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The 5 best smartwatches you can buy http://ift.tt/2ociwcQ The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase. TL;DR We tested dozens of smartwatches to find the best ones. After much testing, we found that the Apple Watch Series 2 offers the best smartwatch experience.Smartwatches aren't yet mandatory tech purchases, but they may be one day. For those of you who like to live on the cutting-edge side of the tech world, there's no better status symbol than the smartwatch. Thankfully, smartwatches are a lot more attractive than they used to be, so you don't have to worry about strapping a clunky, futuristic gadget on your wrist anymore. We've tested dozens of smartwatches over the years, and these are the very best ones we've used. There's a smartwatch for everyone on this list, whether you're an iPhone user who needs the latest and greatest Apple Watch, a Samsung fan who wants to pay for your latte with your wrist, a fashionista, or an Android Wear aficionado, we've got you covered. The Apple Watch Series 2 may be our top pick, but for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Samsung Gear S3, LG Watch Sport, Fossil Q Wander, and Fossil Q Marshal. Read on to find out more.Best smartwatch overallAppleWhy you'll love it: The Apple Watch Series 2 is the most stylish, modern smartwatch you can buy, and it boasts every cutting-edge tech feature you could want.It doesn't get better than the Apple Watch Series 2. It's sleek and stylish with a modern design that works for both men and women. Apple offers two different sizes to suit big and small wrists, several finishes to match your style, and a number of watch bands to make the Watch your own. No other smartwatch offers this much variety and customization, especially when it comes to female-friendly options. It's the only smartwatch I've ever worn regularly each day for months on end. Of course, the Apple Watch is a tech product first and foremost, so it boasts cutting-edge smartwatch tech including mobile payments with Apple Pay, stand-alone GPS, full waterproofing, and thousands of apps. The Series 2 lasts about a day on a charge, but you can get more out of it if you don't get notifications from every app on your iPhone. Tech reviewers across the board agree that the Apple Watch does it best, and it's my personal favorite. While other companies struggle to pack tons of tech into bulky smartwatches, Apple effortlessly offers all the tech you need in the most compact and attractive smartwatch you can buy. Pros: Waterproof and ready to swim, sleek design in two sizes for all wrists, works with Apple Pay, and easy to use and fully compatible with iPhone Cons: Pricey and only compatible with iPhone Buy the 38mm Apple Watch Series 2 on Amazon for $389.99Buy the 42mm Apple Watch Series 2 on Amazon for $398.99Best smartwatch for Samsung fansSamsungWhy you'll love it: Samsung's Gear S3 looks like a sporty Swiss watch, but it's a full-blown smartwatch with Samsung Pay, GPS, and more.If you're the proud owner of a Samsung smartphone, you'll probably want the Gear S3 smartwatch. It comes in two versions, which are nearly identical in terms of functionality: a sporty LTE-enabled version called the Frontier and the more traditional-looking Classic. The Gear S3 Classic boasts a slick leather strap and a classy polished finish, while the Frontier has a dark finish and a tough silicon strap. This is definitely a man's watch, but women who like chunky and sporty smartwatches might also be interested. Many of my guy friends are in love with the design, and the Classic looks very slick when you're wearing a suit. The Frontier is best for hikers and guys who like a more rugged look. The Gear S3 is water-resistant, has GPS for tracking your workouts, and offers Samsung Pay so you can buy coffee with a tap of your wrist. Samsung's Gear app store boasts thousands of apps for downloading. Its rotating bezel and circular interface make it a real winner. If you buy the Gear S3 Frontier from your carrier with a data plan, you can even run off with your watch and leave your phone behind. Samsung fans will love the Gear S3. We personally love the look of the Classic, but the Frontier model is ideal for anyone who wants a stand-alone smartwatch with LTE for making calls and leaving their phone behind. Pros: A classic masculine look, Samsung Pay, and it works great with Samsung phones Cons: No lady-friendly version, and it's bulky Buy the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier (no LTE) on Amazon for $299.99Buy the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier (LTE) on AT&T for $249.99Buy the Samsung Gear S3 Classic on Amazon for $299.99Best Android Wear SmartwatchLGWhy you'll love it: LG's Watch Sport is a tech geek's dream smartwatch with GPS, LTE, payments, and Android Wear 2.0.Not an iPhone or Samsung user? No worries, Android Wear has got you covered. There are dozens of Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches coming out this spring, but the best one you can currently buy is the LG Watch Sport. This chunky, sporty smartwatch offers LTE for phone calls and stand-alone functions, built-in GPS for tracking your workouts, Android Pay for buying things on the go, and thousands of apps. You can send texts or make calls, and the Google Assistant can answer any query you have. The LG Watch Sport should last you through a full day before you need to charge it up. Make no mistake, this is a big, thick watch with a strong silicon strap. It looks absolutely gigantic on small wrists. So if you're looking for something more subtle, you'll want to opt for the LG Watch Style instead. LG's Watch Sport is the ultimate tech geek's smartwatch — it's not particularly fashionable, but it does pack all the cutting-edge features you'd expect from a tech company. Pros: High-tech features, LTE enables calls and stand-alone features, built-in GPS, and the latest version of Android Wear Cons: Bulky and chunky, pricey if you want LTE Buy the LG Watch Sport on AT&T for $250 and upBuy the LG Watch Sport (Unlocked GSM LTE) on Amazon for $550See the rest of the story at Business Insider See Also:
SEE ALSO: 11 of the best watches you can buy for under $100 right now DON'T MISS: The 8 iPhone and iPad accessories I use every day Business via Business Insider http://ift.tt/eKERsB March 30, 2017 at 02:33AM
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This is my favorite thing about the Samsung Galaxy S8 http://ift.tt/2oeVFh6 Samsung's new flagship phone — the Galaxy S8 — has finally been revealed. We got some hands-on time with the new phone, and one feature really stood out to our tech reporter, Antonio Villas-Boas. Here's what it was. Follow Tech Insider: On Facebook See Also:
Business via Business Insider http://ift.tt/eKERsB March 30, 2017 at 02:27AM
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Ivy League colleges offer free tuition to certain students — here's how financial aid packages stack up http://ift.tt/2nzqHge Bi Graphics/Getty College acceptance letters to Ivy League schools will be sent to many high-school seniors Thursday at 5 p.m., and students will have to select schools based on a number of different factors, including fit, program quality, and financial aid packages. While comfort level and college prestige are quite subjective, financial aid packages are an objective measure that students can assess if they are having a difficult time picking their top choice. Financial aid decisions are, of course, determined exclusively by each respective financial aid office, and students should note that free tuition and no family contribution toward the cost of education are two separate things. While free tuition cutoffs are highlighted on school websites, that typically means families still must pay room and board costs. Below are the financial aid offerings that the eight Ivy-League schools and Stanford provide to students on their financial aid websites. Brown UniversityFlickr/Liz WestFamilies with total parental earnings lower than $60,000 and assets less than $100,000 are not required to make a parental contribution toward the cost of education at Brown. Columbia UniversityMario Tama / Getty ImagesFor students coming from families with calculated total incomes of less than $60,000 annually and typical assets, parents are not expected to contribute to the cost of attendance. For students coming from families with calculated total incomes between $60,000 and $100,000 annually, Columbia offers a reduced parent contribution. Cornell UniversityFlickr/stephen_d_lukeFamilies with total parent earnings less than $60,000 and assets of less than $100,000 are not required to make a parental contribution toward the cost of education for students attending Cornell. See the rest of the story at Business Insider See Also:
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Be Comfortable Taking Risks http://ift.tt/2nzfLiI Tastytrade was founded in 2011 and currently produces eight hours of live, original programming each weekday to provide financial information, investment strategies and entertainment related to options trading and the stock market. Tastytrade gives you actionable information rooted in research and experience that can help you grow your investments. Kristi Ross, co-CEO and president, says right now it’s a great time in their industry for the simple fact that it’s a great time for change and people are now realizing they need control over their finances. Ross has been around the industry for 25 years and when she was working with traders, she quickly realized that was where she needed to be. What has been Ross’s biggest inspiration? Find out. Watch more videos from BizCast on its YouTube channel here. Related: Entrepreneurship Is Not About Problem Solving Entrepreneur Network is a premium video network providing entertainment, education and inspiration from successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders. We provide expertise and opportunities to accelerate brand growth and effectively monetize video and audio content distributed across all digital platforms for the business genre. EN is partnered with hundreds of top YouTube channels in the business vertical and provides partners with distribution on Entrepreneur.com as well as our apps on Amazon Fire, Roku and Apple TV. Related: Business via Entrepreneur: Latest Articles http://ift.tt/1V7CpeP March 30, 2017 at 02:14AM
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Beware the 'Nanny Tax' http://ift.tt/2oeJgK1 You may think you can pay your landscaper, nanny or maid “under the table” and it’s no big deal. They just want cash and don’t care, so why not? After your "worker" leaves, he or she may file for unemployment, apply for student aid to attend college or want to file a tax return to get a loan. All of a sudden, you are tagged by a state or federal agency because you haven’t paid the “nanny tax.” Now, you need to buckle up for penalties and interest on the amount of tax you should have paid in the first place. So, how can you prevent tax fraud and save yourself from a load of trouble? Below are the keys you’ll need to track and report your household employees before the IRS comes after you. Related: 75 Items You May Be Able to Deduct From Your Taxes Don’t leave anyone out!In 2016 or 2017, if you paid a household employee more than $2,000 annually, you are required to withhold payroll taxes: the nanny tax. In these cases, you don’t have to issue a formal paycheck every other week unless you want to. You can pay cash and report these payments at the end of the year. But, the IRS is stepping up its audits on those with workers in their private homes, so make sure you are up to speed on the rules that apply to your “help.” Applicable workers:
Exempt workers:
Related: 7 Tax Facts Entrepreneurs Need to Know Before Filing This Year Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork!To prevent fraud penalties and keep track of your employees, be sure to keep careful employment records of anyone who works in and around your home. Remember the list from above and try not to leave anyone out when you acquire their information. For starters, be aware of the following forms:
All tax records and forms of household employees should be kept for at least four years after filing. Related: How to Organize Your Expenses Give them (the IRS) what they want!For federal taxes, you’ll need to account for both FICA (essentially Social Security and Medicare) and FUTA (unemployment) taxes. For FICA, you can withhold 7.65 percent from your worker’s wages and match that percentage when you pay the tax on behalf of the worker. Thus, at the end of the year, you’ll report how much you paid the worker and remit 15.3 percent of the total to the IRS with Schedule H on your 1040. FUTA is a simpler calculation as you only need to remit 6 percent of the first $7,000 of wages (maximum $420) to the IRS -- also with Schedule H on your 1040. Although you may be required to withhold FICA and FUTA, you aren’t required to withhold federal income taxes from the employee’s pay. You have to withhold only if your nanny asks you to and you agree to withhold. (In that case, have the nanny fill out a Form W-4 and give it to you, so you can withhold the correct amount.) However, you may be required to withhold Social Security and Medicare tax (FICA). And you may also be required to pay (but not withhold) federal unemployment (FUTA) tax. For state taxes, you may owe some SUTA (state unemployment taxes) or workers’ compensation. Check with your tax professional and/or research the regulations in your particular state to see if and when you need to consider these taxes as well. It’s easy to think you don’t need to worry about the so-called “nanny tax” or that it doesn’t apply to you. And, let’s not even talk about what might happen if your worker gets hurt on your property and you haven’t been paying workers compensation Insurance. At the very least, use the tools above to track your household employees effectively, report their wages correctly, and withhold and remit the right amounts. Don’t ignore the issue -- get ahead of it! Mark J. KohlerMark J. Kohler is the author of The Tax and Legal Playbook and What Your CPA Isn’t Telling You from Entrepreneur Press, and a CPA, Attorney, Radio Show host. He is also a partner at the law firm Kyler Koh... Read moreBusiness via Entrepreneur: Latest Articles http://ift.tt/1V7CpeP March 30, 2017 at 02:14AM
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'We must fight them': Trump threatens to back challengers to conservative Republicans if they don't 'get on the team' http://ift.tt/2nzt4jq AP Photo/Evan Vucci President Donald Trump blasted the House Freedom Caucus on Thursday, threatening to back challengers to members of the conservative caucus that helped block the GOP healthcare bill last week. "The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don't get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!" Trump wrote. Trump has increasingly lit into members of the conservative caucus for failing to support the American Healthcare Act, the president's and GOP leadership's replacement bill for President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act. Though he initially blamed Democrats for the failure of his bill, the president on Sunday said that the opposition party was "smiling" at Republicans' inability to repeal Obamacare. He attacked the caucus again in a tweet Monday. "The Republican House Freedom Caucus was able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After so many bad years they were ready for a win!" Trump said. Trump's repeated criticism of the caucus suggests he won't easily forget who sank his first major attempt to pass legislation. The Daily Beast reported last week that Trump's chief political strategist, Steve Bannon, advised the president to keep a "s--- list" of lawmakers who opposed the bill, threatening future retribution. In recent days, Trump has floated working with Democrats on healthcare legislation, a prospect at which GOP leadership has bristled. NOW WATCH: People on Twitter are turning Paul Ryan’s healthcare presentation into hilarious memes See Also:
Business via Business Insider http://ift.tt/eKERsB March 30, 2017 at 02:03AM
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Everything you need to know about the Great Repeal Bill White Paper in five minutes http://ift.tt/2nz9HXv Victoria Jones/PA Wire/PA Images
LONDON — The government today published it's White Paper on the Great Repeal Bill. The Bill has been sold as a means of untangling the UK from European laws and courts. However, the White Paper confirms that in reality Britain will remain subject both to EU law and European court case law for the foreseeable future. Here's how it will work. Repeal of the European Communities Act.All existing EU treaties are effective in UK law through the European Communities Act (ECA). Under the ECA, European law is supreme over domestic law and UK courts must follow the verdicts of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Under the ECA, European law is supreme over domestic law and UK courts must follow the verdicts of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The repeal of the ECA has therefore been a major aim of those campaigning to leave the EU. But repealing EU law is not that simple.However, repealing EU law is not simply a case of repealing one law. While much of European law is effective through the ECA, much of it isn't. Huge parts of EU law are already embodied in both primary and secondary UK legislation, while other parts are not really laws at all but judgments made by the European Court of Justice, or rulings by EU regulators. As the government acknowledges in its white paper today, simply repealing the ECA would create huge confusion and leave "large holes" in the British legal system. As a result, the government has come up with a solution that many Brexiteers may not be happy with. Copying and pasting over all EU law.Ministers are therefore looking to take a "snap shot" of the entire body of EU laws and regulations (known as the acquis) on the day we leave before transferring it over to the UK statute book. This law can then be slowly amended or repealed as time goes on. However, this is not quite as simple as it sounds. For one thing, EU law is constantly changing and will continue to do so, whereas the work needed to take a "snap shot" of it must begin now. Also, the nature of the EU-derived laws and regulations that will apply to the UK post-Brexit will be a large part of the negotiations with the EU, the result of which we won't know until the last moment. As the white paper itself acknowledges: "There is much that can be taken forward during those negotiations, but some legislation will necessarily need to await their conclusion." This leads to another problem. REUTERS/Christopher Furlong/Pool There is not enough timeAmending thousands of laws and regulations bis a job that would ordinarily take decades. The government has less than two years. And if they don't act fast, whole areas of British law risks falling into a legal no-mans land. However, the government has a solution. However, the government has a solution. New powers to "correct EU-derived laws".As a result, the government has decided to cut out parliament from most of the amendments through the use of secondary legislation and statutory instruments. Statutory instruments are powers designed to allow ministers the ability to make minor time-sensitive and technical changes to laws, without first seeking the approval of MPs. Their use has increased greatly over recent years and the Great Repeal Bill will increase their use even further. According to the white paper: "The Great Repeal Bill will create a power to correct the statute book where necessary, to rectify problems occurring as a consequence of leaving the EU." It estimates that there will need to be around 1,000 changes by statutory instrument made by ministers over the next two years, around the same as made in each of the last two parliaments. However, this is just an estimate and the number could be larger. As the White Paper acknowledges: "It is not possible to be definitive at the outset about the volume of legislation that will be needed, as it will be consequent on the outcome of negotiations with the EU and other factors." But UK courts will remain subject to EU law.While Theresa May has spoken often of the fact that our law will "no longer be set in Brussels and Luxembourg" post-Brexit, today's white paper confirms that it will continue to have an effect on our own courts. Under the bill, all existing CJEU case law will continue to apply in UK courts meaning British citizens will continue to be subject to the rulings of European courts. More controversially, the white paper also states that while as a "general rule" UK law will in future be supreme over EU law, existing EU case law will continue to have precedence over existing British law. According to the White Paper: "If, after exit, a conflict arises between two pre-exit laws, one of which is an EU-derived law and the other not, then the EU-derived law will continue to take precedence over the other pre-exit law." This is likely to be hugely controversial among many Brexit campaigners, for whom the supremacy of EU law has long been a major bugbear. No clear safeguards against the abuse of delegated powers.In his statement to the Commons, David Davis insisted that there would be safeguards preventing ministers from abusing the widespread delegated powers provided under the Great Repeal Bill to rewrite the statute book without democratic oversight by Parliament. However, while the paper has lots of assurances contained within it that these powers will not be abused, there are no clear safeguards preventing it from being so. The white paper insists that: "The Government will give more specific assurances to Parliament about the limits of this power as it makes the case for it being granted." However, it then adds that "this will need to be balanced against ensuring the power is broad enough to make all of the necessary amendments to the statute book within the time frame determined by the EU withdrawal process." In other words, the severe time pressures the government faces are likely to trump any concerns over the abuse of ministerial powers. NOW WATCH: Donald Tusk to UK: 'we already miss you' See Also:
Business via Business Insider http://ift.tt/eKERsB March 30, 2017 at 02:03AM
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A former Jefferies banker was fined £37,198 for sharing confidential information and boasting on WhatsApp http://ift.tt/2mSC5XK Thomson Reuters LONDON — Britain's markets watchdog fined a former Jefferies investment banker £37,198 for sharing client confidential information over WhatsApp. Christopher Niehaus, "failed to act with due skill, care and diligence," the Financial Conduct Authority said. Niehaus, who was a managing director in the investment bank, shared information about two clients with "both a personal acquaintance and a friend, who was also a client of the firm," between January and May last year. In January he disclosed the details of a deal he was working on, the identity of the client and the fee the firm would make as a result, during the course of a WhatsApp chat. Niehaus "also boasted about how he may be able to pay off his mortgage if one of the deals was successful," the FCA said. In a separate conversation in May, Niehaus told the same friend how a different client had "c[o]me out with a profit warning" and was "in trouble," the FCA said, citing the messages in its final notice. Niehaus could have been fined £53,140, but received a 30% reduction for early co-operation. None of the parties used the information to trade securities, the FCA said. Between January and May Niehaus earned £312,589.60. "Niehaus claimed that he 'didn’t know' why he disclosed the information to Friend A and Client A other than he wanted to impress them," the FCA said. NOW WATCH: These are the watches worn by some of the most powerful men in finance See Also:
Business via Business Insider http://ift.tt/eKERsB March 30, 2017 at 01:57AM This may be the earliest known color footage of the White House http://ift.tt/2octFdz President Herbert Hoover's wife Lou Hoover recorded what might be the first color film of the White House ever. The footage was recorded on Kodak Kodacolor film in the late 1920s. It features the president and his family, friends, and staff around the White House and on vacation.
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Business via Business Insider http://ift.tt/eKERsB March 30, 2017 at 01:51AM Report: The FBI is using the explosive Trump-Russia dossier as a 'roadmap' for its investigation3/30/2017
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Report: The FBI is using the explosive Trump-Russia dossier as a 'roadmap' for its investigation http://ift.tt/2oc9eNG The FBI is using the explosive, unverified collection of memos detailing instances of alleged collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign team and Russia as a "roadmap" for its investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, the BBC's Paul Wood reported on Wednesday. "The roadmap for the investigation, publicly acknowledged now for the first time, comes from Christopher Steele, once of Britain's secret intelligence service MI6," wrote Wood, one of the journalists who obtained an early copy of Steele's dossier before it was published in full by Buzzfeed in January. Some of the dossier's claims — many of which appear to align with events along the campaign trail — are slowly being corroborated. CNN reported earlier this month that the FBI has information to suggest that the Trump campaign "communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign." Another key detail of the dossier has now been verified, according to the BBC: Mikhail Kalugin, a Russian diplomat who was withdrawn from Washington, DC, in August 2016, was known to the US government as a Russian spy and had been under surveillance by the US intelligence community before he was recalled last year. The FBI — which began receiving Steele's reports in June 2016 — had been examining Kalugin's role in funding Russian hackers who broke into the Democratic National Committee servers when he left the US in August, McClatchy reported last month. According to the dossier, Kalugin "had been withdrawn from Washington at short notice because Moscow feared his heavy involvement in the US presidential election operation … would be exposed in the media there." One reason the FBI may be taking cues from Steele's dossier is because they've worked with him in the past, according to Wood. Steele, who had cultivated an extensive network of Russian sources during his time on MI6's Moscow desk, apparently worked with the FBI on Russia and Ukraine-related matters between 2013 and 2016. Specifically, Steele had worked with the FBI's Eurasian Joint Organized Crime Squad, according to a lengthy profile in Vanity Fair. "The FBI's Eurasian Joint Organized Crime Squad was a particularly gung-ho team with whom Steele had done some heady things in the past," Vanity Fair reported. "And in the course of their successful collaboration, the hard-driving FBI agents and the former frontline spy evolved into a chummy mutual-admiration society." The relationship was so "chummy" that the FBI offered to pay Steele to continue his work in October, The Washington Post reported last month. "Steele was known for the quality of his past work and for the knowledge he had developed over nearly 20 years working on Russia-related issues for British intelligence," The Post reported. Some of the dossier's more outlandish claims, including salacious accounts of purported sexual escapades, have been difficult to confirm. Trump has dismissed the dossier as "phony stuff" and "fake news." But comparing Steele's reports, which were written between June and December of last year, with events that unfolded just before and after the election reveals a series of coincidences that has added to questions surrounding Russia's interference in the election. NOW WATCH: Trump appears to ignore requests for a handshake with Angela Merkel during their first meeting See Also:
SEE ALSO: The director of the FBI is at the center of the House Intelligence Committee's latest battle Business via Business Insider http://ift.tt/eKERsB March 30, 2017 at 01:51AM |
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