The Blog Chain

For income and growth investors alike, a good investment portfolio is one that constantly evolves and changes to accommodate new economic and market stimuli. And to say we have had many such stimuli lately would be a serious understatement. From the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, the last few years have been witness to some peculiar world events.

As for 2022, it has not been a pleasant start. The year began as US inflation hit a new 40 year high and it is rapidly heading towards 9% with no sign of stopping anytime soon. We also experienced serious market corrections with all three major U.S. indices with Nasdaq Composite’s swift dip into a bear market being the worst.

Even the typically calm bond market is experiencing a dreadful year due to the ever-climbing inflation and the interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve. According to Bloomberg, the bond market has suffered a loss unprecedented in its history. The yields are just not high enough to realistically compensate for inflation and taxes and protect you from decreased purchasing power in the long run. At the very least, they shouldn’t account for almost half of an investment portfolio like Vanguard’s 60/40 portfolio allocation model suggests.

The predominance of uncertainty and the heightened volatility of the financial markets have made it difficult for investors to weather the storms and safeguard their capital, let alone maximize growth potential and achieve their target yields and returns. Risk management in times such as these calls for further portfolio diversification and it applies both for uncorrelated equity investments and the overall asset allocation.

In the following sections, we are going to make a case for why you should diversify your portfolio into real estate, and present you what we consider one of the best real estate investment options available right now.

The Classic Hedge Against Uncertainty

Real estate has generally been considered a reliable investment, especially for those who are in it for the long haul. Property prices generally tend to go up long-term because populations always never decrease and the demand follows an upward trajectory. Moreover, people need a roof over their heads even in the worst of times. This is while the supply remains somewhat limited.

With real estate, you also have more flexibility than any other asset class. You may purchase a property to flip it but rent it out instead when the market goes down. Conversely, you may sell a rental that has appreciated greatly in value. Rezoning, rehabbing, refinancing, and leasing are just a few examples of real estate’s flexibility. This is unlike bonds and stocks where your options are limited to either holding or selling, and your success depends on factors outside of your control.

However, many investors understandably stay away from real estate investments to avoid the hassles and headaches that come with it. But this can be a non-issue thanks to the flexibility of real estate investment.

Triple Net Lease Investments

Triple net lease properties have attracted a lot of interest and buzz recently. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, a net lease investment is a commercial real estate investment in which the tenant pays a portion of the property taxes, insurance, and maintenance in addition to rent. The extent of this “portion” is dependent on the type of the net lease contract.

In a triple net lease contract, all of the expenses are covered by the tenant so the net operating income or the annual rent is net to the investor. With these properties, there is lower risk income and cash flow because rents are guaranteed by strong credit tenants usually brand name companies. Additionally, as with any good with a limited supply, commercial real estate prices go up with inflation preserving the investor’s wealth in these highly volatile times.

Not all triple net properties are equal, however, as many real estate agents use the term loosely. And since for most of these investments the lease is already in place and set in stone, going through the provisions thoroughly as a part of your due diligence is key. Naturally, the lease is the ultimate governing document that stipulates who is responsible to pay for what.

In general, and relative to many other investment alternatives, triple net lease investments have a really small risk probability; so long as the properties are properly chosen wherein the fundamentals make sense. These investments hinge on long-term legal contracts impervious to the economic fluctuations induced by law changes, market shocks, price swings, and destabilizing world events. You can also reduce the risks even further by diversifying your investment into a mix of triple net properties through Real Estate Investment Trusts or REITs. These are companies that invest in real estate on behalf of investors. Through REITs, investors with limited knowledge can make the already passive triple net investments even more responsibility-free.

Societies all across the globe are moving in the direction of home gardens to supplement store-bought supplies, as people recognise the value of their space more as a food-producing resource than a purely aesthetic element. From patios to small apartment gardens and rooftop areas, everywhere is a potential place to grow plants with nutritional and medicinal value.

When planning any kind of garden, factors to consider include the garden irrigation system, the layout of the garden, and the types of plants to grow. The plants chosen for a garden can have a positive or negative impact on the nutritive composition of the soil they grow in.

All plants rely on nitrogen from the soil, and traditional, outdated cultivation methods will insist that this is added in through chemical fertilizers, but recent, more progressive and holistic methods have demonstrated that nitrogen can be fixed into the soil by growing certain plants. Here are five nitrogen-fixing plants to use in the garden.

Beans

Traditionally, beans are grown as a companion to corn, as they form a symbiotic partnership. The beans (legumes) fix nitrogen in the soil, in their roots. The corn, fast-growing and reliant on large amounts of nitrogen for this growth, also provides a natural structure for the bean plant to grow around.

Beans are a great alternative source of protein, and depending on the type of bean planted, the crop can last for up to seven years. They also grow easily in most soils, in full or partial sun.

Red Or White Clover

These clovers are grown as forage, with other companion grasses, and they add a valuable nitrogen component into the soil to enrich the nutritional value of the grass.

In smaller areas, these clovers can also be used as a nitrogen fixer in between other plants. In addition to this, clover will cover the open ground, acting as a living mulch to prevent moisture loss from the soil, and providing added nutrition when it dies down.

Wood Vetch

For those who would like to include some plants which will attract insects like bees and butterflies, this pretty plant is a good nitrogen fixer, and copes well in dry soil. It is native to North Carolina, and grows as a small flowering plant.

The plant is a herb, and a perennial food source for bees, butterflies and birds. It also has a medicinal value, and has been used to help with back pain.

Wood vetch can be grown in any setting, whether as an ornamental plant in a window box, or interspersed with edible plants in a large garden.

Gorse

This is a thorny evergreen, nitrogen-fixing shrub. It has bright yellow flowers, and while it flowers from March, it can flower all year around, under certain circumstances. Although gorse cannot be eaten, it can be used as a thorny hedge to discourage animal or human intruders to a garden.

It grows in poor soil, and likes to be clustered together. The stems become woody and flammable with age. The fine, spiky leaves mean that the plant is drought-resistant.

Although this plant is not native to the Americas, it will grow well in most areas of the continental United States.

Mesquite

These trees, native to the US, are small, hardy nitrogen-fixing pioneers. This means that they lay the foundation for other, taller trees. They will grow in shallow and poor soil, although the height they can reach is affected by soil depth and quality.

For the gardener, this means that mesquite is a good tree to plant for shade or semi-shade, as it will not invade the garden, or shade out the ground, as the leaves are small and fine. They also do not grow very tall.

It also has many useful properties, such as edible pods, and the wood can be used for the smoking process.

Although planning a garden may take a fair amount of research and knowledge, it is a rewarding endeavor. Whether for medicinal herbs or for fresh, daily greens, gardens are a source of independence, which can connect a person to the cycle of the year. Obvious health and cost-saving benefits aside, the act of garden also teaches patience and encourages a better understanding of how the earth works.

The nitrogen cycle is an important part of this process, as plants need nitrogen to grow and produce food. Therefore wherever there are things growing, there will be those plants which help to continue the nitrogen cycle. This should be observed and recreated in the gardens made by people. Not only does this help to maintain the natural balance of nutrition in the soil, but it also presents quite a decent cost saving, as there is no need for artificial additives like chemical fertilizers, which cost money and time to apply, and are also dangerous to store.

Many of us say that we're tired all the time, but some people actually suffer from disorders that physically prevents them from staying awake. Imagine all the disasters this could lead to. Falling asleep in a dangerous environment or in the middle of a dangerous activity could result in a life-or-death situation.

Fortunately, there are medicines available that target this symptom; one example is modafinil, better known by its trade name Provigil. This drug was created in 1970s by French neuroscientist Michel Jouvet, and by the early 2000s, it has been legalised for medical use in many countries. Even though it does not provide a permanent cure for the main disorder, it is the most widely-prescribed drug for those suffering from excessive sleepiness.

The exact mechanism as to how Provigil works is still being studied, but it basically works by increasing the level of dopamine in the brain. However, it differs from typical stimulant drugs that excite the brain, in that it does not give users the feeling of a "high". Instead, it falls under the handful of drugs that are classified under the eugeroics class, otherwise known as wakefulness-promoting drugs.

When taken in the right dosage, the medication is reported to have mild side effects in a small fraction of users. Rare cases of serious reactions to Provigil are mostly caused by severe allergic reactions to the drug. And because they do not produce a euphoric effect, the risk of addiction is low as well, although withdrawal symptoms might occur in long-time users who stop abruptly.

As such, the drug is classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a schedule IV substance, together with other medicines that have been deemed to have a lower potential for abuse like Xanax and Valium. This means that in the US, Provigil is considered a controlled substance and can only be dispensed with a doctor's prescription.

Medical Uses

Provigil is prescribed in the US mainly to treat three disorders that result in excessive daytime sleepiness, namely: narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder and obstructive sleep apnea.

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder where a person experiences bouts of extreme drowsiness throughout the day, and in some cases accompanied by a loss of muscle control. It is believed to affect about 1 in 2,000 people, yet a lot about this disease is still not understood and many people remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

Researchers are still figuring out what causes narcolepsy, and the treatments available as of now only focus on relieving symptoms. Xyrem is one of them, to prevent muscle weakness and sleeping problems; Provigil is another, to tackle daytime sleepiness.

Excessive daytime sleepiness is also one of the symptoms of shift work disorder, where a person is forced to have unnatural sleeping times which messes up the body's circadian rhythm. This makes the body unable to fall asleep and stay awake at the right times which can lead to an array of other health problems, including not being able to continue carrying out their work properly.

The best treatment for shift work disorder is to make sure the patient gets enough sleep, which is difficult but can be achieved through good planning, napping, and so on. Artificially controlling their exposure to light is another way to help the body adapt to its new sleep schedule and improve the circadian rhythm. Lastly, drugs like Provigil can be used to promote sleep or awakeness as needed.

Excessive daytime sleepiness can also occur in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. This is when the body's airway is obstructed when sleeping, resulting in breathing problems throughout the night. This could lead to a myriad of symptoms ranging from a dry mouth to high blood pressure, or drowsiness in the day due to the lowered sleep quality.

There are quite a few treatment methods for obstructive sleep apnea before drugs come into play, depending on the cause. In some cases, symptoms can disappear with lifestyle changes like losing weight, quitting smoking and drinking, or changing sleep positions. There are also different devices that patients can put in their nose or mouth at night to help open the airway while they sleep.

If these are not effective, another possible option is to undergo surgery to remove whatever is causing the blockage. While seeking for the most suitable treatment method, Provigil can be used to combat daytime drowsiness.

"Smart Drug" and "Go Pill"

While Provigil can only be dispensed in the US with a prescription, it is still very popular for its use as a general mind booster. Many healthy people are turning to drugs or supplements that can improve cognitive ability, and Provigil is one such drug amongst other stimulants and nootropics.

As a matter of fact, modafinil is actually used by the US military as a "go pill" for its awakening effects, working hand in hand with the "no-go pills" that are meant to help soldiers sleep and recover. Using them on the field is presumed to help them to stay alert and awake even with the lack of sufficient rest.

Your website is arguably the most influential online tool for your brand. It is your headquarters in cyberspace and as such, is greatly reflective of your business and its inner workings. But building reputation or credibility is not a website’s sole function. All well-implemented websites are designed to serve practical purposes which can include anything from capturing leads and generating sales to exchanging information, building an audience, education, and entertainment. A website should serve business objectives and do it well.

There is virtually decades’ worth of knowledge that you can delve into when it comes to designing a good website but here is a concise collection of some of the most important principles and best practices that you should apply in your current or new website.

Intuitive Navigation Is Key

Navigation is the backbone of a website. It is all about visitors finding what they are looking for as effortlessly as possible. It is true that much of the heavy lifting is done by the menu when it comes to helping the visitors get around your site as they learn about who you are, what you do, and how you can help them with their needs. But navigation is much more than that.

At its most fundamental level, navigation is about the proper structuring of information. It doesn’t matter how good your products and services are or how experienced or expert your company is at what it does. If your visitors get frustrated by navigating your site or struggle to find what they visited your site for in the first place, they will probably leave and never look back which is a shame since they will never get to experience the good things about what you have to offer.

Each Page Should Focus on One Thing

If your website as a whole is a tool to serve an overarching business goal, each page of your website should serve a specific subset of that goal. For example, imagine you are running an e-commerce business and your primary objective is to get people to buy your products. Your site map should include multiple pages that cover everything from lead generation to products, orders, payment, shipping, and everything in between.

Now, as a visitor goes through your marketing funnel, each page should be viewed as a step designed to facilitate their movement through the customer’s journey which ultimately ends with closing a sale. The objective of these pages should not be complicated. For example, a landing page should only focus on piquing the users’ interest to attract traffic. A product page should only focus on providing key information to help users understand the product. And each of these pages should include a strong call-to-action to guide the customer to the next step until—as King Kong puts it—browsers are turned into buyers.

Pages that try to do different things at once don’t do any of them well. Today, the average user’s attention span is too short for such distractions.

Be Creative But Don’t Ignore the Standards

Unless we are inventing something that has never existed before, it is good to keep this rule of thumb in mind: conventions contribute to expectations.

Your visitors are most certainly not experiencing what it means to visit a website for the first time. They have probably visited thousands or millions of websites before it. This means that they are coming with preconceptions and expectations as to what they are going to find and where they are going to find it. Deviating from the norms and standards of web design creates friction. How many times have you got frustrated with a website because the navigation bar was not where it is supposed to be or you couldn’t find the contact button?

With that being said, blindly following what others are doing is not helpful either. There needs to be an intention behind every design decision. Too many times we see websites follow certain trends without knowing the reasoning behind them which leads to missed opportunities. Often, the best creative solutions in UX design cause incremental improvements rather than drastic changes.

Originality should not be at the cost of usability.

Consistency Breeds Trust

Consistency is one of those design principles that are easy to perceive but hard to implement. It is about establishing standards in the users’ minds and following those standards everywhere to ensure usability and learnability. When a user experience design is consistent, people can easily learn how to use it and transfer that knowledge to new contexts. This reduces cognitive load which saves the user’s time and effort.

Consistency in web design includes both visual and functional aspects. Visual-wise, consistency is achieved by designing a unified system of elements such as layouts, typography, imagery, and colors, and repeating those defined elements to create a design that looks and feels familiar. Functional consistency pertains to the behavior of elements in interactive design. A website is said to be functionally consistent when similar objects within it function in a similar fashion or similar actions always lead to similar results.

Digital technologies are the future of businesses, yet implementing them doesn’t often go as smoothly as imagined. Here are the key steps you need to take to ensure your company implements new technology more smoothly.

A staggering 70% of companies in the United States have a digital transformation strategy in place. The drivers for digital transformation and implementing the associated technology usually relate to improving business processes and being more competitive in the marketplace. While digital transformation is a term given to companies who need to overhaul their approach to digital to meet modern standards, the implementation of technology is never truly complete. Technology is evolving and improving all the time, which means any digital transformation strategy needs to incorporate an ongoing plan for the continual implementation of technology.

In reality, many employees become frustrated by the implementation process of new technologies in an organization. The actual usage of new technology can be patchy due to poor buy-in or lack of training, and an inability of new technologies to work seamlessly with existing technology sometimes means internal processes do not improve at all.

However, we all know that technology is the future, and has the ability to tremendously help businesses if it’s done right. So how do you change the way technology is implemented in your organization for the better?

Choose The Right Technology

New software and digital systems often fail because they are not quite the right technologies a company needs. Even if it takes time, it is crucial that you go through a rigorous process of selecting the best technology for a particular problem or process. Many companies at the moment are focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics, referred to as Machine Learning Operations (or MLops). As these technologies are now becoming mainstream with nuanced abilities, technologies such as MLops can solve multiple problems for a business and handle large datasets.

Indeed, focusing on choosing technology that solves more than one thing for a business means buy-in and implementation are going to improve drastically. In order to identify the right technology, extensive spreadsheets and checklists of functionalities can help to compare technology offered by competing providers. Include everything from the problems you wish to solve to all the existing technology your organization uses, and whether or not these new technologies could integrate.

Create An Internal Implementation Team

The integration of technology is usually left to one person, or perhaps a handful of people from the IT department for larger projects. However, for successful technology implementation, there really needs to be a team of people championing the technology across the organization. These are people who can be involved with the technology as it is developed and implemented, sharing knowledge with their teams about progress. This is always a great way to gain more buy-in from people across the company. When it comes to training, these individuals should be trained as super-users too, making them go-to people for advice when the technology is rolled out to colleagues across the business.

Implement In One Team First

Before giving everyone across a business access to a new technology, it is usually a better idea to launch the technology to one team first. This team should be chosen carefully – as they should be a team to whom the technology could make a big difference, and a team who has shown a level of buy-in to the process. There are usually bugs and issues in any new technology to start with, so you want to trial it with a group of people who won’t be put off by this. The idea is that these people will in turn become a group of champions for the technology. Once you have completed a successful trial of the technology with a team like this – and resolved any bugs and issues – consider using this team for some internal marketing too. Intranet articles, a speaking spot at a company conference, or another form of internal communications will all help with buy in.

Train And Launch

Giving staff members adequate training in a new technology is crucial to its success. Some technologies are more user friendly than others, and all people learn in different ways, so it is critical to provide the right amount of training to cater to all variables. In-person or live training is one way training should be delivered, but you should also provide options for people to learn in different ways. Short video how-to guides that can be accessed any time are very important. You should also give people who find new technology more difficult a way of discretely asking for additional help. Lunchtime brush-up sessions or one-to-one guided video calls to complete a specific task can work well for this. Ideally, training should be delivered to everyone within a very short time period of a technology being launched for maximum success.

For many of us, our PC is nothing short of an indispensable part of our lives. Whether you’re using it to attend the seemingly endless lines of zoom meetings, to escape into the world of your favorite online game or to hang out with your pals who are partaking in social distancing, Our PC is often our lifeline into the outside world. Which is why it makes sense to occasionally show our set-ups a little tender, loving care by cleaning out the dust and giving it the occasional upgrade.

If you want a top-notch, state of the art rig with all the bells and whistles, there’s lot’s of possible ways you could approach it and you can read here for more ideas. In this article I’ll be giving you just a few ideas that might help take your PC to the next level in terms of performance.

Connect An External Hard Drive

If you’ve had your PC for a while, you might have begun to notice that it’s taking a little longer than it used to in order to get certain tasks. Or perhaps it’s even crashed a few times in a valiant effort to run larger files. Before you immediately consider scrapping it and going through the hassle of trying to get something new and shiny, one thing which may actually help your overworked and overheating driver is to simply attach an external hard drive to your PC.
What an external hard drive does is that it essentially provides some extra space for your PC. You can store files, videos, images and much more on them which allows you to free up more disk space and it should allow for your PC to run more smoothly and a little faster. Of course, before purchasing, you’re going to want to check out what specs would be most suitable for you and that the hard drive you choose is compatible with your PC and will be able to connect to it.

Upgrade Your Cloud Storage

Much like an external hard drive, most cloud storage services will give you extra storage space if you purchase it. Cloud storage can basically be thought of as an internet “locker” or “cupboard” which you can put just about anything into. This can be particularly useful for those who are often on the go since it allows them to access their documents from anywhere as long as they have access to the internet.

By moving more of your files to the cloud, this not only makes your documents more accessible even if you’re away from home, but it also frees up the internal storage of your device which allows it to function much more smoothly. Just make sure to protect your account with a strong password if you’re going to store sensitive information on it!

Slot In A New Graphics Card

If you’re noticing that your PC may be struggling with certain tasks like processing game graphics or with video editing , what might be happening is that your built-in graphics chip might not be quite powerful enough to handle such tasks and you need a new graphics card. This doesn't mean that it’s a bad graphics chip! Many games and applications are using higher quality graphics, however, this means that sometimes the specs needed to show off these works of art in their full glory might be a little higher than what your original graphics chip might be able to handle.

However, have no fear! As long as your desktop has an extension slot, this is a very solvable issue as long as you have a little technology know-how. It may seem a little daunting at first to crack open the walls of your CPU in order to fiddle around with it, but as long as you make sure to do your research beforehand and to do so in a safe manner, both you and your PC will likely come out of the ordeal unscathed!

Install More RAM

Random Access Memory (RAM) can basically be thought of as your computer’s thinking space. It uses this memory to hold data for open applications . If you’re the type of person who has a tendency to keep dozens of tabs open in your browser and are wondering why this sometimes makes your computer run painfully slowly….well basically your RAM is being overworked. In order to prevent this, one very simple upgrade you can make to your device is to install more RAM within it.

One thing to note before you go purchasing sticks of RAM to slot into your computer is to research how much (more) RAM your specific desktop model can take. It’s also possible to install RAM on certain laptop models, so before you start despairing over your lack of a desktop, do your research into what your specific model’s limitations and capabilities are!

PCs have become thoroughly integrated into our everyday lives and for many of us, we can’t imagine going a single day without them. So make sure that you occasionally upgrade and service your setup so that it can continue to serve you for years to come!

If you ask any writer which part of their process they’re least fond of, editing and proofreading invariably feature at the top of the list. Disliked and even despised, proofreading your manuscript is a crucial part of your work. In the heat of the creative process, you try to type as fast as your thoughts flash in your head. You have little regard for grammar, spelling, or even cohesion.

But that’s the first draft. It’s rough around the edges, full of grammatical mistakes, and doesn’t look like something you’d dare present to the public eye. That’s when you have to run it through a grammar check, trim off the redundant words, cut down those run-on sentences, and rewrite that paragraph for clarity.

No matter how busy you are and how tight your deadlines are, editing your work before submitting it is vital for your success as a writer. Here’s the lowdown of how to edit and proofread your writing without putting in the long hours.

Make It a Habit

Most busy writers want to start editing their manuscript as soon as they’re done writing to get it over with. But you need to take a break and put some time between the end of the creative phase and the beginning of the editing process. You want to come back to the manuscript with a rested mind and fresh eyes. You want to read your writing as if this is the first time you’ve seen it. That’s the best way to catch all those hidden mistakes and style flaws that are not easy to detect. If you’re pressed for time, at least sleep on it and come back to it bright and early in the morning.

And once you’ve started your proofreading stage, don’t try to do it all at once. This might work for very short pieces, but a manuscript with multiple chapters needs a fresh and keen eye at different times. Work through a little bit at a time, at night, early in the morning, or during a break. Just sit down and read your manuscript out loud. There’s a big difference between trusting your eyes and listening to the words read out loud. You’ll be able to detect the flaws in pace, the clunky sentences, and the words that have no place in the paragraph.

It also helps to make a list of your most common errors. These could be spelling or syntax errors such as “affect” when you actually mean “effect” or the infamous “they’re” and its confusing homonyms. When editing, go through the list and search for each word in the manuscript to make sure you’re using it correctly. It’s a daunting task, but it ensures that you don’t turn in a piece with some embarrassing, and totally avoidable, mistakes.

Hone Your Process

Although editing and proofreading go hand in hand when it comes to making sure your writing is in the best shape possible, the two processes have huge differences between them. For one thing, you should do your editing on the screen, but proofread the manuscript in a different medium. When you print out the piece and hold it in your hand, you’ll be surprised at how many mistakes you overlooked while checking the same piece on the screen.

When you read your writing out loud, sometimes you can catch errors easily. Other times, you can feel the mistakes but just can’t put your finger on them. The problem is you have spent so many hours on the manuscript, you’ve become familiar with it. Too familiar in fact to see some glaring mistakes staring you in the face. To find those sneaky errors hiding in plain sight, read the sentences in reverse order. Start from the bottom of the page and read your way up. By taking familiarity out of the process, your mind doesn’t know what’s coming next. It will then treat each sentence as a single unit and find what’s wrong with it.

If you have recurring problems that keep popping up in your writing, go through them one problem at a time. If you struggle with keeping the pace and flow of your writing, then go through the whole manuscript removing redundant words and phrases, simplifying complex sentences, and making it easy to read. When you’re done with pacing, move on to the next recurring problem until you’re done with them all.

After resolving all the nitty-gritty details, and when you’re confident that to the best of your knowledge there are no hidden issues with your manuscript, take a step back and look at the big picture. Make sure that your manuscript has an intact spine. If this is a work of fiction, check that the plot has no holes, the characters are well developed, and that your plot twists are serving their purpose. If it’s a non-fiction book, then double-check your arguments and make sure that you stay on topic throughout the manuscript. Each chapter should add to the point you’re trying to prove and there are no redundancies or fillers.

Editing and proofreading are both sides of the same coin. But while editing is best done on the screen where it’s easy to rewrite whole paragraphs and fix the issues you find quickly, proofreading is more effective when you do it on paper. Try to engage your ears and mouth and not just your eyes when looking for syntax errors, pace issues, and hidden mistakes. Only then can you turn in your piece of writing with pride and confidence.

It has been more than a decade since a steady number of around 20 million students have been enrolling in colleges across the United States each year. According to the Education Data Initiative, 40% of these students drop out of college. That’s roughly around 8 million students every year, of which, a whopping 30% fail to even reach their sophomore year let alone receive their degree.

We opened this article with these statistics not to paint a dire picture of your future as a student, but rather as a much-needed reality check to get you into the right mindset so you can improve your odds of long-term success while you enjoy your newfound independence and undertake its subsequent responsibilities.

The higher education system is far from perfect, but it is generally a good investment that can serve as a launchpad for those who have a plan for the path they are going to tread in the future. If you are reading this, chances are that you are cognizant of that fact, which is a fantastic start in and of itself.

A Means to an End

One of the mistakes that are prevalent among students is that they attend college without having made decisions about their majors or future careers. You might think that your goal is to go to college, graduate, get a job, and move from there but that is too broad to be a goal. College by itself is not and should not be your goal. Rather, it is a vessel that should help you move towards your desired outcome. From community colleges to more prestigious ones and everything in between, there are all types of colleges you can merely attend and graduate from.

The ultimate question that you should have a clear answer for even before applying is what is it that you want to accomplish that makes college worth its price of admission? What is the logical next step that you need to take after it? With no clear picture in mind, you are just doing what you think you are supposed to do which is not good enough.

Academic Advisors Are Invaluable

Even if you are goal-driven with your studies, you are still in need of good advice because you may lack the knowledge as to what courses in your academic path will fulfill your degree requirements and you may end up staying in college longer than is necessary. An advisor can tremendously help you set realistic academic objectives, progress successfully towards your graduation, and finish your degree on time.

A mistake that many students make is that they view their mandatory meeting with their advisors as an inconvenience rather than an opportunity. Determining your area of focus and how best to set up your coursework in order to gain the most work experience as well as academic knowledge along with getting a good understanding of your career and academic needs are some of the benefits this opportunity can provide.

Budgeting and Financial Literacy

As alien of an idea as it may sound, an isolated success within the confines of a college education won’t get you far. You need to develop other essential skills concurrently with your college studies to be able to put the puzzle pieces together. Things that usually are not covered in the American education system. As you gradually get comfortable with navigating through life as an adult, it is crucial that you work on your financial competence.

Just because you’re earning little or nothing at all at the moment, it doesn’t mean that you should not have a financial plan. This plan could be managing your small pocket money or earnings from your part-time job and budgeting your college and day-to-day expenses as a student. This is also a very good way to practice and get into the habit of managing your finances for when you graduate and get a full-time job. Not everyone can qualify for financial aid such as scholarships and grants so make sure you understand the details of the best private student loans and map out how you are going to repay them in the long run.

Career Counselors

While academic advisors provide you with guidance on how you should align your academic activities with your lifelong career goals, career counselors help you develop, evaluate, and pursue those goals in a way that is in line with your personal traits, values, capabilities, and interests.

Career counselors do this with a variety of standardized tools, strength assessments, and aptitude tests such as the Strong Interest Inventory and Self-Directed Search. They also utilize questionnaires, personality tests, and interviews to develop an understanding of who you are and your capabilities and self-identified skills to explore possible career opportunities based on their insights and experience.

Even if you have a generally good idea of your strengths, weaknesses, skills, and passions, a career counselor can help you with the other side of the coin which is understanding the job market simply because your capabilities don’t mean much if the demand for them is in decline. Staying on top of the trends in the market and the ability to reconcile your intrinsic qualities with the things that are in demand, is central to the success of your career life.

One of the things we miss most about the pre-COVID world is definitely traveling. Being able to experience the culture and customs of different countries is one of the most fulfilling and enriching things a person can do. Pent-up demand for travel is increasing, and once it’s safe to go abroad, tourism numbers are likely to skyrocket. In fact, people are actually planning to travel more post-pandemic than they did pre-pandemic.

Traveling abroad is all about new experiences. The food, music, culture, and even language are all things that we can learn from. However, something that you might not notice at first is fashion. Styles can often differ wildly from place to place, and it’s an indelible part of what makes a foreign country feel, well, foreign. Let’s look at some of the most iconic pieces of fashion from other countries, the history behind them, and the proper etiquette for wearing it as a tourist.

Hawaiian Leis

Probably the first thing most people think of when they think about vacations is Hawaii. And what’s the most iconic image of Hawaii? It’s someone greeting you at the entrance of a beach resort with Hawaiian leis. Leis are given for a wide variety of occasions such as weddings, graduations, important events, and to welcome people. They represent friendship, love, and peace. Leis are usually made of flowers, but can be made from materials like leaves or fronds. The type of flower used to make the lei is incredibly significant. Just like flowers have meanings, the flowers used in leis have meanings too.

Hawaiian people are extremely welcoming of anyone, including tourists, who want to use leis. So there’s almost no wrong way to wear a lei - you can even make your own! Just remember these two rules: don’t refuse a lei, and don’t take a lei off in the presence of the person who gave it to you.

Lederhosen

Lederhosen are synonymous with one thing - Oktoberfest. What’s a trip to another country without tasting that country’s alcohol? Visitors to Oktoberfest drink up to 2 million gallons of beer every year! To complete the experience, many tourists dress up in Lederhosen, a traditional Bavarian outfit. Lederhosen were originally worn by the rural classes when they performed physical labor. The leather shorts meant that the Lederhosen was durable yet light enough to be comfortable. Lederhosen actually fell out of fashion in the 1900s, but were revived thanks to festivals like Oktoberfest, where Lederhosen and its female equivalent, the dirndl, have become nearly ubiquitous. Oktoberfest is one big party, so it’s totally fine to don a traditional costume. Everyone’s there to have a good time, and Lederhosens just add to the fun. Obviously there will be plenty of overpriced, low-quality clothes out there meant to take advantage of tourists who might not know any better. But as long as you exercise a bit of common sense, you’ll be able to find the perfect Lederhosen for your Oktoberfest bonanza!

Kimono

The Kimono is one of the first things you think of when it comes to Japan. This elegant garment has a long and rich history, and is treasured as an important part of Japanese culture. There are types of kimono for every conceivable occasion, as they aren’t just meant for serious or formal events. While they aren’t as common as they used to be and are rarely used as everyday wear, they’ve become more popular of late, especially with tourists. Generally, there aren’t any problems if tourists wear kimonos. In fact, there are many shops who rent kimonos out, allowing tourists to have the experience of wearing one without having to buy one. You can even get your hair and makeup done to complete the look! However, take note that the kimono is a complicated garment. It’s also not easy to sit down in! So make sure you know what you’re getting into before you decide to try one on. As they say, when in Rome do as the Romans do. It’s always best to err on the side of caution when it comes to respecting the culture of another country.

Sari

A Sari is a long piece of cloth that is draped over the body. It is worn with a petticoat and a blouse, and is one of the national costumes of India. The sari is as diverse as its country. Every region has a different method of draping the sari. Saris are also made of many different materials and have different levels of ornamentation, depending on what occasion it’s intended for. Generally, locals love when you make an effort to adopt some of their culture, so feel free to wear a sari on your next trip to India! However, saris can be difficult to drape for beginners, so make sure you’ve got the technique down or know someone who can help you out. Also take note that India can be very hot and humid, so a sari might not be the most comfortable choice.

Insurance is all about planning for the unexpected. Deciding on the type of insurance you need really depends on the greatest risks you have in your life. Here are the most common insurance types that Americans have to help them through the tougher times.

Fundamentally, insurance protects you from financial loss. By paying a monthly or annual premium, you are gaining the peace of mind that you will not have to pay a significant amount of money if certain situations arise. It is possible to get insurance for many aspects of life, which can make it difficult to decide which types of insurance to take out. You could insure yourself against every possible thing that could go wrong in your life, but the cost of this would add up to a considerable amount of money.

Making a decision really depends on your attitude towards certain risks, and your financial abilities if particular things happen. By identifying the things that are most important to you, as well as the risks you may have due to your individual circumstances, you can start to find the insurance types that may be most appropriate for you.

Here are the most popular types of insurance Americans have to help you make your own insurance decisions.

Medical Insurance

The one thing that everyone needs is their health, which is why medical insurance is held by many Americans. Everyone will have a medical issue at some point in their lives, and the likelihood of having medical problems increases as you get older. This is why medical insurance is so beneficial. Not all medical insurance policies are the same, so it is very important to shop around and check the details of the policies you are considering. Do your own due diligence by searching for terms such as ‘best medical insurance broker in Texas’ and see what people are saying about your shortlist of medical insurers on the internet. You’ll be thankful to have good coverage and a great company to work with when you need it.

Home Insurance

A person’s home is often the most valuable thing they own, so insuring it is more than a good idea. If you have a mortgage on your property, your mortgage lender will most likely have stipulated that you need home insurance anyway. This makes it important to renew your home insurance when it comes up for renewal too, as otherwise you could invalidate the terms of your mortgage agreement. Home insurance with good coverage means that if unexpected issues arise with your home, whether it is damage from flooding or extreme weather that causes problems, the insurance company will pay for it. Even if you don’t own your own home, home contents insurance is an important consideration for similar reasons.

Car Insurance

Simply put, if you drive a car or another kind of automobile, you need automotive insurance. This is stated in federal law so that other motorists and pedestrians are protected if there is a crash. Different states stipulate certain coverage criteria, so it is always important to ensure you have the right coverage for where you live. As well as being a mandated requirement if you drive a car, automotive insurance also protects your interests too. If you rely on your car for work, you’re going to need insurance coverage to make sure you are not without a car should you have an accident.

Life Insurance

Although life insurance is not necessary to your daily life as medical, home and automobile insurance might be, it is still a type of insurance held by many Americans for a good reason. The key reason for having life insurance is to account for the scenario that you might pass away, leaving loved ones with unmanageable financial commitments. Getting a life insurance policy that would provide a payout to ensure mortgage payments and bills could still get paid gives many people peace of mind. It means that your spouse and/or children could continue their way of life at a very difficult time. The key with life insurance is to make sure your policy covers the financial commitments you have, and that the beneficiaries are the most appropriate people to receive the money.

Disability Insurance

This kind of insurance – similar to income protection insurance – means that if you are unable to work because of disability or illness, you can receive a livable income. Something that many people worry about is what they would do if they were unable to work for a reason outside of their control, which is why disability insurance is a favored insurance type among Americans. Although you may be eligible for certain state benefits if you were to become unable to work for health reasons, having disability insurance gives a greater degree of certainty that your quality of life and living standards would not have to drastically change.