As game publishers have struggled to extract more profits from increasingly expensive video game productions, some have turned to complex "early access" programs.
• EA's upcoming blockbuster debut, "Anthem," is the latest example of this phenomenon. 

At the risk of sounding like Millennial Andy Rooney™, I have to say this: Back when I was growing up, video games were much simpler to buy and play.

You went to a store, picked out a game for your video game console, and bought the game. There were no paid online services you had to buy first (like Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus), and no "early access" options to pay more in order to play the game early. When you got home with your game, you didn't have to wait to download a patch or update the console or install the game. 

It was far simpler, and far more limited.

Glitches in console games never got fixed because there was no way to update them. You couldn't buy games digitally because there was no internet. I get it. There are tradeoffs for the advancements that have been made in video games across the past 30 years.

But one tradeoff that came with zero advancement is the needless complexity of blockbuster video game launches. The question of "When does X come out?" has gotten more complicated than ever.

Take the upcoming "Anthem" from EA, for example — here is an actual chart published on EA's official help channel:

That any game requires a complex chart to explain to players when and how they can actually play the game is absurd.

Let's acknowledge that up front — no game should require players to consult a chart in order to figure out when they can play a game.

But, in doing so, EA illustrates an ongoing issue with modern blockbuster games.

In an effort to diversify and increase profits while facing increasingly high production costs, many blockbuster games come in a variety of different editions. In the case of "Anthem," there's a standard edition for $60 and a "Legion of Dawn" edition which costs $20 more. Pretty simple so far!

Here's where it gets complicated: EA offers several different subscription-based services.

If you pay $5/month or $30/year for EA Access, which is only available on Xbox One, you can start playing "Anthem" on February 15. If you pay $5/month or $30/year for EA's Origin Access Basic plan, which is only available on PC, you also can start playing "Anthem" on February 15.

For everyone else, the game officially launches on February 22.

That applies even if you pre-order the game and pay $80 for the special "Legion of Dawn" version and, more bizarrely, even if you pay for the more expensive tier of EA's Origin Access program. Huh?

And that's before we start talking about the two separate demo weekends. Last weekend was the so-called "VIP" demo weekend, which was only open to people who pre-ordered the game and to people who pay for EA Access or EA Origins. Connection issues and bugs plagued the demo— a supposed bonus for people who, one way or another, paid EA for early access to "Anthem." This coming weekend is the public demo, open to everyone, which makes the "VIP" demo seem like paying for the privilege of bug testing.

It's confusing, and needless and, frankly, makes me less interested in playing the game — whatever game it may be — even though I really enjoyed my time with "Anthem." And I'm not the only one who feels that way.

"This is incredible. I spent 80 euros on the most expensive edition and I can not play a week before. I'm going to cancel the purchase,"one Twitter user responded to the chart EA published. "If you need a spreadsheet to explain all the different versions, it's too many versions,"another said.

It's hard to argue with that sentiment. While it's nice to have a variety of buying options, there's a point at which that variety goes overboard — needing to release a chart for consumers to navigate when they can buy your product seems like a strong indication that we've reached that point with blockbuster games.

SEE ALSO: I spent 72 hours with the first huge game of 2019 — here's what 'Anthem' is like

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NOW WATCH: Apple forever changed the biggest tech event of the year by not showing up

• Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents set up a fake university in Michigan in order to sting hundreds of foreign students who were participating in a "pay to play" scheme that allowed them to remain in the country.
• The now-defunct University of Farmington was not an actual college but an office pretending to function as one, giving hundreds of foreigners who paid thousands of dollars the chance to live and work in the US with student visas, despite not being students at all. 
• Students knew their enrollment in the university was illegal, but they did not know the school was being run by ICE. 

The University of Farmington had no staff, no professors, no curriculum and, more importantly, no classes. 

But it did have hundreds of foreign "students," who may now face deportation given their willingness to participate in a "pay to stay" scheme that allowed them to live and work in the US under the false pretense that they were students. 

The students were all identified in a sting by Immigrations and Customs agents who were secretly running the university in Farmington, Michigan. ICE set up the school in an attempt to crack down on "pay to stay" schemes in which foreigners pay large sums of money to enroll in false universities and receive student visas. 

According to the Detroit News, which first reported on the sting, ICE's fake university led to the arrest of eight student recruiters who were participants of a conspiracy to help at least 600 foreigners to stay in the US illegally by committing visa fraud. The operation first began in 2015, the News reported, but it intensified early into Donald Trump's presidency as the administration urged a stronger crackdown on illegal immigration. 

On Wednesday, the News reported, federal agents detained dozens of University of Farmington students nationally. The students were arrested on immigration violation charges and could face deportation, an ICE spokesman told the News.

The eight recruiters who were arrested are originally from India but currently lived all across the nation, from Florida to California. 

"These suspects aided hundreds of foreign nationals to remain in the United States illegally by helping to portray them as students, which they most certainly were not," Steve Francis, special agent in charge of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations office in Detroit, told the News. 

Read more:Stephen Miller said he 'would be happy if not a single refugee' came to the US, according to ex-Trump aide 

The fake university was part of an operation called "Paper Chase," the News reported. According to federal grand jury indictments unsealed Wednesday, the operation began as a way for Department of Homeland Security agents to identify those in violation of student visas.

At first sight, the University of Farmington looked quite legit. Its professional website — with a .edu address — featured the school's logo, a red-and-blue coat of arms with a Latin slogan that translates to "knowledge and work." The website is no longer up — instead, a notice by ICE says the school has been shut down by immigration agents — but a cached version of it saved by Wayback Machine shows a group of smiling students in class and features details on the school's undergraduate and graduate programs. 

In its "factoids" section, the school's website offers a few details about the university: Undergraduate tuition was $8,500 a year, no courses were taught by teaching assistants, and the school's president spoke four languages. But nowhere in the website is there any profile of the president, not even a name. 

The university also had active social media profiles, including a Facebook page that the News found had events scheduled going into next week. It also had a physical office, albeit not a campus, operated out of the basement of a complex in Farmington. The university, the News reported, was based across the hall from a café. 

According to the indictment, "... the university was being used by foreign citizens as a 'pay to stay' scheme which allowed these individuals to stay in the United States as a result of of foreign citizens falsely asserting that they were enrolled as full-time students in an approved educational program and that they were making normal progress toward completion of the course of study." 

"It’s creative and it’s not entrapment," Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and former federal prosecutor, told the News. "The government can put out the bait, but it’s up to the defendants to fall for it." 

The eight recruiters who were captured helped foreign "students" fraudulently obtain immigration documents from the university and helped them get phony student records, including transcripts, that would make it easier for them to get student visas. The recruiters, the News reported, were not aware that the university was being run by ICE.

The recruiters collectively received $250,000 in cash and kickbacks to find students to attend the university, the News reports. They now face up to five years in prison. 

All students enrolled in Farmington were aware that the program was illegal, but not that it was run by ICE, according to the indictments. Most of them were Indian nationals who belong to the Telugu ethnic group, the Washington Post reports. 

"We are all aware that international students can be a valuable asset to our country, but as this case shows, the well-intended international student visa program can also be exploited and abused,"  US Attorney Matthew Schneider said in a statement Wednesday.

According to the Post, the University claimed to be accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, but it did not appear in an online directory of accredited institutions on the organization’s website. The DHS' list of certified schools where international students can enroll includes the University of Farmington. 

The Farmington case isn't the first time federal agents have used a phony university, according to the News. In 2016, DHS agents used the fake University of Northern New Jersey to charge 21 people with student and work visa fraud.

SEE ALSO: An undocumented woman who worked at one of Trump's golf resorts will be in the audience during his State of the Union address

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NOW WATCH: MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'

• Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are set to play in their ninth Super Bowl together and are going for their sixth win.
• Another Lombardi Trophy would only cement Belichick's place as the greatest coach in NFL history.
• But like most greats, Belichick's career had humble beginnings.

While Bill Belichick has become synonymous with the New England Patriots and their winning ways, he traveled a long road in coaching before landing at his current position, a journey that started as a 22-year-old mailing out letters asking for a coaching job.

Below, we take a look at Belichick's career and how he rose to become one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.

Belichick's father, Steve Belichick, was considered one of the great football scouts of his time, serving as an assistant for 30 years at Vanderbilt, North Carolina, and the Naval Academy. He also wrote a book, "Football Scouting Methods."

SOURCE: Grantland

Belichick considered his father to be his one constant mentor, with his dad allowing him read through the scouting reports at age 9 — if Bill had finished his homework.

SOURCE: Grantland

Belichick played football at Annapolis High School in Maryland (No. 50) and on the Wesleyan University football team in Connecticut as a tight end and center.

TheInsider Picksteam writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Since you don't have all day to scour the web for noteworthy sales and discounts, we rounded up the best bargains for you to shop in one convenient place.

1. Save up to 50% on winter gear and apparel at Columbia

This winter is proving to be extremely harsh, so if you don't already have suitable winter gear, you're going to want to buy some immediately. Columbia, a brand that's always been a top choice for all things outdoors, is having a huge winter sale with up to 50% off. The sale includes parkas, fleeces, hats, insulated boots, snow pants, and more.

Shop the Columbia winter sale now. 

2. Save $50 on the Instant Pot Duo Plus 6-Quart on Amazon

As the internet's favorite kitchen gadget, the Instant Pot Duo Plus is capable of seemingly endless culinary creations. The nine-in-one cooker can be used as a standard slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, warmer, and sautée pan, cake maker, egg cooker, and sterilizer. Its large six-quart design is perfect for feeding families of four to six people — or cooking enough for leftovers. As an Amazon deal of the day, you can save $50 on one.

Instant Pot Duo Plus 6-Quart, $79.99 (Originally $129.95) [You save $49.96]

3. Save up to $500 on custom suits at Indochino

Whether you wear a suit every day during the work week or only on special occasions, you should never settle for an off-the-rack fit. Indochino specializes in made-to-measure men's suits and they're a lot cheaper than going to a traditional menswear tailor. From now until this Sunday, February 2, you can save up to 60% on custom-fitted men's suits by using the promo code "SUPER53" at checkout. The sale brings suits originally priced at $799 down to a much more affordable $299.

Shop the Indochino sale now. 

4. Save $400 on an Arlo Pro Six-Camera Security System

Whether you're a homeowner or a renter, safety and security at home should always be a top priority. While investing in a great security system can be expensive, it is one of the best ways to protect you, your family, and your belongings. The Arlo Pro Six-Camera Security System allows you to create a wireless network of security cameras inside and outside of your home. With 720p video quality with cloud storage, two-way audio, and a 100-decibel siren, it'll secure your home entirely. As a Best Buy deal of the day, you can save $400 on the system.

Arlo Pro Six-Camera Indoor/Outdoor Security System, $549.99 (Originally $949.99) [You save $400]

5. Save $20 on the OnePlus 6T smartphone and more

This Valentine's Day, OnePlus is offering deals on its latest smartphone, the 6T, and many of its accessories. Some of the deals include saving $20 on the OnePlus 6T when you purchase the OnePlus Bullet earphones and bumper case, and saving 10% when you buy two pairs of One Plus Bullet earphones. Both bundles are eligible for free shipping.

Shop all OnePlus deals now.

6. Save 25% on full-price styles at J.Crew

Buying new arrivals usually means paying full price, but not at J.Crew. Right now, the brand is having a two-day flash sale with 25% off full-price styles. Until February 1, you can use the promo code "SHOPTOIT" at checkout save. Whether you're already putting together your spring wardrobe or you want the latest winter styles, this is the sale for you.

Shop the J.Crew sale now.

7. Save 30% sitewide at EyeBuyDirect

Direct-to-consumer eyewear startup EyeBuyDirect makes buying prescription glasses online super easy and affordable. The brand has over 1,200 frames for as low as $6 each, but that's not where the savings end. For a limited time, you can save 30% sitewide including on lenses by using the promo code "SUPER30" at checkout. 

Shop the EyeBuyDirect sale now. 

8. Save up to $200 on a Bear Mattress and get a free pillow

While many new mattress companies have popped up online recently, Bear Mattress has stuck out to us from the bunch. It uses a combination of five different layers of foam for cooling comfort and support. The mattresses also feature a Celliant mattress cover designed for converting body heat into infrared light, a type of energy proven to help regenerate cells in the body. For a limited time, you can save $125 on orders over $500 with the promo code "NAP125" and $200 on orders over $1,200 with promo code "NAP200" at checkout. Plus, you'll get a free pillow with a mattress purchase.

Shop the Bear Mattress winter sale now.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Life insurance is fundamentally hard to sell; it’s morbid to think about, promises no immediate rewards, and often requires a lengthy paper application with minimal guidance.
• Despite the popularity of personalized products in other areas of finance and fintech, life insurance largely remains unchanged.
• A small, but growing pocket of insurtech startups are shaking up the status quo by finding ways to digitize life insurance and increase its appeal.

Life insurance is a fundamentally difficult product to sell; it requires people to think about their deaths without promising any immediate returns.

And, despite tech innovations and the development of personalized services in other areas of finance, life insurance remains largely unchanged.

Luckily, there is a small but growing pocket of insurtech startups looking to modernize it. These companies are finding ways to digitize life insurance to  appeal to consumers — and they’re giving incumbents the opportunity to revamp traditional offerings, either by partnering with them or using their technology.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has forecasted the shifting landscape of life insurance in the The Future of Life Insurance report. Here are the key problems insurtechs are tackling:

• Lack of education: Forty percent of US consumers told the Life Insurance and Market Research Association (LIMRA) that they feel intimidated by the life insurance application process, often drastically overestimating its cost and facing uncertainty about how much or which type of coverage to buy.
• Inconvenient application process: It can take weeks or months for coverage to take effect because of the sheer number of meetings and parties combing through paperwork in each round of the application process. The risk for the insurer often warrants reviews from the carrier, a team of underwriters, a broker, and even a medical examiner.
• Low customer loyalty: Life insurance tends to be a “set it and forget it” type of purchase, with very few people revisiting it after buying. Insurers and consumers therefore have limited contact for most of the relationship — with the exception of an annual bill, of course.
• Inefficient data management and processing: The aggregate data life insurers rely on is typically fed into algorithms that make broad assumptions about particular populations, and often incorporate outdated medical documentation — all of which can delay applications and result in unnecessary rejections.

Want to learn more?

The need for modernization in life insurance is clear: Overall sales are slowing and policy ownership is hitting record lows. And because it’s such a tightly-regulated space, innovation from incumbents has stagnated — but they’re not helpless. Consumer-focused and insurer-focused startups have emerged to offer new technologies and process improvements.

The Future of Life Insurance report from Business Insider Intelligence looks at the two main strategies life insurtechs are adopting to drive change in this market, for the benefit of both buyers and sellers. In full, the report discusses best practices incumbents and startups should adopt to steer clear of the risks attached to applying emerging technologies to such a tightly regulated product.

Insurtech startups will soon set new industry standards and consumer expectations around this complex product. That, in turn will serve as a catalyst for innovation among legacy players.

Companies included in this report: Ladder, Haven Life, Getsurance, Tomorrow, Fabric, Atidot, AllLife, Royal London, Polly, Life.io, Legal & General, Vitality, Discovery, John Hancock, Dai-ichi Life.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Intel's new CEO Bob Swan will receive a base salary of $1.25 million, and he could also receive a cash bonus of up to $3.4 million.
• On top of that, he will receive millions in equity awards and Intel shares, as well as personal security services and private aircraft privileges.
• Swan will also be paid out $2.7 million for his time spent serving as interim CEO since June.

After a long search, Intel announced on Thursday that Bob Swan will be the chipmaker's new CEO — and it plans to pay him as much as $4.68 million in cash this year, not counting the stock grants for which he's eligible.

Swan, who previously served as the company's CFO, stepped into the role of interim CEO in June following the departure of former chief exec Brian Krzanich. Now that the position is permanent, Swan will get a base salary of $1.25 million, and is eligible for a cash bonus of as much as $3.4 million, according to Intel filings. 

Read more:Intel's CEO search is over — Bob Swan is now the company's permanent chief executive

That doesn't count the stock that Intel will give him, either. In 2019, Swan is eligible to recieve stock grants valued at $15.5 million, with 80% of them tied to the company's performance, and the remainder coming to him over time. He's also eligible for another $13 million worth of stock units, which will vest on his second and third anniversaries of stepping into the CEO role. 

Swan is further eligible for another 450,000 Intel shares, with that payout tied to the company's share price hitting certain milestones. Under that plan, Swan is actually eligible for earning 900,000 Intel shares, if the company's stock hits the highest level.

Swan is also being given the option to purchase 1.8 million Intel shares, though they'll only vest if the company's stock is up 30% from where it is today, and holds that level for 30 consecutive trading days. 

On top of all of that, Swan will receive personal security services and is allowed to use a company private aircraft for up to a maximum cost of $200,000 per year.

As for Swan's time serving as interim CEO, he will be paid out $2.7 million — this includes a cash bonus of $1.5 million and equity awards worth $1.2 million.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: We compared Apple's $159 AirPods to Xiaomi's $30 AirDots and the winner was clear

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 purchase.

Your Valentine is one-of-a-kind, so they deserve more than just a run of the mill gift. Celebrate your partner, parent, or sibling this February 14 with a gift that's as unique as they are. Etsy's online marketplace is interesting vintage and handmade finds, making it the perfect spot to shop for that special someone. 

We checked out the site and found 30 items your Valentine — whether a spouse, partner, family member or friend — will love.

Keep reading for 30 unique Valentine's Day gifts you can find on Etsy:

The cutest custom pillows of the most important thing in their life

Custom Pet Pillows, set of two, $88

A personalized map of their favorite place in the world

Mapologist City Map Print, from $27

A sweet treat on a spoon that reveals a surprise message when the chocolate melts

The Cutlery Commission Personalized Chocolate Spoon, $49

• Tom Brady is one of the best players in NFL history.
• At 41 years old, Brady led the New England Patriots to his NFL record ninth Super Bowl appearance, and with a win, he has a chance to become the only player in NFL history to earn six Super Bowl rings.
• Although Brady is one of the best-known players in the NFL, there are plenty of surprising facts about him that most casual fans just don't know.
• Check out 20 things you probably didn't know about Tom Brady below and read all of INSIDER's Super Bowl LIII coverage here.

1. Brady spent two years as a backup at the University of Michigan

Brady arrived in Ann Arbor as the seventh-string quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines. He spent two years backing up future NFL quarterback Brian Griese before winning the battle against Drew Henson to start under center during his junior season. Even after two successful years, Brady wasn't sure he would make it to the NFL, so he made a resumé as a backup plan.

Read more: Tom Brady was once an intern at Merrill Lynch — Here's his résumé from when he didn't think he'd make it in the NFL

2. He was famously taken with the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft

That's right. 198 players were selected in that year's draft class — including six other quarterbacks — before the New England Patriots took Brady in the 6th round. It's safe to say it was the sleeper pick of the century.

Read more: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The first-round picks from Tom Brady's infamous 2000 NFL Draft

3. He has more Super Bowl appearances than any other player in NFL history

Super Bowl LIII marks Tom Brady's ninth career Super Bowl appearance, three more than any other player in NFL history. With a win on Sunday, Brady can break his tie with pass rusher Charles Haley to win his NFL record sixth Super Bowl ring.

Read more: The NFL quarterbacks who have played in and won the most Super Bowls

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

The voice app ecosystem is booming. In the US, the number of Alexa skills alone surpassed 25,000 in January 2018, up from just 7,000 the previous January, in categories ranging from music streaming services, to games, to connected home tools.

As voice platforms continue to gain footing in homes via smart speakers — connected devices powered primarily by artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled voice assistants — the opportunity for voice apps is becoming more profound. However, as observed with the rise of mobile apps in the late 2000s, any new digital ecosystem will face significant growing pains, and voice apps are no exception. Thanks to the visual-free format of voice apps, discoverability, monetization, and retention are proving particularly problematic in this nascent space. This is creating a problem in the voice assistant market that could hinder greater uptake if not addressed.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, explores the two major viable voice app stores. It identifies the three big issues voice apps are facing — discoverability, monetization, and retention — and presents possible short-term solutions ahead of industry-wide fixes.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• The market for smart speakers and voice platforms is expanding rapidly. The installed base of smart speakers and the volume of voice apps that can be accessed on them each saw significant gains in 2017. But the new format and the emerging voice ecosystems that are making their way into smart speaker-equipped homes is so far failing to align with consumer needs. 
• Voice app development is a virtuous cycle with several broken components. The addressable consumer market is expanding, which is prompting more brands and developers to developer voice apps, but the ability to monetize and iterate those voice apps is limited, which could inhibit voice app growth. 
• Monetization is only one broken component of the voice app ecosystem. Discoverability and user retention are equally problematic for voice app development. 
• While the two major voice app ecosystems — Amazon's and Google's — have some Band-Aid solutions and workarounds, their options for improving monetization, discoverability, and retention for voice apps are currently limited.
• There are some strategies that developers and brands can employ in the near term ahead of more robust tools and solutions.

In full, the report:

• Sizes the current voice app ecosystem. 
• Outlines the most pressing problems in voice app development and evolution in the space by examining the three most damning shortcoming: monetization, discoverability, and retention. 
• Discusses the solutions being offered up by today's biggest voice platforms. 
• Presents workaround solutions and alternative approaches that could catalyze development and evolution ahead of wider industry-wide fixes from the platforms.

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• The device pictured above is supposedly a render of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10 Plus designated for the press.
• If accurate, the render gives away a few details of the Galaxy S10 Plus before Samsung's big Unpacked event on February 20, where the company is expected to announce its new Galaxy S smartphones.
• The render was obtained by tech site 91Mobiles.

Here it is, supposedly: Samsung's Galaxy S10 Plus. 

The image above is apparently a render by Samsung designed for the press that was obtained by tech site 91Mobiles.

If accurate, the render doesn't add to the long list of rumors surrounding Samsung's Galaxy S10 Plus. If anything, it reinforces some of the existing rumors, like ultra-narrow bezels, an oval punch-hole for the selfie camera on the top right, two selfie cameras, three rear cameras, and Samsung's switch to an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Indeed, there's no visible fingerprint sensor on the front or back of the device pictured above, suggesting again that the Galaxy S10 Plus — at least — has an in-display fingerprint sensor. Specifically, rumors are claiming that Samsung is using ultrasonic technology for its in-display fingerprint sensor, which is supposedly better than the optical technology used in the OnePlus 6T.

Read more: Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10 smartphone could introduce a completely new design with new features — here are 11 rumors about what to expect

It isn't clear, exactly, what the extra lenses on the Galaxy S10 Plus will do. If recent phones that have three rear lenses, like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and LG V40, are anything to go by, we can probably expect a regular lens, a zoom lens, and an ultra-wide-angle lens. 

As for the two selfie cameras, we can also deduce from phones with similar selfie camera setups, like the Pixel 3, where the second selfie lens is an ultra-wide-angle camera.

Whether the leaked render is real or not, we'll have to wait to get the confirmed details from Samsung itself. Samsung will host its Unpacked event on February 20, where we're expecting it to unveil its latest Galaxy S smartphones.

SEE ALSO: With just a month before Samsung unveils its new smartphones, the rumor spotlight is on an ultra-powerful and feature-packed 'Galaxy S10 X' 5G model

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• The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday, as expected.
• But its language on future monetary policy was more dovish than market watchers had anticipated.
• Expectations for hikes this year have fallen, and some are even predicting a rate cut in 2020.

The Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate steady at a target range of between 2.25% and 2.5% on Wednesday and signaled that the end of hikes could be in sight. Also announcing plans to adjust the pace of balance-sheet reduction, the meeting was received as more dovish than expected. 

Stocks rallied following the announcement, with the major US indexes ending between 1% and 2% higher. Treasury yields were lower, meanwhile, and the dollar fell against a basket of peers.

Here's what Wall Street is saying about the meeting.

Initial reactions

"Investors wanted to see this, as the Fed came off surprisingly hawkish at the last meeting. … It was a nice change to see markets finally bounce after the Fed made a decision versus having a knee jerk selloff."-Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist at LPL Financial

"When you consider how strong the economy is it's a pretty bold move to see all mentions of increasing rates wiped off the map. To be sure we're seeing signs of slower growth but that should be par for the course given where many think we are in the business cycle. That being said, we're not seeing inflation tip the scales in favor of more hikes."-Mike Loewengart, vice president of investment strategy at E-trade

On the next rate adjustment

"Our baseline forecast calls for one interest-rate increase later this year, likely in September. We'd stress that there's a lot of dispersion around this projection--the Fed could cut rates if conditions continue to deteriorate, or it could raise rates up to three times this year if financial markets, the global economy and inflation all move higher in short order." -Paul Eitelman, strategist at Russell Investments

"With financial conditions easing over recent weeks and the economic data still solid, we still on balance expect one more rate hike from the Fed, either at the April/May or June meeting.We would place far more emphasis on our forecast for a sharp slowdown in economic growth further ahead, which we expect will force the Fed to cut rates by 75 basis points in 2020." -Michael Pearce, senior US economist at Capital Economics

"The FOMC still thinks the economy is strong. This statement is intended to convey that strength but to ensure that markets realize that the FOMC will not be tightening monetary policy in a vacuum. We still see a hike as the most likely next policy move, and in our forecast that happens in September. However, the Fed is being as explicit as possible that it is in no hurry to raise rates anytime soon." -Seth Carpenter, economist at UBS

On the balance sheet

"The Fed had separated, two statements, one on their policy decision, the other on the balance sheet. The purpose is so that we in the market do not conflate the two. These are different decisions and tools. Setting the interest rate remains the Fed's primary policy tool. A distant second is the balance sheet."-Jim Caron, managing director of global fixed income at Morgan Stanley

"The market received the update they had been seeking with regards to the Fed's balance sheet and as the Committee said it is prepared to make adjustments. Overall, this was a positive message from the Fed as the ability to be nimble and make changes to monetary policy during periods of high uncertainty are extremely important."-Charlie Ripley, Allianz Investment Management

"In and of itself, the text of the Fed's balance sheet statement wasn’t markedly different from public comments made over the past month by Chair Powell himself and several of his deputies, but it was seen as an admission that the end of the balance sheet runoff is closer than some FOMC participants thought last year."-Ellen Zentner, economist at Morgan Stanley

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 purchase.

• Electric scooters provide a fun, quick, economical, and environment-friendly way to get around town.
• The Glion Dolly Foldable Lightweight Adult Electric Scooteris our top pick because it has a smooth, powerful ride and a convenient fold-up-and-roll-it design.

I used to try my kids' kick scooters and wondered if I could use one to get around. Enter the electric scooter. Electric scooters are convenient for running errands and commuting short distances. Although I haven't given up my car yet, I can't ignore scooters' advantages.

First, electric scooter ownership is definitely less expensive than automobile ownership. Because they are battery operated, electric scooters do not require trips to the gas station for costly fill-ups and have zero emissions to boot.

Also, you won't need to worry about finding or paying for a parking spot. Scooters are a small enough to park almost anywhere and most fold up for easy portability and storage. Finally, you can enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and wind (well, breeze) while coasting around on your electric scooter.

Before taking your scooter for a spin, don't forget to don protective gear like a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. The US Consumer Products Safety Commission strongly recommends an appropriate helmet, especially if you're cruising along at 15 miles per hour or faster.

Also, check local laws regarding the use of electric scooters. In reaction to the invasion of fleets of electric scooter rentals, some cities have banned them, while others allow them. They are a boon to some people for personal transportation but a bane to other people dodging ones scattered around or avoiding them zooming in and out of traffic.

But if you ride responsibly and safely, you'll reap the rewards of an electric scooter. We read over ratings and reviews by many scooter aficionados and owners in order to present the best ones for different purposes.

Here are the best electric scooters you can buy:

• Best electric scooter overall: Glion Dolly Foldable Lightweight Adult Electric Scooter
• Best budget electric scooter: Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter
• Best electric scooter for commuting while sitting: Razor EcoSmart Metro Electric Scooter
• Best for electric scooter commuting while standing: GOTRAX GXL Commuting Electric Scooter
• Best electric scooter for kids: Razor E100 Electric Scooter

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best electric scooter overall

Why you'll love it: Solid and durable, the Glion Dolly Adult Electric Scooter rides extremely well and folds up into a handy rolling unit for easy portability when not in use.

Appealing to students, commuters, and even riders age 60 and above, the Glion Dolly Electric Scooter earns great reviews. With eight-inch-wide never-flat tires, its ride is as smooth as silk with a maximum rider weight up to 255 pounds.

Topping out at 15 miles per hour, this electric scooter has versatile speeds and goes "as slow as a granny walking and as fast as a bicycle" as described by a user on Amazon, where it earned four-and-a-half out of five stars.

In fact, Amazon users attest to its good lithium-ion battery life that offers plenty of juice to power a 15-mile range. A couple of riders over 200 pounds climb hills on this model daily with little problem.

With a short charge time of three-and-a-half hours, the Glion Electric Scooter is perfect for scooting to campus or the office, recharging during the class or workday if necessary, and riding back home. And each way, you'll enjoy a quiet ride with its 250-watt engine that purrs.

The Glion Electric Scooter uses anti-lock electromagneticregenerative brakes that are steady for some but jerky and a little slow for others.

Rated best overall scooter by Lifewire and one of the top models by Ride Two Wheels, The City for Millennials, and ThrillAppeal, the Glion Dolly Foldable Lightweight Adult Electric Scooterhas a sleek design that folds up and rolls like stand-up luggage with a pull-handle dolly. Finally, customers praise the manufacturer's customer service highly.

Pros: A great investment that durable, powerful, smooth, and conveniently portable

Cons: No speedometer or odometer

Buy the Glion Dolly Foldable Lightweight Adult Electric Scooter on Amazon for $499 (originally $749)

The best budget electric scooter

Why you'll love it: A great starter model for newcomers to electric scooters, the Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter delivers power for a low price.

When most people think of kick scooters for kids, they think of the Razor brand. Don’t count it out in the electric scooter game, either. The Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter is a zippy and economical model. With a top speed of 10 miles per hour and a maximumride time of up to 70 minutes, this fun and sturdy scooter is an excellent deal.

The Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter is a wallet-friendly way for novices to dip their toes in the electric scooter transportation pool. Reviewers describe it as easy to assemble, ride, and maintain.

In fact, Best Reviews named this model "Best Bang for Buck,"Lifewire chose it as "Best Budget" scooter, and EnvyRide selected it as one its top five "budget friendly" models.

You might not expect much power from a budget model, but the Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter defies expectations. With a surprisingly long life per charge, the scooter’s battery allows for up to 70 minutes of continuous use. A lot of reviewers say they simply charge the lead battery overnight.

You kick-start the scooter to get it going, and then the in-wheel hub motor takes over. It also has a push-button throttle and hand brakes.

Most feedback from Amazon shoppers was from parents and grandparents about experiences of their kids and grandkids (ranging in age from five to 10 years). Nonetheless, many adults tried the scooter and loved it.

In fact, despite the scooter’s advertised maximum rider weight of 120 pounds, several grownups over 150 pounds found it quite peppy and rideable. We gathered from comments, however, that theRazor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter is best for kids or lighter, shorter adult riders.

About 72% of the almost 400 Amazon buyers gave the Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter four or five out of five stars. This scooter is a great deal but many wish for a warranty longer than 90 days.

Pros: Zippy and economical with long battery life

Con: Small and more suited for kids or petite adults

Buy the Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter on Amazon for $119.99 (originally $129.99)

Buy the Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter at Walmart for $119.99

Buy the Razor Power Core E90 Electric Scooter on Jet for $119.99

The best electric scooter for commuting while sitting

Why you'll love it: Have a seat and commute in comfort and style on the Razor EcoSmart Metro Electric Scooter.

Perfect for commuters and riders ranging from young adults to senior citizens, theRazor EcoSmart Metro Electric Scooter is designed for stability, convenience, and good looks.

Its solid bamboo deck and padded adjustable-height seat help you balance and rest your feet while traveling. A large detachable rear basket holds items for safe, accessible transport on errands. ThrillAppeal notes how this model sports a "vintage bike vibe" with its 16-inch pneumatic tube tires on spoke wheels.

Excellent for commuting, the Razor EcoSmart Metro Electric Scooter tops out at 18 miles per hour and has a ride time up to 40 minutes. Amazon shoppers report riding distances of seven to eight miles on hilly terrain and up to 12 miles on level roads on a full battery after charging it for 12 hours or overnight. With a 36-volt lead battery and a 500-watt motor, this model carries up to 220 pounds, including the rider and cargo in basket.

The Razor EcoSmart Metro Electric Scooter has a hand-operated rear disc brake that works fine on level ground but can get hot. Many riders wish this model had a front brake as well.

Voted "Best Speed" by Lifewire, "Most Fun Commuting Scooter" by ThrillAppeal, "Ideal For Short Trips" by Transportation Evolved, and one of the top seven scooters for adults by Ride Two Wheels, this model earned four or five stars from 78% of almost 300 Amazon reviewers.

Pros: A good value, perfect for commutes and short trips, convenient rear cargo basket

Cons: Single rear disc brake gets hot and is less effective without front brake

Buy the Razor EcoSmart Metro Electric Scooter at Walmart for $419.99

Buy the Razor EcoSmart Metro Electric Scooter on Jet for $403.99

This is a preview of the Influencer Marketing (2018) research report from Business Insider Intelligence. To learn more about the top platforms, as well as strategies for social media influencer marketing, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

The concept of a brand hiring a popular personality to promote a product or service isn't new, and brands know that celebrity endorsements can sell products. In the age of social media, however, brands are finding new ways to leverage popular figures as brand ambassadors, and these people aren't necessarily famous actors, singers, or athletes.

How brands are leveraging social media influencer marketing

While brands certainly continue to tap celebrities for endorsement deals, they’re also starting to enlist social media personalities, broadly known as “influencers,” for advertising campaigns. Social influencers generally focus on specific content areas — like fashion, beauty, parenting, or gaming — and cater their content to a specific vertical.

A new report from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, identifies the ways brands can find and manage relationships with social media influencers. It notes the most engaging industry verticals, the pitfalls to avoid, and the opportunities to cash-in on. Finally, it explores how major social platforms are increasingly building out tools that enable their most popular users to build their personal brands.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Influencer marketing ad spend is poised to reach between $5 billion and $10 billion in 2022. Taking the midpoint of $7.5 billion as a base case, this represents a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38%.
• Brands need to fine-balance providing influencers with enough creative freedom, while also ensuring the messaging positively reflects the brand. Nearly 40% of influencers believe that overly restrictive content guidelines are one of the biggest mistakes brands and agencies make when working with them. 
• Influencers tend to have higher user engagement than content generated by brands. The average influencer engagement rate across industry verticals is 5.7%. As a comparison, the average engagement rate for brands on Instagram has fluctuated between 2-3% in the past year. 
• Authenticity is key for influencer marketing messaging. Brands should give influencers sufficient creative freedom to keep posts authentic, as it makes posts less likely to be dismissed by users. Other best practices include repurposing influencer content for multiple platforms, evaluating the audience and following of an influencer, and leveraging data to optimize future campaigns. 

 In full, the report:

• Outlines recent steps the top social platforms are taking for influencer posts.
• Details the best practices brands should adopt when starting out with influencer marketing. 
• Discusses the top verticals that are poised to benefit the most from influencer marketing, and which ones are growing. 
• Highlights the factors that will be critical for compliance with social platforms and the FTC.

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• Airbnb recently announced its most-liked Instagram photos of 2018.
• The photos depict 10 Airbnb homes around the world, four of which are located in Italy.
• Each location offers stunning nature views, and many of the homes are situated next to bodies of water.
• We've rounded up 17 photos of the destinations that will make you want to stay there on your next vacation.

Airbnb is starting off the new year with some travel inspiration.

In a blog post on its website, the lodging site has released a list of its most-liked homes on Instagram in 2018. The list depicts Airbnb homes across the world, spanning from New Zealand to California. The most popular destination on the list is Italy, with four of the site's most popular homes dotted across the nation.

While each home has something unique to offer, the 10 locations share one thing in common: breathtaking views of nature. Here are 17 photos that will make you daydream about booking a vacation.

10. The "Triangle Siargao" in the Philippines has remained a popular destination since 2017.

Located on Siargao Island, this Airbnb home is ideal for two guests. It's described as "an A-frame house lost in the jungle" in its listing, and offers views of lush greenery.

Dog lovers would also enjoy staying there.

The site is home to two dogs, named Blue and Mellow, who are said to greet visitors once they arrive.

Find out more about this home on Airbnb.

9. An "Exclusive Villa with Private Dock" was one of four Italian Airbnb homes to make the list.

This home is located right along the water in Piano di Sorrento, Italy. Travelers who stay there can take a dip in a saltwater pool amid views of the surrounding mountains.

• Aurora Cannabis, the Canadian cannabis producer, outpaced Apple as the favorite stock on Robinhood, a free-trading app popular among millennial traders.
• Aurora went public on the New York Stock Exchange in October.
• The company recently told Business Insider it will unveil a plan to produce hemp-derived CBD for the US market in the next few months.
• Watch Aurora Cannabis trade live.

Canadian cannabis producer Aurora Cannabis is more owned than Apple on Robinhood, a free-trading app popular among millennial traders, highlight the green rush by younger investors. 

According to Markets Insider's track of the data, Aurora Cannabis is now held by 247,517 Robinhood users, up more than 20,000 from last week. The marijuana stock outranked all the others on the app, including Apple, which had maintained its top-ranking position since the week of November 8. The smartphone giant's stock now ranks second in terms of Robinhood ownership, at 237,050 shareholders.

Aurora has just recently caught the attention of millennials. In September 2018, Bloomberg reported that Coca-Cola was in discussions with Aurora to develop beverages infused with CBD, one of the nonpsychoactive compounds found in cannabis, immediately sending Aurora shares up 15%. At that time, Aurora was trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada.

Then in October, in the wake of the official legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada, Aurora went public on the New York Stock Exchange. At the time, Aurora was ranked 22nd on Robinhood, with 74,281 shareholders. 

Aurora has since stepped up expanding its reach in the US market, where the regulatory environment has become more favorable for marijuana producers. 

On January 14, less than one month after the passage of the Farm Bill, which legalized hemp, a source of the popular ingredient cannabidiol, Aurora told Business Insider it will unveil a plan to produce hemp-derived CBD for the US market in the next few months

 Aurora Cannabis was up 37% so far this year.

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