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War in Ukraine affected wellbeing worldwide, but people’s speed of recovery depended on their personality

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/luke-smillie-7502">Luke Smillie</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> The war in Ukraine has had impacts around the world. <a href="https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/ripple-effects-russia-ukraine-war-test-global-economies">Supply chains</a> have been disrupted, the <a href="https://news.un.org/pages/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GCRG_2nd-Brief_Jun8_2022_FINAL.pdf?utm_source=United+Nations&utm_medium=Brief&utm_campaign=Global+Crisis+Response">cost of living</a> has soared and we’ve seen the <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/hk/en/73141-ukraine-fastest-growing-refugee-crisis-in-europe-since-wwii.html">fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II</a>. All of these are in addition to the devastating humanitarian and economic impacts within Ukraine. Our international team was conducting a global study on wellbeing in the lead up to and after the Russian invasion. This provided a unique opportunity to examine the psychological impact of the outbreak of war. As we explain in a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-44693-6">Nature Communications</a>, we learned the toll on people’s wellbeing was evident across nations, not just <a href="https://ijmhs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13033-023-00598-3">in Ukraine</a>. These effects appear to have been temporary – at least for the average person. But people with certain psychological vulnerabilities struggled to recover from the shock of the war. <h2>Tracking wellbeing during the outbreak of war</h2> People who took part in our study completed a rigorous “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2773515/">experience-sampling</a>” protocol. Specifically, we asked them to report their momentary wellbeing four times per day for a whole month. Data collection began in October 2021 and continued throughout 2022. So we had been tracking wellbeing around the world during the weeks surrounding the outbreak of war in February 2022. We also collected measures of personality, along with various sociodemographic variables (including age, gender, political views). This enabled us to assess whether different people responded differently to the crisis. We could also compare these effects across countries. Our analyses focused primarily on 1,341 participants living in 17 European countries, excluding Ukraine itself (44,894 experience-sampling reports in total). We also expanded these analyses to capture the experiences of 1,735 people living in 43 countries around the world (54,851 experience-sampling reports) – including in Australia. <h2>A global dip in wellbeing</h2> On February 24 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, there was a sharp decline in wellbeing around the world. There was no decline in the month leading up to the outbreak of war, suggesting the change in wellbeing was not already occurring for some other reason. However, there was a gradual increase in wellbeing during the month after the Russian invasion, suggestive of a “return to baseline” effect. Such effects are commonly reported in psychological research: situations and events that impact our wellbeing often (<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237535630_Adaptation_and_the_Set-Point_Model_of_Subjective_Well-BeingDoes_Happiness_Change_After_Major_Life_Events">though not always</a>) do so <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7062343_Beyond_the_Hedonic_Treadmill_Revising_the_Adaptation_Theory_of_Well-Being">temporarily</a>. Unsurprisingly, people in Europe experienced a sharper dip in wellbeing compared to people living elsewhere around the world. Presumably the war was much more salient for those closest to the conflict, compared to those living on an entirely different continent. Interestingly, day-to-day fluctuations in wellbeing mirrored the salience of the war on social media as events unfolded. Specifically, wellbeing was lower on days when there were more tweets mentioning Ukraine on Twitter/X. Our results indicate that, on average, it took around two months for people to return to their baseline levels of wellbeing after the invasion. <h2>Different people, different recoveries</h2> There are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31944795/">strong links</a> between our wellbeing and our individual personalities. However, the dip in wellbeing following the Russian invasion was fairly uniform across individuals. None of the individual factors assessed in our study, including personality and sociodemographic factors, predicted people’s response to the outbreak of war. On the other hand, personality did play a role in how quickly people recovered. Individual differences in people’s recovery were linked to a personality trait called “stability”. Stability is a broad dimension of personality that combines low neuroticism with high agreeableness and conscientiousness (three traits from the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/big-five">Big Five</a> personality framework). Stability is so named because it reflects the stability of one’s overall psychological functioning. This can be illustrated by breaking stability down into its three components: <ol> <li> low neuroticism describes <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2212154120">emotional stability</a>. People low in this trait experience less intense negative emotions such as anxiety, fear or anger, in response to negative events </li> <li> high agreeableness describes <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-63285-010">social stability</a>. People high in this trait are generally more cooperative, kind, and motivated to maintain social harmony </li> <li> high conscientiousness describes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2023.112331">motivational stability</a>. People high in this trait show more effective patterns of goal-directed self-regulation. </li> </ol> So, our data show that people with less stable personalities fared worse in terms of recovering from the impact the war in Ukraine had on wellbeing. In a supplementary analysis, we found the effect of stability was driven specifically by neuroticism and agreeableness. The fact that people higher in neuroticism recovered more slowly accords with a wealth of research linking this trait with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10573882/">coping difficulties</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5428182/">poor mental health</a>. These effects of personality on recovery were stronger than those of sociodemographic factors, such as age, gender or political views, which were not statistically significant. Overall, our findings suggest that people with certain psychological vulnerabilities will often struggle to recover from the shock of global events such as the outbreak of war in Ukraine.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224147/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/luke-smillie-7502">Luke Smillie</a>, Professor in Personality Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/war-in-ukraine-affected-wellbeing-worldwide-but-peoples-speed-of-recovery-depended-on-their-personality-224147">original article</a>.

Mind

“It’s not personal”: New mum shares divisive list of rules

An expecting mum has divided opinions with an extensive list of strict rules her family and friends must follow if they want to meet her new baby. KIIS FM hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O read out the list live on air, as they debated the rules and regulations put in place by the pregnant woman. The rules included not touching the baby, being vaccinated and only going to see the child if you've been asked, with the hosts asking listeners if they thought the rules were “too strict” or “reasonable”. “We're drawing closer to the birth of our daughter, and we couldn't be more excited, but unfortunately we have to implement some boundaries. We hope you can respect our wishes and no one takes these personally,” the mum's announcement read. First, the mum declared that there will be no information about the baby put online, including photos and information of the child’s name, or even an announcement that she had given birth. “If we want you to know, you'll know,” the mum outlined. Next, she said that only those who have “checked in” with the expecting parents since the announcement of the pregnancy will be notified of the birth. The mum took a brutal swing at anyone else she hasn't heard from and wrote, “Otherwise we have taken your silence as not being interested in our friendship and it is also reciprocated.” The couple went on to add that for the first two weeks following the birth, they will not be having any visitors. “No exceptions, no texts, no calls,” the mum wrote in capital letters, further explaining that no visitors will be welcome at either the hospital or at home. The couple also expect those who want to meet the baby to be vaccinated. “Don't be offended if we ask for proof. We will not be putting her health at risk,” the point read. The mum also asked visitors to “not smell of cigarettes or wear cologne or perfume that is too strong when meeting the baby”. Lastly, if family or friends visit the couple at home they will need to bring their own snacks and drinks. “Please do not expect to be hosted. Mum will probably be tired,” the list read. After sharing a video on TikTok, some mentioned the number one parenting rule of all: “their baby, their rules”. “Not a single one of those rules is unreasonable,” one person commented online. “The people triggered over this are the type of people these boundaries are intended for,” another added. However, others deemed the list as “passive aggressive”. “Yeah right, nice knowing ya,” one wrote, while another said, “I hope she knows what she's doing.” Image credits: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Alzheimer’s may have once spread from person to person, but the risk of that happening today is incredibly low

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steve-macfarlane-4722">Steve Macfarlane</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> An article published this week in the prestigious journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02729-2">Nature Medicine</a> documents what is believed to be the first evidence that Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted from person to person. The finding arose from long-term follow up of patients who received human growth hormone (hGH) that was taken from brain tissue of deceased donors. Preparations of donated hGH were used in medicine to treat a variety of conditions from 1959 onwards – including in Australia from the mid 60s. The practice stopped in 1985 when it was discovered around 200 patients worldwide who had received these donations went on to develop <a href="https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/epidemiology-fact-sheets/creutzfeldt-jakob-disease-cjd/">Creuztfeldt-Jakob disease</a> (CJD), which causes a rapidly progressive dementia. This is an otherwise extremely rare condition, affecting roughly one person in a million. <h2>What’s CJD got to do with Alzehimer’s?</h2> CJD is caused by prions: infective particles that are neither bacterial or viral, but consist of abnormally folded proteins that can be transmitted from cell to cell. Other prion diseases include kuru, a dementia seen in New Guinea tribespeople caused by eating human tissue, scrapie (a disease of sheep) and variant CJD or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, otherwise known as mad cow disease. This raised <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_BSE_outbreak">public health concerns</a> over the eating of beef products in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. <h2>Human growth hormone used to come from donated organs</h2> Human growth hormone (hGH) is produced in the brain by the pituitary gland. Treatments were originally prepared from purified human pituitary tissue. But because the amount of hGH contained in a single gland is extremely small, any single dose given to any one patient could contain material from around <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000563.htm">16,000 donated glands</a>. An average course of hGH treatment lasts around four years, so the chances of receiving contaminated material – even for a very rare condition such as CJD – became quite high for such people. hGH is now manufactured synthetically in a laboratory, rather than from human tissue. So this particular mode of CJD transmission is no longer a risk. <h2>What are the latest findings about Alzheimer’s disease?</h2> The Nature Medicine paper provides the first evidence that transmission of Alzheimer’s disease can occur via human-to-human transmission. The authors examined the outcomes of people who received donated hGH until 1985. They found five such recipients had developed early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. They considered other explanations for the findings but concluded donated hGH was the likely cause. Given Alzheimer’s disease is a much more common illness than CJD, the authors presume those who received donated hGH before 1985 may be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by presence of two abnormally folded proteins: amyloid and tau. There is <a href="https://actaneurocomms.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40478-017-0488-7">increasing evidence</a> these proteins spread in the brain in a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8086126/">similar way to prion diseases</a>. So the mode of transmission the authors propose is certainly plausible. However, given the amyloid protein deposits in the brain <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/estimates-amyloid-onset-may-predict-alzheimers-progression">at least 20 years</a> before clinical Alzheimer’s disease develops, there is likely to be a considerable time lag before cases that might arise from the receipt of donated hGH become evident. <h2>When was this process used in Australia?</h2> In Australia, donated pituitary material <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/07/the-cjd-review-final-report.pdf">was used</a> from 1967 to 1985 to treat people with short stature and infertility. <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/07/the-cjd-review-final-report.pdf">More than 2,000 people</a> received such treatment. Four developed CJD, the last case identified in 1991. All four cases were likely linked to a single contaminated batch. The risks of any other cases of CJD developing now in pituitary material recipients, so long after the occurrence of the last identified case in Australia, are <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2010/193/6/iatrogenic-creutzfeldt-jakob-disease-australia-time-amend-infection-control">considered to be</a> incredibly small. Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (defined as occurring before the age of 65) is uncommon, accounting for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4356853/">around 5%</a> of all cases. Below the age of 50 it’s rare and likely to have a genetic contribution. <h2>The risk is very low – and you can’t ‘catch’ it like a virus</h2> The Nature Medicine paper identified five cases which were diagnosed in people aged 38 to 55. This is more than could be expected by chance, but still very low in comparison to the total number of patients treated worldwide. Although the long “incubation period” of Alzheimer’s disease may mean more similar cases may be identified in the future, the absolute risk remains very low. The main scientific interest of the article lies in the fact it’s first to demonstrate that Alzheimer’s disease can be transmitted from person to person in a similar way to prion diseases, rather than in any public health risk. The authors were keen to emphasise, as I will, that Alzheimer’s cannot be contracted via contact with or providing care to people with Alzheimer’s disease.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222374/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/steve-macfarlane-4722">Steve Macfarlane</a>, Head of Clinical Services, Dementia Support Australia, & Associate Professor of Psychiatry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/alzheimers-may-have-once-spread-from-person-to-person-but-the-risk-of-that-happening-today-is-incredibly-low-222374">original article</a>.

Mind

How to turn your handy skills into material wealth

If you’re looking for an opportunity to be your own boss, minus all of the uncertainties that come with starting a business from scratch, a <a href="https://www.hireahubby.co.nz/franchise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hire A Hubby franchise</a> offers the perfect chance for you to take charge of your time, your future, and do what you love while building a successful business. This is no flash-in-the-pan start-up venture either; with more than 25 years of experience, the recognition and solid reputation already cemented by Hire A Hubby provide a valuable head start, making it far easier for you to connect with clients and build lasting relationships in your local community and beyond. Combining a proven business model refined and perfected over the years with all of the experience and insights of a solid Franchise Support Team, the risks commonly associated with entrepreneurship are virtually eliminated. Not only will you be stepping into a well-established brand that has earned the trust of customers nationwide, you’ll also be saying goodbye to the daily grind and hello to work-life harmony. One of the standout features of a Hire A Hubby franchise is the diverse range of services it offers. From general maintenance to renovations and repairs, franchisees have the opportunity to cater to a wide spectrum of customer needs. This versatility means you will not only attract a broader clientele, but also ensures a steady stream of business throughout the year, contributing to your long-term success. With New Zealand's property market experiencing a strong, continuous upward trend, there’s an equally strong demand for home maintenance and improvement services. What better way to position yourself to capitalise on this expanding market than with a Hire A Hubby franchise? As homeowners and businesses continue to place property upkeep front and centre, you’ll find yourself in a lucrative position to meet those needs – while contributing to the overall well-being of your community. And there’s no need to go it alone. Since success in any venture is most often the result of proper guidance and support, you’ll also benefit from Hire A Hubby’s comprehensive training programs, designed to equip you with all the necessary skills and knowledge to run a successful business. Backed by ongoing help from the Franchise Support Team, you’ll be able to stay well ahead of any industry trends and challenges standing in the way of success. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uNvVOK5UgPk?si=rbZkgdrP5fzmZ1m4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe> But how best to get your name out there? Hire A Hubby understands all too well that visibility is key in any competitive marketplace. That’s why you’ll be able to tap into the collective strength of a national advertising and marketing campaign to not only boosts local visibility, but do wonders for your credibility at the same time, leading to new customers, new experiences and even greater success. The flexibility that comes with owning a Hire A Hubby franchise can’t help but add a serious dose of satisfaction to your lifestyle. You're not just running a business; you're crafting a life that allows you to balance work and play. That freedom to set your schedule means more time for the things you love. Speaking of which – as the proud owner of a Hire A Hubby franchise, you're not just fixing homes; you're also spreading joy one repair at a time. Whether it's a leaky roof or a wonky shelf, your expertise becomes a beacon of happiness for your clients. Imagine the pleasure of seeing a problem solved and the smiles on your customers' faces? These are priceless rewards that we all know come with the handyman territory. In the world of Hire A Hubby, happy customers aren’t just a metric; they are the real currency of success. That’s because satisfied clients are not just repeat clients; they are ambassadors for your brand, sharing their positive experiences and spreading the joy of your services. <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13682" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2024/01/HireAHubby01_060.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Owning and running a Hire A Hubby franchise means building a community of satisfied customers who appreciate not just your skills but the positive energy you bring to their homes. In the end, Hire A Hubby isn't just a brand; it's a positive force in the world of home maintenance and improvement. Becoming a part of that means contributing to a brand that is known for its reliability, professionalism and, most importantly, its ability to bring smiles to the faces of homeowners across New Zealand. So put on that tool belt, square your shoulders and get ready to join The Everything Experts! For more information on how to transform your handy skills into easy material wealth, head to <a href="https://www.hireahubby.co.nz/franchise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.hireahubby.co.nz/franchise</a> Images: Supplied. This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Hire A Hubby.

Home & Garden

14 personal finance tips you were never taught – but need to know

Take a day to think about large purchases to avoid impulse buys “Delaying your purchases for a day gives you time to think about whether or not you really need the items, and it curbs regrettable impulse buys,” advises Marc Diana, CEO of MoneyTips. “Sale items may be an exception to this rule, but even then, question how badly you need the item compared to saving or investing the money you would use to purchase it. When times are tough, and you’re cutting expenses, would you rather have a rarely worn $300 pair of shoes or $300 cash?” Budgets are freeing, not constricting Says financial educator Tiffany Aliche, “Keeping a budget allows you to say yes to your goals in a strategic way. If you have a budget, you can save for the holiday, house or car you want to get. You can look at it as ‘No dining out,’ but I see it as ‘Yes to a trip to Paris.’ A budget is not a NO plan, but a YES plan with actual steps towards achieving your goals.” Budget with the 50/20/30 rule Lynn Toomey, co-founder of Your Retirement Advisor, suggests following this easy budgeting rule: Use 50 per cent of your income for non-discretionary necessities like food, rent/house payment, utilities, and transportation. Put aside 20 per cent of your income for an emergency fund (three to six months’ salary is a good target), retirement, savings, and to pay off any debts. Use 30 per cent of your income for discretionary (non-essential) spending such as entertainment, holidays and gifts. Penny-pinching is not the road to wealth Spending less doesn’t mean you’ll have more. Saving is a good way to stabilise your finances, but you still need to invest. “Pretend there are two islands,” advises Aliche, who is also known as The Budgetnista: “Financially Stuck Island and Wealthy Island.” She says that your savings can be like a car – you can’t drive off Financially Stuck Island without a bridge. Investing is the bridge to financial success. “To get from one island to another, you need to get in your savings car and drive it over your investment bridge.” It’s OK to put yourself before your kids Many people want their kids to go to university, says Aliche, “but it’s more important for you to save enough for retirement. Because the best gift you can give your child is not a free ride to school, but rather not to be a financial burden on them when it’s time to start their own family. Kids can get student loans; no one is going to lend you money without collateral when you’re retired.” Financial advisors aren’t only for wealthy people Millions of people have trillions invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other stock exchange investments, but just because you can easily make trades yourself doesn’t mean you should. “Why not do what you do best to earn money and let a trained professional invest it for you?” asks Brian Saranovitz, president of Your Retirement Advisor. “A recent Vanguard Investments study indicated that integrating proper retirement strategies can add as much as 3 per cent efficient return to a retirement portfolio.” Adds Aliche, “You need to purposefully seek out knowledge. If you break a leg, you know that you need to go to a doctor. With personal finance, people have got the notion that they could just fix it themselves. When it comes to investing, don’t be afraid to seek professional help.” Get a clear picture of yourself at 80 Barring tragedy, you will live to a ripe, old age. Aliche recommends naming your 80-year-old image of yourself. “Mine is Wanda. I imagine Wanda sitting on the front steps in her yard. People feel disconnected from their older self. The more you can picture her, the better. I don’t want to see her mopping floors at 80. When I’m making a decision, I think, ‘How will this affect Wanda?’ If I dip into my retirement funds to buy an expensive car, that’s going to hurt Wanda.” If it’s easier, pretend you’re living with your grandfather or grandmother. “You’re not going to tell Granny, ‘You have to go to work. We need the money,’” she says. You can never have too much retirement savings Says Lynn Toomey, co-founder of Your Retirement Advisor, “Life is good. Retirement is better, if you are prepared.” She points out that retirement is laden with potential costs, such as healthcare, longevity, market volatility and inflation. “Even if you think you’re saving enough and have assets, it still may not be enough. The earlier you start saving and investing, the longer compound interest can work its magic to help you achieve a successful retirement.” Don’t blow your tax refund “What are you planning on doing with your tax refund?” asks financial advisor Mike Zaino. “If you’re like most people, the world of instant gratification is beckoning. It could be extremely damaging to your retirement account, however, especially given the time value of money and what Albert Einstein called ‘The eighth wonder of the world” – compound interest.” Ask current lenders for a better rate “Banks, credit unions and other lenders are keenly aware of their competition,” says Diana of MoneyTips.com. “If your credit score qualifies you for a better rate from another credit card issuer or lender, ask them to match the rate. There’s no downside to asking; the worst they could do is refuse.” Asking for your credit limit to be raised can improve your credit score Keep your credit utilisation – the amount of credit you use compared to your credit limit – low to boost your all-important credit, advises Diana. “You can borrow less, or you can ask for a raise in your credit limit.” A recent study from CreditCards.com found that only 28 per cent of respondents have never asked for an increase in their credit limit. However, a whopping 89 per cent of those who asked for a credit limit increase received one. Unless they have a high annual fee, don’t close your old credit cards “The longer your stable credit history, the better it reflects on your credit score,” explains Diana. “The age of accounts is averaged over all of your credit accounts, so closing an older account that is infrequently used actually harms your credit score in two ways: it lowers your credit limit, which raises your credit utilisation; and it lowers your average account age. If you have an old card with a decent credit limit, use it at least annually to keep it open. But don’t forget to pay the bill on time!” Don’t ever co-sign a loan “Co-signing a loan isn’t just vouching for someone’s character,” explains Toomey. “Understand that if the borrower doesn’t pay, then you’re responsible for every single missed payment. If they don’t pay, it’s your credit that will be ruined.” Being debt-free should not be your goal Says Aliche, creator of the Live Richer Challenge, “People focus on getting out of debt. If they use that money to grow wealth instead of getting rid of debt, they could be debt-free faster. Do you pay off your student loans to get debt-free, or invest money in your business to grow and secure wealth for yourself? If you focus on being debt-free, that’s all you’ll be. If you focus on building wealth, then you can be wealthy and debt-free.” Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/money/14-personal-finance-tips-you-were-never-taught-but-need-to-know?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Money & Banking

"Proud to pay more": The billionaires who want to pay more tax

Over 250 millionaires and billionaires have issued an <a href="https://proudtopaymore.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open letter</a> to global leaders encouraging them to implement wealth taxes to combat the cost-of-living crisis. This comes just as a report by the Oxfam Charity revealed that the global wealth of billionaires have only grown in the last three years despite inflation. The open letter, signed by super-rich individuals from 17 countries, includes signatories like Abigail Disney, the grand-niece of Walt Disney, Succession actor Brian Cox, and American philanthropist and Rockefeller family heir Valerie Rockefeller. They said that they would be "proud to pay more taxes" in order to address the inequality. "Elected leaders must tax us, the super rich," the letter read. "This will not fundamentally alter our standard of living, nor deprive our children, nor harm our nations' economic growth. "But it will turn extreme and unproductive private wealth into an investment for our common democratic future." Austrian heir Marlene Engelhorn is also among the voices demanding that they pay more in taxes. "I've inherited a fortune and therefore power, without having done anything for it. And the state doesn't even want taxes on it," Engelhorn, who inherited millions from her family who founded chemical giant BASF, said. The letter was released just as global leaders gather in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. Abigail Disney, whose net-worth is measured at more than $100 million, said that lawmakers need to come together to make a meaningful economic and social change. "There's too much at stake for us all to wait for the ultra rich to grow a conscience and voluntarily change their ways," she said. "For that reason, lawmakers must step in and tax extreme wealth, along with the variety of environmentally destructive habits of the world's richest." A recent <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/63fe48c7e864f3729e4f9287/t/6596bfb943707b56d11f1296/1704378297933/G20+Survey+of+those+with+More+than+%241+million+on+Attitudes+to+Extreme+Wealth+and+Taxing+the+Super+Rich.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> of almost 2400 millionaires found that 74 per cent of them supported the introduction of a wealth tax to fund improved public services and deal with the cost-of-living crisis. The open letter also said that one-off donations and philanthropy "cannot redress the current colossal imbalance" of societal wealth. "We need our governments and our leaders to lead," the letter said. "The true measure of a society can be found, not just in how it treats its most vulnerable, but in what it asks of its wealthiest members." Images: Getty

Money & Banking

Surprise choice for Time's 2023 Person of the Year

Hold onto your hats, folks: Taylor Swift has been crowned Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2023, leaving the world collectively scratching its head and asking, "Did we miss the memo that we're living in Taylor's world now?" Traditionally reserved for influential political figures or those who've left an indelible mark on the global stage – you know, like Russian President Vladimir Putin, King Charles III, Barbie – this time the Person of the Year honour has been bestowed upon a pop sensation who can make you both weep and dance in the span of a three-minute song. In a statement that surely made a few historians raise an eyebrow, Time's editor-in-chief, Sam Jacobs, explained, "In a divided world, where too many institutions are failing, Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light." Because when we think of bridging divides and bringing people together, we immediately think of "Shake It Off" and "Love Story". <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Time Magazine: We’d like to name you Person of the Yea- Me: Can I bring my cat. <a href="https://t.co/SOhkYKSTwG">https://t.co/SOhkYKSTwG</a> — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) <a href="https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1732406430857093501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2023</a></blockquote> While past Persons of the Year have included world leaders and political heavyweights, Swift's victory signals a definite paradigm shift. Apparently, in 2023, the ability to make millions of people sing along to your breakup anthems and inspire an army of fans to don cat ears for Halloween is a more valuable global contribution than, say, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being honoured for his courage in resisting Russia's invasion. In 2023, it seems we've collectively decided that what the world really needs is more "Bad Blood" and less, well, actual bad blood between nations. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hollywood strikers also found themselves on the shortlist, along with Barbie, who apparently had a banner year as the highest-grossing film of 2023. Forget geopolitics; it's all about the dollars and sense. Swift also triumphed over King Charles III, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, and even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Apparently, even the promise of artificial intelligence couldn't outshine the real magic of Taylor Swift. In the end, T-Swift's ability to sell out stadiums and break box office records with her concert movie proved that in a world full of political turmoil and global challenges, what we really need is a good sing-along. Images: Twitter / X

Books

The enduring appeal of Friends, and why so many of us feel we’ve lost a personal friend in Matthew Perry

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-gerace-325968">Adam Gerace</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> The <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/videos/world/friends-star-matthew-perry-dies-aged-54/cloatn0ae00ea0jqbpdz0h8td">death of Matthew Perry</a>, best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the television series Friends, has seen an outpouring of grief from fans and the Hollywood community. His passing at age 54 has shocked both those who admired his acting work, as well as those who followed his efforts to bring awareness to <a href="https://people.com/tv/matthew-perry-opens-up-about-addiction-new-memoir/">the pains of addiction</a>. Tributes to Perry have understandably focused on his star-making turn on the incredibly popular television sitcom. Scenes, catchphrases, and his character’s lines have been lovingly repurposed across the internet to memorialise the gifted actor. Meanwhile, many viewers have situated their <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/friends-fans-mourn-matthew-perry-new-york-apartment-1235772520/">recollections</a> of Perry and the series within the context of their own experiences. Viewers who came of age, or were the characters’ ages during the show’s original run, have reminisced about what the work of Perry and his co-stars meant to them at formative times in their lives. Newer viewers have similarly shared how important the series has been to them – their relationship with the show often beginning long after production ended. For many, Friends was the television equivalent of the soundtrack to their lives. To appreciate the staying power of the series for original and <a href="https://www.etonline.com/streaming-friends-how-a-90s-sitcom-became-gen-zs-new-favorite-show-132624">newer viewers alike</a> almost 30 years since it debuted, we need to consider what functions television viewing serves and the bonds we form with its characters. <h2>Enduring appeal</h2> Part of Friends’ popularity lies in its timing. The show premiered in 1994, a period when network television was still dominant. By its end a decade later, while the power of the big television networks had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08838150701820924">eroded</a>, the series had maintained <a href="https://www.ratingsryan.com/2022/09/friends-nbc-ratings-recap.html">an average</a> of more than 20 million viewers each season. The 2004 finale brought in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/08/arts/friends-finale-s-audience-is-the-fourth-biggest-ever.html">record-breaking</a> 52.5 million viewers in the United States. The series then entered repeats around the world. It hasn’t left our screens since. The late 90s and early 2000s have sometimes been referred to as the end of monoculture. While a <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/12/17/21024439/monoculture-algorithm-netflix-spotify">contested and controversial idea</a> because of, among other concerns, who was included and excluded on our screens, monoculture meant we watched <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/bestmusic2012/2012/12/21/167836852/the-year-in-pop-charts-return-of-the-monoculture">many of the same things</a>. One of the most popular shows of its era, Friends brought people together. It was a show we watched with our families or friends, spoke about the next day with colleagues, and it provided a common connection. It allowed bonding with real friends as much as fictional ones. Friends did not only reflect style of the time; it also frequently created it. Jennifer Aniston’s haircut, coined “<a href="https://www.bustle.com/style/the-rachel-haircut">The Rachel</a>”, or Perry’s lovable smart-alecky cadence, typified with Chandler’s catchphrase of “Could I be any more…”, were endlessly imitated. I know I attempted to replicate Chandler’s <a href="https://www.gq.com.au/style/celebrity/unexpectedly-great-fashion-inspiration-courtesy-of-friends/image-gallery/f55ac75cc180e31c462525da961295fc">sweater vests</a> and light blue denim look. Participation provided viewers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00866.x">a sense</a> of identity. As people enter their 30s and 40s, they often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208595">gravitate</a> towards the memories made during their formative adolescent and young adult years. So perhaps it’s no surprise Friends endures for original viewers as it represents – and was a part of – their lives at this important time. <h2>Likeable characters</h2> Television and other fictional media meet our needs for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2009.01368.x">both</a> pleasure and extracting meaning. We get excited, entertained and moved by television. As part of this, we bond with fictional characters. We cannot help but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0403_01">empathise</a> with them. A series like Friends with its characters and their combinations of breakups, makeups and other mishaps allowed us to safely use our empathy muscles to cheer on and sometimes commiserate with the group of six. It helped that each character was flawed but inherently likeable. Fictional characters also allow us to <a href="https://theconversation.com/neighbours-vs-friends-we-found-out-which-beloved-show-fans-mourned-more-when-it-ended-212843">experience lifestyles</a> we might not otherwise. In the case of Friends, who didn’t want to live in a rent-controlled apartment like Monica’s, or regularly meet their supportive and funny pals for coffee at Central Perk? As a teen, I imagined such a world for myself in the not-too-distant future. Younger generations might be more aware of how out-of-reach that lifestyle was, or find the show’s <a href="https://ew.com/tv/jennifer-aniston-friends-offensive-new-generation/">humour sometimes dated</a>. But the idea of what the friends’ lifestyle represented – possibility, freedom, a chosen family – evidently still holds appeal. <h2>Fictional relationships, but real sadness</h2> In forming relationships with fictional characters, we form bonds with the performers who bring them to life. The lines between character and creator become blurry, both because of the knowledge about actors’ lives celebrity culture affords us, but also because their characters seem so real. When the actors pass away, we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.06.042">feel real grief</a>. It’s important for fans of Matthew Perry to <a href="https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/why-with-all-the-sht-happening-in-the-world-its-still-okay-to-grieve-a-celebritys-death/">acknowledge</a> their loss. Even though his character is fictional, and you didn’t know him personally, you can still feel sad. Watching the series may be difficult right now. With time, it will become easier. Matthew Perry wanted <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/matthew-perry-death-addiction-alcoholism-drugs-b2437980.html">his legacy</a> to be awareness of addiction and the help he provided to people struggling with this disorder. Hopefully what will be felt now, alongside collective sadness, is an empathy for those facing addiction. That may be the power of television, and of a character named Chandler, and the actor who brought him to life, who many considered their friend.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216626/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adam-gerace-325968">Adam Gerace</a>, Senior Lecturer and Head of Course - Positive Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/cquniversity-australia-2140">CQUniversity Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-enduring-appeal-of-friends-and-why-so-many-of-us-feel-weve-lost-a-personal-friend-in-matthew-perry-216626">original article</a>.

"His worst moment as a person": Sean Penn unleashes on Will Smith's Oscar's slap

Sean Penn has become visibly angry as he recalled the infamous moment at the 2022 Oscars ceremony when Will Smith stormed the stage to slap Chris Rock. Penn recalled the award ceremony moment as he reflected on the Academy's decision to not let Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speak at the ceremony. The actor has been a strong advocate for the people of Ukraine in their ongoing war against Russia, and even traveling to the war-torn region to help in their fight. Speaking to <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/features/sean-penn-slams-will-smith-slap-ai-oscars-1235720417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a>, Penn shared how frustrated he was that Zelenskyy was silenced, while Smith's actions were the real problem. “The Oscars producer thought, ‘Oh, he’s [Zelenskyy] not lighthearted enough.’ Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith.” Variety noted that the actor was visibly infuriated speaking on the subject, even turning red during the interview. “I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once,” Penn said. “He seemed very nice when I met him. He was so f***ing good in King Richard.” “So why the f**k did you just spit on yourself and everybody else with this stupid f***ing thing? Why did I go to f***ing jail for what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? Why are you guys standing and applauding his worst moment as a person?” the 63-year-old said, referencing his 1987 arrest and jail stint for punching a film extra in the face. “This f***ing bulls**t wouldn’t have happened with Zelenskyy,” Penn added. “Will Smith would never have left that chair to be part of stupid violence. It never would have happened.” Penn was so shocked and infuriated by the moment that he chose to destroy his two Oscars. "I thought, ‘Well, f**k, you know? I’ll give them to Ukraine. They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians,’” he said. When visiting Zelenskyy in Ukraine last fall, Penn showed his support by giving the leader one of his Oscars. At the 2022 Oscar's ceremony, Will Smith stormed the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. After returning to his seat, Smith shouted out, “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!” Image credits: Getty Images

Movies

What your glasses are secretly revealing about your personality

Colourful frames are for creative types Glasses frames come in every imaginable colour nowadays. While black and brown frames still exist, they are no longer the only options. Those who do dare to colour their vision are typically very creative, says optometrist Lynn Green. “Artists love colour,” she says. “They are very particular with what they like and they know what they like.” But artists aren’t the only ones who gravitate towards colour frames. Both the extrovert and the introvert veer toward this kind of eye wear. “Usually bright, bold colours are somebody that’s fun and outgoing,” Green discerns, “but what’s nice about fun colours is somebody…who’s always been neutral and blends in, they’ve gotten to a point in their life where they’re like, ‘You know what, I need a change.’” While it is very natural for an outgoing person to pick up a pair of attention-grabbing glasses, shy people who are trying to break out of their shell can use these glasses as a means of putting themselves out there. Thick black frames are trendy Thick black frames go largely to the young, hipster crowd. The people who wear these glasses are definitely trying to make a statement about themselves. Green describes this type as, “That bold, ‘look-at-me’ frame.” It has been her observation that the dark, thick, heavier frames have been the favourite of people in the late teens to 20s age range. These are the glasses that are one of the biggest trends. A person that has a pair of these glasses is probably young, bold, opinionated, and trendy. Patterned frames are cheerful In terms of demographics, Green has also surmised that it is mostly women who tend to opt for colour and different patterns on their frames. Not only that, but bright colours with patterns are also preferred by older people who want to feel the fun of youth again. Sometimes they even have designs by the temples, like little flowers. These cute and stylish glasses express a cheerful nature and someone who doesn’t like to take life too seriously. Aviators are for the adventurous Another person who has an intimate relationship with fashion and eye wear is fashion designer Larisa Ginzburg. According to her, those who have a penchant for aviators are quite the adventurers. “If you’re a fan of the aviators frame, chances are you’ve always been a risk taker. Just like you, this style is classic, but not concerned with respecting the rules and will stand out in its modern reinterpretations. The wearer is an active, devoted person who knows what they want and they’re not afraid to live for the moment. An undying staple of coolness, aviator glasses are a favourite among outspoken people who don’t just talk, but walk the talk.” If you’ve got at least one pair of aviators, you’re the kind of person whose presence is always felt. You enter a room and people notice, and you usually end up being the life of the party. Fake glasses are a confidence boost Yes, people really do wear fake glasses, and it’s more common than you’d think. According to Green, the whole “glasses make you look smart” thing still applies. “I had a patient come in,” Green shares, “[and] she was going for a very important job interview. She did not have a prescription. She wanted glasses that made her look very confident, and we found the perfect Tom Ford classic look. She brought us all chocolate because she got the job, and she said it was the glasses that did it.” Other than just for career, there are a lot of reasons that people wear fake glasses. As Green observes, glasses are now just as much an accessory as they are a necessity. Like shoes or purses or earrings, people buy glasses to intentionally convey something about themselves. People who wear fake glasses are very concerned with how the world sees them and may be somewhat insecure. At the same time, they could also be fashionistas who want to complete their perfect look. Simple, clean lines are pragmatic We’ve talked a lot about the creative person, but what about people who are more logically, mathematically, or scientifically driven? In her two decades of being an optician, Green has noticed that these types of people tend to pay less attention to style and more attention to function. “They go for structure,” she says. “They’re very detail oriented. They usually go with a more simple, clean line look.” For this type of person, glasses are more about pragmatism and not so much about showing off. Big round frames are quirky These are the glasses that Green refers to as “The Harry Potter frames.” They’re not as common as they used to be, but people do still rock that big, circular frame. “In that round shape is a very classic style,” she says. “It’s old Hollywood.” People who wear these glasses in the modern era tend to be men in their 30s to late 40s, she explains. They’re a little bit quirkier then your average person and might have an appreciation for history or vintage style. Browline frames are for those who mean business Last on the list are browline frames (aka club masters or semi-rimless frames). Just because they appear at the end of this list doesn’t mean they aren’t popular, though. These are the glasses that have a bold upper frame and a thin bottom frame. Ginzburg says, “[They] are both smart and stylish, and they say that you mean business! They are a classic power accessory for your professional life, and a favourite among knowledgeable hipsters who aim high in life. This style reflects the fact that you are quick on your feet, and have a well-rounded personality.” Browline frames are the great compromise between being bold and being simple. If you wear these, you’re not afraid to make a statement but you also don’t let your ego get you in trouble. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/what-your-glasses-are-secretly-revealing-about-your-personality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Beauty & Style

These 12 common terms started life as a real-person’s name

Oscar And the Academy Award for the ‘Golden Statuette’s Eponym’ is … a mystery! But, there are a few theories circulating. Actress Bette Davis supposedly claimed that the statue’s backside bore a striking resemblance to her husband Harmon Oscar Nelson. While Sidney Skolsky, a columnist, gives himself the title of ‘eponym creator’ because he thought the nickname negated pretension from the esteemed award. And the Academy’s librarian Margaret Herrick reportedly declared that the statuette reminded her of her uncle, Oscar Pierce. We may never know its true origins. Shirley Temple Your favourite childhood mocktail was definitely named after none other than the curly-haired child star, Shirley Temple. The story goes that the wait staff at a Hollywood restaurant overheard the little girl whining when her parents wouldn’t give her a sip of their old-fashioned cocktails. A member of the staff mixed up a kid-friendly version made with a splash of grenadine, a cup of ginger ale, and garnished it with a signature maraschino cherry to emulate the old-fashioned cocktails her parents drank. One sip of the sweet, fizzy drink was all it took to quiet her cries. Boycott During the 1870s, history began to repeat itself as another agricultural crisis wreaked havoc in Ireland. The crisis threatened to recreate the horrific famine and mass evictions that occurred a mere thirty years prior. In an effort to campaign against rent increases and evictions by landlords, the Irish farmers banded together to form the Irish Land League. The group targeted one apathetic English land agent, in particular, Charles Cunningham Boycott, a man responsible for kicking out tenant farmers who refused to pay their rents. Boycott’s angered laborers and servants quit, his crops rotted to the ground, and the word ‘boycott’ defined as ‘refusing to deal with a country, organisation, or person to protest or punish them’ was named after him. In a way, karma got him good. Dunce No one wants to be crowned the dunce of the group, in other words, the dumb, dopey one. But there was a time when being called a dunce was the greatest form of flattery. Long ago, everyone wanted to think just like John Duns Scotus, the greatest medieval philosopher of his time. In fact, his followers referred to themselves as ‘dunsmen.’ Unfortunately, Scotus’ beliefs faded with the times and soon people criticised his convictions as being antiquated and dumb. Thus, ‘dunsman’ was shortened to “duns” – no longer a term for a great thinker, but instead a slow-witted person. Bloomers The women’s rights activist, Amelia Bloomer, helped popularise the bloomer craze, despite the fact that other progressive women wore them much earlier than she did. As part of a women’s dress-reform movement, Bloomer started wearing loose-fitting blouses and short skirts with long pantaloons underneath to protest the heavy petticoats and bone-crushing corsets that women were forced to wear in the 1850s. Many people ridiculed her outlandish outfit that went against every gender norm. She lashed back at her critics in an article she wrote for a women’s rights newspaper that said, “Let men be compelled to wear our dress for a while, and we should soon hear them advocating for change.” Soon after the article’s publication, everyone called the pantaloons ‘bloomers’ – a new symbol for women’s rights. Cardigan Your favourite winter knit-wear wasn’t named after a seamstress or fashion designer. In fact, you can thank British general, James Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, for reportedly popularising the timeless fashion item. During the Crimean War in 1854, Cardigan’s regiment donned wool knit waistcoats, which were later called cardigans, to keep them warm on the battlefields of the Crimean Peninsula. No one is sure why cardigans were named after a man who didn’t invent the article of clothing. But some people theorise that his highbrow tastes for elegance and extravagance amongst his troop’s uniforms helped cardigans gain traction as a fashion statement well after the war. Saxophone This object was actually named after its inventor, Adolphe Sax. The Belgian-French instrument maker wanted to combine the best of brass, woodwind and stringed instruments into one masterpiece. By 1841, he had created his first working model of the bass horn, the saxophone’s former name. But a French reporter had a much ‘saxier’ name for the instrument and dubbed it the saxophone. Sax patented the saxophone in 1846 and the name has stuck ever since! Sideburns Sideburns were all the rage in the American Civil War well before Elvis Presley was even born. The popular male hair trend of bushy whiskers on the cheeks was originally called burnsides after the Union Army General Ambrose E. Burnside. His wildly different facial hair first caught people’s attention during a parade in Washington DC as he led his regiment of Rhode Island volunteers. By the 1880s, the name was switched to sideburns. Silhouette Before there were selfies, painted or paper cut-out silhouettes were the most affordable portraits that adorned people’s homes during the 18th century. Many people loved their silhouette selfies, but the man for who they were named after was anything but loved. France’s finance minister at the time, Étienne de Silhouette, had a reputation for being a frugal French man and was often seen making the cut-paper shadow portraits, himself, in his free time. Because of his cheap ways and favourite hobby, the French phrase “à la Silhouette” came to mean ‘on the cheap’ and the shadow portraits were named after Silhouette to poke fun at him as well. Sandwich John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich who lived from 1718 to 1792, may have created the classic lunch staple. It was no secret in town that Montagu’s vice was gambling. Legend has it that the gambler once spent an entire 24 hours at the gambling table eating nothing but slices of cold beef wedged between two pieces of toast. And if the story bears any truth, it’s how the sandwich was invented. Casanova You may have dated a casanova or two in your life. Giacomo Girolamo Casanova inspired the well-known term for a promiscuous male. The Italian adventurer and author wrote a memoir that bragged about his many ‘conquests’ along his travels. Dahlia The vibrant flower with colourful hues from Mexico was named after Anders Dahl, an 18th-century Swedish botanist. Dahl must have been a highly admired plant expert of his time because many botanists have been credited for bestowing his name upon the flower. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/culture/12-common-words-that-were-inspired-by-real-life-people?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Caring

Bees have appeared on coins for millennia, hinting at an age-old link between sweetness and value

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798">Adrian Dyer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> In 2022, the Royal Australian Mint issued a $2 coin decorated with honeybees. Around 2,400 years earlier, a mint in the kingdom of Macedon had the same idea, creating a silver obol coin with a bee stamped on one side. Over the centuries between these two events, currency demonstrating a symbolic link between honey and money is surprisingly common. In a recent study in <a href="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/assets.mmxgroup.com.au/ACR/Bee+Article.pdf">Australian Coin Review</a>, I trace the bee through numismatic history – and suggest a scientific reason why our brains might naturally draw a connection between the melliferous insects and the abstract idea of value. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536400/original/file-20230709-15-2u5ywn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536400/original/file-20230709-15-2u5ywn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536400/original/file-20230709-15-2u5ywn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536400/original/file-20230709-15-2u5ywn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536400/original/file-20230709-15-2u5ywn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536400/original/file-20230709-15-2u5ywn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536400/original/file-20230709-15-2u5ywn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>A Royal Australian Mint 2022 two-dollar coin representing 200 years since the introduction of the honeybee to Australia.</figcaption></figure> <h2>What is currency and why is it important?</h2> Money is a store of value, and can act as a medium of exchange for goods or services. Currency is a physical manifestation of money, so coins are a durable representation of value. Coins have had central role in many communities to enable efficient trade since ancient times. Their durability makes them important time capsules. Ancient Malta was famous for its honey. The modern 3 Mils coin (<a href="https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces1775.html">1972-81</a>) celebrates this history with images of a bee and honeycomb. According to the information card issued with the coin set, <blockquote> A bee and honeycomb are shown on the 3 Mils coin, symbolising the fact that honey was used as currency in Ancient Malta. </blockquote> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536403/original/file-20230709-23-drk2lj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536403/original/file-20230709-23-drk2lj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536403/original/file-20230709-23-drk2lj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536403/original/file-20230709-23-drk2lj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536403/original/file-20230709-23-drk2lj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=732&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536403/original/file-20230709-23-drk2lj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=732&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536403/original/file-20230709-23-drk2lj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=732&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>A circulating 3 Mils coin from Malta showing a honeybee on honeycomb.</figcaption></figure> In ancient Greece, bees were used on some of the earliest coins made in Europe. A silver Greek obol coin minted in Macedon between 412 BCE and 350 BCE, now housed in the British Museum, shows a bee on one side of the coin. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536411/original/file-20230709-182252-v4evxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536411/original/file-20230709-182252-v4evxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536411/original/file-20230709-182252-v4evxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536411/original/file-20230709-182252-v4evxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536411/original/file-20230709-182252-v4evxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536411/original/file-20230709-182252-v4evxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536411/original/file-20230709-182252-v4evxr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=368&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>An ancient obol from Macedon, dated between 412 BCE and 350 BCE, shows a bee one side.</figcaption></figure> Bees also feature on coins minted elsewhere in the ancient Greek world, such as a bronze coin minted in Ephesus dated between 202 BCE and 133 BCE. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536407/original/file-20230709-27-a2jvo3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536407/original/file-20230709-27-a2jvo3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536407/original/file-20230709-27-a2jvo3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536407/original/file-20230709-27-a2jvo3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536407/original/file-20230709-27-a2jvo3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=686&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536407/original/file-20230709-27-a2jvo3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=686&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536407/original/file-20230709-27-a2jvo3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=686&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>A bronze coin minted in Ephesus, dated between 202BCE and 133BCE, featuring a honeybee.</figcaption></figure> The use of bees on ancient coins extended for many centuries including widely circulated bronze coins, and new varieties <a href="https://coinweek.com/bee-all-that-you-can-bee-honeybees-on-ancient-coins/">continue to be discovered</a>. <h2>Why we might like bees on coins</h2> Why have bees appeared so often on coins? One approach to this question comes from the field of neuro-aesthetics, which seeks to understand our tastes by understanding the basic brain processes that underpin aesthetic appreciation. From this perspective, it seems likely the sweet taste of honey – which indicates the large amount of sugar it delivers – promotes positive neural activity <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/artp/10/1/article-p1_2.xml">associated with bees and honey</a>. Indeed, primatologist Jane Goodall once proposed that obtaining high-calorie nutrition from bee honey may have been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0066185668800032">an important step</a> in the cognitive development of primates. Our brain may thus be pre-adapted to liking bees due to their association with the sweet taste of honey. Early usage of bees on coins may have been a functional illustration of the link between a known value (honey) and a new form of currency: coins as money. <h2>The bee on modern coins</h2> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536393/original/file-20230709-17-jywq3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536393/original/file-20230709-17-jywq3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536393/original/file-20230709-17-jywq3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536393/original/file-20230709-17-jywq3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536393/original/file-20230709-17-jywq3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536393/original/file-20230709-17-jywq3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536393/original/file-20230709-17-jywq3f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=738&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>A 1920 Italian bronze ten-centesimi coin featuring featuring an Italian honeybee on a flower.</figcaption></figure> The use of bees as a design feature has persisted from ancient to modern times. A honeybee visiting a flower is shown on a series of ten-centesimi bronze coins issued in Italy from <a href="https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces1960.html">1919 to 1937</a>. (As an aside, the world’s last stock of pure Italian honeybees is found in Australia, on Kangaroo Island, which was declared a sanctuary for Ligurian bees by an <a href="https://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/home/historical-numbered-as-made-acts/1885/0342-Lingurian-Bees-Act-No-342-of-48-and-49-Vic,-1885.pdf">act of parliament</a> in 1885.) <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536416/original/file-20230709-15-60yst8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536416/original/file-20230709-15-60yst8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536416/original/file-20230709-15-60yst8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536416/original/file-20230709-15-60yst8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536416/original/file-20230709-15-60yst8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536416/original/file-20230709-15-60yst8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536416/original/file-20230709-15-60yst8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=737&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>A coin from Tonga showing 20 honeybees emerging from a hive.</figcaption></figure> More recently, a 20-seniti coin from the Pacific nation of Tonga shows 20 honeybees flying out of a hive. This coin was part of a series initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to promote sustainable agricultural and cultural development around the world. Bees are relevant here because their pollinating efforts contribute to about one-third of the food required to feed the world, with a value in excess of <a href="https://zenodo.org/record/2616458">US$200 billion per year</a>, and they are threatened by climate change and other environmental factors. <h2>Bees on coins, today and tomorrow</h2> Public awareness of bees and environmental sustainability may well be factors in the current interest in bee coins. The diversity of countries using bees as a design feature over the entire history of coins suggests people have valued the relationship with bees as essential to our own prosperity for a long time. In Australia, the 2022 honeybee $2 coin is part of a series developed by the <a href="https://www.ramint.gov.au/about-mint">Royal Australian Mint</a>. In 2019, the Perth Mint in Western Australia also released coins and stamps celebrating native bees. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536405/original/file-20230709-15-iditcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536405/original/file-20230709-15-iditcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536405/original/file-20230709-15-iditcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536405/original/file-20230709-15-iditcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536405/original/file-20230709-15-iditcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536405/original/file-20230709-15-iditcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536405/original/file-20230709-15-iditcb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption>Australian native bee coin and stamps released in 2019 by the Perth Mint.</figcaption></figure> Despite the decline of cash, bee coins still appear to be going strong. The buzzing companions of human society are likely to be an important subject for coin design for as long as coins continue to be used.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208912/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/adrian-dyer-387798">Adrian Dyer</a>, Associate Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Australian Royal Mint / NZ Post Collectables This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/bees-have-appeared-on-coins-for-millennia-hinting-at-an-age-old-link-between-sweetness-and-value-208912">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Know thyself, know thy finances: which of the 5 money personalities are you?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ayesha-scott-867030">Ayesha Scott</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/aaron-gilbert-867098">Aaron Gilbert</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a> When it comes to money, are you a big spender or a fearful saver? Do you give away all your money or ignore financial demands until they become urgent? After decades of focus on financial literacy, it has become clear there is more to how we manage our money than access to information. Now new research has identified five distinct money personalities that drive how we spend. Commissioned by Te Ara Ahunga Ora (Retirement Commission) for their free, independent personal finance site <a href="https://sorted.org.nz/">Sorted</a>, <a href="https://assets.retirement.govt.nz/public/Uploads/Financial-Capability-Research/Report-Money-Personality-Tool-Project-AUT-vFINAL.pdf">our study</a> included an extensive review of the research on personality traits, values and attitudes. We then created an online survey, completed by nearly 500 New Zealanders, exploring how people engaged with their money. The research findings form the backbone of a <a href="https://sorted.org.nz/tools/money-personality-quiz">new online money personality quiz</a> designed to help people understand their money personality and inform their financial decisions and behaviour. With New Zealand <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/492013/new-zealand-in-recession-as-gdp-falls-for-second-quarter">officially in a recession</a>, it has never been more important to understand money management. Despite our best intentions, we often struggle to make “good” financial decisions consistently – including saving enough, using debt wisely, and staying on top of insurance policies and KiwiSaver. <h2>Doing better with our money</h2> According to Te Ara Ahunga Ora, New Zealanders are <a href="https://assets.retirement.govt.nz/public/Uploads/Research/TAAO-RC-NZ-FinCap-Survey-Report.pdf">good with the basics of financial capability</a> – budgeting and keeping track of money. But we score lower than comparable countries like Canada, Norway, Australia and Ireland on more advanced financial capabilities like long-term savings. We also lack confidence when it comes to our cash. There is a growing body of evidence that personality traits, money values and attitudes each play a crucial part in either aiding or hindering us making those “smart” financial decisions. Attitudes towards saving, the degree to which we value material possessions, and how comfortable we are with risk, will all affect the financial decisions we make – and, as a result, our financial wellbeing. <h2>The 5 money personalities</h2> We identified five distinct money personalities, each with their own strengths and weaknesses: the enterpriser, socialite, minimalist, contemporary and realist. An enterpriser is a financially confident, future-orientated planner who enjoys looking after their finances and is proud of being money savvy. Their strengths include self-control, financial knowledge and making their money work for them. An enterpriser is unlikely to make impulsive or emotional purchases. However, their aspirational approach – viewing money as a priority and a symbol of success – may pair badly with materialism, causing them to spend money to gain status rather than for value or utility. Enterprisers benefit from learning about investing and planning for the future. The minimalist is frugal, confident with their saving ability, and on top of their financial situation. Minimalists value a simpler life, scoring low on materialism and are not prone to impulsive or emotional purchases. Their weakness is not always making their money work as hard for them as it could, as they are less likely to take financial risks – even where there is a potential for higher investment returns. Low-cost, passive investment strategies may appeal to minimalists. A socialite is a joyful risk taker, outgoing, and confident with their money handling. A generous extrovert, they are more likely to be materialistic than other personality types and tend to live for today rather than plan for tomorrow. Their high tolerance for risk suggests some socialites may take on unwise levels of financial risk. Those in this group who are also impulsive or prone to emotional purchases may find themselves overspending or vulnerable to over-extending themselves with consumer debt. Socialites may like to explore active investment strategies and riskier investment classes, however. Taking calculated risks and building financial resilience is an important focus for them. A contemporary doesn’t enjoy managing their money and they lack confidence when it comes to financial matters. They are likely to say they’re a spender despite being less materialistic than others; living for today, they tend to engage in impulsive emotional spending and are generous to a fault. For contemporaries, the focus is increasing financial resilience by paying down debt and building an emergency savings fund, enabling them to share their wealth with others without affecting their own financial well-being. Working on their money mindset and general financial knowledge may allow them to build confidence and savings, then take a passive or “set and forget” approach to their financial life. A realist is future-focused, very conservative with risk, and values money highly. But they are not confident with their money handling, despite paying close attention to their financial situation. The most introverted personality type, a more aspirational realist may be materialistic but is unlikely to make impulsive or emotional purchases a habit. This suggests building confidence and encouragement to take appropriate investment risks is important. Given they do not like making money decisions, automation of bill payments and savings may appeal. <h2>Know thy money self</h2> Each money personality offers different challenges when it comes to making financial decisions. Taking Sorted’s money personality quiz is fun, but it’s also a useful financial decision you can make right now. It’s not just about the label. Knowing your money personality can help you understand your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to financial decision making, giving you tools to improve your financial resiliency and security.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207621/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ayesha-scott-867030">Ayesha Scott</a>, Senior Lecturer - Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/aaron-gilbert-867098">Aaron Gilbert</a>, Professor of Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/know-thyself-know-thy-finances-which-of-the-5-money-personalities-are-you-207621">original article</a>.

Retirement Income

What your glasses are secretly revealing about your personality

<h2>Colourful frames are for creative types</h2> Glasses frames come in every imaginable colour nowadays. While black and brown frames still exist, they are no longer the only options. Those who do dare to colour their vision are typically very creative, says optometrist Lynn Green. “Artists love colour,” she says. “They are very particular with what they like and they know what they like.” But artists aren’t the only ones who gravitate towards colour frames. Both the extrovert and the introvert veer toward this kind of eye wear. “Usually bright, bold colours are somebody that’s fun and outgoing,” Green discerns, “but what’s nice about fun colours is somebody…who’s always been neutral and blends in, they’ve gotten to a point in their life where they’re like, ‘You know what, I need a change.’” While it is very natural for an outgoing person to pick up a pair of attention-grabbing glasses, shy people who are trying to break out of their shell can use these glasses as a means of putting themselves out there. <h2>Thick black frames are trendy</h2> Thick black frames go largely to the young, hipster crowd. The people who wear these glasses are definitely trying to make a statement about themselves. Green describes this type as, “That bold, ‘look-at-me’ frame.” It has been her observation that the dark, thick, heavier frames have been the favourite of people in the late teens to 20s age range. These are the glasses that are one of the biggest trends. A person that has a pair of these glasses is probably young, bold, opinionated, and trendy. <h2>Patterned frames are cheerful</h2> In terms of demographics, Green has also surmised that it is mostly women who tend to opt for colour and different patterns on their frames. Not only that, but bright colours with patterns are also preferred by older people who want to feel the fun of youth again. Sometimes they even have designs by the temples, like little flowers. These cute and stylish glasses express a cheerful nature and someone who doesn’t like to take life too seriously. <h2>Aviators are for the adventurous</h2> Another person who has an intimate relationship with fashion and eye wear is fashion designer Larisa Ginzburg. According to her, those who have a penchant for aviators are quite the adventurers. “If you’re a fan of the aviators frame, chances are you’ve always been a risk taker. Just like you, this style is classic, but not concerned with respecting the rules and will stand out in its modern reinterpretations. The wearer is an active, devoted person who knows what they want and they’re not afraid to live for the moment. An undying staple of coolness, aviator glasses are a favourite among outspoken people who don’t just talk, but walk the talk.” If you’ve got at least one pair of aviators, you’re the kind of person whose presence is always felt. You enter a room and people notice, and you usually end up being the life of the party. <h2>Fake glasses are a confidence boost</h2> Yes, people really do wear fake glasses, and it’s more common than you’d think. According to Green, the whole “glasses make you look smart” thing still applies. “I had a patient come in,” Green shares, “[and] she was going for a very important job interview. She did not have a prescription. She wanted glasses that made her look very confident, and we found the perfect Tom Ford classic look. She brought us all chocolate because she got the job, and she said it was the glasses that did it.” Other than just for career, there are a lot of reasons that people wear fake glasses. As Green observes, glasses are now just as much an accessory as they are a necessity. Like shoes or purses or earrings, people buy glasses to intentionally convey something about themselves. People who wear fake glasses are very concerned with how the world sees them and may be somewhat insecure. At the same time, they could also be fashionistas who want to complete their perfect look. <h2>Simple, clean lines are pragmatic</h2> We’ve talked a lot about the creative person, but what about people who are more logically, mathematically, or scientifically driven? In her two decades of being an optician, Green has noticed that these types of people tend to pay less attention to style and more attention to function. “They go for structure,” she says. “They’re very detail oriented. They usually go with a more simple, clean line look.” For this type of person, glasses are more about pragmatism and not so much about showing off. <h2>Big round frames are quirky</h2> These are the glasses that Green refers to as “The Harry Potter frames.” They’re not as common as they used to be, but people do still rock that big, circular frame. “In that round shape is a very classic style,” she says. “It’s old Hollywood.” People who wear these glasses in the modern era tend to be men in their 30s to late 40s, she explains. They’re a little bit quirkier then your average person and might have an appreciation for history or vintage style. <h2>Browline frames are for those who mean business</h2> Last on the list are browline frames (aka club masters or semi-rimless frames). Just because they appear at the end of this list doesn’t mean they aren’t popular, though. These are the glasses that have a bold upper frame and a thin bottom frame. Ginzburg says, “[They] are both smart and stylish, and they say that you mean business! They are a classic power accessory for your professional life, and a favourite among knowledgeable hipsters who aim high in life. This style reflects the fact that you are quick on your feet, and have a well-rounded personality.” Browline frames are the great compromise between being bold and being simple. If you wear these, you’re not afraid to make a statement but you also don’t let your ego get you in trouble. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/healthsmart/what-your-glasses-are-secretly-revealing-about-your-personality" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. Images: Getty

Beauty & Style

Don’t let financial shame be your ruin: open conversations can help ease the burden of personal deb

Nearly <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-nz/19th-ipsos-new-zealand-issues-monitor">two-thirds of New Zealanders</a> are worried about the cost of living, and a quarter are worried about <a href="https://www.canstar.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Consumer-Pulse-Report-NZ-2023-Final-4.pdf">putting food on the table</a>. But the <a href="https://visionwest.org.nz/food-hardship-part-one/">shame</a> that can come with financial stress is preventing some people from seeking help. According to a recent survey, a third of New Zealanders were not completely truthful with their family or partners about the state of their finances, and 12% <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/129477493/financial-infidelity-research-finds-kiwis-hiding-debts-from-their-partners">actively hid their debt</a>. This shame and worry about money can spill over into <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/concerns-buy-now-pay-later-schemes-could-fuel-addiction-as-kiwis-spend-17b-last-year/VOV3VIDIG2MZBGJEGPMLGWDMJI/">addiction</a>, <a href="https://www.newsroom.co.nz/i-had-serious-concussion-bad-credit-and-15000-debt-abuse-survivor">violence</a> and <a href="https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/financial-strains-significantly-raise-risk-suicide-attempts">suicide</a>. Considering the effect of financial stress on our wellbeing, it is clear we need to overcome the financial stigma that prevents us from getting help. We also <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/money/family-financial-strain">owe it to our kids</a> to break the taboo around money by communicating our worries and educating them on how to manage finances better. <h2>The burden of growing debt</h2> <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/300817697/mortgage-pain-homeowners-facing-repayment-hikes-of-up-to-900-a-fortnight">Ballooning mortgage repayments</a> are compounding the financial distress of many New Zealanders. At the beginning of 2023, an estimated 11.9% of home owners were behind on loan payments, with more than <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/485045/data-shows-430-000-new-zealanders-behind-in-credit-repayments-in-january">18,400 mortgagees in arrears</a>. <div data-id="17"> </div> Given the <a href="https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/an/an-21-01-html">majority of household wealth</a> in New Zealand is in property, our financial vulnerability is closely linked to the ebbs and flows of the <a href="https://content.knightfrank.com/research/84/documents/en/global-house-price-index-q2-2021-8422.pdf">second most overinflated property market</a> in the world. There are also cultural reasons for growing financial distress. Many households have taken on significant debt to “<a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/7616361/Keeping-up-with-the-Joneses">keep up with the Joneses</a>” and to pursue the quintessential <a href="https://www.interest.co.nz/property/99890/westpac-commissioned-survey-suggests-many-new-zealanders-still-pine-quarter-acre">quarter-acre dream</a>. Social comparison and peer pressure act as powerful levers contributing to problem debt and over-indebtedness. The average household debt in New Zealand is more than <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/new-zealand/households-debt-to-income">170% of gross household income</a>. That is higher than the United Kingdom (133%), Australia (113%) or Ireland (96%). <h2>The rise of problem debt</h2> And we are digging a deeper hole. Over the past year, <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/485045/data-shows-430-000-new-zealanders-behind-in-credit-repayments-in-january">demand for credit cards increased by 21.7%</a>. The use of personal debt such as personal loans and deferred payment schemes <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/demand-for-personal-credit-rises-arrears-also-up-as-cost-of-living-bites/YCEM74CII5FQBPJXO3UOG4Y3GY/">is also climbing</a>. There is a real risk this debt could become problem debt. Problem debt can have severe and wide-reaching consequences, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/over-300-000-new-zealanders-owe-more-than-they-own-is-this-a-problem-173497">housing insecurity</a>, <a href="http://www.socialinclusion.ie/publications/documents/2011_03_07_FinancialExclusionPublication.pdf">financial exclusion</a> (the inability to access debt at affordable interest rates), <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07409710.2012.652016?journalCode=gfof20">poor food choices</a> and a plethora of <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-14-489">health problems</a>. Yet, the hidden <a href="https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sipr.12074">psychological</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-008-9286-8">social cost of financial distress</a>remains often unspoken, overlooked and underestimated. Even before the pandemic, <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1909/S00616/research-shows-financial-stress-impacts-mental-wellbeing.htm">69% of New Zealanders were worried</a>about money. The share of people worrying about their financial situation was higher for women (74%), and particularly women aged 18-34 (82%). It is no coincidence that the latter are particularly at risk of problem debt through so-called <a href="https://acfr.aut.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/691577/Gilbert-and-Scott-Study-2-Draft-v10Sept2022.pdf">“buy now, pay later” schemes</a>. The stigma of financial distress extends beyond the vulnerable and the marginalised in our society. A growing number of <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/467417/middle-income-families-hoping-for-help-in-budget-as-rising-costs-sting">middle-class New Zealanders </a> are quietly suffering financial distress, isolated by financial stigma and the taboos around discussing money. When pressed, one in two New Zealanders would rather <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2203/S00384/research-shows-wed-rather-talk-about-politics-than-our-finances.htm">talk politics over money</a>. <h2>Time to talk about money</h2> Navigating financial distress and <a href="https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2526&context=sulr">stigma</a> can feel overwhelming. Where money is a taboo subject, it may feel safer to withdraw, maintain false appearances, be secretive or shun social support. This tendency to avoid open discussions and suffer in silence can lead to <a href="https://loneliness.org.nz/lonely/at-home/financially-struggling/">feelings of isolation</a> and contribute to <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-financial-stress-can-affect-your-mental-health-and-5-things-that-can-help-201557">poor mental health</a>, such as depression, anxiety and emotional distress. Sadly, the trauma of living in financial distress can also <a href="http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/39442/1/1307565_Wakefield.pdf">break up families</a>. Losing the symbols of hard-gained success and facing the prospect of a reduced lifestyle can be tough. It often triggers feelings of personal failure and self doubt that deter us from taking proactive steps to talk openly and seek help. But what can families do to alleviate some of this distress? <h2>Seek help</h2> First, understand that <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/86767aac-98e0-4dae-8c5a-d3301b030703">you are not alone</a>. Over 300,000 New Zealanders <a href="https://theconversation.com/over-300-000-new-zealanders-owe-more-than-they-own-is-this-a-problem-173497">owe more than they earn</a>. Second, seek help. There are many services that help people work through their financial situation and formulate a plan. In the case of excessive debts, debt consolidation or <a href="https://goodshepherd.org.nz/debtsolve/">debt solution loans</a> may help reduce the overall burden and simplify your financial situation. For those struggling with increasing interest on their mortgages, reaching out to your bank early is critical. During the 2008 recession, banks in New Zealand <a href="https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/banks-exchange-letters-crown-support-distressed-mortgage-borrowers">worked with customers</a> to avoid defaulting on mortgages, including reducing servicing costs, capitalising interest and moving households to interest-only loans. It is essential to understand that the <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/real-estate/130677426/are-we-on-the-brink-of-a-wave-of-mortgagee-sales">banks do not want mortgagees to fail</a>, and that options exist. To help future generations avoid debt traps, we need open communication about money – also known as “<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10834-020-09736-2">financial socialisation</a>”. This includes developing values, sharing knowledge and promoting behaviours that help build <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1241099.pdf">financial viability and contribute to financial wellbeing</a>. The lessons about handling money from family and friends are crucial for <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02162/full">improving our children’s financial capability</a>, helping them be <a href="https://www.fsc.org.nz/it-starts-with-action-theme/growing-financially-resilient-kids">more financially resilient</a> and better able to survive the stresses we are experiencing now – and those <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/300836616/heres-how-much-household-costs-are-expected-to-increase">yet to come</a>. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-let-financial-shame-be-your-ruin-open-conversations-can-help-ease-the-burden-of-personal-debt-202496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Retirement Income

Fergie reveals Queen’s tender personal advice before passing

Sarah Ferguson has shared that she is reminded of Queen Elizabeth II’s advice when she walks the late monarch’s infamous corgis. Sarah, the Duchess of York, 63, appeared on The One Show to promote her latest book, A Most Intriguing Lady, and she has revealed that the dogs make her think about the “values” upheld by her late mother-in-law. “One thing I really love when I'm with them actually, cause I really think about HM and I just really think about the value system that she supported in this country,” the duchess told presenters Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas. “And I remember she used to say, "Sarah there needs to be more kindness in the world, which would disarm malice".” The Duchess feels that everyone should “stop to remember those words with respect and affection for a great leader, who has now passed it to another great leader in her son”. “It's so funny to say that...straight off the corgis,” she continued. "But when I look at them I think "yes come on”.” She also mentioned she believes that the late Queen’s message can, and should be followed more broadly across the country. “And I think - so important - for the whole country to unite and uphold the values that for 72 years the monarch gave us all, really.” Sarah also admitted to feeling frightened that something could happen to the dogs as she walks them. “Because they're national treasures I'm terrified when they go out running," she told The One Show. “They chase everything. Straight into tress, bang, like that! I go "no, no, no, the nation loves you, stop, stop, stop chasing the squirrels”.” Image credit: Getty

Family & Pets

One person’s cringe is another’s dream Spongebob proposal

Sometimes it’s best to keep your opinions to yourself, especially when it comes to the one of the most important days of your friend’s life, as one woman has learned the hard way. After witnessing her best friend’s “super cringey and uncomfortable” proposal, she was left with some feedback. Some feedback she felt compelled to share, though her friend - unsurprisingly - was not too thrilled with what she heard. Taking to Reddit’s ‘Am I the A***ole’ (commonly known as AITA), the woman asked other users for their take, wanting to find out if she really was in the wrong, as she just didn’t [get why she’s [her friend] so upset.” “My friend invited a group of us over for her birthday last night. During dinner, her bf leaves the room and comes back playing the harmonica,” she began, before explaining how it had seemed a little odd to her, but that she’d just assumed he was “showing off or something.” That was when things took a turn for the bizarre, with the groom-to-be switching out the harmonica to instead serenade his would-be fiancée with Spongebob’s ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzGH_AtmfRw">Gary Come Home</a>’. She noted that he wasn’t a particularly good singer, and that everyone in the room appeared to have the same idea about how cringe-inducing the whole thing was. “After he finishes singing,” the woman continued, “he goes over to my friend [and] gets down on one knee and proposes. She said yes and we all congratulated her but the rest of dinner I was having severe second hand embarrassment.” These thoughts got the better of her in the end, and she went on to explain how she’d approached her friend while the two were cleaning up, and asked what she’d thought of the proposal, adding “I told her it was weird especially since she’s never watched/liked Spongebob. They haven’t really talked about marriage before so she was completely surprised and I told her that makes it even weirder.” Her friend was offended, and made the accusation that the original poster just wasn’t “happy for her”. “I pointed out [that] she seemed embarrassed too during his charade,” she said. It was then revealed that the two hadn’t spoken for the remainder of their evening, and that she still couldn’t understand why her friend had gotten upset, as “a proposal should be romantic, not whatever the f*** that was.” And of her question as to whether or not she was the bad guy in the situation, her fellow Redditors had plenty to say. “Are you the proposal police?” one asked. “It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of the proposal but your friend! When she asked you for your opinion all you had to do was say, ‘as long as you are happy I’m happy for you’ instead you went on a long tirade about how weird it was.” “What you feel is romantic could well be someone else’s version of horrific. It wasn’t your place to feel second hand embarrassment. It wasn’t your place to tell your friend it was weird,” another chastised. “If she was happy, you should have been happy for her, but instead you’ve made her upset. There was no need for you to do that.” One was of the mind that while yes, she had been out of line with her sharing her opinion, “that proposal was weird and the fiancé forced people to be a part of it with no heads up? It’s cool if they’re both into bad harmonica music and SpongeBob but keep the proposal private. Or let people know what they’re in for. “OP [original poster] deserves a trophy for not laughing during. The friend clearly knew it was weird, but asked anyway. OP should have bit her tongue and had this conversation later, but proposing before ever talking about marriage is also strange. Real friends can be honest with each other, but some more tact was needed.” Images: Getty

Relationships

Here’s who decides cause of death, how death certificates work – and whether a person died with or of COVID

COVID was Australia’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/08/covid-becomes-australias-third-most-common-cause-of-death-in-2022">third leading cause of death</a> (after heart disease and dementia) in 2022. In a <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/3303.0%7E2017%7EMain%20Features%7EDeaths%20due%20to%20influenza%7E5">bad flu year</a> we have about 1,200 influenza deaths. We had more than <a href="https://covidlive.com.au/">1,500</a> COVID deaths in just the first month of 2023. We need to take COVID seriously. It is not like a cold or the flu. It is an exceptional disease. Because of the availability of vaccines and antivirals, there is no need for panic or further lockdowns. But there is no room for complacency either. The starting point in taking COVID seriously is ensuring policymakers and the public have confidence in the data about who is getting sick and who is dying. Without accurate data, there is no way to track the disease or work out how best to contain it. And a crucial part of this is ensuring people understand how death certificates work and how death data are recorded. <h2>Dying of COVID or with COVID?</h2> A common misconception is that the numbers being reported are people who died with, not of, COVID. Dying of COVID means COVID caused your death. Dying withCOVID means you died from another cause, but just happened to have COVID at the time. While we routinely collect data about both, a COVID death is when you die of COVID. This misconception makes it easy to dismiss COVID deaths on the basis that the numbers being reported are exaggerated. Dismissing the numbers makes people complacent and lets governments off the hook. If we all pretend COVID is just a mild disease, there is no need for governments and individuals to do our bit to minimise its spread. For most people whose vaccinations are up to date, COVID really is a mild disease. But about <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-re-all-vulnerable-one-in-10-people-will-end-up-with-long-covid-new-study-says-20230115-p5ccn5.html">one in ten</a> people infected with COVID go on to develop “long COVID” and the number of COVID deaths just keeps increasing as the pandemic drags on. <h2>How the system works</h2> The cause of every death in Australia must be certified by a medical practitioner. If the cause of death is not clear, the death is reported to the state or territory coroner for a coronial investigation. After the cause of death is determined either by a medical practitioner or the coroner, a death certificate is issued and sent to the bureau of births, deaths and marriages in each state or territory. From there, the data are sent to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which is the independent statutory agency responsible for national statistical reporting. <h2>The death certificate</h2> The <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/1205.0.55.001Main%20Features12008?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1205.0.55.001&issue=2008&num=&view=">death certificate</a> records the immediate cause or the condition that led directly to death. It also records what are called “antecedent causes”. Antecedent causes are the underlying causes. These are the conditions or events that occurred before the immediate cause. All other significant conditions that contributed to the death but were not related to the disease or condition that caused it must also be reported. So how does it work in practice? Imagine a family member dies of respiratory problems after having COVID. In this imaginary case, the direct cause of death is recorded as “acute respiratory distress syndrome”. The acute respiratory distress syndrome was due to pneumonia. In turn, the pneumonia was due to COVID. COVID is recorded as the antecedent cause of death. So the data may be recorded like this: <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2023/02/med-cert.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> The way medical certificates are written is important. They give us quite accurate data on who dies of COVID (where COVID recorded as the direct or the antecedent cause) and who dies with it (COVID recorded as an “other significant condition”). We use both of these pieces of information for different purposes. <h2>Professional judgment</h2> While the cause of a person’s death is usually clear, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes doctors and coroners have to exercise their professional judgement in determining the cause of death. But this is a long way from claims on social media that medical practitioners and coroners are systematically reporting deaths “with COVID” as deaths “of COVID” as a way to exaggerate the COVID death toll. This is simply nonsense. There are often time delays between a person dying and their death certificate being issued. This is particularly the case for deaths referred to the coroner for investigation. In the interim, health departments around the country need data in real time so they can track the pandemic. They compile provisional COVID cause of death data as they go and then progressively update their data as death certificates are finalised. While this causes the numbers to fluctuate a little from week to week, the data used in official statistics are of very high quality. Australian clinical training, standards and documentation are excellent by all international standards. Australia has well developed systems in place for the accurate reporting of the causes of death and illness. These systems should inspire confidence in the numbers and that medical practitioners and coroners are reporting COVID deaths correctly. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-who-decides-cause-of-death-how-death-certificates-work-and-whether-a-person-died-with-or-of-covid-198401" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Caring

Readers Respond: What is the most egregious display of wealth you've ever seen?

We asked our readers what they thought were the most extravagant and outrageous displays of wealth that they’ve seen and honestly, we couldn’t believe some of the answers. Melanie Gibbons- My ex showing up in a BMW sports car when he owed 46k in child support and I hadn't received a cent for 2 years... his parents also showing up in their porsche 4wd and demanding I pay them petrol money to see their granddaughter because I moved 90mins away from them. Anita Thornton- Nearly fifty years ago, in my role as a teacher, I went to a School Council dinner. One mother had a copious amount of jewellery on, over the top! Richard Norman Ewing- A man and his wife arriving at a WA country airstrip in an American registered Grumman Gulfstream G650 business jet. Two pilots and two cabin attendants, all the way from the USA. (They stopped in Sydney for customs). What a way to travel. Jim Davies- A person with a huge collection of Vincent motorcycles. Moyra Rocchio- We were staying at "The Minna House. In Cairo , The day we arrived a Sheik was having a wedding reception (we were told ) what appeared to be several other wives who were dripping in gold and jewels, arrived by Limo. Bev Traveller Chad- The Crown Jewels, London Tower. Sam Siney- The Vatican… never seen anything like it. Cathy Pitman- European castles Image: Getty

Money & Banking

3 ways to save money without sacrificing your social life

It’s hard to stay social when you’re trying to curb expenses. However, there are tricks that will allow you to spend some quality time with friends and loved ones without having to feel like you’re throwing money down the drain. 1. Be honest, be positive You don’t have to make flimsy excuses to avoid going out – be open about your intentions, but frame it positively. Instead of saying “these events are too expensive”, you can tell them, “I’m trying to be really good at saving and staying home these days”. While it may be uncomfortable to say no to invites outright, your friends may turn out to be more supportive to your goals than you expected. 2. Provide alternatives Fill your social calendar with free or cheap activities. This could be a visit to the new art exhibition in your city, a potluck picnic at the park, a hike by the mountains, a game night at your home, and more. Don’t forget to look out for special promos and discounts on popular websites like Groupon or Scoopon for more affordable options. 3. Put it in the budget Don’t want to skimp on your bar outings or group classes? It’s time to look at your budget. Once you determine the amount you need to save every month, set aside some of the rest for fun-related expenses. Budgeting allows you to figure out your priorities and stay within the limits. Stick to your allocated budget well – once it’s out, do not extend it any further!

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Here’s who decides cause of death, how death certificates work – and whether a person died with or of COVID

Readers Respond: What is the most egregious display of wealth you've ever seen?

3 ways to save money without sacrificing your social life

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

War in Ukraine affected wellbeing worldwide, but people’s speed of recovery depended on their personality

“It’s not personal”: New mum shares divisive list of rules

Alzheimer’s may have once spread from person to person, but the risk of that happening today is incredibly low

How to turn your handy skills into material wealth

14 personal finance tips you were never taught – but need to know

"Proud to pay more": The billionaires who want to pay more tax

Surprise choice for Time's 2023 Person of the Year

The enduring appeal of Friends, and why so many of us feel we’ve lost a personal friend in Matthew Perry

"His worst moment as a person": Sean Penn unleashes on Will Smith's Oscar's slap

What your glasses are secretly revealing about your personality

These 12 common terms started life as a real-person’s name

Bees have appeared on coins for millennia, hinting at an age-old link between sweetness and value

Know thyself, know thy finances: which of the 5 money personalities are you?

What your glasses are secretly revealing about your personality

Don’t let financial shame be your ruin: open conversations can help ease the burden of personal deb

Fergie reveals Queen’s tender personal advice before passing

One person’s cringe is another’s dream Spongebob proposal

Here’s who decides cause of death, how death certificates work – and whether a person died with or of COVID

Readers Respond: What is the most egregious display of wealth you've ever seen?

3 ways to save money without sacrificing your social life

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