In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with Tyler Irons from VRLY.
Without further ado…
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Tyler Irons and I’m the Founder of VRLY. VRLY is a Technology and Marketing partner for Real Estate agents. VRLY helps agents implement the latest technology into their listings. VRLY then helps agents monetize that technology by incorporating it into their marketing campaigns. VRLY helps our agent partners have leverage over their competitors and attract future clients with targeted marketing campaigns.
What problem does your product/service solve?
At our core, we here at VRLY understand digital marketing. We utilize scanning, Drones, 3D & 6D tech, listing websites, as well as other cutting-edge technology in our 3-Step Process to conduct hyper-targeted, focused digital marketing campaigns to put our partner’s brand and listings in front of future clients.
80% of home buyers start their search online. So, we help our agent partners marketing funds to where it truly matters: mobile phones. VRLY puts their face and brand in front of a hyper-targeted audience of buyers and sellers. We use the latest tech and marketing ad’s to help sell your current listing while attracting potential new listings.
What’s are you most excited about right now?
VR Pre Built 6 Degrees OF Freedom (6DoF) is HERE! VRLY is helping our agent partners incorporate 6DoF into their offerings. Having complete control over home tours of Pre Built homes is changing the industry for home builders. Our agent partners are winning and wowing builder clients with their fully interactive home tours that are usable on Desktop, Mobile, and VR.
What’s next for you?
VRLY’s Research and Development team is always working with the latest tech to incorporate with our agent partner’s businesses. We have many projects in the works currently that will be coming out over the next year. The best way to keep up with our latest products is to follow along with our social media pages.
What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?
VRLY has been blessed with amazing support from our home state of Nebraska. We’re passionate about helping the next generation have opportunities to travel, learn, and have positive life experiences. We have partnered with an incredible group at VRLY Storm Basketball. Storm Basketball has found a way to reach and connect with kids in our community. They’re helping kids from all over Nebraska and using Basketball as a connecting platform. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the impact they are making.
Thanks to Tyler for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.
We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).
Mortgage rates are more than double what they were this time last year. Homes are sitting on market longer and longer, and there’s a major disconnect between buyers and sellers. In Andrew Perrie’s market, the average offer coming in now is $200,000 below asking price. On today’s State of the Market podcast, we give our predictions on rate reductions, share strategies for getting deals done right now, and offer encouragement to agents who are struggling with slowing sales.
Listen to today’s show and learn:
Seven rate increases in Canada since February [3:20]
How real estate markets in Canada have changed since early 2022 [4:07]
Texas real estate markets [5:34]
The biggest problem with traditional listing strategies right now [7:35]
Setting expectations with today’s sellers [8:47]
Houses not getting offers at asking price [11:14]
Wholesalers tying up and reselling homes in Texas [16:21]
Investors with ARM loans running into trouble [20:06]
Canadian real estate investors writing off losses [21:44]
Pivoting away from online leads [26:15]
Ideas for in-person real estate events [26:58]
Goals to grow a real estate business in 2023 [29:59]
Andrew’s predictions on rate reductions [38:12]
Canada’s home shortage [40:05]
The buyers winning in this real estate market [42:57]
Where to find and follow Andrew Perrie [45:52]
Andrew’s final thoughts [46:17]
Related Links and Resources:
Thank You Rockstars!
It might go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: We really value listeners like you. We’re constantly working to improve the show, so why not leave us a review? If you love the content and can’t stand the thought of missing the nuggets our Rockstar guests share every week, please subscribe; it’ll get you instant access to our latest episodes and is the best way to support your favorite real estate podcast. Have questions? Suggestions? Want to say hi? Shoot me a message via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Email. -Aaron Amuchastegui
We all like to have good style, and to be noticed. But sometimes, people are so eager to be cool and unique that they end up just revealing their own insecurities. It’s one thing to be interesting and have unique opinions. It’s another thing entirely to try so hard you just look desperate. We asked Redditors for the top things they’ve observed people doing to look cool that just don’t.
1. Unnecessarily Loud Cars
One user posted, “Loud *ss car/motorcycle. You’re not impressing anyone…”
Another commenter replied, “There’s a video by some YouTube guys satirizing this. They’re sitting at home when they hear a motorcycle start up, and they run to the window to cheer them on, saying how cool it is that it’s so loud and unnecessary. It’s very funny. Can’t find it, though.”
Another user shared, “I used to have a loud exhaust on my motorcycle, not to show off or anything but so that people could hear me. A lot of the time, people don’t see motorcyclists, and that’s how accidents happen. After I got into a close call on the highway (not speeding, someone just casually switching lanes on me), I decided to put on a loud exhaust.
“I don’t ride anymore, but when I drive my car around, if I hear a loud exhaust, I double check my mirror to see where the motorcycles are, and that’s the whole point. In the US, no driving school teaches you to watch for motorcycles. That’s something you will notice when you go to Europe, people constantly check their mirrors for motorcycles because they have been taught to do so.”
2. Disliking Trends Just to Be Unique
One Redditor posted, “Those who think hating anything popular just because it’s popular makes them special.”
A second user added, “I swear, this is such a child mentality. Like when you’re going through your ‘Not like the other kids’ phase and think you’re so cool bc you don’t like the popular thing, but eventually you grow out of it and realize it’s ok to like popular shit and enjoy things regardless of what other people think or like….. But, obviously, some people never grow up and grow out of it.”
One commenter replied, “And it’s ok to be an adult and like uncommon or unusual things. People also love to spit on people who like ‘alternative things.’ The goal is that you find intrinsic value and enjoyment in your choices. When people just slide into what’s popular because it’s what they’re fed, that seems insincere. But if they wear it because they see it and genuinely like it, then that’s good. and the same when flipped to ‘alternative’ styles.
But with strangers, that can be hard to read at first blush. With people you know or get to know, it’s easier. I do think it’s easier for people to swallow when other adults look more traditional than when they look unusual. But should that matter? Edit: And when I say ‘love to [spit] on,’ I mean to say they almost always believe some looks are only for attention or to convey a specific personality trait. Which is as ridiculous as believing someone only wears fancy branded clothes to be seen.”
“I used to be that person! Then I grew up and realized how obnoxious it was to just have an opinion about anything I didn’t enjoy that other people did, and it feels amaaaaazinnggg. I think people need to realize how cyclical that kind of attitude is. People who are super critical of other people are often paranoid about what people think of them, and it just goes round and round,” one user confirmed.
3. Calling Themselves Alpha
One user commented, “Calling themselves ‘alpha’. It just makes them just seem insecure imo.”
Another user added, “It’s like telling people you’re rich. If you have to tell people…you aren’t.”
One Redditor replied, “If you have to tell people you’re alpha, you’re not alpha.”
“If those kids could read, they’d be pretty upset by that statement,” another user exclaimed.
4. Modifying Your Car for Noise
One user posted, “Modifying your car to make it obnoxiously loud.”
Another user replied, “Add to this, all the guys that peel out in parking lots because they think their car is so cool and everyone is impressed. No… we just think you are an attention seeking dbag making annoying noises and making the air smell like burnt tires.”
Another user responded, “To be fair, the primary goal of modifying the exhaust is usually to add power. Added noise is a secondary consequence. That said, I agree that some people take it way too far. ”
5. Designer Things Covered in Logos
One user shared, “To me it’s designer stuff that just has some brand’s logo or name all over it. Why be a walking billboard for a company that isn’t even paying you? It’s weird. Being overly flashy is a big yuck to me.”
Another user added, “Same reasons kids today sh*t on Android users for not having an iPhone. It’s not about having a quality product, it’s about showing people that you have more money than them.”
One user replied, “iPhones and Androids are the same price? Flagship Android phones are actually more expensive, and iPhone budget options reach all the way down to $430 brand new. I know there are cheaper Androids far below that, but this statement is just stereotypical ‘Apples are bad and expensive.’ There’s nothing wrong with either phone, it’s great that people have options. The iPhone is not a status symbol, it’s a preference, and anyone who thinks otherwise has some insecurities they’re projecting onto others. Time to get over it.”
6. Education as a Status Symbol
One user commented, “People who look down on education.”
Another user shared, “Also educated people who look down on those who didn’t go to college or university. You’re not a more valuable human being just because you have a degree. [Jerks] are found at every level of education, and it works both ways.”
“It doesn’t matter if every human being on this planet has a PhD, somewhere there’s still gonna be a pile of sh*t that needs shoveling,” one Redditor responded.
One commenter added, “Exactly. It is simply not viable for everyone to be a business manager, doctor or lawyer. Society NEEDS truck drivers, construction workers, plumbers and cleaners too. Edit: And since this is the case, it’s only natural and fair that we pay those people enough to live a dignified life befitting a human being.”
7. Calling Yourself a Bad Girl
One Redditor posted, “Girls who call themselves certified bad b*tches.”
Another user added, “‘Queens.’ So ghetto and trashy.”
One user laughed, “Queens with no job, no skills and no responsibilities lol.”
Another user shared, “Women who try to be a ‘bro’ to fit in. I cringed at whatever her name was in ‘Love is Blind’ when she was like, ‘I’m one of the bros’…”
8. Revving at Red Lights
One user commented, “Idiots who stop at red lights and constantly rev their engines like they’re about to participate in a drag race.”
Another Redditor replied, “It must feel amazing to win a race no one else is participating in.”
One user shared, “That was me when I was young, but not for the usual reason. I had just earned my license and my friend gave me his rusted out [car] as a ‘gift.’ The problem was it needed a valve adjustment and I couldn’t afford to take it to the shop, nor did I know how to adjust it myself. The problem is it would stall at idle, so anytime I’d come to the lights, I’d put the car in neutral (it was a manual) and gently rev the engine until the lights turned green.
“I felt obnoxious doing it, it probably looked even more embarrassing to everyone else. It was particularly awkward when a cop would pull up beside me at the lights, and we’d make eye contact while gently [revving] the engine. I’m surprised I never got pulled over for it.”
9. Bragging about Intimate Encounters
One Redditor posted, “Bragging about how much s-x they’re supposedly having. It’s a clear sign of someone who peaked in high school.”
Another user shared, “That’s my dad perfectly described.”
“My uncle is almost 300lbs and married a woman he knew for 2 weeks and brags about their [intimate] life. It’s just gross man,” one user added.
“Back in high school my friends would do this. I was single at the time and I would tell them how shitty it felt that everyone around me was doing it but me. Then they kept bragging about it. That’s when I realized these guys weren’t really my friends,” one commenter shared.
Do you agree with the list above? Share us your thoughts and leave a comment!
Source: Reddit.
These are 10 Things That Completely Destroyed The Love in a Relationship
There’s no question that relationships can be confusing, but here are some of the top things to avoid if you want to keep your relationship healthy!
10 Actors and Actresses People Refuse to Watch Ever Again
We all have a favorite actor or actress, but most of us have a least-favorite as well. Check out this list of actors and actresses people never want to see performing again!
Top 10 Worst Human Inventions of All Time
Some inventions are world-changing, and some of them, well, they change the world in the wrong ways. Here are some of the worst inventions Redditors could think of.
10 Famous Celebrities Who Look Like They Smell Terrible
We’ve all had moments of hygiene faux pas—but these celebrities just look like they don’t take care of themselves at all.
10 Terrible Fads People Are Glad Died Out
Every fad has its time in the limelight, but some of them come and go faster than others; and some just need to die out right away. Check out this list of fads of which people were happy to see the last.
Starting a Roth IRA is one of the easiest — and best — steps you can take to save for retirement. But you should understand the Roth IRA rules before investing in them.
I know I’ve written a lot about the Roth IRA in the past, but I still get questions all the time. People find them intimidating. For example, Lynn wrote last week:
I’m a 36-year-old single mother of two. I want to start investing for my future, but I am so overwhelmed by all the information. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on my best options for a Roth IRA. I am a school teacher and earn $41,000 per year.
I am going to do more research, but I would appreciate some advice from someone who already has expertise in this area. I am not sure what I need to start a Roth IRA, or who I should go with. I don’t know much about mutual funds or anything of that sort, so any help and advice would be appreciated.
Let’s clear things up: A Roth IRA does not need to be confusing. In fact, a Roth IRA is actually fairly easy to understand.
Note: This post is going to keep things basic. For more detailed info, see the resources at the end of this article, or consult a financial planner.
Roth IRA Basics
The Roth IRA is an individual retirement arrangement: It lets you save and invest for your future. An IRA is simply a holding account. It’s a label. When you own a Roth IRA, it contains nothing. It’s like a bucket, a place for you to put things. (Most people think of an IRA as an individual retirement account, which is fine, but it’s actually an “arrangement.”)
The things you put in your bucket are investments. You might, for example, buy a stock to put in your retirement account. Or maybe government bonds. Or certificates of deposit. The important thing to understand is that a Roth IRA is not an investment — it’s a place to put investments.
Related >> Best CD Rates | Certificate of Deposit Rates
With many retirement accounts — such as 401(k)s and traditional IRAs — you contribute pre-tax money and are taxed when you take the money out during retirement. Because they work with after-tax money, earnings from a Roth IRA can be withdrawn tax-free at retirement.
Roth IRA Rules and Requirements
Because Roth IRAs are meant to encourage ordinary people to save for retirement, not everyone qualifies for them. If you do qualify, you can contribute up to $5,000 to your Roth IRA every year. If you’re 50 or over, you can contribute $6,000.
Who qualifies? Nearly everyone. However:
If your tax filing status is single and you earn more than $105,000 per year, your contributions are restricted.
If you’re married filing jointly, your contributions are limited if your household earns more than $160,000 per year.
You can use a Roth IRA even if you have a 401(k) or other retirement plan, but you must make your contributions by the tax deadline each year.
The rules are a little more complex than that, but those are the basics. If you need more info, take a look at the resources listed at the end of this article.
Where to Open a Roth IRA
Deciding where to start your Roth IRA is the most difficult part of the process. Many financial institutions offer IRAs. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Don’t fret about finding the perfect match — find a good match and then get started.
To make things simple, here are four big companies that provide Roth IRAs (though these are by no means your only options):
Fidelity Investments offers a no-fee IRA. There’s a $2,500 minimum initial investment, but this is waived if you commit to $200/month automatic contributions. They offer 4,600 mutual funds, about a quarter of which have no transaction fee. In short, you can open a no-cost IRA at Fidelity with a $200 starting investment if you invest in mutual funds and you agree to contribute $200/month. Apply for a Roth IRA with Fidelity.
It’s also possible to open a no-cost Roth IRA at The Vanguard Groupif you elect to receive electronic statements. Otherwise, a $20 annual fee is charged until your Roth IRA balance is over $10,000. Your minimum to get started is $3,000 — except that you can start with just $1,000 in the company’s STAR fund. (The STAR fund is an mutual fund of mutual funds, a safe choice for beginners.) Additional contributions require a minimum of $100 unless you use their Automatic Investment Plan, in which case the minimum is $50. There are no fees to purchase the STAR fund. Start a Roth IRA at Vanguard.
T. Rowe Price charges $10/year for Roth IRA accounts until you have a balance above $5,000, after which there is no fee. You need $1,000 to open your IRA, but this minimum goes away if you sign up to contribute at least $50/month with the Automatic Asset Builder. There are no sales fees or commissions to invest this money in T. Rowe Price mutual funds. Open an IRA at T. Rowe Price.
Scottrade resists charging its customers set-up, annual or maintenance fees for its online trading services and also offers them the opportunity to get a refund of up to $100 in transfer fees from other brokers for bringing their Roth IRA to Scottrade. Scottrade’s pricing on trades is fairly simple: $7 for stocks $1 and above for online market and limit equity orders. You might also consider a Scottrade checking, savings or money market account. These can be joined with a trading account to help easily fund transactions.
Opening a Roth IRA is easy. You’ll need some minimal bank account info and about 30-60 minutes of free time. If you’ve ever filled out a job application or applied for a credit card, you can certainly open a Roth IRA. Once you’ve completed your application, you can transfer money to the account. It might have to sit in a money market fund until you have enough saved to buy your first mutual fund, but that’s okay. You’re developing the saving habit!
Note: I’m a big fan of automatic investment plans. Most of these companies offer some sort of program that will pull money from your bank account every month to invest in stocks or mutual funds that you designate. By setting aside $50 or $100 or $500 in this way, saving becomes a habit.
Which Investments to Choose
Here’s where I cop out. I’m not a financial adviser. I don’t know your goals or risk tolerance. I can’t tell you were to invest.
Related >> What if the Stock Market Makes You Nervous?
And to be honest, where you invest doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that you do invest. To get some ideas, browse through the investing archives here at Get Rich Slowly. (Maybe start with these “lazy portfolios.”)
Related >> The Passive Way to Investment Success
If you’re really stressed, pick a target-date fund that most closely matches the year you’ll retire. This probably isn’t the best option, but it’s fine. Just use it while you get in the habit of making contributions. You can always switch the money to something more appropriate later.
Related >> Choosing a Target-Date Fund
Learning More About the Roth IRA
In 2007, I ran a four-part series exploring the benefits of a Roth IRA. If you need more info about these accounts — or if you have questions — you should start here first:
I’ve revised these articles and compiled them into a free e-book called The Get Rich Slowly Guide to Roth IRAs (518kb PDF). (Note that this e-book was produced in April 2008, so some of the info is a little out of date, especially about Zecco.) And if you want the official word on the subject, check out IRS publication 590, which is all about IRAs.
Now’s the part where you can tell Lynn how easy it is to set up a Roth IRA. (And share what sort of things you’ve invested in.) My own Roth IRA started with stupid stock picks (Countrywide, The Sharper Image) and has moved toward index funds. I’m all about making things easy right now!
My philosophy on credit cards has changed completely in the last five years. I’ve gone from anti-credit-card to pro-credit-card — but only for those who can use them responsibly. I think they’re a great convenience, and I like getting cash back when I use mine.
But not everyone thinks this cash-back feature is a good thing. In fact, my inbox is a-flutter with folks who want me to comment on the recent credit-card study from the Consumer Payments Research Center. This study (which can be downloaded as a 810kb PDF from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) found that credit cards transfer wealth from the poor to the rich. How? Through fees and rewards programs.
From the abstract:
Merchant fees and reward programs generate an implicit monetary transfer to credit card users from non-card (or “cash”) users because merchants generally do not set differential prices for card users to recoup the costs of fees and rewards. On average, each cash-using household pays $151 to card-using households and each card-using household receives $1,482 from cash users every year.
Because credit card spending and rewards are positively correlated with household income, the payment instrument transfer also induces a regressive transfer from low-income to high-income households in general. On average, and after accounting for rewards paid to households by banks, the lowest-income household ($20,000 or less annually) pays $23 and the highest-income household ($150,000 or more annually) receives $756 every year.
To summarize: Wealthy people are more likely to use credit cards than poor people (and more likely to receive rewards for doing so). But because prices are generally the same whether you pay with cash or credit — in most cases, credit-card companies prohibit stores from adding a fee for credit-card use — poor people usually pay more for things than wealthy people do. This is, effectively, a transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. This isn’t just hypothetical or abstract; the paper lays out the details for just how this occurs.
Note: There are many other ways in which the poor pay more than the rich. Wealthy people are more likely to negotiate. (No evidence — my own belief.) Wealthy people usually have the ability to wait before buying something. Wealthy people tend do have more buying options (and thus find lower prices). And so on.
There’s a lot of interesting information in this study, and if you have time, you ought to read it. It’s thought-provoking. And it has created quite a stir in the media.
Even before this study was released, Ron Lieber at The New York Times was contemplating the damage of rewards cards. Lieber has been “fanatical” about using his mileage card for fifteen years, but recognizes that he may be part of the problem. Since the release of the study, the NYT Bucks blog has posted a follow-up about how much credit card rewards cost the poor.
The Wall Street Journal blog post on the study offers no opinions, but the commenters make some interesting points. (Well, those that aren’t being internet idiots, that is.) I particularly like the comment from Jay on July 27th at 10:48am (which describes the reasons low-income earners shouldn’t use credit cards).
GRS reader Alan forwarded this article from the Portland Oregonian, in which Brent Hunsberger does a good of explaining the complicated web of fees and payments in the current system. (And the comments on his article are surprisingly rational; OregonLive.com is not known for its intelligent discussions.)
The article from the Oregonian also includes this video, in which Hunsberger diagrams the web of credit-card fees and payments:
Out of curiosity, I pinged my pals at Index Credit Cards. Their new spokeswoman, Dr. Mary Ann Campbell, had this to say:
The problem, as I see it, is that there aren’t enough options to incentivize the poor, such as discounts for cash or no-fee cards with low limits and strict rules to help them build their credit. Increased options and incentives for the poor without taking away the reward for good behavior earned by people who are managing their money well would be a smart and healthy way to address this dilemma.
It’s all about incentives and options. The incentive of credit card companies to get people who have the money to spend more is working through reward cards. As the economy is driven through more spending, so are more jobs created, and tax revenues increased, which I see as actually helping the poor.
So, what do you think of this research? I understand the research and accept that it’s true, yet it’s unlikely to change the way I use credit cards. Yes, I could take a moral stand and refuse to use credit for most of my purchases. But doing so would cost me a lot of money — roughly the same as my dining-out budget for a few months. (And I like my clams in butter sauce!)
The main problem is that the system already exists, and it’s deeply entrenched. It’s not going away. By electing to opt out, smart consumers — wealthy or not — cost themselves money. If using a rewards credit card without carrying a balance is a way for me to save a few hundred dollars a year, that qualifies as one of those Big Wins I’m always preaching about. It seems foolish to give this up.
But maybe I’m just being selfish.
What about you? Does this study make you think twice about your own use of credit cards?
Calling all dog lovers! Have you peeped the insanely chic leather and rope dog leash that Chapman at Sea an awesome maker out of Florida! designed exclusively for our Apartment 34 Holiday Shop? If you haven’t, you’re going to die- right along with us. It’s THE and we mean it! best lookin’ dog accessory on the market. Each leash is hand crafted with gorgeous brass hardware, a super luxuriously soft lambskin tassel and details- it’s crisp, modern and every person with a pup needs one. We love the work of this husband and wife duo so much that we thought we’d share their story, their appreciation for materials and design and a little bit of insight into the process of this exclusive, limited edition leash there are only 25! available in our shop HERE.
The Chapman at Sea Story
From Tasha: Chapman at Sea is a collaboration between myself, Tasha and my husband, Joe. The whole thing began with a vintage army duffle and the need for some surfboard bags. I inherited the duffle from my grandfather. He was an old army guy with a great collection of vintage military goods. I’d had the duffle for a long time. I always took it on my travels, it holds all of our dive and beach stuff while at home. And despite it being really old, it never wears out. It’s made from a heavy duty canvas that just keeps looking better the more it’s used. So when I went to make board bags I’ve always been into fabric and texture! I thought it would be really cool if they had the same utilitarian style and age just as well as my grandfather’s duffle bag.
Our board bags turned out really well and we enjoyed making them so we took the whole thing online. My artistic eye I was an illustrator prior! and Joe’s real life marine experience he’s a commercial diver! came together to make a super high quality bag. And people liked them! Beach bags were the next product we came out with and then leashes.
Tales to Live By
The obvious reason we named our company Chapman by the Sea is that Chapman is our last name and we live by the sea, but that’s not exactly where the name came from… I’ve often noticed that there are a lot of Chapmans involved in sea-faring activities- there are nautical textbooks written by Chapmans and near us, in Fort Lauderdale, there’s even a Chapman School of Seamanship! It seems like past Chapmans have had a lot to do with the ocean and since the company all started to fill a need we had in our own lives – the surfboard bags – and that [out to sea mentality] is pretty much how it continues. If there’s something we need, we look into making it, making it better, making it stylish.
We’re always on the lookout for new ways to use the classic materials we work with! It’s also very important to me that nothing go to waste – especially the leather. I want to use the animal product as respectfully as possible and not discard loads of it. The leashes are a perfect example for that because they allow us to use the smaller pieces of leather that are left over from the large bags. These little bits could easily be tossed out, but instead we put them into accenting the leashes- creating something beautiful with them!
Designing an Exclusive Piece
We started with our basic leash design and thought about what we could do to customize it further- make it special and unique. There were several versions we came up with, some more elaborate than others, but after a lot of input from the Apartment 34 crew we decided on a design that spoke most to the Apartment 34 brand – a classic style with some lovely upgraded materials and details, of course! All of our leashes have leather accents, but this one uses a gorgeous soft lambskin. And the lambskin is THE perfect shade of grey to compliment the white rope and brass hardware – nautical for sure, but with a modern, elegant twist. The oversized, hand wrapped tassel is the ultimate showstopper.
We’re in love with this uber sophisticated and elevated dog leash and you should be too! Who says that our furry friends shouldn’t look as stylish as we do? Order your leash and one for the equally obsessed pet lover in your life! fast because they are going to sell out QUICK. There are only 25 available!
You can buy the leash here. Happy Holidays! Woof woof.
images c/o Chapman at Sea and via @chapmanatsea // image 2, 7, 8 original photography for apartment 34 by Aubrie Pick
I recently participated in a conference call with Suze Orman, who is working to promote Best Life Week. This series runs on The Oprah Winfrey Show all this week, and is intended to help viewers “jumpstart 2009 and make it the best year ever!”
Hyperbole aside, it was great to have a chance to speak with Suze Orman, who will be sharing money tips with Oprah viewers this Thursday. I tried to ask her about maintaining motivation and sticking to goals. She answered with how to avoid credit cards. Not exactly what I was after, but the information was still good.
J.D. Roth Having once been over $35,000 in debt myself, I know that it’s one thing to say you’re ready to get out of debt and to stop using credit cards, but it’s another thing to actually maintain the dedication for the days and the years that are needed to pay that debt off. I’m wondering if you have any favorite behavioral tips or tools for maintaining motivation with new goals for a New Year’s resolution.
Suze Orman You know, J.D., what’s very fascinating is that the desire to want to use the drug known as credit cards is a very, very strong pull on people. It’s almost as strong — I’m very serious about this when I say this — as a narcotic, as tobacco, as well as alcohol.
And in the same way that if you happen to be a drug addict or you happen to be an alcoholic, that normally what keeps you on the road of the straight and narrow is that you don’t hang out with people who drink. You don’t go into bars. You don’t keep alcohol around your house. You make it so that it’s easy for you to not get yourself in trouble because it’s right there.
Saying “No” to Credit
The same, I have to say, is true when it comes to credit cards. You have to, even though you don’t want to close down your credit cards because that will hurt your FICO score, that doesn’t mean that you can’t rip them up. Doesn’t mean that you can’t cut them up as soon as you’re out of credit card debt where you just don’t see them.
So my advice to people who were once in credit card debt and now they’ve gotten themselves out of credit card debt is I would literally cut up all of my credit cards. I would not be carrying them, I would not even have them in the refrigerator. Some people say they put them in the freezer — oh, give me a break. Anything can come out of a freezer. I would cut them up 100%.
And if, in fact, I knew that I might seriously be tempted to call the credit card company and say, you know what, send it to me again — I would not care about my FICO score and I would literally call up the credit card company, close down the account and not give me any temptation whatsoever to get myself into credit card trouble. As soon as I got offers in the mail, they would immediately go into the trash.
Keeping Good Company
The key is keeping good company, and when it comes to your money, you usually are keeping good company with other people who aren’t in credit card debt, other people who don’t entice you to spend money, other people who don’t say, “Let’s go on this vacation. Oh, just put it on your credit card debt.” Other people that say, “Oh, please, let’s just go out to dinner.”
Good company are people that say:
“I understand that you have credit card debt and you don’t have the money.”
“Let’s go to your house and I’ll bring food.”
“We don’t need to go on a vacation, let’s just go for a walk on the beach.”
Again, when you leave your house, leave your house without any credit cards. You can go to the mall, you can go window-shop, you can enjoy the mall just like everybody else, but do not take your credit cards with you whenever you go out.
If you see something that you want and you don’t have the credit cards, fine — you can’t buy it. If you’re still thinking about it one month later, maybe you really wanted it. Who knew? But that keeps people in check. So:
Don’t leave your house with credit cards.
Cut up your credit cards once they’re paid off.
If you need to go further than that, close them down and who cares about your FICO score.
And keep good company.
That would be my advice.
You can read more of Orman’s responses at participating personal finance blogs. Jeremy from Gen-X Finance asked about the current economy, and Will from Wise Bread asked about the easiest things people can do to improve their financial situation.
I can’t believe I’m writing this (honestly had to triple-check), but it’s been almost 20 years since How I Met Your Mother aired its first episode. 18 years to be exact — but still, that’s almost two decades/six times as long as Barney and Robin were married!
Luckily for forever fans like myself who’ve sorely missed the show and watched every episode a hundred times (83% sure that’s a literal figure), the spin-off, How I Met Your Father, is now streaming with two almost as binge-able seasons to fill the void.
The best part? Whether you love the series, hate the series, or sit somewhere in between, there’s no denying it has a distinctly familiar vibe.
Perhaps it’s the combination of its gritty New York setting mixed with a quippy group of 30-somethings who somehow find ample amounts of free time to hang out in a bar every single day. Could be the continued direction from Pamela Fryman who directed 196 of the original 208 episodes.
Or maybe, just maybe, it’s all thanks to the inclusion of one particularly special residence…
The ‘How I Met Your Father’ apartment is Marshall and Ted’s longtime abode from HIMYM
If you’ve found yourself wondering whether the How I Met Your Father apartment is the same one used in How I Met Your Mother, the answer is a resounding Yes! And that became clear from the very first episode of the new series.
Just a few minutes before the end of episode one, Sid and Jessie invite their new friends Sophie (Hilary Duff) and Valentina (Francia Raisa) back to their place for drinks where it’s revealed they live in Ted and Marshall’s (and Lily’s and Robin’s) old apartment.
Not that HIMYM fans really needed it, but we get further confirmation it’s the same old two-bed when Jessie brags how they scored the apartment from an ‘old married couple who posted it on the Wesleyan Alumni Group’ and that they ‘even got them to leave their swords’.
Related: Tracking Down Barney Stinson’s Apartment from HIMYM? Challenge Accepted!
Yep, the very same swords Ted and Marshall use in The Duel to decide who gets the apartment after Lily and Marshall get married.
Surprisingly enough, these swords are not a replica. HIMYM co-creator Carter Bays happened to have kept the swords in his home and has willingly lent them out for the re-boot.
Even more surprising? The set isn’t a replica either! It was kept in storage after the original show wrapped back in 2014 and has now been given a new lease of life with contemporary, navy blue walls and all-new furniture.
Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, co-showrunner Elizabeth Berger explained exactly why they decided to include the familiar apartment in the spin-off.
Despite it being a totally new story with all new characters bar a few cameos, they knew that bringing this set back would be a fitting tribute to the original series and its beloved central characters. It also guarantees something special for loyal fans from the get-go.
If you ask me, it was the perfect way to wrap up the first episode.
The moment Sid turned the key and walked through the door (that’s a lie, I actually guessed it as they walked down the hall!), I found myself letting out an audible “aww” feeling like I’d just bumped into a dear old friend from years passed.
Maybe it’s because, after nearly ten years since HIMYM ended, I’d given up hope that this spin-off would ever get made. When funnily enough, it’s (kind of) been made twice!
In 2014, the same year we bid the gang a reluctant farewell, Greta Gerwig of Ladybird, Frances Ha, and the highly anticipated Barbie movie fame wrote and starred in a pilot episode for a series named, How I Met Your Dad.
Obviously, it didn’t get picked up so the pilot never aired. And, whilst I’ll always wonder what might have been since Gerwig is undoubtedly a master screenwriter, I’m currently loving watching this new sixsome make new memories in the gang’s old digs.
Will we see any of the old gang in HIMYF?
While a third series is yet to be confirmed, fans of the show have already been treated to not one but two main-cast cameos. First Robin (Cobie Smulders) in series one, then Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) in series two. We’ve also seen The Captain, Becky, and Carl!
I won’t spoil any of their scenes for you but on the off chance you’re avoiding HIMYF due to a lack of familiar faces, tuning in means you will get to see your old faves again, even if only for a few minutes!
And who knows, if the show gets renewed beyond these two installments, maybe we’ll see Ted, Lily, or Marshall further down the road. Honestly? I’m really hoping the apartment connection means we will!
Frequently asked questions
Where do they live in How I Met Your Father?
Sophie, Jesse, Sid, Charlie, Val, and Ellen all live in Manhattan in New York City, NY, giving viewers a peek inside the lives of millennials living in the Big Apple.
Is the apartment in How I Met Your Father the same apartment in How I Met Your Mother?
Yes! During production, the How I Met Your Father crew reused the exact same set used to create Ted and Marshall’s apartment on HIMYM. It had been kept in storage after the original show wrapped back in 2014 and has now been given a new lease of life with contemporary navy blue walls and all-new furniture.
Where is the apartment building from How I Met Your Mother? / How I Met Your Father?
While the HIMYM apartment isn’t real and all scenes were filmed on set, the address is revealed in an older episode of the show (“Subway Wars”), placing Ted and Marshall’s apartment building at 150 W. 85th Street in New York City, on the Upper West Side.
More stories
The New Girl Gang’s Quirky & Cozy L.A. Loft
Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment in “Sex and the City” and where to find it
‘Only Murders In The Building’: Is the Arconia Apartment Complex Real?
[Editor’s note: Originally published on Vertical.]
In 2017, I had a quick day trip to San Francisco. I was visiting family just south of the Bay Area in Carmel-by-the-Sea and needed a place to stay for the night after some meetings.
I plugged into AirBnB and found a private room with Mimi and Mosh right in Presidio Heights (where I could run in the morning) for $193 per night.
I was probably impatient with them as I staggered in late that night after a day full of meetings and they walked me through all of the amenities of the place. But they were very kind with me and seemingly delighted in pointing out the little tea kettle they had bought for guests with assorted teas for the next morning.
It was a wonderful, inviting experience and I felt safe and it felt private. I left them a 5-star review and they did the same for me.
It was perfect. I was a stranger to them and they were to me. And it didn’t matter.
I had a safe, private, well-located place to sleep on a business trip and they got an extra couple hundred dollars. We were both happy.
That’s what Brian, Joe, Nate, and the AirBnB team created: a place for strangers to spend the night in the same house . . . happily. Peacefully.
Now, I’m sure you are reading all the same articles I am about AirBnB.
It’s fun to see who is going to be the big financial winner and all the ways they are taking care of employees and hosts. I’m sure plenty of people are scoffing at yet another Silicon Valley tech startup getting huge with hyper-growth metrics.
All of that coverage is warranted and usually worth the read. But I would encourage you to look a little deeper than the financials and think about something that AirBnB taught me and taught us about ourselves.
For context, if you happen to be reading this in some future year, you should know that 2020 has been pretty tough for most of us. We’ve had this crippling global pandemic that shut down the planet.
From Black Lives Matter to mask-wearing, somehow every decision or statement we made this year seemed to be about who we vote for.
Add to that the worst hurricane season on record, an escalating trade war between the US and China, and the death of James freaking Bond, and I am just done with all of this.
Suffice it to say – 2020 has been a pretty tough year and it’s easy to get bogged down in all the negativity.
And then there is AirBnB.
As a startup investor, I love a good origin story. With the tales of maxing-out credit cards, selling political cereal, and taking pictures of early listings in NY, AirBnB’s origins are legendary.
But one aspect of their story stands out to me and should give hope to all of us in this year of woe.
Any remarkable startup is a little controversial and AirBnB was no exception. Investors couldn’t deny the hustle and talent of Joe and Brian as they built it from the beginning. What they could question was human nature.
“Why would I want a stranger staying in my home?” went the common objection.
You see, most investors are so jaded about people that they assume the worst of our nature. We are inherently self-serving creatures and will revert to our most selfish and protective impulses more often than not.
So it’s highly understandable that your average venture capitalist would look at a young AirBnB, with just a few hundred listings on the platform, and assume that most of us would NEVER be comfortable letting a stranger sleep in our home.
That would be crazy. People are difficult and mean and rude and terrible towards each other.
Who would do that?
Well, it turns out more than a few of us. Mimi and Mosh weren’t the only ones willing to open their home.
To be clear, as with any endeavor that involves large numbers of human beings behaving around each other, AirBnB has had its problems with parties and illegal activity on their platform. I don’t want to make light of those and I do commend the ongoing work the team is doing there.
But that misses the bigger point – AirBnB created a place where strangers can trust each other enough to share a roof.
Doesn’t matter who you voted for. Doesn’t matter where you are from or what you believe.
We are all just people stumbling our way through our own stories looking for places to rest and feel safe.
AirBnB allows us to find strangers that want to provide that. Not hotel brands we trust. Not a college buddy’s couch. Strangers.
And that is truly remarkable.
So here in late 2020, I hope we can all take a moment to pause and reflect on that.
Try to forget about politics for a minute. Forget about how different we are from each other.
Just for a moment, think about the millions of people who have shared their homes with complete strangers. I know we can be terrible to each other, but we can also be kind, welcoming, and get special tea kettles for people we’ve never met.
Because when it comes down to it, we all just want a place to rest, feel safe, and belong. AirBnB not only created a place for us to feel that, but they made a place where we can feel that sense of belonging among total strangers in most cities and countries around the world. And in this terrible year we need that sense of belonging and connectivity more than ever.
So whenever Joe, Brian, and the team go ring the opening bell in the next few weeks to signal their company going public, stand up with me and cheer for them. Raise a glass or tweet your heart out.
Not because of the financial success and rewards, but for reminding us of something we seemingly forgot in 2020 – we are more similar than we are different and strangers can still be kind to each other.
From me and my family to the team at AirBnB, thank you! I needed that reminder.
From the St. Louis Fed: Initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits increased by 12,000 in the week ended July 1, to 248,000. The four-week moving average fell, to 253,25.
Mortgage rates have stayed in line with my forecast this year, but the spreads have gotten worse. What factors could send mortgage rates toward 8%, which wasn’t part of my forecast? The first factor is the labor market, which is more important in 2023 than the inflation growth rate.
The labor market
Early in the COVID-19 recovery, I had three key talking points:
We should get all the jobs back lost to COVID-19 by September 2022.
Job openings should get to 10 million in this recovery.
If COVID-19 didn’t happen, taking trend growth from February 2020, we should be at 157 million to 159 million total workers employed (nonfarm payroll).
Here’s where those landed:
We recovered all the jobs lost to COVID-19 by September 2022.
Job openings are still high historically. While we are far below the peak number of job openings, this level is simply too high for the Fed to feel comfortable — they don’t fear a job loss recession when job openings are this high.
However, with jobless claims and job openings data, we can see that the labor market isn’t as tight as it used to be.
The third factor is also key to understanding the labor dynamics: we are almost back to where we should have been all along with the total employment level of jobs in the U.S. Currently, we are at 156,214,000, so we’re getting closer to where job growth should be cooling down to our population growth realities.
The job market should slow down as we get closer to that 157 million to 159 million level. Next is wage growth, which isn’t spiraling out of control as some people feared it would. The growth rate is still too hot for the Fed, so if they seem more hawkish, it’s because wage growth at 4.4% is too much for Americans. The Fed has to ensure you don’t make more money because of some desperate fear of 1970s-style inflation, which is unfounded.
Friday’s wage growth was hotter than anticipated but not spiraling higher out of control. Wage growth has been cooling off since January of 2022, all while the labor market was tight.
To get to 8% mortgage rates, my 10-year yield peak call for 2023 would have to be wrong, the economy would have to be stronger than any of us believe it to be, and the bond market would need to believe that too. So far, that has yet to happen. If you had to have first-world problems, this is the one you would want to have.
Let’s look at the job report.
From BLS: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 209,000 in June, and the unemployment rate changed little at 3.6 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment continued to trend up in government, health care, social assistance, and construction.
While the headline number was a miss for some people, it wasn’t a bad headline print, but the revisions were negative 110K, combined. As I mentioned above, we are getting closer to being done with the make-up demand in labor, which should mean the growth rate of jobs should be lower.
Below is the breakdown of where the jobs were created and lost. We did have an extensive report on the government jobs, which typically doesn’t have staying power, so the private labor data was weaker than the headline print.
Below is a breakdown of the education attainment and labor force above the age of 25. As usual, those who never finished high school tend to have the highest unemployment rate. Less than a high school diploma: 6.0% (2 months ago, 5.4%)
High school graduate and no college: 3.9%
Some college or associate degree: 3.1%
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 2.0%
Wage growth came in a bit hotter than expected, but wage growth is not spiraling out of control, not so much that we need to force a job loss recession. Also, we should not want to hope for the meager wage growth we saw in previous expansions either.
This is my case for why I don’t believe we should see 8% mortgage rates. I could be wrong for a short period — we could have a bond market sell-off due to the U.S. dollar getting much stronger for many reasons — but that hasn’t happened yet.
So far this year, the 10-year yield channel has held its course, and the big surprise of 2023 has been the spreads getting worse. I still believe that is the mortgage rate story for the year, as the 10-year yield hasn’t surprised me. But with that said, if the economy accelerates higher with faster growth and wage growth picks up with the labor data getting stronger, that is a viable pathway for 8% rates as the spreads might even worsen.
Let’s cross that bridge if that happens, but until then, we will continue to track the weekly housing data here.