Month: March 2019

You may have heard that on March 29 popular ride-sharing service Lyft officially hit Wall Street. The app famous for getting you from point A to point B seamlessly IPO’d at a starting price of $72 a share. 

According to CNBC, after it began trading, “the stock held at around $87 in its first few minutes of trading — something of a modest IPO for such a giant tech company. The initial pop nudges Lyft’s valuation to $25 billion.”

Needless to say, because of the giant amount of money the company is now worth, people are talking.

Here are a few interesting select takes to give you some perspective:

Since the release of the first trailer in December, Avengers: Endgame has essentially dominated the internet. Well, let’s be honest: It’s basically owned the internet since Thanos decimated our heroes at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.

This week, we got a new piece of news that fans have been clamoring for: a run time. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that, per sources, the movie will clock in at an astounding three hours and 58 seconds. This would make it the longest MCU movie by 22 minutes, with the runner-up, Infinity War, clocking in at two hours and 40 minutes. It is a record-breaking length for a superhero film, and certainly one of the longest for a blockbuster.

The report of the run time came hot on the heels of the movie’s next trailer, which was released two weeks ago and showcases not just the Avengers as they attempt to undo the destruction that the Mad Titan Thanos unleashed upon the universe but also the newest superhero to join the fray: Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel.

Tickets for Endgame went on sale on April 2nd and if that wasn’t enough, Marvel dropped another new trailer to go along with the tickets announcement. 

Marvel has been relatively tight-lipped regarding the new movie, and the Russo brothers have stated that they used fake footage in their trailers just to keep information hidden from fans. This week, however, Marvel released character posters for everyone who will (or is believed to) make an appearance in Endgame, split by who is still alive and who was killed off in the battle against Thanos in Infinity War.

These posters caused quite a stir online, especially the fact that one of the universe’s favorite characters, Shuri from Black Panther, had been lost in Thanos’s snap aka the Decimation.

It seems as if these posters and ticket announcement trailer might be the final pieces of content we get to see prior to the film’s worldwide release date on April 27, and with opening weekend box office projections looking to be above $800 million, fan anticipation has never been higher.

For now, we just need to be patient as we await the release.

Whatever it takes.

Mainstream financial advice these days either comes from your parents (by way of nagging) or from frantic Google searches akin to late-night cramming. And over the years you’ve probably experienced or come across some not necessarily bad advice but perhaps some advice that’s not that relevant to today’s digital world. A recent thread on Quora lays out perfectly some advice from back in the day that we may want to…leave there.

*Obviously, at the end of the day it’s your money and you can do whatever the hell you want with it. So you can take these with a grain of salt, but at least you’ve seen and read some potential alternative viewpoints.

What they say: Buy a house as soon as you can.

Here’s the thing: Unless you’re loaded or your parents are graciously helping you with a down payment (lucky!), you don’t necessarily need to rush from renting to buying. If we take into account the state of today’s economy, owning a home just might not be the smartest move to solidify your financial future. 

I don’t mean to get too conspiracy theorist on you, but Zach Pinnell, who originally answered this question on Quora, made a good point. He said, “Somehow, the majority of Americans still seem to believe home ownership is always more financially sound than renting (if you can afford a down payment).” Pinnell went on to explain that there is “a lot invested (try centuries) in the housing industry’s success and subsequent industries that rely on the idea that you have to buy a home…”

I could write an entire article on this topic and how we’ve all been brainwashed, but Pinnell explains it pretty simply:

What they say: Investing in tech stocks at the right time will make you rich

Successful entrepreneur Doug Armey honed in on a piece of financial advice that might be best left ignored and that is the “buy tech stocks” movement. Armey explains that during both giant tech booms, people were saying “tech is the future.” And in some instances and for some people it was, but the idea that “you can’t lose money in tech” turned out not to be true, because people did.

Suddenly some investors decided maybe it wasn’t smart to invest in companies that had a cool logo but no sales. Truthfully, tech was the future. Just not some tech companies.

So the notion that you should invest in “the next big thing” just because everyone’s gushing over it may not be the smartest idea every time. 

What they say: Save money by avoiding expensive coffee or taking public transportation instead of cabs. 

Today’s tactics: focused on figuring out how to discover multiple streams of income

This has always been a popular thing for people to say, (imagine an old person waving a cane is saying this to you), “if you want to be rich then you millennials need to stop spending money on $5 coffee’s and $15 avocado toast.” You’ve definitely heard it before. And while maybe spending $15 every single weekend on Avocado toast isn’t the very best idea, the only way to truly be able to save money is to make MORE money.

That means that instead of focusing on curbing spending you should actually be focused on figuring out how to discover multiple streams of income. The more money you make, the easier it will be to save.

For example, if you’re a teacher, I know you probably have extremely long days, but it might be worth it to work an after-school program to take in more money and/or tutor on the weekends. These aren’t things you’ll have to do forever, but with every industry, there’s always more that can be done too.

When I decided to leave the comfort of my full-time writer position to pursue freelance and creative writing, I felt sick to my stomach. As I packed my desk in the New York City office and said goodbye to my colleagues who had become family, I couldn’t help but wonder: Am I making a mistake?

But I didn’t have time to feed nostalgia or cycle doubts; I had a passion and dream to chase. And there was no turning back.

Taking that leap was one of the most liberating experiences but also one of the most terrifying. However, reminding myself I was in the right position to take this risk has eased most of that fear, allowing me to focus on the “why” behind my decision. I had to trust that I had made the right choice. I’d prepared for this.

If you’re considering taking a similar plunge but don’t feel you’re ready just yet, don’t fret. Here are five ways to prepare for a career leap.

I’ve always been a saver, but while planning to leave my office job, I became extra frugal. This meant only spending money on necessities like rent, utilities, groceries, etc. and transferring everything else to my savings.

Even so, it was difficult to keep up with this habit. I was a 23-year-old journalist with a pricy commute to the city, and I had my fair share of bills to pay. That’s when I realized that in order to leave my full-time role, I’d have to sacrifice my free time to my side hustle (freelance writing) so I could afford to save more money quicker.

This overlap was exhausting, to say the least, but I knew it would pay off eventually. The light at the end of the tunnel was bright enough to keep me motivated on those early mornings and lonely weekend nights.

If you don’t have a decent amount of money to fall back on in case of an emergency, you’re going to spend too much time worrying about earning a profit instead of dedicating yourself to your passion. Calculate how much you would need to cover a few months’ expenses to allow yourself time to recover from possible failures.

Don’t quit your job simply because you don’t want to work a nine-to-five. While that might be part of the reason, you need a strong drive to get you out of bed each day, or else you’ll likely end up sleeping late or neglecting your career altogether.

Before I even considered leaving my staff writer position, I knew I eventually wanted to become an author and freelance to support myself. Once I started writing my first novel, this dream quickly became more of a realistic career path, and I was ready to commit to it—regardless of the fear and instability that it might bring.

Until you are absolutely head-over-heels in love with that side hustle you’ve been working on, be it a podcast or food truck business, don’t make any major decisions. Take time to invest in that passion until you can’t imagine life without it.

Business truly is about who you know. If your interests lie in a specific industry, you’ll want to make connections with experts in that field. This can be as simple as following influencers on Instagram, commenting on LinkedIn posts or reaching out for advice and collabs. The worst someone could say is no.

Take it from me: I am an introverted bookworm who shies away from confrontation most of the time. But when I want something that pertains to my career, like a writing opportunity I know I’m a good fit for, or even an interview with my favorite band, I’m not afraid to ask. (OK, that’s a lie—usually, I’m terrified. But I do it anyway.)

Sometimes this ends well and I gain a contact. Other times I receive silence as my answer. But by putting yourself out there, even if you’re rejected, you’re establishing yourself as a worthy and credible person in the industry, and developing thicker skin along the way. Having a decent support system makes all the difference when diving into a new career.

While you probably don’t even want to think about failing, to an extent, you should. You need to be prepared for any outcome, positive or negative, so you aren’t caught off guard and scrambling for money or work.

My backup plan is simple: If I don’t feel I’m making enough money to support a stable lifestyle in six months, I will start applying to full-time roles again. But for now, I am allowing myself the chance to turn my passions into a career—to finish my novel and land freelance gigs with brands I connect with.

Just like your backup plan, you should also have a long-term plan. Don’t take a risk without having an idea of where you want to end up.

For instance, the main reason I took my leap is that I knew I had a future with one of my freelance clients. I knew they could support me enough for the time being and that we could grow together to build a more sustainable business arrangement. I also gave myself a timeline for editing and publishing my novel, and I have made that one of my main priorities.

It might never feel like the right time to risk financial stability for your desired career. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try. At the end of the day, you have to be the one to make that decision. Whatever that may be, I hope you give yourself the chance you deserve.

Will Smith squeezed in some heart-racing dad-son bonding—by challenging his oldest child, Trey, to an F1 car racing duel in Abu Dhabi—on the latest episode of Will Smith’s Bucket List on Facebook Watch.

As part of taking in the culture of the United Arab Emirates, Will let 26-year-old Trey live dangerously on the Jebel Jais Mountain: “It’s the highest point in the UAE, and there’s a serious love for cars in this culture, so I’mma let my son drift down this mountain and cheat death so, you know, he can get ready for the big race.”

The 50-year-old famous father of three immediately regretted the decision.

“It’s one of those parenting moments when everything was funny,” he admitted. “It was like funny before, but now he’s in the car.”

Watch the full episode above to see that moment, see who wins the duel and see special guests Lewis Hamilton, a five-time F1 world champion, offer advice; Mo Amer, an Arab-American stand-up comedian, prank Trey; and Jaden Smith, another of Will’s kids, officiate the race.

“You know, this bucket list was never about cars; it was only ever about my son, and I won,” Will said after the race. “The central components of love are time and attention. You cannot get around spending time if you want to build love. It’s something I failed at for most of Trey’s life, but I’m going to dedicate the rest of my life to making up for it.”

In other Bucket List episodes, Smith skydives, runs a half marathon, swims with sharks and performs a stand-up comedy routine with help from comedic legend Dave Chappelle. What’s next on his bucket list? Dancing in a Bollywood movie.