Chloe Seaman

5 Bad Habits You Should Drop For 2018

There are some bad habits you literally can’t afford to keep in 2018. From getting scammed to making poor personal and financial choices, some bad habits come with unexpected consequences.

Below, we look at five bad habits you should drop to help ensure you have a safe and secure new year:

1. Living In The Past

In a study that looked at the behaviors of 50,000 business leaders, researchers found that poor decision makers tended to rely on old data or old approaches that worked before. “Too often,” the decision was destined to be a bad one because the information is no longer true, the study found.

5 Tips For Recovering From Your Holiday Breakup

Going through a recent breakup? You’re not the only one. A significant peak in breakups occurs two weeks before the winter holidays.

It’s suggested that this season of breakups occurs because many would rather break up than “meet the family” (which typically coincides with the holidays) or are looking forward to the New Year, and therefore a fresh start.

Unlike the days before social media, these days you might stay in contact with your ex. The two of you might share mutual friends and have decided that you want to remain friends, too.

6 Ways To Make The Holidays More Meaningful

Between holiday shopping sales and keeping the kids busy on winter break, it’s easy to forget about the true meaning of the holidays.

This year, take a step back and think about what will make this holiday season extra special for you and your family. Whatever holiday you may be celebrating—Christmas, Hanukkah or your version of a winter holiday—there are ways to make the holidays more meaningful.

Here are six ways to create a more meaningful holiday season:

Best True Crime Shows Of 2017

Got a thirst for binging on dark content? If so, the shows, documentaries, and podcasts of 2017 about true crime stories should be more than satisfactory.

From unsolved mysteries to stranger-than-fiction revelations, we look back at some of the best shows this year about true crime:

1. Dirty John Podcast)

Dirty John, a six-part podcast from the Los Angeles Times and journalist Christopher Goffard, tells the riveting story of how one woman and her family were affected by a diabolical man she met from an online dating site.

Dysfunctional Family? How To Survive The Holiday Season

It’s easy to be excited about holiday gatherings when you get along with your relatives. For some of us, however, a dysfunctional family dynamic can be a source of intense stress this time of year. Emotional difficulties with family members are often exacerbated by hectic holiday travel and being stuck in close quarters together, which makes this season less than jolly for many people.

If you’re dreading seeing certain relatives for the holidays, there are things you can do to mitigate the anxiety. Mentally prepare yourself to cope during your family’s gathering with these four tips:

How Older Online Daters Can Thrive

Good news for older singles: there are others out there who share the same values as you.

A recent study that looked at the profiles of online daters discovered an intriguing insight into how age affects the way that we portray ourselves.

The researchers found that older singles (50 and up) tend to be happy about their existing social connections, but want to expand them. Individuals in this age bracket used more pronouns such as “us” and “we” that emphasized friends and family. In contrast, younger online daters tended to use more first-person pronouns, highlighting work and achievements.

Santa Letter Scam: Key Warning Signs

For many children, writing their annual letter to Santa Claus is almost as exciting as finding gifts under the tree on Christmas morning. Imagine how excited they’d be if Jolly Old St. Nick himself sent a reply.

That’s why parents, eager to please their little ones during the holiday season, are the perfect target for a cyberscam involving letters from Santa. For the last several years, the Better Business Bureau has reported numerous fraudulent websites claiming to sell personalized letters from Santa Claus.

Save Your Mom From Dirty John

Online daters beware: This story will send shivers down your spine.

Dirty John, a six-part podcast from the Los Angeles Times and journalist Christopher Goffard, tells the riveting story of how one woman and her family were affected by a diabolical man she met from an online dating site.

The podcast moves like a mystery thriller. One aspect of the story opens the door to another; you know something terrible is going to happen, but you’ll never predict what and when.

The Confession Tapes on Netflix: 3 Key Lessons

“All of us could falsely confess to something. It might take you a week; it might take me an hour. But we’re all going to have our breaking point.”

This is an excerpt from The Confession Tapes—a Netflix documentary that looks at true stories of false murder confessions.

The idea that someone would admit to a crime he or she didn’t commit may seem unbelievable, until you take a closer look at the psychological effects of interrogations.

The Rich Person's Playbook

Research suggests that the divide between the rich and poor has never been greater. Other than being born into a massive inheritance, what is it that leads the rich to be rich in the first place?

Tom Corley, author of the award-winning book Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy People, spent five-years studying 233 millionaires and 128 poor people and surmised that often one’s wealth has more to do with habits. For example, Corley notes that emotional purchases are something that rich people avoid. A wealthy person will think twice before purchasing that sports car or designer dress. Those items at the checkout counter meant to result in unnecessary spontaneous buys? A wealthy person will more likely take a pass.