| 4 of the 10 cities that give you the best bang for your buck are in Texas |  |
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| Shutterstock Everything is bigger in Texas, and your wallet could be as well if you moved there.
Of the top 10 cities Careercast highlighted as areas that offer low cost of living and provide decent opportunities for jobs that pay well, four of them are in the Lone Star State.
Austin, a rising star on anyone’s list of interesting and vibrant cities due to its tech and business credentials (music there is pretty good, too), made in onto the short list. Why? The median annual household income there is almost $64,000, and the cost of living is 6% below the national average. Unemployment is under 3%.
The other three Texas cities on the list: - Fort Worth: 0% below national cost of living; $52,430 median household income
- Houston: 1% below national cost of living; $60,072 median household income
- Midland: 3% below national cost of living; $77,574 median household income
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LEVEL UP Academy:QUICK MONEY TIP
If your employer offers a retirement plan, your first goal has to be to contribute enough to grab any matching dollars, and your next goal is to max out your account. — Jean Chatzky, award-winning personal finance journalist |
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| Turn your mid-summer malaise into mid-summer motivation |  |
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Are you daydreaming about vacation instead of staying productive at work this summer? Looks like you've been infected by the summer slump, brought about by melting temperatures outside, freezing temperatures in the office, plenty of summertime distractions and a burning desire to drop all tasks at hand.
Don't worry. There's a cure to get you back to the productive leader we all know you are: - Revisit expectations and goals: Take a step back, re-assess progress to date, and reconcile expectations with reality.
- Stay focused on the big picture, and don’t sweat the small stuff: Take time to clarify what the bigger picture really is for your business and how you can help your team move successfully in that direction.
- Find the strength to muscle through: Buck up and get on with the tasks at hand. Muscling through frustrating situations might not be easy, and it's almost never fun, but it does provide a path to better days.
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5 ways to communicate like a pro
Research has shown that people often overestimate their ability to communicate. If you’re looking to join the league of Lincoln or J.F.K., here’re some tried-and-true rules you should follow: - Speak to groups as individuals: Whether you’re at a weekly team meeting or addressing the company about your accession to CEO, develop a level of intimacy in your approach that makes each individual in the room feel as if you’re speaking directly to him or her.
- Connect emotionally: Be human. Show them what drives you, what you care about, what makes you get out of bed in the morning.
- Read body language: Pay close attention to the nonverbal communication: winks, nods, raised pitchforks.
- Skip the jargon: Going forward, you may need to bring something new to the table. Make your speeches relatable.
- Practice active listening: Listen > Talk = good communication.
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| This is how Bubba Watson levels up his golf game |  |
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| Walking is for suckers, and the world’s No. five golf player, Bubba Watson, thinks the traditional golf cart has had its day. A new era of hitting the links has arrived!
Introducing the $200,000 jetpack golf cart built by Martin Aircraft. In a stunt video produced by Oakley and Thinkmodo, we see the aircraft stealthily gliding over a golf course, foreshadowing a dystopian future where everyone is required to wear checkered pants.
Golf is making its return to the Olympics this summer after 112 years, and the sport is making darn sure the world knows it’s cool. |
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| Really 'creative' hacks to Level Up in ‘Pokémon GO’ |  |
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Japan is the new kid on the block to Pokémon GO, and it's got a lot of catching up to do. Unsurprisingly people have come up with some very creative methods for hatching eggs faster, including: a jailbreak app that fools your GPS into thinking you’re anywhere, a plug-and-play drone and, on a more basic level, strapping a phone to a record player or choo-choo train.
Alright Nintendo, you’ve had your fun. You can’t stop us from making video games a sedentary activity (mwah ha ha)! |
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