Deadspin Don't Believe The Hype: Mayweather-Pacquiao Is Not Good Vs. Evil | Gizmodo Edward Snowden Tells John Oliver How to Generate the Best Passwords | io9 Is Han Solo's Coat Blue Or Brown? It's That Damn Dress All Over Again | Jezebel Fox News Enigma Megyn Kelly Slams Rand Paul's Sexist Behavior | Kinja Popular Posts
Thursday, April 9, 2015
How to Keep a Bad Interviewer from Derailing Your Job Chances
Sometimes when you land a job interview, you end up talking with someone who might not be the best interviewer. Whether you get a taciturn interviewer or an inexperienced manager who focuses on the wrong things, knowing how to handle the rogue person on the other side of the table can be essential to landing the job.
This post originally appeared on The Muse.
So, the question is: How do you get a bad meeting back on the right track? Here's a three-step plan for preventing an ill-prepared interviewer from derailing your shot at a job.
Do What You Can to Answer the Questions Well
So, the interviewer starts off with something off-the-wall, like "If you were an animal, which one would you be?" or "So, you know that competition is a huge part of this role, right?"
Don't panic just yet. Sometimes, hiring managers like to ask odd questions to try and get at something very specific to their company culture. Since it can be hard to tell whether they're just novice interviewers or mad genius interviewers, try to smile, relax, and go with the flow at the beginning of an interview.
The ability to think on your feet has a strong correlation to how prepared you are to begin with, so make sure you're doing your homework before each meeting. Review common interview questions, prepare a few stories for behavioral questions, and do some sleuthing on what technical questions you might get. It's not possible to be ready for everything (especially a bad interviewer), but being generally prepared will help you get through the beginning before you try to help them refocus on the big picture.
Redirect the Attention to Your Fit for the Role
At some point, red flags will start going up, and you'll know it's time to rein this interviewer in. He or she might be spending way too much time—think 20 minutes out of a 30 minute phone screen—explaining what the position entails rather than asking you about your experience. Or the meeting might seem to be too focused on that one time you biked across Europe instead of your ability to do the job. To get the interviewer refocused on your qualifications, try asking questions or statements like:
- Can you tell me more about what experience you're looking for in the person you'd like to hire for this role?
- What do you think are the most important skills necessary for this position?
- It's really interesting what you said about the job—I think my project management experience would be really relevant. I'd be happy to go into more detail if you'd like.
These will be easy to get in if the interviewer has run out of questions, but trickier if he or she is just asking the wrong questions. Try tucking in one of these at the end of your response as a way to conclude your answer. For example, "...and that was my most meaningful leadership experience in college. Is there anything I can tell you about my more recent experience to help you figure out if I'm a good fit for the company?"
Reiterate What You Have to Offer at the End
Hopefully, your attempts to steer the conversation will be successful, but if all else fails, you still have one more shot. Once you're finally given the floor to ask your own questions about the position toward the end of the interview, ask your thoughtful final questions and wrap up with something that summarizes your qualifications for the role. It might sound something like this:
"Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! I'd love to take this final opportunity to reiterate my fit for the position. Based on our conversation, I know you're looking for someone who knows her way around data, takes initiative, and thrives in a team setting. My three years of experience in economic consulting gave me ample opportunity to really shine in these areas, and I'd love to bring these skills and traits to your company."
Having a less-than-ideal interviewer can really mess with your head. Keep calm and take the lead. Of course, you shouldn't have to be the one leading the conversation, but if you want the job—you'll do what you need to do.
3 Steps for Dealing With a Truly Terrible Interviewer | The Muse
Lily Zhang serves as a Career Development Specialist at MIT where she works with a range of students from undergraduates to PhDs on how to reach their career aspirations. When she's not indulging in a new book or video game, she's thinking about, talking about, or writing about careers. Follow her musings on Twitter @lzhng.
Image by Akarakingdoms (Shutterstock). Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Andy.
Snapseed Adds Non-Destructive Editing, More Filters, and More
iPhone/Android: It’s been a long time since the Google-owned Snapseed photo editing app got an update, but today it gets a bunch of handy new features in both the Android and iPhone versions.
New features in the update include a lens blur, tonal contrast, and glamour glow filters. It also adds in brush tools and spot repair for more precise editing. Perhaps most importantly, you can now use “stacks,” which gives you a set of non-destructive editing so you can edit and re-edit images as you need.
Snapseed (Free) | Google Play
Snapseed (Free) | iTunes App Store
Messenger for Mac Turns Facebook Messenger Into an App
Mac: Facebook's new Messenger app for browsers is great, but if you'd prefer a more standalone app, Messenger for Mac is exactly what you're looking for.
Messenger for Mac simply pulls out the Messenger web app and turns it into a dedicated app. It looks just like Messenger, but works on its own without needing a browser open. It's also free and open-source, so you can tinker around with it as you want.
Messenger for Mac (Free)
Hackr.io Is a Crowd-Sourced Resource of Programming Classes
We’ve seen plenty of collections of different programming classes and resources before, but Hackr.io mixes things up a bit by allowing users to submit their own picks and vote up others.
The resources here cover everything from C++ to Google Analytics. The point is to gather together as many resources as possible in one place, which you can also add to if you want. It’s a great starting point if you’re looking for tutorials or just to share the knowledge you already have.
How to Run Hills and Boost Your Endurance
So you'd like to take up running, but you live on a mountain. Or maybe you already jog in a nice flat place, but want to tackle some trails or a hilly race. Here's how to train your mind and your legs to power up even the steepest slopes.
Walk the Hills
This is my first tip because it is the most versatile one, and you can put it to use today. Go out for that hilly run, but when you get to a hill, just walk it. You'll get up the hill and, if you walk fast, you'll still be giving yourself an aerobic workout. Mission accomplished.
Does this seem like cheating? It's not. Anything that helps you run longer, farther, or more often is a training tool. Trail runners and ultramarathoners often plan to walk as part of their strategy for long races and steep hills.
As you get better at hills, keep this strategy in your back pocket for occasional use. Maybe you can run up half the hill and walk the rest. Maybe you'll run the first nine hills and walk the tenth. Better than staying home to protect your pride, right?
Take Small Steps and Use Good Form
When you're ready to tackle hills, there is a right way to do it. You might have a vision in your head of a strong runner powering up hills at full speed, but you don't want to sprint up and be any more exhausted than you need to be. (Don't totally lose that vision, though—imagining yourself meeting challenges with strength is a powerful tool.)
But the reality is that you have to step a little smaller and use slightly different form than when you're running on the flat. You'll slow down; that's the reality of running hills, no matter how easy some people make it look. Here are the important points:
- Take tiny steps. Keep your feet moving in the same rhythm as on the flat, and keep your effort level the same (so you aren't breathing any harder). That means each step needs to be smaller, and you may only feel like you're moving a few inches at a time. It's OK, though: since your effort level is the same, you can keep chugging up the hill without getting tired.
- Pick up your knees. You need to lift your feet higher to take that next step up the hill, while pushing off with your back foot. Focusing on high knees helps you keep strong form.
- Don't bend over, and don't look down. Standing tall makes it easier to lift your knees, drive from your hips, and keep your center of gravity over your feet. If you tend to bend at the waist when you're tired, slow down (remember tiny steps) and remind yourself to stand tall.
- Change your focus. If you're tired, it can help to focus on moving your arms (because your legs will follow), or angle one hip toward the hill so you're running slightly sideways. (Switch sides every now and then). You can also spend a few seconds or minutes on each of the above form tips, going through them like a mental checklist.
With good form, hills become more of a doable chore than an insurmountable obstacle. The more you run hills, the more comfortable you'll feel on them.
Run Hill Repeats
That's right, you're going to pick a big scary hill and run it more than once, on purpose. Many runners dedicate a workout to hills every week, or at least a couple times a month. Consider an alternating schedule: designate a speed/strength day that takes the form of speedwork one week and hills the next.Here are a few ways you can train on hills:
Long hills: Pick a moderately steep hill that's long enough you can run up it for a minute or more. Before you tackle the hill, go ahead and warm up by running an easy 5-10 minutes on flat or comfortable ground. Run uphill for 30 seconds, then walk downhill and keep walking for a total of 2-3 minutes before starting the next repeat. (You can also do longer repeats; see the chart here for suggested times.) Bring cones or designate landmarks so you don't have to measure the distance every time, but can turn off your brain and just run from cone to cone.
The first time you try this, aim for four repeats, and remember to go easy enough on the first repeat that you'll have enough energy left for the other three. Add a repeat every workout until you're running 8 or more.
Short hill sprints: These are quick, but can be tough on your body, so don't be too eager to do a ton all at once. Try them at the end of an easy run. Pick a hill, the steeper the better, and sprint up at top speed for 8-10 seconds. Take a minute to walk and recover, then do it again. Two of those are enough for your first day. Over time, build up to 10 in a row. Here's some more information about building hill sprints into your training program.
Stair climbing, like on stadium bleachers, isn't a true hill workout but can give you some of the same advantages: you're still working your lungs and legs, but can't adjust your stride the same way you would outdoors. This is a great alternative if you live in a flat part of the country, or if the weather is bad but you know a good indoor staircase. (Pittsburgh's 36-floor Cathedral of Learning, for example, is a popular workout spot for runners and hikers.)
Hill training can also benefit your running on the flat, because it builds endurance and makes you practice good form. Remember about standing tall and picking up your knees? The muscles that help you do that on the hills are also valuable for overall running form.
It also, of course, helps on hills in real life. When I ran the Pittsburgh half-marathon, I was pretty pooped around mile 11, but perked up after a water stop and suddenly got confused: how is it that I'm running but everyone around me is walking? It took a moment to dawn on me: oh, this is "that big hill at mile 12" everybody was talking about! Thanks to my hill repeats, I'd barely noticed it.
Photos by Nick, Matt Brown, Robin McConnell, Stanislav Sedov.
Vitals is a new blog from Lifehacker all about health and fitness. Follow us on Twitter here.
What's Your Best Tip for a Graduating High School Student?
In the coming months, we'll be releasing a new batch of freshly-graduated adults into the world. If you could give them one piece of advice about what lies ahead, what would it be?
My oldest is graduating high school this year, so this is a subject I've been giving some thought. College is more expensive than ever and other options are becoming increasingly attractive. The job market is still poor. But whether it's about college, the workplace, or anything else to help them in their upcoming adventures, we'd like to hear your best tips.
Image by Charline Tetlyevsky.
Clean Your Brick Fireplace with Cream of Tartar
Cleaning up a soot-stained fireplace can be a daunting job. There are commercial cleaners available, but they can be kind of harsh. Why not try a safer, cheaper route first?
All you need to make your own effective cleaner is a few tablespoons of cream of tartar with enough water to make a paste. Apply it to the stained areas, let sit for 10 minutes, and rinse it off with warm water. Hit up the full article to check out other natural cleaning methods, as well.
How To Clean a Brick Fireplace with All-Natural Cleaners | Apartment Therapy
Make Fancy, Crystal Clear Ice Cubes With Boiled Water
There's nothing wrong with cloudy ice cubes. Yes, what you're seeing are "impurities," but they're the same impurities in tap water, and that's generally pretty safe to drink. But if you prefer clear ice cubes, you can easily make them with boiled water.
Over at About.com, chemist Anne Helmenstine explains that clear ice is formed from pure water that doesn't contain any dissolved gases. When you see cloudy ice, you're seeing crystalized "impurities," like calcium or fluoride. Clear cubes are usually made using water that's been purified through reverse osmosis or distillation. But you can make it from tap water, too. It just has to be boiled.
Helmenstine recommends boiling the tap water twice. Then, let it cool a bit for safety, and pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. It's pretty simple, but if you need more info, head to the link below.
How to Make Crystal Clear Ice Cubes | About
Photo by David Smith.
Today's Best Deals: $10 Showerhead, Spring Cleaning Gear, & More
Here are the best of today's deals. Get every great deal every day on Kinja Deals, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to never miss a deal, join us on Kinja Gear to read about great products, and on Kinja Co-Op to help us find the best.
More Deals:
Top Deals
Don't throw out that old iHome: this cheap little dongle can plug into your existing stereo systems (or even headphones!) to add Bluetooth streaming with no fuss. [ iClever Portable A2DP Wireless Bluetooth 3.0 Streaming Receiver, $15 with code 3CJ3TB5X]
If your laptop bag is starting to wear out, here's a great chance to replace it with a quality backpack from SwissGear for just $35-$46.
All of the included bags have solid reviews and look really nice to my eyes, but the star of the show is the $40 ScanSmart backpack. Its laptop pocket actually folds all the way open so you won't have to take your computer out when going through security at the airport. It's a minor thing, but any shred of dignity you can wrest back from TSA is a win in my book.
Again, this is a Gold Box deal, meaning these prices are only available today, or until sold out. [ Amazon]
$25-per-terabyte is one of the best deals on external storage you're likely to see these days. Plus, no sales tax for most. This particular mode was actually released less than two weeks ago, and I have to say, I'm a fan of the case design. [Seagate Expansion 4TB USB 3.0 3.5" Desktop External Hard Drive, $100]
Amazon Prime Pantry is great for city dwellers or the perpetually busy who want to avoid a few trips to the nearest supermarket, but each box has a flat $6 shipping fee. Today on Amazon though, they'll waive that fee if your box includes four select household cleaning items. That's perfect timing for spring cleaning, and a nice excuse to take one less journey to the store. [For a Limited Time, Buy 4 Select Spring Cleaning Pantry Items at Amazon and Save $5.99 Off Your Order]
Telltale's Game of Thrones adventure is halfway through its first season, but Android owners can get the first episode for free today through the Amazon Appstore. It's definitely worth your time!
Update: iOS owners can get it free through IGN as well.
- FREE Game of Thrones - A Telltale Games Series Episode 1 | Amazon | Episode 1 is free for a limited time
- FREE Game of Thrones - A Telltale Games Series Episode 1 | iOS via IGN
Can you name another desk fan or space heater that you'd want to leave out and visible when guests visit? The Dyson AM05 is both devices in one, and it deserves to be in a museum as much as your living room. You can grab a refurb today for $140, which is about half the price of buying a new one. [Refurb Dyson AM05 Fan/Space Heater, $140]
These SanDisk Pixtor memory cards are really fast, making them perfect for photography, and Best Buy has marked down several capacities of the SD and MicroSD versions, today only. [Several SanDisk Pixtor Memory Cards On Sale]
Odds are, your home or apartment didn't come with a great showerhead, but you can fix that today for just $10. The well-reviewed Delta 5-Spray showerhead comes with five different spray settings, a limited lifetime warranty, and even a pause function to help you save water while you lather up (looking at you, California). It normally sells for around $25-$30, but Home Depot has it today for just $10. Note that this price is only available today, or until sold out, so grab yours soon. [Delta 5-Spray 5 in. Showerhead, $10]
Today on Story Bundle, you can name your own price for 10 digital comic books and graphic novel collections, and even choose to donate a portion to charity, if you wish. If you pay $15 or more, you'll get 10 additional bonus comics, including Game of Thrones #1. [Story Bundle]
It's time for April showers, which means it's time to freshen up your wiper blades, and Amazon will sell you a pair of Anco Transforms for $22, which is a great price for two. Just pick the ones you need using Amazon's car part finder tool, and your discount will show up at checkout automatically.
Once you have your receipt though, you might be able to mail or upload it to Anco for a $10 rebate, bringing the total cost of two blades down to $12. The fine print of the rebate says it's not valid with any other promotions, but sometimes that's just legalese that they don't really enforce. I bought a pair and submitted for the rebate, and will update this post once they accept or reject it. If it works, it'll be by far the best deal we've ever seen on wiper blades, but if it doesn't, $22 is still a great deal. [Two Anco Wiper Blades, $22. Plus $10 YMMV Mail-In Rebate]
Update: My rebate was accepted as valid! That doesn't mean yours definitely will, but it's a great sign.
If you've been waiting for a deal on the GoPro Hero4 Black, $100 off is about as good as you're going to do. The Hero4 Black can shoot 4K at 30FPS, and is pretty much indisputably the best action camera money can buy. [GoPro Hero4 Black, $400]
If your phone can charge wirelessly with the Qi standard, you can stock up on highly-rated charging pads for $20 each today. These are actually thin enough that with a little elbow grease, you could probably even build them into some furniture. [RAVPower Wireless Qi Charging Pad, $20 with code JKSIH4QR]
There's not much to say about this knife-hiding key other than that it looks awesome, and only costs $8. Just don't forget to leave it at home before you head to the airport. [ SOG Specialty Knives & Tools KEY-101 Key Knife, $8]
It's a simple law of physics that no matter how many USB ports you have, you always need at least one more. These travel-friendly hubs will solve that problem for you, and one even comes with an ethernet jack that's perfect for ultrathin laptops that lack them.
- iClever 4-Port Superspeed USB 3.0 Hub ($8) | Amazon | Promo code CRZ3ZGC6
- iClever 3 Ports USB 3.0 Hub with RJ45 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Converter ($16) | Amazon | Promo code W7MP38TM
It might not be mission-critical equipment for your home, but a good label maker is a nice gadget to keep around, and Amazon's top seller is only $10 today.
If you remember the old label makers that literally pressed the letters into a piece of tape, this is a bit more advanced than what you're picturing. The Dymo LabelManager 160 can print in eight fonts at six sizes, along with clipart and special characters, and you can even preview the entire label on its LCD screen before you print. The last time we posted this deal, it sold out quickly, so you'll want to grab yours fast.
Again, this might not be something you pull out every day, but at $10, why the hell not? [ Dymo LabelManager 160, $10]
One can never have too many Lightning Cables. [ RAVPower MFi-Certified Lightning Cable, $7 with code GS5VLUIG]
Need a longer cable? [ AmazonBasics 6' Lightning Cable, $10]
Kinja Co-Op: Five Best Gaming Mice, 2015 Edition
Kinja Co-Op: Eleven Best Mascaras
Get the best deals in your newsfeed, and maybe share with your friends?
Tech
Storage
- Seagate Expansion 4TB USB 3.0 3.5" Desktop External Hard Drive ($100) | eBay
- Sony16GB SDHC UHS-1 Class 10 Memory Card ($9) | Amazon
- SanDisk Pixtor Advanced 64GB microSDXC Class 10 UHS3 Memory Card ($45) | Best Buy
- SanDisk Pixtor 64GB microSDXC Class 10 Memory Card ($30) | Best Buy
- SanDisk Pixtor Advanced 32GB microSDHC Class 10 UHS3 Memory Card ($25) | Best Buy
- SanDisk Pixtor 32GB microSDHC Class 10 Memory Card ($17) | Best Buy
- SanDisk Pixtor Advanced 64GB SDXC Class 10 UHS3 Memory Card ($48) | Best Buy
- SanDisk Pixtor 64GB SDXC Class 10 UHS1 Memory Card ($35) | Best Buy
- SanDisk Pixtor Advanced 32GB SDHC Class 10 UHS3 Memory Card ($28) | Best Buy
- SanDisk Pixtor 32GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card ($18) | Best Buy
- ADATA DashDrive UV128 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Model ($36) | Newegg | After promo code EMCARAV73
- Kingston 32GB DataTraveler microDuo USB 3.0 On-The-Go Flash Drive ($13) | Newegg | After promo code EMCARAV75
Headphones
- Sennheiser Audiophile Over the Ear Headphones ($100) | Amazon
Home Theater
- Panasonic 600W 5.1ch Smart Network 3D Blu-ray Disc Home Theater System ($170) | eBay
- iClever Portable A2DP Wireless Bluetooth 3.0 Streaming Receiver ($15) | Amazon | Promo code 3CJ3TB5X
- Urban Beatz ROCKBOX Portable Wireless Stereo Bluetooth Speaker with Built in Microphone ($30) | Amazon | Promo code L2258LJH
- Jawbone BIG Jambox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker & Speakerphone ($185) | Woot
Computers & Accessories
- Lenovo AMD A6Series, Radeon, 8GB, 1TB, Win 8.1, 15.6" Laptop ($340) | Best Buy
- Lenovo S21e Ultra Portable Win 8.1 Laptop ($199) | Lenovo | Use code USPS215US49
- Alienware Alpha Core i3 Console Gaming PC ($400) | Dell | Use code 1KHQR?2D3XRKWZ
- AOC 22-Inch IPS Frameless LED Monitor ($130) | Amazon
- Logitech K740 USB Wired Illuminated Keyboard ($50) | Staples
- Today Only - Get 40% Off or More on SwissGear Laptop Backpacks at Amazon
- ASUS RT-N16 Wireless Router 802.11b/g/n DD-WRT Open Source with USB Storage, Printer And Media Server ($55) | Newegg | After rebate and promo code EMCARAX58
- D-Link 5-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch ($12) | Amazon | After Digital Coupon
- BATTOP Ultra-Slim Bluetooth 3.0 Wireless Keyboard ($7) | Amazon
- Inateck Apple Style Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard ($15) | Amazon | Promo code MJAVFUTK
PC Parts
- Toshiba 3TB SATA 6Gb/s 7200rpm 3.5" Internal Hard Drive ($90) | Amazon
- G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) ($97) | Newegg | After promo code EMCARAX23
- G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) ($100) | Newegg | After promo code EMCARAX32
- AMD 5800K Trinity Quad-Core 3.8GHz APU w/ Radeon HD 7660D, GIGABYTE MOBO, 120GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 8GB MEM, Case w/ 480W PSU ($290) | Newegg
- LG Black Blu-ray Disc Drive ($35) | Newegg | After promo code EMCARAV43
- LG Black Blu-ray Burner ($55) | Newegg | After promo code EMCARAV44
- COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus "Heatpipe Direct Contact" CPU Cooler ($20) | Newegg | After $10 rebate
Phones and Tablets
- BLU Advance 4.0 Unlocked Dual SIM Phone ($50) | Amazon
- Samsung Galaxy S 5 4G LTE Cell Phone ($1) | Best Buy | With 2-year Agreement
- BATTOP Ultra-Slim Bluetooth 3.0 Wireless Keyboard ($7) | Amazon
- Cambond 6' Colorful Lightning Cable ($10) | Amazon | Promo code CAMBOND8. Multiple colors available.
Photography
- GoPro HERO4 Black ($399) | eBay
- Samsung WB350F 16.3 Megapixel Digital Camera ($130) | Best Buy
Home
- For a Limited Time, Buy 4 Select Spring Cleaning Pantry Items at Amazon and Save $5.99 Off Your Order
- Delta 5-Spray 5 in. Showerhead ($10) | Home Depot
- Foscam Wireless 720p Indoor Plug and Play IP Video Surveillance Camera ($49) | Home Depot
- Get up to 50% Off Select Indoor / Outdoor Area Rugs at Home Depot
- Refurb Dyson DC65 Multifloor ($235) | Woot
Kitchen
- Get 25% Off Keurig K-Cups at Staples
- Wolfgang Puck 5-in-1 Grill/Griddle with Dual Temperature Controls ($75) | eBay
- refurb Panasonic Genius 1.6 cu ft 1250W Sensor Microwave with Inverter Technology ($100) | Walmart
Apparel
- 50% off Select "Simple" Items | Hanes
- ASICS Men's Hyper XCS Cross-Country Shoe ($20) | Amazon
- New Balance Men's M1490 Running Shoe ($25) | Amazon
- prAna Sabin Chakara Tank Top - Women's ($27) | REI
Misc.
- Star Wars Slave I Replica Keychain ($8) | TFAW
Camping & Outdoors
- Northwest Territory 8 Person Family Tent ($100) | Kmart
Tools
- Ryobi 18-Volt ONE+ Lithium-Ion Super Combo Kit (4-Piece) ($129) | Home Depot
- 24" Poly Fan Rake ($5) | Kmart
Kids
- Big Hero 6 10" Baymax Plush Figure with Sound Effects ($15) | Amazon
- LeapFrog LeapBand ($20) | Amazon
Follow us for the best deals on the Internet, and check out http://t.co/w8ke7mw7nT
— Kinja Deals (@KinjaDeals) June 9, 2014
Commerce covers the best products on Kinja Gear, finds you deals on those products on Kinja Deals, and asks you about your favorites on Kinja Co-Op, click here to learn more. We operate independently of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. We want your feedback.
Send deal submissions to Deals@Gawker and all other inquiries to Shane@Gawker
How to Find an Investment Broker That Won't Rip You Off
Despite the popularity of cheaper online brokerages like Etrade and TD Ameritrade, many investors still use traditional brokers where you still buy and sell by placing orders with a live person. The bad news is many brokers are under pressure from their bosses to sell you things that may not be in your best interest. Here's how to protect yourself.
People like dealing with live brokers because they think those brokers know more about the market, and can steer them away from bad investments and into better ones they can't find themselves. Most of the big name brokerage houses have a full-time staff researching companies, funds, and alternative investments. They pass that research on to your broker, which gives you peace of mind that you're dealing with someone who can steer you away from bad investments and into ones those using discount brokerages don't know about.
That's the theory, at least. That's not always the case, though, mainly because of conflicts of interest. The higher-ups in a big brokerage often decide to push a particular investment because they get higher commission on it. Then they pressure the brokers to steer their clients into those investments. Here's one of many such cases.
If you suffer loss because you were steered into bad investments, you have no remedy. You can't sue the broker, because the broker is not required to act as a fiduciary—someone who is by law compelled to put your interests above theirs. For example, if you discover that your estate's executor or your doctor did something to benefit themselves at your expense, you can sue them because they violated their fiduciary responsibility. Brokers are not bound by that.
In order to protect the investor in the street, the government is considering legislation that will require brokers to be fiduciaries. If passed, that will allow clients to sue brokers if they bought an investment which benefited the broker in ways which were not disclosed. Whether that law will pass, given the lobbying clout of the financial services industry, is an open question.
In the meantime, if you use a traditional broker, you need to do your due diligence to make sure you're getting someone reliable. Here are a few questions—some inspired by this Associated Press article and a few from my own experience—that you should ask before you act on their advice:
- Find out what incentive the broker is getting besides the fee you're paying. If you're not paying anything, someone else is. Once you know that, you are better able to judge whether the advice you're getting is "sponsored" or objective. Look for fee-only planners, who you pay directly, instead of commission-based planners, who get paid for the products they sell.
- Find out if your broker is acting as your fiduciary. A few are, but most aren't. If yours is, you can expect they will be a lot more careful with their advice, because it means you can sue them if there's a conflict of interest and that conflict caused you to lose money. (It's worth asking, but don't hold your breath. The vast majority of brokers, for obvious reasons, avoid becoming a fiduciary.)
- Check out their credentials. CFP (Certified Financial Planner) is generally regarded as a high standard of objectivity. If your broker has other letters, it's worth your while to check out what they mean.
- Check out the individual. If you've ever listened to the CNBC TV series American Greed, you will notice how many people did business with known felons, simply because the fellow looked honest. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) keeps a database of all brokers, including any legal problems. Here is a link to a search page which should identify the most egregious bad apples. But you can also just Google the broker's name and do a little digging yourself, too.
- Do your own homework on the investments they suggest. When a broker suggests an investment you've never heard of, take a few minutes to go to Yahoo Finance or Google Finance to check it out. Those sites are free, and have tons of information.
- In the long run, your best bet is to wean yourself from personal brokers altogether. They have to be paid, and the only source for that money is you, the client, whether it's a direct fee, or a kickback from the investment they're selling. As a general strategy, using a discount broker to buy low-cost index funds is the cheapest and safest way to go.
It's nice to do business with someone you have a good relationship with. It is even better to do business with someone you've checked out. But it's best when you don't have to pay for something you no longer need.
Title image remixed from Vector3D (Shutterstock).
For a Solid Financial Plan, Find Out Why Money Is Important To You
Sure, financial stability is important. But why? Obviously, it’s responsible and it gives you options, but that’s a pretty vague reason. To draft a better financial plan, ask yourself what money really means to you, individually.
Most of us reach a point in our lives where we want to take a harder look at our money situation. We want to come up with a plan to get our finances in order. In his book, The One-Page Financial Plan, writer and financial planner Carl Richards says it’s important to ask yourself “Why?” during the planning process. In fact, keep asking “Why?” until you get a personalized answer about what money means to you as an individual. You want to learn why, specifically, money is important to you.
Your initial answer might be freedom—that’s common. But freedom from what? Maybe you want to spend less time working so you have more time to yourself. But why do you want more time yourself? What would you do with it? The answer will be different for everyone, but that’s kind of the point. Whatever your answer, that should be the foundation of your financial plan. Richards explains:
The purpose of asking “Why?” isn’t to come up with specific goals or plans of action. It’s meant to reveal the reason why you have certain goals. Expect the first answers to come fairly easily. But give yourself time to pause and really think; by doing so, you can go even deeper, getting much close to what’s most important. Once you’ve hit upon your “most important thing,” you’ll have a tool that will help you make lots of decisions going forward…”
When I was in debt, I wanted to get my finances in order. Why? Because I wanted to stop worrying. I had other things I wanted to do with my life, like take on a different career. Ultimately, I wanted to get my finances straight so I could pursue my goal of writing for a living. This gave my finances a sense of purpose—and it kept me motivated.
It’s a lot easier to make responsible financial decisions when there’s something in it for you, and knowing what money means to you can help you figure out what that “something” is. You can check Richards’ book out at the link below.
Photo by Alexey Krasavin.
If you’ve got an iOS device then you’ve probably noticed the latest software update is available.
If you've got an iOS device then you've probably noticed the latest software update is available. Beyond the usual selection of bug fixes and patches (of which there are more than usual), there are a number of small but handy improvements for your iPhone and iPad to take advantage of—here's how to use them. [Gizmodo]
Use the 3-4-5 Rule to Square a Perfect Corner
For construction purposes, in lieu of a framing square tool to make a corner square, use your tape measure and a bit of geometry to achieve a perfectly square corner every time.
In a classic example of classroom mathematics meets real-world application, the Pythagorean theorem can be used when building a shed or any structure that requires exact corners. The Pythagorean theorem states that the square of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. This is shown as A squared + B squared = C squared and is known as the 3-4-5 rule in construction.
As shown in the video above, use your tape measure to measure and mark one board at 3 feet and the other board at 4 feet and then place a board directly across both marks. The third board should equal 5 feet and give you an square corner. Works every time.
Tricks with Construction Tools | Ethan Ewing (YouTube)
Workshop is a new blog from Lifehacker all about DIY tips, techniques, and projects. Follow us on Twitter here.
HBO Arrives on Sling TV, Streams to Roku, Xbox One, Android, and More
Just two days ago, HBO launched HBO Now, the standalone streaming service, with an exclusive on Apple devices. “Exclusive” might be a vague term, though, as you can now get it on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Xbox One, and Android as well...provided you get it through Sling TV.
HBO arrives as an addition to the normal Sling package, which costs $20/month. HBO comes at an extra $15/month on top of that, so if you want to watch the upcoming Game of Thrones premiere on your mobile device, it’ll cost you $35 total. For that premium, though, you get a special bonus: Sling normally has a hard limit of one active stream per account. However, for HBO, users can stream to up to three devices simultaneously.
HBO Joins Sling TV Today | BusinessWire via The Verge
Stop Procrastinating by Reminding Yourself You’ll be Lazy Later, Too
People procrastinate for different reasons, but a big one is convincing yourself you'll have more energy later. It's easy to put this burden on our future self, but most of the time, we're just as lazy, busy, or tired in the future as we are now.
We often have a false idea of our future self. We expect that person to be more organized, efficient, and energetic.
But here's an interesting thought from the notebook of philosopher Simone Weil:
Illusion that time, of itself, will bring me courage and energy…. In fact, it is usually the contrary (sleepiness). Say to yourself: And suppose I should remain always what I am at this moment? … Never put something off indefinitely, but only to a definitely fixed time. Try to do this even when it is impossible (headaches…). Exercises: decide to do something, no matter what, and do it exactly at a certain time.
Next time you're on the brink of procrastinating because you think you'll be in better spirits to do it later, remember that, later, you may very well be exactly what you are at this moment. You might as well do your future self a favor and get it done now.
Of course, this doesn't apply every single time. Occasionally, it really does make more sense to do something later. But if you're only using that to justify your procrastination, this little reminder comes in handy.
Simone Weil on Temptation, the Key to Discipline, and How to Be a Complete Human Being | Brain Pickings
Image by Matt Reinbold.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)