• Apple's new credit card, the Apple Card, launched in August.
• The Apple Card builds on Apple's existing credit card integrations in the iPhone, like Apple Pay.
• You can apply for the card right now through your iPhone, and setting it up is simple. Apple released a series of videos walking through how it works, which we've embedded below.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple's first-ever credit card, the Apple Card, is available as of this month. 

As you might expect, you need to be an iPhone user to apply for the card. But there's good news, too: Signing up for the card and using it is made far easier specifically because of the iPhone.

If you've got one or are thinking about getting one, you'll want to take a look at the series of videos that Apple released about its new card — check them all out below:

SEE ALSO: The minimalist, titanium Apple Card is perfectly positioned as a status symbol geared toward millennials

Interested in getting an Apple Card? Here's how to apply:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/rVFUocmDNVM
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

How to activate your Apple Card:

If you have an iPhone XS/XR:

If you have an iPhone X or earlier:

How to make offline purchases:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/LwN3hDMcCNU
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

How to make online purchases:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/ac5QtgPLOHw
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

How to find your card number:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/KGuaR0USvbE
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

How to see your "Daily Cash"— Apple Card's version of cash back:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/TpBj7TA1_CM
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

How to make payments:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/RHR9-YTWNP0
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

How to see how much you're spending:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/H3KWSmj9JN4
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

How to use Apple Card customer support:

Youtube Embed:
//www.youtube.com/embed/Qf95qO3av1M
Width: 800px
Height: 450px

• Alexandra Darch and Dylan Smith met while working at Publix in Lakeland, Florida.
• When their engagement photoshoot location got rained out, they took romantic photos at the grocery store.
• Photographer Jennifer Goodlet captured affectionate moments in various aisles throughout the store.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

Alexandra Darch and Dylan Smith's outdoor engagement photoshoot plans were foiled by the rainy Florida summer. But their photographer, Jennifer Goodlet, had an even better idea.

Darch and Smith met three years ago while working at a Publix supermarket in Lakeland. Why not take photos where it all began?

Read more: I went shopping at Publix and saw why Southerners love it so much

Goodlet captured snapshots of the happy couple in different areas of the store, including the freezer section.

They also incorporated some of the items on the shelves.

Darch told INSIDER that she couldn't have been happier with how the photos turned out.

"I wouldn't change a thing," she said. "The session was so much fun and Jennifer did such a wonderful job of posing us and bringing out our genuine selves in all the pictures."

• Read more:
• This couple took engagement pictures at Target and their romantic photos are going viral
• A couple took wedding photos at Costco in the aisle where they met, and the superstore has never looked more romantic
• A Michigan deer infamous for sneaky photobombs crashed a couple's engagement photoshoot — again
• THEN AND NOW: 12 high school sweethearts compare prom and wedding photos and share their secrets to making a relationship last

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack and Flickr, says 2 beliefs have brought him the greatest success in life

• Nothing ruins what should be a productive workday or relaxing weekend morning like a head-splitting hangover. 
• With HangOn hangover prevention tablets ($20/10-pack), I get to enjoy my night out and wake up with a clear head. 
• The portable, chewable citrus tablets contain antioxidants and amino acids to support liver function, enhance electrolyte absorption, and help your body metabolize and flush out toxins. 
• They're not an excuse to drink irresponsibly, but they give me the peace of mind that I won't feel terrible the morning after a fun happy hour or social event. 

The morning-after-happy-hour hangover: It's an adulthood rite of passage that creeps up on you and takes you by surprise. Once upon a time, you were able to have a spontaneous night out, crawl into bed past midnight, and wake up feeling fine. Now you have two beers or glasses of wine and stomp grumpily into the office the next day with a nasty headache. 

There are a variety of ways you can avoid this reality, from making sure you drink enough water to going to sleep early, but these methods aren't always guaranteed to work. One hangover prevention solution that I've tried and has consistently worked is HangOn chewable tablets. 

The HangOn tablet 

The idea for a convenient, effective way to prevent hangovers was conceived by two attorneys who were living and working in South Korea, where the work culture tends to involve heavy drinking. They found many of the hangover prevention drinks available in convenience stores there contained dihydromyricetin (DHM), an extract from the Japanese raisin tree that supports alcohol tolerance. 

Drinking alcohol suppresses glutamate, a neurotransmitter in the brain. In an attempt to balance out this suppression, your brain produces excess glutamate, which is what leads to headaches and a poor night's sleep. DHM works by limiting that initial suppression of glutamate. So they wanted to figure out how to package DHM, along with other antioxidants and amino acids, into a discreet, portable, and shareable product. 

Ultimately, they came up with HangOn, a chewable tablet that tastes like citrus and contains a variety of powerful ingredients to ensure the drinks of tonight don't become the regrets of tomorrow. Here are some of the ingredients in HangOn and what each one does: 

• Dihydromyricetin (DHM): Helps body metabolize and flush out toxins
• L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine: Enhances electrolyte absorption
• N-Acetylcysteine: Promotes liver detoxification
• L-Theanine: Reduces histamine release and can improve sleep
• Milk thistle: Supports liver function

How to take HangOn

The tablets come in a pack that resembles that of chewing gum. There are 10 tablets in each pack ($20).

The company recommends taking two tablets at least 30 minutes before you have your first drink. These two tablets should cover up to three alcoholic drinks. For every three additional drinks you have, you should take another two tablets. 

Does HangOn really work? 

I used HangOn tablets on multiple drinking occasions, and they really did prevent hangovers for a variety of drinks — beer, wine, and cocktails.

From experience, I know how much I need to drink and at what rate for me to wake up with a fuzzy head and an intense appetite for a greasy bacon, egg, and cheese. I was both surprised and very relieved when I woke up with neither of these symptoms. I was also able to sleep more deeply.

These were a major game-changer for midweek happy hours, PR events, and other social events. I like drinking for recreational and business purposes, and HangOn let me enjoy the best of both worlds: the pleasure of drinking, and the clear head and energy to be productive at work the next day. Even for non-work nights, I still took them because it meant I didn't have to waste an entire Sunday morning attempting to recover. 

I loved that the tablets were easy to carry around. They fit in small purses, and no one batted an eye when I took them out because they just looked like gum or mints. This design also made them easy to pass around to fellow hangover-prone friends. 

However, you may need to write reminders to yourself to take them. I sometimes forgot to take my two pre-drink tablets on time, if at all, and you should still count your drinks to make sure you continue taking the tablets throughout the night. 

HangOn tablets aren't a free pass to drink irresponsibly. But if you enjoy drinking and want a reliable way to prevent the dreaded morning after, they're a proven and convenient fix. 

Shop hangover prevention tablets for $20/pack (10 tablets) at HangOn

Join the conversation about this story »

• Fox News host Tucker Carlson has ignited multiple waves of controversy in recent years with contentious comments about journalists, immigrants, and women.
• Since receiving his own show on the Fox News in 2016, Carlson has had several controversies play out in front of one of the country's largest audiences.
• His most recent claim is that white supremacy is "actually not a real problem in America."
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson is no stranger to controversy.

On Tuesday, three days after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, where the shooter is believed to have written a manifesto about a "Hispanic invasion of Texas," he told his near 3 million viewers that white supremacy was "not a real problem."

"It's a conspiracy theory used to divide the country and keep a hold on power," he said. "That's exactly what's going on."

Since getting his own show on the network in 2016 — which would eventually move into former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly's prime time slot — Carlson's on-air comments about journalists, immigrants, and women have landed him in hot water.

Since late 2018, more than 30 companies have stopped airing advertisements during his show.

Here are the biggest controversies Tucker Carlson has been involved in.

SEE ALSO: 13 times Fox News, its hosts, and contributors publicly apologized in 2018

DON'T MISS: Rupert Murdoch is worth $19 billion and has been married 4 times — here's how he went from operating a small Australian paper to helming one of the biggest networks in the world

Carlson was making headlines for controversial comments as early as 2011.

While guest-hosting for Sean Hannity one night, Carlson said Michael Vick should be "executed" for his mistreatment of dogs.

Source: Business Insider

Carlson later appeared on Hannity's show to retract his comment, saying he "overspoke" because he got "too emotional."

Read more: Tucker Carlson Comes To His Senses: 'Of Course Michael Vick Shouldn't Be Executed'

In March 2016, Carlson was given his own show, "Tucker Carlson Tonight," which attracted massive audiences who would witness several of his most infamous on-air comments.

Read more: Tucker Carlson's Fox News show debuts to phenomenal ratings, beats both CNN and MSNBC combined

After a December 2016 interview with Teen Vogue contributor Lauren Duca boiled over to Carlson dismissing her commentary on President Donald Trump by telling her to "stick to the thigh-high boots," Duca said she received extensive bullying and harassment from hordes of men online.

Read more: Teen Vogue writer receives threats after contentious Fox News interview

In a sort-of apology, Carlson said he regretted how he behaved, but he blamed Duca for being "mindless and nasty" on air, before calling her "vapid” and "not very impressive."

Source: Mediaite

Tangling with controversy off the air, Carlson defended himself against an accusation from man named Juan Manuel Granados, who said Carlson assaulted him at a country club in Virginia in November 2018.

Read more: The man accusing Tucker Carlson of assault previously filed a successful discrimination suit against a Virginia health club

Video from the scene doesn't show Carlson assaulting anyone, and the host said the confrontation came after the man had approached his family.

Read more: Tucker Carlson addresses assault allegation in first tweet since Fox News' Twitter blackout

In December 2018, Carlson caused perhaps the biggest waves yet when he said immigrants would make the country "poorer and dirtier."

Read more: Advertisers are fleeing in droves after Tucker Carlson's comments about immigrants on Fox News — here's the list

At least 34 advertisers cut ties with Carlson's show in the months after his comments, including iHop, Red Lobster, and Samsung.

Read more: Advertisers are fleeing in droves after Tucker Carlson's comments about immigrants on Fox News — here's the list

Instead of apologizing, Carlson stood behind his comments and deemed the backlash an attack on free speech.

Read more: People are saying the Tucker Carlson boycotts are a betrayal of free speech. They're wrong.

A series of tapes leaked in March 2019 contain some shocking comments that Carlson allegedly made while calling into the shock-jock radio program "Bubba the Love Sponge" from 2006 to 2011.

Source: Business Insider

Carlson can be heard contesting the prosecution of former polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs, who was later convicted for child sexual abuse.

Source: Business Insider

The tapes also contained several different belittling comments about women, including Carlson saying he wouldn't have voted to confirm Supreme Court Elena Kagan because he didn't find her attractive, in addition to saying women are "extremely primitive" and "just need to be quiet."

Read more: Tucker Carlson refuses to apologize after tapes surface of him calling women 'primitive' and comparing them to dogs

Carlson refused to apologize, saying he was "caught" saying "something naughty on a radio show more than a decade ago."

Read more: Tucker Carlson refuses to apologize after tapes surface of him calling women 'primitive' and comparing them to dogs

Several prominent conservative figures rushed to Carlson's defense, including Donald Trump Jr. who called detractors the "outrage mob."

Source: Twitter

The controversy came just weeks after the Democratic National Committee announced it would bar Fox News from hosting debates during the 2020 US presidential primary.

Read more: Democrats blacklisted Fox News for the 2020 presidential primary debates — here's what's going on

In August, a few days after a mass shooting the FBI believes was linked to a racist manifesto, Carlson described white supremacy in the US as a "hoax." He said like the "Russia hoax," white supremacy was a conspiracy used to divide the US, and keep a hold on power. "It's actually not a real problem in America," he told his viewers.

Read more: Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed white supremacy is 'not a real problem in America.' This CNN host couldn't even.

The FBI currently has 850 open domestic terrorism investigations. Of that number, 40% involve racially motivated violent extremism, and a majority of those cases involve white nationalists, the bureau said.

Read more:A former senior FBI official said agents are hamstrung in fighting white nationalist violence because they're 'wary of pissing off the guy in the Oval Office'

The network has a history of standing by embattled figures, but it's a record that might be tested as Carlson continues to make controversial comments on his program.

• If you use iCloud to back up your iPhone or iPad, you can easily download some or all of your mobile device's photos to your PC at any time.
• You can see your iCloud photo collection by logging into your iCloud account in a web browser on your PC.
• From the iCloud web page, you can select your photos and download them to your computer.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

According to recent statistics, humans take more photos every two minutes than all the photos that existed on Earth just 150 years ago. And because we don't tend to carry cameras around with us anymore, most of those photos are captured right on our iPhones. 

But rather than keeping our photos exclusively on our iPhones or iPads, it's easy to download photos to your PC using iCloud.  

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone Xs (From $999 at Best Buy)

iPad (From $329.99 at Best Buy)

How to download photos and videos from iCloud to a PC

As long as you are using iCloud to back up your iPhone, it only takes a few clicks to download some or all of your photos to your computer. 

If you're not currently backing up your photos to iCloud, you should. For details, see our article, "How to backup an iPhone to iCloud, to a computer through iTunes, or to an external hard drive."

1. In a browser on your PC, navigate to iCloud.com and log in with your Apple ID credentials when requested. 

2. In the Library section in the pane on the left, click "Photos."

3. Find the photos you want to download. You can click on an album or scroll through the entire library. You can also switch between the All Photos view and Moments by choosing "Photos" or "Moments" at the top of the screen. 

4. Click the photo or photos you want to download to your PC. To select several photos, hold the CTRL key while you click to multi-select photos. If you want to download all your photos at once, press CTRL+A. You should see the number of selected photos indicated in the upper right corner. 

5. Click the Download button at the top of the screen. It's shaped like a cloud with an arrow pointing down. 

6. In the dialog box, choose where you want to save them, click "Save File" and then click "OK."

If you download more than one photo at once, Windows will save them as a compressed zip file. You can unzip the photos by following the steps in the article "How to zip and unzip files on a Windows 10 computer using built-in tools." 

You can find the photo (or photos) in the location where your browser stores downloaded files. 

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• How to stop iCloud storage alerts on your iPhone in 5 easy ways

• How to change the iCloud account on your iPhone, and use a separate account for iTunes & App Store purchases

• How to recover deleted photos from your iPhone, through the Photos app, cloud storage services, and more

• How to import videos from your iPhone onto a Mac wirelessly, in 2 different ways

SEE ALSO: The best iPhone for every type of person and budget

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's why phone companies like Verizon and AT&T charge more for extra data

• Lisbon, Portugal, is the most popular travel destination for millennials, according to travel-planning site müvTravel.
• Millennials love Lisbon for its architecture and neighborhoods that charm by day and buzz at night.
• Located on the coast, Lisbon is also in proximity to beaches and resort towns for a day trip.
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Millennials spend more on travel than any other age group.

And the place currently sparking the most wanderlust? Lisbon, Portugal.

It's the most popular travel destination for millennials, according to travel-planning site müvTravel, which created its Top 30 Millennial Travel Destinations for 2019 list by analyzing the most popular bucket-list destinations of müvTravel's millennial users. According to the site, millennials are most interested in places that offer "memorable and original moments," as well as "activities that focus on sustainable and personalized local experiences."

Lisbon's charm can be chalked up to its traditional architecture and cobblestone streets, but it also has a buzzing nightlife. Millennials have said they love the city for its close proximity to nearby destinations, like the resort town of Sintra and several beaches, which make for the ultimate day trips.

Business Insider spoke to two millennials who have visited Portugal's capital city over the past few years to get a sense of how they spent their time there.

Below, see what it's like to visit Lisbon as a millennial.

Are you a millennial with insider travel tips about a burgeoning, international hotspot to share? Email this reporter at hhoffower@businessinsider.com

SEE ALSO: Seltzer is officially 'the drink of the summer.' Anyone who's surprised hasn't been paying attention to what millennials like.

DON'T MISS: Meet the average American millennial, who has an $8,000 net worth, is delaying life milestones because of student loan debt, and still relies on their parents for money

Lisbon is on the western coast of Portugal; the city borders the Tagus River to the south. According to a 2010 census, the city is home to 545,000 residents — and a New York Times article from 2018 put the city's annual tourist count at a whopping 4.5 million annual visitors. There are two windows of time that are considered the best time to visit the city: March to May, and September to October.

Source: Google Maps, World Population Review, The New York Times, US News and World Report

First stop after landing at Lisbon International Airport, which is a 20-minute drive from the city center: Going on a Sandeman tour, according to 27-year-old Nicole Berrio, who visited Lisbon three years ago. Sandemans offers free tours across 20 cities worldwide.

Source: Google Maps, New Europe Tours

"They're a great way to get your lay of the land on your first day in a new city," she told Business Insider. "If you get a cool guide, ask them for recommendations on local hotspots."

But one of the best ways to get around Lisbon is by aimlessly wandering the streets, which 26-year-old Caroline Josey did on her visit.

"My favorite aspect of Lisbon was getting lost and miraculously falling into these truly majestic sites or cozy restaurants," Josey told Business Insider.

According to Josey, Alfama is a must-see neighborhood. "Tram 28 takes you through the old streets that are the only part of Lisbon preserved from the 1755 Earthquake," she said.

Alfama was previously all of Lisbon, and as the city grew, it became the heart of the city, according to Time Out. It's also home to some amazing street art.

Source: Time Out, Metro UK

Another must-see, according to Berrio, is the LX Factory, an abandoned industrial site that has been turned into a creative, cultural, and gastronomic area.

Berrio also suggests paying a visit to "the best aquarium ever"— the Lisbon Oceanarium.

There's also the São Jorge Castle, Josey said. It's one of the most iconic symbols in Lisbon.

Source: Lisbon

Blogger Lauren recommended checking out miradouros, or viewpoints for panoramic views of the city, such as Miradouro de Sao Pedro de or Portas do Sol. Many of the sites have kiosks for drinks, she wrote.

Source: Cosmic Breakfast

For shopping delights, pick up a book at Ler Devagar, a paper mill that's been turned into a bookstore.

Source: Yelp

Lisbon comes to life after the sun goes down, according to Josey. "Locals flood the allies either going on an evening run or sipping some sparkling sangria along the Tagus River," she said.

Catch the sunset and a drink or two at PARK, a rooftop bar atop a parking garage in the district of Bairro Alto.

Source: Yelp

Berrio recommends eating at one of Michelin-starred chef José Avillez's three restaurants: Belcanto, Barrio do Avillez, or Beco. "Make friends with the waiters at Belcanto for a private kitchen tour and to garner a secret entry into Beco," she said.

Afterward, get cocktails at Double, "a great cocktail bar," according to Berrio. She recommends getting the Tales of Thailand.

In her blog, Lauren suggested spending a night out bar-hopping in Bairro Alto or on Pink Street.

Source: Cosmic Breakfast

For places to stay, there are plenty of options. Lauren raved about We Love F. Tourists, a Lisbon hostel. Its central location was great for walking everywhere, she wrote.

Source: Cosmic Breakfast, Hostelworld

For a hotel experience, there's also Pestana CR7 Lisboa, a modern hotel with speedy Wi-Fi geared towards millennials.

Source: Time Out, Pestana CR7

You'll also want to make time for a beach day. Situated along the coast, Lisbon is close to several beaches, from Praia do Ouro (Beach of Gold) to Carcavelos Beach.

Source: The Culture Trip

Both Josey and Berrio recommend taking a day trip to Sintra, a resort town directly northwest of Lisbon in Portugal's Sintra Mountains.

Sintra is about a 30-minute drive from Lisbon.

Source: Google Maps

"Sintra is constantly a solid 10 degrees cooler [than Lisbon] amid lush vegetation and misting clouds that continuously roll into the town," Josey said. "This makes you feel like you’ve entered a fairytale and a town that’s truly magical."

Sintra is known for the Pena Palace — a "modge-podge" of various Moorish, Roman, and Medieval architectural influences "that looks like it brought Disneyland to Europe," Josey said.

But that isn't Sintra's only fortress. Berrio also recommends checking out the Castle of the Moors.

But no trip to Portugal is complete without picking up a Pasteis de Nata from a local pastry shop, a Portuguese custard tart dusted with cinnamon.

Source: Trip Advisor

• Eating in New York City can be extremely expensive, both for locals and tourists.
• However, New Yorkers know of quite a few places to get delicious food for a great deal.
• Whether you're in the mood for steaming-hot ramen, sushi, or an incredible slice of pizza, here are the best cheap eats you'll find in New York City.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The great thing about New York — the thing that makes it the best food town in the world — is that the same people who'll spend $900 for a meal at Masa will also stand in a snaking line for an $8 chicken sandwich.

Our hunger for the exotic, the daring, and the artery-busting is so great that it's spawned a whole new landscape of cheap eats.

Joining the ranks of the $1 slice and the pastrami sandwich are crave-worthy bites like matzo meal-crusted fried chicken and sustainably caught Maine lobster rolls. Then, there's always the iconic New York City food trucks and carts, which offer up some of the tastiest, cheapest food in the city.

Read more: Here's what a typical workday is like for a Halal Guys cart vendor

Keep scrolling for our list of the 15 cheap eats that New Yorkers crave, from the perfect square slice to a taco that'll make you drool all over your keyboard.

April Walloga contributed to a previous version of this article.

SEE ALSO: New York City wants you to know how sanitary your favorite hot dog stand is

Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken

At this fast-casual chicken joint, the Bromberg brothers — of Blue Ribbon Sushi fame — sell their famed matzo meal-crusted fried bird alongside eight different chicken sandwiches and sides like cheesy bacon fries and hush puppies. The chicken is dusted with spices and can be topped with three different honeys, hot sauce, or barbecue sauce.

What to order: A two-piece with fries and cole slaw costs either $10.75 (white meat) or $11.95 (dark meat).

Click here for more on Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken >>

The Halal Guys

People say the secret recipe white sauce that Halal Guys douses its gyros and combo platters with is akin to crack cocaine. Judging by the lines outside their many food carts, it's a fair comparison. The carts recently expanded to restaurants, one on the Upper West Side and one in the East Village.

The combination of the tangy white sauce, crispy meats, yellow basmati rice, and cool lettuce and tomato is the OG halal answer to a Chipotle bowl.

What to order: A small combo platter with chicken and gyro meat, yellow rice, lettuce, tomato, pita, and your choice of white sauce, tahini, and/or hot sauce is $6.99.

Click here for more on The Halal Guys >>

Los Tacos No. 1

New York City is a wasteland for cheap, good Mexican food. And even though it's standing room only and in the tourist-laden Chelsea Market, New Yorkers are willing to take the bad with the great to get their fix at Los Tacos No. 1.

Run by three friends from Mexico and California, the taco stand uses made-to-order corn tortillas and your choice of grilled chicken, steak, nopales cactus, or spit-roasted pork. People rave about the quesadilla, which looks like a regular taco and has a layer of sizzling cheese that's been crisped on the flat top.

What to order: The marinated pork quesadilla with cilantro, pico de gallo, guacamole, and pineapple is $4.75.

Click here for more on Los Tacos No. 1 >>

Fuku

David Chang's Fuku is doing for the fried-chicken sandwich what Danny Meyer's Shake Shack has done for the burger. The East Village chicken shop debuted to snaking lines and six-sandwich-per-person maximum order caps this summer. Somewhat inspired by Chang's love of Chick-fil-A, the sandwich consists of a giant fried chicken thigh; a steamed, buttered potato roll; and pickles.

What to order: The chicken sandwich is $8, but at lunchtime, you can get a combo with the sandwich and fries for $12.

Click here for more on Fuku >>

Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle

No cheap-eats list is complete without dumplings. While the actual best dumplings in New York are at White Bear in Flushing, Queens, Lam Zhou is the next best thing for Manhattanites.

The juicy pork and chive filling is among the best you'll find in Chinatown, and the wrappers are thin and delicate, not thick and gummy. Hot chili oil brings it all together.

What to order: An order of 11 pork and chive dumplings is $3.

Click here for more on Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle >>

Xi'an Famous Foods

Once a solitary Flushing favorite, Xi'an Famous Foods exploded into Manhattan after appearing on a 2008 episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" travel show. With six locations in New York and the original Queens outpost, the father-son restaurant chain deals exclusively in the spicy, lip-numbing cuisine of Xi'an.

The city in China's Shaanxi province is famous for its hand-stretched noodles and Muslim-influenced cuisine — think cumin-spiced lamb noodles and burgers.

What to order: Spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles ($7.81 to $11.21) or stewed pork hand-ripped noodles ($6.89 to $10.15). The stewed pork burger ($3.81 to $4.68 ) is also pretty delicious.

Click here for more on Xi'an Famous Foods >>

Luke's Lobster

New Yorkers have been going nuts for Luke's Lobster since 2009, when it opened its first seafood roll shack in the East Village. Now they've gone national, with 17 locations and a popular food truck.

The menu is simple: lobster rolls, shrimp rolls, crab rolls, chowders, and chips and sodas. The sustainably caught seafood is fresh from Maine, the rolls are buttered and not overly bready, and the mayo is swiped on judiciously. A drizzle of lemon butter and a dash of celery salt adds decadence.

What to order: Most people get the $17 lobster roll, but the $9 shrimp roll — which uses sweet Maine shrimp that tastes like mini lobsters — is as good or better.

Click here for more on Luke's Lobster >>

Prince Street Pizza

Forget the New York slice vs. Chicago deep-dish debate — the Sicilian square beats them both. And Prince Street Pizza has one of the best, most beautiful square slices in the city. The crust is just the right thickness, the tomato sauce is fruity and slightly sweet, and the pepperoni crisps up into irresistible little cups.

What to order: The Spicy Spring Street Square — with fra diavolo sauce, spicy pepperoni, and mozzarella — is $3.95. 

Click here for more on Prince Street Pizza >>

Shake Shack

With locations around the country, the once niche Shake Shack has gone mainstream, but New Yorkers still crave it with regularity. Its potato roll, flat top-seared Pat LaFrieda beef, and Shack Sauce are the benchmark to which all other burger fixings are compared. The Shack also has one of the best veggie options — a fried portobello mushroom stuffed with cheese — of any burger chain.

What to order: A double Shack Burger is $8.69 and an order of cheese fries is $4.09.

Click here for more on Shake Shack >>

Sam's Falafel

Next time you stop by the Financial District, wander on over to this hidden gem of a food cart. Sam's Falafel cart is located in Zuccotti Park and serves up cheap — and delicious — eats. Make sure you've got cash on you as this food cart doesn't take any other forms of payment. 

Grab a couple of extra napkins, too — these massive sandwiches are stuffed to the brim with creamy, rich hummus. 

What to order: A falafel sandwich, complete with lettuce, tomato, and lots of hummus in a warm, fresh pita, costs a mere $5. A combo platter costs $6, and can easily be split between two people. Both can be made either spicy or not. Water and soda are just $1 as well. 

Click here for more on Sam's Falafel cart >>

Arepa Factory

If you're looking for seriously delicious Venezuelan food in New York City, look no further than Arepa Factory. They have two locations, one in the East Village and one in Columbus Circle. Opt to build your own arepa, bowl, or cachapa, or choose one of their many menu options. 

They use only the best ingredients and even offer homemade lemonades to complement your rich meal. Dreamt up by award-winning chef, Rafael I. De Garate, you're not going to want to skip this delicious food spot. 

What to order: The Pabellon arepa comes with shredded beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and guayanes cheese and costs $9.95. 

Click here for more on Arepa Factory >>

Bánh Mì Place

Banh Mi sandwiches are definitely a secret way to eat on the cheap in New York City. These huge baguettes can be stuffed to the brim with traditional paté, grilled pork, chicken, and even vegetarian options. Options can be found all over the city, but one hidden gem is Banh Mi Place by Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Their spicy sandwiches offer the perfect balance of heat, and the crispy baguettes make this humble sandwich taste practically gourmet. 

What to order: A classic sandwich ($6.75) and a bubble tea ($3.95). 

Click here for more on Banh Mi Place >>

Milk N' Honey NYC

Finding a genuinely good, cheap bagel in New York City can be harder than you think. With so many options, it can be difficult to tell whether you're really finding a good bagel for an even better price. One place that is hugely underrated is Milk N' Honey in the Financial District or Midtown. This kosher establishment has all the fixings for bagels, plus sandwiches, salads, and more.

What to order: An everything bagel with lox spread, tomato, and capers is $6.25.

Click here for more on Milk N' Honey NYC >>

Beyond Sushi

Love sushi, but don't want to pay specialty sushi prices? Are you vegetarian, vegan, or willing to just try something a little different? Break out the chopsticks and head over to Beyond Sushi. They have locations all over the city and offer vegetarian and vegan "sushi" rolls, dumplings, and more. You'll be surprised by the low prices, and feel a little better eating this healthier version of your favorite sushi rolls. 

What to order: The Spicy Mang roll is $7.95 and is made with black rice, avocado, mango, and English cucumber topped with veggie slaw and a toasted cayenne sauce. 

Click here for more on Beyond Sushi >>

Udon West

There's no shortage of ramen places in New York City, and some are cheaper than others. If you want a delicious, gourmet bowl of ramen for a super cheap price, check out Udon West on St. Marks Street in the East Village. This cash-only hole-in-the-wall is beloved by the locals and offers cheap, traditional hot noodles and more. 

Slurp up a warm bowl of delicious broth, complete with all the fixings of traditional Japanese ramen. 

What to order: The fried chicken kara-age hot noodles ($8.50) or the simmered beef niku hot noodles ($8.95). Make it a set for $10 and choose from a selection of appetizers. 

Click for more on Udon West >>

• Read more:
• I've been traveling the world for 6 months and I use the same trick in any city I visit to make sure I find amazing food
• After a $500 meal at the world's most luxurious hotel, I stumbled across a $1 fish restaurant on the Moroccan coast — and I'd pick the cheaper one every time
• 7 sneaky ways fast-food restaurants get you to spend more money
• We tried the top-rated cheap restaurants in New York City — and the winner was obvious

• Arizona Iced Tea is pushing into THC-infused beverages.
• It's partnering with the Denver-based Dixie Brands, and will start with vape pens and gummies for the Colorado and California markets before moving into beverages.
• As part of the agreement, Dixie will develop the THC-containing products and Arizona will provide the branding, "isolating" Arizona from THC, which is federally illegal. 
• Sign up for Cultivated, our new cannabis newsletter.

The maker of Arizona Iced Tea just became latest consumer giant to push into the cannabis industry.

Arizona Beverage Company said on Wednesday said it was partnering with Denver-based cannabis company Dixie Brands to produce THC-infused vape pens, gummies, and drinks in states where the substance is legal for adult use, and eventually in Canada and Latin America. 

Dixie will produce the THC-infused products and sell them to dispensaries under the Arizona brand. The partnership also gives Arizona the option to buy a $10 million stake in Dixie. 

The iced tea maker follows Constellation Brands, which sells Corona beer and Svedka vodka, as well as Molson Coors, and Heineken, in gambling on the legalization of pot. Arizona, however, will be the first non-alcoholic consumer brand to specifically create THC products for the US market. 

Read more: CBD and hemp startups are using creative loopholes to skirt Facebook's ad ban. Here's how they're doing it.

Dixie Brands CEO Chuck Smith told Business Insider in a Wednesday morning interview that the licensing partnership came about gradually. As Arizona was looking around the cannabis space, the company "kept stumbling into us," Smith said. 

Around five months ago, Smith, along with senior members of Dixie's team, visited Arizona's office in Woodbury, New York, after an adviser to Arizona recommended the sit-down. That initial meeting, Smith said, kicked off a four-month diligence process where Arizona's team looked at all facets of Dixie's strategy and did their own research on the cannabis space by visiting dispensaries.

After a few more meetings, Arizona's team spent a day at Dixie's Denver office in June, where they signed the partnership.

"I couldn't be more proud of that — frankly humbled — with the fact that Don and his family are entrusting their brand to us to enter into this market," Smith said, referring to Arizona CEO Don Vultaggio. "I don't take that lightly. And I know they didn't take this decision lightly."

THC, the chief psychoactive component of the cannabis plant, is legal in 11 states for adult use but is still federally illegal, and can't be transported across state lines. That creates all sorts of regulatory complications — especially as many banks still won't serve cannabis clients — for established consumer companies that are looking to enter the space.

The structure of the partnership is what will allow Arizona to take on the new market, Smith said. Arizona will provide the branding, and access to its supply chain, while Dixie will work with the cannabis plant itself. 

Read more: Top VC firms know they can't ignore cannabis forever. Here's how they're making their first investments.

"We are certainly isolating them from any access to the THC side of this," Smith said. On top of that, Arizona is a privately-held company, meaning it can take bigger risks than companies that are bound by the strict rules of major US stock exchanges.

"The cannabis market is an important emerging category, and we've maintained our independence as a private business to be positioned to lead and seize generation-defining opportunities exactly like this one," Arizona CEO Vultaggio said in a statement announcing the partnership. 

Neither the NASDAQ or the NYSE allow listed companies to invest in, sell, or distribute THC-containing products in the US.

While the product line is still in its early stages, Smith said it's likely they'll start with gummies and vape pens, before moving into beverages. They'll first focus on the Colorado and California markets, where Dixie has a presence, before expanding to other states.

"I think this is a watershed moment for the industry," Smith said of the partnership. 

• Read more:
• Top venture investors say these 11 tech startups in the red-hot cannabis sector are set to blow up this year
• Top investors say these 11 buzzy, under-the-radar consumer cannabis startups are set to raise fresh rounds and blow up this year
• CBD companies were courted hard by a unit of US Bank — but they got ghosted despite having a 100% legal business
• Top cannabis investors reveal where they're placing bets, but say there's 'pain to come' in the crowded CBD space

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: How Area 51 became the center of alien conspiracy theories

• Logan Paul is one of the most controversial personalities on YouTube, where he has amassed nearly 25 million subscribers across his channels.
• The 24-year-old star is often embroiled in controversy: He filmed a video of a dead body in Japan's "suicide forest," Tased dead rats in another one, and said he was "going gay" for a month.
• Here's how Logan Paul rose to internet notoriety, and the biggest events that have happened in his career as an online creator.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The past few years have been a roller coaster ride for Logan Paul. 

The 24-year-old social media star built a career off the now-defunct Vine app and later, off of two simultaneous YouTube channels. His Midwestern good looks, slapstick humor, and intricately planned and executed viral videos have earned him millions of dollars and legions of diehard fans. 

But Paul has become embroiled in multiple controversies in the last two years, costing him advertising on YouTube and a movie deal with YouTube Red. 

Here's how Paul went from a 10-year-old making homemade videos in his backyard in Ohio to one of the most famous — and controversial — social media stars in the world:

SEE ALSO: People are getting refunds after paying $50 to watch the 'glitchy' and 'terrible' livestream of wedding between YouTubers Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul

Paul got his start at age 10, posting videos to the internet using an app called Zoosh.

Source: Insider

By high school, Paul transitioned to now-defunct video-sharing app Vine. He started sharing Vine videos that usually included him doing stunts, telling jokes, and playing pranks.

Paul amassed a huge following on the platform. By the time Vine shut down, he had 9.4 million followers.

The Vine app is obsolete now, but Paul's channel still exists online. 

Thanks to his success on Vine, Paul was able to transition to other social media apps like Facebook and Instagram. Advertisers came calling, and Paul began earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising revenue for sponsored posts.

Source: Forbes

Paul dropped out of Ohio University and moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue a career in entertainment.

Source: Business Insider

He began taking acting classes and snagged a few small roles in TV shows like "Law & Order" and "Stitchers." He told Business Insider in 2015 that he hoped to become a household name and appear in R-rated movies. "It's time for me to grow up and expand my brand of comedy," Paul said.

Source: Business Insider

"I want to be the biggest entertainer in the world," Paul said at the time. "That's my deal. I'll do whatever it takes to get that. As many hours as is needed."

Source: Business Insider

Paul began posting videos to YouTube, and now runs two channels — an official channel and a "Logan Paul Vlogs" channel — which have about 5.3 million and 19.7 million subscribers, respectively.

Paul's YouTube channels bring in a lot of money for the star. In 2017, Paul made $12.5 million.

Source: Business Insider

Paul has also started doing his own ad campaigns. He was the face of Dunkin' Donuts' first social media star campaign, appeared in a Hanes ad, and partnered with Pepsi.

Source: Insider

Paul's younger brother Jake also got his start on Vine, and has since gained fame on other platforms.

Jake has nearly 20 million YouTube subscribers, but has also been embroiled in controversy. In 2017, he was accused by his neighbors of turning his neighborhood into a "war zone," and subsequently left his show on Disney Channel.

Source: Deadline, Insider

Most recently, Jake Paul got married to fellow YouTuber Tana Mongeau. Logan Paul was in attendance, and has since made comments hedging that the relationship between the two is fake.

Source: Business Insider, ET Online

Logan Paul, by contrast, remained relatively scandal-free until 2017. In June of that year, Paul appeared at VidCon, a popular convention for teens to see their favorite online creators. Paul hid $3,000 in a secret location and was mobbed by screaming fans, and was filmed being tackled to the ground by security guards.

Source: We The Unicorns

Then, in September, old tweets were unearthed in which Paul perpetuated racist stereotypes about black and Asian men.

Source: Next Shark

Soon after, another scandal hit: In December 2017, Paul posted a video of him and his friends discovering a body in Japan's so-called "suicide forest."

In the video, Paul and his friends were planning to camp in the forest overnight but stumbled upon a corpse hanging from a tree. Paul blurred the face of the body, but he and his friends stood around the corpse and filmed it before leaving the forest.

Outrage over the video was swift, and nearly 200,000 people signed a petition to have Paul kicked off YouTube. He was removed from Google's Preferred Ads program, and a planned YouTube Red movie deal was suspended.

Source: Insider, Business Insider

Soon after, Paul issued an apology for posting the video. "I've never made a mistake like this before," Paul wrote on Twitter. He announced he was stepping away from posting on YouTube and "taking time to reflect."

Source: Twitter, Insider

By the end of January, Paul was back on YouTube with a documentary about suicide survivors. "From this point on, I want to make an effort to contribute and immerse myself in the conversation. So I'm pledging to donate $1 million to various suicide prevention organizations," Paul said.

Source: Insider

But only a few weeks later, Paul made another misstep when he posted footage of himself Tasering two dead rats. YouTube temporarily suspended ads on videos made by Paul, citing his "recent pattern of behavior," but they were reinstated by February.

Source: Business Insider

Many big YouTubers took to social media to criticize Paul, with some calling for YouTube to kick him off. However, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said that Paul hadn't violated policies enough times to get terminated, and that suspending his ad revenue was "actually a pretty strong statement."

Source: Business Insider

In light of the incident, Paul saw his views and new subscriber numbers tank. Between December 2017 and March 2018, SocialBlade statistics showed a 47% drop-off in views, and an 88% slowdown in subscribers. The controversy also cost Paul an estimated $5 million worth of business deals.

Source: Business Insider, Business Insider

Just a month later, a model who appeared in a Paul's music video for "No Handlebars" spoke out about her experience filming with the YouTuber. The model, Eliza Johnson, said that she "felt kind of abused," and felt she was treated differently as the only plus-size model at the video shoot.

Source: Business Insider

During the first half of 2018, Paul drummed up interest for a fight against fellow YouTuber KSI. The fight between the YouTube stars ended in a draw, but brought in an estimated $11 million in revenue between in-person tickets and a pay-per-view livestream.

Source: Business Insider

News emerged in July that Paul was dating actress Chloe Bennet, who stars in the TV show "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." However the two reportedly split up in October 2018.

Source: Business Insider, Dexerto

Almost a year after Paul posted the Japan suicide forest video, YouTube released an original movie called "The Thinning: New World Order" starring the controversial star. YouTube defended the movie as a collaborative effort that was released "in fairness" to fans and other cast members.

Near the end of 2018, Paul launched his podcast, "Impaulsive," where he interviews and chats with friends and fellow YouTubers. The show recently celebrated its 100th episode.

But it took no time at all for his comments on the podcast to turn controversial. In an early episode, Paul said that he was planning to "go gay" for a month for "male-only March," which was criticized for forwarding the view that sexuality is a choice or phase. He later apologized for his "poor choice of words."

Source: HuffPost

Paul was filmed in May practicing and training for a slapping competition taking place in Russia. In a video posted on Twitter, Paul is shown slapping a man so hard that he falls down, seemingly unconscious. Paul later said he pulled out of the competition to "preserve the health and wellness of everyone competing."

Source: Business Insider

Paul re-entered the spotlight in July when he gave a bizarre interview on Fox Business. Paul claimed on TV that he had "graduated" to become an "ex-controversial" YouTuber, and shared that his expenses surpassed his income recently.

Source: Business Insider

Paul held a track-and-field tournament in July for YouTubers and video creators called the Challenger Games, where he bet $100,000 that he was the fastest YouTuber on the planet. However, during the race Paul pulled his hamstring and had to be helped off the track.

Source: Business Insider

The latest estimate of Paul's wealth puts his income at $14.5 million between June 2017 and June 2018.

Source: Business Insider

Netflix's long-running prison dramedy "Orange Is the New Black" came to an end last month. But for fans of the series who miss it already, there are plenty of other TV shows to dive into.

Streaming guide Reelgood provided Business Insider with a list of TV shows that "Orange Is the New Black" fans are watching, based on data from its users. They include other Netflix favorites like "Glow" and "Ozark," as well as "Killing Eve" and "Better Call Saul."

Below are seven TV shows to watch if you love "Orange Is the New Black" and where you can easily stream them:

"Better Call Saul" (AMC)

Series run: Four seasons, 2015-present

Where to stream: Netflix

AMC description:"Jimmy takes steps into the criminal world that will put his future as a lawyer — and his relationship with Kim — in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Mike Ehrmantraut takes a more active role as Madrigal Electromotive's newest (and most thorough) security consultant. It's a volatile time to be in Gus Fring's employ, as Hector's collapse sends shock waves throughout the Albuquerque underworld and throws the cartel into chaos ..."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 97%

What critics said:"It's fascinating to watch all of this emotional, character-driven drama unfold against a backdrop of a battle for power in the drug trade in New Mexico ... Nothing feels perfunctory or thrown away on this show, even the smallest details."— RogerEbert.com (Season 4)

"Girls Incarcerated" (Netflix)

Series run: Two seasons, 2018-present

Where to stream: Netflix

Netflix description: "Teen girls at two juvenile correctional facilities in Indiana struggle with conflict and heartbreak as they try to turn their lives around."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A

"Glow" (Netflix)

Series run: Three seasons, 2017-present

Where to stream: Netflix

Netflix description:"In 1980s LA, a crew of misfits reinvent themselves as the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. A comedy by the team behind 'Orange Is the New Black.'"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94%

What critics said: "This camaraderie, playfulness and theatricality highlight the most winning feature of the series: women having fun together and being good at their jobs at the same time. What a rare TV delicacy."— Hollywood Reporter

"Grace and Frankie" (Netflix)

Series run: Five seasons, 2015-present

Where to stream: Netflix

Netflix description: "They're not friends, but when their husbands leave them for each other, proper Grace and eccentric Frankie begin to bond in this Emmy-nominated series." 

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89%

What critics said: "Grace and Frankie remains a beautifully warm American comedy."— Guardian (Season 5)

"Killing Eve" (BBC America)

Series run: Two seasons, 2018-present

Where to stream: Hulu

BBC description: "Killing Eve is the story of two women, bound by a mutual obsession and one brutal act: Eve, an MI6 operative, and Villanelle, the beautiful, psychopathic assassin that she has been tasked to find."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94%

What critics said: "If Eve is our frayed tether to reality, Villanelle embodies the entitled, otherworldly glamour of both being in her line of work and taking pride in it."— Slate (Season 2)

"Ozark" (Netflix)

Series run: Two seasons, 2017-present

Where to stream: Netflix

Netflix description:"A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss." 

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 74%

What critics said: "The degree to which 'Ozark' slams on the breaks is disconcerting; the downshift in pacing creates an antsy viewing experience that transitions into blandness."— Indiewire (Season 2)

"Queen of the South" (USA Network)

Series run: Four seasons, 2016-present

Where to stream: Netflix

USA description: "Queen of the South tells the powerful story of Teresa Mendoza, a woman who is forced to run and seek refuge in America after her drug-dealing boyfriend is unexpectedly murdered in Mexico.  In the process, she teams up with an unlikely figure from her past to bring down the leader of the very drug trafficking ring that has her on the run."  

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 74%

What critics said: "It feels good to have the queen back wearing her crown, even if she continues to have to fight for it."— TV Fanatic

• A manifesto authorities believe was written by the El Paso shooting suspect mentioned a type of ammunition gun bloggers have long raved about.
• It's unclear whether the gunman actually obtained the Russian-made 8M3 ammunition he wanted, but the manifesto describes how the bullets expand and fragment inside victims.
• A host of weapons blogs and gun forums have discussed the ammunition at length, noting its ability to inflict devastating wounds on targets.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

A manifesto authorities believe was written by the El Paso shooting suspect detailed a specific type of ammunition that some gun bloggers have raved about as "mythical" and among the "most lethal" available.

On Saturday, the gunman opened fire on a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22 people with an AK-47-style rifle he legally purchased, police said.

Though it's unclear what ammunition the gunman ended up using, the manifesto mentioned that he wanted to use 8M3 bullets — Russian-developed, hollow-point ammunition with a reputation for expanding and fragmenting on impact, according to The Trace.

In the manifesto, the gunman described the bullet as "unlike pretty much any other," detailing how he believed it likely wouldn't penetrate very deeply, but would break apart inside a victim.

A host of weapons blogs and gun forums have discussed the ammunition at length in recent years, noting its ability to expand and inflict devastating wounds on targets.

Read more: The Dayton shooter modified his gun with a 'pistol brace,' a device that could become the new bump stock of the gun-control debate

The bullets have a "formidable reputation for brutal terminal performance," and are "absolute murder on tissue while being affordable enough to be purchased in quantity,"according to a 2017 post from The Firearm Blog.

Prepared Gun Owners hailed the ammunition in a 2017 post titled, "The Most Lethal Steel Case Ammo Ever?" and noted that "an effective cheap survival weapon has an equally affordable survival bullet to go with it."

Much of the hype around the M83 rounds came after the Oklahoma-based SG Ammo became their exclusive seller in the United States through 2017, The Trace reported.

The retailer still has the ammunition listed for sale on its website, charging $24.95 for a 100-round box, or $205.90 for a 1,000-round case. Both quantities were completely sold out as of Wednesday.

• Read more:
• The gun used in the deadly Dayton shooting was advertised by its maker as 'an orchestra of metal and hellfire'
• People across the US are on edge after shootings in El Paso and Dayton, with loud noises in public areas sparking mass panic
• The US is militarizing its schools and day cares because its gun violence rates are comparable to failed countries and war zones
• Authorities are investigating an anti-immigrant manifesto they believe the El Paso shooting suspect may have written

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: This is the shortest route for a road trip across the US to see 50 national landmarks

• Cats are adorable, but even furry felines have less-than-photogenic moments.
• Whether they're mid-clean or post-meal, cats have been known to take some really bad (and really funny) photos.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

Between their sweet purring, soft fur, and independent streak, cats are among our most beloved pets. But even these adorable animals have less attractive moments. 

Here are 19 hilarious photos of cats taken at the wrong time.

After chasing a cockroach around the apartment, Scooby decided it was time for a nap.

Scooby is a 1-year-old Lilac point Siamese.

Diego likes to air out his belly where people are walking.

Diego, 7, was adopted in Hong Kong and likes to "chill in the middle of the floor," according to owner Meg Teckman Fullard.

Kodi "sleeps funny," said owner Gwenn Flores.

It's not totally clear what's happening here, but apparently Gwenn Flores' 4-month-old brown tabby Kodi "sleeps funny." 

"We were watching TV and arguing about what to get for dinner," said Rachel Gillett about this photo of her cat, Evie. "Evie wanted sushi, I wanted pizza. So Evie challenged me to an arm wrestling contest."

"The sushi was pretty good, I guess," said Gillett. 

Here's Porkchop getting comfortable in his new home just days after being rescued.

Porkchop is a domestic short hair and he's likely only a few months old in this photo.

Franzi is "usually a very elegant lady who takes great pride in her appearance," said owner Sophie-Claire Hoeller.

However, sometimes 8-year-old Franzi "gets a little too comfortable," says Hoeller.

Here's Diana listening to (or being forced to listen to) techno.

Diana, who's 7 years old and shares an Instagram account with brother Scott, looks more like a country music girl.

Uhura's "taking a snooze on her face as she's occasionally known to do," said owner Kenn Jones.

Uhura is 7 years old, and "we were told she is a buff-tortie," said Jones. 

"Sometimes she lounges in the sun patch, but I wouldn't call that lounging," said Caitlin Harper of her cat, Squeaky.

Squeaky's a 7-year-old tuxedo and was "literally doing nothing" in this photo, said Harper. She was "just staring at the ground, hunched over like that."

"What a Gremlin."

Joni had just eaten or was about to get fed in this photo, clearly enthused about food either way.

Joni's a 3-year-old Bombay black cat with her own Instagram account. She loves "rolling in dirt and yelling at her father," says owner Benjamin Nigh.

Here's Lady mid-yawn AND mid-stretch.

"Lady is an almost 3-year-old Scottish Fold," said Hoffman, who keeps an Instagram of Lady's exploits. "She's a very good traveler and loves visiting her 'country house' (aka my boyfriend's parents' house) in NJ." 

Wally likely did not mean to get stuck in this plastic cup.

Wally is 8 years old and a domestic american shorthair.

Read more:A scientist attached 'CatCams' to domestic cats to see how they act when their human isn't around

This is Nisha Stickles' cat Tzar hogging the Xbox remote.

Tzar is a 3-year-old black tabby.

Here's Luca, lounging and mid-yawn.

Luca was only four weeks old in this picture. 

Here's Papaya, making sure she doesn't miss a spot.

Papaya's a 5-year-old adopted short-hair. Kaplan said she and her partner actually belong to Papaya.

Wally was also not keen on its shower.

Read more:6 weird things your cat does, explained by experts

Penny likes to get close to the camera.

Penny is 4 years old and knows about her good side. 

Here's Freddie Mercury celebrating Leo season.

Freddie Mercury is 3.5 months old and a tuxedo cat. He and his sister, Wilhelmina Scream, were born in owner Danielle Sinay's backyard. Sinay got him festive for Leo season because "celebrating heritage is important," she said.

This is an unhappy Sebby shortly after getting neutered.

Sebby is 3 years old and spent three days staring at the walls in owner Sam Ortt's room post-neutering.

Read more:

• 14 myths about cats that you need to stop believing
• A dead cat named Pikachu is going to be launched into space in a 'world first'
• Dog owners are happier than people who have cats, survey finds
• 20 hysterical photos of dogs taken at the wrong time

• A study of overweight young adults found that those that exercised in the morning lost significantly more weight than those who exercised later or not at all.
• This finding supports previous evidence that timing exercise to match the body's natural rhythms could have important benefits, particularly for weight loss.
• However, these results are preliminary and exercising at any time is still good for you, whether or not you want to lose weight.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

If you're starting an exercise routine for weight loss, there's new evidence you may want to schedule those sessions in the morning. 

The analysis, published in the International Journal of Obesity in July, looked at previously collected data from 88 men and women, aged 18 to 39, over a 10-month period as they exercised five days a week at various times. Participants completed a timed walk or jog on a treadmill designed to burn a set amount of calories.

Those who consistently hit the gym before noon lost more weight than people who worked out after 3 p.m. or varied their exercise schedules, according to the data. However, all groups lost weight compared to a control group that did not exercise at all. 

Read more: I'm convinced that exercising in the morning has transformed my productivity, and research backs me up

This research could have important implications for people trying to lose weight, Erik Willis, data analyst and exercise physiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-author of the study, told INSIDER. "Information like this can help tailor people's daily routines in the future," he said. 

Other research has focused more on how meal timing affects weight loss

Although a wealth of recent research has looked at how meal timing can affect weight loss, and mostly indicated that bigger meals earlier is better, there's little definitive information to show whether the timing of exercise makes a difference.

This new analysis supports the theory that morning is the best time to exercise for weight loss, but it's not clear whether it works because of behavioral changes, like by causing people to eat less, or biological ones, like by boosting metabolism. 

Because the analysis was based on previous data, Willis cautioned that the results are "very preliminary" and don't account for some factors that could explain the difference in weight loss. For instance, the participants were permitted to eat whatever they wanted during the study — their only instructions was to keep their eating habits the same as before the study. 

Willis also added that researchers did not have good information on participants' sleeping habits, which also plays a role in weight loss and maintenance. 

He said he hopes to confirm the findings in a randomized controlled trial in order to account for the "thousands of things" they didn't collect that could explain the results. 

Morning exercisers may also eat slightly less, and be a bit more active throughout the day 

One of the factors that might explain the weight loss disparity is that exercise time seemed to influence overall calorie intake and non-exercise physical activity. People who worked out early tended to eat a bit less and move a bit more than their peers who exercised at other times. 

Although the difference was minor — the equivalent of approximately 50 to 100 calories a day — Willis said that over the 10-month study, it could account for a significant weight loss. But again, more research is needed. 

There are many benefits of exercise outside of weight loss, no matter when you do it 

It's important to note that all the study participants who exercised lost weight, regardless of the timing. Willis said this means that just adding activity to your day is still a good idea, even if you can't make time in the morning. "The big picture and main point is, while this is an interesting finding, any activity and doing it consistently is the key," he said. 

And, while exercising in the morning may be best for weight loss, other times of day might be best for meeting other fitness-related goals. For instance, research on rats has shown that exercising in the evening could be best for boosting endurance, according to Willis.

Plus, there are other important reasons to stay active beyond shedding pounds, like improving mood or lowering your risk of chronic diseases. "We don't want to discourage those who aren't morning people from exercising," Willis said. 

Read more: 

There's a scientific explanation for why you're a morning person or night owl — but it's possible to reset your internal clock

6 things to do if you want to become a morning gym person

What your daily routine should look like, according to science

Join the conversation about this story »

• Allbirds has launched a bunch of new limited-edition colors inspired by the savanna landscape.
• The Savanna Collection includes seven new colors across all styles for men and women for a total of with 19 new colorways, though colors vary between styles. 
• Shop the Savanna Collection here before it sells out.

Allbirds is adding new limited-edition colors inspired by the savanna landscape to its lineup of wildly popular shoes for men and women. 

After dabbling in pat tens back in July with three limited-edition sneakers, Allbirds is looking to the great outdoors for its latest launch. The collection is inspired by the savanna landscape and includes seven new colors, totaling 19 new colorways across styles for men and women.

The colors vary from style to style, but some of our new favorite shoes are the Wool Runners in a deep navy called Savanna Night and a rust-orange called SunKissed, and the Tree Skippers in a light brown appropriately called Kauri Coffee. The shoes are still the same original prices — $115 for the mens' Tree Toppers and $95 for everything else.

The original shades like Natural Grey, Natural White, and Marine are all still available, but these new colors are much more fun and fresh. And like with all things Allbirds, will probably also sell out quickly so check out the Savanna Collection— and fast.

Shop the Allbirds Savanna Collection for men and women, starting at $95

SEE ALSO: Allbirds just dropped 3 limited-edition patterned sneakers — here's what they look like

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack and Flickr, says 2 beliefs have brought him the greatest success in life

Lola.com CEO Mike Volpe thinks business travel on the whole is just horrible – but he saw that as a big business opportunity.

Lola focuses on making it easier for medium-sized companies to manage corporate travel arrangements. Companies use the service to authorize employees to make travel-related purchases and set their own policies for those purchases. Employees then use the custom Lola experience to book work-related trips.

The Boston-based company is competing in an increasingly crowded space, but Volpe thinks Lola has another edge over rivals: its deal with American Express Global Business Travel, one of the largest players in the corporate travel market. American Express is using Lola to target medium-sized companies; its sales team markets Lola to those kinds of customers. And through that relationship, Lola gets access to special deals on airfare and hotels that are only available to American Express that it can offer its customers.

Corporate travel systems have traditionally been clunky, slow, and difficult to use for both employees and administrators alike, Volpe told Business Insider. From the company’s start in 2014, he designed Lola.com to be different. Co-founder Paul English, who was also a cofounder of Kayak, has experience in designing a popular and easy-to-use consumer travel sites, which helped inform the design of Lola.

Companies can get set up on Lola in less than an hour, according to Volpe, and once they're on the system, their employees can book a trip in minutes. Lola offers 24/7 customer support that's available within a minute, he said.

Investors are excited about Lola's potential. In June of 2019, the company raised $37 million in a Series C funding round co-led by General Catalyst and Accel, according to PitchBook. Volpe expects the company to grow from about 75 employees to about 130 by the end of the year, all within its Boston headquarters.

To fully understand Lola’s strategy, Business Insider Prime has published the pitch deck the company used to raise its latest funding round. Simply enter your email address to receive a FREE download of the full deck!

Join the conversation about this story »

• Preston Arsement, commonly known as "Preston" online, grew his digital YouTube brand into a fulltime business, hiring 24 people to help him. 
• When he started his channel, previously named "PrestonPlayz," Arsement filmed gaming videos. Now, he creates kid-focused, vlog-style content like challenge videos and pranks. 
• With the help of his team, Arsement runs an in-house merchandise line and has developed several investments in real estate and game development. 
• In response to his fame, Arsement said parents of his fans will often show up to his office uninvited, bringing their children to see him. He will do things like wearing a hat if he wants to avoid getting recognized, and said his younger siblings are also often recognized from being featured in his videos. 
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

When Preston Arsement first started to gain a following online, he had no idea he would eventually hire his parents as part of the 24-person team working for him.  

At the time, Arsement was 15 years old and didn't know where to even start. Now, almost 10 years later, Arsement  – who is commonly known as "Preston" online – has 10 million YouTube subscribers, a merchandise business, and several lucrative investments. 

Arsement, now 25, spoke to Business Insider about how he got started and grew his digital brand into a fulltime business. 

Turning a YouTube channel into a brand 

Arsement graduated high school early at 16 years old, and soon after, he partnered with the now-defunct online entertainment network, Machinima.

This partnership was when Arsement and his family began to realize that YouTube could become more than a hobby, he said. 

But Arsement's business really started to heat up a few years later, at 19, when he launched, with a business partner, a company that develops video games within Minecraft (another video game).

During the early stages of development, Arsement planned to hire roughly 50 contractors to work on this, "extremely lucrative project," he said. 

"We had no legal agreements in place – none whatsoever," Arsement said. "That's when I put my mom on [the team]."

She was his first employee, and together they "buttoned things up within the company," and found a certified public accountant that they trusted.

So far, his "games within Minecraft" company has been his largest revenue development, he said. 

"The business of that sometimes is so lucrative that it actually outweighs my YouTube compensation," Arsement said. "We've taken the distribution of the funds and built a game studio in Toronto, which is working on our first ever mobile game." 

Once everything was organized, Arsement extended his brand by building his own in-house merchandise line.

Arsement has a warehouse where he ships t-shirts, hoodies, and other branded accessories, which he sells online through the ecommerce platform Shopify,  

This is unlike some of YouTube's other top creators like James Charles (15.9 million subscribers) and David Dobrik (13 million) who sell their merchandise through companies like Mad Merch and FanJoy. 

"I didn't want to work with somebody else," Arsement said, referring to his merchandise line. "I wanted to do it ourselves, because I wanted to hire people, provide good jobs."

Arsement's company operates in a 5,000-square-foot office in Texas, where he and his team also work on video production and creative for the six YouTube channels he appears in.

Besides his main channel Preston (with 10 million subscribers, and formerly known at PrestonPlayz), the other YouTube channels within Arsement brand include TBNRfrags (5 million subscribers), PrestonRoblox (1.7 million), PrestonMinecraft (2 million), BriannaPlayz (1.4 million), and KeeleyPlayz (200,000).

When Arsement was 19, he was producing almost 4 videos a day alone, he said.

Now, he's invested in building a team to help him produce his videos. Arsement began working with Night Media in 2017, and said that having a team behind him has largely contributed to his quick rise in numbers. 

He and his family have also invested in real estate and vacation rentals through the travel company VRBO, and his dad maintains that aspect of the business.

From one-off brand deals to longer ones 

Besides his game development and merchandise businesses, Arsement works with brands who pay him for sponsored posts and other promotions.

In the beginning, companies like Disney and Nickelodeon approached Arsement with one-off brand deals, he said.

Now he works on longer-term deals, and is currently in his second year working for Nestlé's Hot Pockets. 

These year-long contracts usually require about 6 YouTube videos where Arsement will mention the product, and several Instagram posts, he said. 

Switch up the style

Part of Arsement's continued success comes from his ability to read trends in the industry. This pertains not just to business opportunities, but also his style of videos.

When he started his channel, previously named "PrestonPlayz," Arsement filmed gaming videos and streamed himself playing Call of Duty and Minecraft. Now, he creates kid-focused, vlog-style content like challenge videos and pranks.

Videos mentioning words like "Fortnite,""prank," or "worst" get more than five times as many views as videos without those words, according to a recent report from the Pew Research Center. 

This new style of content has helped his channel grow tremendously, nearly doubling his subscriber count in one year. In July 2018, Arsement had 6.5 million YouTube subscribers, according to the YouTube data tracking website Social Blade. Now he has over 10 million.

Business Insider previously spoke to Reed Duchscher, the president of the digital talent agency, Night Media – where Arsement is a partner, about how certain keywords and phrases in the title of a video can drive views and subscribers. 

Duchscher has been a major player in Arsement's business and overall growth, Arsement said.

The price of success 

Arsement's videos primarily reach a younger demographic and because of this, he takes responsibility for his content as a role model, he said.

"It's a heavy responsibility," Arsement said. "If you are at the airport, Target, anywhere you will see kids look at you and their faces brighten up and it's the sweetest thing ever. But you also have to understand that because you are influencing this generation, you have to always be on your toes and best behavior. Not that we aren't off camera, but we can't always be as 'laxed," 

And Arsement said parents of his fans will often show up to his office uninvited, bringing their children to see him. He will typically just wear a hat if he wants to avoid getting recognized, he said. But it's not always easy. His younger siblings are also often recognized from being featured in his videos.

"They can't just be normal students anymore at school, because they are known all over the place," he said. 

SEE ALSO: How YouTube star MrBeast, who has 22 million subscribers, uses keywords and the 'shock and awe' effect to maximize views

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Tobey Maguire's 'Spider-Man' is a classic, even though it's one of the more under-appreciated superhero films

• President Donald Trump visited Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday following a mass shooting that left nine people dead on Sunday. 
• Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said she only spoke to Trump briefly but urged him to take action on gun violence.
• Trump, who faced protests while in Dayton, did not visit the district where the shooting took place and Whaley said that was a "good decision" given the anger toward the president in her community. 
• "A lot of the time his talk can be very divisive, and that's the last thing we need in Dayton," Whaley said of Trump.

President Donald Trump faced a tough crowd in Dayton, Ohio, as he visited the city on Wednesday following a devastating mass shooting that left nine people dead and over two dozen injured.

Mayor Nan Whaley said she met with Trump briefly, and urged him to take action to prevent future mass shootings by providing "common sense gun legislation."

"The conversation at the airport was pretty brief," Whaley said with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown standing by her side. "[Trump] was moving quickly towards us and it was like, you know, Mr. President, the city of Dayton and people of Dayton are looking forward to some action. That's that you can do to help us, is get some action on common sense gun legislation."

Trump did not stop in the Oregon district of Dayton, where the deadly shooting occurred early on Sunday, which Whaley said was a "good decision."

Read more: Trump condemned 'white supremacy' after the El Paso shooting, but his administration has made it harder to fight

"You saw some of the anger and agitation in our community about it," Whaley said reporters, citing a vigil on Sunday where people expressed consternation at the president.

"I think a lot of people that own businesses in that district aren't interested in the president being there," she continued. "A lot of the time his talk can be very divisive, and that's the last thing we need in Dayton."

Whaley said she's been "proud" of how her community has responded to the shooting and Trump's visit, though she noted she hasn't paid much attention to it today due to a visit to the hospital. 

The Dayton mayor also said she's not holding her breath for action on gun violence from Washington.

"We are looking for people in congress to come together, because the majority of Americans agree, so this should be an action," Whaley said. "Do I think that we are going to see another mass shooting tomorrow or Friday? Probably, because Washington will not move."

To her point, polling has shown the vast majority of Americans support policies such as expanding background checks, among other potential legislation related to guns. Trump on Wednesday signaled he's open to pushing for an expansion on background checks.

Ahead of Trump's visit, Whaley criticized the president's general response and approach to the mass shooting in her community as well as one that occurred just hours before in El Paso, Texas. Trump headed to El Paso after his visit to Dayton on Tuesday. 

"I'm disappointed with his remarks," Whaley on Tuesday said of Trump's statement the day before on the back-to-back shootings. "I think they fell really short. He mentioned gun issues like one time. I think watching the president over the past few years on the issue of guns, I don't know if he knows what he believes, frankly."

She also said that Trump's rhetoric has been "painful" for a lot of people. 

Trump has faced particularly strong criticism over the El Paso shooting. The shooting suspect wrote a manifesto expressing xenophobic sentiments and echoing Trump's rhetoric on immigration. Local politicians in El Paso urged Trump not to visit.

SEE ALSO: Trump said he's concerned about 'white supremacy' or 'any other kind of supremacy'

Join the conversation about this story »

• SpaceX is working to develop an ultra-low-cost launch system called Starship that could reach the moon and Mars.
• Company founder Elon Musk said progress on the system has been exponential in recent months.
• The company's first prototype of the rocket ship, called Starhopper, has served as an essential test-bed for the system. But after a big flight planned for mid-August, SpaceX will likely retire Starhopper.
• Its parts will be cannibalized to move the overall program forward.
• Musk said he'll present SpaceX's latest design and plan for Starship on August 24.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Elon Musk is itching to launch people to the moon and Mars with SpaceX, the rocket company he founded.

But SpaceX doesn't plan to use any of its existing rockets for that. Instead, it's working around the clock on a new launch system called Starship, which Musk thinks could lower the cost of spaceflight 100 to 1,000 times by being fully reusable. (The space-launch industry mostly relies on single-use rockets that crash back to Earth after launching a payload into orbit.)

In SpaceX's fervor to build a space-ready Starship, according to at least one industry insider, the company will "cannibalize" parts from its first plucky rocket-ship prototype, called Starhopper, to keep development of larger and more capable prototypes moving.

Starhopper was never meant to fly into orbit, but rather to perform short "hop" flights. The first two of those experimental runs — in April and July— have helped test and refine the most essential element of Starship: its Raptor rocket engines. Musk has said the final, roughly 400-foot-tall Starship system may use more than 40 of those engines.

Read more: How SpaceX's new Starship launch system compares to NASA's towering moon rockets

Next week, SpaceX plans to perform what will likely be the final flight of Starhopper. The plan is to use one Raptor engine to launch the vehicle about 650 feet (200 meters) into the air, fly it sideways a bit, and land it back on its crude launch pad.

After that test — assuming it's successful — engineers will probably gut the ship, use its parts for other prototypes, and send its gleaming leftover hull off for display.

The race to build Starship

SpaceX quietly began work on Starhopper in late 2018 at the company's remote facility in south Texas, where it continues to develop a nascent launch site. Water-tower welders and engineers descended upon the location to build the vehicle out of steel panels. In early January, he shared photos of a shiny Starhopper (though 50-mph winds later blew off its nosecone).

Starhopper's appearance was a surprise because, just months earlier, Musk had shown off large sections of a planned carbon-fiber launch system called Big Falcon Rocket. He later confirmed that plan would be scrapped, renamed the launch system Starship, and said the new version would be made out of steel.

Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese fashion billionaire, plans to ride on Starship's first piloted voyage in 2023 with a hand-picked crew of artists — a private mission Maezawa calls "#dearMoon." To make that a reality, Maezawa is partially funding the system's development with an unknown sum.

First, however, SpaceX hopes to fly an uncrewed Starship prototype into orbit sometime in 2020, then launch its first full-scale commercial vehicle — a two-stage vehicle with a Starship rocket ship and "Super Heavy" booster — in 2021, according to Space.com.

Musk said he'll present updates to the latest Starship design and its development program on August 24, following Starhopper's final flight.

Why SpaceX may gut its first Mars rocket-ship prototype

About 2 miles down the road from SpaceX's Texas launch pad, the company is finishing work on a vehicle called Starship Mark 1 (Mk1). The system is a bigger, more powerful, and more ambitious prototype than Starhopper, and it may eventually fly into orbit around Earth.

Once completed, it will use three Raptor engines instead of one. With its nosecone in place, Mk1 may stand nearly 180 feet (55 meters) tall.

Chris Bergin, the managing editor of NASASpaceFlight.com, wrote in a post on Wednesday that SpaceX would retire Starhopper after its next flight and cannibalize its major parts for other prototypes. SpaceX declined to comment on the matter, but Business Insider independently confirmed that Starhopper's next launch will be its last.

"Hopper is set to be retired after the 200 meter hop. As a result it won't be moved back from the LZ [landing zone] — it'll be cannibalized for parts — as the pad will be prepared for Starship MkI. And that's where it gets really exciting," Bergin said, though he didn't cite the sources of this information.

He added that Starhopper's shiny outer hull will "likely" go on display at SpaceX's rocket-development facility in McGregor, Texas. The company did the same thing with Grasshopper — a prototype for its self-landing Falcon 9 rocket boosters.

Starhopper's last successful test-launch sent Starhopper about 60 feet (18 meters) into the air on July 26. After that, Musk said the next flight would launch the vehicle about 650 feet (200 meters) high. Road closure notices near the launch site suggest SpaceX will attempt that flight on August 12, 13, or 14.

"So, 200 meter hop. That needs to go well. Tick off the Milestone for Dear Moon. Retire Hopper. Prepare for Starship at the launch pad. Three Raptor test flight. (Raptor production has really upped the pace)," Bergin wrote.

Musk says he'll show off the latest Starship plans this month

Musk has said that his upcoming presentation about Starship, which is planned for August 24, will be a "detailed review of the first orbital Starship, explaining the pros & cons of each design decision."

"We should have Starship Mk1 with 3 Raptors almost ready to fly by then," he tweeted on August 3.

Starship Mk1 is not the only prototype SpaceX is building that might reach orbit. The company also has a build site in Cocoa, Florida (not far from its launch sites at Cape Canaveral). Musk has described the Florida and Texas sites as being in a friendly competition to develop the best way to get new prototypes — Mk1 and Mk2 — to orbit.

"Progress is accelerating," Musk tweeted in August — exponentially so, he later added.

"Great progress by Starship Cape team. Started several months behind, but catching up fast. This will be a super fun race to orbit, moon & Mars!" Musk said.

It's unlikely that the Mk1 or Mk2 prototypes will have a heat shield, which is required to protect an orbiting spacecraft from scorching-hot plasma generated during its return to Earth. (The two vehicles may instead perform long-duration, high-altitude test flights that return them to a landing pad.)

The heat-shield system SpaceX is developing should appear on a follow-up prototype, though.

Musk was initially excited about a "bleeding" system that'd ooze liquid through tiny pores to cool Starship during atmospheric reentry. However, his latest statements suggest the company will instead use thin thermal tiles to protect the vehicle.

Read more: Elon Musk just revealed 5 major updates to SpaceX's Mars spaceship project. Here's what we learned.

Musk said in July that he hopes to launch an uncrewed Starship to the moon in 2021, possibly as a way to woo NASA to use the system in its Artemis program — a plan to return humans to the lunar surface in 2024.

"More power to him. I hope he does it," Jeff DeWit, NASA's chief financial officer, recently told Business Insider. "If he can do it, we'll partner with them, and we'll get there faster."

SpaceX is already working with NASA to develop technologies to refuel spacecraft in orbit, which would be an essential step to get Starship to moon or Mars.

"Orbital refilling is vital to humanity's future in space," Musk tweeted after the partnership was announced.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have profound visions for humanity's future in space. Here's how the billionaires' goals compare.

DON'T MISS: SpaceX's launch of an experimental rocket ship set fire to about 100 acres of wildlife refuge in south Texas

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Elon Musk's multibillion-dollar Starship rocket could one day take people to the moon and Mars

• Many people using an employer-sponsored 401(k) to save for retirement don't know how much they're paying in management fees, or what those fees are for.
• There are two types of fees: those charged by the 401(k) provider, and those charged by the mutual funds or ETFs in the account. At the high end, those fees could cost you more than $150,000 in retirement.
• Fees alone aren't reason enough to forgo a 401(k), but an account being charged 2% or more has relatively high fees, and that money might be better off elsewhere. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A 401(k) is a tax-advantaged investment account with much higher annual contribution limit than an IRA, and if your employer offers to "match"— i.e. contribute to the account as you do, matching a percentage of your contributions — most people consider that free money.

This type of retirement account is among the most popular in the United States. At the end of 2018, 401(k) plans held an estimated $5.2 trillion in assets, about 19% of retirement savings in the US, according to the Investment Company Institute.

But some other statistics are a bit more startling. A survey from TD Ameritrade found that only 27% of people surveyed knew how much they were paying in 401(k) fees.

Fees alone aren't enough to make a 401(k) not worth it —  especially if you get an employer match — but fees can add up. 

If you don't know what you're paying, or if what you are paying is reasonable, read on to learn more about the typical 401(k) fees in the US and how you can minimize their impact on your retirement.

Average 401(k) fees in the United States: What to expect

Your 401(k) fees don't all come from one place. There are two general types of fees you will see in your account:

• Fees charged directly by the 401(k) plan provider
• Fees charged by the mutual funds and ETFs in your 401(k) account

While you will deal with some level of fund fees even outside of a 401(k), you have more freedom to choose your investments when you invest outside of an employer-sponsored plan. That said, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to whether an investor should use a 401(k) or not — that depends on factors like whether an employer offers a match for its plans, and what the fee structure looks like for 401(k) and non-401(k) investments alike.

Read More: Here's exactly how to figure out when you can retire

According to an analysis by BrightScope, large 401(k) plans with $100 million or more in assets typically charge less than 1% in annual fees. This is a generally competitive rate, and the biggest plans regularly charge under 0.50%.

As plans get smaller, fees go up. The BrightScope study found that small plans often charge between 1.5% and 2% per year, with many charging in excess of 2%.

While 2% may not sound like much, it adds up to a lot in the long run. If you have a $10,000 balance today and plan to add $5,000 per year to your 401(k) over the next 30 years, a 2% fee will cost you an estimated $153,218 over time, according to a calculator on investment website Blooom.

Account management fee

The biggest fee you'll see referred to as a "401(k) fee" is the plan management fee. Your fees are generally deducted automatically in a way that makes it feel like you are not paying any fees at all. But as we saw from the math above, even 2% can take a huge chunk from your retirement savings.

Fees around 0.50% are reasonable for a 401(k). Anything over 1% is getting into a territory that's more beneficial to the plan manager than the savers. 

Again, the fees are probably worthwhile if you get an employer match for your 401(k) contributions. If you can get 2%, 3%, or more of your pay added on just for saving for retirement, you should do it even if there are fees on your investments.

Mutual fund and ETF fees

When you're staring at the fees charged by your 401(k) account itself, it is easy to forget about the fees charged by each underlying investment. Hopefully, your 401(k) offers investments you can buy and sell with no load fees or transaction fees. But that doesn't mean the funds are free.

Most mutual funds charge an annual management fee reported as an expense ratio, or fee rate as a percent of assets. If you have $10,000 in a fund with a 1% expense ratio, you would pay $100 per year to have those funds managed.

Read More: Dual-income couples tend to make a major mistake that jeopardizes their retirement

Some funds charge additional marketing fees, so beware which funds you choose to invest in. Funds from Vanguard, Schwab, and Fidelity tend to charge less than 0.20% in fees. Other funds charge well over 1%. Every investor should know and understand where their money is going.

Rolling over your old accounts could save you fees

If you ever leave a job with high 401(k) fees, you could consider doing a rollover — move your savings from one account to another by calling your plan manager — when you leave to cut those fees to zero.

Or, if you have a string of old 401(k), 403(b), 457, or other retirement accounts at old employers, a good option is to merge and simplify. A 401(k) rollover allows you to merge the balances in a new Rollover IRA. This account offers the same tax advantages, but it is free from most brokerages and gives you the ability to invest in whatever you want.

Most 401(k) accounts, and most investment accounts of any kind, have some level of fees. This doesn't automatically mean they're too expensive or not worthwhile — it just means you'll need to read the fine print, and decide for yourself where you want to keep your money.

SEE ALSO: Here's exactly how to figure out when you can retire

Join the conversation about this story »

• The news that independent ad agency Barton F. Graf is shutting down highlights the growing struggles facing independent agencies and the ad business at large. 
• Digital platforms Google and Facebook dominate ad spending and clients are demanding more data and project-based work.
• Some insiders say that independent agencies have an opportunity as the holding company model is called into question.
• However, agencies admit they need to do better at proving their value.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

This week, New York-based agency Barton F. Graf announced that would close at the end of the year. The independent creative agency — known for its quirky and entertaining ads including Supercell's "Clash of Clans" Super Bowl ad starring Liam Neeson— blamed shifts in client contracts and spending, staff exits, and declining revenue.

The news, which was first reported by AdAge, highlights the growing struggles facing independent agencies and agencies in general.

The ad industry is going through several seismic shifts

The landscape is a far cry from what it was when founder Gerry Graf set up the agency a decade ago, when creative was still king and TV and 30-second spots ruled. That has changed considerably, with digital platforms Google and Facebook dominating digital ad spending and clients demanding more data and project-based work.

Creative agencies have struggled to grow in this environment, expanding only at the current rate of inflation in the US, said Forrester analyst Jay Pattisall. Independent shops have been especially hit, with independent agencies decreasing as a percentage of agencies from 51% in 2016 to 39% in 2018, a result of agency M&A and closures, according to Forrester's research with SoDa.

Many creative agencies have lost their core proposition as clients increasingly value business expertise, data, and C-Suite relationships, said Jack Skeels, founder and CEO of Agency Agile, an agency consulting organization.

"Shops built around selling a big idea no longer work," he said.

More broadly, the ad industry is facing strong headwinds. The holding company model is under pressure; brands including Verizon, Marriott and Mastercard are increasingly taking their advertising in-house; direct-to-consumer brands have upended traditional advertising; and new competitors including in-housing specialists and DTC agencies and consulting firms like Deloitte and Accenture are encroaching on agencies' turf. 

Read more: Brands continue to take their advertising in-house at an unprecedented rate — and it's terrible news for ad agencies

Adding to that, clients are increasingly trying to drive down agency fees and opting for project-based work over agency-of-record relationships. P&G has said that it has saved upwards of $1 billion in agency fees, and Johnson & Johnson also recently made sizeable cuts to its marketing budget. 

"Obviously, procurement pressure is increasing and scopes are decreasing," said Jason Harris, co-founder and CEO of independent agency Mechanism, pointing out that even big agencies were not immune to the shifts."The recent mergers of iconic shops — most which no longer have the equity of their founding names — show that it can happen to any and all of us." 

The shift to project-based work has been hard for agencies of all sizes, said Pete Imwalle, EVP and chief 0peration officer at Los Angeles-based independent agency RPA.

"The amount of effort to win an assignment needs to be adjusted to the size of the potential win — we can't do three-to-six month, multi-round reviews with spec work for assignments that only pay the winning agency," he said. "The math doesn't work."

But the era of independent agencies may not yet be over

While some fear that the closing down of Barton F. Graf signals doom for other independent agencies, others remain optimistic. 

As the viability of the holding company model is called into question, there's opportunity for independent agencies that are smaller and more agile, said Ted Nelson, CEO at Mechanica, an independent agency.

"[They are] independent to fully take ownership of client objectives, independent of quarterly revenue targets that force cyclical talent layoffs, independent to truly innovative on behalf of their clients, and independent to evolve along with today's always churning restless markets," he said.

Indeed, some, including Wieden+Kennedy, Mother, and Johannes Leonardo, continue to thrive.

"Smaller agencies usually have lighter operational models, less legacy overhead, and more nimble ways of delivering content at speed, which is what larger agencies can often lack," said Claire Telling, co-CEO of grace Blue. "They just have to set up a financial structure that allows for the company to stay afloat during potential dry spells."

Independent shops Red Tettemer O'Connell + Partners and Stink Studios said they have done exactly that. Stink Studios has leaned on project-based work, which lets it hedge its bets by working with a variety of clients, CEO Mark Pytlik said. None of the agency's clients accounts for more than 8% of its total billings, he said.

"It's a win-win, because clients don't have to commit, and it keeps us on our toes," said Pytlik. 

RTO+P created a content creation unit called wakeandmake.studio five years ago that has helped provide a stream of work and been one of the agency's fastest-growing segments, said Steve Red, president and chief creative officer at RTO+P.

"We've embraced change by changing our business on the regular," said Red. "We never bring boilerplate solutions, because we're not beholden to a holding company that forces it. And that more often than not, leads to long-time relationships with even our project clients."

That said, independent agencies admit they need to do better.

"100% of the clients we serve come to us because a big agency isn't right for them," said Ryan Kutscher, co-founder and chief creative officer of Circus Maximus."The challenge we address is about proving value, which has propelled us into the world of data, and media and analytics."

Independent agencies need to stop accepting outmoded fee structures and ask for performance-based payment terms as the hour-based approach is tied to the agency-of-record model that's no longer prevalent, said Stink Studio's Pytlik.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Anheuser-Busch's CMO on what many companies get wrong when it comes to being purpose-driven