Women Install More Apps Than Men

The mobile analytics and advertising company Apsalar recently released data on the differences in mobile app use between men and women and the results are surprising. If you’re looking to get rich from making mobile apps, women are going to be your best customers. According to their data, women install about 40 percent more apps, buy 17 percent more paid apps, and pay about 87 percent more for the apps they buy than their male counterparts. However, men spend about 42 percent more on in-app purchases than do women. There are also significant differences in the types of apps that men and women use. Below is more of the data that Apsalar put together in an infographic:

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Ten Best Cities For Young Entrepreneurs

Here is the flip side to our recent post about the best cities for finding a job. Forbes.com and NerdWallet tallied up the ten best cities for a young person to start their own business. They compiled this list by using an equal weighting of loan data, cost of living, business activity, education and income for 42 of America’s largest cities and narrowing the list down to the top ten. If you’d rather be your own boss, here is their list of the best cities to start your own business:

10. Houston, TX
9. Omaha, NE
8. Austin, TX
7. Minneapolis, MN
6. Seattle, WA
5. Oklahoma City, OK
4. Raleigh, NC
3. Atlanta, GA
2. Tampa, FL
1. Tulsa, OK

Tulsa, OK

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More Money Makes You Happier Than You Think

Some of you may read that headline and say “Well, duh!” but recent research by economists Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson has shown a much stronger positive correlation between income and happiness than was previously thought. Before this study the conventional wisdom in academia for decades was that once someone had enough resources to meet their basic needs their overall happiness did not increase significantly with more income. This was supported by data that showed that some developing countries had much higher levels of national happiness compared to wealthier countries like United States and most of the European Union.

That data still holds true when comparing countries with each other on a national level. However, Wolfers and Stevenson looked at reported happiness compared to income within each country and found a remarkably consistent result. Even within poorer countries the rich are much happier than the poor even though their country as a whole may be happier than a richer country. The conclusion from this new research is simple. No matter how much money you earn, you’ll always be happier when you get a raise.

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Chat Apps Have Overtaken SMS Texting

GigaOm has a fascinating article noting a significant milestone in the way we communicate. In 2012 more people are sending messages through third-party messaging apps like BlackBerry Messenger and Apple’s iMessage than standard SMS text messages. The research firm Informa announced that about 19 billion messages per day were sent through mobile applications worldwide compared to about 17.6 billion SMS text messages per day in 2012. However, if you only use standard text messages you have nothing to fear because it’s not going away anytime soon. Unlike the various messaging apps it remains one of the only text-based ways to communicate through different carriers, plans, and hardware. As long as that continues to be the case, texting as we know it will continue to exist for years to come. Still this is an amazing sign of how far IP-based chat apps have come and how much mobile data infrastructure has expanded worldwide.

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The Underground Economy: D.C.’s Richest and Poorest Metro Stops

The Washington City Paper posted an interested article on their website about how the metro bridges some major gaps in income around the DC region. The median household income along the subway system ranges from $147,630 near the Friendship Heights station on the Red Line to $31,735 in Congress Heights on the Green Line. Figures were pulled from the American Community Survey’s 2011 5-Year Estimates.

The most volatile route in the DC Metro system is the Orange Line. It reaches upwards of $142,000 at East Falls Church and bottoms out at around $34,000 at Minnesota Ave 18 stops later.

Check out the full article here.

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A New $100 Bill is Due in October

USA Today’s article states that the Federal Reserve announced it will begin circulating a redesigned $100 bill this fall. The new bill’s target release date is October 8th. Its redesign incorporates added security features such as a blue, 3-D security ribbon and a disappearing Liberty Bell in an inkwell. The new features are being implemented in order to hinder counterfeiters.

Originally expected to go into circulation in February of 2011, the bill was put on an indefinite hold back in December of 2010 in order to fix production issues that were leaving creases in many of the notes. Benjamin Franklin’s portrait will remain on the $100 bill. It is the last note to undergo an extensive redesign that is aimed at stopping counterfeiters who have access to extremely sophisticated copying machines.

 

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10 Best Cities for Finding Employment

In need of a new job? Forbes.com has listed the 10 Best Cities for Employment. These cities were chosen by Adecco Staffing US, a Human Resources firm. They have the fullest employment, according to the Department of Labor, as well as internal data around job growth and demand. They then determined which areas in the US are the best for finding a job.

1. Bethesda, MD
2. Austin, TX
3. Jacksonville, FL.
4. Grand Rapids, MI
5. Columbus, OH
6. Seattle, WA.
7. Phoenix, AZ
8. New York, NY
9. Richmond, VA
10. Oklahoma City, OK

Bethesda, MD

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6 Secrets for Saving on Summer Airfare

LearnVest.com’s article “6 Money-Saving Summer Airfare Secrets” has some excellent tips on how to save money while planning a summer vacation.

1. Use Airline Consolidators: Airline ticket resellers work with larger travel companies to sell tickets at reduced prices. Consolidators are wholesales that buy in bulk. Since they have existing relationships, travel agents can purchase tickets from consolidators and then sell them to consumers. Thanks to the internet, you can now bypass the travel agent and book directly with a consolidator to get the reduced rate. The best rates are usually found for international, US domestic business and first class flights.

Here is a list of consolidators:

-1800flyeurope.com

-airfare.com

-airfareplanet.com

-airlineconsolidator.com

-airtreks.com

-bargaintravel.com

-cheaptickets.com

-globester.com

-tfitours.com

2. Book in Advance: The general rule of thumb when trying to find inexpensive flights is that the more available seats there are on the plane, the cheaper the ticket. Booking well in advance is your best bet., a minimum of 21 weeks before your desired departure. If 21 weeks have come and gone, some airlines (listed below) offer discounts at 14 days, seven days, and sometimes even three days before a departure date.

3. Clear Your Web Browser History: All booking sites record your web browsing data and some, such as Travelocity, use this information to raise prices when you’re interested in a flight. If you clear your web browsing data (a/k/a cache), you’re more likely to find the original price you came across.

4. Be Flexible about Dates: This is considered the number one way to save when it comes to booking a flight. The cheapest days to fly are usually Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Booking agents now offer a “flexible date” search so finding the cheapest flight is easier. Sites that offer this search are below.

-hotwire.com

-orbitz.com

-travelocity.com

-cheapflightfinder.com

5. Research Airline Hubs: Every airline has a “hub” where the majority of their flights arrives and departs. Flights to and from these hubs are inexpensive because there are more flights to choose from. If your final destination isn’t a major hub, check prices to that hub first and then look for an additional flight from the hub to your final destination. You may have a layover but you will save a lot of money in the process.

6. Book on the Right Day: A study done by FareCompare.com claims that the top fare deals are found early in the week, specifically on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday when the airlines post discount prices. A trick used by travel agents is to search for flights three days before and after an intended departure. This can help save a few hundred off international flights. But remember tip 3 and clear your history.

Happy Travels!

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The 8 Apps that Every Jobseeker Should Have

Searching for a job in today’s economy can be incredibly stressful and bewildering. Thankfully CareerBliss.com has made a great list of eight apps to make the hunt for a job a little bit easier. They help you find what you are looking for, stay organized, branch our in your network, access all the info and documentation you may need, and make sure that you are prepared for the big interview. See below for the complete list.

 

1. LunchMeet: Once you link this app to your LinkedIn account, it searches for contacts in your industry who have said they are open to networking so that you can try to set up a lunch date or grab a quick coffee and discuss career opportunities. It even allows you to specify a time & place then looms for people willing to meet up nearby using geo-targeting.

2. LinkUp: The difference between this job search app and others out there is that is doesn’t just search a job board with postings that have been directly submitted. Instead, it looks for jobs on more than 22,000 individual company sites while sifting through the category of you choice.

3. Career Igniter: This app allows you to build your resume online and make sure it looks great in a pinch. There is a drop down menu for each section and it prompts you to include information like employer history, start & end dates, etc. The system will then automatically output your resume to several different templates to let you see what it looks like and lets you choose your favorite.

4. BusyBee: This app is great for freelancers. It allows professionals in education, construction, engineering, data entry, administration, design, writing, and more look for work by category & location so you can find jobs close to home. A good idea for those who don’t have any freelance experience if you want to try to make extra money & build up your portfolio.

5. Jibber Jobber: Everyone has been there at some point in their work life when you are desperate for a job so you apply everywhere and anywhere hoping for a call back. It’s easy to confuse companies when applying to so many different jobs. Jibber Jobber allows you to stay organized so you don’t mistake one company or contact for another & possibly cost yourself a shot at the job.

6. SparkHire: Awesome app for those who are looking for a job to replace their current one. Since most don’t have a lot of time to take off for the interviews, SparkHire allows you to upload video resumes, recorded interviews, etc. Employers can create text questions for interviewees and then you record the video answers and send them in. Those with the iPhone can also download the mobile app of the video interview software.

7. Interview Pro: Great for practicing once you finally get the big interview. With more than 80 typical job interview questions, you’ll be ready for anything. The program also offers explanations for the questions as well as suggested answers.

8. Google everything: This one isn’t quite an app. However with Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, Alerts, etc. you can be ready for whatever comes your way. Save your resume on the cloud, share it with employers, collaborate with friends to update it, create interview reminders, and set up alerts for job postings.

Happy Job Hunting!

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.

 

5 Characteristics of Successful Savers

Nowadays everyone can use some extra cash in their savings for emergencies. With the cost of living continuing to increase while many of our paychecks remain the same, it can seem near impossible to put anything extra away. But, it isn’t and MSN Money’s article shows you how big-time savers make it happen. These tips can help you start to look at savings in a whole new light.

1. Start slowly- Every little bit helps. Often the biggest difficulties we face when saving has to do with getting started. Saving just a small amount can help you get started. Nicole Mladic, a mid-thirties communications director from Chicago couldn’t afford to put away a large portion of her salary when she was in her twenties. She started saving 2%. A few months later, she raised it to 3%, then 4%, etc. Sooner or later she reached her goal of 10% and today her net worth is more than $90,000.
2. Read the financial and economic news- A survey conducted by HSBC Direct found that “active savers” (about 1 in 5 Americans) tend to pay attention to financial news. This can help you be more aware and savvy about money and teach you basic principles of investing.
3. Save regularly through automated systems- Online banking makes this tip super easy. Set it and forget it by singing up for online monthly transfers into a brokerage or savings account. You can usually set it up so that the money transfers directly form you paycheck so you don’t even see it and therefore don’t have the chance to miss it.
4. Try to view saving as something pleasurable- It might see hard to look at tucking money away as something enjoyable when it may prevent you from purchasing something in the present but many successful savers take joy in knowing that they are saving money and building financial security for themselves and or their families.
5. Begin young- Many successful savers started when they were just kids and were taught the value of saving from their parents. While adults who didn’t receive those lessons can’t change the past, they can pass on better lessons to their own kids by talking about finances and family budgeting often.

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.