ERBIL, Iraq-- An ISIS commander blamed for the death of a U.S. Marine was killed Sunday by a drone strike in Iraq.

The ISIS member was said to be behind the rocket attack that killed Staff Sergeant Louis Cardin, and wounded eight other Marines last month.

Also engaged in the fight against ISIS -- with the help of U.S. forces -- are Kurdish soldiers: the peshmerga, and they are running out of money.

For nearly two years, Iraq's Kurdish fighters have led the battle against ISIS.

Known as the peshmerga -- which means "one who faces death" -- these Kurdish soldiers have helped claw back towns, villages and territory from the extremists.

Nearly 1,400 peshmerga have lost their lives in a war they're fighting without enough body armor or helmets to go around -- with very few heavy weapons and against an enemy that uses suicide bombs and booby traps.

"The Kurds are not only fighting for themselves, but for the rest of the world," Masrour Barzani

Masrour Barzani is the head of the security council in Iraqi Kurdistan, a region that's been plunged into economic crisis by the falling price of oil, with consequences for the peshmerga.

"They haven't been paid for four months at least," said Barzani.

And they're fighting ISIS on the front line.

"They are. They believe in the cause," said Barzani. "But unfortunately they have families, they have people to take care of, and we don't know for how much longer they can stand in the front lines without being paid."

The Kurds say the war against ISIS has cost them billions of dollars, not only in bullets and fighters' pay, but because they have opened the doors to outsiders.

They taken in 1.8 million people who have fled ISIS, a big burden for such a small place.

"It is, absolutely," said Barzani. "It has increased the population of Kurdistan by almost 30 percent."

And near the front line, just north of Mosul, a city occupied by ISIS, is another potential disaster.

Mosul dam, which was built by Saddam Hussein's regime on weak foundations, has fallen into disrepair, and dangerously so. Engineers warn the dam could break at any time.

What would happen if the dam broke?

"Large part of Mosul will be flooded, in matter of a few hours, and then anything on the way, all the way to Baghdad, it would take a few days to reach Baghdad, but it would be flooded, everything on the way," Barzani said.

The U.S. said it could trigger a 45 foot high flood wave on the river Tigris -- endangering the lives of 1.5 million people in a part of the world already suffering from another man made catastrophe.

© 2016 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Summary: For nearly two years, with the help of U.S. forces, Iraq's Kurdish fighters have led the battle against ISIS


Restaurant operator and food distributor Bob Evans Farms bobe is having a bad day.

When the company’s earnings outlook failed to meet Wall Street’s expectations, MarketWatch writes, shares began to drop. They fell sharply after closing at $44.74 on Tuesday evening and opening on Wednesday at $41.09. At the time of writing, shares are down by more than 10%.

Earlier this year Fortune reported that Bob Evans decided to close 27 of its restaurants that CEO Saed Mohseni said were “not meeting expectations.” The move came after the company reported weak profits for 2015. It immediately shut down 21 locations, and the remaining six will be closed throughout fiscal 2017.

Despite this unfortunate news, the Columbus Dispatch reports that Bob Evans remains hopeful about its chain of restaurants. It will debut new lunch and dinner menus in August that are said to feature better quality ingredients and revamped recipes. However, simply changing the menu likely won’t help to significantly increase sales and traffic at a time when fast casual dining concepts are eating into the demand for casual dining chains.

Bob Evans has declined to comment.

Summary: The company remains hopeful.


Re "Style by Way of Grandmother's Closet" (Online Shopper, Oct. 7): Is it amazing how plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose? Would that I could get into my tweed suits, which, incidentally, I still have in my closet! I would have been so au courant!

Incidentally, you are not the only one on whom fur is "hardly a successful look." Thank God, though, that you, unlike so many others, came to that conclusion, and thus saved the rest of us the inevitable eyesore!

Re your advice about removing highlighting in the Windows XP Start menu (Q&A, Sept. 30): I work on Watson, the Windows error reporting feature. Your advice was entirely correct: Properties, click click, etc. But I don't think it's what the person really wanted.

By disabling Watson, nothing really changes from the user's point of view. The programs still crash, and you still get a dialog box saying so. It's not the Watson dialog box offering to report the problem; it's the old-school dialog. You get a box, you have to click, there's no avoiding it.

What the user really wants is for the programs to stop crashing in the first place. To get that, you need to keep Watson enabled, and click on the Send button. We use the data, we really do! We're fixing bugs!

You might on occasion get a response telling you about a new version (with bug fixes) or a workaround. If you don't click on Send, you surely won't. Kirk Glerum

Summary: Fashion Revisited.


Your retirement savings and lifetime income could increase by thousands of dollars, thanks to the new fiduciary rules released on April 6 by the U.S. Department of Labor. They require a financial adviser to place your interests first when making recommendations for investing your 401(k) accounts or IRA. The rules aim to reduce situations in which advisers makes recommendations that compromise your financial success as a result of the manner in which they're paid.

The new fiduciary rules play an important role in your retirement planning, which you can see by taking a closer look at three important decisions most people have to make regarding how to maximize financial security in retirement.

Should you roll your 401(k) account to an IRA?

When you terminate or retire from your employer, you face a choice: You can keep your account invested in your former employer's plan, or you can roll your account to a financial institution's IRA.

You might do better by leaving your accounts with your current employer if it offers low-cost index funds that aren't available to you in retail investing situations. Advisers may tell you that higher-cost funds are justified because they earn superior investing returns, but plenty of evidence shows that low-cost index funds actually outperform higher-cost, actively managed funds over long periods of time.

If your adviser recommends that you roll your 401(k) account to an IRA, you'll want to ask two questions:

Should you generate retirement income through an annuity or invested assets?

When it's time to deploy your hard-earned savings into reliable, lifetime retirement income, you face another choice:

There's no right or wrong answer to these decisions -- both are reasonable methods for you to generate retirement income, and each has its pros and cons. In addition, there's support for a diversified approach to building a retirement income portfolio that may allocate portions of your savings to both methods.

Advisers who deal exclusively with one method of generating retirement income will be unable to advise you on the best method that applies to your goals and circumstances. For instance, advisers who are paid a percentage of assets under management may not like annuities because an annuity remove assets under management. On the other hand, advisers who receive a commission on the sale of annuity products may not favor investing solutions.

You'll want to ask how your adviser's recommendations best serve your unique goals and circumstances. To understand the answer, you'll want to learn the basics of both methods of generating retirement income.

Should you use your savings to optimize your Social Security benefits?

Plenty of evidence shows that in many situations, you'll receive more income over your lifetime if you delay your Social Security benefits as long as possible (but no later than age 70), with certain exceptions. It may pay to start Social Security benefits earlier if you're single and in poor health, or if you're married but haven't been the primary wage earner.

An adviser may be able to help you make the most effective decision to optimize your Social Security benefits. If you retire before age 70 but delay starting Social Security until then, it's a good use of your retirement savings to help pay for living expenses while you wait. But using your savings this way has the potential to reduce the adviser's assets under management, thereby reducing compensation.

Your adviser may also tell you can boost your retirement income by starting Social Security earlier than age 70 and investing your savings. This strategy has a chance of succeeding only if you invest significantly in stocks, which means you're taking on serious stock market risk. And if you invest your savings in bonds, chances are very low this strategy will produce higher income compared to delaying your Social Security benefits.

In all of these scenarios, it pays for you to be aware of how your adviser is paid and the potential influences on the recommendations you may get. The new rules don't go fully into effect until 2018, but you don't need to wait to make more effective decisions in these areas. If you're working with a financial adviser, ask now how the recommendations you get will best serve your goals and circumstances.

Don't be shy -- it's your money and your retirement.

© 2016 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

Summary: When you're working with a financial adviser, each of these choices reflects how the new "fiduciary" rules aim to help you


A man pretending to be fan of Iggy Azalea approached the star in an airport recently, pointed a camera towards her face and said "I would just like to thank you so much for ruining hip-hop."

Iggy was shocked at the statement and stood there in disbelief.

The 26-year-old Aussie rapper hasn't commented on the undated video, but her fans have plenty to say on her behalf.

Iggy Azalea and Nick Young split

The hashtag #WeLoveIggy began trending after the video surfaced.

"you SAVED the rap game," one fan account tweeted.

Another Twitter user wrote, "iggy isn't the best singer/rapper but she certainly didn't 'ruin hiphop. ' this makes me so sad i feel so bad for her."

It wasn't the first time the artist's hip-hop skills have come under fire. After her single "Fancy" debuted in 2015, she received flak from artists like Erykah Badu and Macklemore.

Iggy Azalea reveals she had suicidal thoughts

Badu took a jab at Azalea during the 2015 Soul Train Awards, when she pretended to call artists to invite to the show.

"Uh yes? Who is this? Iggy Azalea?" Badu said. "Yeah, hey. Oh, no, no, no, no, you can come, 'cause what you doin' is definitely not rap."

Azalea has also been in the spotlight recently for her split with Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young, 31.

The pair broke off their engagement after a video surfaced of Young admitting that he had cheated, secretly recorded by fellow Laker D'Angelo Russell.

Photographers captured what was thought to have been Azalea throwing out Young's stuff into the street, but she denied those claims by saying she was actually the one moving out.

"Unfortunately although I love Nick and have tried and tried to rebuild my trust in him — It's become apparent in the last few weeks I am unable to," Azalea wrote on Instagram.

In March, the singer revealed that she had suicidal thoughts and "wanted to quit life" during her "Great Escape" tour in 2015.

Summary: Iggy ain't with it.


had a "strong odor of alcohol on her breath" during the heated argument that turned physical last week with hubby

, this according to local police.

Simon and Brickell were both arrested and

after a domestic dispute at their Connecticut home last weekend.

The New Canaan police report, which was obtained by the

, says Brickell told police Simon did something that "broke her heart." It goes on to say Simon shoved Brickell and she slapped him in response. That's when he called 911 ... but hung up before speaking to anyone.

Brickell told police Simon "was acting like a spoiled baby by calling 911 and that he did not care about their children." The report says Edie had "a strong odor of alcohol on her breath" and became agitated at times.

Seems like they've both calmed down since then -- they were both in court this week and refused to get any kind of protective order.

Summary: Edie Brickell had a "strong odor of alcohol on her breath" during the heated argument that turned physical last week with hubby Paul Simon, this according…


Complaining about flying is an American pastime, thanks to cramped seats and fees for everything from checking baggage to changing an airline ticket.

That helps explain why airlines have consistently ranked as one of the lowest-scoring industries with the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, an independent national benchmark of consumer experiences of products and services sold to U.S. consumers.

Yet there's some hope on the horizon, the ACSI has found in its latest ranking of airlines. American travelers are feeling better about flying, thanks to fares that have dropped because of lower fuel prices and some efforts on the part of airlines to improve customer service, the study found. Customer satisfaction with airlines has increased 4.3 percent, matching the industry's peak in 1994.

"Airlines have always been one of the lowest-scoring industries in the ACSI because the in-flight experience was miserable," Claes Fornell, ACSI founder and chairman, said in a statement. "Historically, people were generally happy before they got on the plane. Now, that is changing. New planes, more options for in-flight entertainment, and the return of free snacks have resulted in higher passenger satisfaction."

Still, there are some airlines that Americans love to hate. It may be no surprise that many of those are carriers that target the budget-minded. Even so, a few of the worst-scoring airlines climbed in this year's survey, thanks to the perception of better value.

The biggest pet peeve for American travelers is seating. Seat comfort remains the the lowest-rated aspect of flying, followed by in-flight services such as food and movies.

The best part of flying is the ease of the check-in process, the survey found.

Read on to learn about the 5 most hated and most liked airlines.

Summary: Flying the friendly skies may seem like an oxymoron, thanks to extra fees and poor service


Still debating whether or not to go to grad school? An advanced degree can pay dividends, as these area experts explain.

“Our most sought-after programs help you get a job that differentiates you from the pack,” says Dr. Lauren Mounty, vice president for enrollment management and student success at Adelphi University.

For example, programs in public health and communication science disorders (audiology) have seen a rise in enrollment, positioning grads to pursue jobs in high-growth health fields.

“Last month, 3,000 jobs were created in the health sector alone in the New York region,” says the administrator.

Adelphi’s Count on Alumni for Career Help (COACH) program hooks graduate students up with alumni from different academic disciplines, says Dr. Mounty.

“With roughly 100,000 alumni in the tri-state area, site visits by alums are common, during which they discuss careers, industries and required skill sets with our students.”

Adds Dr. Mounty: “Many students actually get jobs by utilizing this valuable resource.”

“Graduate degree holders earn up to 50 percent more than those with a bachelor’s degree,” says Arthur Ahn, director of pre-business and pre-graduate programs for Kaplan Test Prep.

Lauren Benton, silver professor and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science at New York University, notes that “employment statistics clearly show that people in the workforce with graduate degrees earn at higher levels than those with just BAs, on average.

“And professionalization extends much more broadly. Graduate programs provide training and professional experience that can be both theoretical and practical.”

‘Master’s degrees offer a place for students to follow a passion in depth, and find out if they want to pursue it professionally.’

Chuck Taber, Ph.D., professor of political science, vice provost for graduate and professional education, and dean of the Graduate School of Professional Development for Stony Brook University, says that “the biggest job opportunities are in coding and software engineering. To be a computer scientist designing software, this is not a bachelor’s-level degree.”

According to a recent study by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), this year’s hiring outlook is holding steady, as nine out of 10 employers plan to hire business school graduates and maintain or increase the number of job openings for these hires compared to 2014 (see page 00.)

“The unemployment rate for those with a master’s degree is 15 percent less than those without one,” says Ray Manganelli, executive dean, chair of graduate business programs, head of the MBA program and director of the Strategic Consulting Institute for Mercy College.

“We’re seeing a growth in online MBA enrollments. The convenience is appealing,” says Ahn. Also, “We’re seeing a growth in part-time, weekend graduate programs. Many [students] fall into the categories of career advancers (fast-track MBAs) or career changers. They can’t put their careers on hold. They have to earn money to pay for school.”

Hot industries for such graduate study include social work, psychiatry and counseling, says Ahn. “You have to meet licensing requirements at the state and national levels, so additional schooling is necessary,” he says.

Adds Manganelli: “Our master’s degree programs in healthcare administration, human resources management, accounting, finance, marketing and cyber-security are growing most quickly, as they can be completed on nights and over weekends.”

“Our community fellows program provides paid internship opportunities to graduate students who work at nonprofits,” says Dr. Mounty.

At Stony Brook University, a new MFA in film is opening doors for aspiring film industry professionals, says Robert Reeves, associate provost of SUNY’s Southampton Graduate Arts Campus. During the three-year MFA program, students are led by graduate director Christine Vachon, co-founder of Killer Films, associated with the growth of independent film.

“Vachon is a visiting faculty member in practice, and some of our students worked on her film ‘Still Alice’ as assistants and production interns,” says Reeves.

“We have seen computer science and engineering professionals pursue MBA degrees to advance to the next step in their careers. These people are working in the trenches and want to develop a stronger sense of organizational practices and efficiencies for profit management, as this is not done in the nitty-gritty of their immediate day-to-day work,” says Ahn.

Picking up on this trend, “We’re going to be exploring a professional science master’s (PSM) [degree],” says Dr. Taber. “The idea is to offer a genuine science master’s degree paired with a business light.”

The biggest secret in higher education in the US is the support that is available to those who study for doctoral programs, says Benton.

“At NYU, as at other top-ranked research universities, all admitted doctoral students receive multi-year funding packages that include tuition coverage, health insurance, and a generous stipend.

“NYU provides students with four- or five-year packages, and next year the stipend will be $26,200 for the academic year, with summer support available in many programs.

“The admissions process is highly competitive, of course, but the level of support is spectacular compared with most professional graduate studies,” says Benton.

Says Benton: “Most people complete their undergraduate degrees with unfinished business. They loved history, but were only able to take a few courses. They wanted to study literature, but their parents insisted they major in business. They flirted with science, but never took enough advanced courses to challenge themselves.

“Master’s degrees offer a place for students to follow a passion in depth, and find out if they want to pursue it professionally.”

Summary: Still debating whether or not to go to grad school? An advanced degree can pay dividends, as these area experts explain. The need to specialize “Our most sought-after programs help you get a job th…


When Dawn Viens, then 39 years old, vanished on October 18, 2009, her friends and family were mystified. At the time, Dawn was the hostess of the Thyme Café, a small but popular restaurant in Lomita, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles nicknamed "Slomita" because of the lack of crime there. Dawn's husband David was the chef and owner of the restaurant.

PREVIEW: "48 Hours" Double Feature

David never reported Dawn missing and, as a result, this story became a case study in what happens when someone you know disappears and what to do about it.

One of the first to notice Dawn's disappearance was her friend Joe Cacace, whose motorcycle repair shop was right across a small parking lot from the Thyme Café. Dawn would visit the shop every day to chat with Joe and play with his dog. After not seeing Dawn for a couple of days, Joe asked David where she was "and he told me he fired her. I said, 'You fired your wife?'"

Like the Jimmy Stewart character in the Hitchcock movie "Rear Window," Cacace kept watch out of the rear window of his shop and kept seeing unusual behavior coming from David - a new girlfriend appeared, some clothing was being thrown out, Dawn's car was there but she never was. None of the activity was criminal but it did raise Joe's suspicions: could David have killed Dawn? It was almost impossible for Joe to believe; murders just did not happen in "Slomita." Joe waited the situation out until other friends of Dawn's approached him with the same suspicions. They went to file a missing persons report, but were told it had to be filed by a family member.

This small group of friends then contacted Dawn's sister Dayna and she filed the report immediately. A local reporter spotted it and filed a story. But that first story did not run until more than two months after Dawn was last seen. If David had killed Dawn, he'd had plenty of time to cover up his crime.

A detective specializing in missing persons from the L.A. County Sheriff's office interviewed David about Dawn's disappearance. She checked Dawn's credit card activity, bank accounts, and cell phone usage and talked to friends and family. There was no credit card or bank activity but, curiously, a couple of Dawn's friends did get texts that came from Dawn's phone. Basically, the texts reported that Dawn was okay, taking time to think and would get in touch later. One mentioned that she was in Florida.

But those cell phone texts proved to be the undoing of the perpetrator for two reasons:

1. The authorities could tell, by cell phone tracing and which cell phone towers were routing the texts, that Dawn's phone was not in Florida, but rather California.

2. Also, whoever sent the texts signed them with Dawn's nickname "Pixie." But the big problem was the sender spelled the nickname "Pixy." As reporter Larry Altman of The Daily Breeze said, "Who misspells their name?"

Those bogus texts ultimately were the undoing of the killer and proved once again that social media can be perilous for those with ill intentions. But nothing at all would have happened if Dawn's friends had not acted on their suspicions and gone to the police.

A "48 Hours" double feature starts Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/PT with an investigation of the Viens case, followed by "Death at Soho House" at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Summary: Los Angeles-area chef David Viens is accused of murdering his 39-year-old wife, Dawn, and boiling her body for four days to get rid of the evidence


is not telling the truth when she says her parents aren't allowing her to have a roof over her head, because we've learned she's had a place all along ... she just doesn't like the location.

Sources connected with the Bynes family tell us ... Amanda's parents got her a room in a Glendale hotel immediately after she was released from the psychiatric facility.

Amanda does NOT want to stay in Glendale, but her parents were firm ... they will not get her a place anywhere near Hollywood or West Hollywood, because they think it spells nothing but trouble and where leeches glom onto her.

Our sources say Amanda's parents have told her if she wants a different area they'll find her a place, as long as it's not Hollywood or WeHo. But that's where Amanda wants to be and that's why she's been mooching off friends and crashing at their places.

We're told her parents' hotel package includes car services, food ... the works. Amanda's tirades that she doesn't have money for food or lodging are simply false.

Summary: Amanda Bynes is not telling the truth when she says her parents aren't allowing her to have a roof over her head, because we've learned she's had a place…


Put a food truck on the road, welcome the crowds, and you can probably handle the little business. Add a second truck to the fleet and it’s more challenging. Then add two more trucks, a stand at the Pru, and two brick-and-mortar locations, and it can upset the most important element of any food business as it expands: consistency.

The Chicken & Rice Guys have gone brick-and-mortar in downtown Boston and Medford, and they mostly get it right. Granted, the menu consists of only three dishes and a single dessert. But you have to make it taste good, serve it hot, and hire helpful and courteous staff.

The Guys — Ian So, Jenny Giang, and Kevin Lau, all in their 20s — started the truck business in 2012 after So discovered halal trucks in New York and decided to imitate them (though New York trucks are popular middle-of-the-night snacks; Chicken & Rice Guys trucks are mostly off the road by mid-afternoon).

Every plate ($5 and $7) begins with turmeric-seasoned rice, then it builds from there — shredded lettuce plus a cupful of halal chicken or lamb mixture (which contains some beef), a combination of the two, or small cubes of baked tofu. It comes with thick pita, more like the Greek variety than thin Middle Eastern rounds. You can also order veggies ($2), a mixture of raw chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, and extra meat ($3), rice ($1), or pita ($1). Because tax is included in these prices, you can grab, say, a regular lamb for $7 total, which has bread tucked inside, and get a generous meal for a reasonable price.

The location on Bedford Street (walking distance from Downtown Crossing, South Station, and Chinatown) is takeout with a long, quick-moving line. Savory aromas greet you on the sidewalk and make you stick out the wait. When you get to the register, a stack of containers already holds rice and the rest of the assembly takes seconds. Unless you hit it right and snag the only high-top window table, you have to take it back to your office or find a spot to sit outdoors. That’s the best idea on a nice day: a spot in the sun with a box of satisfying takeout.

When you pull into the location near Medford Square, you’re facing an odd-looking business called the World Furniture Center, with Chicken & Rice to its left and right. Left is the restaurant. Right is the kitchen door, which someone needs to frost so we can’t look in. This is the antithesis of an open kitchen you’re supposed to peek into with awe.

But the dining space is a real restaurant, fast-food style with plenty of screaming yellow kitsch like T-shirts with the chicken-head logo, stools along a counter, wallpaper, even yellow subway tile in the restrooms, and slogans along the walls: “Thrilla Grilla,” “Feeling Peckish,” “Quickie Chickie.”

The food is surprisingly good. You get moist chicken that comes in small bits (this is spoon food more than fork food). The menu says grilled but there’s no smoky taste. Lamb has been shaved off gyro-style and has nice crusty bits. The pita is warm and delicious (we watch as a cook turns pieces on a griddle that held meat a few minutes ago, which accounts for some of the flavor). The vegetables are fresh, and the sauces are lively, including hot sauces, the hottest of which does justice to its name. Only the tofu falls short. Little baked pieces are moist one day, so dry another time that we toss them. The lone dessert is baklava ($1), honey-flavored squares that are not overly sweet and are exceptionally crisp.

Here’s the math: A small lamb plate, baklava, homemade iced tea, and something for the tip jar comes to $9. You might say it’s cheaper to eat here than at home, which you can’t say about a lot of places.

64 Salem St., Medford, and 85 Bedford St., Boston, 617-903-8538, www.cnrguys.com. All major credit cards. Wheelchair accessible.

Prices Plates $5 and $7. Extras $1-$3. Dessert $1.

Hours Medford Daily 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Boston Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

What to order Grilled chicken, lamb gyro, veggies, baklava

Summary: From the Chicken & Rice Guys, brick-and-mortar locations in Medford and downtown Boston


The Yazidis are a religious minority of about 500,000 people whose ancient monotheistic faith has roots in Zoroastrianism and beliefs involving a 12th-century mystic and a peacock angel. Those characteristics make adherents, who are neither Muslim nor Christian, apostates in the eyes of Islamist fighters who are sweeping through villages across northern Iraq.

Long stuck in the middle of an antagonistic relationship between Muslim Arabs and Muslim Kurds, the Yazidi people have been violently persecuted by both sides. After a particularly deadly crackdown in Iraq in 2007, the Yazidis were able to ensure a degree of security and influence through a carefully calculated alliance with the Kurds. Many Yazidis, who live in and around the region of northwestern Iraq known as Kurdistan, speak Kurdish, and some describe themselves as the original Kurds. The mostly Sunni Muslim Kurds say Yazidis are ethnic Kurds who simply follow a different religion.

In 2009, the Yazidis exploited Iraq’s byzantine electoral rules to earn about a quarter of the seats in the government of Nineveh, one of the country’s largest provinces, and became political allies with the Kurds in an Iraq that was becoming increasingly fractured along sectarian lines.

In recent days, as militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, have advanced in northern Iraq, driving religious minorities from their homes and killing others, the Yazidis have fled west of Mosul to Mount Sinjar, where they have been stranded for a week.

Their plight at the hands of Sunni fighters helped precipitate American airstrikes, authorized last week. The bombing of ISIS positions in the north appeared to alter the situation at Mount Sinjar. Four American airstrikes on the extremists surrounding the mountain on Saturday, along with airdrops of food, water and supplies, have helped Yazidi and Kurdish fighters beat back ISIS and have enabled thousands of Yazidis to escape the militants’ siege. The escapees made their way on Sunday through Syrian territory to Fishkhabour, an Iraqi border town under Kurdish control.

Tens of thousands more remain trapped on the mountain, and American officials cautioned that the limited airstrikes alone could not open a corridor to safety for them. Many families were separated, some in their flight to the mountains, some when they decided to descend.

Yazidis are now caught up in a larger disaster occurring across Iraq, but one that is hitting Iraqi Kurdistan, once the most stable part of the country, especially hard. Despite airdrops of aid from the Iraqi government and Americans, the humanitarian situation is worsening. Tens of thousands of Yazidis are trying to find refuge and relief in Kurdistan, near the borders with Syria and Turkey.

There, a mass migration, set off by increasingly widespread fears about the Sunni militants’ advance, is underway. Christians fled Mosul earlier this summer as ISIS militants took over that city. And about 580,000 people displaced by fighting or the threat of violence have moved into the Kurdistan region, with about 200,000 having moved since last week when ISIS took Sinjar and its surrounding villages, according to David Swanson, a spokesman for the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Iraq.

Reporting by Alissa J. Rubin and Rod Nordland in Iraq.

Summary: A religious minority of about 500,000 people, neither Muslim nor Christian, is at the center of a growing humanitarian crisis in Iraq.


With Father's Day around the corner, Gillette is putting the spotlight back on dads with its "Go Ask Dad" campaign, which encourages guys, no matter where they are or what they're doing, to go ask dad.

San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has a close relationship with his dad, and is a father of eight, so the video below definitely resonates with him.

To support father and son connections, Gillette has partnered with the National Center for Fathering, a non-profit organization centered on fostering the relationships between fathers and sons. Gillette will help onboard more dads into their Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) program, which will directly impact up to 55,000 teens in high schools across the country.

Rivers took some time to hang out with AOL Sports and discussed Gillette's campaign for Father's Day, his NFL career and much more.

Q: As a father of eight, how much fun has it been to work on this campaign?

A: It's been really cool. It's the perfect fit. We're inching up on Father's Day and the 'Go Ask Dad' campaign puts the spotlight on dad and encourages you to go to dad for advice on anything. It's not the same today as it used to be, asking dad for advice. So this campaign is great to encourage that. I'm 35 and I still ask dad about little things. And I want my kids and I to have a relationship where they can come to me. It's really a great campaign and I'm happy to be part of it.

Q: What are some of your best memories growing up with your dad?

A: He was the high school coach. As soon as I was old enough to comprehend it all, I was his water boy. Then I was his quarterback. I been playing 12 years in the NFL now and those are still some of my best memories. Even now I call him.

Q: What lessons did you learn from your dad that you want to pass on to your kids?

A: One thing was simple -- he always was adamant that you didn't say 'yeah.' It was, 'yes' or 'yes, sir.' Common courtesy, I guess. And this is general, but best way to sum it up -– If your'e gonna do something, do it all the way. If you're gonna mow the grass, do it right. Make your bed, do it the right way.

Q: Is it hard to be away from home so often?

A: You know, we have road games, 10 of them if you include preseason, and sometimes for us in San Diego, because of where we are, we have to leave on Fridays. They're long weekends. But only 10 weekends is not too bad. Thankfully there's Facetime and all that nowadays. With siblings, there's plenty going on in the house. But there's nothing better than coming home after road trip, win or lose. The older ones now care whether we win or lose. It feels right to come home.

Q: What are the ages of your kids?

A: 13, 11, 9, 8, 6, 4, 2, 7 months.

Q: It seems the Chargers have a couple reasons to believe this coming year will be a lot better than last. Are you looking forward to the season?

A: I am excited. Like, most teams in the offseason, they all think they're going to have good year. But we really are better. We're healthy. We had so many guys hurt. Plus, we're going to have Bosa, linebackers who fly around, and we did a nice job in free agency. I really think we're an improved team. We're certainly capable of flipping our record. We're capable of doing it.

Q: Do you fear suffering concussions or any other kind of trauma now, which could hamper the next chapter of your life once football is over?

A: I'm certainly sensitive to it and want to be careful. And I certainly never want to see anybody go through it. I think the position I play, my head isn't in much danger. The only thing I would say, and I'd never disrespect players who suffer injuries, is this: we sign up to play. We decide to play the game. It's not something we don't know or don't releaize. Things come with different jobs.

Q: What's the best Father's Day gift you ever received?

A: Definitely drawings. They spent time on it. Those are the ones you get from young ones. I had a cool shirt one year with all their hand prints. I guess I just like all the creative stuff.

RANKING THE BEST AND WORST NFL STADIUMS:

13. Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver Broncos

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Summary: With Father’s Day around the corner, Gillette is putting the spotlight on dads with its “Go Ask Dad” campaign -- and Philip Rivers is leading the charge.


The charity said the January snapshot, although small, found a total of 113 different alcoholic drinks including ciders, beers, wines and spirits on sale for under 50p per unit.

The results showed the extent to which cheap alcohol is available on high streets and emphasised the need for a minimum unit price for alcohol, it said.

Mark Leyshon, from Alcohol Concern Cymru, said: "Our study shows that minimum unit pricing is as relevant as ever. As the leading cause of death for men and women aged 18 to 49 years, the health harms caused by alcohol remain one of the biggest problems facing Britain.

"Many of these illnesses and injuries are linked to cheap alcohol sold in the off-trade - in supermarkets and off-licences - at prices far below those in pubs.

"Typically, it's heavy drinkers who favour low-price alcohol, meaning that it is the cheapest alcohol on the market that is bought and consumed in the greatest quantities and which caused the greatest harm.

"Introducing a minimum unit price would bring a significant reduction in alcohol harms by changing the drinking behaviours of this group without penalising moderate drinkers. It's high time to get minimum unit pricing on the statute book for the benefit of all of us."

Summary: The number of gin distilleries in Britain has doubled in six years, with 49 opening last year alone after a huge boost in demand.


NEW DELHI—McDonald’s Corp. had to do the unthinkable this year: change the decades-old recipe of its signature two-patty chicken burger in India.

Battling a slump in sales, the Oakbrook, Ill.-based company redesigned the Big Mac of India—known as the Maharaja Mac, one of its best sellers for 20 years. It switched to thicker chicken patties and added jalapeños and a habanero sauce in January. It also launched a meatless Big Mac—a...

Summary: India’s once seemingly insatiable appetite for fast food has hit a wall at McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, KFC and other global brands, deflating optimism that untapped demand in the 1.2 billion-person market will offset slumping consumption in the West and China.


Just before Donald J. Trump took the stage at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Thursday night, the actor Jon Voight narrated a breezy video biography of the candidate highlighting his can-do abilities.

“He took over another city project tied up in red tape since 1978,” Mr. Voight says with none of the charm or the menace of his character on Showtime’s “Ray Donovan” series. “Donald transformed a landfill into a championship public golf course and saved the city millions.”

But it was a shot into the rough for Mr. Voight and Mr. Trump’s oft-told creation myth of the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx.

“He did not build the golf course,” said Adrian Benepe, who was New York City’s parks commissioner under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “The city built the golf course. Trump came in as the operator.”

Naturally, it is a tangled tale.

In the late 1970s, Mayor Edward I. Koch, a Democrat, promised residents of the Bronx that the closed 192-acre landfill at the foot of the Whitestone Bridge would be capped with a golf course.

Not much happened until Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a Republican, picked up the ball, eventually selecting a developer to build and operate the golf course. The golf legend Jack Nicklaus designed it. But that developer discovered toxic substances in the soil and made little progress. The city terminated the contract in 2006.

Enter Mr. Bloomberg, a Republican who later became an independent, whose administration reassessed its options before deciding to build the course itself, using city contractors. Mr. Nicklaus went back to work.

In 2010, the city selected the Trump Organization from among several bidders to operate the golf course. Under its contract with the Parks Department, Mr. Trump’s conglomerate was responsible for building a $10 million clubhouse after the course was finished and ensuring that grass grew on the greens.

By the time the city finished in late 2013, the cost had climbed to $127 million. Mr. Trump opened Ferry Point in April 2015, with the highest fees of any municipal golf course: $144 for a city resident during the week, and $172 on the weekends.

Under his 20-year lease, Mr. Trump does not have to pay rent for the first four years to offset the cost of the clubhouse.

“I would’ve just left it alone,” Mr. Benepe said. “But he keeps putting Ferry Point forward as an example of his ability to get things done. It’s simply not true.”

A version of this article appears in print on July 23, 2016, on page A16 of the New York edition with the headline: Ex-City Official Rejects Claim That Trump Built Golf Course. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: A video biography at the Republican National Convention claimed that Mr. Trump built the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx. But New York City built the course.


Nick Jonas reportedly turned down millions of dollars to perform in Cleveland after the Republican National Convention in late July.

Prophets of Rage Perform in Protest of Republican National Convention: Watch

The singer was offered approximately $2 million by a "private donor" to play a free concert on July 24 as a thank-you to the people of Cleveland for hosting the RNC, TMZ reports. The show was intended to be an "All Live Matters"-themed event.

Jonas, however, wouldn't have been able to play the event because of a pre-scheduled appearance at a Roc Nation event in New York, according to TMZ.

Billboard has reached out to Jonas' representatives for comment.

RELATED: take a look inside the RNC

Inside the Republican National Convention A delegate studies a copy of the Republican platform document that reflect the policies of the Republican Party that will be voted on at the RNC, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli sneaks in a quick hot dog on the floor of the Republican National Convention as he discusses a controversial fight over the RNC rules with a delegate (R) at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Oregon alternate RNC delegate Nathan Dahlin wears an assortment of political buttons at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein A vendor shows off Donald Trump t-shirts for sale at one of the RNC Convention Stores inside the arena selling goods to delegates at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk Delegates hold a campaign sign for Donald Trump, presumptive 2016 Republican presidential nominee, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: John Taggart/Bloomberg via Getty Images A delegate attends the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images) Delegates react to a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Diana Shores from Farmville, VA (C) protests a roll call vote on the floor on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) A delegate in patriotic dress on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as its presidential nominee. Some 2,000 delegates descended on a tightly secured Cleveland arena where Trump's wife will take center stage later in the day to make a personal pitch to voters that her billionaire husband is the best candidate for the White House. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) A delegate wear an American flag cowboy hat while waiting at a food stand during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (2nd L) along with other delegates from Virginia chant for a rule call vote on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) A delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as its presidential nominee. Some 2,000 delegates descended on a tightly secured Cleveland arena where Trump's wife will take center stage later in the day to make a personal pitch to voters that her billionaire husband is the best candidate for the White House. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) A Wisconsin delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) A delegate holds a campaign bumper sticker for Donald Trump, presumptive 2016 Republican presidential nominee, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Shoes worn by a delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as its presidential nominee. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) Robert 'Mike' Duncan, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Delegates react to a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images) CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Delegates react to a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images) A delegate protests a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images) A delegate protests a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images) CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Delegates from Texas wave their hats in the air on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) A Florida delegate poses for the media on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) A delegate gets a picture taken with a Trump supporter on the floor on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images) CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Delegate Beverly Gossage of Eudora, KS attends the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Delegates on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) gestures as he speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Tennesee Delegate Nate Mitchell sports a coonskin hat on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) Delegates on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) Alexandra smith, national chairman of the College Republican National Committee, smiles during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Linda Lingle, former governor of Hawaii, smile during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Senator Kimberly Yee, a Republican from Arizona, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Matt Walter, president of the State Leadership Committee, gestures while speaking during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images A delegate takes a selfie in front of a banner in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. / AFP / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) Bill Schuette, Michigan attorney general, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Bob Little, delegate from Michigan salutes during the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Larry Householder, former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Jeff Larson, CEO of the Republican National Convention, speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Delegates speak during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: John Taggart/Bloomberg via Getty Images SHOW CAPTION + HIDE CAPTION –

Inside the Republican National Convention

A delegate studies a copy of the Republican platform document that reflect the policies of the Republican Party that will be voted on at the RNC, at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli sneaks in a quick hot dog on the floor of the Republican National Convention as he discusses a controversial fight over the RNC rules with a delegate (R) at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Oregon alternate RNC delegate Nathan Dahlin wears an assortment of political buttons at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

A vendor shows off Donald Trump t-shirts for sale at one of the RNC Convention Stores inside the arena selling goods to delegates at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk

Delegates hold a campaign sign for Donald Trump, presumptive 2016 Republican presidential nominee, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: John Taggart/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A delegate attends the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

Delegates react to a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Diana Shores from Farmville, VA (C) protests a roll call vote on the floor on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

A delegate in patriotic dress on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as its presidential nominee. Some 2,000 delegates descended on a tightly secured Cleveland arena where Trump's wife will take center stage later in the day to make a personal pitch to voters that her billionaire husband is the best candidate for the White House. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

A delegate wear an American flag cowboy hat while waiting at a food stand during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (2nd L) along with other delegates from Virginia chant for a rule call vote on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

A delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as its presidential nominee. Some 2,000 delegates descended on a tightly secured Cleveland arena where Trump's wife will take center stage later in the day to make a personal pitch to voters that her billionaire husband is the best candidate for the White House. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

A Wisconsin delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

A delegate holds a campaign bumper sticker for Donald Trump, presumptive 2016 Republican presidential nominee, during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Shoes worn by a delegate on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as its presidential nominee. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Robert 'Mike' Duncan, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Delegates react to a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) speaks during the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Delegates react to a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

A delegate protests a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

A delegate protests a rule committee proposal on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Delegates from Texas wave their hats in the air on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A Florida delegate poses for the media on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

A delegate gets a picture taken with a Trump supporter on the floor on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. The Republican Party opened its national convention Monday, kicking off a four-day political jamboree that will anoint billionaire Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Delegate Beverly Gossage of Eudora, KS attends the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Delegates on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) gestures as he speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Tennesee Delegate Nate Mitchell sports a coonskin hat on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Delegates on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Alexandra smith, national chairman of the College Republican National Committee, smiles during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Linda Lingle, former governor of Hawaii, smile during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Senator Kimberly Yee, a Republican from Arizona, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Matt Walter, president of the State Leadership Committee, gestures while speaking during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A delegate takes a selfie in front of a banner in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on the opening day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland, Ohio on July 18, 2016. / AFP / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

Bill Schuette, Michigan attorney general, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Bob Little, delegate from Michigan salutes during the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Larry Householder, former speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, speaks during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 18: Jeff Larson, CEO of the Republican National Convention, speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicks off on July 18. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Delegates speak during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2016. The day before the start of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Reince Priebus said Donald Trump has to use the gathering to convince Americans he can be presidential. Photographer: John Taggart/Bloomberg via Getty Images

More from Billboard: Vice Presidential Candidates' Music Picks: 2000-2016 Drake's 'Views' No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart for 11th Week, NeedToBreathe Debuts at No. 2 Watch Demi Lovato Talk Mental Illness, Sing 'Confident' at DNC

Summary: The singer was offered approximately $2 million by a “private donor” to play a free concert on July 24 as a thank-you to Cleveland for hosting the RNC.


Do-it-yourself investing is gaining newfound popularity—but with a twist.

Instead of going it entirely on their own, more investors are pursuing a kind of modified DIY approach, tapping an array of increasingly sophisticated online tools and a-la-carte advice services offered by financial firms.

The result is that there has been strong growth in customer assets at the mutual-fund and discount-brokerage companies that have traditionally served the do-it-yourself market, a group that includes Vanguard Group, Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab Corp. SCHW 0.43 %

At Fidelity, clients approaching retirement often experiment online with the company's Retirement Income Planner and then visit a Fidelity office to "validate" what they have found, says John Sweeney, an executive vice president at Fidelity. And an older client who is worried about leaving behind a spouse who is less financially savvy may opt to move some money into an account that Fidelity manages for them. That business is growing rapidly, Mr. Sweeney says.

Jim Bennett, a 65-year-old retired information-technology professional in Macedonia, Ohio, has been an avid do-it-yourselfer for decades after concluding that "nobody out there cared about my success or failure as much as I did." Ditto for his wife, Karen, 55, a retired accountant. Still, eight years ago, the couple, who invest primarily at Vanguard, opted to have that firm prepare a financial plan for them as they looked ahead to leaving the workforce. They now update it annually, speaking by phone with one of the more than 200 certified financial planners on Vanguard's staff.

"We have been and continue to be our own money managers," Mr. Bennett says. But he and his wife use the service to get input and "an affirmation of what we are thinking and doing."

Longtime do-it-yourselfers Ed and Patti Rager, Washington, D.C.-area retirees in their 60s, had an initial conversation with a Vanguard planner a few months ago. Getting a clean bill of financial health was a relief, particularly for Mr. Rager. "I could just see when we were on the phone" that he immediately felt more relaxed, Mrs. Rager says.

They might seek a follow-up chat in two or three years, Mr. Rager says, while acting on the planner's advice to tweak their mix of stock and bond funds.

Investors who have between $50,000 and $500,000 invested at Vanguard pay $250 for a financial plan. Investors with more money at the firm get the plans free and can call the certified planners for ad hoc assistance.

"We have seen a big increase since the market downturn in 2008 in clients calling for that validation," says Karin Risi, a principal of advice services at Vanguard, which recommends only its own funds.

The strength of the DIY market belies predictions that as the baby boomers inched toward a retirement funded largely by their 401(k)-plan savings, most of them would seek a one-on-one relationship with a financial adviser to manage their nest eggs. Instead, research firms say a fairly steady or even growing portion of investors—surveys put it at somewhere between one-third and two-thirds—are piloting their own financial ships.

In fact, stock-market turmoil appears to have driven some investors to the modified DIY space from the other direction. Many investors who outsourced their portfolios to professionals "were massively disillusioned by the perceived performance of their advisers" in 2008, says Ed Tracy, head of a Deloitte Consulting LLP group that provides consulting and other services to financial-services companies. Among the concerns: that advisers may not have fully understood all the products they sold and might have been influenced by their own financial interests.

Adding to investor worries: financial fraud like that perpetrated by Bernard Madoff.

Research firm Cerulli Associates has found "investors wanting to be more involved coming out of the downturn," says analyst Roger Stamper. Investors are asking to hear more of the rationale behind advisers' recommendations and have become more likely to bounce those suggestions off other people and do some of their own research online, according to Cerulli.

When researcher Hearts & Wallets LLC conducted focus groups with investors ages 40 to 60 last November, many participants said relying solely on an adviser "is an approach that is for 'dinosaurs,' " says principal Laura Varas. "Because you can't trust the person…you have to be involved yourself."

Against that backdrop, there has been a "blending toward the center" in the financial-services industry in recent years, according to Ms. Varas. While firms such as Fidelity and Vanguard are offering more advice, full-service securities firms are reaching out to more do-it-yourselfers.

One example is the Merrill Edge service from Bank of America Corp.'s BAC 0.53 % Bank of America Merrill Lynch unit. It offers financial-planning tools and low-cost online trading, as well as some advice services.

Such programs accommodate investors who want to work with a traditional adviser, while managing some dollars on their own at lower cost. One way to attract DIY investors, Deloitte suggested in a recent report, is for companies to position themselves as "facilitators and enablers" to those who still want to be in charge.

The decisions that investors make about calling the shots versus enlisting help will have huge import for financial-services companies as many retiring baby boomers roll the money in their 401(k) plans into individual retirement accounts. Those rollovers will grow to an estimated $450 billion in 2017 from around $315 billion last year, according to Cerulli, which says the financial companies that have traditionally served DIY investors have strengthened their hand in competing for rollover dollars with their expanded online tools and advice services.

Moreover, familiarity—and inertia—make it more likely that plan participants will opt for an IRA from the same firm that oversees their 401(k) plan. "That's a big, big plus for firms like Fidelity and Vanguard that are giants in the 401(k) space," says Antonio Ferreira, a managing director of Cogent Research LLC, which has found those two firms to be preferred destinations among consumers.

The Government Accountability Office in an April report raised concerns about 401(k)-plan providers steering participants toward the same company's IRAs—with the participants possibly not understanding the companies' financial interests.

When participants in a Fidelity 401(k) are leaving that employer, Fidelity "lays out all the potential scenarios they have to work with," a Fidelity spokeswoman says. At Vanguard, a spokesman says the company "is a client-owned, at-cost enterprise, and our sole interest is giving our investors the best chance of investment success."

Ms. Damato is a news editor for The Wall Street Journal, based in South Brunswick, N.J. Email her at karen.damato@wsj.com.

Did the '07-'09 bear market lead you to rely more or less on financial advisers?

I listen to them, however I take the final decision and directly manage my assets.

A financial adviser is like a real-estate agent. Always tells you to buy. When market crashed, they were not answering calls.

My husband and I hired a money manager for our modest but growing savings. He does not get paid for the transaction (important) but for the advice.

I can do better myself with E*Trade. ETFC 0.08 % LOL. Don't have anything to invest, adviser lost it all.

I never rely on financial advisers. I listen and investigate on my own, and use reasoning and common sense.

Relying more on my own instincts.

Summary: Many investors want to call the shots—while turning to tools and people for help as needed. Today's modified do-it-yourselfers include people who have become less trusting of financial advisers since the 2007-09 bear market.


A plan to slug mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton with higher taxes is economically dangerous and fiscally reckless, the West Australian opposition says.

Brendon Grylls ousted Terry Redman from the Nationals WA leadership this week after three years on the backbench, and wants the companies to pay a $5 per tonne tax on iron ore to help solve the state's financial woes.

Mr Grylls says it is unfair that the 25 cent production rental charge in state agreements with BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have never been changed since it was created in the 1960s.

But Labor's treasury spokesman Ben Wyatt said it was "hilarious" that Mr Grylls, who had been such a big spender with the Nationals WA's flagship Royalties for Regions fund, could be the one to return the budget to surplus.

Mr Wyatt said the government had capitulated to the "erratic ego" of Mr Grylls and his plan would not solve the state's financial problems - but at least he had one, unlike the premier and treasurer, who respectively had no plan or just wanted to sell assets.

"The only way this erratic idea from Mr Grylls is a coherent financial plan is if you are absolutely financially illiterate," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"It is bad for the economy, it is bad for jobs and it is bad for the long-term finances of Western Australia.

"At no level is this mining tax a good decision for the economy of Western Australia or the finances of the government."

Summary: WA's opposition has slammed a plan by re-installed Nationals WA leader Brendon Grylls to force mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton to pay more taxes.


From the piers of the Seaport to the blocks around the Broadway T station, big development has transformed swaths of South Boston over the past 10 years.

Now it’s Andrew Square’s turn.

A 5-acre complex of apartments and condominiums between Old Colony and Dorchester avenues is set for a hearing, and likely approval, by the Boston Redevelopment Authority on Thursday. At 656 units, it would be one of the largest new housing developments in the city. And a wave of big projects soon could follow as the BRA rezones Dorchester Avenue.

Dubbed Washington Village, the project would turn a sprawling block of low-slung laundries and auto shops into a nine-building complex of condo and apartment buildings reaching as high as 21 stories. They would be set around an open plaza and restaurants, retail, and — the developer hopes — a grocery store.

It’s a bid to give Andrew Square the combination of housing and neighborhood amenities it lacks today, developer David Pogorelc said. And it’s a chance to launch large-scale development in a place that has long been overlooked.

The plan would turn a block (above, the view from Tuckerman Street) of laundries and auto shops into a development with 656 units of housing.

“This area hasn’t seen the same level of interest as some other parts of South Boston,” Pogorelc said. “It has been kind of neglected.”

Andrew Square is at the heart of a planning study the BRA has been working on for a year along Dorchester Avenue in South Boston. The agency issued a draft version in June that would rezone now-industrial blocks north of Andrew for residential and commercial buildings as high as 300 feet. It could bring 6,000 to 8,000 new units of housing along the 144-acre corridor over the next 20 years. A final version of the study is expected later this year, a BRA spokesman said.

Already, developers are circling. Two smaller condo and apartment buildings are under construction on Dorchester Avenue, and builders are locking up larger sites. Last month, a machine shop sitting on one-third of an acre sold for $3 million, according to Suffolk County property records. Pogorelc owns a 6-acre empty lot just north of the T station, though he says he has no plans there yet.

His plans at Washington Village — especially the restaurants and new retail — are welcome news to Dennis O’Connor, who has lived on nearby Ward Street for a decade. The neighborhood has drawn a lot of new residents in recent years, he said, but there aren’t many places to go or things to do.

“If you want a pizza, there’s plenty of places. If you need a liquor store, we’ve got those,” O’Connor said. “But it’s lacking places to sit down and eat. It’s lacking a supermarket.”

Big new development can bring those sorts of things, though O’Connor worries the bigger re-zoning, if not handled wisely, could lead to Andrew Square becoming overbuilt.

“You only get one shot at this,” O’Connor said. “We don’t want to push developers away, but we want to make sure we get it right.”

And some say the pace of development is already too fast.

In an e-mail to city officials this week, South Boston resident Debbie O’Toole argued the neighborhood has seen too much building as it is.

“South Boston has endured too much development without regard to the negative effects to residents and community,” she wrote. “We can’t park. We can’t afford to rent or buy a place to call home.”

Pogorelc said he’s hoping Washington Village will address that last part, at least.

He has agreed to set aside 17 percent of units at prices that are affordable to lower- and middle-income residents, and is aiming the rest at a middle-class clientele that has largely been left out of the current building boom, something he can do, in part, because of the scale of the project. He’s also planning to sell a majority of units — 408 — as condos, a shift from the rental construction that has characterized many big projects of late.

“We like the stability of homeownership,” he said. “It’s going to be hugely successful. There’s going to be a lot of happy people pushing baby carriages in this neighborhood in a few years.”

Summary: The South Boston site is set for 650 residential units, retail, and maybe even a supermarket.


You might have heard an absurd-sounding parable that often makes the rounds on personal finance blogs. This story is about two siblings who want to have a comfortable retirement — let’s make them sisters for this article’s purposes.

The first sister starts saving in her 20s and manages to save $100,000 by the time she turns 30, but then never puts another dollar towards her retirement. The second sister waits until she’s 30 in order to start saving for retirement and then puts away $10,000 every year until she turns 65.

The story is meant to showcase the power of compound interest and saving early for retirement.

It sounds pretty incredulous but the math works out. If you assume the sisters invest at a 7% rate of return, the younger sister is going to have $1,150,615.18 when she retires while the older sister will have $1,065,601.21.

But nowadays with so many 20-somethings drowning in student loan debt and having a hard time finding a job, it might sound impossible to them to save $100,000 by the time they’re 30. That doesn’t mean the story doesn’t apply to them!

You don’t have to reach that magic number in retirement savings by your 30th birthday. After all, this parable is meant to inspire people to start saving as much as possible as early as possible.

So, let’s say you do want to try to save $20,000, or $50,000 or even $100,000 by your 30th birthday? Here are some tips to do it.

1. Go to a Cheap School

Choosing a cheap college or the one that gives you the most money in scholarships is key. Unless you plan on going into a career that will pay you enough to quickly pay off your student loans and guarantee you a job as soon as you graduate, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to go deep into debt for college. There are a lot of ways to reduce the cost of college and ensure that you graduate with a low amount of student debt.

For example, there are financial planning techniques that you and your parents can use to ensure you qualify for more financial aid. You can also choose to start at a community college and transfer to a four-year university during your degree. Living at home while going to school could be an option for some and would save you a significant amount of money.

2. Avoid Credit Card Debt

While it might be impossible to completely avoid student loan debt, it is often possible to avoid credit card debt. Many people choose to live above their means and use credit cards in order to supplement that. This leads to a vicious cycle of high interest-finance charges that can lead you further into debt (this calculator can help you figure out how long it’ll take you to pay off that credit card debt). Those drinks that you bought two years ago and charged to your credit card will end up costing you a significant amount of interest by the time you actually pay them off. The ideal way to use your credit card is by putting purchases on your card that you’ve already budgeted for and then pay them off at the end of the month — this helps you build your credit while keeping you out of debt.

3. Live Like a Student

I’ve seen a lot of my friends leave college and get a job only to significantly increase the amount that they spend. While they were adept at being thrifty to keep their costs down while they were in college, once they left they found themselves living paycheck to paycheck. Just because you leave college doesn’t mean you should stop living like you’re in college. Get a roommate, take public transit if possible and live frugally. Commit yourself to saving as much of your income as possible every month and put any pay increases towards your savings.

4. Take Advantage of Retirement Matches

A retirement match is like getting free money. Sure, you have to invest some of your own money into your retirement account in order to get it but many employers will match your contributions up to a certain percentage of your annual income. This is an absolute no-brainer. Make signing up for your company’s 401(k) or IRA matching program a priority on your first day at any new job.

5. Get a Second Job or Side Hustle

If it’s okay with your employer, find a way to make a little extra money on the side to supplement your savings. I’ve done things like take on freelance writing jobs, tutor, or help companies develop engagement strategies. You can also do things like start a blog or sell things online.

6. Take Jobs With More Responsibility

The best career choice that I made was to take a job that paid me less but that provided me with significantly more responsibility right out of college. By gaining leadership experience in my first couple of jobs, I was able to very quickly double my salary. Meanwhile, I know people who took better paying jobs with less responsibility and have had to toil for years working their way up the ladder. While it might sound counterintuitive that you’ll be able to save more by the time you’re 30 by working in jobs that pay less right out of college, you may find that employers will pay you more within a couple of years due to the experience you gain.

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Change Jobs

Millennials have a bad reputation for being frequent job switchers. Changing jobs, however, has been the best thing that I have done in my career. By looking for my next opportunity and making a switch, I was once able to make over $15,000 more per year. Just be sure not to switch jobs too often as some employers will be afraid of hiring you.

One of the hardest things about trying to save in your 20s is that you’re going to have to say no to a lot of fun things that your friends will invite you to do. If you do say no, you’ll be much better off financially the long run, but you might feel like you’re missing out in the short-term.

By keeping your eyes on the prize and knowing that because you’re saying no you’ll be more likely to be safe and secure throughout your life, this might make you feel better. If it doesn’t, just suggest an alternative. Instead of going out, host a potluck or party. You could have just as much fun and save money.

Instead of thinking about saving $100,000 by the time you’re 30, think about saving $10,000 by the time you’re 23 and $20,000 by the time you’re 25. By creating annual and biannual savings goals, you’re less likely to be overwhelmed by the big number and give up. Remember that you’re more likely to make more money in your late 20s than you are in your early 20s, so expect to save more then.

While it might seem impossible to save $100,000 by the time you’re 30, if you follow these steps and end up debt-free with $10,000 in the bank — you’re going to be in a much better place. Saving $100,000 by 30 is a stretch goal that not everyone is going to be able to meet. After all, you might currently be 25 and have $100,000 in student loan debt.

The moral of the story about the two sisters is not necessarily that you need to have $100,000 by 30, so much as it is to point out that the financial choices you make in your 20s will affect you for the rest of your life. By setting yourself up to make good financial choices while you’re in your 20s, you’re setting yourself up for a much easier financial road ahead.

Summary: Start by saying no more often.


In its first season, the hip-hop family saga Empire was a sensation of the sort rarely seen on broadcast TV these days: Its ratings rose week after week, breaking the laws of TV gravity. It became the sort of hit that redefines the fortunes of its network—so much so that it’s little wonder that Fox commissioned a second season that’s significantly longer. Season one was a tight 12 episodes; season two will unfold over 18 weeks.

This is hardly out of the norm: Traditionally, most broadcast series run over twenty episodes a season. But Empire‘s particular qualities—baroque plotting, and a free hand with soapy twists—are the sort that haven’t always worn well over the course of time. Consider ABC’s twin vexed successes: Lost and Desperate Housewives debuted during the same season 11 years ago, and both met huge immediate smashing success, only to see viewer attrition and, more meaningfully, major frustration after Lost‘s mysteries failed to bear fruit over time. Meanwhile, Desperate Housewives‘s constant introduction of new elements proved that though the central cast’s chemistry endured, the alchemy that addicted viewers in the early going left and couldn’t be recaptured.

Those shows that tend to retain their viewership in the long term are ones not driven by any more dramatic impulses. NCIS on CBS gets a massive audience weekly, but if any character in NCIS was ever dumped in a garbage can by his father in flashback, it didn’t rise to the level of the public consciousness. But Empire‘s relies in some large part on shock, so what happens when it can’t shock any longer? The premiere, at least, indicates that Fox’s investment in the series is well-placed.

In the first episode of season two, airing Wednesday, the fundamentals are in place and the new elements are savvily chosen. Cookie is dressed in outlandish couture and plots feverishly, during a rally on Lucious’s behalf, to protect what’s hers. Her three sons are at odds in a way that ultimately feels low-stakes: Empire‘s masterstroke is that it poses a question (which brother will win out?) that it refuses to definitively answer. And Lucious, behind bars, refuses to allow the fact that he’s the star of the show allow him to distract from what’s happening around him. Indeed, he’s wildly upstaged by fellow inmate Chris Rock, whose menace feels like something fresh for the series. Somehow, Empire has managed to even use celebrity stunt-casting well.

The season premiere provides proof that Empire may thrive where series before it have fallen short in the sophomore season: It’s far less about any one thing that happens than about a mood in which anything could happen. Shows that tend to lose their audiences and their cheerleaders in the press as they go on have, somehow, betrayed their fundamental premises: This applies to the mega-hit examples, like Lost, or the smaller-scale examples of cable hits that lose their way and their fans with weird missteps, like onetime critical darlings Homeland or Big Love.

Empire‘s fundamental premise is, beyond the notions of family and music, that anything could happen moment-to-moment. And so everything the show does—introduce Marisa Tomei as a potential business backer whose last name is “Whiteman,” have Cookie and Tomei’s meeting broadcast on TV as part of a press event that Lucious watches, somehow, in prison—feels like part of a grander scheme whereby the only scheme is to have fun. What actually happens happens in the show’s premiere is less meaningful than the way it continues swerving around only to end up roughly where it started. It’s less like Desperate Housewives, burning through valuable plot with nothing to replace it, than it is like The Simpsons, a show whose very nature is to regenerate.

Other, similar shows have lost their way by failing to deliver on a promise implicit in the show’s premise. Empire‘s season premiere is chaotic and putters around all of the show’s central questions about what will happen next. But none of those questions are as central to the show’s DNA as whether or not the viewer is having fun. On that score, Empire has a long future ahead of it.

Summary: The show's second season begins—and unlike past fast-burning shows, it appears to have much life left in it


Job searches can be daunting, and without a robust network or an inside scoop on an opening, it can seem nearly impossible to find the right position. Thankfully, there are a slew of specialized job sites to help you navigate your next move. Here are six of our favorites to make your search simpler.

Read More: How to Job Search While Pregnant

Summary: These specialized sites can help you land a great gig.